2009–10 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season

Wolverhampton Wanderers
2009–10 season
Chairman Steve Morgan OBE
Manager Mick McCarthy
Premier League 15th
FA Cup 4th round
League Cup 3rd round
Top goalscorer League: Kevin Doyle (9)
All: Kevin Doyle (9)
Highest home attendance 29,023 (vs Portsmouth,
3 October 2009)
Lowest home attendance 11,416 (vs Swindon,
25 August 2009)
Average home league attendance 28,366
Home colours
Away colours
← 2008–09 2010–11 →

The 2009–10 season was the 111th season of competitive league football in the history of English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers. This season saw the club return to the Premier League after a five-year absence. They had won promotion in the previous season as champions of the Football League Championship.

Although this season was the club's 61st at the top level of English football, it was only their second season in the modern Premier League; their only previous Premier League campaign had ended in relegation in 2003–04.

The club avoided relegation, finishing 15th, some eight points clear of the relegation zone. Survival was confirmed with two games to spare, marking the first time they had avoided relegation from the highest level since 1980–81.

Season review

Kevin Doyle became Wolves' record signing when he joined from Reading.

The summer transfer window saw the arrival of nine new recruits in total (seven permanent, two loans) at a cost of £18.5 million. The most notable new addition was Irish international striker Kevin Doyle, signed for a club record fee of £6.5 million from Championship side Reading.[1] Serbian midfielder Nenad Milijaš was the next most expensive signing, bought to add additional creativity.[2] The summer also saw contract extensions signed by Kevin Foley,[3] Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Jody Craddock[4] and David Edwards.[5] On the field the players resumed training at their Sir Jack Hayward training ground on 29 June 2009,[6] before flying out to Perth, Australia on 4 July for a two-week stay where they stepped up their training and played their first two games of pre-season. Preparations were completed with the only home friendly, a game against La Liga side Real Valladolid.

The season proper began with a 0–2 loss to West Ham United in the club's first Premier League fixture in five years. Wolves immediately bounced back by winning on the road at Wigan despite a long injury list, giving the club their first ever away win in the modern Premier League.

A further victory against Fulham put them 12th after six games, but this was their last victory for almost two months - a run which included a home loss to winless Portsmouth. Despite credible draws against the likes of Everton and Aston Villa, the team fell into the relegation zone with a defence unable to keep clean sheets. Heavy defeats followed against "Big 4" sides Arsenal and Chelsea, before a lacklustre home loss to local rivals Birmingham City put manager McCarthy under increasing pressure.

Stephen Hunt was pursued without success in the January transfer window.

December saw a change of fortune with three wins in four games, including a surprise away success at Tottenham, to help propel the club out of the mire. The month also brought controversy though after manager Mick McCarthy opted to field an entirely new outfield line-up to the one that defeated Spurs when they visited Manchester United three days later.[7][8] The uproar caused by the decision led to the Premier League requesting an official explanation from the club,[9] resulting in a £25,000 suspended fine.[10] 2009 closed with two successive defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City, but enough points to remain above the relegation zone.

The January transfer window saw the club make a club record bid to sign winger Adam Johnson from Middlesbrough,[11] and a long-winded attempt to lure Stephen Hunt from relegation rivals Hull City.[12] Both bids failed, as did late attempts for young defender Nathaniel Clyne[13] and even a loan offer to former starlet Robbie Keane.[11] With no permanent transfers agreed, the club instead brought in two loan signings, both from Belgian club Charleroi – Adlène Guedioura and Geoffrey Mujangi Bia.[14][15]

The start to 2010 proved equally frustrating on the field with only two points taken from four games, as well as a convincing FA Cup exit at the hands of financially troubled Championship side Crystal Palace. The rot was stopped with a home win over Tottenham, which meant Wolves had completed their first top flight double since the 1980–81 season. Wolves added a second double over Burnley, before a draw at Aston Villa and then a 3–1 victory at fellow strugglers West Ham finished a series of three away game which yielded seven points from a possible nine, giving their chances of avoiding relegation a strong boost.

The team drew four of their five following games, their only defeat coming in the 95th minute away at title challengers Arsenal. This run of points helped assure their Premier League survival. Survival was mathematically confirmed on 25 April 2010 when Burnley failed to beat Liverpool, thus filling the final relegation spot.[16]

The season was concluded with a 1–3 loss at already-relegated Portsmouth before a final day victory over Sunderland took their points tally to 38, yielding a 15th-place finish. This marked their highest position in the English football system since 1979–80. It also meant the club had survived at the top level for the first time in 29 years. Although they finished the division's lowest goalscorers (with 32), a strong defensive resolve meant they had conceded the least of the bottom 8 (56), creating the formula for their survival.

Results

Pre season

Wolves took part in their first foreign pre-season tour in five years as they traveled to Perth, Australia to train and play their opening two friendlies against A-League opposition in their first visit to the country since 1972. As had become common in recent years, only their final game was held at their Molineux home. A second "Wolves XI" team largely comprising academy prospects and out of favour senior players also played a series of matches during this period.

"Wolves XI" pre season results (all away): 0–0 vs Kidderminster Harriers (18 July), 1–2 vs Port Vale (22 July), 0–0 vs Hereford United (25 July), 1–0 vs Crewe Alexandra (29 July), 3–1 vs Wrexham (5 August)

Premier League

A total of 20 teams competed in the Premier League in the 2009–10 season. Each team would play every other team twice, once at their stadium, and once at the opposition's. Three points were awarded to teams for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. The provisional fixture list was released on 17 June 2009, but was subject to change in the event of matches being selected for television coverage.[17]

Final table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
14 Bolton Wanderers 38 10 9 19 42 67 –25 39
15 Wolverhampton Wanderers 38 9 11 18 32 56 –24 38
16 Wigan Athletic 38 9 9 20 37 79 –42 36
17 West Ham United 38 8 11 19 47 66 –19 35
18 Burnley 38 8 6 24 42 82 –40 30
19 Hull City 38 6 12 20 34 75 –41 30
20 Portsmouth 38 7 7 24 34 66 –32 19

Note: Portsmouth were docked nine points for entering administration

Results summary

OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
38 9 11 18 32 56 −24 38 5 6 8 13 22 −9 4 5 10 19 34 −15

Source: Statto.com

Results by round

Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
Result L W L D L W L L D D D L L L W W L W L L L D D L W L L L W D W D L D D D L W
Position 16 11 13 12 15 12 16 16 14 16 16 18 19 19 18 17 18 12 15 16 16 17 17 19 15 16 17 17 17 16 15 14 14 14 15 15 15 15

Source: Statto.com

FA Cup

League Cup

Players

Statistics

Key

      ‡ On loan from another club       * First appearance(s) for the club

# = Squad number

Pos = Playing position

P = Number of games played

G = Number of goals scored

GK = Goalkeeper

DF = Defender

MF = Midfielder

FW = Forward

A yellow card = Yellow cards

A red card = Red cards

† Permanent player left club during the season

¤ Loaned to another club for part or all of season

Correct as of the season's end. Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances in parentheses where applicable.

No. Pos Name P G P G P G P G A yellow card A red card Notes
League FA Cup League Cup Total Discipline
1GKWales Hennessey, WayneWayne Hennessey 130300016000
3DFCameroon Elokobi, GeorgeGeorge Elokobi 17(5)01(1)02020(6)020
4MFWales Edwards, DavidDavid Edwards 16(4)1000(1)016(5)130
5DFEngland Stearman, RichardRichard Stearman 12(4)1200014(4)141
6DFEngland Craddock, JodyJody Craddock 335201036510
7MFEngland Kightly, MichaelMichael Kightly 3(6)000104(6)030
8MFEngland Henry, KarlKarl Henry (c) 340311038161
9FWEngland Ebanks-Blake, SylvanSylvan Ebanks-Blake 12(11)22(1)01015(12)230
10FWRepublic of Ireland Keogh, AndyAndy Keogh 8(5)1000(2)08(7)140
11DFRepublic of Ireland Ward, StephenStephen Ward 18(4)01(1)00019(5)021
12MFEngland Surman, AndrewAndrew Surman 3(4)010105(4)000
13GKUnited States Hahnemann, MarcusMarcus Hahnemann 250002027040
14MFEngland Jones, DavidDavid Jones 16(4)11(1)12019(5)230
15MFEngland Halford, GregGreg Halford 12(3)00(1)00012(4)020
16DFScotland Berra, ChristopheChristophe Berra 320202036060
17MFEngland Jarvis, MattMatt Jarvis 30(4)3110(1)031(5)430
18FWWales Vokes, SamSam Vokes ¤ 0(5)02(1)0103(6)000
19FWScotland Iwelumo, ChrisChris Iwelumo ¤ 2(13)01(1)0003(14)000
20MFSerbia Milijaš, NenadNenad Milijaš 12(7)2200(1)014(8)220
21DFEngland Jones, DanielDaniel Jones ¤ 0000000000
22DFEngland Shackell, JasonJason Shackell ¤ 0000000000
23DFGuadeloupe Zubar, RonaldRonald Zubar 231211026250
24DFEngland Little, MarkMark Little ¤ 0000000000
25DFScotland Collins, NeillNeill Collins ¤ † 0000101000[nb 1]
25MFBelgium Mujangi Bia, GeoffreyGeoffrey Mujangi Bia ‡ 1(2)01(1)0002(3)000
26DFEngland Hill, MattMatt Hill ¤ 2000103000
27DFEngland Mancienne, MichaelMichael Mancienne ‡ 22(8)0300025(8)060
28MFEngland Friend, GeorgeGeorge Friend ¤ 1000001000
29FWRepublic of Ireland Doyle, KevinKevin Doyle 33(1)90(1)01(1)034(3)950
30GKNigeria Ikeme, CarlCarl Ikeme ¤ 0000000000
31GKEngland Murray, MattMatt Murray 0000000000
32DFRepublic of Ireland Foley, KevinKevin Foley 23(2)0301027(2)010
33FWAustria Maierhofer, StefanStefan Maierhofer ¤ 1(7)100102(7)101
34DFEngland Ward, DarrenDarren Ward ¤ † 0000000000[nb 2]
34MFAlgeria Guedioura, AdlèneAdlène Guedioura ‡ 7(7)100007(7)120
35MFEngland Bennett, ElliottElliott Bennett † 0000000000[nb 3]
35MFEcuador Castillo, SegundoSegundo Castillo ‡ 7(1)000108(1)000
36DFRepublic of Ireland Dunleavy, JohnJohn Dunleavy 0000000000
37MFEngland Bennett, KyleKyle Bennett 0000000000
38MFEngland Davis, DavidDavid Davis ¤ 0000000000
39FWEngland Winnall, SamSam Winnall 0000000000
40DFEngland Batth, DannyDanny Batth ¤ 0000000000
41FWEngland Hemmings, AshleyAshley Hemmings 0000000000
42DFEngland Malone, ScottScott Malone ¤ 0000000000
43FWEngland Spray, JamesJames Spray 0000000000
44MFEngland Mendez-Laing, NathanielNathaniel Mendez-Laing 0000101000
  1. ↑ Collins was initially loaned to Preston North End, and later transferred there permanently.
  2. ↑ Ward was initially loaned to Millwall, and later transferred there permanently.
  3. ↑ Bennett was transferred to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Awards

Award Winner[18]
Fans' Player of the Season Jody Craddock
Players' Player of the Season Kevin Doyle
Young Player of the Season Danny Batth
Academy Player of the Season Nathan Rooney
Goal of the Season Nenad Milijaš (vs Bolton, 5 December 2009)

Transfers

In

Date Player From Fee
15 June 2009 Serbia Nenad Milijaš Red Star Belgrade £2.6 million[2]
17 June 2009 United States Marcus Hahnemann Reading Free[19]
30 June 2009 Republic of Ireland Kevin Doyle Reading £6.5 million[1]
1 July 2009 England Andrew Surman Southampton £1.2 million[20]
3 July 2009 England Greg Halford Sunderland £2 million[21]
4 July 2009 Guadeloupe Ronald Zubar Marseille £2.5 million[22]
31 August 2009 Austria Stefan Maierhofer Rapid Vienna £1.8 million[23]

Out

Date Player To Fee
June 2009 England Matt Bailey Released Free[24]
June 2009 England Lewis Gobern Released Free[24]
June 2009 England Alex Melbourne Released Free[24]
1 July 2009 Republic of Ireland Stephen Gleeson Milton Keynes DonsUndisclosed[25]
10 July 2009 Republic of Ireland Darren Potter Sheffield WednesdayUndisclosed[26]
19 August 2009 England Elliott Bennett Brighton & Hove AlbionUndisclosed[27]
1 January 2010 England Darren Ward MillwallUndisclosed[28]
5 January 2010 Scotland Neill Collins Preston North EndUndisclosed[29]

Loans in

Start date Player From End date
13 August 2009 England Michael Mancienne Chelsea End of season[30]
31 August 2009 Ecuador Segundo Castillo Red Star Belgrade End of season[31]
21 January 2010 Belgium Geoffrey Mujangi Bia RSC Charleroi End of season[15]
25 January 2010 Algeria Adlène Guedioura RSC Charleroi End of season[14]

Loans out

Start date Player To End date
11 August 2009 England George Friend Millwall 16 September 2010[32]
15 August 2009 England Jason Shackell Doncaster Rovers End of season[33]
31 August 2009 Scotland Neill Collins Preston North End 4 January 2010[34]
11 September 2009 England Darren Ward Millwall 4 January 2010[35]
17 September 2009 England Danny Batth Colchester United 29 April 2010[36]
18 September 2009 England George Friend Southend United 18 October 2009[37]
24 September 2009 England Daniel Jones Notts County 4 January 2010[38]
5 October 2009 England Mark Little Chesterfield 4 January 2010[39]
19 October 2009 Wales Sam Vokes Leeds United 1 January 2010[40]
22 October 2009 England David Davis Darlington 4 January 2010[41]
28 October 2009 Nigeria Carl Ikeme Charlton Athletic 28 November 2010[42]
30 October 2009 England George Friend Scunthorpe United 13 December 2009[43]
24 November 2009 England Scott Malone Southend United 29 April 2010[44]
26 November 2009 Nigeria Carl Ikeme Sheffield United 26 December 2010[45]
6 January 2010 Nigeria Carl Ikeme Queens Park Rangers 6 April 2010[46]
25 January 2010 England Matt Hill Queens Park Rangers End of season[47]
12 February 2010 Scotland Chris Iwelumo Bristol City 15 March 2010[48]
15 February 2010 England Daniel Jones Bristol Rovers End of season[49]
2 March 2010 England Mark Little Peterborough United End of season[50]
4 March 2010 England George Friend Exeter City End of season[51]
15 March 2010 Austria Stefan Maierhofer Bristol City 11 April 2010[52]

Management and coaching staff

Position Name
Manager Mick McCarthy
Assistant Manager Terry Connor
First Team Fitness and Conditioning Coach Tony Daley
Goalkeeping Coach Pat Mountain
Development Coach, 18-21's Steve Weaver
Academy Manager Kevin Thelwell
Assistant Academy Manager / Under-18's Coach Mick Halsall
Club Doctor Dr Matthew Perry
Head of Medical Department Steve Kemp
Club Physio Alan Peacham

Kit

The season saw a new home and away kit, both manufactured by Le Coq Sportif. The away kit was notable in featuring red trims, a reference to their original red and white stripes when the club was first formed. Both shirts featured the club's new sponsor, the internet gambling company Sportingbet.com.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Wolves make Doyle record signing". BBC Sport. 30 June 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Wolves snap up Serbian midfielder". BBC Sport. 15 June 2009.
  3. ↑ "Foley signs new Wolves contract". BBC Sport. 5 June 2009.
  4. ↑ "Craddock agrees new Wolves deal". BBC Sport. 27 June 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  5. ↑ "Edwards pens new Wolves contract". BBC Sport. 29 June 2009.
  6. ↑ "Wolves back to work". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 29 June 2009. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  7. ↑ "McCarthy branded 'disrespectful' over Wolves selection". BBC Sport. 16 December 2009. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  8. ↑ "Wolves manager Mick McCarthy defends team selection". BBC Sport. 16 December 2009. Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  9. ↑ "Premier League asks Wolves to explain team selection". BBC Sport. 16 December 2009. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  10. ↑ "Wolves fined £25,000 over Old Trafford team selection". BBC Sport. 18 February 2009.
  11. 1 2 "CEO's Window Reflections". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 2 February 2010. Archived from the original on 5 February 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  12. ↑ "Hull reject Wolves transfer bid for Stephen Hunt". BBC Sport. 1 February 2010. Archived from the original on 4 February 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  13. ↑ "Clyne snubs Wolves move". Sky Sports. 1 February 2010. Archived from the original on 4 February 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  14. 1 2 "Wolves sign Adlene Guedioura on loan from Charleroi". BBC Sport. 25 January 2010. Archived from the original on 28 January 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  15. 1 2 "Wolves sign Belgian midfielder Mujangi on loan". BBC Sport. 21 January 2010.
  16. ↑ "Wolves delighted at survival". Sky Sports. 25 April 2010. Archived from the original on 29 April 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  17. ↑ "Man Utd start against Birmingham". BBC Sport. 2009-06-17. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
  18. ↑ "End Of Season Dinner - Live!". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 4 May 2010. Archived from the original on 7 May 2010. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  19. ↑ "Wolves draft in keeper Hahnemann". BBC Sport. 17 June 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  20. ↑ "Midfielder Surman moves to Wolves". BBC Sport. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  21. ↑ "Wolves sign Sunderland's Halford". BBC Sport. 3 July 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  22. ↑ "Wolves swoop for defender Zubar". BBC Sport. 4 July 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  23. ↑ "Wolves sign Rapid Vienna's Maierhofer". BBC Sport. 31 August 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  24. 1 2 3 "Wolves trio released by McCarthy". BBC Sport. 14 May 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2010.
  25. ↑ "Gleeson joins MK Dons". wolves.co.uk. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  26. ↑ "Owls swoop for Potter". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 10 July 2009. Archived from the original on 25 January 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  27. ↑ "Brighton swoop for winger Bennett". BBC Sport. 20 August 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  28. ↑ "Millwall sign Wolves defender Ward permanently". BBC Sport. 1 January 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  29. ↑ "Preston North End sign Wolverhampton's Neill Collins". BBC Sport. 5 January 2010. Archived from the original on 21 January 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  30. ↑ "Wolves seal Mancienne loan deal". BBC Sport. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  31. ↑ "Wolves seal Castillo loan deal". BBC Sport. 31 August 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  32. ↑ "Millwall find a Friend". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 11 August 2009. Archived from the original on 26 January 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  33. ↑ "Shackell stays on". Doncaster Rovers F.C. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  34. ↑ "Collins ties up move to Preston". BBC Sport. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  35. ↑ "Ward into the Lions den". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 11 September 2009. Archived from the original on 24 November 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  36. ↑ "Danny set to stay for season". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 15 October 2009. Archived from the original on 18 November 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  37. ↑ "Southend get a new friend". Southend United F.C. 18 September 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  38. ↑ "County sign Daniel Jones from Wolves". Notts County F.C. 24 September 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  39. ↑ "Mark Little joins Chesterfield". chesterfield-fc.co.uk. 5 October 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  40. ↑ "Loan Update: Vokes and Friend". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 19 October 2009. Archived from the original on 24 November 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  41. ↑ "New signings". Darlington F.C. 22 October 2009. Archived from the original on 25 October 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  42. ↑ "Charlton sign Wolves keeper Ikeme". BBC Sport. 28 October 2009. Retrieved 11 January 2010.
  43. ↑ "Friend extends". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 25 November 2009. Archived from the original on 27 November 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  44. ↑ "Malone heads to Southend". Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. 24 November 2009. Archived from the original on 28 November 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  45. ↑ "Sheff Utd sign Ikeme and Kallio". BBC Sport. 26 November 2009. Archived from the original on 29 November 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2009.
  46. ↑ "Ikeme to stay a Loan Ranger". QPR F.C. 29 January 2010. Archived from the original on 30 January 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  47. ↑ "QPR sign Matt Hill on loan from Wolves". BBC Sport. 25 January 2010. Archived from the original on 28 January 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
  48. ↑ "Bristol City sign Wolves striker Chris Iwelumo". BBC Sport. 13 February 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
  49. ↑ "Wolves defender Daniel Jones loaned to Bristol Rovers". BBC Sport. 15 February 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
  50. ↑ "Peterborough United loan Wolves defender Mark Little". BBC Sport. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  51. ↑ "Exeter City re-sign George Friend from Wolves". BBC Sport. 4 March 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  52. ↑ "Bristol City sign striker Stefan Maierhofer from Wolves". BBC Sport. 15 March 2010. Archived from the original on 22 March 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
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