How Cullis's Men Entranced South Africa

A Very English Affair The pre-season of 1995/96 saw Wolves eschew the glamour (and presumably expense) of an overseas trip as they embarked on one of the most low-profile preparations the club had undertaken in the modern era. As a marked change from the norm in that decade, Graham Taylor chose nothing more exotic than a visit to two non-League clubs in the Home Counties of Buckinghamshire and Kent.

Air Miles And Victories In Abundance

Life In The Fast Lane

Wolves' pre-Premier tour to Western Australia in July is sure to evoke memories of the pioneering globe-trotting adventures the club have undertaken in years gone by. But it comes nowhere near the mammoth trip to North America on which they embarked after their promotion-winning season of 1966-67.

An Ill Wind Blowing

Sir Jack Hayward once said that one of Mark McGhee's greatest strengths was remembering the names of all the players he had signed for Wolverhampton Wanderers. It was less than veiled criticism of the Scot's management of the club in 1998 after he had, shortly before their appearance in the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal, unveiled five newcomers together - Steve Claridge, David Connolly, Robbie Slater, Stephen Wright and the returning Neil Emblen.

Guns, 'Gay Hats' And Goals

Cricketers have been touring the Caribbean for decades but there was something unusual about the sweltering visit Wolves made to the region in the final months of Stan Cullis' reign. Trips by football clubs to the West Indies were even rarer then than they are now, so players the manager had taken to the United States, Canada and South Africa in previous summers were entering the unknown when they flew out of London some three weeks after the 1963-64 Molineux campaign had ended with successive 4-0 victories over Fulham and Bolton.

The Mother Of All Tours

Can there ever have been a football trip like it? America, Canada, New Zealand and Australia all in one go. Twelve matches in three countries in 29 days. Players wouldn't stand for it today, not to mention managers, sports scientists, nutrionists and fitness coaches. And the carbon footprint would be extra extra large.

A Scoring Spree In The Sun

It was a trip too many for Graham Taylor, who didn’t really want to be there at all. By the time he was appointed by Wolves in the spring of 1994, the recently deposed national manager was done with airports and language barriers, and was going through a phase of believing that the best journeys were those he could make without the need for his passport.