Loan Stars

The trials and tribulations of manager Mick McCarthy continued this week following a hints that he may allow some of his fringe squad players out on loan before the end of the current window.

Yes, thats right, the one that closed at the end of the January, that actually stays ajar for thr purposes of 'emergencies', the kind that can see desperate managers scrambling for reinforcements to avoid the chop, and can have ambitious bosses look to strengthen their winter weary teams going into the latter part of the season.

Having recalled Daniel Jones, it now looks likely that the homegrown youngster may be about to depart Molineux once again, said to be frustrated at his lack of first team opportunities since returning, which has not gone down well with many fans.

Neither has the prospect of Freddy Eastwood being given a temporary exit having failed to settle at Molineux since his arrival from Southend.

I'm not sure whether that says something about Freddy, or something about Wolves fans. Hardly prolific as a goalscorer following an initial impressive spell in the side at the start of the season, Eastwood's ommision from McCarthy's starting 11 is still a bone of contention with many who feel he is wasted on the bench getting 10 minutes here and there, and to be honest, I'm one of them.

It's not often I fail to see eye to eye with Mick, but on that one, we never will.

A far more popular decision would be to ship out Jay Bothroyd, whose only constant is his inconsistency which would seem to frustrate McCarthy as much as the fans.

Mark Little is another whose immediate future is up for debate, with a temporary move to Northampton along with Jones a possibility.

One player definitely staying is Darren Potter who chose to turn down the offer of a move away to get match minutes in January, and whose subsequent efforts were rewarded with a recall to the side that beat Colin's Eagles last Saturday.


It's a delicate balancing act for McCarthy, wanting to retain a strong enough squad to push for the play offs whilst also needing to give fringe players pitch time not afforded them at Molineux.

If he pulls it off, the monicker Merlin may not be too far off the mark, but if he fails, it will take more than smoke and mirrors to reestablish the kind of confidence once felt in his abilities by the paying public.