2007–08 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season

Season review

The close season saw businessman Steve Morgan take control of the club for a nominal £10 fee in return for a £30 million investment into the club, resulting in the departure of Sir Jack Hayward after 17 years as chairman. The protracted takeover, originally announced in May, was finally completed on 9 August 2007. The announcement of the deal saw the club set out their future ethos:

After last season's unexpected play-off finish, hopes were high for the club to go one step further this time, with manager stating automatic promotion was his aim. The side was strengthened by signing Freddy Eastwood, Stephen Elliott and Michael Gray, but last season's Player of the Year, goalkeeper Matt Murray - who had only just recovered from a broken shoulder - missed the whole campaign after suffering a knee injury in pre-season training.

On the field, the team started the season inconsistently, but a strong October and November saw them push as high as third, just three points from the summit. However, an injury suffered by key player Michael Kightly seemed to severely weaken the team's creativity and preceded a dismal Christmas period that saw them pick up just 4 points from a possible 21, leaving them mid-table and without hopes of an automatic finish.

More players were brought in during the January transfer window, most crucially striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake from Plymouth Argyle, who scored 12 goals in the remainder of the season, finishing the division's top scorer on 23 goals. However, his goals alone could not bring about a second successive play-off finish as the side finished outside the final spot on goal difference, two goals short of Watford. Despite suffering just two defeats in their final 15 games, several crucial late goals that were conceded in the second half of the season ultimately proved costly. Indeed, just two more goals on the final day of the season would have booked them a playoff place.

Results

Pre season

Bothroyd Kightly Collins Keogh Eastwood Ainsworth Bothroyd Jones Bothroyd Gunnarsson Kitson "Wolves XI" pre season results: 0–0 v Brighton & Hove Albion (26 July; home), 7–0 v Holyhead Hotspur (28 July; away)

Football League Championship

A total of 24 teams competed in the Championship in the 2007–08 season. Each team would play every other team twice, once at their stadium, and once at the opposition's. Three points were awarded to teams for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. The provisional fixture list was released on 14 June 2007, but was subject to change in the event of matches being selected for television coverage.{{cite news King Kightly Bothroyd Stead Keogh Henry Hasselbaink Craddock Couñago Haynes Elliott Lafferty D. Ward Campbell Scannell Scowcroft Ebanks-Blake Ebanks-Blake Smith Keogh Lawrence Cort Fuller Kyle Euell Whaley Gray Ebanks-Blake Collins Ebanks-Blake Blackstock Leigertwood Lita Henry Ebanks-Blake Kightly

Final table

Results summary Source: Statto.com

Results by round |color_-2=green1|color_22-=red1

FA Cup

Collins Elliott Bothroyd Hasselbaink

League Cup

Craddock Newby Thompson

Players

Statistics

|- |0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0|| |- |30||0||2||0||0||0||style="background:#98FB98"|32||0||1||0|| |- |||||2||1||1||0||||||5||0|| |- |||||1||0||0||0||||||8||0|| |- |||0||1||0||0||0||||0||3||0|| |- |||||1||0||1||1||||||2||0|| |- |||||||1||||0||||||1||0|| |- |||||2||0||2||0||||||8||0|| |- |||||3||2||2||1||||11||2||0|| |- |||||3||1||0||0||||||3||0|| |- |||0||1||0||||0||||0||3||0|| |- |||||||0||2||0||||||3||0|| |- |||0||3||0||||0||||0||3||0|| |- |||0||0||0||0||0||||0||0||0|| |- |0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0|| |- |||||2||0||0||0||style="background:#98FB98"|||||0||0|| |- |0||0||0||0||1||0||||0||0||0|| |- |||||||1||0||0||style="background:#98FB98"|||||0||0|| |- |0||0||0||0||2||0||||0||0||0|| |- |||0||0||0||0||0||||0||0||0|| |- |0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0|| |- |||||||0||2||1||style="background:#98FB98"|||||1||0|| |- |||||||0||0||0||||||5||0|| |- |||0||0||0||2||0||||0||0||0|| |- |10||||0||0||0||0||style="background:#98FB98"|10||||0||0|| |- |20||12||0||0||0||0||style="background:#98FB98"|20||12||2||0|| |- |0||0||0||0||||0||||0||0||0|| |- |0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0|| |- |0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0|| |- |46||0||3||0||0||0||49||0||0||0|| |- |||||3||0||2||0||style="background:#98FB98"|||||1||0|| |- |||||||0||1||0||style="background:#98FB98"|||||3||0|| |- |0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0|| |- |||||1||0||0||0||||||0||0|| |- |0||0||0||0||2||0||||0||0||0|| |- |0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0|| |- |0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0|| |- |0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0|| |- |0||0||0||0||||0||||0||0||0|| |- |15||0||0||0||0||0||style="background:#98FB98"|15||0||3||0|| |- |0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0|| |}

Awards

Transfers

In

Out

Loans in

Loans out

Kit

The season saw a new away kit, navy blue with an old gold and white trim. The home kit remained the same as the previous campaign and that season's white away kit was retained as a third kit for this term. The kits were manufactured by Le Coq Sportif, Chaucer Consulting sponsored the club for a fourth season.

References

References

1. (9 August 2007). "Morgan completes Wolves takeover". [[BBC Sport]].
2. (21 May 2007). "Wolverhampton Wanderers sells for £10". [[BBC Sport]].
3. (21 May 2007). "Wolves in takeover talks". wolves.co.uk.
4. (4 July 2007). "McCarthy eyes automatic promotion". [[Birmingham Mail]].
5. (6 July 2007). "Eastwood completes move to Wolves". BBC Sport.
6. (17 July 2007). "Elliott completes Wolves transfer". BBC Sport.
7. (25 July 2007). "Wolves win race for defender Gray". BBC Sport.
8. (8 August 2007). "Murray faces long Wolves lay-off". [[BBC Sport]].
9. (18 December 2007). "Kightly could face Christmas out". BBC Sport.
10. (28 January 2008). "Kightly suffers fresh ankle woe". BBC Sport.
11. (11 January 2008). "Ebanks-Blake ties up Wolves move". BBC Sport.
12. (2 May 2008). "Hennessey scoops Player of the Season titles". wolves.co.uk.
13. (20 June 2007). "Wolves capture Jarvis from Gills". BBC Sport.
14. (3 July 2007). "Defender Ward makes Wolves switch". BBC Sport.
15. (14 August 2007). "Wolves sign Luton defender Foley". BBC Sport.
16. (14 January 2008). "Five players leave troubled Luton". BBC Sport.
17. (31 January 2008). "Wolves sign Colchester's Elokobi". BBC Sport.
18. (18 May 2007). "Wolves' McNamara joins Aberdeen". BBC Sport.
19. (8 June 2007). "Leicester swoop for striker Cort". BBC Sport.
20. (18 May 2007). "McCarthy begins Wolves clear-out". BBC Sport.
21. (13 July 2007). "Bristol City sign winger McIndoe". BBC Sport.
22. (31 August 2007). "MK Dons boss signs Wolves striker". BBC Sport.
23. (31 August 2007). "Contract terminated". wolves.co.uk.
24. (3 December 2007). "Riley contract terminated". wolves.co.uk.
25. (31 January 2008). "Leicester capture Wolves' Clapham". BBC Sport.
26. (14 November 2007). "Hereford recruit Wolves defender". BBC Sport.
27. (23 January 2008). "Collins extends stay at Hereford". BBC Sport.
28. (22 November 2007). "Wolves young duo sent out on loan". BBC Sport.
29. (10 January 2008). "Northampton sign Wolves defender". BBC Sport.
30. (11 February 2008). "Wolves defender stays at Cobblers". BBC Sport.
31. (31 January 2008). "Bury bag Wolves youngster Bennett". BBC Sport.
32. (31 January 2008). "Southend sign Grant and Mulgrew". BBC Sport.
33. (21 February 2008). "Hereford bring in Gleeson on loan". BBC Sport.
34. (29 February 2008). "Learn from the master". wolves.co.uk.
35. (27 March 2008). "Stockport clinch Gleeson return". BBC Sport.
36. (7 June 2007). "On sale tomorrow". wolves.co.uk.