Lets make Molineux great again!

With the opening game of the season a matter of days away, the hope and expectation has been renewed and at an all time high. Fosun seems to have learnt from last seasons mistakes; they appear to have a plan and structure in order to take the club up the English football ladder. There is however one key factor that can be decisive in the club’s success or failure; the fans.

It is well known that Wolves fans aren’t always the most supportive, particularly in difficult times and quick to criticise the players and staff when results aren’t going our way. It has been documented in a variety of books and articles, such as ‘The Secret Footballer’, that visiting managers use the fans negativity to their advantage, an impetus to ‘score early’, destroying the morale of the players and staff, which often has a lasting effect.

I’m sure people who attend are always in ear shot of ‘the one’ who constantly moans about events on the pitch. Now, I’m not saying that these people’s opinions are wrong, but ask yourself, what is it actually achieving? That negativity from the fans radiates onto the pitch, which can only have a detrimental affect on the players. Players then become tentative, alter their decision making and it can discourage them from takjng, potentially match winning, risk due to the barrage of abuse that they would inevitably suffer.

The English football league begins in earnest this Saturday and for most Wolves fans this has been the most exciting pre-season and transfer window that we’ve experienced. This has been reflected in ticket sales, a sell out for our first came against Middlesborough at Molineux. The air of positivity around the ground is infectious but we all need to ensure that it continues and goes from strength to strength this season. We have the right manager, we have the players but most importantly they need you! Yes we will lose games this season, at times we will under perform against ‘lesser’ teams but that doesn’t mean that we are failing and wont achieve our goals. In the past us, the fans, have been the decisive factor in the dismissal of certain managers, however under Fosun we’ve witnessed how decisive and ‘cutthroat’ the board can be. They have a clear plan and strategy in place, if they feel it isn’t working they will deal with it swiftly, irrelevant of fan opinions. Therefore, lets put the politics aside and concentrate on transmitting positive vibes onto the events on the pitch.

As Theodore Roosevelt once said “believe you can and you’re halfway there”.

 

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From Dead Ball Specialist to ‘Dead Wood’

On Wednesday 25th July Wolves fans were rocked by the news that our dead ball specialist, Barry Douglas, was on his way out of Molineux. Speculation was rife on social media how his fan favourite had fallen out of favour with Nuno. Douglas proved himself last year to be one of the signings of the season, helping Wolves to Championship glory, scoring 5 times and assisting 14 in 39 games. In his wing back role, Douglas adapted to Nuno’s system with ease and thrived at his attacking role, so what has the Scotland international done to find himself back in the Championship and could this be a sign of the things to come?

As Barry held aloft the Championship trophy through the streets of Wolverhampton, you could see the excitement in the players eyes with the prospect of playing in the Premier League and playing against some of the best teams and players in the world. However, Douglas now finds himself in the same position he did 12 months ago.  At an ambitious club with a competent manager and expectant fans, who again find themselves in the second tier of English football and preparing for a long, gruelling season in the Championship. There’s no doubt that Douglas is the man to help Leeds get there but why is he no longer going to be helping us achieve Premier League success? Did Nuno feel that the Premier League was a step too far for ‘our’ Barry? Are there question marks regarding his defensive qualities, especially as he’ll be expected to defend significantly more this season than he had to last year. Is it possible that relations between him and Nuno simply broke down? Or has Shi and Fosun had more to do with this than meets the eye?

Guo Guangchang and his Fosun International organisation made the bold move in 2016 when they decided to purchase Wolverhampton Wanderers, in what appeared to be a brave ‘gamble’ from the always prudent businessman. However, as with everything Fosun does, Wolves had been carefully and strategically chosen as the best ‘way in’ to English football and ultimately the Premier League. With a net worth of £4.8bn, its easy to assume that Guo Guangchang hasn’t got to where he is by procrastinating or taking unmeasured risks. In the world of business, if you wish to succeed then sometimes it calls for ‘cut-throat’ attitudes and decisive decision making and it appears that Douglas has experienced this first hand.

This is likely a sign of things to come and what we can expect from our Chinese owners. Fan’s favourites or managerial loyalty towards a player(s) won’t be taken into account if the board feels that they are surplus to requirement or underperforming. Rightly so, Fosun will demand the best and will try to recruit the best at the right cost, after all they have their sights set on European football and winning trophies, an ambition that we as Wolves fans all share. Yes it is a shame to see a player like Barry Douglas leave after everything he did for the club last season. But come January, if Wolves are in the top half of the Premier League and Jonny Castro is performing well, how many of you will spare a thought for ‘our Baz’ and what might have been?

Worth the fee for WolvesTV?

Many Wolves fans who were itching to see the new look team under Nuno Espirto Santo were given a special and unique opportunity to watch their beloved team on their pre-season tour in Austria. Watching via Wolves new look WolvesTV player, fans could watch all 3 games against SV Werder Bremen, FC Viktoria Plzeň and FK Jablonec on a free stream, resulting in some record breaking viewing figures for a pre-season friendly. Then for a nominal fee of £7, fans could watch Wolves’ domestic friendlies against Shrewsbury, Peterborough and audio commentary, from Mikey Burrows, for their final game against Leicester. Earlier this week Wolves then announced their WolvesTV package for the season, which consists of live audio commentary for every game and full match highlights for £45. Whilst we’ve enjoyed watching our new look team play and eagerly observed our new signings, is WolvesTV  worth the money?

Last season Wolves fans were able to tune in to 107.7 Signal FM or BBC WM for live commentary free of charge (although most of us pay our BBC licence fee), we would wait 24 hours, set the alarm for Sunday morning and watch highlights on Channel 5 and if we were lucky enough to be included in Sky Sports busy schedule, we could pop down the local pub, have a few swift halves and watch the game live whilst soaking up the ‘electric’ atmosphere.

So why exactly should Wolves fans part with £45? Well for those of you who are overseas its a wonderful opportunity to keep up to date with your club and fortunately for you guys you should be able to access live video streams of the games. However those of us living in the UK, due to contractual reasons, we’ll be unable to watch the games live. Which then begs the question, is it really worth your while when other ‘free’ options should still be available?

Has injury Costa regular place for Helder?

Wolves fans were left devastated when they found out back in April that their talisman Helder Costa would be out for the rest of the season. With bright new shiny hope at the start of the 17/18 season, it was soon dampened by the news that Costa would be going under the knife to repair his damaged ankle and would be reportedly be out for 3 months. We are going to look at whether or not his return to the first XI is a foregone conclusion or will it be a struggle for the Portuguese winger?

Last year Helda Costa deservedly won Wolves Player of the the season, scoring 10 league goals, providing numerous assists and scoring a memorable goal in the FA cup against Stoke. With his lightning pace and skill, he wreaked havoc in the championship and caused numerous headaches for the oppositions defence, with Premier League scouts from Chelsea and Arsenal reportedly hot on his heels. However over the Summer, Compton has become a hive of transfer activity, with a flurry of new players strengthening the somewhat lack luster squad of last season, possibly raising questions over Helder Costa’s first team place.

With the likes of Ivan Cavaleiro and Jordan Graham having an impressive pre-season, the return of long term absentee Michal Zyro and with the recent addition of Diogo Jota on loan from Atheltico Madrid, Costa may find it difficult to break into the team, assuming he will be playing as part of the front 3.

With the surprise acquisition of Cavaleiro, paying a then club record fee of £7m to Monaco, it seemed as if Wolves had pulled a coup.  But after an inconsistent first season,  opinions were split whether or not he justified his price tag, with only sometimes glimpses of pure quality. But after having a whole pre-season with the club and appearing to have improved his fitness levels, his performances have been second to none during the opening season’s friendlies. It seems pretty certain that he will be a starter in the opening game against recently relegated Middlesbrough on August 5th.

Jordan Graham arrived in 2015 from local rivals Aston Villa. Wolves fans had to wait some time in order to see Graham make a first team appearance due to injury and  being loaned out to Oxford United. Following a successful loan period he was recalled by Wolves after an injury crisis at the club. After making an immediate impact on the first team with a number of assists and a solitary goal, he suffered a torn knee ligament against Charlton in January 2016. It wasn’t until 15 months later he made his return in April 2017. With precious game time at the end of the 16/17 and a pre-season under his belt, he is looking closer and closer to the player that we all know, tying full backs in knots and making their eyes roll.

Finally lets not forget recent addition Diogo Jota who signed on loan from Athletico Madrid and who was more recently on loan at Porto. The 20 year old Portuguese U23 player, who has been likened to Antoine Griezmann, comes to Wolves with a weight of expectation on his shoulders. After making his debut in the 2nd half against Peterborough and providing moments of promise, he will be expected to feature regularly this season, again limiting Costa’s options for first team regular football for this upcoming season.

Can we expect Costa to raise his game and compete for his place or could he become Wolves most expensive bench warmer?