Bom Dia! and welcome to season three with Nick and his now almost entirely-Portuguese Wolves squad, who have just about recovered from losing a second consecutive playoff final. Will it be a case of third season lucky? Over to Nick to get things underway…

Here’s the squad, and Bully is now the only remaining non-Portuguese player. Rui Miguel Mickey and four regens came in over the summer, and with a healthy bank balance of around £11m, we can pounce if any more good players who are interested become available throughout the season…

And this is how we line up for our first match. I’m sticking with Nikolai’s formation that turned our fortunes around last season and saw us go unbeaten for our last 7 games…

First up are Port Vale. Manarte gets us started, and despite 7 more shots on target, it stays 1-0 and their keeper is on a rating of 9 at half time. Our second goal comes via an unlikely source in Nuno Afonso, who goes on to get man of the match as we make a business-like start.

The new formation makes full backs and defensive midfielders somewhat redundant, so Vu and Fernandes find temporary new homes for the season…

We start our League Cup campaign midweek, and find life relatively easy in the first leg against Rotherham, who seem to have a club rule that says you can only score a goal if your last name ends with son…

Continuing with the loan theme, Eduardo joins Vu at União Madeira…

Next up are a Lincoln side containing our former man, José Vidigal. The game looks to be heading for a stalemate until sweeper Ricardo pings a 40-yard through ball for Coelho to run onto and slot home the winner. Come on!

Everything comes in twos in the second leg with Rotherham. Two goals for us, two goals for them via Champ legend John Ritchie, and two red cards. The final score suits us though, and we’re safely through to the next round…

Next to depart is Nuno Valente, another victim of the new formation. He has a choice of three clubs, and unfortunately opts for The Albion…

We’re behind to Bobby Gould’s Forest in less than a minute, and have to wait over an hour to pull one back. Forest then score again at both ends, and I’m about to settle for a point, when sub Jorge Vicente smashes in the winner with seconds remaining. Get the f*ck in there!

We huff and puff at Maine Road, but can’t find the net against City’s resolute defence. They’re in the ascendancy towards the end of the match, and hit two late goals to earn a victory which slightly flatters them if I’m honest…

And so the injuries begin…

After a goalless hour against Birmingham, we have a penalty shout denied shortly before Manarte fires us ahead, and we hold on to deservedly take the Midlands derby spoils…

After going behind at Highfield Road to a Moldovan Penalty, we finally wake up in the second half, as a Coelho brace turns things around despite the best efforts of that b*stard Hedman. We started the day in 6th, but results go our way and we somehow end up top!

Rock-bottom Luton catch us off guard after just 5 minutes, and The Hatters are proving to be a rather tough nut to crack until Nuno Afonso levels, and then Pinto eventually gets the winner to spare our blushes…

For a centre back, Nuno Afonso really does have a taste for goals, and he gets his 3rd of the season to put us ahead at Reading. The second half is a bit more plain sailing, as Boa Morte and Sa Pinto make sure before a late Reading consolation ruins another clean sheet.

Blackpool give Man o’ Glass Pinto his first knock of the season. Boa Morte gives us the lead from the spot though, and Manarte adds another for good measure as we notch up another win and a clean sheet…

The news on Pinto isn’t as bad as expected…

We play most of the first hour of our League Cup second round first leg with Bristol City with an extra man, but can’t make it count until Manarte finally heads in to give us a slender advantage to take into the second leg…

I can see it’s going to be one of those days at 22nd-placed Huddersfield when their keeper is saving everything that comes his way and they go ahead from the spot and score again at the end in a good old Champing at the McAlpine…

Manuel Amaral, the regen of our former man, Luis Fernando, joins Recreativo on loan…

We pile on pressure at Oxford, but it’s another man of the match display from an opposing keeper, and more dropped points. This formation might stop you conceding as many goals, but boy does it stop you scoring them…

The next Nuno to leave is Claro to Rochdale. He had his chance last season when Carlos was injured, but didn’t fill me with confidence, and was never going to be number one. I wish him well though, apart from when he plays us.

We end this week with a trip to 11th-placed Bolton, where we’re 2-0 down inside 20 minutes and never manage to recover, meaning that we’ve now not won or even scored a goal in our last three games…

We were going along quite nicely considering the opening set of fixtures we had, and were actually 4 points clear at the top before the Huddersfield game, but inexplicably deciding to play shite for the last three games has seen us slip to 3rd. Yes we’re in the playoff spots, but I’d sooner get automatic promotion this time, and save myself yet more heartache…

So that’s probably a good place to leave it for now. Join us next week for the second leg with Bristol City, and to see if we can get back to winning ways after what’s hopefully just a mini slump, with big games against Walsall, QPR, Southampton, Middlesbrough and Derby coming up. Adeus!

Bom Dia! and welcome to the end of season two with Nick and his band of Portuguese Wolves. After an up and down season, they currently occupy the last playoff spot, but can they hold onto it until the end with some tricky last fixtures coming up?…

Here’s the lay of the land. It looks like it’ll be a fight to the finish between us and Forest for that last playoff berth. We have to play five of the teams around us in Birmingham, Man City, Huddersfield, Stoke and Tranmere. Let’s go…

First up, Bradford. After a boring first half, we come to life in the second, as Coelho grabs his 27th and 28th goals of the season, and Barroso ensures we don’t Buckle under the pressure. Forest win to stay level with us, but 5 of their 8 games are away, so I’m hoping for a slip up…

There’s good news on transfer deadline day, as Van Hooijdonk leaves Forest for Leicester, and his old club draw their first game without him against lowly Oxford…

It’s another goalless first half against City, and it takes a moment of magic from Lee Bradbury to break the deadlock with a long range effort on the hour. It’s 2-0 not long after, via Fenton, and by the time Manarte gets a consolation it’s far too late, and Forest go above us…

There are finally some first half goals against Swindon, as we start rampantly and go 3-0 up in half an hour, but Boa Morte’s injury is niggling. Barroso adds a 4th in the second half to get us back on track, and we swap places with Forest again as they lose at QPR. Yes!

If this wasn’t bad enough…

I then get this. I swear this f*cking game is against me sometimes….

We’re back to drab first halves as we nullify Birmingham, but only manage one shot on target ourselves. The second half is much the same, but we manage a second consecutive clean sheet and a point, which is enough to keep us above Forest, who beat Walsall 4-0…

Next up is a Monday night visit from 11th-placed Tranmere. Bully is one man benefiting from all the injuries, and he puts us ahead midway through the first half. The second half is another dull one, but I’ll take boring all day long if it gives us 3 points and a clean sheet…

Stoke are a real Thorne in our side in the first half, but Bully restores parity early in the second, which seems to get us going, as a brace from Coelho and one for Capucho make sure of the points. The 5 goals will help, as teams level on points are separated by goals scored…

Speaking of which, Forest and Birmingham both draw, so we go level with Birmingham and have scored more goals, so we’re now 5th!

Jeez, give me a break…

Can anything else f*cking go against us?!

Vicente hasn’t had a look in this season, but takes advantage of a start against Bolton in Bully’s absence. Quasimodo levels, and Vicente assists Barroso’s winner on the hour. Everton help us by beating Forest, so we need a point from our last 2 games to seal a playoff spot…

Bully gives us the lead on his return at Huddersfield, and it stays that way until the half time whistle. We then lose Ricardo, our sweeper, which has me proper worried, but we make it through unscathed and have the playoffs to look forward to once again…

We have another 1-0 half time lead against Charlton, courtesy of Coelho’s 33rd and final goal of the season. Red card number two in as many games comes on the hour, this time for Bully, but we sign off with a win and clean sheet, which sees us deservedly finish 5th…

We were conceding goals left, right and centre before, so there’s no doubt the new formation turned our fortunes around, and one can only wonder where we would have finished if I’d used it from the start of the season…

Our efforts get us £500k, and a date with our old mates Coventry in the playoff semis…

Let’s get straight to it then. We’re on top in the first half, but can’t find a way through, mainly thanks to Magnus Hedman, who’s having an absolute blinder once again. The second half is a bit quieter, and neither side is able to find the net at the end of the 90 minutes…

The first half of the second leg is a livelier one, with plenty of shots but not many on target, until Coelho strikes midway through the half to finally beat Hedman. The second half ticks by, but we keep them at bay and hold on to reach a second successive playoff final. Get in!

We’ll face Fulham, after they took care of Birmingham…

We’re behind in no time, and it’s that man Moody again. Maik Taylor is predictably on top form, but we keep knocking on the door, and are eventually rewarded. We absolutely batter them in the second half and both halves of extra time, but just can’t beat Taylor, and it goes to penalties…

As shootouts go, this probably has to go down as one of the worst in history, and after battering them in the match, we end up losing 2-1, with who else but Moody scoring the winning penalty. FOR F*CK SAKE!!!

As much as I feel like launching my laptop across the room, I put the result behind me quickly and get straight to work on the squad, releasing Muscat, Kubicki and The Frog, leaving Bully as the only remaining non-Portuguese man o’ Wolves.

Speaking of retirement… All the best, Luís!

Jorgey says there’s still not much around in terms of transfer targets that float his boat. We try for ex Spurs man, José Dominguez on a free transfer, but he opts for Lyon.

Jorgey also reminds me that this squad literally missed out on the Premiership by a whisker, so we decide that adding a sprinkling of youth (all for free) is a good strategy…

The 16th of July arrives, and we draw Rochdale in the League Cup…

Jorge rings back and tells me he’s finally found a player who’s so fine, he blows his mind, so I take his advice and part with £500k…

Two of the new boys immediately depart on loan, as does Simão, who joins the same club as last season…

So here’s how the squad is looking for an assault on season 3. I still want to offload a few more, but all in good time…

So that wraps up season 2. I’m not going to lie, I’m p*ssed right off at bottling the playoff final again, but I’m no quitter, and we’ll go again. Join us next week as we try to get off to a good start and make it 3rd time lucky. Adeus!

Bom Dia! and welcome to another Friday with Nick and his 87% Portuguese Wolves squad. After a tactical tweak last week, they have now kept 6 clean sheets in 7 games, but how will the new formation hold up against some of the top sides?…

We’re currently 7th, and 3 points outside the playoff spots with just under half the season to go, so plenty of time to turn things around and make a push for promotion…

We start at Forest, who are breathing down our necks, so it would be good to put some daylight between us. Manarte gives us a half time lead, but the new formation gets the first chink in its armour as a late own goal hands Forest the win after it had gone 2-2. Fml.

Coelho starts to get too big for his boots and hands in a transfer request. No chance mate.

We build a healthy 3-1 half time lead against QPR after goals from Boa Morte and the front duo, and Ian Rush proves that there’s still life in the old dog in between. I’m forced to play Barroso at sweeper after Afonso’s injury, but he does ok, and we’re back to winning ways.

With Afonso out for a month, I immediately bring in some cover for £750k from Lleida…

We’re behind at Walsall after making an early Rickett, but it’s a Desmond at half time with the front two at it again. Cavaco comes off the bench to return from injury, and marks his comeback by assisting Coelho’s winner, which puts us back in the playoff spots again.

Just as one returns, another gets injured, he was actually doing better than Coelho at the minute as well…

Our FA Cup campaign begins with Newcastle, and naming 5 subs feels like a real treat. Bully starts, and assists one of the 2 goals we lead by at half time. A Newcastle comeback looks on the cards, but Boa Morte lowers my heart rate again before Shearer nets a late pen. Get in!

Apparently that win it’s only a good result, and not even enough to warrant a giant killing defeat headline. The draw for the next round is done, and it’s Southampton away…

Eduardo joins Penafiel on loan. He looks too good to sell, so hopefully he gets some games back home…

We lead rock-bottom Bury, but then make a Small error and undo all our hard work. We have countless chances in the second half but can’t score, and Boa Morte misses the chance to win it from the spot. There is one silver lining though – Adie Mike didn’t score…

Fantastic…

Vidigal becomes my first Portuguese sale, as he departs for Lincoln. Thanks, Vidi!

Black Country derby time. All the clean sheets are a distant memory now, and we’re behind on 15, but Coelho and Cavaco turn it around before the interval. Bully then hits a second half hat trick with an Albion goal in between, as we leave The Hawthorns with the points…

Back to the FA Cup, and the first half at The Dell sees 14 shots on goal, only 2 of which are on target. Coelho is the man of the hour, and gives us a deserved lead. Our defence remains resolute for the remainder, and we’re through. This must be one of those cup run thingies…

It’s Everton next, which brings us nicely back to the league action…

We’re in a sticky situation against the Toffees, as Big Dunc opens the scoring, and we gift them a second, not that they need any help. We have our chances in the second half but never really look like scoring and I’m just glad to get the game out of the way come the end.

It’s an uninspiring first half at Port Vale, with a couple of chances but nothing of note. The second half is similar, and they lead much to my annoyance. We’ve a goal disallowed on 67 and Coelho nicks a point late on. Why do we struggle to beat the bottom teams so much?!

Everton again the cup. It’s a pretty even first half, but we get whacked in the face by a Branch and trail 1-0 at the whistle. We battle away in the second half, but Cadamarteri adds a second and it’s a repeat of the league score and our cup run is over for another year…

This new formation has no need for full backs, so Valente joins Eduardo on loan at Penafiel…

An eventful afternoon at Reading sees us lead 2-0, but we have not one but two goals disallowed, and lose Pinto to injury again. I should know by now that a clean sheet is out of the question, and the hosts pull a goal back to make it a tense ending, but we survive…

I’m rapidly losing patience with this f*cking bloke…

We’ve a slender half time lead against Oldham, as Manarte finds his shooting boots again and scores his first goal in 9 games. There’s no further action in the second half as we limit them to just one shot on target and keep our first league clean sheet in 12 games. Finally!

The first half against leaders Coventry is what has become standard for us, as we squander numerous chances whilst not letting our opponents have a shot on target. It finishes goalless and feels like a good point, but I’m disappointed not to win. Look at those stats…

We were 7th, but the point lifts us back into the playoff spots as Forest lose to Huddersfield, and there’s more good news as they also lose their midweek game in hand with Stoke!

Coelho is suspended for the next 2 matches, but Bully is more than happy to takeover goal-scoring duties, and puts us ahead against Oxford. That proves to be the only goal though, and we defend superbly in the second half to keep a third clean sheet in a row…

We finish at 2nd-placed Fulham. Capucho gives us the lead and Sá Pinto, who scored twice against them last time, doubles our lead. We look to be heading in for half time 2-0 up, but there’s always one Moody party pooper. The second half is quiet, and it’s a 4th win in 5.

So here’s how things stand after all that. It looks like it’s going to be a straight battle between us and Forest for that last playoff spot, which we occupy at the minute, but you never know what can happen in football…

Join us next week for what’s sure to be a dramatic end to the season, as we face some tough games against Birmingham, Man City, Huddersfield and Stoke, which will likely decide whether us or Forest sneak into the playoffs. Adeus!

Bom Dia! and welcome back to Molineux, where Nick and his mostly-Portuguese Wolves side have endured a bit of an up and down start to season two so far, but will the addition of no fewer than four internationals add some quality and help settle things down a bit for them?…

Here’s how we’re looking so far after twelve games. As usual, we’ve had no problems scoring, but have some serious issues at the opposite end. No need to panic just yet though.

Continue reading →

Bom Dia! and welcome along to season two. Nick and his men ended season one with playoff final heartbreak last week, but have dusted themselves off and are ready to go again. can they go one better this season?…

The clear-out begins, as Atkins leaves for Palace, Segers’ and Gilkes’ contracts expire, and I release Simpson, Daley and Paatelainen.

Jorgey Boy’s been hard at work, and lands me my first international for £325k from Porto…

Continue reading →

Bom Dia! Welcome back to Noni Madueke’s favourite place on earth, Wolverhampton, where Nick, with the help of super agent Jorge Mendes, has started to overhaul Wolves’ squad with Portuguese talent. They’ve made a great start to the season, but can they keep it up?…

Here’s a reminder of how things are looking. Maximum points from our first six league games and through to the second round of the League Cup, I couldn’t really ask for more.

Continue reading →

Wilkommen back to Leipzig for the final time. Nick and his German champions are firmly in the latest title race, but after an unexpected slip-up in their last European game, their last group game is now a must-win. Can they get the job done?…

Continue reading →