West Bromwich Albion 1 v Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

As sackings go the assault on Old Trafford in the year 2021 by a rag tag legion of Prawn Sandwich eaters was hardly on a par with Holy Roman Emperor Charles V’s mutinous attack on Rome in 1537. At Old Trafford two police officers were regrettably injured, whereas the death-toll in Rome was estimated at close to 12,000. Many more died in the aftermath from disease caused by the prevalence of dead bodies lying in the streets. Previously a centre of High Italian Renaissance culture and patronage, Rome suffered depopulation and economic collapse. It is unlikely that, despite its relative decline in the post Fergusson era, Manchester United will suffer a similar fate. Furthermore, to pin motivation for the attack solely on hatred of the Glazer’s and their dash for yet more cash in the comfortable buzzom of a closed shop European Super...

England 2 – Poland 1

And so it begins. England’s attempt to qualify for the 2022 World Cup - in of all places Qatar - a venue so bizarre that the words corruption and FIFA are indelibly linked. Where major final qualification is required, England tend to do quite well, mid-ranking European football nations rarely offering up much in the way of resistance to derail the train. And with three workmanlike wins against the likes of San Marino, Albania and Poland, England are at it again.

It is nearly fifty-five years since an England side managed by Alf Ramsey won the World Cup. Fifty-five years in which the record of English football can be summed up in two words; inglorious failure. Three semi-final defeats at major tournaments (2 in the World Cup, 1 in the European Championships) mark the pinnacle of the national side’s achievements one in which quarter final exit has become the...

Lee Westwood is a fine golfer. For nigh on three decades he has been at the pinnacle of the game with 44 tournament victories to his name. Now in his forty seventh year, an age when diminishing length off the tee and a certain nervousness on the greens can erode confidence, the man from Worksop is enjoying an Indian summer. Last week in the Arnold Palmer Invitational held at Bay Hill in Florida he lost out by one stroke to golf’s current pantomime villain Bryson DeChambeau, And yesterday, at the Players Championship on the equally challenging Sawgrass golf links he was yet again pipped by a similar margin, this time to a resurgent Justin Thomas.

Writing at the weekend correspondent John Hopkins said that “whilst Westwood is not playing consistently as well as he ever has, from time to time he is playing was well as he ever has”. He went on “His swing may not be as fluent as Rory...

Newcastle United 1 v Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

There was good news last week as the Communities Secretary, Robert Jenrick, announced that Wolverhampton had been chosen as home to a new regional HQ for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. It is all part of the Government’s long heralded levelling up agenda and will see 500 mandarins relocate to the West Midlands. One can only surmise the unalloyed glee with which the decision was met, as tickets for Swan Lake at The Royal Opera House must now be traded for Jack and the Beanstalk at The Grand Theatre. A bit of real life will do them no harm.

And in matters of football, things have also improved down at the Molineux. A calendar month has passed since Wolves slumped to a dispiriting defeat away at Crystal Palace. Coming as it did at the end of a very poor run, the hitherto unthinkable suddenly became the thinkable...

Crystal Palace 1 v Wolverhampton Wanderers 0

Okay. I have an admission and until I admit my guilt the burden will forever weigh me down. The date is the 29th November 2020. Wolves have just beaten Arsenal 2-1 away from home. I write my blog and the following day get the usual reasoned comment from mate Sam Cooper. Giddy at the win I offered Sam this cogent thought “I reckon Wolves are a potential top four side”. There it was, out in print and I couldn’t retract it. But there were two fundamentals flaws in what I had just written. Firstly, back in November Arsenal were at rock bottom and on the night when Wolves played them not very good. So the win flattered to deceive. Second, the game would mark the last occasion when Raul Jimenez donned an Old Gold shirt in anger. I didn’t really consider it at the time, but I now know that Wolves possess only one player who can find the net. And...

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 v Everton 2

To those of a certain vintage yesterday’s pairing of Wolves and Chorley in the fourth round draw of the FA Cup will have generated a wry smile. Infamy is a word that, for some obscure reason, is getting a lot of headroom currently. And in the long life of Wolverhampton Wanderers it is one that can be attached to Tuesday 24th November 1986. It was of course on this particular night that the Club achieved a notable low when they were defeated 3-0 by non-league Chorley in the second round of the FA Cup. By chance I had been fortunate to attend the first replay, played at fortress Molineux. Wolves v Chorley 1986 FA Cup replay - Bing video From the comfort of a box in the John Ireland stand (now called the Steve Bull) I looked out on a dystopian scene, the rain lashing across a ground on which two of the stands – the Waterloo and North Bank – were in a...

Burnley 2 v Wolverhampton Wanderers 1

Is it just me or am I alone in thinking that where Wolves are concerned this is the strangest of seasons. On the one hand the phrase ”this is Wolves’ best start to a premier league season” is oft trotted out. Yet on the other a record of occasional wins interspersed with defeats both heavy and to sides we should beat, makes it feel anything but. And where once consistency in selection was Nuno’s modus operandi, of late that template appears to have been abandoned. We know that the side is in transition but at the moment team selection is more Walter Zenger than the vintage that went from July 2019 – August 2020 with barely a change.

Last night’s dispiriting defeat also smacked of the claim made a few years ago that when winter arrives Wolves wouldn’t be very good. In terms of reputation and pure skill if you were to compare the eleven from...

Arsenal 1 v Wolverhampton Wanderers 2

It is thirty-one years since Wolves last claimed a victory away to Arsenal, Kenny Hibbitt and Andy Gray the goal scorers. On the other hand, it is slightly less than thirty-one years since Nuno Espirito Santo was unveiled as the new coach of Wolves an appointment that marked the dawn of the 3-5-2 era. With Conor Coady acting as quarterback at the heart of a back three allied to hitting opponents on the break, the method had been a triumph transforming Wolves into a serious Premier League unit. But at times last season and certainly this, the rigid shape and propensity to play keep ball had become boring. Shawn of Diogo Jota, and the underrated Matt Doherty, Wolves were finding it increasingly difficult to create chances. So last week, against Southampton, Nuno threw caution to the wind by adopting a 4-3-3 line up. And at a stroke chances were...

England 4 v Iceland 0

Last Sunday, 15th November, England played Belgium in a must win Nation’s League clash. There was nothing to lose, particularly given that the game was to be played in an empty Belgian stadium, diminishing any antipathy towards English players. It was a chance for Manager Gareth Southgate to throw caution to the wind and fill his team with attacking talent. Yet his response. Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson at the heart of midfield pulling the creative strings. Or rather not.

2-0 down at half time the lumbering Henderson was replaced by the more “expansive” qualities of Harry Winks. Winks is struggling to hold down a regular slot at Tottenham which therefore left Jack Grealish and Bukayo Saka (who wasn’t in the starting line-up but came on for the injured Ben Chilwell) to embrace the mantle of creativity. Which they did. But you need more than two individuals...

Some eighteen months ago I was listening to Billie Jean King on Desert Island Discs. It is always interesting to hear the insights of successful sports folk and none more so than Ms King who, aside from a highly successful career in tennis, has an interesting backstory (If you ever get the chance watch the enjoyable film Battle Of the Sexes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Sexes_%282017_film%29 which tells the tale of her famous tennis challenge with Bobby Riggs). That aside it was her response to one particular question that stayed with me. When asked “To what do you credit your sporting success?” the winner of a mere 39 grand slam titles replied “Never underestimate your opponent”.

I was reminded of this in the run up to this year’s US Masters, being played for the first time in November on account of a global pandemic. Two months ago, at the US Open, a chap named Bryson...