Welcome to the latest instalment of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog.
For this blog, we went to a Premier League ground for the first time since the Gloucester Groundhopper began, and it was a historic club. Molineux Stadium, home of Wolverhampton Wanderers, was the venue. This was yet another new experience for me. and it certainly did not let me down.
Molineux Stadium is about a five-minute walk from the heart of Wolverhampton, so myself and Gloucester Groundhopper debutant, The Doctor, decided to explore the city and its attractions. Within five minutes of arriving in the city centre, it was clear that there were few of the aforementioned 'delights' to see, with only a cathedral and a statue of Prince Albert. That's all there is to the stories of the city centre, reader. As a result, The Doctor and I decided to abandon our journey to hypothermia (it was bitterly cold) and instead head to the stadium.
It’s All In The Name
Wolverhampton Wanderers are known as Wolves. The reason behind this nickname is obvious, it's a shortened version of their name, Wolverhampton. Wolverhampton is named after Lady Wulfrun who was granted the rights to the city in 985A.D. by Ethelred The Unready who was king at the time.
Some Notable Former Players
Rui Patricio (Former Sporting Lisbon)
Joleon Lescott (Former Manchester City)
Robbie Keane (Former Tottenham Hotspur)
Denis Irwin (Former Manchester United)
Notable People From Wolverhampton:
Jack Bannister-Commentator
Jack Hayward-President of Wolverhampton Wanderers
Beverley Knight- Soul Singer
Don Howe-Footballer
Jack Taylor- Referee
A History Lesson From AFC Finners
Wolverhampton Wanderers was founded in 1877 as St Luke's FC and was a founding member of the Football League in 1888.
The FA Cup was their first major trophy, which they won again in 1908. They would not, however, win another major award for another 41 years. However, in 1948, former club captain Stan Cullis took over as manager, ushering in the greatest era in the club's history.
Cullis' team, captained by the legendary Billy Wright, won the FA Cup in 1949 and the first division for the first time in 1954. In a friendly under floodlights in 1954, they defeated Hungarian side Honved Budapest 3-2. The game drew a lot of attention and highlighted the appeal of matches between teams from different countries. This would later prove to be a critical factor in the formation of the European Cup.
Cullis won two more league titles with Wolves and another FA Cup before his departure in 1964, and the club were relegated soon after.
They recovered to reach the UEFA Cup final in 1972, win the league cup in 1974, and win the league cup for the second time in 1980, when they defeated Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest in the final.
Many years of turmoil followed, with Wolves facing financial difficulties and even relegation to the fourth tier. After a 19-year absence, they would return to the top flight in 2003.
They were immediately relegated, but returned to the top flight in 2009, only to be relegated again a few years later.
In 2016, the club was taken over by Chinese investors Fosun, who turned around the club's fortunes. Under Nuno Espirito Santo, the club stormed to the championship title in 2018 to reclaim their place in the Premier League, and they have remained there ever since.
Honours
🏆 Football League First Division (Champions: 1953-1954, 1957-1958, 1958-1959) (Runners-Up, 1937-1938, 1938-1939, 1949-1950, 1954-1955, 1959-1960)
🏆Football League Second Division (Champions: 1931-1932, 1976-1977, 2008-2009, 2017-2018) (Runners-Up, 1966-1967, 1982-1983) (Play Off Winners, 2002-2003)
🏆Football League Third Division (Champions: 1923-1924, 1988-1989, 2013-2014)
🏆Football League Fourth Division (Champions: 1987-1988)
🏆UEFA Cup (Runners-Up: 1971-1972)
🏆FA Cup (Winners: 1892-1893, 1907-1908, 1948-1949, 1959-1960) (Runners-Up, 1888-1889, 1895-1896, 1920-1921, 1938-1939)
🏆Football League Cup (Winners: 1973-1974, 1979-1980)
🏆FA Charity Shield (Winners: 1949, 1954, 1959, 1960) (Runners-Up, 1958)
🏆Football League Trophy (Winners: 1987-1988)
🏆Football League War Cup (Winners: 1942)
🏆Texaco Cup (Winners: 1970-1971)
Matchday: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-1 Norwich City
Because the stadium is so close to the city centre, parking was easy to come by, and we parked in a car park opposite the train station for just under £5 for 24 hours. When you arrive at the ground, you are met by an underpass that connects one side of the dual carriageway to the other. This underpass contains a timeline of the Wolves' history, from their inception to the present. A few stalls on the other side of the underpass sell Wolves merchandise, programmes, food, and beers. There is also a fan zone in this area where you can sit and enjoy the atmosphere. One criticism I have is that the speakers were a little too loud, as I and The Doctor were standing right next to each other and couldn't hear each other speak.
As has become customary at the Gloucester Groundhopper, The Doctor and I decided to take a stroll around the stadium's perimeter. There are statues honouring notable Wolves figures such as Billy Wright, Stan Cullis, and Sir Jack Hayward. There is a museum in the Stan Cullis Stand that you can visit for £5, but we decided to skip it on this occasion. The club shop is right next door and sells Wolves merchandise such as replica kits, pin badges, and scarves.
We then decided to try to catch a glimpse of the players as they entered the ground. Unlike other clubs, which effectively dragged you out of the way of the players, there was a designated viewing area where you could watch the players get off the coach and take a photo or two (or 30 if you're like me). Our next task was to get into the ground. This experience was far superior to my previous one at Birmingham City. We were efficiently directed to the correct stand by friendly stewards, who performed their customary searches, albeit this time with a fancy metal detector, before directing us to the turnstile where we scanned our tickets. Job well done.
You were immediately approached by a club photographer (I hope) who offered to photograph the fans. I can only assume that some fans have previously requested a memento of their purchase of Hot Chocolate, because I have no idea why this guy was here. Anyway, we went to find our seats after The Doctor purchased his Hot Chocolate and politely declined a photograph to commemorate the occasion. Our seats were in the Stan Cullis stand, which had recently implemented Safe Standing protocols. I'm not sure what heaven on Earth is, but these seats were comfortable enough for me to believe I had discovered it. As we waited for the game to begin, we endured a long, cold wait. As it became clear that the fans would be standing during the game, I had to bid an emotional farewell to my comfortable seat as kickoff approached. The ten minutes before kickoff have to be the best atmosphere I've ever witnessed while watching football. There was Jeff Beck playing, flags, and fire shooter things for some reason. It was massive. When the referee entered the field, I made my customary remark, "It's all going to kick off now," and the game began.
Teamsheets:
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Manager: Bruno Lage
John Ruddy
Max Kilman
Conor Coady
Toti Gomes
Nelson Semedo
Leandro Dendoncker
Ruben Neves
Joao Moutinho
Rayan Ait Nouri
Fabio Silva
Daniel Podence
Substitutes
Chiquinho
Jose Sa
Ki-Jana Hoever
Marcal
Luke Cundle
Chem Campbell
Norwich City
Manager: Dean Smith
Michael McGovern
Sam Byram
Grant Hanley
Ben Gibson
Brandon Williams
Pierre Lees-Melou
Billy Gilmour
⚽Kenny McLean
Przemyslaw Placheta
Adam Idah
Milot Rashica
Substitutes
Max Aarons
Kieran Dowell
Matthias Normann
Teemu Pukki
Angus Gunn
Christos Tzolis
Dimitris Giannoulis
Jonathan Rowe
Jon McCracken
The game began fairly flat for both teams, and neither team was able to gain a foothold in the game for an extended period of time. Adam Idah had the best and only chance of the first 45 minutes when he was played through on goal by Milot Rashica, but he lacked composure and fired straight at John Ruddy. The banter between a certain Norwich City fan (nicknamed Harry Potter by the Wolves contingent) and a Wolves fan was the highlight of the first half. After contemplating getting Harry Potter's autograph, I turned to The Doctor and said, 'It might seem obvious, but this game needs a goal,' implying that if either team scored, the other team would have to come out and play a little more—not that I'd just figured out the rules of football after 15 years of watching it. Norwich City's goal came in stoppage time. Kenny Mclean headed a free kick from the left over John Ruddy and into the net. It sent Norwich fans into a frenzy, with drinks flying everywhere, seats being shattered, and even The Doctor contemplating a pitch invasion at one point. The halftime whistle blew almost immediately, and the score was 1-0.
To put it mildly, halftime was uneventful. One lovely Norwich fan in front of us began chatting with us about his love for Brandon Williams, and then became frustrated because his wife had bought him coffee instead of Bovril- a rooky error. I thought I was about to witness an extraordinary light show when a lady came over the tannoy system and asked us to raise our phones in the air. She then told us that if we raised our phones in the air, we had to donate £2 to the club. My hand has never moved so quickly downwards in my life.
The second half began, and it seemed inevitable that Wolves would score at some point because they had the ball for almost the entire half. To my knowledge, they only created one chance in the first half, with Daniel Podence hitting the post and the ball bouncing off the keeper but not into the goal. Ruben Neves was dictating play, but there was no final ball to allow for a clear cut chance. Norwich had the best chance of the half, with Teemu Pukki going through on goal and cutting it back to Matthias Normann, who forced a good save out of John Ruddy. Nothing else happened after that, and Norwich City cruised to victory.
After the game, it was clear that the victory meant a lot to Norwich fans, who haven't had much to cheer about this season. The fans and players celebrated together, and they could look forward to the FA Cup's next round. The Wolves fans were visibly frustrated that despite having so much possession, they didn't create much. In the end, Norwich were probably deserving winners due to their defensive performance. Norwich will now face Liverpool in the fifth round, while Wolves will focus on consolidating their Premier League position and possibly pushing for a place in Europe next season.
Scores On The Doors
Atmosphere: 8/10 Food and Drink: 7/10 Stadium: 6.5/10 Welcome: 5.5/10
Overall Experience: 6.5/10
GG
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