Few could be forgiven for thinking that Mick McCarthy had fielded his Under Eight side and not his reserves at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
Following the 3-0 defeat everyone has had a pop at the former Ireland boss. The press, the pundits, his fans and even Arsene Wenger managed to see his wrongs. The Premier League wants answers. Fans want their money back. Is anyone willing to stick up for McCarthy?
Well the answer is yes, and rightly so. Chief Executive Jez Moxey stated that the starting line-up still contained four full internationals, three capped Under-21’s and their current player of the season Kevin Foley. Wolves legend Steve Bull believes fans have to be realistic.
Wolves needed a minor miracle to win at Old Trafford. Surely even the most loyal Molineux regular would understand that. United were coming off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Villa and always bounce back well. A full strength Wolves side would have still needed a lot of luck to get anything from the game. United may have had an off day, these things happen, but you wouldn’t have put money on it.
In the modern game where rotation is the norm, McCarthy shuffled his pack to the extreme. In his eyes, Sunday’s game against Burnley was far more important. This is a game they could and probably should win considering the Clarets’ miserable away form this term. His players will now be fresh, having escaped needless potential for injuries and now as a result have a better chance of getting three points this weekend.
Every manager makes changes. It is impossible to keep the same 11 every week. Few complain when Ferguson sends out Gibson, Brown, Owen and Nani, all of whom wouldn’t usually make his starting XI. Few would have complained had Wolves gone to United and picked up a point with a weakened side.
The travelling support had good reason to be miffed at the team selection. It would feel like a kick in the teeth to travel up north and shell out money to see a second rate team play. Yet come the end of the season, if they survive, they’ll soon forget about their ‘surrender’ at Old Trafford. They visited in hope rather than expectation. Players like Andrew Surman impressed and have now given McCarthy some more options for the long relegation battle ahead.
Other managers would understand what McCarthy did. Wenger would have said nothing had his Arsenal side won at Burnley. If he spent more time sorting out his faltering side and less worrying about who Mick McCarthy picks, maybe they might actually push for the title.
At the end of the day, Mick McCarthy is the boss of Wolverhampton Wanderers. He makes decisions for himself and the club that employ him. These decisions will never please everybody. Yet, if Wolves beat Burnley on Sunday, those in gold and black will be ecstatic. Ecstatic that they have picked up three points from a game they might not have won had his players featured against United on Wednesday.
