Wolves News 24/7Writer: New York City Wolf 
Date:Tuesday August 2 2011
Time: 2:09PM
UK time is: 14:30:22
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Wolves New Captain
Mick McCarthy making Roger Johnson our new captain is for me the best news we have had as Wolves fans since we signed the player.
Johnson has already captained former sides Wycombe and Cardiff, and with his natural leadership skills already shining through the decision seems a sensible one.
McCarthy has always sung the praises of Karl Henry so this decision may not have come easily for him; the move may be one of the most important of our pre-season.
It may have been close on two years ago when Mick basically said that if Henry is fit he plays- as team and club captain he was practically guaranteed a place in the starting line-up week in, week out but that very luxury appears no more.
Henry was clearly proud of his roots, proud of the shirt, proud of leading out Wolverhampton Wanderers. We all like a traditional tough tackling midfielder and Henry had the attributes; somewhere at the start of last season however he lost sight of what he was trying to achieve and the outcome was not to the benefit of himself or his team.
Already under the media glare from the Newcastle and Fulham games, Henry chose a trip to Wigan to launch a diabolical tackle that could easily have ended a players career. He was sent off and we lost to one of the sides we knew would be in or around us.
Henry waited until the end of the season to admit his game had changed as a result and we collectively suffered for it. Sadly, he appeared to relish the bad boy image he was been painted as.
This proved no more obvious in our greatest hour of need. With our survival hopes falling apart on the last day at home to Blackburn, Henry, already on a booking raised his hands to another player and should have been sent off. What would have happened to us then I prefer not to imagine. His reaction to being called over by the ref was his usual smirk.
His game has suffered as result of his arrogance, and I am glad that Mick has stepped in with a strong decision.
Some fans are complaining that Johnson has only just arrived and think the job should have gone to someone else. I think his recent arrival puts him in better stead rather than promoting from within, so to speak.
The bonus news is that if Johson is not up for the job, Stephen Ward is ready to step up.
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Your Comments
Wolves fans have been screaming for a hard working, Hard talking and No nonsense Captain for years........Bring on RJ. A great decision by MM. Give us another CB or LB and we are ready to take on the Prem. If we can play 4-4-2 and get Doyler and Fletch working together then Mid-table is a good possibilty. Come on me Babbies!!!!!
Rustmonkey
I think Berra , O'Hara , Doyle , Hunt or even Hennessey would be captain aheead of Ward
ODDJOB79
Great article, Yorkie: fully endorse the sentiments, that is, as long as you were speaking ironically about Ward. Because of his irresponsibility Henry forfeited his right to remain as captain. Now that he has to rely on his performances for selection, he will have to earn his place in the side ... surely?
Southbank60
please please please get that left back in....
that way we dont have to worry about big george or ward, or any other substandard defender taking the place....
ward is fine up front, and should be for attacking cover only...
AdMant
As i have said before why not go for W Bridge on loan at half his wages if good enough agree a fee with M City hopefully the guy would sign permanently and get regular fotball than sitting on his bum.
kiawolves
Wow, that Henry does not have starting eleven spot guaranteed, thats actually a good news.... and that Mick has selected RJ, a new guy, shows how much he values this guy.
PanFiluta
Elokobi's name is "CURIOUS GEORGE!" Wayne Bridge is a non-worker who would poison the morale of Wolves, he was useless at West Ham, and is like 4the choice at Man City.
seanlyncha7x
I agree with Sean, Bridge did not look good when he was at West Ham. Whilst Big George may trip over his own face at times, on his day he is a colossus.
...And whilst i'm talking crazy, am i the only one who thinks that Hunty would make an excellent left back???
UTW!!
BIG TASTY
Sean, I think I copyrighted Curious George last season! Banksy, I was hoping everything would have a moment of panic seeing Ward's face under a New captain headline. He was captain at Ipswich however so he is not that far down the pecking order! Unless that was Mick's sense of humour at play also. Bridge did not do much for West Ham last season but look at the quality they had at their disposal; that squad had more than enough to stay up so the finger has to be pointed at Grant. Hodgson did well at Albion, Birmingham and West Ham stuck with their managers who were under question and ended up relegated. From the other sackings, the most absurd for me was Chris Hughton and whilst they stayed up with relative ease I think they will find the coming season a lot more difficult. They sold their best striker, they have lost the midfield- they are one side I hope we will be finishing above. Well to close, it seems that the appointment of Johnson as captain has been one of Mick's most celebrated decisions.
New York City Wolf
Well...seeing the headers George puts away....maybe a striker spot for him, lol
Rustmonkey
actually, Hunty would'nt be half bad at Left Back, but not Premier League Standard. Ward is no.1 Left back for now, We need to buy one but God know we WILL be religated if Curious George gets near the first team.
seanlyncha7x
Oh no! Not another Irish attacker pressed into service as a makeshift LB! Why not complete the set and put Doyle in at RB?
Southbank60
BIG TASTY are you on something Hunty when fit was pivatol 2 us staying up as in the west brom performance same at sunderland now you want 2 put him at LB who is going to take his place. what we need is a LB WHO IS BETTER THAN WHAT WE HAVE not take 1 of are best players in midfield or on the wing i still think we have the money but wont spend. Every 1 agrees we need new signings so where is the money we are now in the third season in PL IF you take reports on finances we are in credit by 29.5m. If reports are right we have spent between 7-12 m plus wages but considering we have sold or released 12 players that are no longer on the payroll and that does not take into account JELLY back to Belgium what we have paid in transfers in plus wages does not add upwe most have more moneyso why dont we spend some on players who every 1 knows that we need LB CH MF or possability of getting relegated and lose evrn more.
kiawolves
All going round in circles aint we concerning the left back / cb / cm positions lol , its all going on the stadium i feel , end of !
ODDJOB79
I don't know what kind of wages they are on but i do think we would almost be better just letting the fringe players go on a free.
Sometimes you need a clear out and whilst it would mean making a loss on ppl like the Hoff, at least it would clear the decks a bit. At the moment we are paying what i would assume is a minimum of 15 - 20k a week for his "non-service" so getting rid now even for a small fee or on a free would make sense and give us room to manoevure on wages for players like the Hitz or whoever else is being targeted.
Rustmonkey
Kiawolves: As has been well documented in the past, I am on something - it is responsible for my flippant off-cuff remarks and my overwhelming urge to eat ridiculous amounts of Kelloggs Crunchy Nut Cornflakes!!
UTW!!
BIG TASTY
Few people go in for a 100k house and hand the full amount over- the stadium will go up slowly and we will be paying for it in installments. Considering it may take 4/5 years for it to reach the ultimate 50,000 mark that would probably knock us back around 10/12 million per year so we are still up on the money. We are playing a dangerous game because if we do end up going down, which I doubt, the redevelopment of the stadium will be put on hold for as many years as it takes us to find our way back to the Premier League. Too much hard work has gone into putting ourselves in the position we find ourselves in now so why gamble on it. This summer has certainly been a frustrating one. I am inclined to agree with monkey to a degree. Keogh is already into the last season of his contract so how much are we realistically going to get for him? I'm baffled when it comes to transfer fees these days so your guess is as good as mine but I can't imagine anyone offering much at this stage. As for the Hoff there has barely been a word said about any takers for a player who has been packed off to play in our development squad. Anyway, on a brighter note- if you need some cheer, look up the Greg Halford comments about well, mainly himself. I won't ruin the surprise for you but it's then funniest article I have read all summer.
New York City Wolf
I agree that we are playing a dangerous game if we get relegated but minus a decent CB or LB, I honestly believe we already have a decent well blooded squad. If Kights can stay fit...then he will be as good as a new player. O'hara for a full season will make a difference. RJ will get a grip of the squad and become a fans favourite.
I guess the only big question is whether we have the depth of squad to last a full season but to fair.....most of the lower order in the premiership have that problem.
We still have a Month left before the window closes. I think we will see some movement before it closes. Depending who you believe..we have made some very shrewd moves this summer in comparison to some of the money being splashed out on some very ordinary players across the prem. Quality over quantity any day. UTW
Rustmonkey
Is Zubar being groomed as the new CB? He played there in the Ipswich match and, according to a Birmingham Mail report, 'put in an impressive display'.
Southbank60
Maybe SB but Berra and RJ have been partnered a few times so thats the first choice pairing with Stears Craddock and Elokobi in reserve for Centre half positions , Zubar is first choice and shouldn't be moved , with Zubes and RJ at least 1 side is premiership quality and the left side a bit weak but just about capable , I would love it if Ward n Berra had a storming season so we will see , Another point ive made before , the LEFT BACK position , Ridgewell is useless as Dann Johnson and Foster were Blues iron wall so to speak , Ridgewell makes Henry look like a saint ! , Konchesky is awful and more prone to mistakes than Neil Collins , Wallace is playing as a winger so if McCoist buys a full back n plays him on the wing he cant have much confidence in him as a full back if Papac is first choice ( yes hes awful aswell ) , Warnock is firmly in McCleish's plans so hes a non starter , Ryan Bertrand would be a gamble but has the ability , so besides him , can all you left back experts tell me one we should go for ?
ODDJOB79
Hey, Oddjob, I did not say I was an expert in spotting a reliable LB, only that I have had plenty of experience in working out why one or two of them aren't good enough.
Southbank60
Well thats my point , our 2 left backs are not great but not useless either , but who you comparing them too as you cant come up with a left back who would do the job , 1 that is available of course , Thats all im asking , we can rattle off centre backs names who we would like but just name a left back you would like , I bet pound to a penny that if MM signed a left back you would all be like yes we signed a left back & you would all go yes i thought about him but none of you have said anything on here lol
ODDJOB79
You make a valid point, Oddjob, but I am sure MM can identify a suitable replacement. Even so, he seems reluctant to make much of an effort to find one. In return, you should acknowledge my point about the need for a better quality LB. You surely do not think that Ward and Elokobi are good enough, though they do have their moments. Unfortunately, they are prone to drift out of position, are easily turned and make clumsy challenges.
Southbank60
I think Ward is more capable then big George , to say he come as a striker , how well he has done at left back is amazing , so maybe year on year he will get better n better , i cant see us signing a left back , and yes i would like one , but you lot just point the finger at Ward , tell you what i bet most of the squad made more mistakes than he did last year but god forbid you have a pop at a striker for missing a chance or a winger for a failed cross or a centre mid for a crap pass or missed tackle , Personally id want the Hammer to come in as Adlene is out for 6 weeks and if we get a left back on loan for a year then great stuff ( aslong as hes good obviously ) but if we dont , Ward has pace , decent in the air , attacking which all full backs have to be these days so maybe he will just get better who knows , he must know a decent full back as hes bought Zubar and Foley so they all must see good in Ward , I dont think MM and TC are that blind , we have stayed up with him in the team for the past 2 seasons , I watched him against Walsall and yes its Walsall but he looked composed and very good , I just think he deserves more support and credit , If he got the chants half the other players got when they aint exactly been world beaters themselves would fill the lad with more confidence !
ODDJOB79
I think that Ward has a brilliant attitude and puts in a real shift ... and he does not complain about the amount of 'stick' he receives. Moreover, it's not his fault that he is not up to PL standard as a LB because he is a striker. In that position he deserves his place in the squad ... and even at LB in a dire emergency on the field and there's no alternative. Even you cannot bring yourself to declare that he is good enough, arguing rather that others make mistakes, that allowances must be made because he is really a forward and that there are few proper LBs out there anyway. You stress his good points, which are ones that one would expect a forward to have ... and ones which in the modern game a LB must possess too. However, the prime job of a LB is to defend and here his weaknesses- drifting out of position, easily turned and making clumsy tackles- put the team at risk. Here, I am not singling out Ward for special condemnation because I have criticised other players in the past, including forwards like Jarvis. It's just that at LB he is not good enough and we will suffer this season if we do not find a reliable replacement of PL quality. We'll have to spend some money - and for all I know why might be in the process of doing so.
Southbank60
I have stated in other Blogs that The biggest issue with our left back is our left wing. Even when we had Naylor the LB position was constantly left exposed. To many times I remember Nails left to defend against 2 or 3 opposition players. Now....i don't care how good or bad you are....if you are in that position odds are you are gonna struggle. You could also argue that cover from a good Centre back would help......again a position we have struggled to fill since Lescott. Hunt on the left does make a difference because he'll track back all day. jarvo is not that type of player. And sorry but Berra may work hard but in my honest opinion isn't good enough. In many ways I kinda feel sorry for both Ward and Big G. Wardy as we all know is a makeshift LB and Big G struggles against small pacey players. However, I do feel that with a decent CB (ideally Dann) and Hunt on the wing that Big G would do ok. IMHO....Sell jarvo and get Dann. He would cover the back with RJ. Failing that.....get Warnock........I still think he'd move if an offer went in.
Rustmonkey
You're right about Hunt, Rustmonkey, but I thought that Jarvis did his fair share of tracking back. Indeed, I have complemented him for it in earlier blogs. Even so, as everyone knows, like you I would sell Jarvis (for the right price) to secure Dann for reasons which include the one you cite here. Berra couldn't offer cover as he needs it himself.
Southbank60
As others have stated, my real concern is if we lose RJ to injury. Then we are back to square one with the same old Championship defence. At least another signing would help give us a bit of cover. After all...we are Wolves......We always lose our big signings to injuries at the start of their Wolves career :)
Rustmonkey
lol....wolves 1..zara 0....Big G
Earlier post on this page:
Well...seeing the headers George puts away....maybe a striker spot for him, lol
Rustmonkey
haha....go George go :P
Rustmonkey
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