Interesting isn't it that so often a like or a dislike of players we've had rarely correlates to their ability. Just being a 'trier' has for so long been enough to have a half decent career at Molineux. To me that should be a given, professional or not, for just being able to play a game we all love.
Despite all their caps and millions in the bank, our current crop could never be accused of a lack of effort.
For me it does make a difference - like I can't hate Dave Edwards, he's a lovely guy and he gave absolutely everything he could in every single game he played for Wolves. He was nothing like good enough so I hated that managers kept picking him, properly lazy thinking knowing that at least you'd get effort from him, and he might get a goal now and then, this extended his Molineux career for about half a decade longer than it had any right to last. But that's not his fault.
Whereas you get someone like Darren Ferguson, who was both shit on a technical level AND didn't try (and was also in ridiculous shape for a professional footballer for pretty much all his time here) - well, I'm comfortable with hating him, because he didn't try, he actively took the mick and was stealing a wage. The lipstick wearing wife beater.
Doherty was the same for years too, it's not his fault that he's a terrible defender, no more than it's my fault that I can't draw or paint. It's not his skillset. But to be visibly overweight and blatantly not give a shit when you're wearing a gold shirt as well as being shit is beyond the pale.
There's one thing espousing that someone shouldn't be in the team (Edwards, for years, but that's the manager's fault) and another actively disliking someone. I don't think you could put a "trier" in Category B. So I didn't like it when our fans ripped it out of say, Danny Batth. He has a natural level and we went miles past that very quickly. But you could never doubt his effort or character, or that he wanted the best for Wolves.
When you get Cutrone playing (I use the term loosely) like he did at Chorley, all bets are off. Or Willian José actually hiding from the ball as if it's made of pure uranium.
Sometimes you get the sweet spot of someone who's actually good but doesn't give much of a toss, which is confusing and frustrating. I'm looking at you, Paul Cook and Mark Burke.
