Somehow, Wolves Gunned Down

If things carry on they way they have gone over the course of the last month it won’t be long before Wolves fans are reaching for the crazy pills.

Not because we are 19th. Not because we have now lost 7 of our last 9 games but for the bizarre contrast between our performances and results.

Veteran supporters must surely admit that we are watching some of the best football this club has produced for a good couple of decades now, but slump into our cars, onto buses and trains home with our heads in our hands wondering, week after week, game after game, how we will wake up to the morning papers without another point on the board.

The Manchester City victory aside, Wolves have over the course of recent weeks came within minutes of matching, or beating Manchester United on no less than two occasions, pushed Chelsea to the limit, and looked tonight for long periods of the game more than capable of overcoming a potentially disastrous early concession to beat Arsenal.

Despite our blood and guts performance, despite our attacking endeavor, despite peppering the Gunners goal time and time again the lasting image, instead of a glorious late goal, salvage of our own, will be Maroune Chamakh running away to celebrate his and his sides second goal to seal an anticipated victory for the travelers.

Things could not have gotten off to a worse start this evening, when Chamakh himself stole in to convert a Alex Song cross with Arsenal’s first attack, netting within the space of 36 seconds, and whilst Wolves tried to steady their ship, Arsenal looked likely to burst into a two nil lead when a Richard Stearman error allowed Arshavin to steal in on goal, and it was only an excellent save from a rejuvenated Marcus Hahnemann that kept him out, whilst Nenad Milijias, showing once more he understands the battling spirits necessary for our survival and his own at this level, threw himself in front of Rosicky’s goal bound follow up with a superb block.

Having earned a reprieve Wolves found their feet and were themselves pushing forward to make their mark on the game with Milijias instrumental in several moves.

Kevin Foley cross was stolen from under his nose, but shorter after he had struck a sweet 25 yarder from that sacred left boot of his, and a resulting cross from Stephen Hunt, who had replaced the injured David Edwards just 8 minutes into the game was met by Kevin Doyle who was unable to convert.

Fabianski was clearly taking a steal on the man of the match award, somehow saving a deflected cross from Matt Jarvis whilst Stephen Hunt was charging into pick up an any mistake.

n the second half, Wolves threatened from early on with Jarvis again proving a constant menace, lining up Milijias, Berra, Foley and Doyle for opportunities but from the last Fabianksi pulled off another outstanding save from Doyle and we had to begin to wonder if this was going to be yet another one of those nights.

Hunt and Foley continued to combine and threaten and the evening was summed up going into injury time when Arsenal, with every man behind the ball, fluffed a clearance which fell to Berra who was denied by another startling save from the Arsenal keeper.

As Wolves threw every man forward it may have come as little surprise that Arsenal in their mastery of the counter broke three minutes into added time with Fabregas, lucky to still be on the pitch after what we may describe as a ‘very ill timed challenge’ on Stephen Ward slipping Chamakh through to fire past the helpless Hahnemann, undeservedly beaten for the second time this evening.

If Wolves continue to play like this they can realistically aim for a mid table finish- continue to come away from games with nothing and we face a relegation fight. The big boys have somehow managed to turn us over again- all we can do is put this amazing sequence behind us and concentrate on beating Bolton on Saturday, who, we may not, are 6th.

New York City Wolf.