WOLVES supporters should be thankful Mick McCarthy does not hold grudges. Earlier this year, the club's manager was patrolling the touchline at Molineux while "You don't know what you're doing" reverberated in the background. Fast forward 10 months and Wolves are ensconced at the top of the Championship, marching towards the Premier League and the natives have prefixed the manager's name with the word "Super".
It is quite a turnaround and one which those disgruntled with a few of McCarthy's decisions last season would do well to recall when Birmingham City make the short trip to Molineux today for a top-of-the-table clash. Another Wolves win would equal the club record of eight in succession but, far more significantly, open a nine-point lead over Birmingham and leave the third-placed Reading 15 points behind by the time they kick off on Monday. It is a position that suggests McCarthy knows exactly what he is doing.
"There were some people who would have had me sacked last season," the former Republic of Ireland manager admitted. "There were a number of names shouted towards the end of the season; Paul Ince and anyone else that could get a mention. I don't mind that, I'm not bitter and twisted.
"If you can just see beyond the results on a Saturday you can sometimes see the progress being made."
McCarthy has been building from the day he arrived at Wolves. Keen to provide a dose of reality he pointed out when he inherited a threadbare squad from Glenn Hoddle three summers ago that "my initials stand for Mick McCarthy, not Merlin the Magician". Some might have argued otherwise after he transformed a team that appeared to be destined for a relegation battle into one that reached the play-offs, before defeat to West Bromwich Albion.
Expectation levels had been raised and, while Wolves failed to live up to the hype last term - they missed out on a play-off place on goal difference - McCarthy has rediscovered the formula for success this season in the most spectacular style.
Wolves are the highest goalscorers across all four divisions, they are on course to accumulate more than 100 points and have registered seven consecutive victories twice in a season for the first time in their history.
That the success has arrived without the chequebook being hammered makes McCarthy's achievements look even more impressive. Michael Kightly, Kevin Foley, Matt Jarvis, Stephen Ward and David Edwards have all made an impact after being plucked from clubs outside the top two divisions.
"When I came here I did not have €24 million to spend. I only had €1.2 million in the pot at the time," recalled McCarthy, who is grateful to Steve Morgan, the Wolves chairman, and Jez Moxey, the club's chief executive, for their "support" when the dissenting voices made themselves heard last season.
"We have not done anything yet except win a few games and put smiles on people's faces," added the Wolves manager. "But we have a damn sight better squad now than the one I inherited."
Guardian Service
