Times are tough down Molineux way.Infact times have been tough for a while now and things don't look like changing for a while yet...
On May 22nd 2011 Wolves stayed in the premiership by a goal scored in the 87th minute.It was a fantastic achievement to stay in the top league with what was effectively a scratch squad.Many of our points that season were gained against teams in the top echelon's of English football in what were in-your-face displays.In time honoured fashion the moneyed stars of the Premiership did'nt like it up em'
However against the so called lesser lights of the division we did'nt fare so well.They were prepared to scrap for every point as much as we were and we were found wanting.That should have been our first clue...
Many thought the season after would be easier.Not only because the players had done so well and were more used to what was needed.It was also true that most (Including myself) believed both Swansea & Norwich were shoe-in's for relegation.There was only one place to avoid to stay in the division...Easy peasy.
We have a term in Britain.It's "Punching above your weight" Usually it's applied to blokes who look like me copping off with an attractive woman but in this case it applied to the wolves players during that 2010/11 season.And how...As it transpired we were punching above our weight so much it was like The Elephant Man dating Kylie Minogue...
It's one thing for the fans to believe we were only needing to avoid one position to stay up but the club seemed to believe it too.We basically kept the same group of players for the next campaign.In hindsight we should have made wholesale changes and bought in players of superior skill.We did'nt and we're paying for it now...
Much has been spoken about our position now--Bottom three of Championship--and why we're there and who's to blame but i see we're primarily in the deep do do now because of our reticence in offloading players who were clearly punching above their weight,which can only last for a limited period before reality bites,and our conceit in thinking at least two of the teams promoted the next season would be pushovers...
The day after we survived by effectively one goal the changes should have been put into action.Most other clubs would have done so.We rested on our Laurels and the Chickens are now coming home to roost.(excuse the excessive cliches)
Apparently our then manager,Mick McCarthy knew this and went to the CEO with a list of players he thought would do the job for Wolves to keep us up but negotiations were not sanctioned by the Owner Steve Morgan.I tend to believe this as McCarthy is a football man and knows every team needs changing for the better.Damn,if Barca,Real Madrid,Man utd et al need to improve their squad then Wolves sure as hell do!
So nearly two years on we are left with the rump of the same squad that have barely won a game in that time and there's such a malaise within the club it's hard to see where the next win's coming from...Like last season the fans are now going from anger to piss taking of the antics on show...We're going down with a wimper...
...Many of our fans have never seen us in the third tier of English football and it may come as a bit of a culture shock for some after the rarified air of high society that is the Premiership.The fans can take it,we're a resilient lot, but can the club?
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