Cruising Then Losing - An Update On Milestone Man Derek

Derek Mountfield has celebrated a landmark birthday in style - with a long holiday to the distant reaches of the southern hemisphere. The popular former centre-half returned just before Christmas from a 40-day cruise booked to coincide with him turning 60.

Fame Was Fleeting For Winger Unlucky To Miss Out At Wembley

Easter Monday, 1963 was without doubt one of the happiest days of my young life. April 15 that year was the day I made my 'debut' at Molineux - not on the pitch, sadly, but as an excited ten-year-old sitting in the Molineux Street wing stand and being thrilled by a 3-1 victory for my heroes against Aston Villa. It was on the journey home to near Wigan that something happened that I have seldom thought about since. We stopped at Keele Services on the M6 and I was tucking into a jam doughnut, still proudly wearing my gold and black hooped scarf, when a genial man beamed at me.

Unusual Timing For Launch Of Rescue Mission

This is already a season like no other and, in Wolves' case, it is becoming a little less familiar still. Never before has anyone gone into his first match in charge at the club during Christmas week and been preparing for his first League game amid the height of the festivities, although Mark McGhee pitched up in these parts in mid-December, 1995.

Big Night Looms For Julen

Could the contrast be any greater than this? Yesterday, in the heat of the Gulf, it was all about the best ever World Cup final and adios and possibly au revoir to Messi and Deschamps respectively.

Lure Of The Middle East Took Manager Away

As our World Cup-themed month on Wolves Heroes nears its end, we reflect on the list of ex-Molineux personnel who subsequently decided to go and work in the Gulf - Bill McGarry, Dave Woodfield, Graham Hawkins, Frank Wignall, John Burridge and, of course, Nuno Espirito Santo among them. Wignall, we should not forget, was in charge of the Qatar national team for a year or two in the mid-1970s, having not only his young family by his side but also Woodfield, one of his colleagues in the Wolves dressing room for just under a year from March, 1968.

Outspoken 'Solution' That Was Not Adopted

Even as radical suggestions go, we wonder whether this theory from inside Molineux's corridors of power gained any significant traction. Arthur Oakley was, at various times, Wolverhampton Wanderers' vice-chairman and chairman, a club life member, an England selector and a Football League president. He was also clearly a man of strong opinions. Keep reading if you want the proof.

Spot-Kick Drama Recalled In Shoot-Out Season!

He isn't English and never progressed beyond the under-21s in international football but Andy Blair has quite a story to tell about the art that has caused us such angst and which is now surfacing big time at the World Cup. The midfielder who in 1983 became Molineux's first ever loan signing may or may not be aware of the penalty shoot-out history between Wolves and Sheffield Wednesday, strung out as it is across three or four games.

Taylor-Made For A Fun Night Out

It's hard to imagine Gareth Southgate indulging in such light-hearted mischief but a new book has underlined some of the bizarre lengths one of his predecessors went to while climbing the managerial ladder. Dick Chester, a retired former secretary at the two Sheffield clubs, has provided us with this welcome insight into the ways of Graham Taylor, which might not totally surprise one-time Wolves midfielder Martin Patching.

A Meeting Of Manchester Minds

Friday, November 4: Was disappointed to hear that I had apparently missed out on seeing Steve Daley at the busy Bryan Robson night that was compered by former BBC WM sports editor Mark Reagan at the Cleveland Arms last night. More than one guest told me they had seen the two together - presumably they were friends when playing on opposite sides of Manchester in the early 1980s.

Edwards Family United In Welsh Patriotism

Dave Edwards is waiting to see whether his World Cup commitments continue following Wales' elimination - after putting family first during the group stage. The former Wolves midfielder has no regrets about having turned down the chance to head to Cardiff on pundit duty for his country's games against the USA, Iran and England.