Southampton were denied a third straight Premier League victory after a horrendous mistake from goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga gifted Norwich a point at St Mary’s.
Nigel Adkins’ men have hit a rich vein of form in November, with the victory over Newcastle on Sunday making it three without defeat and giving them real hope of avoiding an immediate return to the Championship.
The Canaries have also improved after a slow start under Chris Hughton but needed a stroke of luck to prolong to prolong their unbeaten run, that now stands at seven games, and continue their upward trajectory.
Unsurprisingly the game was overshadowed somewhat by the return of referee Mark Clattenburg, as he picked up the whistle for the first time since Chelsea falsely accused him of racially abusing Jon Obi Mikel in the defeat against Manchester United last month.
As they have done in recent weeks the Saints started brightly and almost took a deserved lead through captain Adam Lallana’s volley that sailed over after he was picked out in the penalty area by Rickie Lambert.
But that proved to be a warning shot to the visitors who found themselves behind after 32 minutes, albeit in controversial circumstances as the ball appeared to strike Lambert on the arm before he dispatched it past Mark Bunn for his sixth of the season.
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Norwich rallied and forced an equaliser on the stroke of half time through Robert Snodgrass, who saw his low free kick squirm under the body of Gazzaniga to give Adkins another goalkeeping headache.
The 20-year-old Argentine did redeem himself after the break, keeping out Grant Holt’s header at point blank range. At the other end Mark Bunn, deputising for the injured John Ruddy, dived low to claw away Jason Puncheon’s fizzing strike before Lambert and Lallana wasted a succession of late chances.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is set to launch a January loan bid for Barcelona striker David Villa according to the Daily Mail.
Arsenal are desperate for a striker after Robin van Persie’s replacement Olivier Giroud has failed to live up to his expectations.
Villa is set to leave the Nou Camp after failing to nail down a first team spot since returning from a long term injury that effected his Euro 2012 selection.
Swansea boss Michael Laudrup has been rumoured to have made an audacious loan bid for the Spanish striker but Arsenal would certainly be the favourites to sign him if they entered the race.
While Wenger may be desperate to sign a goalscorer, he will not splash the cash in January and only a loan deal would attract the Frenchman.
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However if the short term move was successful, Villa could become a permanent fixture in the Emirates armoury.
I really don’t want to suggest that Newcastle’s decision to hand Alan Pardew an eight-year contract was a bad move; I think clubs should look to similar contracts more often as a means to secure their most valuable personnel. Those who then look to Mike Ashley as having made a mistake also seem to be out of touch with the game. It assumes that no manager can go through a bad spell. It assumes that all the pieces fall into place without any problems. It assumes that a hugely impressive performance the season prior will always or should always be followed by something equally impressive.
I don’t believe Pardew to be a bad manager and I don’t believe he’s doing a bad job at the moment. Yes it’s a disappointment that Newcastle look miles away from landing another Europa League spot and building on what they did last season, but where’s the nod to the circumstances the manager is working in?
He, like Mike Ashley, always knew Demba Ba was going to leave at some stage. With his scoring form and the irresistible buyout clause inserted into his contract, there was no way Newcastle would be able to keep him away from clubs higher up the league table.
But the loss of Ba hasn’t been the biggest blow to the club. Going through much of the campaign thus far without Yohan Cabaye is a crippling effect that would be felt by any club. Goal scorers are as important as anything, as is a good and confident goalkeeper. But holding it all together is the midfielder, the player with the quality of Cabaye. Maybe for a short while we saw Tottenham feel the effects of losing Luka Modric. Arsenal looked all over the place following Cesc Fabregas’ departure. How many times will people look to the need for Manchester United to properly address their midfield and find a replacement for Paul Scholes?
Adding to that, Hatem Ben Arfa, another one of Pardew’s most important players, has been in and out with injury. The squad have been ravaged, purchases such as Vurnon Anita haven’t done enough to make noticeable or equal contributions such as that of Cabaye and Cheick Tiote last season. And now with a forward line that looks very light, Mike Ashley really needs to start backing up that contract extension which has had everyone talking.
Alan Pardew recently said that Newcastle were not too good to go down. It was a response, of course, to many who suggest that the team were good enough to fight off the threat of relegation. But it was, more than anything, a message to the owner. This team need reinforcements in a big way, and like the hopeful arrival of the cavalry, Mike Ashley needs to charge through the door with a new attitude.
Making do is not good enough when expectations were raised so high after last season. Sitting by and accepting that the club can’t compete with those who are better off financially isn’t good enough. Isn’t that why Graham Carr was given an equally lengthy contract extension to that of Pardew? Selling clubs will catch onto the success Newcastle had in the market in previous windows, but it doesn’t hide the fact that there continue to be excellent bargains hidden away in corners and underneath rocks for clubs like Newcastle to exploit.
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If Loic Remy has been identified by the club as a player good enough to come in and replace Demba Ba then Ashley has to roll the dice. What sort of message does it send? For starters, it says that the club are willing to go all out to put the season right. Loic Remy has been linked with Arsenal and Tottenham in the past, the latter for a noticeably long time. If Newcastle can complete that transfer then it says the club are competing with the clubs who hold a higher status in the Premier League. It says that Yohan Cabaye, Demba Ba and Hatem Ben Arfa wasn’t a one-off, a fluke. It says that this is our aim, these are our targets and we’re looking to follow through on them.
Newcastle needed stability and they’ve been given that by a manager who knows English football well. Mathieu Debuchy is an excellent start to the new year, a player who is rated by many as the best right-back for France and the best in Ligue 1 for the past few seasons. But more is needed. Mike Ashley needs to show the fans and his manager that there is ambition and desire to go along with that contract.
Vegard Forren has revealed that Ole Gunnar Solksjaer was the one that told him to reject Liverpool in favour of a move to Southampton, the Mirror reports.
The Norwegian international joined the Saints in a £4million from SK Molde nearly a fortnight ago on the same day that Mauricio Pochettino replaced Nigel Adkins as manager at St Mary’s.
But 24-year-old Forren confessed that it was Manchester United legend Solksjaer, his former boss at the Aker Stadion, who compelled him to resist the overtures of a trial at Liverpool and opt for a permanent transfer to the south Coast instead.
“I never came close to joining Liverpool because Southampton felt right for me,” he said.
“There was a lot of interest from the Premier League but after coming here and speaking with the chairman I really felt wanted.
“Ole was very supportive of the move and I spoke with him a lot before coming here. He really wanted me to take this opportunity.”
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Forren looks set to make his Premier League bow against the Red Devils when Southampton travel to Old Trafford on Wednesday night and will hope to improve a defence that has shipped 37 goals in 23 games this season.
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How times change. When Queens Park Rangers and Swansea City were promoted to the Premier League in the early summer of 2011, it was widely predicted that while Rangers would become a permanent fixture at the top table, Swansea would almost certainly suffer the indignity of a quick-fire return.
Fast forward 23 months and the script has been rewritten to such an extent that the original draft is virtually unrecognisable. Two goals from Michu, one from Angel Rangel and another from Pablo Hernandez at the Liberty Stadium two weeks ago not only took Swansea into seventh place (they are now eighth), but left Rangers facing the near impossible task of retaining their Premier League status.
With only days remaining before the Swans make the trip to Wembley to face Bradford City in the Capital One Cup final, we take a look at three players to keep an eye on as we approach the big day.
Michu – The Spanish attacking midfielder/striker signed from Rayo Vallecano for £2m last summer has arguably turned out to be the buy of the season, as he already sits on 13 league goals and 16 goals overall. His form has inspired Swansea City to their first domestic cup final in their 100-year existence, and they currently sit comfortably at 8th in the Premier League table.
Michu is a true predatory striker who always finds the perfect finish. His strike against Chelsea embodied everything that is right about his play – as Jonathan de Guzman found the Spaniard on the edge of the box, he proceeded to curl the ball with aplomb past Petr Cech and into the net. A truly wonderful finish and a warning to other teams that this player cannot be given any space in or around the box. His finishing combined with Swansea’s penetrative passing style make for a very dangerous combination.
Ashley Williams – The Welsh international captain Ashley Williams has been at Swansea City since 2008 and has seen them promoted twice since joining from Stockport County for a fee of around £400,000. His defensive instincts have proved vital to Swansea’s surge over recent years and they would not be enjoying such a successful season, as they sit 8th in the Premier League table and have reached their first domestic cup final ever, were it not for Williams’ experience.
He’s a classic British defender, not afraid to put his body on the line and get physical if necessary. His time at Swansea has seen his game develop beyond defensive responsibilities, however, as he often surges forward and helps link-up play and pick out incisive passes. It’s not just his strength that makes him a formidable defender, however, as his reading of the game and positional play are second to none.
Wayne Routledge – It’s tough to choose just one Swansea midfielder to place on this list, as there are numerous who have had a fantastic season. The likes of Nathan Dyer, Jonathan De Guzman and Pablo Hernandez have been in inspired form, but Wayne Routledge has really stepped up this season. The Englishman joined from Newcastle for an undisclosed fee in August 2011 and has really developed his game during his time at the Welsh club. Traditionally a winger, his time at Swansea has seen him play in the centre of the park more, and as a consequence, his game has flourished.
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Against Queens Park Rangers, Routledge played through the centre with Dyer and Hernandez on the wings, and the QPR defence just couldn’t cope with their quick penetrative passing and switching of positions. Routledge has already scored 5 league goals this season and poses a real threat in front of goal. His adaptability in midfield provides Swansea with a plethora of options, and the ability to switch tactics and formations on the fly.
Languishing eight points from safety at the foot of the table with six games remaining. It’s now become a case of ‘when’ not ‘if’ Reading will drop back into the Championship next season. Even new boss Nigel Adkins offered a tenuous acceptance to the fate that so inevitably awaits his side, acknowledging that he is already planning ahead for the next campaign. That being said Adkins hasn’t yet accepted defeat in the battle to beat the drop and is remaining positive in the face of adversity even after seven straight league defeats – the latest coming at home to former club Southampton – and one short of the Premier League record. Anything but a win this weekend would doom the Royals to England’s second tier although it’s difficult to see a victory being anything but a short stay of execution.
Liverpool make the trip South still in with a shout of European qualification after four wins in their last half dozen league games. In fact the Reds are six points better off than they were at this stage last season and have found themselves on an upward trajectory since the New Year. It all goes to illustrate the improvements made under the watchful eye of Brendan Rodgers in his first season as Anfield boss. Extracting the best from top scorer Luis Suarez will stand as one of the Northern Irishman’s many achievements this season although that will ultimately be trumped if he can lead the club back into Europe with a top-six finish. Merseyside rivals Everton are currently blocking them on that path and hold a three-point advantage with a game in hand.
Team News
Stewart Downing is available for Liverpool after taking ill during last weeks draw with West Ham in which he was substituted before half time. Raheem Sterling (thigh) has been ruled out meaning Brendan Rodgers has no fresh injury concerns.
Reading will be without Jimmy Kebe (groin) while fellow midfielder Hope Apkan (ankle) is a major doubt.
What the managers said…
“Every team is planning for next season and will have plans for whatever division they’re in. I’ve got an opportunity to assess the playing staff and we’ve got to keep doing that and working hard to build on the success we’ve had before at Reading. We had an idea of what we had before we got here. We’ve got a blank piece of paper and a fresh challenge.” Nigel Adkins admits he already has an eye on next season (Daily Mirror)
“As a club, we want to be in there. We really enjoyed the European football this season (in the Europa League) after it had been missing for a year and I know the supporters love the travel,” Rodgers said. But you could argue that a season free of European football would give us a greater chance of finishing in a much higher position in the league.” Brendan Rodgers believes missing out on Europe might benefit Liverpool (Telegraph Sport)
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Pre-Match Statistic: Reading have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last nine meetings with Liverpool in all competitions.
Prediction: Reading 1-3 Liverpool
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Jurgen Klopp says Dortmund aren’t satisfied with just reaching the Champions League final and hope to cause another upset at Wembley.
The BVB coach watched his team hang on for the final few minutes of the second leg of their semi-final with Real Madrid after two late Los Blancos goals.
Despite Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos giving Real a 2-0 win on the night it wasn’t enough to overturn Dortmund’s 4-1 lead from the first leg as they booked their place in the final.
Dortmund have endured a tough road back to the top of European football since winning the Champions League in 1997, with financial issues blighting the club’s progress.
Klopp is now looking to complete the club’s recovery by claiming another European title but admits his players are likely to be up against it in the final against Barcelona or, more likely, Bayern Munich.
“Wembley will be one of the greatest moments in our lives,” Klopp said. “But, whichever team we meet, we will not be the favourite.
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“In Wembley everyone will see we are not going to be satisfied with just being a finalist.”
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The prospect of Tottenham Hotspur making an approach for a Real Madrid player will make some wholly uneasy given the speculation that’s surrounded Gareth Bale’s future in regards to a move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
But within this morning’s recent reports that the club are monitoring the hazy future of Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain at the club, the sheer stardust of this particular rumour has led many in the white half of north London to stand up and take notice.
Following the Metro’s lead, quotes attributed to Madrid general manager Jose Angel Sanchez have suggested that the 25-year-old may well be on his way out of the club this summer.
“In a great club like Real, we believe we need two number nines of a high level,” he said.
“We have Benzema and Higuain, Higuain will leave, Benzema will stay and two others will come.”
With rumours suggesting a highly controversial £50million swoop for cross-city rivals’ Atletico Madrid’s star asset Radamel Falcao already in agreement, there is a school of thought that should Real look to bring in the Colombian, either Higuain or Karim Benzema must look to make way, Judging by Sanchez’s recent sentiments, the omens most certainly don’t look too good for Higuain.
With Spurs in desperate need of a new striker at White Hart Lane and with their rather mysterious ‘partnership agreement’ with Real yet to be tested, a potential switch to N17 may not be quite as far fetched as some may think.
While competition would sure to be fierce for the former-River Plate man’s signature, although any potential deal may well hinge on the club’s ability to secure Champions League football, make no mistake about it; this is the calibre of player that Tottenham should be looking to bring to the club.
It’s around this time of year that the transfer rumour mill really begins to kick into gear and along with it usually arises the annual debate upon Daniel Levy’s transfer policy at the club.
Although the club’s steady rise to prominence owes a lot more than simply the Essex-born businessman’s steely and often cutthroat approach to business, the general consensus is that for however begrudging some of the more painful deals have been over the years, that Levy’s way usually tends to be the right one.
Yet in recent times, while supporters are mindful of the limited resources the club have to play with and for the need to run a tight financial ship in regards to getting their Northumberland Development Project off the ground, there have been frustrations aimed primarily at the ambition of the club over the last two windows.
Marquee names don’t always equate to guaranteed success, but with Villas-Boas’ craving the likes of Joao Moutinho, Willian and Leandro Damiao at the club, Spurs’ failure to make a deal stick for any of the aforementioned has given off a series of mixed signals for some.
In the case of both Moutinho and Damiao, third-party issues most certainly played their part. But the decision to leave both deals until deadline day in two consecutive windows left some quarters questioning Levy’s commitment to the deals.
The money was of course subsequently invested elsewhere and for as much as fans would have loved to see Moutinho grace the White Hart Lane pitch; Mousa Dembele has hardly proved a bungling failure. Indeed, the Belgian’s success is living evidence that throwing inflated amounts of money at a problem isn’t necessarily the only way to solve it.
Yet although no one could guarantee the success of a Joao Moutinho or any other foreign import into this league for that matter, the Portuguese represents the standard of player whom truly belongs at the very top level. And if that’s the level in which Spurs wish to achieve, then this is the sort of player they need to be looking to purchase.
Does this mean that Levy should start sanctioning £20million deals left, right and center in order to achieve the club’s goals? Not by any stretch of the imagination, no. But for as astute as Tottenham must be run from a financial means, the bids for both Moutinho and Damiao certainly suggest the money is there should the right player come along. And this summer, with the club in such dire need of a centre forward, if that warchest truly does exist, then now is the time to wheel it out.
Given QPR’s recent relegation, although competition would again be fierce, Spurs could well be the frontrunners to secure the services of one Loic Remy.
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With a cut-price deal surely beckoning, the Frenchman’s recent run of five goals in ten starts suggest he has what it takes to cut it in this league and given his price and at 26, potential capacity to recoup money in a resale, he is the archetypal Levy signing.
But while he may prove a decent bit of business, Remy hasn’t won a premier European title before. Nor has he proven himself in the Champions League over a number of seasons, as he also doesn’t boast over a century of goals for one of the world’s biggest football clubs. Gonzalo Higuain however, is a man that fills all of the aforementioned criteria.
Again, this isn’t to say that the Argentine would be the answer to all of Spurs’ problems, that he isn’t without weaknesses or that he’d even necessarily be a shoo-in to join the club.
But if Tottenham really want to craft a side capable of qualifying for the Champions League every season and dare you say even push on further, signing Higuain is far more in line with their ambitions then snapping up Remy this summer. Quite whether Levy hands Villas-Boas the tools on a plateau with his targets however, remains to be seen.
It’s so easy in England to downplay the foreigners, largely because there isn’t a big enough campaign in this country for journalists to properly report what goes on in Europe.
I most certainly wasn’t the only person to feel nothing but disdain for Martin Samuel’s piece on Manuel Pellegrini last week. But like so many other instances over this past season, it just highlighted how willing England-based football journalists are to ‘mailing in’ anything remotely related to the European product.
The basis of the article was that Manchester City were making the wrong approach in looking to Pellegrini as their next manager and that Manchester United had got it right with David Moyes. Take whatever you want from that. But isn’t this something that people like Arsene Wenger have long fought against, the idea of looking past someone’s passport and rightly acknowledging and rewarding them for their talent and ability? That’s one thing, but the fact that Martin Samuel’s argument was built on stories which were completely false is hugely infuriating.
The problem here is that no one outside of regular viewers of La Liga really said anything about this. In fact, Gary Neville endorsed the article as “a good piece.” The Sky Sports pundit has got a lot right since he took over his current position in 2011, but surely he has enough sense to see that the whole argument in that piece is asinine at best.
And it’s not a matter of hacking away at those who have a different opinion to the one you hold, it’s purely about offering respect and courtesy where it’s due, and, of course, reporting the truth. Apparently Pellegrini is a failure because he couldn’t guide Real Madrid to the Spanish title after spending over £200 million.
Here’s the thing: anyone with half a mind would know that football works slightly differently in Spain than it does in England. Adding to that, most should be aware, especially journalists, that Real Madrid and Barcelona make their transfer decisions largely without the consent of the manager.
At the time, Pellegrini was brought in to oversee Florentino Perez’s latest Galactico movement. It most definitely did not mean that he had a say in the purchase of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Kaka and Xabi Alonso. By that account, something which is the truth, Pellegrini did not fail after “spending £200 million.” Why is it I know that and one of England’s most respected football writers doesn’t?
Pellegrini, for those who fancied watching the Champions League after all the English teams had been knocked out, had only gone on to enhance his reputation in the game following Malaga’s exploits in the competition. In their maiden season, the comparably small club waltzed past AC Milan, Porto, Zenit and came within minutes of beating Borussia Dortmund. Domestically, Malaga were outstanding for much of the campaign. They beat Real Madrid 3-2 at La Rosaleda. They held a spot in the top four all season until the bubble sadly burst following their Champions League exit. The Chilean manager was forced to relinquish his hold on some of his star players last summer and during the winter window. In response, he made Isco the star of the show, brought forward a number of the fringe or youth players and was hugely rewarded by their desire to not let him down.
Why wasn’t all that in the Daily Mail piece? Why wasn’t there a deserving nod and applause for Pellegrini’s achievements with Villarreal, not only in taking them to second place in La Liga and to the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Champions League, but also the level and quality of football he brought to El Madrigal? Oh wait, Samuel did mention something about Villarreal, but it was more condemnation than applause.
Is it worth laughing at the questioning from the article as to whether Pellegrini could get Wigan playing as well as Roberto Martinez did? Samuel attempted to add weight to all of this by implying that Martinez was deserving of the Manchester City job over Pellegrini. Well there are facts that challenge Martin Samuel’s opinions and distorted view of even the recent history. For starters, Pellegrini never allowed any of his Spanish teams to face relegation from the top flight. Pellegrini didn’t allow any of his sides to perform to their maximum for only two months of a league campaign, and then wrongly receive praise for making some kind of great escape. Could he do better than Martinez at Wigan? Pellegrini took over at Malaga midway through the 2010-11 season, where only the season prior they had avoided relegation, and guided them to an 11th place finish. In his first full season, Malaga finished fourth.
Samuel goes on, “Pellegrini served his apprenticeship beyond our gaze, so all we have is received information.” Good lord, shouldn’t journalists of national newspapers take it upon themselves to investigate these things? After all, it does fall into the job description. This old boy’s network of journalism is absolutely disgraceful. Not only do they attempt to belittle anyone who tries to make it in the industry via modern methods, they persist with the medieval notion that the world is far too big to be explored.
Our best teams compete in the Champions League every season, playing as far as away Russia. The Premier League draws players from all over the world, from Africa, the Far East and South America. These are the journalists who talk up the Premier League as the greatest spectacle in all of sports, despite the fact that it isn’t, and likely enjoy the fact that the English product has a global reach. Why is all of that accepted and used in the sales pitch but something as simple as checking a few facts from abroad to support an argument is seen as beneath them?
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It’s absolutely pathetic that journalists who only seem to follow the Premier League have already made their mind up about Pellegrini. Again, it’s distorted views of history. Isn’t it players and managers from abroad who have helped to shape the Premier League to what it is today? Arsene Wenger, Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho. English journalists wouldn’t say no to Pep Guardiola, would they? He’s a man who only put together his reputation at Barcelona, a team consisting of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta. Well surely that doesn’t count because a baby could have managed that Barcelona team. Apparently.
The reason Pellegrini might come in and take one of the big jobs in the Premier League over his English counterparts is because he’s better. No conspiracies, nothing funny or underhanded about any of it. He’s simply better. The article which tried to argue that is nothing but disgraceful.
Walsall inflicted Wolves’ first defeat of the season on a cold and miserable night in Wolverhampton.
The home side were going into the game off the back of five straight league wins and were hoping that this ‘local derby’ could make it six and move Wolves into 2nd place after seven games. Walsall’s momentum was good after comprehensively beating Crewe at Gresty Road on Saturday afternoon, 3-0. It was all set up to be an exciting match on an extremely cold Tuesday night in The Midlands, the South Bank was packed to the rafters, whilst Walsall had filled out their away end admirably.
Jackett made just the one change from the narrow win against Swindon Town, Bjorn Sigurdarson came in for Leigh Griffiths. Probably in order to bolster the striker options, give Walsall something think about and give make Wolves’ play more direct than previous weeks, with that Wolves lined up, as usual: Ikeme; Doherty, Batth, Ricketts and Golbourne; Sako, McDonald, Davis and Evans; Doyle and Sigurdarson occupying the front two positions. ‘The Ginger Mourinho’ or Dean Smith, as humans like to call him, made no changes to the side that swatted Crewe away, on Saturday. Their eleven was like this: O’Donnell in goal; Taylor, Butler, Downing and Chambers at the back; Hemmings, Mantom, Featherstone, Chambers in the midfield; Westcarr and Hewitt took up the striking positions.
The game began rather quietly, neither team wanted to concede an early goal so were tentative about going forward nor making the opposition defenders uncomfortable. Wolves’ first chance came after some intelligent, one touch, build up play. Kevin McDonald lofted a delicately placed ball onto the head of his fellow Kevin. Doyle lost the challenge and the ball was headed out, from nowhere, Sigurdarson came running in and dispatched his volley with particular venom. Sadly, Sigurdarson’s shot did not trouble O’Donnell and his shot went high and wide.
The game quickly began to liven up, Lee Evans chopped down Sam Mantom down. The resulting free kick, from Craig Westcarr , hit the cross bar and drew gasps from both sets of subdued supporters. Walsall looked to sit deep and try hit the Wolves on the break, a rather tame long shot from former Wolves man, Ashley Hemmings and a cross-cum-shot from Sam Mantom were both saved by Carl Ikeme. With the game now in full swing it was clear that Wolves did look comfortable on the ball in the middle third of the pitch, problem was, when they got into the final third there was no penetration from Doyle or Sigurdarson, as both these players were dropping deep. Neither players were running in behind the Walsall defence, a defence that does not possess a lot of pace, Wolves missed a trick there, they could have really punished Walsall if they got in behind them.
Wolves’ best chance came when Bjorn Sigurdarson showed immense strength, speed and awareness, he broke three tackles in quick succession and played the ball out wide to Bakary Sako, who dragged his shot wide. Wolves’ fans were purring at the display from Sigurdarson, he was breaking tackles like the defenders were not even there and showing great vision to pick out his French team mate. Wolves were continuing their good work, intricate passes between McDonald and Sako to the full back/auxiliary winger Scott Golbourne, whose chipped ball in was cleared away. Wolves found themselves with a corner to defend, shouts of handball were waved away from the referee, even though, from where this reporter was sitting, Doherty’s hand had indeed touched the ball. Though from where the referee was standing, he would have seen Batth’s head in front of Doherty outstretched hand. The ball was cleared, only to the feet of centre half, Downing, who, like every other English centre half (barring Gary Cahill) blazed his shot high and wide.
With half time around the corner, Wolves attempted to nick a goal. Sigurdarson, effective once again on the turn, broke a tackle and attempted to give Wolves the lead. Soon after, Sako had a free kick which, as expected, was agonisingly close to making it 1-0. It was tipped just over by an outstretched O’Donnell. Batth’s header from the resulting corner was a foot or so wide, if he had timed his run a little earlier, O’Donnell would have had to been at his very best to prevent a goal from the future Wolves captain. Wolves were awarded a free kick with just a few minutes of the first half. Evans hit the in swinging at around O’Donnell midriff, he saved comfortably as the first half fizzled out.
The first half was brought to a close with the scores at 0-0 – Wolves were probably the better team by nature of Walsall’s game plan. They chose to sit back and soak up the pressure brought onto them by the home side. To an extent, Walsall were probably very happy to go into the dressing room with the scores at 0-0, Wolves, probably not so much.
With those 45 minutes behind both teams. The players returned, unchanged for the second half. Wolves began brightly, the ever present Scott Golbourne was on hand to deliver a ball into Kevin Doyle whose header went wide. Minutes later David Davis hit a thirty plus yard through ball out onto the right hand side to the oncoming Kevin Doyle who managed to trap the ball well but was unable to deliver the right ball in, the attack broke down and Walsall countered. It really highlights how blunt Wolves are without Griffiths on the pitch when your main striker is on the right hand side delivering a cross into no one – it was a facet that Wolves were missing.
Wolves were tending to go wide, partly because of the lack of a proper striker up the top end of the field. Davis and co had no other choice other than to play it out wide. With Walsall’s strong and physically robust centre halves, Wolves were finding it impossible to get any sort of success through the air.
With an hour gone, Jackett was the first manager to show his hand, bringing off the effective Kevin McDonald and the robust Lee Evans for Leigh Griffiths and Kevin Foley. Jacket switched to a more conventional 4-4-2, with Doyle and Griffiths as strikers and Sigurdarson and Sako occupying the flanks. An odd choice to bring off the new signing as he is probably the best midfielder at his new club, certainly, he is most likely to get forward and influence the game, more than Evans or Davis.
One positive was the relationship sparked up between Sako and Golbourne down the left hand side, despite the readjusting that Jackett has had to do to the defence, it looks like Golbourne and Sako are reading from the same hymn sheet, which bodes well for When Wolves are counter attacking.
Sako attempted an audacious 40 yard attempt after seeing O’Donnell off his line, needless to say Sako was not particularly close to breaking the deadlock, which drew jeers from the away crowd. Batth had another great chance to score after some neat build up play forced a Wolves corner from which the man from Brierley Hill headed just wide. Dean Smith made his first change on the 65th minute, the former Wolves man Ashley Hemmings, who was anonymous throughout the game, despite some promising runs, he failed to produce anything of real quality – he departed for James Baxendale.
Soon after the substitution, the deadlock was broken, with the first real chance of the second half. A free kick was awarded after Danny Batth cynically tripped a Walsall player, the ball was swung in and Wolves, once again, were slow to react. The ball was headed back in and time stood still as Andy Butler brushed his forehand against the ball and made it 1-0. It was a very frustrating goal to concede Wolves were all of a sudden Wolves were chasing the game, within space of two minutes. It was Batth’s faults for awarding Walsall the free kick, but furthermore, it was the slow and lazy reactions of the home team’s defence.
Wolves brightened up a bit after the goal was conceded, their tales were up. Sako had a free kick saved, Griffiths smashed a volley wide after doing well to read the height and weight of the chipped ball. Soon after, Sako had another chance but O’Donnell was on hand to save. Despite all these half chances Wolves amassed three shots on target despite shooting sixteen times in the match. That gives you the clearest indication that Wolves, without Griffiths, struggle to put chances away.
Walsall made two further changes, after the linesman had real difficulty working the electronic board, after much jeering and eventual annoyance at the blunder, Westcarr and Hewitt were replaced with Sawyers and Lalkovic.
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Batth then played a cross field pass to Sigurdarson who effortlessly won the header which was half a second away from finding the boot of Leigh Griffiths, unfortunately, Butler cleared before Griffiths could cause some damage.
With minutes left, Wolves looked out of ideas, there were no options going forward, at this late stage and Walsall looked to have the game wrapped up. Ikeme then had a rather odd moment when his face met the football. It was such a strange that this reporter is finding it difficult to describe, even after seeing the replay. Ikeme collects the ball, goes to roll it out, the ball then bounces off his foot, it goes askew and a frantic Ikeme was desperately trying to claw it away, despite being outside his eighteen yard box. He was given a yellow card for handling the ball outside the area, though it was more likely for not being able to throw a football, with your hands, and work out where your feet are, at the same time. Lalkovic’s resulting free kick nearly sewed the game up, fortunately, Ikeme’s blushes were spared as the ball was denied by the wood work.
The referee blew the whistle soon after as Wolves slumped to a first loss in five games. Diluted applause came from the South Bank as Sako and Griffiths applauded the rather annoyed Wolves fans. Contrast that with the away end, were scenes of jubilation were the order of the day, the Walsall fans were delighted with beating a ‘local rival’ and rightly so.
So, the unbeaten Wolves are finally wounded and, in some respects, this might be a good result for us, in the long term. Performances, since Crawley, have been complacent, cocky, with an air of “well we just have to turn up to win”. This result should change that, the players will now realise that there are experienced players who know this League inside out and know that Wolves are seen as the ‘big boys’ of division, this will make them try that little bit harder against us.
Shrewsbury on Saturday will be tough, no doubt, but the away should demand, and expect, and bounce back from a fired up Wolves side.