Monday 23 January 2012

Stick or Twist at Wolves?

Once again after a defeat Wolves fans are having the usual debate about whether to sack Mick McCarthy as manager.However this is a simplistic view of the matter...

Ever since MM took over at the club there's been a sizeable minority of Wolves fans who have wanted him gone no matter what.Despite reviving a club that was moribund at best,facing relegation to Div 1 or lower at worst,after the Hoddle debacle.These fans have constantly called for his head.Many have also resorted to personal abuse calling him "Mad Mick" & "Numpty" or much worse.

If that was'nt enough they were also turning on other Wolves fans for not agreeing with them,someone on the now defunct BBC 606 website coined anyone who countered their view as "Happy Clappers" and it stuck--indeed i still see it used on the new battleground of Twitter...

Wolves fans have a bit of previous in this area to be honest.Remember Graham Turner? now rightly feted as a saviour at the club,but close to the end of his tenure at Wolves there were badges produced with either "Turner Out" or "Turner in" on them...Graham Taylor was also hounded out by many fans who now say we sacked him too early.Having cake and eating it spring to mind...

After the last gasp escape of last season there seemed to be high expectations that we would not struggle as badly as we are at the moment.Many were saying lower mid-table--fair enough--but some were wildly off the mark with even talk of a Europa Cup place being offered up.Part of the basis for these higher expectations was the three clubs coming up were viewed as no more than whipping boys by many fans--not just at Wolves to be honest--I fell into the same trap too about Swansea,Norwich & QPR.I think we can all say we got that one badly wrong...

So now we find ourselves in the bottom three for the first time this season,with a gap growing too,and serious questions are being asked about the manager and his backroom staff.This time though not just from the strident anti-Mick-no-matter-what-brigade.

Personally i am in that rare camp of being undecided about Mick's future at the club,at times it appears that he's lost the ability to inspire the players but then we get well earned points at Arsenal & Spurs coupled with a  very unlucky defeat to Chelsea which was more down to the ref not doing his job properly than our failings.

There's also the small matter of who takes over the club if he's fired?

There's wild rumours about Rafa Benitez being lined up---can't see it myself--Curbishley has been mooted but i think he may have been out of the game too long.Another name mentioned is Lee Clark at Huddlesfield--Too risky in my opinion.To my mind there's no real quality realistically available,although Wenger may be close to getting the push!(That's a joke by the way)

Let's be honest we have no divine right to be a Premiership club---not many do--and we are never going to have the spending power of some of the clubs in this division.Every season we spend in the top flight for the foreseeable future is going to be a battle to stay there no matter who's in charge.

Whenever MM does get the push--it will happen at some time as it does for most managers---i for one will be thankful for all he's done for my club and treat him with the respect he deserves,then welcome the new boss, hopefully without any pre-conceived idea's ,with open arms...

...And i still can't make my mind up...

3 comments:

Andy Round said...

I like MM. I find him highly entertaining, and yes we have plenty to be thankful for. We were in a right state when Glenda Muddle was shown the door. I am not sure how many other managers could have done what MM did.

Yet we have reached another interesting chapter in our history, and like you I feel that we have arrived at the difficult moment where things just don't get any better. The tactics used just seem to fall short. There is a lack of confidence in the team. Perhaps more importantly I don't get a sense of unity from any quarter.

Is the issue Clipboard? Would a change in training make any difference, or is it time to thank MM for everything he has done and look outside the square?

I have a few suggestions I could throw in, but they all come with risk. Is Mr Morgan prepared to land a big fish that would come with a hefty financial burden. Not just in wages but in the length of the wish list. None of us can argue at the strong financial position we are in. We do need to reflect this on the pitch though.

I have read a lot of rumours on Twitter over the weekend. i was intrigued at the mention of a certain Norwegian Red Devil, but surely this comes with risk too?

Whatever happens, I know I will still be proud to call myself a Wolves supporter, but for the sake of the club and the rest of this season someone needs to make a strong decision and either sack MM or stand by him and make it abundantly clear he isn't going to be sacked whatever happens. So Mr Morgan it's over to you!!!

HackneyWolves said...

Good post Andy.
I would'nt mind Wilkins coming in as a coach,it would give the whole club a lift and improve the players greatly...

A_B said...

Good post Gareth like yourself i'm in the undecided camp.

When McCarthy was appointed I wasn't convinced he had what it takes to turn us around but he proved me wrong and created a young hungry team full of desire and took us to the Premiership where many luminaries before him had failed. Over the last two and a half season it's been tough but we have managed to stay up. I have also seen some Fantastic performances from the lads along the way.

Trying to compete in the Premiership with many teams that are not even bothered about running their clubs as a viable business is always going to be tough. Wolves are running at a profit and developing both the Training Facilities and the Ground which over the next 10 years will hopefully increase the revenue stream and allow us to be more competitive whilst still being a viable Business.

I understand the frustation though when people see the likes of Swansea & Norwich doing so well but one thing is for sure whilst MM is in charge I will always give him my full support. It's a results driven business though and that is what ultimately will decide MM future.

Jez Moxey & Steve Morgan have been fantastic for Wolves and long shall they remain. Personally I would not want my club run as some plaything by some faceless Billionaire. Better it's run as a business for now and for the future.

People talking about the likes of Benitez are just living in the land of make believe. He has zero track record in management if he has to work within a Budget.

That might be a bit of a ramble lol and I still don't know if MM is the man to take us forward but I do know we should all support the Manager & the lads until the Chairman decides to change things.

UP The Wolves !

Adi_B