By Andy Munro.
It’s still, oh so, tight but everybody knows it’s a funny old game so Wolves’ 3-0 hiding at Stoke didn’t mean they were coming to the Blues to meekly hand over the points. It should also not be forgotten that Blues had just been whipped by the born-again Scousers so a dour game of two lack lustre sides, lacking in confidence, seemed on the cards.
Both teams (and particularly the Blues) have probably been hit by more injuries than any Premiership sides bar Sunderland and it was Wolves who started the game more purposefully. Blues have been notoriously slow starters this season and, true to form, they came out of the traps like a three legged greyhound. Fletcher particularly was causing problems by bossing Jiranek in the air…apparently the Czech is keeping his options open in case the Blues go down but he obviously thinks he’s better than he really is.
Wolves took the lead when Ben Foster had a West Ham moment, miskicking the ball and, from the resulting break, he gave away a penalty although how the ref could be certain from his vantage point must be open to question. Fletcher dispatched the penalty with icy coolness and a disastrous scenario beckoned for Bluenoses. Luckily soon afterwards, Mancienne showed why John Terry isn’t quaking in his boots, when he miscontrolled a long clearance to leave Seb to coolly slot home…although it has to be said that I wouldn’t have put my house on a goal if it had been Cameron J instead.
Blues then started to take the game to Wolves when Gardner, who had incidentally been having a good game, inextricably dived to leave the ref with no option (?) but to send him off. Personally, as the offence was outside the penalty area, and therefore less serious, I felt the ref could have been a bit more flexible and just played on with Wolves in possession He could have then warned Gardner later.
So Blues faced almost three-quarters of the match with just ten men but, to be fair, Wolves rarely threatened apart from the aerial threat of Fletcher. I would have switched Roger J with the Czech to combat the danger but Big Eck kept things the same as he is want to do. Apart, that is, from taking off a strangely ineffective SuperKev (who had looked every day of his 37 years) and replacing him with the enegmatic Beausjour, who transpired to have an excellent game both taking on the Wolves defence and chasing back when necessary.
Certainly the ref did us no favours and arguably we could have had a penalty but instead were awarded a free kick just outside the area. Overall it was a good performance under trying circumstances and, as usual, Johnno and Carr were superb. Others to pick out were Seb, Beausjour and Cameron Jerome. The latter may not be able to hit a barn door/score in a brothel but he has a work ethic second to none. Whatever happens next season, I would keep him but use him down the flank where he doesn’t have to think too much.
The players almost ran themselves into the ground and I just hope the engine’s not running on empty for when we play the Barcodes. I think we need three more points to be absolutely safe and I wouldn’t want to rely on completely garnering them from the rejuvenated Cottagers or away to Spurz.