Dear Diary Entry 170

Another Check On Lofty

Tuesday, October 28: Paid a second visit to see the rehabilitating Phil Parkes, this time in a Wolverhampton nursing home rather than at Oswestry near the Welsh border. Although his serious fall and lengthy hospital stay have obviously taken a considerable toll, his resilience remains an inspiration and he is as pleased and grateful as ever for those who drop by to help pass an hour or two.

A Career And Life Well Lived

Forward Still Happily Sharing His Memories

We’ve remarked before that footballers tend to be amiable, easy characters to rub along with – and Paul McLoughlin is easier than most. It was half a lifetime ago that we had last met or even talked but he was politeness and eagerness personified. Well, what’s 30 years or so between friends when there’s a cold guinness on the table and a willingness for a good catch-up?

The Final Word

Signing Off – A Master At His Trade

Already out there on the Internet is the audio from the BBC Radio correspondent at Saturday’s game at Molineux – please go and find it. It’s not that any confirmation is required of another unwelcome full-time outcome but the man delivering the post-match thoughts was about to exit the stadium’s broadcast area for the last time.

Friends Reunited

Promising Launch Pad For The New Era

Nuno Espirito Santo may have conducted his introductory Molineux press conference in excellent English – but he had no previous connection with Wolves. The club weren’t in his blood when he was added to the payroll in the summer of 2017, a short stint learning the coaching arts in Scotland having been as close as he had ever been to working in England.

See You In The Summer!

Familiar Molineux Faces Set For Major World Cup Roles

Wolves are no strangers to the practice of installing former international managers to Molineux’s top job – now the flow in the opposite direction is quickening, with impressive results. Two and three decades on from when Glenn Hoddle, Mick McCarthy and Graham Taylor were appointed here, two bosses from the club’s relatively recent past have led their employers to World Cup qualification.

An Update From The Dug-Outs

New Jobs, New Hope

What does Terry Connor have this weekend that Rob Kelly wished he also had? Answer: The prospect of building on a winning start with a new club? Answer: The prospect of building on a winning start with his new club. The two former Wolves coaches have recently landed new posts – Connor down the road at Walsall and Kelly in his latest reunion with Leam Richardson, this time at Reading.

Rob Edwards: Some Thoughts

Pros And Cons Of Leaping Into Molineux Fire

It started on a hill in Gloucestershire with Forest Green and continued apace with his first jumping of ship, followed with indecent haste by his first sacking. Now Rob Edwards is raising eyebrows again by turning his back on a possible promotion challenge at Middlesbrough to join Wolves for the third time. The international window has led to a period of radio silence and given the different parties time to catch their breath and prepare for an official unveiling that is likely to come early next week.

Minding The Gap

In Charge – But Only For Now

It started (and presumably finished) for James Collins as it did for Steve Davis three autumns ago – with a defeat at Chelsea. Two men from the less visible areas of the backroom team plunged into the Premier League spotlight in the most demanding of circumstances and unable, first up, to stop the rot that cost the permanent manager their job.

One Funny Guy

Birthday Boy Harry – A Total One-Off

Did anyone Bushbury or Fordhouses way find a new book among the discarded fireworks? Not today, nor yesterday evening or even this Millennium as it happens, but on November 6, 1991.

Just Champion!

Outstanding Look At When Wolves Were Leading Lights

Who is Jake Perry? And more to the point: Where has he been all these years?
The questions become relevant with his excellent Nights In Gold Satin book, which has left me wondering why we hadn’t seen much more of his words in the past.