EPL Talk » Wolverhampton Wanderers

Observations About Premier League Saturday Matchday 13

The Gaffer — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:21:26 +0000

Thank god the Premier League is back. Nothing against international football, but there’s something very comforting with getting back into the ritual of watching Premier League football and being familiar with the surroundings, the pace of the game and the excitement it creates.

So the Liverpool against Manchester City game on early Saturday was the perfect re-introduction to the Premier League. I found the first half not as boring as ESPN’s Tommy Smyth claimed it was. Sure, there were few chances, but the flowing football was easy on the eye which was punctuated by two unfortunate injuries for Daniel Agger and Ryan Babel.

The second half of the match erupted. The last ten minutes of the match were pulsating with both teams throwing everything forward to try to get the winner, but alas the game ended 2-2 — which I thought was a fair result for both teams.

For me, the player who had the biggest impact on the match was Carlos Tevez who came off the bench and transformed City from a team who looked soulless in midfield to a team that was suddenly dangerous on the attack and had more possession. The thing I love about Tevez the most is that he turns nothing into something. He constantly fights for the ball and a perfect example of this was how he won the ball down the left wing and ran with the ball, passing it to Shaun Wright-Phillips who planted a beautiful pass to Stephen Ireland to score a valuable goal for City.

In the other games I watched, the football wasn’t as exciting as the match at Anfield.

Sunderland’s 1-0 victory against Arsenal was a game that wasn’t for the soccer purist. Both teams played well but Sunderland suffocated most of Arsenal’s attempts on goal and the Mackems had few chances of their own. That’s not to take anything away from Sunderland’s performance. The team battled hard and deserved to get something out of this game, and had a bit of good fortune in the ball falling to Darren Bent to win the match. While Tevez was my man of the match in the Liverpool versus City game, my man of the match at the Stadium of Light was Andy Reid who delivered a performance equal of Tevez by constantly fighting for the ball and pouring his enthusiasm into everything he did for Sunderland.

Just as Liverpool and Manchester City didn’t look like Premier League champion material today, neither did Arsenal. It wasn’t that they were bad. Instead the Gunners were shut down well by Sunderland similar to how Steve Bruce’s side did the same against Manchester United at Old Trafford recently. I’m sure a lot of the excuses for Arsenal’s defeat today will be aimed at the unavailability of Robin van Persie due to injury, but I feel that’s unfair. Arsenal had a few golden chances near the end of the game to equalize but it just wasn’t their day.

With Arsenal’s loss in the northeast, Chelsea moved eight points clear of the Gunners with an emphatic 4-0 home win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Seriously, Chelsea have become incredibly boring to watch this season. Don’t get me wrong. They’re playing wonderful football, but the matches they play are so one-sided that I find myself losing interest because they constantly cruise to victory with simplicity (except of course in a few games this season such as against Manchester United and Wigan Athletic, where the opposition was tougher to break down).

Last but not least, the match between Manchester United and Everton was exceedingly enjoyable to watch. Everton were very much in the game and fighting for every ball until the 35th minute when Darren Fletcher rocketed the ball with his right foot into the top corner of the net. Despite Everton’s constant persistence, they created very few chances against a Manchester United side that seemed to be buzzing after their recent drop in form during the past few matches.

The second half of this match was very wide-open with both teams trying to get the decisive goal. But it was another piece of class in this game that saw Manchester United scoring a goal. This time it was a perfect pass from Ryan Giggs to Michael Carrick who knocked in a shot with precision into the far corner of the net to make it 2-0 to United. Antonio Valencia’s shot near the end of the match which was deflected in to make it 3-0 made it a very convincing win for Manchester United although you have to think that the scoreline wasn’t a fair representation of how well Everton played at times during this match.

I’ll try to spend some time later tonight watching the other Premier League games played today. But in the meantime, feel free to post your observations about the games today and what was interesting for you.

Photo credit: Soefrie.

Two Wins In A Calendar Year Isn’t Mischief Making

Paul Bestall — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:02:10 +0000

Hull City Chairman Paul Duffen has ridden to the defence of his beleaguered, battered and bruised manager after another capitulation on Saturday saw Hull brushed aside 6-1 at Anfield. 7 games into the season and Hull City have just 4 points, with a solitary win against Bolton and a point gained away at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Since the turn of the year, Hull have now played 24 Premiership games, winning just two, and losing 17.

Now that’s not relegation form, that’s dead and buried form. 11 points from a possible 72 is an astounding return and one that beggars belief. Already this season they’ve conceded more than 4 goals in three different matches and that for me sets alarm bells ringing. I’m completely at a loss as to how Brown can address this dreadful run of form. It’s not the worst Premiership record, as recent history will testify with Derby County’s year of hell probably cemented in the record books for some time to come, but surely someone at Hull City must be worried.

Now, I’m still surprised as to how far Phil Browns star has faded since the Tigers burst on to the Premiership scene last year. People seem to be enjoying Hull getting mauled every week so they get to see Browns saddened face after every match. I’m not one of them, I actually really feel for Brown and the Hull fans. When you’re facing what appears such an insurmountable task, even little hiccups seem like mountains in the black light of football induced depression.

It makes you face every game with a level of pessimism that even the Grim Reaper may think a tad depressing. Going to a match begins to resemble spending two hours on death row, where even the prospect of contracting the black death seems preferable to watching your team get stuffed once again.

Fair play to Hull City’s chairman, he stopped short of giving the dreaded vote of confidence, but even Brown must realise something has to give eventually. I’m certainly not advocating any manager getting sacked, especially one that has taken a club to a level they have never been to before but sometimes you have to hold your hands up, say enough is enough and walk away. The chairman’s statement included one of those comments were you think Hmmmmm.

“Only a few points separate us from the middle of the league, and I am really pleased with the signs I see developing in the squad” Now it’s easy to be churlish about a Chairman when he comes out with a statement like that. Is it damage limitation? Is it spin? Is it delusion? Or is it a manager receiving a level of support that should be applauded.Duffen knows that Hull City are in the Premiership more or less due to Brown’s skills as a manager.

All the additional revenue, coverage and publicity is down to a manager taking an unfancied team in to the Premiership. Moments like this don’t come around very often and after 104 years of trying, you tend to give the man who got you there a little more support than perhaps other club chairman may do. Bigger clubs than Hull City have treated better managers worse than the support Phil Brown is currently getting.

Hull are about to embark on a run of six games that will show everyone exactly where Hull City are in the scheme of things. A run of 4 home games against Wigan Athletic, Portsmouth, Stoke City and West Ham United book ending away games at Fulham and Burnley will offer us an exact dissection of Hull City in the scheme of things. Once that run is over, things may look a whole lot rosier than they currently do at the K.C. Stadium. I just hope Phil Brown doesn’t get the karaoke machine out!

Legends of English Football: #7 Duncan Edwards

Paul Bestall — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:20:17 +0000

For every generation of fans and players, there is always one player that stands out for a variety of reasons. For every Sir Stanley Matthews, there will be a George Best, for every Gary Lineker, there will be Paul Gascoigne. Players who captivated their peers but for some reason, lost the passion, fell into bad habits and faced battles off the pitch far worse than anything they ever encountered over the white line.

Yet one name stands out amongst all others in post war English football as 0ne that was stolen away from us. Along with the other 7 members of the Manchester United side that died on 6th February 1958 in the Munich Air Disaster, Duncan Edwards’ name has flowed down throughout the last 51 years. Edwards is held up as potentially the greatest English player of his time and maybe of all time. The plaudits which have been lauded on the likeable West Midlands born lad have continued since he passed away.

Edwards’ career began as most others in those days, playing local league football for both his school, Birmingham County and Worcestershire. Incredibly, it seems that even at 12 years old, he had sides chasing his signature, with 3 of the biggest of the time vying for his attentions ; Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa and Manchester United. Spotted by United’s scout Jack O’Brien, Busby was urged to sign “A 12-year-old schoolboy who merits special watching. His name is Duncan Edwards, of Dudley”

In time of course, the lure of Manchester United became too much to resist and he joined them in June 1952, still 4 months short of turning 16. Wolves’ manager of the time , Stan Cullis was livid and accusations of financial incentives were bandied about. Edwards however simply informed them that he had always wanted to play for United and that was all their was to it. Edwards stock was rising and it was with no surprise that he quickly forced his way into the first team squad making his debut in April 1953, aged 16.

Over the next 5 seasons, Edwards would make himself a regular fixture in the exciting and dynamic side that Sir Matt Busby was building at Old Trafford. Two successive league titles saw United begin to push Wolves’ dominance of the First Division and the 1957-58 season saw both sides going for the title once again. Edwards, whilst primarily becoming renowned for playing as a defensive midfielder was equally adept at playing in most outfield positions. In one game for United, he started in midfield, was pushed up front as a replacement striker and finished the game playing in central defence.

Both Stanley Matthews and Bobby Moore were fans of his tenacity, coolness and the presence he had on the field of play. He played with a calmness that belied his years and in the 5 seasons he played for United, he appeared 177 times as well as turning out 18 times for England. By the beginning of 1958 the football world was at his feet. He’d now become a regular for England and was expected to play a major part in the attempt to win the 1958 World Cup, to be held in Sweden that year.

All that changed on 6th February 1958, when the plane carrying the Manchester United squad back from Belgrade crashed on the Munich-Reim runway. United had just qualified for the semi finals of the European Cup after a 3-3 draw against Red Star Belgrade had seen them win the tie 5-4 on aggregate. The plane skidded and lost control attempting to take off for the third time on a slush covered runway, smashing into the ground. Edwards suffered massive injuries, with multiple leg fractures, broken ribs and severely damaged kidneys. Edwards held on for 15 days but a kidney transplant caused internal bleeding and he passed away through renal failure on February 21st.

23 people died as a result of the crash, 7 United players and 3 members of Manchester United staff, 2 crew members, 9 journalists and 2 additional passengers. Amazingly 21 people survived, but it saw United’s season decimated and obviously the club struggled to maintain the season in the circumstances. At just 21 years old, Edwards’ light had flickered its last.

Edwards was laid to rest 5 days later in a grave next to his sister who had passed away in 1947. The streets of his home town Dudley saw 5,000 people for his funeral and the town is rightly proud of the brief but brilliant legacy this quiet young man left in just 5 years. Over the years the plaudits have continued to be given towards Edwards. His grave is still visited regularly, not just by United fans, but fans of all clubs and people who just want to pay their respects.

“He was the only player that made me feel inferior” Sir Bobby Charlton

“There is no doubt in my mind that Duncan would have become the greatest player ever. Not just in British football, with United and England, but the best in the world. George Best was something special, as was Pele and Maradona, but in my mind Duncan was much better in terms of all-round ability and skill” Tommy Docherty

“Edwards was like a rock in a raging sea” Sir Stanley Matthews

Played 177 games for Manchester United, scoring 21 goals
18 games for England and 5 goals
Potentially England’s greatest ever player
Held the youngest England international record until Michael Owen beat his record in 1998.

Premiership Promotion Preview No.1: Wolverhampton Wanderers

Paul Bestall — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:03:50 +0000

As is the usual preseason prediction, the three promoted sides are always the favourites to go straight back down. Last season gave us something of a novelty in recent years, with two of the three sides that came up in 2007-2008 staying with us for another year, as close as Hull tried to throw it all away. With Wolves returning to the Premiership after an absence of 5 seasons, they’ll be keen to hang in there for more than one season.

Let’s not forget that Wolves won the title last season and regardless of what anyone says, The Championship is the hardest league in the world to get out of in the right way. Leeds United, Charlton Athletic, Norwich City, Leicester City, Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley have all gone the wrong way out of the league and the division is littered with sides that have big grounds, big squads and plenty of Premiership experience. Sure they faltered at the end, but not many clubs get up without a blip or two along the way. Newcastle United and Middlesbrough beware!

The 1990’s saw Wolves consistently challenge at the top of the Championship table, only to miss out in Play offs and falter in the final straight. Sir Jack Hayward, after taking over in 1990, spent plenty of money upgrading Molineux and attracting high calibre managers to the hot seat. For some reason, Wolves have a reputation as sacking club, but since 1990, they’ve only had 7 managers. Hardly the situation you would see at some other clubs in the same period who you would consider lesser sides in the scheme of things. Barnsley have had 12 managers, Sheffield Wednesday 11 and neither side has come close to returning to the Premiership this century.

The last experience of the Premiership for Wolves in the 2003-2004 season was one of gallant failure. The side was made up of aging pro’s who had plenty of Premiership experience but not necessarily the legs or skill required to keep them up finishing 6 points adrift of Everton. In the five years since they last played top flight football, the league has changed somewhat. 6 of the teams that finished above them have now been relegated, 3 of them suffering further with Leeds United and from next season Southampton and Charlton Athletic having another relegation out of the Championship.

The key factor this time around is the away form for Mick McCarthy’s men. Last time round, they didn’t manage to win a game away from home, conceding 4 or more goals 7 times and going 7 games without a win in two separate runs. The strike force of Miller, Blake and Iversen didn’t deliver and whilst Ganea, Cort and Camara tried their best once they came in, it was too little, too late.

This close season has seen Wolves smash their transfer record with the £6.5 million capture of Kevin Doyle. If they can get Doyle and the promising Sylvan Ebanks-Blake working in tandem in friendlies, that could be the relationship that keeps them up. With the promising Sam Vokes, Andrew Keogh and Stephen Ward in reserve, they need another striker who can get them goals if injury effects the first choice line up.

What he would give for discovering another Steve Bull on a bargain price from West Bromwich Albion again. Don’t forget though that Ebanks-Blake has hit 37 goals in 63 games since he joined them from Plymouth Argyle. He won the Golden Boot for being the league’s top scorer two seasons in a row, so he’s no mug and graduated through the ranks of Manchester United.

McCarthy has also added Andrew Surman, Nenad Milijas, Bobo Balde and Ronald Zubar as well as former Reading players Marcus Hahnemann and Greg Halford. I’m not surprised they went for an experienced goalkeeper, as solid as Wayne Hennessey and Matt Murray are, Hahnemann knows exactly what to expect in the Premier League. A strong character between the sticks is crucial and as highly rated as both current goalkeepers were, confidence can be shattered by a 4 or 5 goal mauling at Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge.

There will be no doubt that Molineux will see Wolves and their fans celebrate wins, of that there is no doubt. Last time round, the home form wasn’t too bad all in all, keep things tight at home and go after teams like Stoke, Hull, Burnley, Birmingham and renowned travel sickness sufferers Spurs, Portsmouth and Fulham.

Don’t forget that Manchester United left with their tails between there legs after losing 1-0 last time they visited Wolves in the Premiership. Stoke City’s home support last season showed just how important crowd backing can be. It is crucial when you’re up against it and can make all the difference. If the crowd sense you’re giving 100%, they’ll match you all the way.

The other factor for Wolves now is the backing of owner Steve Morgan. Wolves have money to spend, but need quality over quantity. McCarthy had his hands tied with a miniscule budget whilst at Sunderland, but brought in too many players who simply couldn’t cope with the rigours of Premiership football. He’ll know that another striker is the crucial signing, but I don’t see Wolves struggling this time.

It’ll be tight but I think they’ll stay up. They’ve got money, passionate noisy fans, the nucleus of a hungry, keen side and the fans should be looking forward to a steady season. A couple more signings are needed but they’ll be fine and with plans to expand the stadium, Wolves could be about to enter a new era in the best shape they’ve been in since 1960.

Legends Of English Football No.5 # Billy Wright

Paul Bestall — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:08:38 +0000

If one player ever encapsulated the prestige, honour and sacrifice that being a one club man, then few could match the career of Billy Wright. Like Dean and Matthews, he set standards and records without batting an eyelid. In these modern days of superstar footballers, loathed and loved in equal measure, Wright personifies a halcyon era when respect and honour went hand in hand. Universally loved around the country, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house for his final match.

Wright was another of the great stars of English football, whose career, whilst magnificent, could have been even greater if it were not for the outbreak of World War II. Given his first team debut in 1939 at only 15 years of age and he signed a full time contract in 1941, but as with all league football at the time, it would be another 5 years before he pulled on the old gold and black kit and became enshrined in a unmatched period of success for Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It had been his performances throughout the war that brought him to the attention of both the F.A and Wolves and his career took off immediately after he had been demobbed from the Army in 1946. He’d been a Physical Education Instructor as well as playing representative games and had earned a reputation as one of the best defenders in the world. He was joining a side that had closed the two seasons prior to the outbreak of war finishing as runners up in the First Division and also lost the F.A Cup final to Portsmouth in 1939.

That first full season for Wolves saw them once again miss out on the title by losing the last match of the season, but the next 14 years would cement Wolves as one of the top sides in England. Wright replaced the Wolves captain Stan Cullis after he retired in 1947 and one year later Cullis returned to Wolves to become the new manager. The relationship between manager and captain became a period of unparalleled success and they captured the F.A Cup together in 1949.

By now Wright has become England captain as well and held the position in every remaining game he ever played for his country. During the next ten years Wright would lead Wolves to 3 league titles, 3 runners up places and 3 third places as Wolves became synonymous with footballing success. Along with Manchester United, they were the team of post war Britain and it often came down to which of the two would hold their nerves the longest.

Wright’s talent as a footballer was that whilst he was noted for his hard, even ferocious tackling, he still played the game fairly and as a true sportsman. As he was never booked or sent off in his career, it’s rare thing for a defender to go their entire career without at least one blemish on their record. Despite being only 5′ 8″ he was almost unmatched in aerial battles, with an uncanny ability to be seemingly able to levitate when he jumped for the ball, the Michael Jordan of his day.

Wright never tried to things he couldn’t do, but what he could do, he did bloody well. An excellent reader of the game, with a sweet burst of pace, Wright seemed to be able to read the play before it had happened and break it up and give to a Wolves player to charge back down the pitch toward the opponents net. “I only had two things on my mind as a player: to win the ball and then to give the simplest pass I could to the nearest team-mate,”

Wright then became even more of a household name; if that were possible, when he married Joy Beverley, from the 50’s pop group The Beverley Sisters. As Britain’s premier female group and the first British female group to break in to the American top ten, it was similar to the England captain marrying a member of the Spice Girls. Make no mistake about it, they were massive. On his way to the secret location for the wedding in Poole in Dorset, Billy and Joy ran into a traffic jam. When he asked a police officer what on earth had gone on to make everyone queue so long, the officer just laughed and said “They’ve all come to watch you two get married.” Thousands turned out for the “Secret wedding”

Wright finally retired in 1959 as Wolves won the league title for the last time in their history and was awarded the CBE after announcing his retirement. He had a year off before becoming the manager of England’s youth, Under 21 and Under 23 sides but left in 1962 to become the manager of Arsenal, guiding them into 7th place in his first season and gave them their first ever season of European football.

Yet things didn’t quite work out for him at the Gunners and he was sacked in 1966, moving into television as Head of Sport for ATV, a post he held for over 20 years. He retired in 1989 and the year after joined the board of directors following Sir Jack Hayward’s purchase of Wolverhampton Wanderers. Sir Jack paid him the ultimate honour of naming one of the stands after him, an obvious, yet fitting tribute for such a player. When people think of Wolves, they think of Stan Cullis, Steve Bull and Billy Wright. Sadly, Billy passed away much too soon, as stomach cancer claimed him in 1994. My grandfather cried all day when he heard the news.

First player in world football to earn 100 caps for his country
Played 70 consecutive international matches
Captained England 90 times
Amazingly missed 7 seasons due to the Second World War
Captained England in 3 consecutive World Cups (1950, 1954, 1958)
Never booked or sent off
England 5th most capped player with 105 caps and 3 goals
541 games and 16 goals for Wolves