Patience is a Virtue

There have been a lot of ups and downs, but after 13 games Wolverhampton Wanderers lie 8th in the nPower Championship and right in the hunt.

Following the end of the Mick McCarthy era, the relatively unknown Stale Solbakken was appointed as boss and has begun his revolution of the Molineux club.

With a real hangover from a dreadful campaign last year that ended in relegation from the Premier League, star men Steven Fletcher, Matt Jarvis and Michael Kightly departed the club. The first two departures were to be expected and were probably understood by Wolves fans, but the departure of Kightly to Stoke certainly left a somewhat sour taste after he rapidly jumped ship despite the club sticking by him through years of injury hell.

If Solbakken was an unknown though, the players he bought in as replacements certainly were. Whereas his predecessor McCarthy largely scoured the British market for players, Stale instantly began looking abroad. Polish winger Slawomir Peszko, Austrain defender Georg Margreitter, Mali man Tongo Doumbia, Frenchman Bakary Sako, Togo international Razak Boukari and talented Norwegian striker Bjorn Bergmann Sigurdarsson all came in, with most Wolves fans unsure what to expect.

Opening day defeat at Leeds after some chaotic defending only increased the doom and gloom around the club, but an emphatic 3-1 win over Barnsley instantly instilled some confidence.

A comfortable defeat by the same scoreline at Cardiff in the fourth league fixture lowered fans optimism once more, but an incredible four straight wins over the rest of September rocketed the Midlands outfit up the table and into the play-off mix.

October proved a modest month, and it must be said that as a Wolves fan I am still not quite sure what this season will hold.

Following three seasons away from the division, I had forgotten just how unpredictable and crazy the Championship is. Anyone truly can beat anybody, and for that reason it is truly unique.

Despite a demoralising draw against Charlton in the last fixture, I must say I remain quietly confident ahead of the future.

Bakary Sako has proved a shrewd signing to say the least, weighing in with four goals from ten appearance along with countless assists thus far. I must say that when it comes to open play I am not his biggest fan. His lacklustre style and poor stamina are plain to see and in stark contrast to the previous left winger Matt Jarvis. There is no denying his delivery though, and his ability to create a goal from nothing is vital to the side.

The other impressive addition is Tongo Doumbia, who to me has been the star of the season so far. With Karl Henry's disciplined leadership and break up play alongside him, Doumbia has bossed many games so far with his imposing physical play. Like Sako, he does tend to fade badly in the 2nd half which is an issue, but his natural athleticism is a major asset. I keep comparing him to Yaya Toure, and although not on such a world class scale, when he opens his legs and gets going he takes some stopping. As the season progresses and he adjusts more to the English game he is only going to get better.

Peszko and Boukari have both suffered injuries which have kept them out, although the pair have looked to be useful additions from what I have seen.

Incredibly, the defence which has troubled Wolves for so long has been shored up Roger Johnson looks like a different player in the heart of that unit. His performances in 2011/12 baffled most Wolves fans, but now he looks to be really repaying his price tag.

The return of Kevin Foley at right back has been vital, and in the Championship especially he is a calm, collected and very positionally aware player.

In between the sticks Carl Ikeme has looked imposing and although not called upon too much, his cross collecting has very much impressed me. Even though I very much rate Wayne Hennessey and his shot stopping, Ikeme's command of the penalty area seems to breed confidence in his defence and for that reason I can't see him losing his place any time soon despite the return of the Welshman imminent.

I must say that Stephen Ward appears a weakness at left back, and his positional naivety has put us in trouble on more than one occasion. A left sided defender would be a priority of mine at left back, but Ward is definitely a useful utility man to have in the squad.

Aside from left back, the attacking play has been relatively disappointing. Apart from Sako, there are few goal threats in the side which is an issue. Although he will always poach a few important goals, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake looks a shadow of his former self and Kevin Doyle fails to provide a regular goal threat even though he links up play well. Bjorn Bergmann Sigurdarsson is obviously a real talent, but he is taking longer than some expected to get up to speed with the English game.

The lack of drive from midfield also compounds the one-dimensional attacking play. I know his name continues to be banded around, but Emmanuel Frimpong is a player I am desperate to see return, even if only for a short space of time on loan whilst he regains full fitness. His cameo mid-way through last year was incredibly impressive, and his energetic midfield drive would improve our attacking no end.

Without a player like that, the return of long-term injury victim Jamie O'Hara can't come soon enough because a creative spark is a must right now.

Those are the negatives, and I think that they will prevent Wolves from bouncing back to the top flight at the first attempt - but I don't mind that.

In my view, with another year at this level to cement his philosophy and build his own squad Stale Solbakken could go on to be a great. The new brand of football we are seeing comprises of much possession and passing football which I haven't seen from Wolves in a long time.

As I say, more creativity in the final third is needed, but the building blocks are there. With the likes of Sako and Doumbia up to speed with English football by the time next season arrives, the club could be onto something special.

With more time this side has the potential to boss Championship teams, and even though promotion may be harder to gain under Solbakken, it is what could happen in the Premier League which is more exciting.

I admire what Mick McCarthy did for Wolves, but he was a Championship manager, even if a very good one. That was his limit and in the top tier his tactical naivety limited the progress of the club.

However, under Solbakken I think their is much more potential for bigger and better things. Should he achieve the hardest goal of earning promotion, the technical, passing game he is embedding in the club is much more likely to yield top level success.

It will take time, but with patience in Stale Solbakken I firmly believe Wolverhampton Wanderers could be on to a winning formula.

Jets In Freefall

New York Jets really are a side in turmoil right now.  

A humiliating 30-9 home defeat at the hands of their AFC East divisional rivals Miami Dolphins leaves them at 3-5 and on the back foot.  

There have been some positives; a 48 points haul on the opening day against Buffalo, a comfortable win over Andrew Luck and the Colts, even an overtime defeat against rivals New England Patriots included plenty of good signs.

Yet by and large it has been a miserable start to the season for the Jets, with that shock loss against Miami and a humiliating 34-0 defeat at home to San Francisco in week 9 the lowlights thus far. A serious knee injury has left them without inspirational defensive play-maker Darrelle Revis for the entire campaign, and that has certainly weakened them.

It must be said though that the defence have not been the major weakness though. The likes of LaRon Landry, Antonio Cromartie and Bart Scott amongst others have soaked up much pressure at times. Even though big plays have been rare, the defence has been acceptable.

Unfortunately, the offence have majorly struggled, with the quarterback debate raging on.

Having led New York within one game of the SuperBowl in both 2009 and 2010, Jets were convinced Mark Sanchez was the man to build a franchise around. However, failure to make the play-offs in each of the last two seasons appeared to indicate a significant stall in development for Sanchez. With that in mind, he entered the new campaign carrying much pressure which was only increased when the charismatic Tim Tebow.

And if there were doubts about the potential and ability of Sanchez before, there certainly are now. 
A dreadful 52.9% pass completion rate after 272 attempts comfortably places him at the bottom of the leagues rankings in the accuracy department, whilst he has also thrown 8 interceptions and been sacked 10 times. His QB rating of 72.8 puts him 30th in the list.


Yet it isn't just the statistics surrounding the 2012 season for Sanchez, it is the timing of his mistakes. An overtime fumble cost them the game against the Patriots, and most of his turnovers have come at pivotal moments in games. 

Without meaning to sound too harsh, his lacklustre, error prone displays have set the tone for the team. He hasn't had things all very easy. A long term injury to former SuperBowl MVP Santonio Holmes has left him with a distinct lack of quality on the receiver front, but he has still failed to make the most of the resources as his disposal.

A poor offensive line has been a problem for him. Sanchez has regularly found himself under heavy pressure due to his team-mates poor protection of him, yet he has failed to prove himself capable of dealing with this well.

A change in offensive co-ordinator from Brian Schottenheimer to Tony Sparano has had far from the desired effect, and the entire unit just haven't clicked.

Luckily for the Jets, Shonn Greene has had somewhat of a breakthrough year at running back. The retirement of LaDainian Tomlinson left a significant hole in the position, but Greene's gritty, determined running has seen him account for 509 yards, the 14th best in the league. A modest average of 3.7 per carry does not tell the whole story, and his first 100+ yard game against Indianapolis proved his recent development despite minimal line protection.

It hasn't been enough to cover up the obvious offensive problems at Quarterback, and there are increasing calls for former Heismann Trophy winner Tim Tebow to be drafted into the starting position.

In my mind, the change can't come quick enough. 

When Tebow replaced Kyle Orton as Denver starting QB last season, the Broncos were 1-4. Under the guidance of Tebow, they ended 8-8 and made the play-offs.

Now I certainly don't believe Tebow possesses the capacities needed to lead a team all the way to glory, or to build a franchise around.

However, New York Jets seem to me in desperate need of a change. The franchise is stale right now, and Sanchez in particular seems extremely complacent. 

With Tebow, they have a perfect man waiting in the wings who will give a much needed boost to the Jets faithful and lift the entire side. 

I don't know how, but he does get results, and being dropped could provide Sanchez with the motivation to improve more to fight for his place.

To cut a long story short, Jets are in urgent need of a change - and Tebow is the perfect man to bring this about urgently.

If New York Jets are to salvage some pride from the season, Tebow time is a must in my opinion.


**Follow me on twitter @RichJonesMedia and leave your comments below!**