Preview Percy has had another birthday. Nobody is quite sure how old he is as the parchment that was used for his birth certificate crumbled into dust last time he needed it for a passport. He’ll only admit to being over 21 though we don’t know if that’s decades or years. Still he is still about to churn out these previews every week. Unfortunately. Here’s his look at Friday’s visit of Wolves...
Next up we play host to Wolverhampton Wanderers. If you were hoping for a nice Saturday 3pm job, forget it. Sky are responsible for your having to glance nervously at late night train timetables as usual.
So Wolves then. Well they spent much of the season glancing nervously at the Derby County “worst team ever” record much in the same way as West Ham supporters are continuously glancing at late night train timetables it seems. They were winless for exactly the first half of the season, picking up all of three points in the process.
Then, of course they played us. To say we were terrible that day is making us sound a lot better than we actually were. However, none of that bothered them as the win prompted a boost in form that has seen them win 11 points in the 11 games that have followed.
The last six have gone DDLWWD. This run started with a 0-0 draw at Forest followed by a 2-2 draw at home to Arsenal. A 1-0 defeat at Palace was followed with wins at home to Villa (2-0) and at home to Liverpool (2-1). Their last outing back before the break was a 2-2 draw at Brentford.
That leaves them still rooted to the spot with 17 from 31, three points adrift of Burnley whose form has left them just three points ahead of Wolves with a similar goal difference (Wolves are -30 to the Clarets’ -28). So they do have something to play for even though relegation is still almost a certainty – they are 13 points and 10 goals adrift of Tottenham, at time of writing.
They did do a bit of business in the transfer window, though arguably their transfer dealings are the reason they are in the position they are in. Daisy tells me that they sold players to the value of £180m this season, with less than half of that being re-invested in new players. The bare facts suggest that there were four new arrivals this winter.
However, one of these – Xu Bin – was immediately shipped out on loan to Barnsley. The second arrival was an academy arrival. The one player who commanded a fee was Southampton’s Adam Armstrong, who replaced Palace-bound Jorgen Strand Larsen. It was a like for like deal – Strand Larsen wasn’t prolific at Wolves and neither has Armstrong over-troubled the statisticians.
The final arrival was Angel Gomes who came in on loan from Marseille. On his debut for Man Utd back in 2017, Gomes became the first player born in the 2000s to play in the Premier League, which makes one feel quite ancient. Marseille have already said they were looking to unload the player though Wolves’ position will be determined by which league they end up in next season (spoiler alert – not the Premier).
On we move then to the Wild and Wacky World of Association Football. And more on the economics of the “Greatest World Cup Ever Everybody Is Saying So” (© D Trump) where a return ticket from central Boston to Foxborough Mass. for matches will set you back US$80 – around £60.
For comparison, the same journey out to see the New England Patriots would have cost you US$20 last season. When the tangerine twat says how everyone is saying how great this World Cup is going to be one can only assume that by “everyone” he is referring to Boston’s Transport Authority.
Meanwhile, as Liverpool were handed their backsides in a sling by Man City in last week’s FA Cup tie, Ally McCoist came up with a somewhat baffling piece of commentary. “There’s an element of sadness to all this” said McCoist as Liverpool looked for all the world as if they had turned up to paint the walls surrounding the pitch only to find themselves playing on it.
Well Ally, try as I might I was damned if I could find it. Maybe I was laughing too hard.
Which brings us on to Sunday. Well even in victory, Leeds were moaning that the ref had added too much time on. Which was nonsense. Leeds started time-wasting as soon as they had gone ahead. Every time we had got up a head of steam the play would be disrupted by a fake injury disrupting play for minutes on end.
Still it’s a bit much to expect a spot of honesty from fanbase who are in denial over the dubious manner in which they won domestic trophies in the 1970s only to moan loudly when they came up against the same thing abroad.
The good news is that those players whose injury issues saw them left out on a precautionary basis on Sunday are likely to be back. Summerville and Todibo are both progressing well it is believed whilst Mavropanos should be cleared after his concussion assessment. The injury to Areola which saw young Herrick given a debut is likely to keep him out which will see Herrick on the bench as Hermansen returns to the side
So the prediction them. Well whilst they will be no pushover, neither will we. We owe them one after the horror show at Molineux and I think that one is what we will give them. Well three to be precise. So the £2.50 I was saving towards a train trip around Boston will instead be spent on a wager to the effect that we will prevail to the tune of 3-1 if that’s ok with you Mr Winstone?
Enjoy the game!
When last we met at the Omzepic: Won 2-1 (Premier League December 2024)
All the thoughts were with Antonio who had parked his car poorly in Epping Forest a few days previously. After a goalless first 45, an unmarked Souceck looped a header in at the far post. Doherty levelled on 69 minutes but barely three more minutes had elapsed before a trademark curl into the far post from Bowen gave us all three points.
Referee: Jarred Gillet
The Aussie ref. When you come to this country you usually need some sort of work permit to prove you can do the job as well as someone already here. Sadly with refereeing that’s not necessarily a good thing. Did both matches against Tottenham which is either a good 0r a bad omen depending on how full your glass is.
Danger Man: Adam Armstrong
Not the greatest or best loved at Molineux which means he will score against us.
Percy and Daisy’s Amazing Wolverhampton Fact Of The Week Type Thing
Wolverhampton is said to be the birthplace of corrugated iron and the manufacturing place of thousands of prefabricated buildings for use as churches thus exporting as much misery around the world as a whole series of Mrs Brown’s Boys.
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