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Post by Macmoish on Sept 19, 2011 9:09:28 GMT
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Post by londonranger on Sept 21, 2011 21:45:45 GMT
Simon is back on Net doing th w reports imo superb writer thought people might want a reminder of our
Wolves fest.
Wolves Mauled by Marauding Rangers
Published on Sunday, 18 September 2011 23:27 Written by Simon Skinner
Neil Warnock’s new look Rangers side turned in its second sparkling display of the week at Molineux on Saturday. On Monday against Newcastle United Rangers did everything but score, there were no such worries here as Wolverhampton Wanderers were dominated from start to finish and clinically put to the sword.
With Armand Traore recovered from the bout of cramp that forced him off early against Newcastle, Warnock named an unchanged starting XI and an unchanged bench for this one. This meant Kenny was in goal behind Young, Ferdinand, Gabbidon and Traore. Barton, Derry and Faurlin were in midfield with Wright-Phillips and Taarabt playing either side of Bothroyd in a fluid front three.
Rangers started like a house on fire and had forced a corner after barely thirty seconds. The ball in was cleared and there seemed little danger when Gabbidon collected it facing the touchline, he somehow managed to engineer a cross in and Derry climbed highest to power a header that was destined for the top corner before Wayne Hennessey produced a stunning flying save to turn it over the bar.
Rangers were making all of the early running, Wright-Phillips and Taarabt were buzzing around picking up the pockets of space between the Wolves back four and midfield and the home side didn’t seem to be able to pick them up. It wasn’t long before Rangers turned their early superiority into the opening goal. The outstanding Faurlin floated a ball toward Wright-Phillips at the far post, the little wingers volleyed cross bounced into the turf toward the arriving Barton and the R’s skipper met it with his right shin to wrong foot Hennessey and steer the ball home.
The Rangers contingent behind the goal at a work in progress Molineux had barely finished celebrating when the lead was doubled. Traore and Taarabt combined down the left before the ball was slipped in to Barton who had darted into the box. His far post cross was cleared by Elokobi but the ball only went as far as Faurlin on the edge of the box. The Argentinean midfielder controlled the ball on his chest before thrashing a swerving left footed volley past Hennessey into the bottom corner.
Wolves tried to respond and were screaming for a penalty when Stearman hurled himself to the ground under minimal contact from Wright-Phillips as he tried to meet a cross from Jarvis. The ball was partially cleared as far as Henry who sent a low volley thudding off the base of the post with Kenny powerless to intervene. That was just about as good as it got for Henry and Wolves who turned in wretched individual and team performances.
Wright-Phillips had a great chance to make it 3-0 soon after when he was played in behind the Wolves defence, with Stearman trailing in his wake once again he tried a first time lob when he perhaps had enough time to get it down and take the keeper on one on one. Hennessey gathered his effort with ease. The Rangers attacks kept on coming though and from all angles.
Traore was having a stormer at left back and he went on a powerful run from halfway that carried him right through the heart of the defence, Berra did well to recover and block the Senegalese’s effort. At the other end Ward headed an O’Hara corner over the bar after Kenny was blocked off as he came for it. Bothroyd had a lash with a thirty five yard free kick that was easily held by Hennessey, Taarabt tried his luck from similar range and missed the target by a mile.
Taarabt came closer as the half drew to a close. A lovely period of possession football from Rangers that saw the ball worked effortlessly round the field ended with Barton sliding a perfect ball into the path of Taarabt who had found space coming in from the right. The Moroccan controlled and shot only to see Elokobi block the shot out for a corner. Taarabt then returned the favour and slipped a ball inside to Barton and he curled an effort just wide.
There was still a final chance in the half as Barton powerfully headed the ball over the Wolves defence, Stearman tried to step up and play Wight-Phillips offside but went too late. The former Chelsea man controlled and was about to shoot when Stearman somehow managed to get back at him and execute a fine challenge before he could get his strike away. The half time whistle brought a wholly justified chorus of boos from the home fans; their team had been as poor as Rangers had been good.
McCarthy made a double change at the break with the hapless Elokobi and the anonymous Kightly replaced by Vokes and Guedioura. This meant that Ward reverted to left back in the reshuffle. Elokobi had spent most of the half kicking the shit out of Barton; the rest of the time was spent surrendering possession to the nearest Rangers player.
As expected, Wolves were certainly livelier after the break; anything would have been an improvement on their baffling first half display. They were getting more of the ball than before but they just didn’t seem to have a clue about how to unlock the solid Rangers rearguard. Ferdinand in particular was outstanding on the day. Kenny will scarcely have an easier afternoon in The Premier League such was the dominance of the men in front of him.
Roger Johnson, not looking great value at £7,000,000; headed a corner over the bar, a far cry from one of the moments of the first half when he was easily beaten to a long ball in the air by all five foot five inches of Shaun Wright-Phillips! Rangers though were comfortable in the extreme, when they did win the ball back they kept it for prolonged periods, whilst they weren’t cutting through Wolves as they had in the first half they were taking time out of the game.
Taarabt saw a low shot saved by Hennessey before Warnock made a double switch with around twenty minutes to play. The tireless Bothroyd was replaced by Campbell and Taarabt was replaced by the more industrious Smith. Moments later it was almost 3-0. Traore went charging off down the left for the umpteenth time and this time played a ball into Wright-Phillips, he got the ball out of his feet before clattering the ball off of Hennessey’s right hand post with the keeper lucky it didn’t rebound back off him toward the goal.
With three minutes left Rangers did grab their third goal and yet again the pace of Wright-Phillips and Traore was key. The former burst into space and when he found himself challenged he managed to smuggle the ball to the onrushing Traore. The left back drove into the box and intelligently squared the ball for Campbell to slide it in from six yards. The home areas emptied at a rate of knots as the Rangers fans celebrated wildly.
Wolves finally managed to force Kenny into some meaningful action as the game entered injury time. Guedioura fired in a low shot that Kenny held with ease before Young was wrongly penalised for a fine challenge twenty yards out. O’Hara took the kick and Kenny flew to his right to make a save that was more for the benefit of the press photographers than the need to keep the ball out in such spectacular fashion.
The game should have been all over but there was time for an ugly spat. Barton and Campbell combined on the right and the new skipper took the ball past Henry in the corner only for the former Stoke man, and a man who has history with Barton, to fly in with a crude lunge. Somehow the referee didn’t even award a free kick when it should have been a yellow card at the bare minimum and Barton, after exchanging pleasantries with the home fans, went looking for his assailant. With play stopped after Vokes elbowed Ferdinand in the head, Barton had to be pulled away from Henry as he lost his rag big time.
The situation seemed to have calmed by the time the final whistle sounded but the two soon found each other again and once more things looked like they could get ugly. Henry had been appalling throughout and had not been able to get anywhere near any of the Rangers midfield three so it was little surprise that he eventually reverted to type when an opportunity to kick his nemesis finally presented itself. Barton has been vociferous on both Twitter and Sky Sports’ Goals on Sunday programme about how little time the two men have for each other.
That episode didn’t distract from what was a superb performance by Rangers. They dominated from first whistle to last, scored three, could have scored three more and barely gave up a chance worthy of the name. All fourteen players that got on the pitch did their jobs to the letter and every one of them should feel immensely proud of this result.
Armand Traore
The Senegalese left back was a study in perpetual motion, thundering up and down the left flank, always in the right place in defence and always a threat in attack.
Kenny – 7; Young – 7; Ferdinand – 8; Gabbidon – 7 (Hall – 6); Traore – 9; Barton – 8; Derry – 7; Faurlin – 8; Wright-Phillips – 8; Bothroyd – 7 (Campbell – 7); Taarabt – 7 (Smith – 7)
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Grace19 September 2011 08:27Reply
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Wolves fan here.
Congrats on your very well deserved win on Sat.
For what its worth I thought the lad Faurlin was head & shoulders above anything else on view, closely followed by Traore & Barton.
Good turn out by your fans as well.
Henry/Barton nonsense, has nothing to do with our 2 clubs they should be put in a ring & told to sort it out, though I don't think Barton would last too long in that one.
ATB for the rest of the season.
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