Voice Of Molineux -"We Can Learn From The Germans"

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"We Can Learn From The Germans - By Brian Myrie

On the 1st September 2001, the English Football team under Sven Goran Eriksson won a famous victory over the German National side. Whilst it was accepted that the German side was perhaps not as good as the famous German sides of previous campaigns, it was still seen as a famous victory albeit sweeter being made on German soil. The Observer newspaper at the time gleefully announced, "Uli Hoeness, Beckenbauer and all the other German history men, your team took a hell of a beating". Observer; 2^nd September 2001. The German World Cup adventure was seen as being in tatters this side would not even qualify for the subsequent World Cup and the English side was now installed as one of the firm favourites for the 2002 competition.

We are all aware of what happened to one of the firm favourites England during that momentous World Cup for England, which galvanised a nation, created new footballing junkies and re-established England as a World footballing force. Well what of the Germans, well they eventually scraped through to the finals themselves then after a reasonably low key and some would say lucky tournament actually made it through to the 2002 World Cup finals where they lost to Brazil. 

The description of that side on the day was that Germany's fast, physical challenge was laced with sufficient quality to make fresh demands of Luiz Felipe Scolari and Brazil's response to the challenge produced the best World Cup final since the West Germans lost 3-2 to Argentina in Mexico City in 1986. Excuse me, but was this not the same side that England had destroyed the previous year and of which it was widely held that there was no way back? 

I believe there are important lessons to be learnt from the Germany England game, which can be echoed in the current Wolves side dilemma. The Wolves team has suffered a reverse 5-1 against Blackburn and 4-0 against Charlton. After these matches it was accepted by a large vocal group of fans and pundits that the team would definitely be relegated come the end of the season. The performances were by all accounts woeful and naïve, the players were not up to scratch and could not compete at this level. The omens for the rest of the season were not good. 

What Dave Jones has done and certainly adopted a similar approach to the German Manager Völler was to go back to basics block the gaps that had appeared in the side and then begin to build the confidence of the players. The players were not rubbish, many had completed at this level with great and spectacular success, and they had beaten Newcastle United only the previous season a team that at the time was pushing for the double of FA cup and Premiership titles.  

In reality it maybe the Wolves side does not have the genuine World Class talent and ability to rise like the Phoenix, such as the, German national side during the summer of 2002. What it does have is experience in abundance and a mixture of youth and maturity, speed and mental agility to claw it's way out of trouble. They have virtually half a team to come back into the fold and that is as good as purchasing new players before the January deadline. They have started on that long road to recovery and if they are as half of successful as that German side last year I will be satisfied. Perhaps when we next play Charlton and Blackburn the results may bring a wry smile to all those Wolves fans that steadfastly believe that the team will show its true colours long before the end of the season.

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