80 Tomorrow – The Man Who Lit Up Young Lives
Deano Urges Support For His Boyhood Idol
Dean Edwards continues to go the extra mile for his first Molineux hero – and is rallying Wolves fans into making an imminent milestone birthday an extra-special event. Edwards attributes his love of all things gold and black to the massive impression left on him by Hugh Curran during his early match-day trips to the ground as a boy.
Upton And That Sky Blue Talent Drain
To Be Frank, The Doc Dropped Some Right Clangers
Tommy Docherty’s Wolves won only eight Second Division games in 1984-85. One of those was in late October, 2-1 over Crystal Palace, and was followed two days later by the manager dispensing with the services of his no 2, Jim Barron, and youth coach Frank Upton. Jim told me when I interviewed him for my 1992 goalkeepers book, In Keeping With Wolves: “We brought along some good kids. Tommy? He sat in his office and did his after-dinner speaking.”
A Fond Match-Day Meet-Up
‘Holly’ Delighted To Reunite With Old Mates
Mick Hollifield has made a memorable first return to Molineux in a decade and a half – and found himself surrounded by friendly, familiar faces. The Australia-based early-1980s Wolves left-back attended Saturday’s home game against Liverpool and stayed over in the city with his good pal, Mick Matthews, before heading out of the area yesterday.
A Sunny Outlook
Mike Relishing The Heat Of Top-Of-Table Battle
Mike Stowell has touched down back in Israel, eager to help his new employers extend their excellent start to the season. The record-breaking keeper has just had almost a week at home in Bristol during the international break but games resume this weekend and are soon about to take on a regular Thursday-Sunday routine for he and his colleagues.
Going Up With Wolves – The Revealing Inside Stories
Outstanding! Three Promotions And A Lot Of Fresh Insight
“Nuno was a strange guy. When he was more angry, more upset, more crazy, his team would win more. When he was smiling, his teams didn’t win. In the last season, he was more distant. He would just nod and smile when you spoke to him. In the best seasons, I fought with Nuno a lot. He has to be a coach who is angry.” This insight comes from the lips of Jeff Shi but dozens and dozens and dozens of others are available in the 400-plus pages of a new book Wolves fans really don’t want to be missing.
Kenny Gets The Point
Hibby Decides Needle Is Needed
Kenny Hibbitt has taken steps to ease an arthritic condition that has helped cast a shadow over his summer. The much-loved midfielder is head and shoulders the best golfer of his Molineux generation but was suffering some discomfort when we saw him on the course at Walmley, near Sutton Coldfield, in early May.
Dear Diary Entry 143
Close-Season Movement Aplenty!
Wednesday, August 2: Interesting news about former Wolves players….Ruben Vinagre, who returned to Portugal in 2022 following four years at Molineux, is back in the English Championship. After an unfulfilling time on loan last season to Everton, where Kevin Thelwell was presumably the catalyst to the deal, he has now been borrowed by Hull.
Fore! Beware Friendly Fire!
Day Of Danger But A Big Success
Wolves Former Players Association have launched Ryder Cup month with another highly successful staging of their annual golf day. A dozen Molineux favourites were joined in the warmth of Oxley Park by Gary Owen and Joe Mayo from Albion and Nottingham Forest and Derby star Archie Gemmill.
On Course For More Success
Master Keeper Now A Fund-Raising Champion
No manager knew him better as a player, so the trigger for this story is somehow highly appropriate. How, we asked Dave Jones, was the health of the golf circuit available to ex-players and bosses now former Arsenal and QPR defender Terry Mancini was 80 and less active in his role as chief tournament organiser.
Time To Climb?
History Beckons For Popular Marauder
Matt Doherty remains on the brink of an obscure piece of Molineux history as he awaits his debut for the club second time round. No-one among Wolves’ top 50 appearance-makers has ever put the sort of time between two successive Wanderers outings as the returning Dubliner is now doing.
