The Definitive TWF Wolves XI Thread (2019 version) - 1970 - present

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

Hang on. GT directly employed Ron Jukes (getting him from D2 Derby to a crippled D4 club), Ron found Bully, and GT convinced the board to stump up the (meagre) cash for him.

It's all down to Turner that we had Bully. There's no element of luck there or "what if we hadn't signed him". Turner put the mechanisms in place so that we could do it - we had bugger all scouting staff when he arrived - then made the decision himself to do it, then made it work on the pitch (and it wasn't like Bully was ready made when he got here either, he and we needed to work at it). He didn't just luck out and find some bloke from Tipton in the reserves when he arrived. It was his work that made it happen.

As for Brian Little, his Wolves spell is a lot briefer and a lot less successful than people remember. We'll never know but I never liked him or his football at Leicester and Villa.

You always know a lot more detail than many of us. I just recall wondering why we were getting rid of a popular guy for someone who had failed at Villa and seemed suited to a small-town club. Yes, I know popular is not the same as good, but gimme Wolves under Brian Little over Tommy Docherty's Wolves any day.

I still think Turner was out of his depth in the Championship; he was well-organised but lacking the quality for bigger jobs.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

No quarrel on GT at a higher level. He had arguably too much rope because of what he'd done beforehand. He wasn't good enough to get us where we wanted to be. When Dave Bassett is a demonstrably better manager than you, maybe you need to wonder if this is a step too far. He never even got close to a second tier job ever again, partly by choice (by getting into ownership) but he wouldn't have been considered in all likelihood.

But he gets my vote because of the inalienable fact of what he did from the lowest of low points. Imagine if we appoint Docherty II in 1986 (whoever that may have been, Malcolm Allison, I don't know). I think it's us done. There were a lot of very ambitious non-league clubs who'd have been happy to see us go and we didn't have a huge amount to recommend ourselves. It's not a great leap.

I'll happily say that Kenny Jackett is a better second tier manager than Graham Turner ever was. And Graham Taylor's career knocks both of theirs combined into a cocked hat, whatever a cocked hat is. But this is for me, what they did for Wolves. And as much as young Dan raged at us playing fucking Rankine at fucking right fucking back again, and the numerous appalling 1990-1994 signings...you respect what he did

I went into it in FAR too much depth here in a series where I er, never went past #1. But I should, whenever I decide to start writing again. Soon, maybe. It depends. Actually, without tooting my own trumpet, this is quite good. I forgot I could do this.

https://oscillatingwildly.net/the-managers-1-graham-turner-1986-1994/

I mean genuinely, I'd forgotten how deep I'd gone there, or that I could actually write to that level :icon_lol: A couple of the references are a bit forced I suppose. Especially the Voltaire one. There's plenty of room for Voltaire later, at an appropriate time. But still. It's actually good. There's an alternative world somewhere where I actually use this ability properly.

Anyway, you will respect Graham Turner, so help me God.

Edit: Bonus GT here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR3uYIUwbhw

 

[YoungWolf]

Nuno
McCarthy
Jackett

 

[sycophantia]

Much respect for Turner, had us in the upper reaches of the second tier for some time without being able to push us over the line....thought he was a bit unlucky with injuries too

 

[James]

Nuno
McCarthy
Jackett

 

[Keef]

Nuno
Turner
McCarthy

Nuno is obviously going to romp home with this,but agree with what Dan said about turner,it's because of him we are still here as a football club,and he always seems to be forgotten about or has his role underplayed in wolves history,wasn't happy when they renamed the stand after Jack Hayward,that wiped out another piece in the low point of the club.

 

[machin05]

Nuno
Nuno's left nut
Nuno's right nut

 

[BGreenWolf]

Nuno
McCarthy
Jackett

I feel like Jackett's going to be largely forgotten in this, but I think we owe him a great deal more than people appreciate.

 

[StuardoWulf]

Nuno
Barnwell
McCarthy

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Nuno
McCarthy
Jackett

I feel like Jackett's going to be largely forgotten in this, but I think we owe him a great deal more than people appreciate.

Ken was exactly what we needed and was so unlucky in 2014/15. That last season really counts against him though. Unspeakably poor and no real excuse for it either.

 

[Kenny]

Unspeakably poor and no real excuse for it either.

Plenty of excuses really. Ignoring the main one (which we didn't know at the time) the club was all over the place. Morgan wanted out, Thelwell was signing players we didn't need or KJ wanted. One of our main players seemingly stropping for 3 months and then 2 players that look like they might add soemthing got horrible injuries. I think KJ gave up around February and just went into cruise control for the rest of the season

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

You don't need to play Dave Edwards on the left of a diamond midfield.

You don't need to sign Grant Holt.

You don't need to sell our only left back and not replace him.

You don't need to play out four successive 0-0s at home. Some of them actively playing for 0-0 when we were safe as well.

You don't need 10 men behind the ball when we're drawing 0-0 with McDons at home.

You don't need to bring on Adam Le Fondre for the final 45 minutes of the last game when you know you're releasing him next week and there are two kids on the bench.

There's a lot more material too.

 

[Kenny]

I would say it is 50/50 split on blame but certain circumstances forced him a certain way.
The club was a mess from CEO down

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Yes, I won't dispute that.

Caving to egos like Afobe and McDonald cost him too. I thought Ken was tougher than that. I can't stand that pair. Wankers.

 

[White Wolf]

You don't need to play Dave Edwards on the left of a diamond midfield.

You don't need to sign Grant Holt.

You don't need to sell our only left back and not replace him.

You don't need to play out four successive 0-0s at home. Some of them actively playing for 0-0 when we were safe as well.

You don't need 10 men behind the ball when we're drawing 0-0 with McDons at home.

You don't need to bring on Adam Le Fondre for the final 45 minutes of the last game when you know you're releasing him next week and there are two kids on the bench.

There's a lot more material too.

To be fair we did try for Boilesen but that didn't work out. Was the decision to sell Golbourne Jackett's or Thelwell's? I have no idea. Most of our transfer dealings that season bemused me and I had no clue who was behind what.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Ken always had a problem with Golbourne's defending at the back stick. So of course we put Doc there who at the time was the worst in the league at that. Too fat to get off the ground even if he did get round to cover, which was rare.

Selling Golbourne while we could was fine. His foot condition is a permanent one and he was never quite the same after that flared up. But you sign the replacement first.

 

[Kenny]

Hey, we had Tommy Rowe and George Saville. Some people are never happy....

 

[Rui_CostCo]

Hey, we had Tommy Rowe and George Saville. Some people are never happy....

Not sure what this says about football, but George got a pay rise to leave us.

 

[Tony Towner]

Not sure what this says about football, but George got a pay rise to leave us.

Did well at Millwall with low expectation, got something like £30k a week to go to 'Boro where he struggled at a larger club, albeit under a manager who doesn't believe in a midfield attacking wise.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

He's a bloody odd footballer. Can't really shoot, but has a decent goal record. The worst tackler, hands down, that I've seen since Darren Ferguson. Although he does try harder at it than Lipstick Boy/Jinky's mate.