July 17 2006

The Football League

Wolves are another club that often flatters to deceive at Championship level. Always among the frontrunners with the bookies they have suffered recently from turning draws into victories, writes Danny Hayes.

And it looks as this season will follow suit. Not only does the club look in turmoil, with Glenn Hoddle walking out and young striker Chris Cornes failing a drugs test.

The vultures have been circulating around Molineux, snapping up the better players for relatively low prices following the completion of parachute payments.

The loss of Joleon Lescott, Kenny Miller and Ki-Hyeon Soel are big blows, coupled with winger Mark Kennedy joining the Eagles, it looks as if Wolves have hit the self-destruct button.

Not only have they lost these players but also the failure to replace them and their manager will cost Wolves dearly as the season approaches.

Their Squad

Wolves' squad certainly has a depleted look about it from the one that competed in the Premiership only three seasons ago.

Experience still reins supreme, with Paul Ince still going strong in the middle of the park, but age and injuries restricted him from playing a full part in recent seasons. And with Wolves having a relatively small squad, this clearly has its downsides.

One saving grace fro Wolves is the solidity about the defence. Jackie McNamara, Rob Edwards, Jody Craddock and Lee Naylor all have vast experience and will make their defence formidable.

But this will not solve the problems they have up top as the failure to convert chances has cost Wolves dearly in the past couple of seasons.

Palace target Carl Cort looks set to lead the line, partnered with Polish flop Tomasz Frankowski. Voted Polish player of the year, he moved to Wolves in January but failed to score in 18 appearances, costing him a place at the World Cup.

He will be looking to prove the critics wrong this season but there has to be the worry that his confidence will have drained after last season’s failure.

Probable Starting XI

Previous Meetings

10/12/05 – Crystal Palace 1-1 Wolves

09/08/05 – Wolves 2-1 Crystal Palace

07/02/02 – Crystal Palace 0-2 Wolves

20/10/01 – Wolves0-1 Crystal Palace

When We Meet This Season

28/11/06 – Away

14/04/07 – Home

Prediction

Losing half a dozen first-teamers and failing to replace them is asking for trouble - but that is exactly what has happened with Wolves

They have struggled with winning in recent years and that trend looks set to continue this season. Confidence is sure to be low throughout the team unless a new manager can come in and install a new belief into an ageing side.

It is very easy to oppose Wolves for promotion this season and they could possibly be an outside bet for relegation.