20 Questions: Wolverhampton Wanderers

A Monday mosey on down to Molineux

The Scarf My Father Wore

Apr 08, 2024

Monday 8 April 2024

NEXT HOME GAME: Morecambe – Saturday 13 April, 3pm

NEXT AWAY GAME: Colchester – Tuesday 9 April, 7.45pm

If you’d like to write an article for The Scarf My Father Wore, share a few snippets or photos, or advertise your business, please email thescarfmyfatherwore@substack.com.

Dear County fans, Stopfordians, Wolves supporters, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Monday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore, at the beginning of what is hopefully PROMOTION WEEK!

It’s surely only a matter of time before our promotion to League One is confirmed (we’re 1/1000 with the bookies before County fans start having a go at me for tempting fate!), at which point I’m sure we’ll have loads of special articles and photos on The Scarf My Father Wore, but until then it’s business as usual, and today we’ve got another instalment of our ‘20 Questions’ series. It’s Wolverhampton Wanderers today, who County haven’t played in the league since 2001-02 (although their kids did visit EP in the Pizza Cup in September 2022). Thomas Baugh, editor of Wolves Blog, joins us for a chat.

Our first live event of 2024 is taking place this month. ‘Flynny at the Finger’ – an evening with County legend Mike Flynn – is at The Fingerpost on Wednesday 17 April. Start time 7.30pm. If you’d like to join us, please email thescarfmyfatherwore@substack.com. Tickets are £10 (or £5 for paid subscribers plus anyone who’s written an article for The Scarf My Father Wore). That includes a full colour souvenir programme, and even a little bit of stand-up comedy!

Today’s edition is sponsored by Radial Fire and Security. A big thank you to Dan, who operates throughout the UK, specialising in the supply and service of a variety of different ranges of fire protection equipment. See below for further details.

Thanks also to OvenGleamers Wolverhampton who sponsor our Wolves content on the website.

Finally, I’m currently walking every street in Stockport to raise money for mental health charity Mentell. If you’d like to make a donation to help me reach my target, please click here.

Total distance so far: 136.36 miles

Total steps so far: 217,174

Total raised so far: £1,666

Total completed streets so far: 271 (Click here for the full list, which includes reports and photos from every day of the walk.)

Further information on the walk can be found by clicking here.

Des Junior

County legend Dave Jones took Wolves into the Premier League in 2002-03

Wolves currently play in the Premier League, which is the top tier of English football. What’s that like as a division?

Relentless. Everything is played at such a high level that there's no room for error. It's probably the only division where you can look at your own team, feel comfortable with all eleven players on the pitch and yet find yourselves consistently losing games just because the competition is so fierce.

Describe a typical matchday for yourself in Wolverhampton.

Nothing exceptional really. For the home games, I'm in the pub a few hours before kick-off, sinking pints before walking about half a mile to the ground. My season ticket is behind the goal in the North Bank, so it's somewhat quieter than the opposite end, but still a good atmosphere and a great view slightly higher up. I don't get to many away games these days, but it's easy to follow them from home in the Premier League.

Who are your club’s biggest rivals?

West Bromwich Albion. Some of their fans might deny that but this season's FA Cup fireworks proved there's still a lot of animosity there.

What’s your best memory following Wolves?

At an individual game, it was probably the 2002-03 play-off final. I'd grown up watching us come close and lose out nearly every year, so to finally make it to the Premier League and do so emphatically with a 3-0 victory was beautiful.

What’s your worst memory following Wolves?

Losing the FA Cup semi-final to Watford a few years ago was a real sickener. We were 2-0 up with ten minutes to go and somehow managed to throw it away. Being that close to the final and not making it was hard to accept.

If Wolves was a TV show, which one would it be?

Naked Attraction. Not always great to look at, but always compelling.

What’s your ground called, and how would you describe it for someone who’s never visited before?

Molineux. It was redeveloped in the early 90s (with one stand updated about 20 years later) so it's showing signs of age. It's quite old-school in the sense that it's still on a street surrounded by old houses and other buildings. There were talks about potentially moving to a new site further out of the city, but it never proved popular.

What’s your thoughts on Stockport County?

I remember your teams from the late 90s and early 00s because you came up against Wolves on a few occasions – the likes of Brett Angell and Co. Your 4-3 win at Molineux was a belter.

We signed a few of your players too – Dinning, Cooper and Connelly come to mind – as well as Dave Jones coming in as manager via Southampton. It looks like you're on your way back at present, destined for League One. Great to see.

Have you ever visited the town of Stockport before? If yes, what were you doing the last time?

Only once in 2001-02 and it was a happy memory. Wolves won 4-1 at Edgeley Park and Mark Kennedy scored an absolute snorter of a volley.

What colours do you play in, and what’s the best ever kit Wolves have had?

Gold and black of course (although some would say it's become more yellow). Best kit we've ever had was the Adidas home shirt we wore in 2018-19. Yes, it was a yellow gold, but the fact it was Adidas and such a clean design made me think we were going places, which we were at the time under Nuno.

If Wolves were playing in the next FA Cup final, who’d be at Wembley as your celebrity fan?

Probably still Robert Plant.

What’s the most interesting fact about Wolves we might not know?

We arguably created what's now known as the Champions League. Wolves were so good in the 50s, that teams from Europe were flown in to see if they could beat us and that inspired the formation of the European Cup, which ultimately became the Champions League.

Who’s your all time Wolves hero?

I'm probably going to say Ruben Neves, just because the last decade has been the most successful period in the club's recent history and he provided so many wonderful moments. Steve Bull is a close second but he was past his prime when I started going to matches regularly.

What sort of attendances do you get, and how would you describe Wolves’ fanbase?

In the Premier League it's normally around the 30,000 mark for home games. I would say our hardcore following are up there with the best. Of course you get a bit of everything, but that's the same at most clubs.

What’s your manager like?

So far, very good. Nobody wanted Gary O'Neil but he's proved an inspired choice, taking us into the top half this season. There's a feeling that with the right players, he could build something special in the years to come.

What’s your owner like?

Fosun have no doubt elevated the club to a new level since they took over. A lot of clubs have suffered under Chinese ownership, but so far, they've been good custodians even if some decisions haven't proved wise. Hopefully that continues.

What’s it like for a night out in Wolverhampton?

Not as good as it used to be. There was a time it was an excellent place to visit for bars and clubs, but it's died off since those glory days. There are still enough places to go and have a good time, but you'd probably head to Birmingham for better variety.

What’s the best thing about being a Wolves fan?

It's a one-club city. You don't have that division that you see in London, Manchester, Liverpool etc, so there's a real buzz when the team is doing well.

What’s the worst thing about being a Wolves fan?

We're probably in that weird pocket of clubs that are doing as well as they can but will always struggle to break into the elite, so it feels like you're destined for a lifetime of either coming close to real glory or just back to consistent disappointment. Just got to enjoy the ride I suppose.

What are your hopes for the rest of this season?

We're safely in mid-table but probably not going to trouble the European places, so just try to play well and extract as much joy from the remaining games as possible.

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5 questions with Dan from Radial Fire & Security

What was the most interesting moment with your business in March?

Lots of learning curves, with some big lows, but I’ve learned a lot and I’m really proud I’ve battled through.

What’s your plans for the business this month?

Win more contracts! I need to do more advertising as I’ve not done a lot over the last couple of years. With the start of this year being a little slow I need to lay some strong foundations.

What would you like to promote to our readers in April?

Just myself really! I’ve been in the industry for over 20 years and I enjoy meeting and helping people. If you need any advice on fire safety feel free to give me a call. I won’t charge for a call or a quotation. Even if it’s just for advice on anything fire related feel free to give me a call as I’m always happy to have a chat.

County are hopefully going to be promoted in April, and might even win the league. What’s the best prize you’ve ever won?

I’ve not really won much over the years but I did win a meal from Mama Flo’s recently. Her food is incredible!

It’s St George’s Day this month. What’s your favourite place in England?

This is going to sound cheesy, but having worked in numerous towns and cities across the UK for 20 years, nothing compares to heading back home after a week on the road. There’s no warmer feeling than when you see the pyramid, the viaduct and Edgeley Park. So I’ll have to say Stockport!

Visit radialfire.co.uk for further details.

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If you’re stuck for a gift idea, how about an oven clean!

If there’s any Wolves fans reading this today, or indeed any of our readers with friends or family in the Midlands, why not treat them to a gift voucher for an oven clean!

It’s often the small gestures that count, and let’s face it, no one enjoys cleaning their oven.

Give John a call on 01902 504405 or email john.rorke@ovengleamers.com.

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Photo of the day

Edgeley Park, Stockport

Tommy Sword beats Bradford’s Steve Baines to the ball during our 2-2 draw in February 1980.

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Today in SK

🎬 Cinema

Two films at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) today. Kung Fu Panda 4 (PG) at 12.15pm, 2.30pm and 4.45pm, followed by The Holdovers (15) at 7pm. Click here for tickets.