Not all revolutions are loud brash affairs.Some are put into place on the quiet without many people noticing.Such a revolution is happening at Wolves under Kenny Jackett.
As a club Wolves have a history of playing high tempo football with the emphasis on getting the ball into the opponents box as quickly as possible.Nothing wrong with this and when it works it's exciting and fruitful in terms of results.The last time it all came together was under Mick McCarthy when we won the Championship in 2008/9.That season we had wingers Michael Kightly & Matty Jarvis tearing Championship defences a new one nearly every week.It was wonderfully exciting.But football moves on and so must Wolves...
After three season's in the top division followed by two successive relegations we needed a sea change at the club.Not just a change in personal but also a whole new playing philosophy to permeate through the place.This was first mooted under Stale Stalbakken but for many reasons that did'nt work.It may have done but he had too many players inherited from the previous regime who'd got too complacent at the club.They were bloated and lazy after a few years of relative success.They clearly resisted change and failed to get on board.Ultimately it ended with SS getting sacked...and a further relegation.
Come the summer and time to put the new Wolves footballing revolution into action...In hindsight going down to division one has been a blessing because a)It means that the clueless Dean Saunders could be jettisoned as boss and b)The new boss had carte blanche to get rid of the old guard at the club and start again.Now all we had to do was make the correct choice of who took over as boss...
At first glance Kenny Jackett did'nt fit the bill for many but few remembered that he was the man who'd put Swansea's upsurge into place by implementing the sort of football that got them into the Premiership and then receive many plaudits for their football...retention of the ball combined with crisp midfield passing and plenty of movement...Movement in football is key.No team wins games by players being stationary with their fingers up their arse.
Over a very short period he's made the team his own.First off by being good as his word on giving all the youth team players a chance to prove what they can do.If they show they're good enough they're in the first team squad.Some have fallen by the wayside but others have flourished under his guidance.
His other job was to get rid---either by sale or loan---of the old guard and get his own players in,again this he's done over two transfer windows.It says something about his football knowledge that every player signed so far has slotted in well and been a success.He clearly has an eye for a player...
As i said before the type of football he's got his team playing is crisp passing and lots of movement.He also likes the pressing game but not to the detriment to the players fitness levels near the end of the game.Pressing but at the right time.Not all the time...It's also noticeable that he's got us passing our way out of trouble in defence rather than just hoofing the ball back to the opponents in a blind panic.It's wonderful to see...
One thing everyone used to know about Wolves was that the fans could get on the players back if we were'nt gubbing teams within the first half hour but even us fans are beginning to learn and appreciate this new way.On saturday Bradford had a player sent off within 30 mins.In normal circumstances the home crowd would be going apoplectic if we did'nt immediately bomb forward in search of goals.This did'nt happen on saturday.We continued to play the pass & move game,tiring out the opponents before the breakthrough came...The Wolves fans learning to be patient? A revolution indeed...
The average age of the team is about twenty two/three and they're improving weekly as they get used to each other.The future looks bright...KJ is doing a bang up job,nicely backed up by Owner Morgan and CEO Moxey.Contrary to popular belief among our division one rivals we're not buying the league,All the players bought in have been paid for by sales of players to higher clubs...Self financing.It's the way forward apparently!
The quiet Molineux revolution is in full swing...It won't be televised either until we're in the Premiership...
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