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Wolverhampton Wanderers V Ipswich Town


Tuesday 16th August 2016 – 19:45

Molineux







Opening Thought – Jamma

While ‘Super Saturday’ may not have reached the same heights as London 2012 in Rio, I’m sure Town fans could come up with another adjective beginning with s to describe their team’s performance at Brentford… ‘Shocking’ is what you were thinking, right, Marko? The one consolation coming away from Griffin Park this time last year, having seen Town snatch a draw from the jaws of victory, was the thought that at least any future visit wouldn’t produce such a level of disappointment. Being an Ipswich Town supporter, I should have known better! Of course, it’s hard to compare the two scenarios: on the one hand, entering stoppage time 2-0 up on the back of an impressive performance at the home of a potential promotion rival, only to throw away two points at the death. On the other, twelve months later, never really getting out of first gear and, following a decent first half, not looking like mounting a comeback after conceding two quick-fire goals. In many ways, it was the reverse of the previous week’s display against Barnsley, when the Blues had been slow to get going but, having earnt the right to play, turned the screw in the second 45. While we didn’t get ‘smashed’ by the Bees, as Luke Chambers had warned would happen with a repeat of the performance against Stevenage, it was worrying how quickly our collective confidence appeared to drop. Panic set in when we again conceded from a set piece, and it was no surprise when Bartosz Bialkowski was picking the ball out of the net for a second time in ten minutes after we failed to clear another corner. Brentford had not really had to do much, and yet they found themselves two goals up and coasting to a comfortable 3 points. When Town did get on the ball, they were seemingly content to pass it from side to side, providing no penetration. All too often, the final ball ended up finding a red and white shirt, or going out of play. In light of the promise that we would look to ‘play more football’ this season, Saturday hammered home just how much work there is to do.

The mood amongst supporters has quickly shifted over the last week or so. We approached 2016/17 with a degree of apathy in the wake of some uninspiring pre-season results and a quiet summer of transfer activity. That all changed with the last-minute arrivals of Conor Grant and Grant Ward, and the latter’s stunning opening day hat-trick. But the limp cup exit to Stevenage, followed hot on the heels by our first league defeat at the weekend, has rapidly dampened any optimism that had started to creep in. As easy as it is to get swept up in the emotion, we would do well to remember a couple of popular football clichés, namely ‘Nothing is won in August’ and ‘The Championship is a marathon, not a sprint’. After all, I’m sure Newcastle fans – along with football supporters up and down the country – didn’t envisage their team being stuck on no points after two matches. The league will, as always, take a while to settle down, and Mick will be saying that we can’t afford to get too worked up about the defeats at this stage of the campaign, any more than we should be getting too carried away with the wins. Having said that, performances will clearly have to improve if we aren’t to be left playing catch-up. The Blues reacted well to last season’s setback at Brentford, winning five on the bounce in all competitions. This time around, we have an immediate chance to make amends with a midweek trip to Molineux, and a clash with a Wolves side in transition but which has started the season brightly.



The Opposition Wolverhampton Wanderers





The club was founded in 1877 as St. Luke's and later merged with local cricket and football club The Wanderers to form Wolverhampton Wanderers in August 1879.

Having become professional, the club were nominated to become one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888. They ended the inaugural season in third place, as well as reaching their first FA Cup final, losing to Preston North End. At the conclusion of the campaign, the club relocated to the Molineux.

Wolves lifted the FA Cup for the first time in 1893 and added a second triumph in 1908, two years after having dropped into the Second Division.

After struggling for many years to regain their place in the top division, the club suffered a further relegation in 1923, entering the Third Division (North), which they won at the first attempt.

Eight years later, Wolves regained their top-flight status after winning the Second Division title under Major Frank Buckley. With Buckley at the helm, the team became established as one of the leading club sides in England in the years leading up to the Second World War, as they finished runners-up in the league twice in succession, as well as reaching the last pre-war FA Cup final, in which they suffered a shock defeat to Portsmouth.

When league football resumed, Wolves suffered yet another final day failure in the First Division. Just as in 1938, victory in their last match would have won the title but a 1–2 loss to title rivals Liverpool gave them the championship instead.

In 1949, Stan Cullis's first season in charge, he led Wolves to a first major honour in 41 years as they beat Leicester to lift the FA Cup and, a year later, only goal average prevented Wolves from winning the league title.

The 1950s were by far the most successful period in the club's history. Wolves finally claimed the league championship for the first time in 1953–54. Two further titles were soon won in successive years (1957–58 and 1958–59), as Wolves cemented their position as the premier team in English football.

Although the decade opened with a fourth FA Cup victory and almost the first double of the twentieth century, the 1960s saw Wolves begin to decline. Cullis was sacked in September 1964, in a season that ended with relegation and the club's first spell outside the top division in more than thirty years. This exile would last only two seasons, though, as they were promoted in 1967 as runners-up.

The club's return to the English top flight heralded another period of relative success under Bill McGarry, with a fourth place in 1971 qualifying them for the newly-created UEFA Cup, in which they reached the final, losing to Tottenham on aggregate.

They lifted silverware, though, two years later, when they won the League Cup for the first time by beating Manchester City in the final. Despite relegation again in 1976, Wolves bounced back at the first attempt as Second Division champions and, under manager John Barnwell, the turn of the decade saw them finish in the top six and win the 1980 League Cup.

The multi-million-pound rebuilding of the Molineux Street Stand in 1979 was to be the catalyst for the club's near financial ruin during the following decade, as difficulties in repaying the loans taken out to fund it led to receivership and relegation in 1982. The club was "saved" from liquidation at the last minute when it was purchased by a consortium fronted by former player Derek Dougan. Initially, this takeover, financed by two Saudi brothers, Mahmud and Mohammad Bhatti of the company Allied Properties, brought immediate promotion back to the First Division under manager Graham Hawkins, but the Bhattis' failure to sufficiently invest in the club soon saw things unravel as the team suffered three consecutive relegations under different managers through the football divisions, as well as the almost constant threat of the club being wound up.

In 1986, with the club again in receivership, a deal saw Wolverhampton City Council purchase the club's stadium and surrounding land, while a local developer paid off the club's outstanding debts in return for planning permission to develop the land adjacent to the stadium. The new season saw Wolves' first ever campaign in the Fourth Division. The team reached the final of the inaugural play-offs but were denied promotion by Aldershot. However, the final two seasons of the decade saw the team achieve both the Fourth and Third Division championship, and also win the Football League Trophy at Wembley in 1988.

Lifelong fan Sir Jack Hayward purchased the club in 1990 and immediately funded the extensive redevelopment of the by now dilapidated Molineux into a modern all-seater stadium. With work completed in 1993, Hayward turned his investment into the club’s playing side in an attempt to win promotion to the newly-formed Premier League. Yet, despite this substantial spending, neither Graham Taylor nor Mark McGhee could fulfil this, both leading the team to play-off defeats at the semi-final stage (in 1995 and 1997 respectively).

It was not until 2003 that Wolves were promoted, when they defeated Sheffield United in the play-off final under Dave Jones to end a nineteen-year absence from the top level. Their stay proved short-lived, though, as they were immediately relegated back to the newly-retitled Championship.

After former England manager Glenn Hoddle failed to bring a swift return, the rebuilding of the squad by Mick McCarthy rejuvenated the club with an unexpected play-off finish. The club was bought by Steve Morgan in 2007, and two years later it returned to the Premier League as Championship champions. Wolves successfully battled relegation for two seasons before 2011–12 saw McCarthy's dismissal precipitate the drop under his assistant Terry Connor.

Following relegation, Norwegian Ståle Solbakken became the club's first overseas manager but his reign lasted only six months before a poor run of results saw him replaced by Dean Saunders in January 2013. Saunders failed to bring any upturn, culminating in both relegation to League One and his own dismissal.

Following this, Kenny Jackett was appointed in May 2013 in the retitled position of Head Coach, and led the team back to the Championship in his first season, setting a new club record points total of 103 in winning League One.

In 2014/15, Wolves almost made it to the play-offs, finishing on the same number of points as Town (78 points) but one place behind us in 7th due to goal difference.

Last season never looked like reaching the same heights, with Wolves finally finishing up in 14th place in the table.

On 21 July 2016, it was confirmed that Fosun International had bought the club from Steve Morgan, for an undisclosed amount, with Jez Moxey stepping down from his role as CEO. On 29 July 2016, Wolves announced that Kenny Jackett's contract with the club had been terminated. Former Italian international Walter Zenga was appointed the following day.





The Gaffer – Walter Zenga






Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev


There were plenty of goals when Wolves visited Portman Road last November…


https://youtu.be/2sQCJaypNcQ



Media Watch - K L Blue

Injury report:
http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/30054/

Dalian Atkinson:
http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/30053/

U23 squad v Sheff Utd:
http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/30052/



Form Guide




Wolves Last 5 Matches – 6th place - 4 points

Northampton Town L 1-2 Away
Swansea City L 0-4 Home
Rotherham United D 2-2 Away
Crawley Town W 2-1 Home
Reading W 2-0 Home


Ipswich Last 5 Matches - 13th place - 3 points

Charlton D 0-0 Away
Royal Union Saint-Gilloise L 1-2 Home
Barnsley W 4-2 Home
Stevenage L 0-1 Home
Brentford L 0-2 Away



Midweek fixtures of Interest

Tuesday

Brentford v Nottingham Forest

Leeds United v Fulham

Norwich City v Bristol City

Wednesday

Newcastle United v Reading


Match Referee – Peter Bankes





Final Thought – Bluemike

We may only be two games into the new season and already the unrest among Town fans is rearing its ugly head. Talk of MM losing the dressing room after what was a really poor second half display at Brentford has even been suggested, would you believe. Personally, I find it all a little bit laughable if I am honest.

Let's get one thing straight though. We have issues to resolve and quickly. Our defending has been very suspect at best and, despite some strong words after the Stevenage game, little seems to have been resolved. Poor Adam Webster had a bit of a mare at Griffin Park and was caught wanting for both goals, but it certainly isn't only he that should take the flak. Others need to look at themselves too. We win as a team and we lose as a team so the whole defensive unit need to hold their hands up. Another issue for me is how quickly we can lose our way – bossing the game at HT and clearly on top to a team so devoid of ideas is indeed baffling. Did Brentford improve so much after the break? I don't think so. We made it easy for them.

Thankfully we have time to bring in a couple more new additions before the transfer window shuts and, following on from the Didsy news, I believe we will do exactly that. With Norwich looming large, it is important we get some confidence back into the team and, with that in mind, our trip to Wolverhampton takes on added importance. For me, a really good performance is just as important as a positive result, although clearly bringing home points would do wonders for everyone. I think we may see one or two changes to the line-up on Tuesday evening just to freshen it up and keep people on their toes. What we have to remember is that we have had a bad 45 minutes. It is no reason for everyone to implode. As long as we learn from it and act upon it, we should be fine. This is another tough game and, with Wolves under new ownership and with a new boss at the helm, they will be keen to add to Saturday’s win at home to Reading. As always, I will stay positive and fancy the boys to bring home a welcome point. Wolves 1-1 Town for me.

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS 1 IPSWICH TOWN 1

have a safe trip all those coming up for the match. and have a great evening, just remember to leave ALL the points behind when you leave.

I'd add another "s", Jamma, and say it "Sounded Shocking" ...... Can't say any more than that when not in attendance. Nothing worse than this conversation.....,
Guy at merchants: Hibs were shocking first half eh?
Me: Well, they've had better first halves, yes. Were you there?
Guy at merchants: Nah man, seen the highlights on Sportscene!


If whatever happened 2nd half at Brentford on Saturday has been pinned down and discussed, then I'm expecting a tough draw at the Mol. I'll be very surprised if ITFC come away with 3 points. There is always that one surprising result though, hopefully it's this one.
0-0 draw.

That's a very nice picture there, Wolfie. It'll be a decent collection come seasons end.

Are you going to be there G&B ??

Mach see you there tomorrow.

Excellent preview. Well done !

Yes see you down there tomorrow Mike.

Really worried as for this game. Plenty of injuries already and awful defence.

Going for a Towen bouncebackability TC was seeing leaving PR with a box of swan vestas after lighting the BLUE touch paper.

Losing Conor Grant is obviously a blow while Pitman remains out and may well have featured. I hope Teddy Bishop comes in in place of Grant, I don't see too many other changes unless MM feels the need to remove webster already which for me would be the wrong move so soon.

The test will come if we concede first. Lots of comments and negativity flying around at the moment. The team owe it to themselves to show that they're better than Saturday's second half - with Sunday's encounter increasingly on the horizon, restoring confidence and belief hugely important tonight. Time for the talking to stop, and a real performance produced.

3-1 wolves ......Always have been positive and optimistic but not this season.....Just cant see Town up the right end of the table this season.

i like both teams - but want town to win

heres my Wolf-Tractor

Going to say 1 - 1 tie Mick's game plan "go for the tie but win if you can"

Just seen the team:
Bialkowski, Chambers, Webster, Berra, Knudsen; Skuse, Douglas. Bishop, Ward, Sears, Murphy. Subs: Gerken, Smith, Emmanuel, Kenlock, Dozzell, Bru, Varney.

I expect a 3 - 0 defeat. de4fence just not good enough. Skuse not good enough. Douglas too old. Bishop has struggled so far this season. I guess Sears will play wide where he has failed for over a year. Sorry to be negative but the only light at the end of the tunnel is because the tunnel is on fire.

Wolves had a penalty. Saved or missed

Come on town

Yesssssss come on lads

Arghhh disallowed

Quasar wrote:Yesssssss come on lads

Arghhh disallowed

Brenner and Mick Mills on the radio were at a loss to explain why Murphy's header was disallowed. I have to say, having seen it back on SSN, I'm baffled too! It sounds like we've had a good first half. Let's hope we can take it into the 2nd 45 this time...

Norwich ahead

A good 1st half from us, silly challenge by Webster but great save from Bart, that has been their only real chance, we have looked dangerous going forward, have no bloody idea why Murphy header was disallowed? Douglas playing more advanced and been our best player. We are closing down really well tonight. Pray to god we keep it going this time as at least a point is very much there for the taking.

FT 0-0

So win draw lose from our first 3 games.

bluemike wrote:A good 1st half from us, silly challenge by Webster but great save from Bart, that has been their only real chance, we have looked dangerous going forward, have no bloody idea why Murphy header was disallowed? Douglas playing more advanced and been our best player. We are closing down really well tonight. Pray to god we keep it going this time as at least a point is very much there for the taking.

Freddie Sears was given off side for the goal. Presumably for interfering with play. Stood by keeper.

Good away point, much improved performance - had Murph's goal stood then we would be celebrating a win. Special praise for Bart's penalty save, and one other outstanding save.

Sounded like Douglas had his best game for us, whilst Bishop playing centre mid is the way forward. Well done to all concerned. Now for Sunday!

Looking forward to Bluemike's and MPB's reports.

Sounded like I was far too pessimistic. A decent result but maybe still.not creating many chances.

bluemike wrote:Are you going to be there G&B ??

Mach see you there tomorrow.

nope I struggle to get there for the mid week games mate, your trip went well and no problems for you all I hope, I think every point we get at the moment is a bonus while this manager gets his preferred players in,
was there many of the Town make the long trip.

Wolves 0 Ipswich 0 - Report


After the ceremonial introductions of recent weeks, this was Walter Zenga's official welcome to the Championship.


Read more at http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/wol ... t29Cobs.99

Quasar wrote:i like both teams - but want town to win

heres my Wolf-Tractor

that's what I call a proper tractor Quasar, BRILLIANT.

Mixed emotions for me. Certainly good reaction to the insult 2nd half at Brentford was. Upset though with the goal having been disallowed but some awful decision will work for us one day too.

Changes were made after Saturday. Bru dropped which was a relief and having replaced him with Douglas turned out to be a really great decision. If we had lost this match Douglas would have been made an automatic scapegoat by some as he often is. His performance was really pleasing. Played an advanced role for the most of the game and that is what he had been signed for a year ago. Tonight it was Brentford's Douglas interesting in going forward rather than left on our own half. Both him and team alike benefited from his duties today. Without a shadow of doubt our stand-out player especially in the first half. Very, very active, pressing their defenders and closing them down. He has to start on Sunday and play the same role that's for sure.

First half we were on top for the majority of this however there were couple of scary moments. Knudsen lost Mason on his side, latter made a dangerous cross which wasn't met by any of his teammates in the box.
And the second was a penalty from Bodvarsson which was a penalty but Bart made a really good save.

Their defence had to be vigilant as it was us who caused them more problems. Murphy scored from his head. The goal disallowed. No-one was sure what the reason was but TV replays show it was a good one.
Most disappointing aspect was our dead ball moments. A few corners and free kicks ended with poor deliveries. Poor waste albeit the only good delivery was followed by Murphy's header.

Second half was an ilk of the game in which goal for either team would have been a winner. We seemed to have more of the ball however we never really tested Ikeme and their defence dealt well with our attempts. Ward was quite lively and most active player unfortunately though he didn't have lot of support. But the team's workrate and commitment was absolutely spot on. That was admirable. Wolves apart from one moment in 73 minute didn't really trouble us. That moment though...... Bart made a world class save from Costa's volley from 18 yards.

Bru whom I had heavily assaulted in words for his pathetic performance last Saturday was introduced early on in the second half. We might have done better if Bishop had stayed on the pitch but Mick must have had his own reasons in taking Bishop off. I think that avoiding red card was the most probable one as he was already booked.

Sears even though we played 4-3-3 spent almost his entire time on the wing and as it always is the case it didn't suit him.

Skuse was like a professor today I have to admit. Perfect performance in his DMC role.

As for Chambers and Knudsen who both have been slated of late by many of us. Chambers made a few decent tackles however completely useless with his deliveries and forward thinking alike. Knudsen generally OK apart from that moment when Mason ran away from him. I like the fact that he seems interested in supporting left sided midfielder and entering opposition box.

Berra was a proper Berra. Assured and reliable. Webster despite conceding a penalty did better than on Saturday.

The point isn't shabby we'll take it but it could have been three if the goal stood and if we had shown a little bit better quality.

Town support was unfortunately low in numbers. We usually take decent numbers to Wolves but only 500 tonight. Their fans asked us after the game where our support was.

Sunday is the main concern. Clean sheet tonight is the reason why Mick will stick with the same defence (unless enforced changes). I'm still really concerned about Webster. No experience at this level and he'll have to deal with the ex-Premier League forwards.

Micks approach will be the key to how the game is going to pan out for us. I pray he won't repeat that one from 2 years ago. As we remember we played with defensive mindset, Skuse and Hyam in 4-4-2 system, camped in our own half and created only one good opportunity that was Murphy's header early in the 2nd half. We were really dismal that day and it should have been 0-3 or 0-4 instead of 0-1 but for the Grabbans indolence. Don't want to see the same crap again.

Mick don't drop Douglas ! Let him play the same role like today. Advanced role in which he is much more useful.

As always nice companion in Bluemike.

Most encouraging thing today was the players commitment and they need to reproduce that on Sunday.

Got some game insight from a report and on paper alone it represents not too bad a score that maybe a significant number may have taken before start of event, but taking into account the penalty kick incident and goal that wasn't given, a point each would seem about fair.

I think what you got here is two teams that may struggle to make an impact this season, play well in sporadic periods, but not obtain enough points by the end of it all to properly challenge. Hope to beat those whores at the weekend as it's long overdue a win over City and a victory there, it would provide some serious morale for the subsequent games thereafter.

I think it is fair to say that after the disappointment of the second half capitulation at Brentford on saturday what most Town fans wanted to see was a performance to show we do have what it takes to compte at the right end of the table, thankfully last night the reaction that some of the players had promised was there for all to see. It was a very good away performance at a difficult place to go against a team who have started the season well and who are out to impress the new manager and owners.

I thought that for the majority of the game we controlled it and had the upper hand and can count ourselves very unlucky not to have come away with all Three points, and but for a stupid error by the officials we would have done. Right from the kick off it was clear Jonny Douglas was playing in a more advanced role with Bishop a little bit deeper in the middle. After a scrappy opening few minutes Town began getting the upper hand with Douglas very much to the forefront, snapping into tackles, breaking up Wolves possession, winning loose ball, he had started very well. Despite Towen being in the ascendancy we had not overly troubled Ikeme in the Wolves goal.

Out of nowhere we gift them a penalty with a careless lunge by Webster who brought down the big Striker but that man in form Bart produced a super save to palm it away and in truth on balance of play it was no more than Town deserved as losing a goal would have been very harsh on us. Not long after that we were all in raptures after Murphy had headed home a lovely cross from the impressive Ward, now quite what the linesman saw is beyond me, having seen the replay again and again I am still just as mystifed as I was at the time, for me it was a definite goal. Instead of letting that get to us we continued to play well with Bishop having a spell at causing the Wolves defence some problems. As half time loomed Berra sent a header just wide when really he maybe should have hit the target, had it been on target it would have beaten Ikeme all ends up.

The second half was much of the same in truth with Town still playing some decent stuff although Wolves did have a moment or Two going forward as well but chances were few and far between at either end although I felt throughout that if anyone was going to score it would be us. We did have bart to thank for another super stop from Costa as he palmed away a stinging shot, that aside we were solid. Town managed a couple of efforts on target which Ikeme used for catching practice, then in the dying seconds of the game Town were so close to nicking the win as Knudsen sent in a long throw, Bru got a touch to it but it hit a defender and with the goal gaping Berra just failed to get to the loose ball first and the chance was gone.

It may only be a point but this was so much better from Town, we kept our focus all game, the commitment and effort never waivered and by and large we had the better of things. Our work rate was superb and what pleased me was the way in which we closed them down so quickly, never letting them settle, time and time again as they tried to luanch a forward move we forced them back so they were playing the ball back towards their own goal, it was good stuff. MM had asked for players to stand up and be vocal on the pitch and Jonny Douglas did just that, not only was he having a super game, particularly in the first half but he was shouting out instruction, pointing to players to move into space and generally marshalling the Midfield to great effect, without doubt his best game in a long long time, playing more advanced was so much better for him. Grant ward was very lively and trying to take on defenders while Bishop is starting to look that much sharper. All eyes were on the defence and apart from one or two moments they were rock solid, Webster had "that moment" with the penalty but after that did little wrong while Berra had his best game for quite some time too, The Two fullbacks defended well and tried to get forward when they could, Knudsen looking the more likely in that regard, Skusey went about his business in typical fashion and protected the back Four so well and what can we say abaout Bart, I used to edge towards gerken as being slightly the better keeper but this guy has been on fire for some time now and although he had little to do he made Two cracking saves when needed. Up front Murphy and Sears worked hard against a top player in Danny Baath who I thought was superb all evening.

Bart (8) Chambers (6) Webster(6) Berra (7) Knudsen (7) Skuse (7) Bishop (6) Douglas (8) Ward (7) Murphy (6) Sears (6)

Subs Bru (6)

So well down to the boys last night on getting back some belief, as* MM said in his interview, far too many fans lost the plot after a bad half of football at Brentford, we will have ups and downs but last night showed what we can do and how we can go away and cause teams problems, it still isn't perfcet or the finished article by any means but we played so much better for the whole game. With a few players still to get fit that can only be a good thing and had we had Conor Grant available our numerous dead ball situations would have been so much more dangerous with his delivery as at times that was one of the negatives for us. This sends us into the biggest game of the season in far better mood, play like that and add a little bit more in the final Third and we will have a chance, the problem now though is assuming Grant is fit do we bring him back in because that could well mean going back to 4-4-2 which I am not sure is the way to go, 4-3-3 worked so well last night, that is for MM to decide and hopefully he gets it right. Keep believing.

Great to spend the evening with Mach, top bloke mate.

Decent point away from home. No goals conceded as well. Good response from Saturday.

Maybe as Mach says we have to employ Douglas in a more forward thinking role.... might as well use a 33-34 year old in a role he's suited to, rather than play him as the second DM role.

Still working out the correct players / formation. Won't surprise me if when we get to October for those stodgy winter months it's back toa 4-4-2 with Skuse / Douglas as DM's , but that's just sceptism based on Micks past record.

Happy with a 0-0.... something to build on and would be very happy with a 0-0 on Sunday.

bluemike wrote:
Right from the kick off it was clear Jonny Douglas was playing in a more advanced role with Bishop a little bit deeper in the middle.

Town began getting the upper hand with Douglas very much to the forefront, snapping into tackles, breaking up Wolves possession, winning loose balls, he had started very well.

Despite Town being in the ascendancy we had not overly troubled Ikeme in the Wolves goal.

The second half was much of the same but chances were few and far between at either end.

Our work rate was superb and what pleased me was the way in which we closed them down so quickly, never letting them settle, time and time again as they tried to luanch a forward move we forced them back so they were playing the ball back towards their own goal, it was good stuff.

Jonny Douglas not only was having a super game, but he was shouting out instructions, pointing to players to move into space and generally marshalling the Midfield to great effect, without doubt his best game in a long long time, playing more advanced was so much better for him.

What can we say about Bart, I used to edge towards Gerken as being slightly the better keeper but this guy has been on fire for some time now.

The problem now though is assuming Grant is fit do we bring him back in because that could well mean going back to 4-4-2 which I am not sure is the way to go, 4-3-3 worked so well last night.

I've [picked out the quotes above from Bluemike's report because to me they are important points.

I've always felt we are at our best when we defend from the front by closing down all over the pitch. One swallow doesn't make a Summer, but if Douglas can do what he clearly did in a more advanced role, let's hope MM continues to play him there...and what a shame he (MM) didn't last season. The fact he was trying to run the show by shouting out instructions suggests he felt confident and was enjoying playing in his natural position. Sunday's match will be one where closing down the opposition is vital; let's hope they can all do it again.

I've managed to get the Wolves game for the last 2 seasons, but I'm too old (lazy?) to make the journey in midweek. Listening to the radio and reading reports here and elsewhere the general impression was that we didn't create much. I think that remains an issue.

I too felt that Gerken was the better keeper, but have had to change my mind recently. Bart has had some superb games and deserves to be playing.

The Grant issue and 4-5-1 or 4-4-2: It won't happen but personally I'd be tempted to try sticking with 4-5-1 with Grant a direct replacement for Sears. Grant wouldn't play as wide as Sears, but on the left Knudsen gets forward in wide positions so it would be less of a problem.

I got the impression that our attacking play was varied and effective, up to delivering the final ball. Murphy apparently led the line well, with our wide players providing intelligent forward movement, with Douglas providing additional attacking midfield support. If we're able to improve that final ball quality, then those clear cut chances will come.