Kenny Jackett’s missing jigsaw piece

Article by Robin Attfield

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As the loan market comes into play wealthier clubs become keen to recoup a small element of their outlay on numerous surplus players and provide them the opportunity to at least play some competitive football. Less wealthy clubs seek to complete their line-ups and fill the gaps that they have been unable to resolve from limited human or cash resources. Even less wealthy clubs seek the crumbs from the table knowing that anything they can garner is likely to improve what they have.

In a business where winning is everything goal scorers have become the priority and when championship sides can pay or refuse offers for £10m strikers, the market in this position has meant that only the financial mighty (or risk insensitive) can afford to buy and the poor are hard pushed to retain any quality they develop. My own club, the Wolves, has been seeking a striker since we secured promotion but wants one within its budget. Why is it, by the way that transfer deadline has been hyped by the media solely on the basis of money spent? Shrewd business and growing your own talent have little attraction to agents and the media circus that all draw profit from the exchange of wealth and fans have to be sucked in! Not all of the astronomically priced players will be successful but the rich can afford multi -million mistakes as we see from the likes of Andy Caroll and Fernando Torres. A club like Wolves cannot afford that sort of error and wasn’t there something obscene when Man Utd played Burnley with a team that cost more than Burnley had spent in transfers in its entire history!!! How fitting that the man-of-the match went to a much travelled midfielder who started his career at Old Trafford!

Back to Wolves and the missing piece of the team jigsaw. Having failed in the transfer window for a striker we are again trying for Chris Wood, on loan this time, who has long been Kenny Jackett’s coveted choice with the pair having successful previous history at the Den. It appears the club has been keen to have a balanced pay policy that leads to dressing room harmony – a much neglected factor in international, club or park football - and not jeopardise it through creating inequitable stardom for one or two . After a fabulous start to the season, our only fault so far has been failing to convert chances into goals. Playing a fluid system with a single strike, supported at times by advanced midfield or wide men, means we have dominated possession in most games. Nouha Dicko, our sole striker, has worked phenomenally but has just a single goal to his credit. Clinical finishing is not yet his strength and probably never will be. His contribution has been great and his partnership with fellow Mali international, Bakary Sako, is clearly based on mutual professional and personal respect and belief in each other. If Chris Wood is signed on loan (or someone else for that matter), we will definitely strengthen the squad in any area where it is needed but how will we accommodate their need to play with our style of play and team morale? I am certain that KJ will have thought this though carefully and he has shown great tactical and human awareness in his time at Wolves along with an ability to make tough calls. So which of the following might arise?

1-Will 4-5-1 / 4-3-3 become 4-4-2 to accommodate two strikers when this has not worked before? … I think not.

2-Will Dicko’s role change so that he plays further behind the first striker and also out wide at times? Possibly. Edwards would be the sacrifice but I think this is unlikely.

3-Will Dicko and Wood play half a game each? Maybe at times but this will not keep either happy long-term.

4-Will Sako respond well to any demotion of his pal Nouha and seek to create chances for his replacement with as much enthusiasm as before? Of course he is professional but he is also human.

5-Will a new striker add to our goals conversion tally? Possibly but nothing is assured. KJ knows Wood and must believe that he will fit the bill.

6-Will one of our back-up strikers (or both) go out on loan? Yes – a development for young McAlinden but a sign of failure for Clarke?

Of course, football is fickle and everything can change in 24 hours. With our Mali contingent not due back until the day before our next match, one of the reserve strikers should get pitch time against a poor Blackpool side. A performance or a goal could change the pecking order and the plan.

Since his arrival KJ has got nearly everything right and it is now a pleasure for the first time in many years to go Molineux and watch team spirit, a clear system, passing football, winning built from a position of recent failures and where players have been chosen to fit a team system rather than bought in isolation. This next piece of the jigsaw will be challenging for KJ and the team and the crowd. Fuelled by media hype too many of the crowd have been underwhelmed by acquiring two very good players for nothing, a third for a relatively small fee and see the simplistic answer to success as “splash the cash”. KJ’s PR communication skills will be tested but only if the team starts losing.

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