Promoted Sides - Wolves

Article by Dion Spikes

Wolverhampton were the stand-out side in the Championship last year and deservedly finished top of the pile. Will the fact that the Old Golds have been knocking on the door for a couple of seasons now increase their chances of a successful season in the Premier League? Or could it be a case of another yo-yo year rivaling the disastrous season experienced under Dave Jones in 2003/04?

Tactics and Playing Style

Wolves were at their most lethal during the Autumn of last season, putting oppositions to the sword with an efficient style of football, raiding the wings and getting quality crosses into the strikers. Chris Iwelumo and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake had a veritable feast on the delivery from out wide with Iwelumo in particular being most effective with balls whipped in at pace for him to apply the finishing touch to.

Ebanks-Blake has a more all-round game and some of his individual strikes were sublime, resulting in him being widely acknowledged as the best performer in the Championship in 2008/09. So expect a classic 4-4-2 with much responsibility placed on the wingers to beat their men and deliver the good. Michael Kightly has performed superbly since his move from Non-League, and the big question will be whether he can continue his stellar ascent up the footballing pyramid.

Defensively Wolves were far from impregnable last season and seemed fairly vunerable away from home. It remains to be seen how players such as Richard Stearman and Kevin Foley will cope with the step-up in class and this could be an area in which Wolves struggle. Wayne Hennessey in goal has attracted more than his fair share of plaudits and on his day is an excellent all-round keeper with a commanding presence. However, he was dropped last season due to form and attitude problems and does have question marks regarding his ability to consistently deal with long-shots.

Manager

Mick McCarthy seems to polarize opinion. While many appreciate his no-nonsense approach to the game, delivering his pithy responses to questions in that classic Yorkshire burr, many others label him a footballing “dinosaur” and point to his repeated failures at the very top level as indicative of his limits. However, the fact remains that he took an average Republic of Ireland team deep into WC 2002 without their star player. Also, the disastrous PL campaign with Sunderland which many point to as evidence of his weaknesses cannot be blamed entirely on Big Mick. Detractors will accuse him of cracking-up during the appalling losing streak but it is hard to imagine what better face he could have presented during a run of 11 games straight.

McCarthy has established himself as a master of getting teams out of the second tier into the promised land. He now needs to prove that he has the ability to manage in the PL. He is not one to splurge on players according to name or reputation and places focus on effort and endeavour, reflecting his own playing style. Whether he can marry this with the acquisition of the flair and panache that is needed for the PL will decide on whether he manages more than a quicky “divorce” from the World`s best league.

Star Man

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake

Arguably Wolves best signing of the summer will turn out to be Ebanks-Blake on a new four year deal. Released by Manchester United as a youngster, Sylvan was then picked up by Plymouth and really began to turn it on during his stay at Home Park. He was rewarded with a move to Molineux for 1.5Million in the January window of 2007/08 and has not looked back since, topping the goal scoring charts for the last two seasons and also collecting numerous individual playing awards as well as notching goal of the season efforts.

Ebanks-Blake`s strengths are his brutish power and direct style, coupled with an outstanding ability to strike a ball. Criticised by some for carrying too much weight, his barrel-chested physique does not seem to hold him back and he remains deceptively quick over 5-10 yards – the key distance for any top-notch striker. Wolves fans appreciate a willingness to work hard for the team and he seems to have a fantastic attitude. This column predicts that even if Wolves do struggle, Ebanks-Blake will prove a PL hit during 2009/10. Like Andy Johnson, Darren Bent and Kevin Doyle before him, expect defenders to struggle to adapt to a striker full of confidence and playing at the top of his game. 15 goals in all competitions is not beyond him.

One to Watch

Karl Henry

A classic “Makelele” holding player, Henry has a technically sound all-round game which could prove to be a hit in the PL. Championship sides have come up against a brick-wall in the last two seasons in the shape of the athletic Black Country boy. Wolves fans hold him dear to heart, both for his consistent level of performances and his self-confessed boyhood support of the club. A mere snip at 100K plus add-ons from Stoke in 2006, his rise to the top was confirmed when he lifted the Championship title last season, having been installed as captain during the campaign.

Transfers

The biggest outlay by McCarthy so far has been the 6.5Million capture of Reading`s Kevin Doyle. Wolves fans will no doubt hope he repeats his performances of the 2006/07 season, when his goals were the major factor in Reading being the surprise package of the season. Doyle comes off the back of a solid season in the Championship during 2008/09 and will be keen to prove he can cut it in the PL on a regular basis. Also on the move from Berkshire, Marcus Hahnemann will provide top-quality cover in goal and seems a strange release by Reading. The signing of Serbian captain Nenad Milijas from Red Star Belgrade is a positive statement of intent and if he settles well then the Balkan schemer could provide the class and style that may be the missing ingredient. Greg Halford and Andrew Surmann look decent additions to the squad, Surmann in particular has Premiership potential but may be one for the future.

Prediction

15th. Wolves should have enough quality to escape the drop, having build up a decent looking squad over the past three seasons. Question marks remain over McCarthy`s ability to manage at the top level and he seems powerless to avoid the kind of winless runs that relegate teams (even during the success of last year, Wolves enjoyed a torrid January and February 2009). However, goals should flow at a decent rate and Doyle and Ebanks-Blake could dovetail perfectly when supplied by the enterprising Kightly. Expect another terrible fun of form post-Christmas 2010, but Wolves should pick up enough points to survive comfortably. Transfer dealings so far seem to be of a decent quality and with a couple more additions the squad seems to be more than strong enough to compete. However, question marks do remain about the overall quality of the defence and the squad players covering the first team may find themselves out of their depth if pressed into action.