Broccolis, A Hodgey, a Win

Hodgey

Just standing down the Cut as you do. Dog slowly curling a hot one out. Saw a Heron and some other early risers this morning. I’m just waiting to see one of me muckers you know. One of those dudes who are Wolves. Sometimes they are having an exercise, a gentle or not so gentle walk. Some of them are down there because the canal is a good way to move between areas carrying drugs or illicit goods. But you always get a good ten minute chat about the Wolves and what’s been going on. It’s all good energy.

Are you relieved a bit? I am. A win and three points. I was glad when the Ref blew the whistle. I’d thought he’d lost the bloody thing. Eight minutes? Give ya weird head a wobble. What’s Refereeing a game come to really? Who are these Clowns? Where do they get them from? You see these types of dude getting out of PureGym every day. Bald heads, hyper toned muscle system. Always have a little gym bag. I watch them ya know. They always check in the windows how buff they look even if they have a shiny head. They almost always get into a Ford or a Volvo….some get in a Vauxhall. There’s a plethora of academic papers waiting to be written about these dudes. I bet they fuck like they build Meccano. Steve Cooper is like this at least to me. He always looks like he’s had a bad photo taken of him at an inopportune time. A face like a recycle bin to be honest. Pre game fun was had by looking at the Broccolis media team energy which was high level jocularity, good paintshop skills showed a Social Media post with a Brocolli player having fun with some Wolf Cubs. All funny of course, how I laughed. Because IT WAS TOO FUCKING EARLY! Who was responsible? Some fruitcake who doesn’t know about the Football Gods. Mate they have to be worshipped and offerings made pre game. The lucky item of clothing, some touch Sir Jacks foot, some have weird esoteric things they do before a match. But man, we don’t start waxing the fucking win lyrics before a balls been kicked. Nah. Maybe the odd prediction for your mates or your followers on the SOCMED but fucking hell Media team. Of course Ruben was quick to share it on the player chat they have on Whatsapp. Did it fire them up? I suppose it did in a way. I mean joking aside Pro Football players are a pretty competitive bunch but you know I think it did annoy them a bit.

Steve Davis God bless his name whacked on a 4-3-3 thing for us. Attacking for sure in that Wolves way that means it was like being attacked by a Foam Hand. But shapes were there for sure. The passing was a bit more exciting. A ping here and there, Adama having the time of his life down the right with shit loads of room to move around in. Gibbs White got some decent neck off the Molineux but man, It wasn’t high grade shit for sure it was a bemused piss taking I suppose. I like Morgz but never really understood him but it was his movement that lead to the first Broccoli chance. Decent chance too but wasted. So it’s all movement for sure and all a bit lacklustre I suppose, no real aggro in any of it. It’s to be expected of course, we are slowly climbing out of a pit of despondency and the lack of meaning. Clambering maybe, I dunno. It’s certainly not Wolves yet but it’s certainly wolves. I enjoy Jonny back on the right, I enjoy Ayit Nouri busting big shapes. I enjoy Ruben back (thank fuck). In fact I enjoy everything about where Stevie Davis and his mate Collins has decided to shift people. I like Hodgy being on the bench. I like him…..I might learn to love him too. There’s nothing like a bit of that Irish fight in a Wolves shirt. Tell ya what, I’m going to shut up about him now but in the next few months I am going to have things to say about this young man.

So yes, it’s definitely football on show and it seems like a few of the old loud faithful have got their hands on a spare ticket because there seems to be life in the old Molineux for a change. People are shouting and singing. I hope it didn’t upset people this show of emotion. I mean it ay Tennis is it? Were there some sweary words too here and there? Bloody hell ar dunno. We are moving into space though and tackles are being made, elbows jangling. Brocollis energy is mainly confined to the odd free kick or corner. They are a bit shit but they kind of remind me of us. Confusion sometimes, a lack of a quick pass, midfield was constrained by it purely because there was a lack of rhythm from both sides, a lack of cadence. When you watch better teams they have a uncanny sense of position and shape, they glide the ball to each other effortlessly and with artistic flourishes. No, none of that but it was workmanlike and kind of like great football. So we get a penno after some blazing Adama madness and Ruben steps up and wangs it in the net. 1-0 mate but there is a weird vibe to the whole celebration because I think the crowd has forgotten what it’s like to be in front in a game so confusion yes, happiness double yes. Will we build on it and forge ahead to send these East Midlanders back home with sad little East Midland faces? Nah. It’s Wolves so we forget we can slice these teams up and we make it hard for ourselves by just taking our feet off the gas at the worng moments. I mean I’m watching it on a stream, so I can’t get the full feeling. But that’s what it felt like. So the Brocollis end up getting a second touch and moving the ball. But they don’t look like Killers this lot. I think they have less of an idea of who they are than us lot.

Costa was making me laugh. I mean I love the bloke, he’s a nutcase. Half the battle in playing teams at Molineux is throwing some Psychological shapes at minds a bit thick to understand the whole Pantomime from Diego. He’s a few yeards short of fitness this Costa bloke, you can tell. He’s getting back though for sure. He might be firing on all cylinders by the time the new Coach has unpacked his bag at the Mount Hotel anyway. Certainly more to come from him but dude, people who watched him at the ground told me they loved his shithousing and man, I’m all behind that kind of Jazz.

Of course the brilliant Refereeing awards the Brocollis a penalty and a dimness falls on everything. You see inside us, we were hoping for a good win, or just a win really. I would have been looking at the sky at this point wondering why the Gods hate us….but man, we didn’t post any energy on the socials like they did. Why should we suffer? Why do we have to wangle our way through this game, a goal in front, only to see us denied? But I think the Gods had seen that photo the Brocollis media team had uploaded (then took down). Yes the Gods of Football had seen it. Although at the moment they do not cast a Godly eye upon our team they certainly gave Joe Sa some energy. Yes him with the floppy hand from a broken wrist. A fracture they say. The Gods giggle of course as they quaff their Ambrosia and cavort with the Nymphs or whatever the Football Gods get up to. They give Joe Sa the eye of love and subconsciously tell Sa where to go when he hits the ball. He saves. He’s only got one hand. Beautiful. I shout that loud the Tropical Fish start diving around. Splish Splosh.

It’s a win. Morgan Gibbs White isn’t smiling as he trudges off. The forecasted Morgz hat trick energy dissipated into the sky above Wolverhampton. A fucking win. It wasn’t pretty or beautiful. Still a very long way to go with this team but fucking hell, three precious points and a bit of impetus into the next match instead of glum post mortems and more energy that is dark and dank. To be honest it’s movement and positive movement that has to be transformed into some sort of belief for the team. These days are very uncertain for this team. A new Coach will arrive soon with their own ideas that need to be shoehorned into the teams abilities. Fine detail stuff that Coaches do best. The five dudes I spoke to down the canal that early had a mixture of post mortems about the game. From near ecstasy at the win to a depressed and sad mumbling about how shit we were. Typical Wolves stuff really, half full or half empty. But the way I look at it is this way. It’s a win. Three points. Positive movement. Something is happening. This team had a bit of belief in themselves yesterday and I think they are slowly but surely casting off the shroud of despondancy they have wrapped around themselves for the last few months. Ruben is learning how to be a Captain. Moutinho shouts on the touchline, commands and exhortations. Players are learning how to play with each other, are learning about each others football and personalities. Things are beginning to mesh together.

Young Hodge is throwing shapes, chasing the ball. A Forest player flies into the air after one of his challenges and Hodgey walks away non plussed. This young man I like. I wonder if, and hope he gets more first team chances. He is a beautiful thing to me. He reminds me of Roy Keane but finer detail. This, to me is the future of this team. Hunger and ability, passion and strength. For Gods sake I hope the new Coach doesn’t leave him back with the Yoots or send him out on loan. I want him right here playing every match, developing and learning everything he needs to. Yes, glints of light through the cloud me little sugar plums.