FMFA Manager

So welcome to game day, we're busy tonight as we're in two different places. The first team are in London as they play Arsenal and the u23s are making the short trip across the Midlands to Aston villa. It's been a busy week for McNamara and Parker getting there squads ready however both coaches have now done all they can, teams are picked and in and nothing more the coaches can do now as it's up to the starting 11 to do the business. So first we're looking at the first team game against Arsenal.

It's our first game since getting promoted last season thanks to the great work Alex Nock did for us however now it's time for McNamara and Duff to take the rains and hopefully prove the pundits wrong as we've been tipped to finish tenth which is the 1st relegation place. We start off with a tough game against Arsenal and manager Jamma. McNamara and Clackston have struck up a friendship sinse Clackston came back into football recently and Clackston has helped McNamara make some tough choices for other jobs. However the friendship will be out of the window I am sure for the 90 minutes. These are two managers who have not faced each other a lot so it's going to be interesting match up. Understandably Arsenal will be the favourites however Wolves have worked hard in the off season and have put a good squad together and looking at both teams on paper their is quite a lot of positives for Wolves. McNamara said the following.

"So our first game is away at Arsenal, looking at the two squads the most dangerous threats for Arsenal is their goalkeeper and up front. We need Mathys to hit the ground running because Arsenal have a very good goalkeeper who is young and not far from getting to 27 rated. Giovanni at 24 rated will most lightly find it difficult against this goalkeeper however hopefully his experience and knowhow will enable him to trick him and get some decent chances off. Looking at Midfield and defence Arsenal have a slightly better defence however Midfield I'd say is quite even although they do have 1 24 rated which we don't have. If Mathys can get shots off and we can keep their strikers quiet we have a chance however if we can't this could be difficult. We need Max to really show his capability and cope under the pressure he will be under as the sooner the 21 year old rates up the better chance we will have. I do believe however we do have a chance in this one however we need to worry about our own game and not get into any petty arguments and concentrate on what we need to do.

We will be relying on our new players to hit the ground running and hopefully the good pre-season will help this as a number of them came in early. All we can do is our best and as long as every single player shows me 100% commitment that's all I ask. Winning against teams like Arsenal will be a bonus it's the teams around us that will be the games that will decide our fate. I need my players to show hunger and commitment and show me they want a result. I am happy to say we've got a full squad available for our first game so we are looking forward to getting started. The first game is always an exciting time for a coach as anything can happen."

Captain Simeone said the following about the upcoming match.

"We are all ready to go, we know it will be a difficult game however we've worked hard and we're as ready as we can be. Arsenal will be a tough team to face however we've got abilities and deserve to be in this league after getting promoted. Our aim tonight is to show we deserve to be fighting it out against these teams. Teams like Arsenal are a bonus result if we can achieve a positive result it's the games against the teams around us that will show us where we really are. Games against the big teams however are a chance to show we're not just here to make up the numbers and can compete against these teams. Myself and the lads have worked really hard to get ready for this game and now we just need to go out their and let the football do the rest."

So now we focus on the under 23s team who will be travelling to Aston Villa to face Alex nock our caretaker from last season. New coach Casey Parker who despite having only been in the roll for a very short time has used her short stint as head of development to good advantage. She already had the respect of the squad and has really worked hard to get the players ready due to the quick promotion of Carlo to goalkeeper coach after Wayne Hennisy decided he wanted to take a head coaching roll in the wales league. Parker said the following.

"Our first game is against a good Aston villa side, they won this league last season so they won't be a team to mess with. We've got a good squad and we're capable of getting results however being capable and doing it are two different things. I've told the players that they need to be on their game tonight and I need them to be fully focused.

I can confirm that the two players leaving for villa will get a 20 minute outing to say goodbye to the fans, I was going to start both players however decided given they are leaving we need to see what the team looks like on the pitch without them so they'll both come onto the pitch at some stage of the game. Both lads also came to me and asked if they could be subs given who we are against and the pending move and I decided to respect their wishes. I am excited as we have a fantastic group of players here at the under 23s and I feel we can really do well this season. They got a 5th place finish last season however I believe we have the ability to beat that."

Captain Stevens said the following.

"I am really excited for the first game of the season and to be leading the team out. It is against a good side in Aston Villa and we know Alex and his team will have them ready and really up for the game. All we can do is concentrrate on our own game, not do anything silly and do what we do best which is play football. We're a side who is capable and full of ability so we just need to be ready to show that on the pitch. I hope to be able to make a good contribution both defending and attacking."

Both matches will be live on wolves TV on the respective squad channels from 8 pm. We thank all fans who have made the journey and let's hope that both teams can start off with a positive result.

So after the first league matches of the season we come away with mixed results. The 1st team did fantastic and managed a win against a very good arsenal side who are expected to be challenging for the title. Our under 23s team suffered a narrow 2-1 Loss away at villa with young Defender assifo scoring the goal and Captain Simeone scoring for the first team. Both sides were professional and acquitted themselves well which is important when representing the club away from home. Although the under 23s lost the game they did not give up even when going 2-0 down which is important as if you drop your heads results can get worse. McNamara said the following about the seniours result.

"I am really proud of the players, they worked hard for this result and managed to keep Arsenal pretty quiet from an attacking point of view. Max shown great maturity in goal and the more saves he made the more confident he became. The players worked together to achieve this result and Patrick Roberts caught the eye behind the strikers. The early partnership between Mathys and Giovani shows huge promise and Giovani scoring our first goal of the season is fantastic so I am hopeful he will be able to continue this form and bring his goal scoring from last season into this one. In defence we were strong with Tray hume and Kimber both having strong games. Dan Ballard knows his behaviour was not good and appologised to myself and his team mates, given it was his first game in a higher league and with a new team we've decided to let it go for now given he's taken responsibility however he does realise that displaying behaviour of that nature again in the future could cost him his place in the side. The result was even more special as we had to play a significant amount of the match with 10 men however the players shown maturity and did not let the man down affect them. I am proud to have managed to achieve this result and hopefully we can continue to produce shock results and prove the pundits wrong and remain in this league."

Under 23s manager parker said the folllowing.

"Losing our first game is tough to take however on balance of play Villa were the better side. We did not show enough quality in midfield given the players we have in that position which was surprising however Villa were strong and kept us quiet making it hard for us. Vadan and Asifo however were very strong at the bak and I can see both of those going on to play first team football within the next season or so. Vadan will most lightly go up quite early in the season so their is a high chance that he'll be playing first team football at some point as we want to keep ben and Ryan down to give them the chance to improve so when they go up next season they'll be in much better places to compete for a place. Up front we did not show much however Kyle in Midfield did try very hard to create chances. I do have plans to try something different with this team in future games so the arrival of our two new players will help a lot especially with Vaden improving very quickly."

So mixed fortunes for our two squads however the mood in the camp is still positive so their is hope for future matches. As long as the players do the business and show willing that's what is important.

We spoke to young defender Vaden and his two coaches after his recent promotion to the 1st team. The young defender has impressed in the opening games of the season and has developed very quickly making him ready for 1st team football. He is expect due to his high passing rating to go straight into the back four and will lightly replace cedrick who will conciddor himself unlucky as we need to keep Rebairo and Tearny playing so they can rate up. Once they are both rated up then we can drop them and play the best defence. Vaden has proven to be commanding in the early games of the season and very assured so we're hoping that he can form a fantastic partenership with Dan Ballard. McNamara said the following about the first player to be promoted in his rain.

"Vaden is a very good player, he has proven himself in the under 21ns over the last few games and I am very excited to now have him for my squad. He is a very good defender and wins a lot of headers which is going to be key due to some of the teams we're up against. It also gives us an extra higher rated defender in our squad and although he's only a low 22 it means that it's a defender with a more decent rating giving us another option who is pretty strong. As a team who is fighting to stay in the devision the higher passing from the back will help us as that's one aspect of our defense wheir we are slightly weaker. I am however very pleased with his progress in such a short time and thankfully the under 23s team won't miss him much as their is more than enough players who are capable replacements. I think this is a young player with a very bright future in the game and at 19 and 22 rated he's now one of our best defenders in regards to skill and ability."

Casie Parker the under 23s coach said the following.

"Vaden is a good player and he's done a fantastic job in the early stages of the season, this is my main job as the under 23s coach developing players so they are ready to go and play for the 1st team weather that is with us or another club. I am so pleased to have achieved this goal with a player so early on and I am looking forward to seeing how he does under the coaching of Ian and his team. Vaden has workd hard in the 1st 4 games and deserves this opportunity. He works hard in training and really takes in what is being said to him. He's a player with huge potential and I feel he's got a very good future in the game and will make it far. If he continues the positive way he's started he'll have no issue settling into the first team and I suspect he's the kind of player who'll hit the ground running."

Vaden said the following.

"This is what a young player works hard for, getting good enough to represent the 1st team. When you are promoted by the 1st team manager it says a lot about the progress you have made and when he sends you on a training camp to give you the chance to get even better it shows how much he believes in your potential. When Casey called me into the office on Saturday morning and told me I was being promoted to the 1st team squad and being sent on a training camp to give me the chance to improve further I was really touched because I did not expect this so early in the season. It was a grate two days and I have improved massively. so I am looking forward to my 1st training session with the 1st team tomorrow and Can't wait to hopefully make my first appearance as soon as possible. If the manager calls on me I am ready to play and eager, if he feels I need time on the bench to get use to the 1st team then that's also understandable however personally myself I feel I am ready to prove myself in this environment and am ready to play. I am a defender who likes the defensive part of the game, I concentrrate mainly on that and although I will get forward for corners etc I see my main job as protecting our goal. This is a grate landmark in my career and what a young player works hard for. It means other lads in the under 23s can start believing in themselves and really start making their own strides to improve so they are able to follow in my footsteps. To be the 1st player to reach this goal under the new rain of the coaching team is amazing. Casey has been a great adition to the under 23s coaching staff and she's a great head coach and all of the lads have the upmost respect for her. Playing under Ian will be exciting, we know his reputation and we know he is not worried about throwing a young player in if he feels your good enough. He also gives you a chance if you make mistakes and does not chuck you straight out giving you a chance to learn. Max the 1st team goalkeeper is a great example of this and in his last game he shown what a quality goalkeeper he's lightly to become. If I am chucked in straight away I am ready to show what I am capable of."

We want to wish Vaden good luck in the 1st team and wish him every success as he takes the next step in his career at the club.