Give Mick a Chance!

Watching Mick McCarthy explaining where it all went wrong after his Wolves side’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool last night, I felt uncomfortable. Uncomfortable because of the ceaseless booing of him and his team at the final whistle, and uncomfortable because for my money at least, he, and others like him throughout the English game, seem to be in a job where, no matter how hard they try, they simply cannot win.

Last season, McCarthy’s men stayed up on the last day by virtue of a Stephen Hunt goal, a goal scored in a 3-2 defeat to fellow strugglers Blackburn Rovers. That day, McCarthy was eulogised as a football genius. He’d kept Wolves in the Premier League, and had played some attractive football along the way. If that sounds ridiculous, just watch the highlights of Tottenham’s trip to Molineux last season that ended in a 3-3 draw, a game that, even in my position as a one-eyed, biased Spurs fan, Mick’s men deserved to win.

Fast forward to this season, and Wolves again frustrated Spurs, but this time on the road. I should know, I was at White Hart Lane to watch Wolves grind out a point from what seemed, on the form of Tottenham this season, an unlikely draw. Whilst Bale, Walker and co. weren’t at their lithe, cultured best on the day, Spurs tried to play their fast, passing, Bill Nicholson-esque football, but to no avail. Wolves sat deep in the final third and stifled a team many have touted as potential title winners.

But Wolves also had their chances. By using their strength (i.e. their brute strength), Stephen Fletcher, their best player on the day and arguably this season, was able to fire Wolves ahead despite heavy pressure from Spurs. In Emmanuel Frimpong they even had a creative spark in the middle, and it’s a shame for Wolves that he was concussed against Aston Villa (and for Spurs fans that he’ll be returning to Arsenal at the end of his loan). All in all, while it was a frustrating afternoon for Spurs fans, it’s what Wolves do best, and it’s how Stoke consolidated their place in the Premier League and now look an outside bet to qualify for the Europa League (a tournament that in Stoke’s debut season playing in the competition that they have treated with the respect it used to garner across the Continent).

But despite this, Wolves fans seem to demand more. After all, as McCarthy said, they paid their money and don’t expect to watch rubbish. But if you’re going to attack, especially against a team as fluid and confident as this resurgent Liverpool side are, you’ve got to be prepared for them to attack you. In going for the win, as Wolves need to do given their league position, then, being the technically inferior side, you will lose some games. Against worse teams, such as their West Midlands rivals Aston Villa, this approach will serve them better. They should have secured at least a point playing this way against Villa last week, were it not for the reckless stupidity of combative midfielder Karl Henry. Henry himself has admitted that his seeing of the red mist in a stamp on Villa’s Mark Albrighton probably cost Wolves the game, and potentially vital points.

As with the Liverpool game last night, Wolves were booed off the pitch against Aston Villa. But what do Wolves fans expect of their team? They are currently fighting for their lives in a relegation scrap. Despite the glories (and pain, as with all clubs) that came in their now ancient history, this is surely better than fighting it out in what was then Division 4, against the likes of Halifax and Northampton. Some Wolves fans, like their fickle and instant-success craving counterparts at many other clubs, have to be realistic. They are not in the same bracket as Liverpool at the moment. A 3-0 defeat to this Anfield vintage, for all of its faults, is not the end of the World. They are not in the same bracket as Manchester City, United, Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea or Newcastle, or even at this moment Stoke City.

But they must aspire to that, particularly the fantastic progress Stoke have made under Tony Pulis. Then, as Pulis’ side have, you can start to mix it with the big boys and bloody a few noses (again, I speak from sore experience as a Spurs fan) on the way. Then you can start to kick-on again, as Spurs have done in the past couple of years. Without aspiration you end up with a situation like Rugby League’s none-up, none-down Super League (alright, you can be promoted or relegated according to the decision of some suits every couple of years, but you see my point). Without aspiration the game would be dead, but this has to be tempered with a dash of realism.

So what do Wolves fans expect of McCarthy? On the road, they seem happy enough to make life difficult for teams and pick up the odd point here and there. But in order to stay up, Wolves need to win games. If you play three games, draw two and lose one, you will have less points (2), than if you win one and lose the other two (3). However, if McCarthy tries to attack teams that come to Molineux, and subsequently loses, he and his team are jeered off the pitch. McCarthy can’t win in this situation, or in any it seems. A manager can only work with what he’s got, and in the words of Arsene Wenger, McCarthy is working 'miracles' at Wolves. His Sunderland team, devoid of anything approaching resources, were relegated, and he was the scapegoat, despite having taken over an abject team, bottom of the league. At Wolves, he has a half-decent team and a seemingly patient board and chairman (although sadly this patience appears to be wearing thin). Wolves fans need to back their man, be patient, and to give him his chance to do what Tony Pulis has done at Stoke.

This pattern needs to be repeated from the top to the bottom of the league pyramid and across all clubs. It's a sad fact that the relentless chase for money and trophies has blinded fans to the virtues of watching a team grow and flourish, over-coming hardships and setbacks along the way (such as Newcastle's relegation. A learning curve for fans and club alike that this needn't be a barrier to success, but perhaps a lesson in what to change next time around). I can remember Spurs fans calling for Redknapp's head at the end of last season, for the supposed ignominy of finishing 5th, equalling their second-best ever finish in the Premier League era, a frankly ridiculous notion, especially given Spurs' surge up the league this season.

Fans of all clubs need to step back and look at the the reality of their situation; we're not all Manchester United. Mick McCarthy is a good manager who has worked wonders with a number of clubs and the Irish national team. Plucky underdog he may be, just like his teams. But that tag was once attached to Harry Redknapp at Bournemouth, or Sir Alex Ferguson at Aberdeen. If patience was re-introduced to the terraces, maybe then Wolves, and others like them, could start to make steady, unhindered progress under managers allowed to get on with their jobs without fear. And maybe then British and Irish managers might not be such a rarity at the very top of the game.