Happy To Be Back

Glenn Hoddle pulled off a real coup when he managed to tempt Celtic captain Jackie McNamara away from Parkhead on a free transfer in 2005.

From that seasons opener against Southampton, it was clear that Jackie Mac was a class apart. Comfortable on the ball and able to read the game superbly, his passing rarely fails him, and his tackles seldom if ever miss.

But it wouldn't be Wolves if there wasn`t bad news round the corner.

Just 2 months into his stint with the club, damage to his cruciate ligaments forced him onto the sidelines for all but the last 2 games of the season.

A pre season hip injury then forced him to miss the start of this campaign, but since his return in December, he has made the left back berth his own.

"I`m in double figures for the number of consecutive games played now and that`s a good little milestone for me. To be honest, I`m just happy to be playing." he said last week.

The team Jackie returned to was very different to the one he originally joined, and expectations for this season were from within the club and outside were limited, and so to be talked of as promotion contenders hasn`t only surprised Wolves` demanding fans.

"I don`t think anybody could have envisaged what has happened, our first aim was to stabilise the team and then to make sure we were safe." He continued

"We lost so many players and it says so much for the players who have come in that we`re in the position we`re in. I think we have shown what we can do now - we`re a very different team from the one that started the season."

And they will need to be to meet the challenges ahead of them as this season draws to a close

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