Archive for January, 2014

Dear Diary, Entry 29

Thursday, January 30th, 2014

The Other Workplace Which 'Knocker' Graced

Saturday, December 28: Came by some nice photos in an on-line archive of Wolves' draw at Sheffield Wednesday early in the 1982-83 promotion season and enjoyed emailing them to Bob Coy and Mick Matthews. As a defender, Bob would have gleaned extra satisfaction from seeing himself prominently featured in the goalless stalemate.

All Shook Up

Sunday, January 26th, 2014

From Chesterfield With Eric - The Magic Of Memphis

We've all heard the platitudes that routinely come when a new signing arrives at a club.....predictable phrases such as 'he has got two tidy feet,' 'has a really good engine' and 'not afraid to put his foot in.' But how often is a welcome accompanied by the compliment 'He does a great Elvis impersonation'? The praise came from one former Wolves man about another - at a club where a third Molineux stalwart is in the manager's chair. And the big build-up proved justified last night when the star attraction belted out the numbers at a sell-out function.

More On The Wonder Of Wath

Thursday, January 23rd, 2014

Further Insight Into That Famous Production Line

Few football journalists have enjoyed quite as powerful an insight into the game as Andrew Ward. He is the son of Tim Ward, a man who took the likes of Kevin Hector and Alan Durban to Derby before handing the reins to a bloke called Clough. Andy has a very special outlook on what life is really like in the bowels of this business. Among his many offerings have been three books, Football Nation: Sixty Years of the Beautiful Game (with John Williams), Armed with a Football and Three Sides of the Mersey (with John Williams and Rogan Taylor).

Bert Williams: 1920 – 2014

Monday, January 20th, 2014

Peerless Keeper Who Remained Hands-On

He spent a lifetime striving for perfection and utter fulfillment and, as near as makes no difference, it was mission accomplished. An FA Cup winner's medal from 1949 and the honour of being Wolves' regular goalkeeper when they lifted the League Championship for the first time stand as the most acknowledged of the many achievements in a fabulous club career. There were also 24 England caps and various other representative honours from the war years as well as peacetime. But these accolades tell only part of Bert Williams MBE's rich story.

The Saddest Of Tasks

Sunday, January 19th, 2014

Heroes Tribute To Bert On Way

Can the 2013-14 season become any sadder for Wolves supporters? First, David Wagstaffe passed away on the day of the Capital One Cup exit at Morecambe in August. Later in the same month came the news that Barry Stobart had lost his long fight against illness, then the Molineux family had to say a tearful goodbye to Peter Broadbent as well before autumn was half-way through.

England Landmark For Palmer

Thursday, January 16th, 2014

When The West Midlands Prospered With Under-23s

We're into anniversary season at Molineux. It's 40 years next week since Wolves booked their place in the 1974 League Cup final, so it follows that another big milestone is due to roll around on March 2. Somewhat less heralded is the fact that it was on today's date in 1974 that Geoff Palmer - with John Richards, Barry Powell and three other West Midlands-based youngsters as fellow squad members - made his debut for England under-23s.

Dates For Your New Calendar

Monday, January 13th, 2014

Sporting Days And Nights With A Wolves Twist

Some dates for the diaries of Wolves supporters - especially those whose sporting interests stretch beyond only football.......The third Steve Bull Foundation winter golf day takes place at Worfield on Thursday, February 27, with the cost for a team of four (including a goody bag, bacon rolls, tea/coffee and a presentation dinner) set at £250. All the information is available from Steve Bull Events - or we will happily provide more details on request.

A Question Of In-House Pride

Friday, January 10th, 2014

Memories Of A Famous Day In Molineux Calendar

It barely warrants a mention in the record books and never a point - nor, presumably, a win bonus - changed hands. You will even struggle to find confirmation of the results. But the annual Colours v Whites fixture at Molineux has its own place in history. Made famous by the decision of Billy Wright to use the 1959 version as his emotional swansong as a player, the game was seen for years as the curtain-raiser to a season as well as the chance for hopeful reserves to bring established senior men down a peg or two.

Wolves Cubs And Best Of Mates

Tuesday, January 7th, 2014

Fond Memories Of Late FA Youth Cup Finalist

Nothing pleases us more on this site than to be able to fill in the gaps on Wolves careers for curious younger generations, so we are delighted to have been of assistance to the family of Harry Smith, the goal-scoring 1953 FA Youth Cup finalist whose death we mentioned in our monthly Dear Diary item on December 23. Harry scored all of Wolves' goals in their 9-3 aggregate defeat against Manchester United at the last hurdle in the inaugural year of the competition 61 years ago and passed away aged 78 on December 17.

Fred – A Very Flexible Friend

Saturday, January 4th, 2014

Goalkeeper On Target Not Once But Twice

Before dug-outs were redesigned to make room for the ridiculous number of substitutes in the present-day game, the concept of outfield players taking their turn as emergency goalkeepers was fairly commonplace. Bobby Gould was handed the shirt by Gary Pierce for the dying minutes of Wolves' Second Division farewell at Bolton in 1977, Dave Wagstaffe famously donned a green jersey several sizes too big for him after Phil Parkes had been sent off against Albion in 1967, Kenny Hibbitt had a go in goal at Tottenham in the early 1980s and, in more recent times, Tom Bennett (at home to Albion) and Dean Richards (at home to Stoke) have each done a stint between the posts.

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