WOLVES CRASH TO QPR DEFEAT

Wolves lost 1-2 to Queen Park Rangers in the English Championship, with the Rangers using the game to end their six straight games losing streak. A late winner from Pawel Wszolek ensured Wolves lost at Molineux.

Idrissa Sylla opened scoring in the second half when he connected to a cross from Wszolek in the 53rd minute. The hosts fought back to equalize through Edwards who scored from Helder Costa’s cross in the 61st minute. Wszolek effort in the 87th minute ensured QPR ended victors after the encounter.

“In the last couple of games we’ve played some wonderful football and got nothing, Today it was against the run of play. We’ve come here and stolen the points but that is what you have to do in football sometimes,” Rangers coach Ian Holloway said after the victory.

Holloway added that the game was truly not the best in terms of performances of the team even though they won the duel. However, he said the spirit and determination to win the game saw them through.

“It was probably the worst that we’ve played but the best heart that we’ve shown. When they got the equalizer, it looked ominous. But I asked for fight and spirit and that’s as good as I’ve seen. The winner is the luckiest, ugliest goal you’ll ever see,” the manager added.

Fan groups are keen to give a show of support to the Wolves players, with fans urged to but tickets for their next home match via this website, and be ready for a tribute on 22 minutes to try to prove to the players that they have every faith in their abilities.

Wolves counterpart Paul Lambert claimed that the team played decent but lacked “that finishing touch.” Wolves dictated the game as they had 61 to 31 ball possession and had four times the shot of their guests. Wolves had six goals on target only scoring once unlike QPR that had just two and converted both.

The victory will see QPR move two spots up on the table, two points away from their opponents who place 16th on the log.

FORMER WOLVES COACH DIES

A former manager of Wolverhampton Graham Hawkins has died at the age of 70. Hawkins was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma seven years ago. He fought for his life all through the years whilst still raising money for other cancer patients at Shrewsbury’s Royal Hospital.

Hawkins remains part of the few that supported Wolves a young boy, before going on to play for the club, and manage the team. He scouted talents for his local club as well.

Graham played in 35 games for Wolves, helping them win a promotion in 1967. He led the squad that got promoted in 1983. He was an assistant to Graham Turner at Shrewsbury, and later managed Bahrain.

“Graham made a huge contribution not only to Wolves but to football in general during his career. He made 450 appearances for his four clubs and ensured his place in Wolves history books by managing the team to promotion to the top flight in the 82/83 season. He was widely respected and well-liked, both inside and outside of football,” Managing Director of the club Laurie Dalrymple said.

Dalrymple added that he was of good character off and on the field. On behalf of the club, he sent condolences o Graham’s wife, friends and family. He revealed that in the next Wolves game against Norwich on Saturday, the club would pay respects with a applause for the former coach.

Wolves used the club’s official Twitter handle to send regards to Hawkins’ family and friends whilst also confirming the death of the legend. Other top figures in the club took to their online handles to eulogize the Wolves’ legend. Pictures of the late coach were shared on social media. Pictures of his work in helping cancer victims, getting equipments for the hospital and doing active work surfaced.

TROLLOPE IN AT CARDIFF

Paul Trollope has been appointed as the new manager of Wolves’ rivals at Cardiff City, replacing Russell Slade, who was removed from his position after the club’s failure to get promotion.

The Championship outfit are expected to find the new manager significant transfer funds in the summer. Slade, incidentally, has not been removed from his role at just yet and has been moved upstairs as the head of football. It remains to be seen if he will be interested in continuing in this position or getting back into the dugout at some of the club – the latest StanJames betting odds have his chances of staying as Evens.

Trollope will be able to get guidance from Slade after having been under the wings of the former manager since 2015. He has been the assistant manager while also maintaining a similar role with the Welsh national team under Chris Coleman.

Trollope has previous experience of management after having been involved in his role at Bristol Rovers. The 43-year-old claimed that it was a no-brainer to accept the offer of managing Cardiff City. Owner Vincent Tan will expect immediate results given that the club cannot afford to spend too long outside the top divisions, as the parachute payments will run out soon.

Cardiff could only manage an eighth place finish in the Championship last season. “I’m honoured to get this position, it’s a good challenge and one I’m looking forward to getting started with. It’s a good club with a good fan base and nice facilities and stadium – and it was an absolute no-brainer to do the job.”

“Every coach and manager has got their own philosophies, their own way of playing, handling players and preparation. I’ll bring my own style to that, and anyone who knows me knows that I’ve got clear ideas of the way things should be on and off the pitch at a football club,” said Trollope.

Jackett isn’t expecting big signings

Kenny Jackett has recently talked about the summer spending of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The English manager stated that there is uncertainty in relation to the approaching transfer window which will be opened in a few months and this allows managers to strengthen their respective squads but in his case, it’s unsure if new players will be signed.

Kenny Jackett has recently talked about the summer spending of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It’s because of this uncertainty that Kenny Jackett wants to see a few of his players become leaders as the squad will need someone who can push Wolverhampton forward.

“There is, in terms of what we’re spending, how we’re developing the squad, what players we’re bringing in, a grey area for the summer. It would be great if that was clear, but it isn’t because the club is up for sale, that’s a fact. These guys are at a good age, they’re not too young. Their test is to come through now and lead the club. And the reason they’re leading the club is they are the current players” Kenny Jackett of Wolverhampton Wanderers said.

Matt Doherty, Danny Batth, Jack Price and Ethan Ebanks-Landell all have an age limit which ranges from 23 to 25 and these are the players that Kenny Jackett wants to see turn into leaders, especially now that the club is going through some financial difficulties which has finished with the English League Championship club being put up for sale.

“For them their test is to show that leadership. One way is through ability, how you effect other people, and then your own personal standards those three things define leadership. We need that crop, those lads of that age, to come through and, with those qualities, lead the club and finish the season off very strongly” Kenny Jackett added on.

Taking into consideration what Kenny Jackett said, it seems like there will not be a big signing in the summer and this is why the English manager wants to see some of his own players taking charge.

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NOT GOT THE PLAYERS

Kenny Jackett reckons he doesn’t have the potent resources to opt for expressive Football. Jackett has drawn criticism for coming up with slightly boring Football at Wolverhampton Wanderers particularly in the recent times.

But, according to him, Championship is not so dissimilar to League One.

The level is a lot higher and if you go on the attack without having enough potential, it is bound to get you in losing positions on more number of times than not. So, it’s wise to try and balance it out rather than to over-attack.”

“There are racing odds out there for some teams who go to the big boys and attack – the bookies just know that they will get taken to the cleaners, so it’s more a matter of making sure you are defending well and not getting taken for a ride.”

Speaking about his formations, Jackett said, “Look, everyone likes flamboyant Football, but, you’ve got to have the suitable personnel as well to push for that sort of game.”

“If you are not that heavy on the attacking front, you should look to create balance because over-attacking can cost you big and it has happened with us a couple of times when we’ve decided to be attacking and have found ourselves leaking goals in the process.”

“I was hearing Tommy Smith the other day and he had a similar opinion too that you have to be careful with your approach and not just go out there and attack all out and mind you, he is second to none when it comes to knowing about Championship. So, if he is saying something, it’s worth taking into consideration.”

“For us, what we are trying is to ensure is that we are compact in the deep and don’t let the opposition any easy passage.”

“It’s not that our game is all about defence and nothing else. Obviously, the goals have to come as well, but, as I said the balance is important, if you’ve got the right balance, it will take you a long way for sure.”

REFEREES WELCOME VIDEO TECHNOLOGY

Former Premier League referee Howard Webb was regarded as one of the best in the business. This reputation saw him referee some of the biggest matches in world football like the Champions League final and the World Cup final.

Now retired, Webb has the opportunity to look at refereeing decisions from outside the world of referees. He has been a pundit for some of the biggest names in the business.

During one of the interactions, Webb confirmed that referees will certainly welcome the arrival of video technology to assist in most decisions.

FIFA, under the leadership of Sepp Blatter, and UEFA, under the leadership of Michel Platini, have been resisting any changes to the game in the name of technology. After long struggles, the Premier league finally received approval for the goal-line technology, which has been a saving grace on a number of occasions so far.

Webb told Himmel Spill that he believes that technology will have to play a greater role in the forthcoming years in order to prevent constant criticism of referees. This could come as good news to those planning on betting on England during Euro 2016 – there can be no repeat of the ‘Ghost Goal’ debacle that saw Frank Lampard’s goal incorrectly ruled out, as England lost to Germany in Euro 2012.

UEFA have tried the possibility of using additional referees but this does not appear to have made any significant changes to the outcome.

Sepp Blatter and Platini have recently been suspended from FIFA due to corruption allegations. A newcomer is likely to be in favour of video technology, with betting sites offering odds of just under evens that Video will be accepted by the time Euro 2016 starts.

“There is a misunderstanding in the public’s eyes that referees would be against it because it would undermine their authority but even the PGMOL (Premier Game Match Officials Limited, the UK’s official body for officials) were pretty positive about what is happening here. We went to Amsterdam Arena to look at this in practice. We are keen to look at anything which makes us more credible on the field of play and means we make less mistakes,” said Webb, who ended his stellar career in 2014.

READNG HARD DONE BY

Steve Clarke has admitted that Reading FC was hard done by a penalty call in the game versus Charlton Athletic played yesterday, but, he reckons that the response of the Royals’ players to that situation could have been far better.

According to Clarke, his boys seemed to throw the towel in once that penalty incident took place and that was so disappointing. They should just have told themselves that it was one of those things that did not go their way and they needed to move on from that, but, they almost took it as a knockout punch.

More than the result, it was that surrendering attitude of Reading which left the manager in a devastated frame of mind.

Speaking to a website, Clarke said, “You get some harsh decisions on the pitch, but, you have got to react to it in a matured way which we were not able to do to be honest. We were aggrieved and felt as if all was lost there. It was not thoroughly professional from us.”

“The decision was already made and it was never going to be altered. So, there was no point letting that influence our minds. We should just have forgotten that and started focussing on the game again, but, I don’t think it happened.”

Clarke also emphasized that although Reading is quite a few points clear of the demotion zone, it would be too early for the players to think that they are completely secured.

In the words of Clarke, “Things can go terribly wrong from here if we are not on the ball. We are not 100% sure to end up on the safe side as yet. We have to concentrate harder and there must be consistency for the full 90 minutes, not like today.”

HENRY SET TO JOIN

The 24 years old midfielder James Henry was struggling trying to find a place into the main team of Millwall and this led up to him being loaned out to Wolverhampton but ultimately it concluded on a permanent deal.

James Henry has already scored 9 goals with his new club and he is setting his sights on reaching double figures in the goal charts before the season reaches its end.

Henry said: “I’ve really enjoyed the season so far and it’s been really good for me,” Henry said. We’ve been playing some good football and I’ve had a good time in front of goal as well, which is nice. Nine goals from midfield is a good return for me, which I’m happy with and is my best tally so far’’.

“It would be even better if I could get to double figures and hopefully I’ve got a chance of that now. I’d like to get a goal or two and have a couple more assists to help the team before the end of the season and see us over the line.”

This has not only been a stunning campaign for James Henry but for the club as well as they are on the verge of earning their promotion into the Championship League for the upcoming season.

After going through 2 consecutive seasons of relegation, Wolverhampton had a series of disastrous recent times but Kenny Jackett has brought smiles back to the club and this has not only given happiness to the fans but to the players as they are performing substantially better than before.

Wolverhampton were in the Premier League from 2009 until 2012 and from there on out things turned a huge twist for the club which owned by Steve Morgan but now under the guidance of Kenny Jackett, Wolves are aiming on getting back not only to the League One but to the Premier League where they can face off against the best teams that England has to offer.

WORKING HARD

The 22 years old English winger of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Michael Jacobs has revealed that his team and the players themselves will continue working hard in order to get a promotion spot for the Championship League but it has now become a 3 horse race with Leyton Orient, Brentford and Wolverhampton all within reach with themselves.

“It’s quite an exciting title race this season and the same in League Two as well this year. It seems you are going to need far more points than in other years if you are to achieve promotion. At the end of the day it is still in our own hands and we don’t want to be relying on other teams to slip up. We want to get the wins that we need to get up’’.

“With the staff we have got here and the attitude among the players there is not going to be any slacking off in any respect. We have set our standards which we want to stick to for the whole season and I don’t think there will be a stage we will get to that we will feel we can relax, that’s not going to come into question’’. Michael Jacobs said.

Wolverhampton Wanderers ended their streak of 9 consecutive league victories when they had to settle with a 0-0 draw against Shrewsbury Town as they played on March 15 and even though the result only gave the club 1 point, Jacobs still remained optimistic about the match and the future.

“To be fair to Shrewsbury they came out, stuck to their game plan and gave us a really tough game and it was one of those days where things didn’t really fall for us. But at the end of the day it was another point, we are still top of the league. Obviously when you get on a winning run you just want to keep it going but it is always going to end at some stage. Jacobs stated.

GREAT RUN

Wolves have won the last seven matches without exception and it has seen them go top of League One with only a few matches remaining in the season. They are now odds-on favourite to get promoted into the Championship once again.

Their current record of the most consecutive victories stands at eight, but manager Kenny Jackett believes that this current team can match the achievements of its predecessors. The club have been quite impressive in recent weeks, as they have not conceded a single goal in the last few weeks. Jackett reckons that they can keep up this form and break the record.

Jackett has also said that the supporters will have a crucial role to play if Wolves are to maintain this run and get promoted into the Championship. He says that they have been extremely patient during the troubled times and they need to show their support over the next few weeks. May 3 will mark the last of the League One fixtures for this season and Jackett says that it is essential that a club like Wolves get themselves into the second division as soon as possible. The club have a difficult away trip to Walsall in the next match.

Jackett is already targeting three points from this fixture to extending the lead at the top of the table.

“The supporters are going to be the key now and we’ll need them. The link between the players and supporters is very good and we’ll need that link and drive to make sure we get over the line. They encouraged us all the way (on Saturday) and I’m thankful for that and want it to continue. The supporters are right with us at the moment and people are seeing the football we’re playing,” said the manager after the win over Port Vale.