A Bus Stop in Aston...

As I sat in the South Bank this past Saturday and heard the chant "You're still just a bus stop in Aston..." directed at the Brummies in the away end, I laughed a bit and then realized that was as close as I was going to come to emitting positive emotions that day. We were 0-1 down to the Blues, you know those Chavs from down the road. A Lee Bowyer wonder strike in the 2nd or 3rd minute. The South Bank just deflated then exploded. It was depressing to watch, and it was the quietest by far I'd heard Wolves fans all year, Home and Away. That includes all of us still singing at the end of the Chelsea game after the embarrassing 4-0 defeat in London, we didn't care what the score was, just give those damn posh imitation supporters some stick and enjoy the day out.

We all knew it wasn't to be before we made the long trip, so no sweat. But we sang our hearts out and enjoyed the trip down and back as one of the luxuries of playing in the supposed "best league in the world." But this was supposed to be different. It was a game we needed to win, if not only for temporary bragging rights but also for the three points at stake given the rough stretch of games coming up. Plain and simple, we exuded one of my favorite English football adjectives: "shocking." Although hopeless, dire and terrible would all work just as well.

So on to the game at home against Bolton, with the same lingo being employed that this was will be another must win game or even better the proverbial "six-pointer."

(Updating this following the game vs. Bolton)

I can laud the team for finding the grit and knack for doing to Bolton what other teams have done to us, the early kick in the stomach. But, truth be told. Jody Craddock was clearly offside on the first goal. I could choose to applaud the efforts of Marcus Hahnemann, who took over before the Birmingham game, and who made some nice save, but his kicking and composure in the box were both questionable at best. I could say that Milijas was our saving grace with his thunderbolt and great deliveries, but you show that you deserve to start in practice, and where has he been in practice all season? Yeah, I know, settling in and different culture, yadi-yadi-yaddah, but this is the premiership, no time for hiccups or feet dragging.

I know I don't sound that filled with optimism, and I am not. We have our next two games in a three day stretch, and neither looks winnable. To be honest, Tottenham could very much pull another Wigan this saturday (their 9-1 drubbing) when we travel to White Hart Lane, with Spurs now sitting in 4th place. Follow that up three days later with a trip to Old Trafford (a match I'll be at) and we could theoretically, and very possibly be on the same amount of points with a goal differential that is 10 goals worse come next Tuesday night.

I am a supporter and I won't stop believing, as the victory over a team just as bad as we are this past weekend helped to emphasize (crap yes, but virtually the same core that went to the UEFA Cup semis) the fact that there are no givens from year to year in this league. If we manage a point from the next two games, I'll be ecstatic, but it doesn't mask the grim reality of things. It will just temporarily serve as an anxiolytic for the long run ahead during the cold winter months.

Oh and we drew Aldershot/Tranmere away in the 3rd round of the Mighty FA Cup. Can you say Giant-Killing/Banana peel. Cause I can.

1st Place: Still sounds weird coming out of my mouth

As I sit here almost 10 months to the day since I last posted on this blog, and as I look back the past does not easily mesh well with the present, but upon closer inspection the foundation that was laid when 'Super Mick' first stepped over the bare bones and wreckage of the end of the Hoddle era.

Even the mention of the name of our last manager still causes bile to swarm up my throat in incredibly rapid fashion.

As we make the rotation to a real Premier League team (in the mold of Reading when they went up, yet not expecting the same results) from that embarassing mess mentioned earlier, the change is quick and resonating yet unoticable if not paying attention. Let me explain. The recent situation with Mark Davies, our 20yr old (as recently as this pre-season still being dubbed one of our super prospects, by some sections of our supporters) midfielder, who has recently signed a five year deal with Bolton and started the game after was signed for less than 1mil quid. Now two years ago, before Mark encountered all of his nagging injury problems, he was a star with the Academy and was primed for success with the first team. Meanwhile, fast forward to now. We have successfully seen that 'Super Mick' did not agree with the valuation of some sets of supporters and that he has brought in multiple midfielders which have all subsequently passed Mark during his time out injured. Mark was offered a new contract here and declined instead putting in a transfer request and subsequently joining Bolton. In my eyes this shows that the squad we have now, which he couldn't break in to mind you, should be good enough to hold their own in the Premiership, if we make it.

Especially with the Stearman-Berra partnership with Foley and Elokobi bombing forward and Kighly and Jarvis taking on defenders and Vokes and Ebanks-Blake scoring freely....

One can dream can't they....

Two weeks off: Good or Bad?

Battle of two of the three best teams in this division to wear a variant of orange in their kits. (Bristol City, Hull and Wolves (not mention Blackpool))

Time to find out the answer to that question and after two weeks off we have Bristol City at their home ground tomorrow.

They have won one of their last seven i believe, and we have one four of the last five away games. In addition to that we have our star winger Michael Kightly back in training and partaking in a special reserve game this coming Tuesday with a view to coming back next Saturday.

Squeaky bum time as they say and we better be ready.

Our run in begins tomorrow and with young defender Mark Little back in the fold with the aforementioned Kightly fighting for places and filling out the squad.

As long as Steven Elliot doesn't get anywhere near the squad anytime in the near future, then we have a good chance of not messing this up.

But.... we're Wolves, and even a short glance at our recent history would tell you that this is not the time to get too optimistic. Something that most Wolves fans, myself included have a hard time accepting.

With three games in a week and all three being extremely important lithmus tests showing the true character of the squad we have.

I don't believe in the large gap between the Premier League and the Championship that everyone cries about week in and week out. I believe in the Portsmouths and the Readings of this world, and I wholeheartedly believe that any team that goes up this year has a shot to truly stay around for a little while.

While there are some exceptions to this though. Ipswich, Plymouth and some other hoverers look like Derby part II, but you never know.

I for one would love to be $60 million USD richer, and try again or steadily improve our chances for the years to come with that boatload of money.

Maybe I just want to see us beat the likes of Manure again.

Time for hope or don't get your hopes up?

Three Cheers today for Bournemouth who took another step towards alieviating some of the problems that have plagued the club recently.

But...

Sad news for the North of Wales, as it looks like the Mighty Wrexham Football Club are going out of the league this year. Really sad as the history they have is amazing and they are really a proud club and it is a sad day in the Football League. Hope they come back ASAP.

So close, but who knows. That's the story for AFC Wimbledon this year as they are in 2nd place in the Isthmian League Premier Division (proudly celebrating their 101st year in existence) or level seven of the pyramid, one step away from the Conference South.

Now onto normal news.


Wolves

Well when I last checked in we were hovering around tenth and trying to figure out where the hell we were gonna finish in the table this year. No proven strikers, no Kightly, no tactical knowhow, but we had spirit and hope and we've made it up to seventh.

One point back of the playoffs, two games in hand and six games left in the season.

As of April 7th

Games
Played Points

Bristol City 42 70
Stoke City 42 69
Hull 41 68
Watford 41 68
Albishite 40 67
Crystal Palace 42 62
Wolves 40 61
Ipswich 41 60
Charlton 42 60
Plymouth 42 59

Remaining games:

Sat. Apr 12 Bristol City vs. Wolves (A)
Tues. Apr 15 Wolves vs. Albishite (H) (BLACK COUNTRY DERBY)
Sat. Apr 19 Wolves vs. Ipswich (H)
Tues. Apr 22 Wolves vs. Cardiff (H)
Sat. Apr 26 Coventry vs. Wolves (A)
Sun. May 4 Wolves vs. Plymouth (H)

So in the last six games we play (as of now at least) 1st, 4th, 8th and 10th as well as Cardif who is on one hell of a run and Coventry who are trying to avoid relegation. Coleman looks like he has Coventry going in the right direction whether or not they get relegated.

For Wolves supporters all around the globe this is the time when a choice needs to be made: Keep the hope that not only can we nick a playoff spot, but, maybe and that's a big maybe, we can go for the throat and try for one of the auto spots.

Or....

We can cock this up like every other time and lose the games against the contenders and draw the other two to finish in mid-table obscurity and start thinking about summer break and the thoughts of opening day next year in this god damned division again.

The game this weekend is going to be huge. If we can pull one off at Ashton Gate and Blackpool can help us out tomorrow night against the Shite than the table will look a hell of a lot different after this weekend especially with Palace beating Stoke earlier tonight.

I don't know what to think anymore. Pull a Derby and not only be happy playing the big four and the like but also coming back down with 30 million quid or Hope we pull a Reading and take the division by storm.

Sadly I don't really see the latter coming true, but I have hope..

And as they say, "Hope is the last thing to die"

Something unjust happened on Tuesday night

Wolves 2 vs. Southampton 2

The fact that our defense could allow a goal like that in the last minute after they had scrapped all game and after the two wonderful goals from Ebanks-Blake, is well unfair.

Unfair to themselves, but in the cruel world of football if you switch off mentally for one second you will pay for it.

Sadly that one second shut off for seconds in the dying minutes turned a meaningful almost-win into an unjust-draw.

Credit to Southampton because in some senses they deserved a point for not giving up, but, man that was our game in our hands and they beat us.

The sad fact that we haven't beaten them at home for over THIRTY years running now, is beginning to look like the rest of this sad season, pathetic reminders of mediocrity.

The next 5 games are as follows:

Tues 3/11/08 Preston NE v Wolves
Sat 3/15/08 Burnley v Wolves
Tues 3/18/08 Wolves v Scunthorpe
Sat 3/22/08 Wolves v QPR
Sat 3/29/08 Charlton v Wolves

Thats three away games and two home games with two Premiership contenders, well almost three if you count QPR and Scunthorpe (the banana peel) and Preston away who is scrapping for their lives.

We are in the defining stretch and what happens during these five games will give us a clue about the guts and will to represent their club at every available opportunity. Hopefully those that love this club and want to see it do well will come out and step on the pitch and give everything they have, and if so we should be up there.

Who wants to get promoted? Nobody apparently with Stoke again stumbling as well as Watford not looking like Premiership class, we might just be able to put a run together and be up there in the end with a shout.

and......

Newcastle slips farther into the mist fading like all the color out of King Kev's face recently. Ha.

We hate each other the most (it's official)......

According to a new survey of all 92 clubs in England about the construction and maintenance of Rivalries in English football, there is one rivalry which tops the list in terms of most hatred i guess.....

Can you guess which rivalry?

The Black Country Derby, Yup.

We hate each other theres no doubt about it. Check it out.

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/02/29/wolves-v-albion-top-derby-list/

I quote from the article "Baggies’ and Wolves’ fans were deemed to have the most intense rivalry in the report, with one in four fans from both clubs claiming that their rivalry went much deeper than football."

Absolutely priceless. I love football.

(For any Chicagoans out there - That sounds like Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers talk to me.)

4-5-1 and a win, Hmm that just doesn't sound right...

England


We'll start with the Wolves game. What a result. Not what a game, just what a result. Well.... I guess winning in front of just less than 6,000 fans at Layer Road in Colchester isn't much of a great accomplishment. But hey. We'll take them as we can get them.

	0 - 1
Date: 01/03/2008		Venue: Layer Road
Attendance: 5989		Referee: Iain Williamson

Colchester United 0

Wolves 1 (Ebanks-Blake 30)

(courtesy of www.wolves.co.uk)

The game plan was a 4-5-1 to start as this was how we beat Palace last weekend so Mick decided to start with the same team and lineup. This was changed slightly when Craddock (one of our central defenders found himself with an ankle sprain), but the idea was to leave our star striker up front by himself to work it out.

The goal was set up by some nice footwork outside our own box allowed Stephen Elliot to find himself some space and take a couple of steps before he launched a wonderful ball forward. What happened next is one of the main reasons why I love the English game and everything that's wrong with it at the same time.

After finding himself the aforementioned space and launching the "prototypical heave it forward type of pass" dominant in all rungs of the English game. Our rather barrel-chested forward Sylvain Ebanks-Blake, ran past while muscling his way around (if that's possible) their center-half who was attempting to retreat but couldn't make up his mind. Mr. Blake used his rather bulbous belly to steady the ball into his path and soon made no mistake cooly slotting it home past the keeper just inside the near post.

With the wind blowing rather fiercely all night this game really had the look of one goal in it, and the first team to score was most likely going to be the last.

We got three deserved points and are just a little bit closer to the promotion places....

But to be realistic I don't want to pull a Derby, so I'd rather stay down if we're not prepared.

One season out of the last twenty in the Premiership, we want to stay up a little longer next time don't you think?

With Southampton on Tuesday at Molineux and the Derby against Albishite after that postponed our next game will be Preston after Southampton. Our future is in our hands and if we want it all we have to do is go get it.


Here's some quick opinions on the rest of England this weekend.

Arsenal-Villa game was a good one to watch and when Gareth Barry came in with that crunching tackle and the first twenty rows stood up and collectively gasped I thought it was a red card for sure. It wasn't a red card tackle per se, but with the Eduardo incident still fresh in the minds of the Emirates faithful, I could've seen a red there.

Birmingham beat down Tottenham and Chelsea beat down West Ham. What the hell does that say about what happened at the cup final last weekend.

Chelsea crapped there pants thats what happened.

Newcastle lose again. This is starting to get fun. I think that King Kev as they won't soon be calling him, has till the end of the season till he walks out again.

Just like in 1973 when Man U got relegate, 2008 could be the year Newcastle get relegated. I can hope can't I.......

In terms of relegation whose joining Derby for the walk of shame. Bolton, Reading, Fulham, Birmingham, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Sunderland and Wigan are all primed and ready to fall apart.

Whose getting promoted? Stoke, WBA, Watford, Ipswich, Bristol City, Plymouth, Us, who knows? I sure have no idea and it's coming down to the end soon.



Argentina (really River Plate)


*The River Plate-San Martin game today was suspended in the second half with 36 minutes on the clock. That means that we'll have to replay the last 9 minutes sometime in the future. River Plate is winning 3-2 at the moment at least.