The general newspaper focus on Saturday’s match with Reading has not been around the 1-0 defeat but centred on the crowd’s reaction to the defeat and the defensive display from captain Paul Butler.
Wolves fans would have to admit that we do have a tendency to quickly castigate players that we feel are letting the club down and it seems now that Paul Butler is the brunt of a poor run of recent form.
Another woeful display, this time with nowhere to hide at the Molineux, has left Wolves sliding down the table at an alarming rate. The defence has been very much the focus of the media and fans attention in recent games and although only 1 goal was conceded it was enough to condemn us to our third straight league defeat.
However, in times of need the last thing that the players and staff want to hear is booing and negative chanting.
I have to admit to a tendency to get despondent at games, but we all have to pull together as Preston could easily add to the gloom on Tuesday.
Buoyed by a victory at another struggling Division 1 club, Derby, on Saturday they’ll see now as the right time to play Wolves when there is more going on than just a football match.
Last season’s failure still rankles with most fans but it now seems that we’ve continued the hangover into the new season and several players have put in too many lame performances for one reason or another.
To me it was bizarre that Ndah was given a starting role when, in my opinion, he is the 5th choice striker. Blake wasn’t fit enough to play the whole game so we needed someone to challenge in the air. However, I would have gone for Proudlock first or Miller and try and change the tactics.
Perhaps Jones included Ndah to try and generate some interest to offload the striker – unlikely given Saturday’s performance.
Now there are doubts whether Butler will play tomorrow. I think it highly unlikely, and potentially dangerous, if Jones starts to let the fans run the team through taunting. Butler is the captain and he did a reasonable job last season but did seem to fall away when the going got tough towards the end.
However, a recall for fans favorite Ludo isn’t necessarily going to be the magic spell we all hope for. Many of our ‘seasoned pros’ have to pull their socks up and give us what we pay them for.
However, likewise I think that it’s time that Wolves fans recall that they are ‘supporters’ and not ‘taunters’.
We have enough of those in the form of our Premiership local rivals without adding to their glee at our start to the season.
Therefore, I encourage you, like me to remain calm tomorrow and give the lads as much positive vibes as we can and hopefully the players will respond.
Let the headlines in Wednesday morning’s papers be about the football rather than the fans.
Come on the Wolves!
E-mail me with any comments/feedback to: dave@wolves-mad.co.uk