Newcastle 4 - Wolves 1

Play Fletch and Blake up front and hope for the best!

I hear. Perhaps it is I who have not been clear, or my Engish that fails me; the keys on the board have, I now notice, I meant Doyle plan, not play. I did not mean, was that not clear, judging from the match; but, was it not clear to see before the match? It was not, for SEB was expected to replicate the role.It worked, when it did, with Doyle. But we will still be seeing some one in the Doyle role. Clear? 'Blake and Fletch from the start and hope for the best' - AND be near certain of better than this misdirection.

True, SB60, the defence was poor, but that affects the outcome of whichever of the systems is adopted. 'A bad day at the office' (MM) is perhaps the best account that can be offered of the game; these things happen, we had an off day, it is a game after all. And all that is true enough. Thing is, when things happen for the better, and we have an on day, then it no longer a game, then it is the the result of good tactics, of endeavour,and of the prowess of someone or other.

I had this down as a loss on my 'games left' also have us down to lose to S'land away. Next two games are crucial,Everton and Fulham,I've got those down as home wins. Villa,Stoke,B'ham away I'd had for draws,so we can lose those next two as wev'e beaten Villa!but we all know it does'nt work like that!. I think whichever way you look at it,we are in trouble,at the end of the day if we win all our remaining 7 games and all the other teams do the same,we are down!. I am sticking to my prediction of 44 points total and surely that will be enough?but I'd rather be in Newcastle's position with points on the board!. We are now getting down to the 'nitty gritty',games are running out,no time to recover if you make a mistake. I hope it does'nt go down to the last home game,WBA beat Liverpool so the annoying thing is even if we beat them they can afford it! UTW.

Our defense was very VERY shaky. LB is a major problem for me. Elokobi gets run around.. He is simply not good enough . If we stay up we need a solid LB. I think craddock, mouyokolo and mancienne shud get a look in, in the defense, but is it to late for people to start forming new partnerships?

I am not sure lovesW but possibly the effect of losing an inspirational doyle nd the fact that they are playing in front of 50000 people, but this is no reason to be making many mistakes, some very sloppy and costly

I had not thought of that. One plausible explanation at last. As for superwwfc's comment, I would like to think those were contributing factors too - only, MM had been insisting that it was a matter of just who replaces Doyle, and, as for the size of the home crowd, playing in front of such at Old Trafford, Maine Road, the Emirates etc. never intimidated any Wolf.

... or Bert Williams, Jimmy Mullen, Johnny Hancocks, Ron Flowers, Billy Wright, Eddie Clamp, Bill Slater, Dennis Wilshaw, Peter Broadbent ...

Those names are from the era before my time. I have a vague idea of Ron Flowers in the Chile '62 World Cup. I was 12 then. My following really started with Ronnie Allen's promoted team to Div One - I remember the first game, a 2-1 win at Craven Cottage. Then followed Bill McGarry - Wolves' best time that I recall, just below the top clubs. Had Hibbitt and Parkin played for any of these, or any London Div 1 club instead, they would have been full England internationals. Of course, no televised league matches in those days. Fortunately, the local national tv station showed Midlands ITV's match of the day on wednesdays for years on end - it must have been the most economical deal of those available! So it was either Villa, Derby,WBA,Forest or Wolves - and being the top club from the area, Wolves were almost always on.

True, PanFiluta. They will certainly go for the Toffees, but with one solitary striker. MM has just 'explained' his tactics for last Saturday. As I have been saying all along, only circumstances on the field as they happen could force his hand in switching to 4-4-2 - meaning, by that time, the 25th minute, he had 'contradited his faith' (NYCW's comment, third from top). And this O'Hara, promising as he is, seems to me to have only glory for himself on his mind - on two occasions already he has gone for goal with colleagues better placed than himself nearby - his ground work for wages negotiations should Spurs let him go? Fortunately, so far, the team has not had to pay with points, but I see the day looming. Had his goal at the Hawthorns been the winning one, there would be no way of keeping him out. Another piece of advice for the gaffe-r, but SB's words ring ever in my ear: impervious to outside pressure.

There was a time when I was praying for Craddock to return to bolster our defence and to take control. However, Stearman and Berra started to improve and, as they did so, our results picked up. I was beginning to relax ... then we played Newcastle and the old problems surfaced. The question is: was it merely a blip or have they reverted to type? Getting the answer right will determine our future. The question relating to the choice of LB is of a different order. Neither Elokobi or Ward approach PL standard and are prone to make errors, ones which have cost us points. Even so, on a good day they play competently and forget to commit the obligatory mistake. We have to hope that whoever is selected will have another seven good days.

.......Ward. He does not feature anywhere in 'my' team,Swwfc, so much so, his name does not even spring to mind, which is why I failed to make even a mention of him.

Merely a blip, SB60. That is because I am convinced we are staying up, even if MM persists. A slip of paper with match forecasts for the then 9 remaining games (on 29 points, with Villa next up) is before me, target 42 points, shows 2 points from the Villa and Newcastle games. For the rest of it, the home points, in match sequence, read: 1,3,1,1 and the away ones 3,1,? (Sunderland). Still on course, one point to the better, in fact. I am with you regarding Elokobi and Ward. That is why I would have Stearman and Foley as FBs. Moreover, three and even four others fulfill a midfield role much better than the latter, with Adlene and Mancienne back again.

If we play 4-4-2 we will struggle - for some reason we have with it all season- the reason why? Karly Henry. I think he has improved as a player but if I was managing a Premiership club I would be asking for some transfer money in the summer. Two different players in a 4-4-2 maybe but Henry, whilst so often breaking down plays and the such, so often offers such little going forward and the balance is off. I saw him gearing up for a shot at Newcastle and honestly I turned away and stared at the wall because it has as much chance of scoring. Sip of beer, looked back and Newcastle were on the counter. Another player I have stuck up for and would find a place in a 5 man midfield but if you are playing 4 with two wingers and relying on that in the middle what can you expect- one goal this season in a cup match? We could argue one holds the middle giving the other midfielder the chance to get forward but this is not 1957 and I think Moyes will have a smirk on his face if we line up 4-4-2 Saturday. Stop those two on the wing, let him knock it side ways all day keep pressuring and we'll have ourselves a couple of goals. If he winds up for a shot all the better. He will find himsefl in unfamiliar surrounds and is too slow to get back. Another midfielder alongside O'Hara I would be more confident. O'Hara will run, Milijias will throw himself into a tackle, both can cut open a defence like a tin of beans and each look likely to score. Bad news is Mick has stated if Henry is fit he plays. I also want to say to Mick- I bet you a tenner you can't not play Stephen Ward. As the players filter back one by one Ward has less to offer than most but enough is enough sometimes because he is not offering the team anything when he comes on or starts the game. I thought Andy Keogh was better suited than he ever will be to the Championship but after seeing him sent out on loan, with it increasingly unlikely he will play for us again (unless we are relegated) there is hope Mick will say alright this player has not been doing it, it's someone elses turn. Grumbling fashion indeed but it is born of concern now. I think we need two wins from these next two games but we collapsed like a pack of cards at the weekend and we can only hope it is not a return to what we saw earlier in the season. I still think we shall stay up mind. :)

LovesW: While I am in broad agreement with you and superwwfc - and I take your point about O'Hara- I think that he has galvanised the team and had a material effect on our results. Of course, if he is acting like a prima donna rather than as a team player, MM should have a quiet word with him. He should also play further up the field than was the case on Saturday. However, we can only give him licence to go so far forward, if we play 4-5-1. If so, who should occupy the spot currently occupied by Henry? I agree with your assessment of him and, like you, would prefer Guedioura, who is a fighter, is tigerish in defence and offers more going forward. I only worry about his impetuosity. Incidentally, while enjoying the extended run of this thread, I feel guilty that we have had to piggie-back the comments on the back of series of statistics rather than a report of the match. I should have written a report as the spur. Even so, I am in the process of sharpening my pencils (if not my knife) in readiness for the trip to Molineux on Saturday. You will be able to read all about it on this site on Sunday morning.