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....