Craig Hickey considers the ultimate question for Wolves Silverware or Premier League Survival?
It’s a new year and the usual FA cup excitement for football fans grabs a hold after the winter World Cup shenanigans interrupted the usual season as we know it. Normal service has now resumed with league games, FA cup games and the Carabao Cup in its latter stages.
Wolves fans at this time of year are used to being knocked out of the Carabao Cup, sitting in mid-table in the league and eyeing up a possible FA cup run. Remember, the FA cup semi-final against Watford in the 2018/19 season where we were 1 minute away from an FA cup final against Man City? The tears of despair have left scars on all of our optimistic minds, we still hope that silverware will once again appear at Molineux soon. We finished in 7th place that season and enjoyed a fantastic run in the Europa League in 2019/20, reaching the quarter-finals, only to be knocked out by the eventual winners, Sevilla…..more scars to heal. That season in the premier league just petered out as we finished in 7th place and narrowly missed a successive Europa League qualification by goal difference to Tottenham Hotspur.
So, our quest for silverware was thwarted again…… until this season.
There is a but though, we are 19th in the league and only have 14 points in the bag. In 2021/22 at this stage in the year we had 28 points from 19 games, it’s a massive difference and we seem to be going in the wrong direction. However, our exploits in the Carabao Cup have brought a new optimism that our quest for silverware could be within our grasp. A quarter-final visit to the City Ground, Nottingham this week is all that stands between us and a semi-final place in the new style League Cup. Of course, we won this trophy in 1974 and 1980, the latter success being against Nottingham Forest ironically (not Notts Forest, they hate being called that :)). In the same week we have an FA cup third round visit to Anfield and “a 6 pointer” against West Ham at the Golden Palace, in the league, it’s like National Express West Midlands buses, they all come at once!
Our optimism in the new Julen Lopetegui Era has seen our performances drastically improve and show we have our pack back, if only we could finish our chances and score more goals. Let’s hope that doesn’t hold us back in either the league or the cup.
The question we now have to ask each other in our social circles is simple;
Silverware in the Carabao Cup or Premier League Survival? It’s like the toss of a coin, isn’t it?
I suppose it’s a simple answer and staying in the Premier League is a must, if I am honest, why can’t we have both? On current form, we are looking stronger each game but we do need to finish our chances. In my opinion, for what it’s worth, a win at Forest could dent their pride and psychologically could help in our battle to climb the table. On the flip side, it could propel our beloved club into a two-legged Semi-final, which we are more than capable of getting a positive result and getting to the final.
So, now it’s up to you; silverware, survival or both? you decide, opinions are like back-sides we all have one……. Wolves Ay We.
article by Craig hickey
Craig Hickey, Fan of 50 years and season ticket holder