McCarthy primes his pack as Wolves sharpen their teeth

By Neil Moxley for the Daily Mail
Updated: 00:51 BST, 9 July 2009

Three years ago, Wolverhampton Wanderers gave the most worrying pre-season? 業績／成果 I've ever seen.

One week before their scheduled kick-off against Plymouth Argyle, they played an Aston 郊外住宅 味方する that was waiting for ツバメ O'Neill to take over from David O'Leary.

It was by no means a vintage 郊外住宅 team. No way. Yet, they romped it.

They won by three, but it could have been....I don't know, choose any number between? that and seven.

Golden boy: Kevin Doyle cost a club 記録，記録的な／記録する £6.5m

About a fortnight earlier, Mick McCarthy turned up at Compton and was 迎える／歓迎するd? by about a dozen players of 変化させるing levels of ability and 動機づけ.

Not to point too 罰金 a point on it, the cash had more or いっそう少なく run out and the? 期待 that had 重さを計るd so ひどく upon the club had been 取って代わるd by? 辞職.

Having seen that show against 郊外住宅, I すぐに went and placed a sizeable wager on the 巡礼者s 粉砕するing Wolves out of sight on the 開始 day. I'm still smarting from that one after Wolves （機の）カム away with a creditable draw.

After finishing in the play-offs and losing to a decent West Brom 味方する and then? failing to make the same 行う／開催する／段階 by a 選び出す／独身 goal 予定 to a run of 傷害s to his 重要な players, McCarthy followed it up by winning the 選手権.

The club is light years furthe r 今後 from their last taste of the big-time six years ago. Both on and off the pitch.

Dave Jones used to 持つ／拘留する his 圧力（をかける） 会議／協議会s in the (convivial) surroundings of the city's tennis club where his players trained.

Now 負かす／撃墜する at Compton there is a £3m training 施設. It's better than most, although it still has some way to go to 精密検査する 郊外住宅's.

Did you know, for? instance, that there are three pitches 用意が出来ている at Bodymoor ヒース／荒れ地, each built? on a different 合成物 (sand, clay etc) to mirror those they play on in? the 首相 League?

But there is a difference between Jones's 味方する and that 建設するd by McCarthy.

The Yorkshireman's has the look of hunger about it, not dissimilar to that put together by Steve Coppell when Reading （機の）カム up. Jones' was put together for a 明確な／細部 目的. 勝利，勝つ 昇進／宣伝 and worry later.

Speaking to Steve Sidwell about that 王室のs' team this season during an interview, he said that they were a group of young lads 部隊d by a ありふれた goal? with no other 協議事項 other than winning 昇進／宣伝 together. Wolves 明確に weren't at those levels, but the similarities are there.

In this 味方する, there are a clutch of players who will be 目的（とする）ing to 証明する? themselves this season. Kevin Foley, Karl Henry, Sylvan-Ebanks-Blake, Matt? Jarvis, Michael Kightly - the 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる） goes on.

But there is a 決定的な difference. Coppell left that team pretty much alone. McCarthy? knows he needed to imrpove in 確かな areas. And I'm there to be 発射 負かす／撃墜する, but there's not a lot more that could have been 推定する／予想するd of him so far.

On the up: Mick McCarthy led Wolves to the Chamionship 肩書を与える

Steve Bruce used to say that any 首相 League 味方する is only as good as its strikers and a £6.5m 支出 on Kevin Doyle was a bold 声明. He can 得点する／非難する／２０ goals at this level.

I like the 逮捕（する） of Andrew Surman. I'm not sure やめる what has happened to him in the past three years. He stood out during a match for the Saints at St? Andrew's when he （機の）カム on at half-time during the Blues' 2006-07 （選挙などの）運動をする. He has a point to 証明する, too.

But he can operate either as a wide man - 決定的な given the fact that Jarvis seems to 選ぶ up 傷害s every time he puts the kettle on - and can also cover at left-支援する if the impressive George Elokobi doesn't 回復する from his? long-称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 傷害.

Given the fact he was in and out of the team に向かって the end of last season, I can understand why there are questions 存在 raised about David Jones' ability? to 削減（する） it - and that's probably why Nenad Milijas has been brought in.

約束ing: Andrew Surman

From the scouts I've spoken to who have watched the ex-Red 星／主役にする 船長／主将, there are no 疑問s about his passing ability, but in a 最近の game for Serbia against Austria he was 無効にするd by Paul Scharner who afforded him not one? minute's peace. He can 推定する／予想する more of the same this season.

However, the crux o f the 事柄 is whether Wolves will be able to 対処する? defensively. McCarthy looks as though he's 演説（する）／住所ing this area with Ronald? Zubar and Bobo Balde.

I've not been 納得させるd about the club's centre-half pairing since Joleon Lescott and Paul Butler were いじめ（る）ing their way around the 選手権 six? years ago. I suppose it just goes to show how good Lescott 現実に was.

But there is no disguising the fact that there is a buzz about the place akin to the time when, as a student living just behind what is now the Steve Bull stand, I remember watching the man himself rampaging through defences in the old Fourth and Third 分割s.

Heady days indeed. You couldn't move around the town (as it was then) without? seeing a picture of you-know-who glaring 負かす／撃墜する at you in every pub, shop and? billboard. Wolverhampton was 支援する on the 地図／計画する.

So, as we speak, not even in 中央の-July, the portents look 約束ing at Molineux.? Certainly more 約束ing than they did when the 圧力（をかける） 軍団 pitched up at Cosford six years ago to 迎える／歓迎する Wolves' first big summer 調印.

Anyone remember Isaac Okoronkwo? See what I mean?