The Wolves Archive

[Kenny]

IIRC there was the masterclass at Barnsley (?) where we were one up and had also hit the woodwork and then he changed the formation to fool the opposition only for them to dominate from then onwards.

Oh man his change formation/tactics every 15 mins idea...christ!.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

The Batth and Johnson thing was the worst for me.

He had to make a decision between the two, Batth had been in better form, RJ was shit, but still captain (?) Instead of grabbing his balls he played both and then took Danny off at half time.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Did he say that formations don't matter?

He did once say that we wouldn't have a plan as such and this was bound to be a benefit because if we didn't know what we were going to do, the opposition definitely wouldn't.

My fucking word.

Also his 'watchers' at other teams down the bottom near the end of the season. 1) Do you think it's 1983 or something and 2) WE NEED TO WIN, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS YOU THICK BASTARD

 

[Tony Towner]

JESUS H CHRIST !

Were they Baggie supporters ?

It was Souness, Molby told him to employ Solbakken.

 

[machin05]

It was Souness, Molby told him to empty Solbakken.

Good grief

 

[KiwiWolf61]

Reading these recent comments re Saunders I am utterly gobsmacked .

Like I said before I was mostly unaware in NZ of what an imbecile we had managing the team.

 

[KiwiWolf61]

Todays' update:

2013/14 Season (50 matches)

Season Summary:
League 1 = 1st (Champions - Promoted to the Championship).
FA Cup = 1st Round.
League Cup = 1st Round.
Football League Trophy = 2nd Round.
Top Goalscorer = Leigh Griffiths & Bakary Sako (13).
Fans' Player Of The Season = Kevin McDonald.
Players' Player Of The Season = Kevin McDonald.

Recently, numerous other big clubs had struggled to gain immediate promotion from League One, spending multiple seasons in the 3rd tier like Leeds Nnited, Southampton, Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest. So with Wolves now in the 3rd tier of English football, it was not going to be plain sailing to bounce back as they would be viewed by all other teams in League One as the major scalp to beat, and given the turmoil of the last 2 seasons and 4 different managers, a total reset was required.

That reset came with Kenny Jackett who was appointed in the off season in the newly titled role of head coach. When pre-season training began Jackett announced that four key first team players - Karl Henry, Stephen Ward, Jamie O’Hara and Roger Johnson – were all now transfer-listed and that he intended to make greater usage of the club's academy players.

In addition to the transfer listed players, further key players such as Sylvan Ebanks-Blake-Blake, Stephen Hunt and Christophe Berra did not have their contracts renewed as the club sought to reduce their wage commitments. Only three new signings were made during the summer transfer window - notably Sam Rickets, who became the club captain, providing experience and solid leadership; and Kevin McDonald who would become the team’s playmaker.

The season started excellently and in Wolves first 18 games they only lost once whilst winning 13 times, but they were part of a pack of 4 clubs including Leyton Orient, Brentford and Peterborough who had broken away from the other clubs chasing automatic promotion.

During a period of 7 games from last November to early January, Wolves lost 3 games and won only once as they slipped to 3rd place

Wolves sought to strength their squad and recruited five players during the January transfer window - two being loan deals of James Henry and Michael Jacobs being made into permanent signings. Strikers Leigh Griffiths and Kevin Doyle were both allowed to leave, with two former players, Nouha Dicko and Leon Clarke being bought as replacements.

The club then embarked on a record winning streak of 9 matches which saw them reclaim top spot. A loss at Crawley Town was then followed in the last 10 games of the season by another unbeaten run, winning 8.

Promotion was secured with a 2–0 win at Crewe Alexandra that ensured the club's exit from League One after a solitary season. Wolves next game at home Rotherham United, was one of the most remarkable games played at Molineux in the last 20 years with Wolves running out winners 6-4.

Wolves were confirmed as champions in their next game with a 3-1 victory at Leyton Orient.

A final day win that relegated Carlisle United ensured that Wolves set a new points record for the 3rd tier as they reached 103 points. En route to the title, the team also set numerous new club records, including a new points record (surpassing the 92 points they set when last in the 3rd tier) and a record nine consecutive wins, as well as equalling their previous best run of five consecutive away wins.

The club had taken its' medicine after the horrors and humiliations of 2011/12 and 2012/13 and we can always thank Kenny Jacket for giving us our club back.

 

[KiwiWolf61]

This will be the last update until mid-November as I’ll be going on holiday with my good wife to Vanuata for 2 weeks.

It will be a welcome break as working on this channel has been totally consuming for the last 5 months. It’s certainly more work than what I expected.

The channel now has well over 1,500 matches/videos.

I have another 450 matches from seasons 2015/16 to 2024/25 all uploaded and scheduled to be released from November 16th to December 16th.

Focus when I get back will be working on the website development plus a number of goals compilations and, of course, another Wolves Top 20 Goals By Decade which will be featuring the 2000s (seasons 1999/00 to 2008.09) - note to Quirk.

I’ve also fine tuned the logo and banner for the site - which also requires the thumbnail for each video to be updated as well (work has started on that in the last couple of days).


Today’s update:

2014/15 Season (49 matches)

Season Summary:
Championship = 7th.
FA Cup = 3rd Round.
League Cup = 1st Round.
Top Goalscorer = Nouha Dicko & Bakary Sako (15).
Fans' Player Of The Season = Richard Stearman.
Players' Player Of The Season = Richard Stearman.

Incomings were light during the off season with the only major signing being George Saville from Chelsea for £1M during August.

Wolves started the season well and after 15 games had only lost 2 and were sitting 4th place well set in the play-off positions.

However, a disastrous November saw them lose 5 consecutive games conceding 16 goals whilst only scoring 2 which saw them slide down to be mid-table and way out of contention for the play-offs.

By Christmas, results were starting to pick up and with return from injury of Nouha Dicko, Wolves went on a 4 match winning that now put them on the fringes of the play-offs.

In January Wolves bought Benik Afobe from Arsenal for £2M and with Dicko and Bakary Sako proved to be a lethal threesome upfront for the remainder of the season.

January also saw a memorable FA Cup 3rd Round replay in the snowstorm against Fulham where the visitors equalised in added time of extra-time and then went onto win the tie on penalties.

Another winning streak of 4 games which culminated with the pulsating 4-3 win at home against Leeds United saw Wolves finally enter the play-off positions.

However, Wolves immediately suffered two consecutive losses - at local rivals Birmingham City and promotion contenders Middlesbrough - that dropped them again down to 8th.

After a home match against fellow play-off challenger Ipswich Town, managed by former Wolves manager Mick McCarthy, finished 1–1, Wolves were left needing to hope that teams above them would drop sufficient points in the final two rounds of games to allow them back into the top 6.

Although Wolves won their final two games to catch Ipswich and Brentford on points, their goal difference proved insufficient to overtake either team. Wolves’ final tally of 78 points was the highest-achieved to date by a team that did not qualify for the play-offs since their introduction. In 7th place, they were also only 12 points from the champions AFC Bournemouth.

Bar the awful period of November, Wolves had played some of their best attacking football since the halcyon days of Steve Bull, but to fall so close into reaching the play-offs was a bitter pill to swallow. With their potency in attack they would have been s serious threat to any team in the play-offs.

However, it would be remiss to blame their failure on this period. Earlier in the season, against Millwall, they were 3-0 up with 23 minutes to go only to draw 3-3. Also a last-minute equaliser at Reading denied them another win.

Still, after the humiliations of 2011/12 and 2012/13 Kenny Jacket was continuing his success of restoring pride and a winning culture back into the club.

 

[KiwiWolf61]

Today’s update:

2015/16 Season (50 matches)

Season Summary: Championship = 14th.
FA Cup = 3rd Round.
League Cup = 3rd Round.
Top Goalscorer = Benik Afobe (10).
Fans' Player Of The Season = Matt Doherty.
Players' Player Of The Season = Matt Doherty.

A largely forgettable season saw Bakary Sako leave in the close season; and after 5 league games, Nouha Dicko suffered a knee ligament damage which ultimately forced him to miss the remainder of the season. In addition, Benik Afobe, who ended as the team's leading goalscorer, was sold during the January transfer window to Premier League club AFC Bournemouth for £10M. So in a space of 6 months Wolves had lost their entire prolific goal-scoring attacking trio.

Major incomings were Nathan Byrne from Swindon Town for £1M, Joe Mason from Cardiff City for £3M, neither of which had any great impact on the team but the most notable arrival was that of Connor Coady for £2M from Huddersfield Town who would have a significant presence and influence in the club in the next 8 seasons.

Wolves would spend almost the entire season hovering between 12th and 17th, where they never really threatened the play-off positions and managed to generally steer clear of relegation trouble.

After the progress of the previous 2 seasons, Wolves would go onto finish the 2015/16 campaign in a very disappointing 14th position and which saw owner Steve Morgan resign as chairman and place the club up for sale. The club now appeared to be drifting without any sense of real purpose.

Of course this was the season that saw Matt Doherty score the trifecta - Fans' Player Of The Season, Players' Player Of The Season and Goal of the Season.

The first two are very debatable, however, Doherty's goal against Fulham is a screamer.

 

[Kenny]

Of course this was the season that saw Matt Doherty score the trifecta - Fans' Player Of The Season, Players' Player Of The Season and Goal of the Season.

and @Deutsch Wolf is still in therapy...

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Those four consecutive 0-0 home draws in March and April are seared into my mind forever.

I've never seen a Wolves manager lose his way so quickly and steeply as Ken. We went from being a genuinely fun team to watch for 18 months from Jan 2014 onwards to atrocious.

He did of course get sawn off a bit by Morgan. Losing Sako was an occupational hazard, replacing him with either Dave Edwards on the left of a rhombus midfield or Sheyi Ojo being er....something wasn't the best bit of squad planning.

Thumping a load of our money for Afobe on Joe fucking Mason was downright inexplicable. What a dreadful signing on every conceivable level.

 

[Tony Towner]

The first example at Wolves I think of players being signed above the managers head. Thelwell signed Mason and Byrne and Ken went, nah

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

The first example at Wolves I think of players being signed above the managers head. Thelwell signed Mason and Byrne and Ken went, nah

Moxey did a couple before that for sure.

Al-Jaber and Pennant

Also strong rumour has it that Sir Jack insisted we signed Ingimarsson and Dave Jones had fuck all idea how to use him.

Edit: Oh, another one. Morgan loved Peter Crouch (who we couldn't afford) so wanted a giant up top for us. And we got Maierhofer after he played well once vs Villa in a UEFA Cup qualifier. Mick absolutely never picked him as a signing, no chance.

 

[KiwiWolf61]

Moxey did a couple before that for sure.

Al-Jaber and Pennant

Also strong rumour has it that Sir Jack insisted we signed Ingimarsson and Dave Jones had fuck all idea how to use him.

Dave Jones had fuck all idea on how to use many players.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Dave Jones had fuck all idea on how to use many players.

Our formation at the start of that season (with Kennedy injured) was something else.

------------------------Murray---------------------

Irwin------------Butler----------Lescott---------Naylor

-----------------------Ingimarsson----------------------

Newton----------Rae/Ince-----Cameron--------------------

--------------Blake----------Sturridge-------------------------

Spot the problem.

And of course DJ just blamed Lee Naylor.

 

[Tony Towner]

Naylor was McGhee's scapegoat as well as a kid. Often dragged off at half time or just after, but man management wasn't in his lexicon.

We've discussed before but the Stockholm syndrome of players who went to Cardiff after he'd treated them like shit at Wolves. Oakes, Cooper, Naylor, probably another I'm missing

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Claridge signed for McGhee at Millwall too after they massively fell out here.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Interesting that Doherty got Players's player that season too, I wasn't aware of that.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

It was ultra-slim pickings if Afobe (still finished top scorer comfortably despite playing his final game on New Year's Day at Brighton) was excluded from the reckoning, which he was for us fans and you'd imagine the players were also barred from picking the badge kisser.

James Henry was second top scorer with 7 but clearly didn't play particularly well, Edwards missed a lot of games through injury, Saville had a late season mini-flurry of goals amongst his blend of Darren Ferguson tackling and Mo Camara use of the ball, McDonald and Coady were both shite, Ikeme was dreadful, Batth went backwards badly after a good couple of seasons, Iorfa even more so after an excellent debut campaign. I went with Jack Price for my vote but it was the most lukewarm tick of a box imagineable.

It shouldn't have been Doherty - he only started four league games before Christmas, only got the LB spot because we sold the only one at the club and didn't sign a replacement, then was so abysmal there for a couple of months that we had to sign someone specifically to stand in front of him and do loads of his defending for him. But we do routinely have nonsense Player of the Year winners. It was actually less scandalous than Stearman winning it the year before, as much as I can't stand Doherty.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

He took part in 34 of the 46 games.

I can't remember whether he deserved it or not but that seems like enough games to be considered.