Filed under: Wolverhampton, Premier League, Football, Team Previews
Wolverhampton
only managed to survive by the skin of their teeth last season but you can be certain manager Mick McCarthy would settle for the same this time around.Rooted in the bottom three for much of the campaign, McCarthy's prophecies that his team would escape appeared to have little foundation.
But a late rally saw them escape by a solitary point, finishing 17th at the expense of West Midlands rivals Birmingham.
McCarthy has moved to deal with their defensive deficiencies by recruiting Roger Johnson from St Andrew's, while Jamie O'Hara has made his loan move permanent.
It should be enough to keep Wolverhampton competitive amongst their bottom-half rivals, yet another nail-biting season seems certain to await.
THE NEW (AND OLD) MEN:
Ins: Roger Johnson (Birmingham) undisclosed; Dorus de Vries (Swansea), free; Jamie O'Hara (Tottenham), £5million
Outs: Carl Ikeme (Middlesbrough), loan; Greg Halford (Portsmouth), undisclosed; David Jones (Wigan), contract terminated; Steven Mouyokolo (Sochaux), loan; Marcus Hahnemann (released)
Summary: It may not have been a busy summer in the transfer market at Molineux, yet it still has the look of a good one. The arrival of Johnson should add some much-needed steel to their defence, while with O'Hara they have the added advantage that the midfielder can hit the ground running following a successful loan spell last season.
Just as crucial is the fact they have been able to hold on to crown jewels Matt Jarvis and Kevin Doyle - a pair they would badly struggle to replace.
THE MAIN MEN:
Goalkeepers: In Wayne Hennessey, McCarthy owns one of the most talented young goalkeepers in the division, although the Wales international's lack of experience can occasionally be to their detriment. De Vries is a solid backup but is less proven than the departed Hahnemann. B-
Defence: This was the area which undermined Wolverhampton so often last season with so many displays undermined by individual errors. The arrival of Johnson has gone some way to redressing the balance and the responsibility will now fall on him to organise the defence. How successful he is could go a long way to determining their fate. B-
Midfield: The arrival of O'Hara on a permanent deal is a huge boost to the Molineux midfield, adding some much-needed creative quality. In Jarvis, McCarthy owns one of the best wingers outside of the big six yet he could do with another body in the centre of the park. B
Attack: In Kevin Doyle and Steven Fletcher, McCarthy owns two Premier League quality strikers who are both capable of hitting double figures - the big question is whether he will be prepared to play with both of them or just go with one man up front. B
The Boss: McCarthy has the full backing of Wolverhampton owner Steve Morgan and it is easy to see why. He has built a united dressing room brimming with players ready to give their all for him and the shirt and, five years into the job, no one knows the club better. B
THE GAMES:
Start With: Blackburn, away, August 13: McCarthy's team start the season against the same team in which they finished the last. It's a match which should offer a good benchmark of exactly where they stand with Rovers one of their most closely-matched rivals.
End With: Wigan, away, May 13: Supporters will hope his team have already secured their Premier League status for another season by this stage yet, already, this has the look of a do-or-die final-day showdown after both teams found themselves in the thick of last season's last-day drama.
The Big One In Between: West Brom, home, Feb 12: Forget Manchester United or Chelsea, this is the one that really matters to the Molineux masses and it comes at a time when the race for survival will be gathering pace.
THE FANS:
Most Likely to Say: "Roger Johnson is one of the buys of the summer."
Least Likely to Say: "What a relief to be out of a relegation battle this season."
Expectation rating: *** Having managed to fight off the threat of second-season syndrome and successfully retain their Premier League status, this is a huge season for Wolverhampton as they have the chance to properly establish themselves as a fully-fledged Premier League team. With that comes expectations, however, and supporters will expect them to start looking upwards rather than over their shoulders.
Reality check: *** Wolverhampton were only just good enough to stay up last season - by a point, in fact - yet the only real improvement they have made to their team is by recruiting Johnson. It remains to be seen whether that will be enough.
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