The Grey Wolves hunt for more.

[Ian McNamara]

Welcome to The Grey Wolves hunt for more, this is our fanzine for the upcoming season. Here we will have reaction and match reports and anything to do with the club new signings, anything that Wolves fans need to know. please enjoy the ride and we'll be giving you all the information here first. We can confirm all coaching staff for both under 23s and seniours have renewed there contracts apart from McNamara who already had a long term deal.

[Ian McNamara]

It's been a quiet pre-season so far with Wolves however we can finally introduce our 1st signing from the FMFA auction. We knew defence and midfield needed some reinforcements this season so this is where we targeted in the auction. We were successful in getting our second choice target, welcome to the club Piero Hincapie

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The 24 year old Ecuador international brings us much needed improvement in our defence at 6ft1 he's also got height and can play either centre half or left back. A strong left footed defender Hincapie has impressed in his loan deal at Arsenal which is what got us interested plus he's a younger player at 24 so this allows us to to get somebody else in and helps us with continueing to reduce the age of our older members of the squad. He also brings us fantastic leadership ability and will already be in the running for captain. He was also a bargain as we managed to get him cheap at 70,000,000 pounds, McNamara said the following about the deal.

"As usual we invited our 3 new potential signings over for trial and all settled in really well therefor we would have been happy with whoever was signed. Piero however along with our first choice signing who we missed out on both stood out especially Piero. He shown straight away he wanted to be here and we were the only club he was interested in.

Despite having played for bigger clubs like Arsenal Piero stated in our meeting he was exciting to join us due to the successful season we had last season staying up and felt we were a club moving forward and was excited to be a part of that. In his trial Piero shown fantastic skills and leadership ability and the fact he can play both centre half and left back makes him a very useful option. We're very excited to have managed to bring in a player of Piero's quality and we're looking forward to having him join us."

Hincapie has signed a long term deal at the club and we'll here from the player once he arrives after the relevant clearance has been obtained. All the paperwork is now complete so we're just waiting for the players international clearance to be obtained and for the FMFA to approve the signing however we don't forsee any issues so we're expecting him to arrive very soon. Welcome to the club Piero and we wish you luck with your careers at Wolves.

[Ian McNamara]

New Wolves signing Piero Hincapie spoke to Rovers TV not long after putting pen to paper on his long term deal at the club. The 24 year old Ecuador international stated he was excited by the challenge given the success the club achieved last season staying up in the first devision against the odds. Hincapie said he was excited to be part of such an exciting project that he believes can go from strength to strength. He also stated how excited he was to get a perminant deal at an English club due to enjoying his loan deal at Arsenal and feels this is the best place for him to improve his game. Hincapie said the following about the move.

"It is an honour to join such a forward thinking club, when I heard about the interest after finishing my loan deal at Arsenal I knew England was a place I wanted to come to and play permanently. When I was told of the interest Wolves had in me and I was invited for a trial I had no hesitation accepting the offer. As I was still here anyway it made sense to have the trial and it was lovely to be welcomed by such a fantastic squad of players. When the trial started I knew this was where I wanted to be very quickly and hoped that Wolves would be successful in signing me.

I followed the progress of the club last season, staying up against the odds in a higher devision was a huge achievement for the club and hopefully we can build on that next season. I believe I can help the club to take things to the next level and that's to consolidate our status in this league again. We've got to be careful we don't end up in a second season syndrome situation and end up going down. If we want to get access to more finances to improve our club assets we need to be in the top league. I also think this will help me from an international point of view as I'll be playing in one of the top leagues in the world on a regular bases which will improve me as a player and I feel this is the write place for me to take my next steps.

As a player I am a defender and enjoy my position. I love stopping players scoring goals and love the aggressive aspects of the game. I am happy playing either in the centre or on the left of the defence although I like centre half better if I was given the choice. For me it's playing football that is important so where ever the coach feels I can help the best that is where I will play. I enjoy playing with the ball out from the back and am comfortable if I am asked to take the ball into midfield.

Now I have finally arrived I am really looking forward to getting started and playing for such a forward thinking club. When I spoke to Ian at my trial I got the feeling I was wanted and he made it clear how he saw me fitting into the team. As a player that is key when you know a manager wants you as it means you can really start to progress when you know your wanted. This is a club that wants to be successful and I see no reason why they are unable to be.

We've got a big season ahead and all the players I have met so far have been fantastic and welcoming. We have a good mix of youth and experience in the squad and again that is important as it increases our chances of playing well especially in harder games where we will need more calmness about the team. I'm ready to get started now and hopefully we can do better or consolidate our place in the league next season."

Hincapie has joined in time for the tour of the country where we will be travelling to play a few lower level sides to get the players some fitness back. We look forward to seeing him in action and we feel he could be a top player for the club. Welcome again Piero.

[Ian McNamara]

Wolverhampton wanderers are delighted to announce there captains for the upcoming season. It was a tough choice as a number of players were in the running for both sides. In this post we're going to be introducing each of the captains then the managers will state why they were chosen and the captain will then speak about what it means for them to be chosen. So without further ado let's introduce our captains starting with the first team. Congratulations Dan Ballard.

Ballard was brought in in a huge deal from Sunderland last season and although starting badly with a red card he quickly became one of the most consistent defenders in the side and was a key part of us staying up. . At 6ft 2 Ballard offers a threat at both ends of the pitch and is a consistent performer. He's a defender who is not scared to put his body in the way and he's a fantastic leader and mentor especially to the younger players. McNamara said the following about his choice.

"It was a tough choice between Dan and new signing Piero however on reflection we chose Dan because of his performances last season and the work he's done on his improvement, this also means Piero and Dan as our main centre back partnership start the season as the same rating which means hopefully this will tighten up our defence. We want to stay up again this season and hopefully finish higher than last season so having a strong centre back partnership I felt was key.

Dan shown huge improvement last season after a shaky start getting sent off in his first game however gradually he became one of our reliable defenders and shown why he was worth us signing him. He is a tall commanding defender and is not easy to beat, he's a player who is determined and has a fantastic attitude and learns from his mistakes. I felt he deserved the roll because he is a player who shows fantastic leadership ability."

Ballard said the following.

"Given the mistakes I made last season at the beginning I was shocked that Ian decided to choose me however I am so honoured to have been given this chance and I will be determined to play my best so I don't let the manager down. Being given the captains armband is a huge honour and it is a roll I'll take seriously leading by example. When Ian told me I'd been chosen it was a shock as I did not even know I was in the running. I was convinced he was going to select Piero however I am determined to prove he made the write choice.

I Think centre back and centre midfield are perfect positions to captain from because we can see the whole game therefor it's easier to motivate our players because we know what is happening across the game rather than looking at it from the one position. I also feel I am a good choice for this roll because I know the devision and what we're up against. Being captain comes with massive responsibility however I feel this is something I'm ready for and I am going to grab this chance with both hands."

So let's now look at our under 23s choice and it's a surprising one as he did not have a huge amount of game time last season however shown amazing maturity when he did play and did not moan about his lack of game time, just got on with what was required, congratulations Harrison Jones.

Jones signed from Sunderland last season along with another young colleague and although his game time was limited he shown amazing ability and willingness to help team mates. The 21 year old midfielder shown amazing ability when he did play and although he found it hard to get into the team when he did he was consistent and shown he was not there to make up the numbers. Although there are much better midfielders in the squad Jones was chosen because of his willingness to put the team before himself which is a quality u23s coach Casey Barker admires. Barker said the following.

"Given he was not always first choice in the team last season my captain choice will probably surprise a lot of people. Harrison was chosen because he's a player who is committed and willing to put the team first. Although there are younger midfielders ahead of him with better skills Harrison is a player who I believe with this extra responsibility could become a dark horse in regards to making it at first team level. He is a hard worker for the team and helps the younger members of the squad around him. I feel Harrison deserves the chance to fight this season and being in an extra compitition with the u23s superleague added to the schedual we're going to need a big squad and for players to be as good as they can be. Giving Harrison this roll allows us to have a number of midfielders who can compete which means when players get injurd or suspended we can ensure decent replacements are available."

Jones said the following.

"Being captain is a huge honour and for someone who did not play a huge amount last season it means even more to me to have been noticed and selected. Casey has helped me a lot in my development over the last season and I am honoured she's seen something in me that allows me to have this chance. As a player I feel I've got a lot to prove and giving me this chance shows me that Casey believes I still have a future at this club. I work hard and I like ensuring the younger players than me are settled and enjoying there football and want to learn. I love playing in midfield as it's a perfect position to view the game from so I can motivate my team mates. I am determined to play a lot more this season and show that I am good enough to do a job in this team."

So that's are two captains for the upcoming season. We wish both players luck in there new rolls at the club and we can't wait to see how they both perform given the extra responsibility, we want to congratulate both players and urge them to make the most of this fantastic chance.

[Ian McNamara]

Wolves are ready for there opening game, due to our eighth place finish in the devision and other teams getting in who finished above us by winning other competitions it gives us an opportunity to qualify to play in the world club cup this season. This is a chance for us to test our abilities against some of the best sides in the world. This will mean we'll come up against new ways of playing and get the chance to face teams and players from different cultures and visit some new grounds were we to qualify. This is a fantastic opportunity for the club not only to add the potential of another trophy It's a chance to have a great learning experience and give us all a chance to improve players and coaches.

To get this opportunity we've got to overcome a tricky 2 leg qualifier against Brentford and although they don't have a manager they've got the experience of David guiding them through the qualification rounds until a caretaker or perminant manager is found. Brentford have some very useful players especially up front so our defence is going to have to be on there toes, Max Weiss is expected to start the season in goal however with Anthony Patterson's improvement last season he could easily become the number 1 goalkeeper if Weiss does not start well. In defence we have new signing Piero Hincapie who is expected to partner Dan Ballard at centre half and replace Rebaro with Tearney expected to switch to his preferred position of left back. It's understood that McNamara wants his defence to pass a lot and contrebute to the football the team are hoping to play this season. Ballard is the weaker option as he is not as strong at passing as some of the other defenders in the squad however he offers consistency and leadership which means he'll be lightly to concentrate on his defensive roll more giving the others the chance to do the fancy playing. Midfield is expected to look pretty much the same as last season, Although youngster Ben Stephens will hopefully be given the chance to fight for a place although he's significantly worse passing wise he's got age on his side and Patric ROberts is getting older. Up front it is lightly to be Mathys Tel and David Datro Fofana who get the starting place with captain Simione offering fantastic backup. McNamara said the following about the upcoming game.

"given the successful season we had last season staying up against the odds and doing it comfortably in the end the chance to play in the world club cup is a huge opportunity for us. It gives our players chance to play in a different competition and face some teams from different parts of the world which is fantastic experience for everyone. To play in this however we need to overcome qualification against Brentford.

Brentford won't be an easy team to come up against, although they currently do not have a manager David Gooch is leading them through the qualification rounds until a care taker or new full time manager is found therefor this won't be an easy game. David is very good at getting the best out of weaker sides as he's very experienced and tacticly aware. While on paper we may have the better squad Brentford do have some handy players so this won't be easy.

I am looking for the players to go out there and perform to the best of there ability, I can confirm we have a fully fit squad available to us so that's a fantastic start. While we've only made 1 signing so far it is a fantastic signing and one which should really help our team. I feel we've got a great chance of bettering last seasons finish in the league and if we could get through this qualification tye we'll add a extra Trophy opportunity. More games means more chance for players to develop and improve."

Captain Dan Ballard said the following.

"The first game of the season is always exciting, however the chance to qualify for the world club cup does add a bit of extra excitement to this match. It's a great opportunity for us as a team to play in a different competition and gives us the chance of another trophy. We've proven last season we're a capable side and got some fantastic results last season. This is a chance to up our profile as a club by playing in a competition of this nature so it's key we take this game seriously.

Brentford have some very good players who are more than capable of hurting us so we need to be very aware of this. We need to be switched on throughout the game and concentrate on our jobs and what the manager has instructed us to do. Since coming into this squad last season I've been blown away by every single player's commitment weather playing or on the bench. As captain it's my job to lead by example therefor I need to play steady and ensure I don't start the season in the same way I did last season."

The game against Brentford will be live on Wolves TV from 8 pm onwards we look forward to the season opener and let's hope Wolves can qualify for this fantastic opportunity to play in a high quality competition. Thank you to all the fans who are traveling to Brentford to support the team and lets hope we can come away with a positive result.

[Ian McNamara]

This evening in our first leg of the world challenge cup qualifier against Brentford we came away from the Gtech community stadium with a 4-3 lead in tact. In what was a very tough game we went two 0 down early on however thanks to strikers Mathys Tel and David Fofana we managed to peg it back to 2-2 however Brentfords GUe then got his second goal of the game making it 3 2 to them. Brentford then had a player sent off and went down to ten men. Last seasons captain Simione came on and scored two goals write at the end of the game to give us a 4-3 win.

It was a very tough match with both teams determined to get a result. Brentford were unlucky not to get anything from the game and a draw would have been a fair result. We however did what mattered and managed to fight back and achieve a result. At 2-0 down we could have given up however we did not and shown we're willing to scrap for results and more importantly all 3 of our main strikers wer on the score sheet early on in the season which is positive. McNamara said the following about the result.

"This was a very hard game between two pretty even sides. Brentford were probably the better side overall however we were not willing to give up and that's what won us this game today plus a red card for Brentford, I believe if they had not had there player sent off they would have got at least a draw from this game. Our players however shown spirit and determination and did not let the fact they were 2-0 down stop them fighting. When Mathys got the first goal I knew then we were in with a chance then David Scored the equalizer after being a constant threat and almost scoring a few times before. Giovanni coming on and scoring the 2 goals at the end was the perfect way to come off the bench and put himself into my thoughts. He was a fantastic player for us last seson despite coming up from the second devision and although he's lightly to be 3rd choice I still see him as a key player going forward until our younger players in the under 23s achieve there development goals.

The team were fantastic and played well for each other, Vaden since being moved from defence to midfield has gone from strength to strength, I made the descision to move him into midfield as I could tell how comfortable he was getting involved in the game further forward and I felt he was wasted as a defender. The whole team shown commitment and willingness to continue from where they left off last season. I am optimistic after seaing this performance as I suspect there will be a lot of hard games this season and we're going to have to work very hard if we want results."

So Brentford come to us for the second leg a goal behind, hopefully we can do enough to get to the final of the qualification rounds by being professional in the second leg and working hard to achieve a result. The second game will be highly anticipated by the fans especially if Brentford have not got a care taker or full time manager. We now turn our attention to our first proper game of the season and we'll post more information on that and preview it when it arrives. Well done to the team on a positive first result and let's hope this continues.

[Ian McNamara]

After a 3-1 win in the home leg Wolves have qualified for the world club cup, while the league is our priority the more trophies we're in for the more games our players have a chance to play for gaining abs. We played amazing in the home leg and while Brentford gave us a fantastic game we managed to be more clinical in the home leg and defended much better. Mathys Tel got us another two goals and Kearon Teerney got one. Winning this two legged tye means we'll be competing in the world club cup for the first time and given it's our coaching teams secodn season in charge this is massive for us. This is a fantastic opportunity for us to test ourselves against some of the best teams in world football.

The world club cup is a chance for some teams across the world to meat and play each other, It's a chance for us to gain new ideas and llook at new styles of play based on how other sides choose to play. Wolves reaching this competition is a fantastic achievement and already our season ticket sales have increased McNamara said the following.

"This is a fantastic achievement for us, it makes what we did last year even better as not only did we stay up thanks to what other teams did above us and in other competitions it allowed us to have a chance to qualify for the world club cup. We were predicted to finish in the bottom 3 last season however we did more than that and ended up finishing comfortably above the drop zone.

Our players are going from strength to strength and qualifying for this competition shows that we're determined to improve and move forward as a club. It'all be hard as it means an extra competition as well as the under 23s qualifying for the super league however it allows our players to improve more and it will also give us a chance to use our squad widely and depending on form more players may end up with gametime. This is an exciting competition and it's what the players deserve after the work they've done sinse me and my team came in. We've got a very good squad of players and we can only improve further."

Wolves will now progress to the next stage of the world club cup along with Manchester united who overcame Manchester city so it's now onto the competition proper to show what we can prove. Our next post will be a squad review for the upcoming season once our new youth striker has fully arrived. ongratulations to Ian and his team for achieving this first big result of the season.