They ain't very happy with things (well, this fella isn't anyway)
www.expressandstar.com/2008/02/12/wolves-blog-shambolic/When I got into Molineux on Saturday and somebody told me that Stephen Elliott was starting on the bench, I thought perhaps Mick had finally seen the light, writes Wolves blogger Nathan Lloyd.
But when the team sheet was read out and Kevin Kyle had a place in the starting line up, I was baffled.
I was sure that on the back of Freddy’s glowing report for the Welsh national team in their defeat of Norway in midweek that he would be full of confidence and get a start.
I think if I was Freddy Eastwood and saw that Kevin Kyle’s name was named in the first 11 ahead of mine, I would be ready to grab my coat and go.
In an eight year career, Kyle has scored 22 goals. Ok, so he wasn’t brought to the club for his scoring record, but what else does he offer?
On Saturday he won his fair share of balls in the air and even had a hand in both our goals.
But when Freddy came on, you could instantly see the quality he possesses and I’m baffled as to why Mick won’t give him a start.
I’ll probably make myself a little unpopular here, (but then what’s new?), when I say that Andy Keogh is another player I’m not overly keen on.
He just doesn’t do enough with the ball and desperately needs someone to show him how to strike a ball at goal.
And before someone points out that he has scored a few goals recently, remember that even Adam Proudlock once scored a hat-trick in a Wolves shirt, so it can’t be that difficult.
I’m probably taking my frustrations out on the wrong individual, but Saturday’s performance was shambolic and apart from Michael Gray, I’d struggle again to pick out anyone who had a decent game.
I did chuckle yesterday when MM came out and said that we are good enough to still go up automatically.
We are 11 points off second, 12 really if you take into consideration our abysmal goal difference and not exactly lighting-up the division with scintillating performances.
Mick said: “Some people might say I’m talking nonsense”. Yes Mick, some of us might indeed say that.
Does he see the same team play as the rest of us? Does he honestly think we are anywhere good enough to challenge for promotion?
We’ve now got more strikers at the club than Arthur Scargill had in the Eighties and it’s abundantly clear that Mick should have concentrated on the defence in the transfer window.
Or is it that Mick is just failing to get the best out a squad that is perfectly capable of launching an assault on promotion?
The worrying thing for me is that we are nearing the business end of the season and Mick still doesn’t know what his best team is.
I’ve been criticized on here for joining in with the “boo-boy” culture that apparently exists at Molineux.
But I and many fans have stuck with Mick as he played Stephen Ward on the left wing, played a different front two every week and refused to give the youth who did so well last season, a chance in the first team.
And when you watch us crumble as we did against Stoke and Watford last week, you can’t just carry on blindly supporting a failing management that has really lost its way this season.
The worrying thing is that I’m sure that Mick will get another bite of the cherry, should he fail this season.
In the Steve Bull stand, the people around me always make the same empty threat when the early bird is announced; “I’m not coming back next season to watch this rubbish”.
I’ve only ever known one couple actually carry out that threat about five years ago and they now pick and choose which games to go to.
That’s where the club has got us by the short and curlies. I would just drive my missus mad if I didn’t get out of the house on a matchday.
So I’ll be back next season, even if Mick somehow keeps his job.
If Mick did jack it all in tomorrow, who would we want at the club and probably more importantly who would take up what really is a poison chalice.
We are such an impatient lot and I include myself. Not many managers have had the luxury of time to mould a successful team at the club.
Likely successors to the post have been muted many times on these pages. What we usually find is that the club goes slightly left field and the appointment takes us all by surprise.
I’d still like Mick to prove me wrong and illustrate that he really isn’t talking nonsense.
On another note, two players at the right and wrong end of the PR spectrum this week; Bothroyd and Breen.
Jay Bothroyd came out and had a go at the small minority of fans who have booed or berated him and a couple of our other under performers this season.
Bothroyd is talented but lazy. By coming out and calling the Wolves fans fickle, (which to a certain degree we know we are), what does he hope to achieve?
He could start by giving us that 100 per cent he claims he is putting in. I would just like him out of the club full stop.
Although I would never condone getting on our players’ backs in this way, fans pay their money and are entitled to voice their opinions.
I’m a big believer that fans should voice their disapproval at the final whistle. I don’t think getting on our own players’ backs during the game can be anything except counter-productive.
After Bothroyd had had a little whine and a moan, Gary Breeeen came out and told his team mates to stop whingeing about the demands of the fans.
Breen stated that expectations have obviously been raised from last season and that the only real way to get the crowd onside is to start playing better football.
Bothroyd and Breen were basically saying the same thing but Gary had the intelligence to try and get the fans onside, whereas Bothroyd threw every single toy out of his big Bentley pram and is now even less popular than before.
With Wolves being voted the biggest whingers in the “Prawn Sandwich” awards, it makes you wonder how many people actually voted and in reality who gives a stuff?
And so it’s off to the seaside tonight to face Blackpool at Bloomfield Road in a sold out encounter.
If nothing else it will be a chance to switch our abuse onto Paul Dickov who is on loan from Man City and is always guaranteed a bit of stick from the Wolves faithful.
A win could put us in contention for an unlikely play-off place, whereas a loss would leave us firmly planted in mid-table.
The likelihood is that there won’t be a lot of changes from the loss at the weekend. Olofinjana is back in contention and perhaps Elokobi might find a starting berth.
Good luck to the lad’s tonight and let’s hope nobody’s mother gets too upset.
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