Too Little Too Late...... AGAIN
He enjoyed it more that I
By Tom Bason
November 20 2010
I’m starting to get really fed up of this. For the third game in a row we are 1-0 down after a couple of minutes. What on earth is going on? Why are we so incapable of avoiding going behind in the first couple minutes? What is the last thing Mick McCarthy says to the players before they go out? I’m fairly certain that it’s not “don’t worry about the first few minutes, we’ve got ages to get back”. Every single person involved in the last few games needs to take a good long look at what they are contributing in the first few minutes of a game.
The individual goals themselves don’t worry so much - it’s more what they represent. The first, a long angled ball aimed towards Luke Varney that nine times out of ten Kevin Foley intercepts. This time though, the ball sat up and Varney scored a wonderful goal. It was noticeable the amount of times that the ball was pinged out to Varney in the first ten minutes, they had obviously targeted Foley as a weak link. I wrote after the Man City game that Marcus Hahnemann was looking poor in terms of collecting crosses, and today he inexplicably dropped the ball from a routine corner, Marlon Harewood makes it 2-0 and we are in big trouble.
I mentioned the struggles of Kevin Foley, and Mick McCarthy did rectify this, swapping him with Michael Mancienne after 15 minutes. In fairness to Mancienne, he played well at right back for the remaining 75 minutes, defending adeptly and pushing forward to support the midfield. This change wasn’t just to stop Varney though; it was also because the midfield was not functioning. Mancienne and Karl Henry played in behind Dave Jones, recalled from nowhere to start. I think this was to add Jones’s extra dynamism at the top of the midfield, both to try and support Kevin Doyle and also to try and shut down Blackpool’s main playmaker, Charlie Adam.
This, of course, meant that there was no room in the starting line-up for Serb Nenad Milijas, who in my eyes at least, has been instrumental since returning to the starting line-up against Chelsea. Last time Milijas was dropped, away at Hull last year, Jones came into the team and deservedly kept his place. Milijas didn’t start again until the Chelsea game this season. This time however, he was introduced after 29 minutes for the unfortunate Foley. No-one in the crowd could understand why Milijas was left out. I could understand the inclusion of Jones, as mentioned before, but why Milijas couldn’t have played one of the holding roles alongside Henry/Mancienne is beyond me. Maybe McCarthy thinks Jones and Milijas are too similar to play in the same team, and indeed they did both look to take up similar positions, but he is too good, and too important to be left on the bench if he’s fit.
So we return after halftime, 2-0 down and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake is introduced for the ineffective Stephen Hunt. Hunt, remember, is only six games into a return after eight months out, and it is an indication of our lack of options that he is playing so regularly at the moment. 15 minutes later, Steven Fletcher is introduced for Karl Henry, and we are playing a 4-2-4 formation. This reminded me of Middlesbrough’s run to the 2006 UEFA Cup Final, a case of chucking strikers on without really having any tactical idea of how they were going to play. Of course, we created openings without creating any clear chances, Milijas hit the post, but Blackpool looked equally dangerous on the break. Kevin Doyle finally got his first (of many) League goal of the season, but our day was summed up towards the end. 90 seconds of injury time left, we get an indirect free kick on the halfway line. Christophe Berra and Richard Stearman go forward and Hahnemann takes the free kick. He scuffs it into Milijas’s back, and the opportunity is gone.
Today was thoroughly disappointing, and the run of so-called easier games that we were all looking forward to a couple of weeks back suddenly look horrible. Sunderland next week will not be easy, and Blackburn are an extremely difficult team to beat at Ewood Park. We need to go back to what served us well in that tough run. We were able to play the ball out of defence because we had midfielders who wanted the ball. This doesn’t work when Henry and Mancienne both play – neither come looking for the ball in the way that Milijas does. He must be returned to the starting line-up next week. McCarthy got it wrong today, and it cost us. He can’t afford to make the same mistake next week.
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I really don't get what MM offers tactically beyond the 'ElokoWardy' syndrome of sticking by his favoured sons and hoping they pull through for him.
Does relegation and the parachute money put more cash in your back pocket than staying up? Just thinking aloud because we seem to be heading down without any sense of urgency from the owner and CEO regarding turning things around,
For us to survive MM has got to resist the temptation to play football. He's got to do what he and the squad did last season - grind out points! But he must be aware that things have moved on across the entire Prem, not just at Wolves.
Paradoxically, he has to create the 'defensive' team by starting at the front. Last year he had only one forward, Doyle, playing well enough so that was that, and it suited his intentions, not thwarted them.
This season he's spent heavily on Fletch to accompany Doyle, and Blake seems to have rediscovered his touch. These now give us something we can hit back with and give the rest some relief, even goals. Fletcher (or Blake) MUST play in the box, otherwise he's of no value to us. Doyle is a good 'footballer', and, played intelligently, is of more use than any goals he might score. He must play with Fletcher (Blake) always in mind. He must use his intelligence to seek to bring the ball and Fletcher (Blake) together - in the box!
The midfield must be the next for consideration. Doyle (Fletcher) must be served. I guess MM thought it was going to be Jarvis and Kites. Good job Jarvis is playing well. Was Hunt Kites replacement? Too late in my view, a valuable £3m that should have bought Kites replacement for the 1st. match of the season, not the 20th. (when he really kicks in!) As OSB chose - Hunt one side, Jarvis the other and Milijas the middle (Jones and Edwards are also in this pool).
And behind them? Afraid we haven't got good enough players to loose two playing sheild, but we havn't got good enough defenders not to! A conumdrum! Perhaps MM has now had the LB position solved for him - Mancienne - if Foley is injured! Ward, for all his enthusiasm, is just not technically good enough yet, not against Prem forwards.
We are desparatly missing Craddocks goals - Moyo looks good up front on a few of the youtube vids - Sorry Stearman, back to the training ground for you till next season. Berra gets the other slot. RB should be OK - we've got decent cover for there.
In another post I'm playing about trying to get enough creative midfielders and two forwards in by moving Mancienne to sweeper behind the back four and dropping Henry. For my money we would get better cover and cohesion with these five defenders(1-4-3-2) than with six (4-1-3-2).
Anyway, just my thoughts. But one thing's for sure, that defence has got to be settled down - the continual changing is having an un-nerving effect. If we've got fragile players the Prem is no place for them!
Onwards and upwards . . . well thats the only way we can go!
certainly takes all sorts .I will look forward to your next edition 
I think MM is trying to make it too hard to play football by changing tactics to try to stop the other team. My idea would be get the best starting eleven, play defenders as defenders, wingers as wingers, forwards as forwards, goalscorers in the box, left footers on the left hand side, right footers on the right hand side, and get a formation that suits our eleven players and let the other team worry about us. Thats what Bolton and Blackpool have done and managed to get 6 points from us! I know it may not always work against the big boys but lets face it were are not going to be challaning them for any honours in the league but im sure that it would give us the mid table security that we crave.
I was always taught at school that football was a simple game and that if you wanted complicated rules and tactics then play or watch rugby!!!! i know these managers have to justify there salaries but maybe should do that with results and not tactics.
Good post though - and a nice follow up from angry - finally something to smile about.
kettrin - ever thought about talking up football management? I know one team that would benefit from a dose of common sense at the helm.
Jones for me is too much of a lightweight plus a couple of decent chances fell to Jones at Blackpool and his efforts were embarassing.
My starting line-up against Sunderland would be
Hahnemann
Foley, Mouyokolo, Berra, JVD
Mancienne, Milijas, Henry, Jarvis
SEB, Doyle
Possibly Hunt could be included for SEB if we wanted to go 4-5-1.