Dear Mr Moxey...

12 December 2011

Dear Mr Moxey,

First of all let me thank you and the Chairman for giving me the opportunity to manage at this famous club. Wolverhampton Wanderers is a club with an illustrious past and it is my firm intention to provide more success in the future. My predecessor Mick McCarthy did sterling work at the club, and I am sure that like me you wish him all the best in his new role at Sunderland. Since joining the club I have conducted a comprehensive review of the playing staff, and present it here for your appraisal.

It is clear to me the club has been well run, with a well-balanced first team squad as well as some very talented youngsters. With the team currently sitting in fourteenth, I feel confident in stating that there should be no problem in maintaining the club's Premier League status this season. I consider an upper mid-table finish a real possibility, and of course hope we can enjoy a successful run in the FA Cup.

Please do not hesitate to get back to me with any feedback you may have, and I intend to have a list of potential January transfer targets available for you prior to the opening of the transfer window.

Once again, thank you. I am sure together we can take this club forward, and build on already strong foundations.

Best Regards

,

FIRST TEAM REPORT

The club currently has three first-team goalkeepers – Wayne Hennessey, Dorus de Vries and Carl Ikeme. Hennessey is a regular Wales international and current Wolves first choice. At twenty-four years of age Hennessey has a long and promising career ahead of him, and could hold down the number one jersey at the club for a long time to come. Dorus de Vries is the second-choice goalkeeper and has performed admirably whenever required, and at thirty years of age he is arguably in his prime as a goalkeeper. Carl Ikeme has yet to play for Wolves this season, but is very much on a par with de Vries in terms of ability. Some playing time in the reserves could help give an assessment of his potential. At only twenty-five he has a future at the club. In summation, the goalkeeping position is very well staffed, and barring unforeseen transfers or injuries should not require any new personnel.

The right-back position is currently being filled by twenty-six year old Frenchman Ronald Zubar. A solid player who has been turning in solid performances so far this season, Zubar has excellent pace and would make a useful weapon on the overlap down the right hand side. Zubar has been understudied this season by Kevin Foley, a twenty-seven year old Irishman. A more attacking player than Zubar, Foley would be best deployed against weaker opposition, or against opponents unlikely to pose much threat down their left hand side. Richard Stearman is also able to play right-back, but is more comfortable in the centre of defence. The position is well covered, and no immediate personnel changes are immediately required.

The club has only two first team players capable of playing in the left-back position. Current first choice is Stephen Ward, who has been putting in solid, if unremarkable performances. His rival for the position is Scotsman Paul Dixon. There is not a lot to choose between the two players, but although he has played less Dixon has put in the better performances when he has been selected. In summation, Ward is the stronger, more solid of the two, whilst Dixon is the more creative. Neither player is outstanding, should the opportunity to sign a more talented player come along the club should seriously consider it.

Current star of the back four is Roger Johnson. The twenty-eight year old Englishman has put in consistently good performances so far this season, and is one of the better players in the side. Strong in the tackle, in the air and an excellent marker, Johnson will be a lynchpin of our defence. Playing alongside him for the majority of the games this season has been twenty-six year old Scotsman Cristophe Berra. Although not the player that Johnson is he has been an able partner, and is a highly determined player. His performances have been solid, but if the opportunity to improve the position came along it should be considered, although not a priority. Richard Stearman has seen some playing time this season at centre back, and should be considered an able understudy, although it is doubtful whether he would be able to hold down a first team place. The club also has thirty-six year old Jody Craddock available, and despite being in the twilight of his career he could still do a job if called upon.

The right side of midfield has been occupied so far this season by Michael Kightly. The twenty-five year old Englishman has been playing excellently so far this season, and has firm hold of the number one position. Pacy and talented, he should be one of the clubs more potent attacking weapons, but so far this season has only provided three goals and one assist. Improving on this, either through man-management or tactically should be a priority going forward. Another pacy and talented player able to play on the right of midfield is Matt Jarvis, although he has been deployed on the left more often than not this season. Other players capable of playing the role are Welsh attacking midfielder David Edwards, strong Algerian central midfielder Adlène Guédioura and Adam Hammill. The latter is perhaps the most likely to see playing time in the position. Only twenty-three years old, Hammill is able to play equally well on the right or left wings and has a lot of potential. It is to be hoped he will see enough playing time as understudy on either wing to aid his development.

On the left hand side of midfield Stephen Hunt has made the position his own. Another pacy and gifted winger, he has also failed to contribute to the teams attacking potential as much as he should, having failed to score and provided only three assists. Tactically, both Hunt and Kightly should be spearheading our attack, and this should be something we look to achieve. Hunt’s primary understudy this season has been Matt Jarvis, and when called upon he has performed well. As mentioned earlier Adam Hammill should be utilised where possible on both wings to aid his development, and central midfielder Jamie O’Hara could also play on the left if called upon.

O’Hara has been one of the two regular central midfielders so far this season, along with Karl Henry. O’Hara has been the more attacking of the two, whilst Henry has been the aggressive defensive player. Both are highly able players, and worthy of their first team slots, but the lack of depth behind them is somewhat worrying. Kevin Foley is capable of playing the defensive midfield role, as is Adlène Guédioura, but neither could be considered for a regular starting place in the line-up. David Edwards could likewise act as understudy for O’Hara, but should O’Hara be ruled out for any length of time then our attacking potential through the middle of the park would be severely dented. It is recommended that in the forthcoming transfer window serious consideration is given to the recruitment of another central midfielder. This would become even more imperative should the club opt to play three men in the middle of the park, rather than two as has been the case thus far.

In the striking role Kevin Doyle has been first choice, and had done very well in the role, notching up eight goals in sixteen appearances. A good all-round player, Doyle has no apparent weaknesses in his game. Playing alongside him so far has been Stephen Fletcher. A very skilful player, he has scored five times in his nine Premier League appearances, an excellent return. With Doyle as the target-man, and Fletcher playing off him the attacking pair have been combining well. Billy Sharp was an expensive acquisition from Doncaster in the summer, and could still be finding his feet at this level. He has been sharing the advanced forward role with Stephen Fletcher and has scored twice in his seven starts, although he does have a tendency to drift out of games. Rounding off the attacking options is Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. He has not made many appearances so far this season, perhaps due to the excellent form of Kevin Doyle, with whom he vies for the role of target-man. Ebanks-Blake is weak in the air however, unlike Doyle, and this would seriously hamper the options of a player looking to pick him out. Ebanks-Blake should only really be considered a back-up.

RESERVE TEAM REPORT

The most notable player currently in the reserves is Serbian Nenad Milijas. A reasonably talented playmaker, it is not immediately apparent why Milijas is not being considered for a first team role. Although not the best player in the team, he is a creative central midfielder and playmaker, and could certainly be performing a useful role. After Milijas there is no real experience in the reserve team. The remainder are youngsters too old to play in the Under-18s. Sam Winnall is a twenty year old striker, and it is unlikely he has the talent to perform in the Premier League. Four goals in eight reserve games shows some ability, but it is not recommended to extend his contract in the summer.

The same is true of right-back Matt Doherty, but his contract does not expire to the summer of 2014, so he has a season and a half to prove his worth. Jack Cassidy is an eighteen year-old Welshman who has only scored once in thirteen reserve appearances, whilst nineteen year-old striker James Spray has not scored in eleven. Midfielders Jack Price and Louis Harris likewise lack the potential to play at the top level, are on the transfer list and efforts should be made to find new clubs for them at a lower level. Also on the transfer list are centre backs Ethan Ebanks-Landell and Michael Ihiekwe, and these too should be allowed to leave the club.

YOUTH TEAM REPORT

The most talented player in the youth team is right winger Zeli Ismail. Although this seventeen year-old has a lot of development ahead of him he could potentially become a leading Premier League player. Consideration should be given to seeking a loan at a League One/League Two club in order to get him first team football at an early age. Also showing a great deal of potential is young Scottish attacking midfielder Liam Polworth. A highly athletic young man, Polworth does need to improve on his concentration and anticipation in order to fulfil his potential.

Seventeen year-old Slovakian right-back Kristian Kostrna is capable of becoming a Premier League player, but his marking is not what is could be. However, with three caps for the Slovakian Under-21 side already, Kostrna is experiencing football at quite a high level which should aid his development. Also performing well for the Under-18s are goalkeepers Jonathan Flatt and Luke Ifill, striker Liam McAlinden, central midfielder Rob Parry and winger Brian McGroary, although none of these are thought to have a future at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

PLAYERS CURRENTY OUT ON LOAN

The club currently has a number of players out on loan. Striker Leigh Griffiths is at Scottish Premier League strugglers Hibernian. Despite being at a club rock bottom of their league, Griffiths has scored eight goals in sixteen appearances, more than half the clubs total, and is the second-top scorer in the SPL. Talented young striker Sam Vokes is on loan at Championship mid-table side Reading, and has netted six times in nineteen appearances. Goalkeeper Aaron McCarey is with League One relegation candidates Oldham, and despite being second-choice goalkeeper has played well in the eight appearances he has made.

Twenty-five year old striker Andy Keogh is at Championship promotion hopefuls Leeds United, and has helped their cause with seven goals in thirteen appearances, whilst twenty-one year old centre back Danny Batth is a regular starter for embattled League One side Sheffield Wednesday. Across the same city and winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing is fairing much better, and despite only making seven starts has helped Sheffield United to second in the League One table. Left-back Scott Malone is a regular starter for League One Bournemouth, and playing well.

It is not so rosy for David Davis, our young central midfielder. He suffered cruciate ligament damage after only one game for SPL side Inverness Caledonian Thistle, and will miss the rest of the season. Twenty-four year old Congolese centre-back Steven Mouyokolo is at French League 1 side Sochaux, and has made seven appearances for them, as well as playing twice for his national side. Jamie Reckord is playing regularly at left-back for League Two side Burton Albion, but has no future with Wolverhampton and seems to have found his level.

Young Striker Ashley Hemmings is playing in Hungary with Újpest, but has failed to score in seventeen league starts. John Dunleavy is also with the Hungarian outfit, and has played eleven times at centre-back, scoring once. Powerful Cameroonian left-back George Elokobi is appearing regularly for German top-flight side Mainz, and playing well to boot, and young right-midfielder Johnny Gorman is with Morcambe in League Two, and is helping them to maintain a play-off spot.

Fantastic read and a fantastic start to the thread Cant wait to read more.

Thank you for your kind words abulezz, looking forward to seeing where I can take this Wolves side, they're a fine bunch of players.

Dear Mr Moxey,

Here is my report for the month of December. It has been a successful month in all, with nine points gained from a possible twelve since my appointment. In all, performances have been superb, and even in the heavy defeat to Manchester City we were outplaying our opponents until Roger Johnson's unfortunate sending off.

Tactically the 4-4-2 formation seems to be working well, so any plans to shift to a 4-3-3/4-5-1 have been shelved for now. The squad will still train using that formation occasionally, but for now 4-4-2 seems too effective to drop. Although considered old fashioned, even out-dated, the two banks of four seem to be providing adequate strength at the back, whilst my fears about Hunt and Kightly’s lack of impact in attack have been unfounded. Although I am sure you are well aware of the team’s recent results I include them here for the sake of completeness.

SWANSEA 1 Gower (56)

WOLVES 3 Henry (31), Doyle (53), Johnson (84)

WOLVES 3 Hunt (26), Berra (60), Johnson (90)

WIGAN 0

Attendance 26,995

WOLVES 5 Hunt (2,48), Doyle (9), Fletcher (39) Kightly (59)

QPR 2 DJ Campbell (6), Faurlin (46)

Attendance 26,995

WOLVES 0 Johnson sent off (44)

MAN CITY 3 Srna (26), Silva (64), Dzeko (77) Srna sent off (79)

Attendance 26,995

Congratulations are due to Stephen Hunt, who has claimed the Premier League Player of the Month award for December, an award richly deserved in my opinion. In less welcome news Adam Hammill has been ruled out with a back strain and will miss most, if not all of January’s matches, whilst Jamie O’Hara will probably miss the forthcoming Premier League tie with Manchester United and the FA Cup 3^rd round tie with Sheffield Wednesday having picked up a foot injury.The injury to O’Hara will give David Edwards a chance to show his worth, as he came in for the QPR game and was instrumental in our decisive win.

I should also report to you that following Roger Johnson’s sending off against Manchester City I issued him with an official warning. To summarise the incident, following a poor first touch he lost possession to David Silva and in his desperation to regain the ball he somewhat lost his head and dived in with an ugly challenge which could have seriously injured the Spaniard, and the red card was well deserved. Johnson has apologised and no further action will be taken.

Only one reserve fixture has been played under my stewardship, and the game against Norwich resulted in a 2-2 draw. Despite the presence of first team players looking to gain match fitness, such as Ebanks-Blake, Sharp and Foley it was the younger players from the Under-18s who secured victory. Zeli Ismail was the creative fulcrum, whilst Polworth and Kostrna grabbed the goals.

The youth team played one game this month. A 2-0 win over Exeter City Under-18s was masterminded by Zeli Ismail, who continues to impress. Youth team player Jordan Cranston is making good progress as a footballer according to the coaching staff. However, a lack of first-team football is hampering his development. During January attempts will be made to loan him to a club where he can start some matches. An appraisal will be made at the end of the season as to whether to offer a one-year extension to his current contract, which is due to expire in the summer. I have my doubts as to his potential, but he deserves his chance.

The youth coaching staff have concerns that Kristian Kostrna’s development has stalled due to a lack of first team action. We will begin the process of finding him a club to be loaned out to, although there must be a real chance of first-team action for it to be worthwhile.

We have three Premier League matches scheduled for January, home ties against Manchester United and Fulham, and an away trip to Chelsea. Given our current form I feel four points is a realistic target, but it is the Fulham match which is most vital, as anything other than a win could result in a month in which we fail to pick up any points. Nottingham Forest visit Molineux in the FA Cup, a fixture we really should be winning.

The current good form has made any decisions regarding incoming players very difficult. The current squad is playing well, and although the resources made available to purchase players could certainly be put to good use, it may be that showing faith in the current playing squad will be the best option. I end this report with a brief appraisal of the players we are watching most closely, although no decision has yet been made regarding making a firm offer for any of them.

Jack Hobbs of Hull would be available for between 3 and 4 million pounds. Plays at centre back and would push Christophe Berra hard for a starting spot. However Richard Stearman has played well when he has played, so the expenditure is probably unnecessary.

Chris Cohen of Nottingham Forest has been in fine form this season, and is a versatile player who could function in a variety of roles. However, he would cost around £3.5 million, which is a little expensive for what would effectively be a squad player. Glenn Whelan is currently languishing in Stoke’s reserves, and would be available for around £2m. However, like Cohen he would probably struggle to make a first team spot his own, with Karl Henry in unstoppable form.

We will of course monitor all those players whose contracts are expiring in the summer in the hope of signing them on a pre-contract.

brilliant thread however for some reason i cant stand Wolves. They put me asleep watching them. Maybe it has something to do with Boring mick mcarthy commentating at the recent world cup where he to sounded so boring..however good luck

Cheers jackripper, although I hope to change your opinion of Wolves by getting them to play scintillating football. This month however, it didn't happen...

Dear Mr Moxey,

Unfortunately January’s report is in stark contrast to the positivity of the previous months. Two heavy defeats in the league, albeit to sides with title ambitions, goalless draws with Fulham in the league and Sheffield Wednesday in the cup were all results which left a lot to be desired. Admittedly the 4-0 away win in the third round replay was a moment of light in an otherwise dismal month, but the shine was soon removed from that with defeat to Tottenham in our fourth round fixture. I set targets of four league points and progression in the FA Cup, and we achieved neither. All I can do is assure you that myself and my staff are working non-stop to improve on this month’s poor performances.

FEBRUARY REPORT

League

WOLVES 1 Doyle (79)

MAN UTD 3 Carrick (37), Hernández (51) Ji-Sung (81)

Attendance 26,995

FA Cup

WOLVES 0

SHEFF WED 0

Attendance 24,228

FA Cup Replay

SHEFF WED 0

WOLVES 4 Stearman (23), Fletcher (30), O’Donnell og (43) Kightly (68), Hunt sent off (37)

League

WOLVES 0

FULHAM 0

Attendance 26,995

League

CHELSEA 3 Torres (33, 39, 64)

WOLVES 0

FA Cup

WOLVES 0

SPURS 1 Lennon (27)

Attendance 24,105

As far as the first team squad in concerned there were some issues in the goalkeeping department. It was brought to my attention that both Dorus de Vries and Carl Ikame were hankering after first XI roles. Obviously with the potential of Wayne Hennessy to consider it was impossible to satisfy them both – indeed it will be hard enough to keep just one of them happy whilst prioritising Hennessy.

In light of this Dorus de Vries was sold to Napoli for £1.1m, a sum I consider reasonable. Ikame was then selected for the replay against Sheffield Wednesday and the league tie against Fulham, and he played well in both fixtures, keeping two clean sheets. However, for the remaining two ties of the month Hennessy was restored to first team duties and in both games conceded soft goals. It is doubtful whether being dropped for those two fixtures was the root cause, but it seems that there may be some decisions to be made regarding our goalkeeping situation.

Stephen Hunt’s dismissal in the FA Cup replay against Wolves was his second of the season and resulted in a four match ban. It was for a reckless two-footed lunge in the middle of the park and in my opinion was completely unnecessary. Due to those two factors I issued a one-week fine, which the player accepted with good grace. There have also been some problems in the striking department, the worst of which was Kevin Doyle fracturing his skull in the match against Fulham, ruling him out for around three months. Coupled with a less severe injury to Steven Fletcher and a fractured wrist suffered by Billy Sharp we have lost our three best forwards. Attempts were made during the transfer window to sign another striker – you are probably aware we tried very hard to sign Nolan Roux from Vitesse Arnhem – but we were unable to reach an agreement with his club.

To compound these problems, Leigh Griffiths returned from his loan spell with Hibernian on the 31^st of January and promptly handed in a transfer request. He was offered to several clubs but none came forth with an offer. This leaves us in the unenviable position of having Sylvain Ebanks-Blake and Andrew Keogh – recently returned from his loan spell with Leeds – as our only two fit and motivated strikers for probably the next month. A loan offer was made for Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink as a stop-gap for the rest of the season, but despite offering around 60% of his market value as a loan fee the offer was rebuffed. In light of this we must proceed with the playing staff we have available.

Nenad Milijas has seen some playing time over the past month, and has neither impressed nor disappointed. An offer of £2.8m was received from Bayer Leverkusen for him, but as the vast majority of it was to be paid over 48 months I elected to reject the offer rather than weaken the squad further. I have considered switching from the 4-4-2 we enjoyed success with in December to a 4-3-3/4-5-1 due to the lack of striking talent available, but the lack of a true attacking midfielder in the squad would render us a little toothless utilising that tactic, so I will stick with a 4-4-2, at least for the first fixture of the forthcoming month.

In other news Adlène Guédioura was called up by the Algerian national team for their African Cup of Nations squad. He made a late appearance as a sub in Algeria’s 1-1 draw with the Ivory Coast In a pre-tournament friendly, and started their second group game, a 2-1 win over Tunisia. With their final group game against Guinea on the 1^st of February and Tunisia looking well positioned to progress, it may not be until the tail end of the month that we have Adlène back with us.

All of our three hot prospects have been found loan berths at other clubs. Zeli Ismail has joined Barnsley, and made two appearances so far, one as a substitute. Liam Polworth has joined Carlisle and made three starts, scoring once. Finally Kristian Kostrna has joined Luton and made one appearance so far.

February brings us home ties against Bolton and Liverpool, and visits to Blackburn and Everton. I feel a target of six points is achievable, even given our injury crisis up front. I can only apologise for the disappointing month just gone. A combination of poor managerial decisions, individual mistakes on the pitch and bad luck resulted in a month to forget. February will be different.

Great stuff - I like how you set the updates up. Great fun reading about your squad!

FEBRUARY

Dear Mr Moxey,

Another incredibly difficult month, which unfortunately saw us fail to secure even a single point. I am sure you are bitterly disappointed, as am I, but allow me to highlight some of the reasons for the four defeats. The match against Blackburn was a poor performance, but Scott Dann’s goal on the stoke of half time, immediately after we’d equalised really threw the team, and despite a workmanlike performance in the second half we didn’t do enough to secure a result.

The Everton game saw us lose to two penalties, and was a good team performance. We were looking good for an away point but indiscipline cost us dear yet again. The same was true of the home tie against Bolton, a game we dominated. We would surely have won but for Ronald Zubar’s early sending off. I imposed the maximum fine after the game. This lack of self-control among the players is costing us points, and it cannot be tolerated. The final game of the month was another reasonable performance which was not matched by the result, and serious injuries to both Roger Johnson and Paul Dixon will rule them out for the remainder of the season.

BLACKBURN 3 Dunn (22), Dann (45), Hoilett (79)

WOLVES 1 Ebanks Blake (44)

EVERTON 2 Cahill (pen 57, pen 87)

WOLVES 1 Ward (82)

WOLVES 0 Zubar sent off (18)

BOLTON 1 Cahill (50)

Attendance 26,995

WOLVES 0

LIVERPOOL 2 Kuyt (21), Suárez (90)

Attendance 26,995

In other news from around the squad, George Elokobi won the Bundesliga Player of the Week during the month, and considering the injury to Dixon I have to question the wisdom of my predecessor in letting him move without a clause allowing us to recall him. Adlène Guédioura was selected to start in the final of the African Cup of Nations, but unfortunately his Algeria side lost narrowly to Ghana 1-0. It is nice to see Wolves players on the big international stages however.

An attempt was made to sign ex-German international Arne Friedrich following the expiration of his contract with Wolfsburg. A generous package was offered, but the played instead elected to join Swiss side Sion. Perhaps it was the rigours of the Premiership which dissuaded him from joining us, and he would rather see out his latter years in the relative calm of the Swiss leagues, but whatever the reason I was disappointed as he would surely have added steel to our back line, especially in light of the injury to Johnson.

We have five games in March, starting with ties against Tottenham and Arsenal. Given the current form I think we must look at these games with trepidation, but rest assured I will be implementing some tactical changes in order to shore us up at the back whilst making us more incisive up front. These are followed by midlands derbies against Aston Villa and West Brom, games for which the players will need no motivating. We round off the season with a visit to Sunderland, where the players will meet with their former manager. It will be hoped they can show him what he turned his back on.

I am reluctant to talk about relegation battles, especially after my ebullient words in the first of these reports I wrote to you, but I think it needs to be addressed. It is looking like being a battle to avoid the 18^th position. With Sunderland and Swansea adrift at the bottom with 17 points, it is the group above them, comprising of Newcastle, Aston Villa, Bolton, QPR, Norwich, Fulham and ourselves who will be duelling to avoid that last relegation place. With all seven of that group on between thirty and twenty-seven points the margins are very fine indeed. With only three points separating relegation with a mid-table finish our season could turn around quickly with a few good results.

It has been customary for me to end these reports with a points target I have set the players. With no league wins since Boxing Day I think the focus must change, and picking up any points will be a marked improvement. Five defeats in a row is just not good enough Mr Moxey, and I want you to know that my staff and I are well aware of this and will not rest until we have remedied the situation.

Dear Mr. Moxey,

March has shown us what a confidence game football can sometimes be. The month started with that humbling defeat to runaway league leaders Tottenham, and despite an improved performance in our next game against Arsenal an eighth straight defeat meant morale was rock bottom around the club. A team meeting did little to help matters, with many of the squad expressing dissatisfaction, but an own-goal and a fourth minute sending off gave us a win in a tight derby game against Villa and for the remaining two matches of the month we didn’t look back. Discipline still seems to be an issue in the squad, but I honestly believe referees are targeting our players merely because of who they play for.

TOTTENHAM 5 Adebayor (37, 53) Huddlestone (68) Corluka (77) Pavlyuchenko (85)

WOLVES 0

WOLVES 0

ARSENAL 2 Gervinho (12), van Persie (90)

Attendance 26,649

ASTON VILLA 0 Hutton sent off (5)

WOLVES 1 Collins (og 68)

WOLVES 2 Fletcher (10), Jarvis (79), Ward sent off (1)

WEST BROM 0

Attendance 26,995

SUNDERLAND 0

WOLVES 2 Kightly (12), Edwards (68) O’Hara sent off (55)

Injuries and suspensions continue to ravage the squad. As I sit and write this report on the first of April we currently have seven first team players unavailable, including our best three stikers following Steven Fletcher’s thigh strain in the game against West Brom. In order to bolster the squad somewhat we have managed to make something of a coup in the transfer market, bringing in Turkish international and former Bayern, Schalke and Real Madrid player Hamit Altintop following his release by the Spanish side. Hefty wage demands threatened to derail the negotiations, but I am delighted to have secured his signature. He brings a wealth of experience which will help to settle our shaky squad, and he had a fine debut in the game against Sunderland.

On a less salubrious note there has been something of a breakdown in the relationship between myself and Adam Hammill. He came to my office making assertive demands for first team football and I put my foot down. He is a talented youngster and is seeing plenty of playing time, if only as a substitute. Unfortunately things became heated and the following day he handed in a transfer request, which I accepted. He was immediately sent to train with the reserves, but maintained his position in the match day squad. I hope to salvage our relationship due to his potential, but I cannot let players dictate team selection, no matter how talented they are.

In other transfer news we have secured the signing of Peterborough’s young goalkeeper Joe Lewis. Despite only being 23 years of age Joe has made 218 first team appearances, and has a wealth of experience in the lower leagues. With Carl Ikame unwilling to sign a new contract with us and set to leave in the summer I feel Joe will be an excellent understudy to Hennessy, and a more than able deputy should he be called in to action.

So a month which began with a sound thrashing has ended with a real air of optimism around the club, something I have not noticed since Christmas. I think our revival couldn’t have come at a better time, as the home tie against Arsenal was the first time we had failed to sell out Molineux in a very long time, a sure indicator that the fans were beginning to turn. With 37 points on the board we are very close to securing our Premier League status for next season, and 11^th place is a marked difference from where we stood at the end of last month, where only goal difference was keeping us out of the relegation zone.

I wish to thank you for sticking by me during what was undoubtedly a terrible run for the club, and I am sure you had doubts about whether you had appointed the right man for the job. I can assure you that even in the midst of that dark period I had no doubts about my own ability to do an excellent job for Wolves, and I continue to both cement a decent finish to this season whilst planning for the next with vigour and confidence. Thank you once again for your faith.

...you're a ****.

Sorry, was just continuing the title.

Nobby, the man is paying me £950,000 a year... He can't be that bad surely!!

POST SEASON REVIEW

Dear Mr Moxey,

And so our season ends, not with a bang but a whimper.Despite my best efforts it seems that once Premier League football was securedfor next season the players just switched off, although injuries certainly hada mitigating factor. We finished the season with 37 year old Craddock incentral defence, right back Ronald Zubar at left back and the walking woundedelsewhere. To be honest with you the end of the season has come as a bigrelief, and I look forward to a summer of restructuring in order to push onnext season, and aim to improve on this season’s thirteenth place finish. Beloware the results from the final matches of the season.

WOLVES 2 Jarvis (23), Altintop (79)

NEWCASTLE 1 Edwards (50)

Attendance 26,995

STOKE 4 Etherington (13), Arismendi (36), Crouch (63),Walters (90)

WOLVES 2 Ebanks-Blake (37, 82)

WOLVES 0

NORWICH 0

Attendance 26,600

WIGAN 1 Rodallega (83)

WOLVES 2 Craddock (7), Fletcher (81)

WOLVES 1 Williams (own goal 29) Henry sent off (39)

SWANSEA 3 Whelan (34), Dyer (45), Sinclair (72) Taylor sentoff (49)

Attendance 26,995

QPR 5 Wright-Phillips (3), Campbell (44), Taarabt(49), Smith(79), Hennessey (og 90)

WOLVES 3 Fletcher (29, 71), Hunt (81)

MAN CITY 3 Milner (32), Agüero (42, 68)

WOLVES 0

The restructuring of the squad will begin with thedepartures of Jody Craddock, Carl Ikeme, Scott Malone, John Dunleavy, JamieReckord, Ashley Hemmings, Jake Cassidy, James Spray and Louis Harris. The onlyone of these departures to have any real effect on the first team is that ofIkeme. With Hennessey first choice, and with the imminent arrival of Joe Lewisas back-up it remains to be seen whether we have sufficient quality in theyouth team to provide a third-choice keeper or whether a signing will berequired.

Early transfer business sees the signing of sixteen year oldItalian Carlo Russo from Varese. It is very hard not to get excited about youngRusso, and I believe he will go on to become a real star. Although reasonablyexpensive at £750,000 I believe it will be money well spent.

Elsewhere in the squad I believe some of our establishedplayers should be moved on. Jamie O’Hara disappointed with his form during thelatter half of the season, and the fractures skull suffered by Kevin Doyleseems to have had a real negative impact on his game. Stephen Hunt also seemsto have lost some of his ability towards the end of the season, and found hisplace in the starting line-up taken by Matt Jarvis. At thirty years of age itmay be an opportune time to cash in on him before he deteriorates any further.Of course, any attempts to sell these players will depend on the availabilityof quality replacements.

The preliminary budgets allotted to me are very generous,and I cannot foresee a situation in which it will be necessary to spent all ofthe £40 million you have set aside for player purchases. Of course I will keepyou informed of any movements in the transfer market.

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