David Evans tells us what we learned about Wolves this month…
The tenth month of the year was setup to be a rough ride for the Molineux men.
With 3 defeats and a Halloween win, Wolves have once again come out of a dark and into the light.
What did we learn? Well…
1. Price equals points?
Has Jackett proven wrong the one thing we’ve all been going on about for the last two years?
The mini Pirlo makes such an impact when he plays. His yearly exile and eventual return to the side is expected, frustrating and perplexing to understand.
Although Price was sorely missed against Brentford, (despite a second half cameo) a defeat to Boro and win against Blues could start to prove everyone’s long standing theory incorrect.
For 60 minutes the combination of Coady and McDonald worked. Before Coady would be forced to move into defence after an injury to Kourtney Hause.
Against Blues, it once again clicked. The side’s eagerness to close down Birmingham City allowed McDonald to dictate the counter attack.
Kenny has stuck with Coady. He could be trying to prove a point, or persisting to make sure his highest paid transfer this summer gets game time.
Price’s exclusion could now raise the theory about whether there is something else going on behind the scenes?
Many fans feel that he is key to our midfield. But does Price realise this?
If so, what pressure to have on a young man’s shoulders, even if he has got a whiff of what fans think of his importance.
For the moment, The ‘fact’ that “Price equals Points” could be starting to become fiction.
2. I am the Danger
Say my name…
Dave Edwards has netted four goals in five shots and two in successive games.
Not bad eh?
Dave Edwards has gone from being the easy butt of the jokes to a Wolves saviour.
The Welshman’s name in now one of the first on the team sheet.
The danger we have now is that Wolves are starting to miss him greatly when he doesn’t play.
His determination and decisive runs into the box are subtlety helping to drive the team forward and continue a fast tempo.
Throw in qualification to Euro 2016 with Wales and everything is coming up Edwards!
3. Experience was needed
After Wolves 2-0 away win to Blues on Halloween, Jackett admitted that experience was needed in the centre of defence when bringing in Newcastle’s Mike Williamson on loan.
This omission can show us one of two things.
Jackett has made one of, if not the, biggest mistake in his time at Wolves in releasing Stearman.
Or perhaps more speculation as to whether the sale of the defender was driven from upwards.
It was a solid debut from Williamson who was vocal and supportive to his defensive comrades from the get-go.
Is he better than Stearman? Time, if his loan is extended, will tell.
Either way, the sale of Richard Stearman and the now famous phrase ‘Footballing Reasons’ could haunt Jackett and co for the foreseeable future.
Talking of defenders…
4. Crisis. What crisis?
Injuries to both Ebanks-Landell and Kourtney Hause threw up a defensive dilemma this month.
With Iorfa a doubt before the win against Blues, it exposed the fact that, at one point, Wolves had only three senior defenders left in the squad.
The injuries to EBL and Hause were unexpected but having a section of your side with such little numbers in reserve was a worry to see.
Apart from Deslandes, could anyone have realistically stepped up from the under 21’s. Perhaps not yet.
Williamson has been drafted in but another injury in a short space of time will throw Wolves into the same nightmare scenario.
Jackett will be hoping for his injured pair to return to action shortly, but he might need to get the academy prospects up to speed quicker than he thought.
5. Under pressure
Kenny Jackett has had similar bad spells at Wolves so far, but this was the first time it felt real.
Wolves seem to suffer in the Autumn/Winter months. Wolves won 5 of their 15 games between October to December last season but faired slightly better with 7 wins out of 14 the season previous to that.
We all remember Cassidy’s poor run of games and Griffith’s exclusion back in 2013.
This time, the pressure on Jackett was at a point where his position really felt under threat.
The win against Blues will have taken some of this pressure off.
Take into account the situation with the club at the moment.
The ownership is uncertain and there is no concrete perspective on the future investment of the side going forward.
With this in mind, who could even replace Jackett at the moment?
The answer- no-one.
Journeyman managers, desperate to get back into football, but with no real track record, lie in wait to pounce at such a golden opportunity.
Wolves best option is Kenny Jackett and that he helps the club back up the table.
Comment below and share your thoughts about Wolves in October.
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