Good Week / Bad Week
With very little decided at the top end of the Premier League this week, and with the majority of European Leagues grinding to their conclusions, I have decided that this week’s Good Week Bad Week should be dedicated to the teams involved in relegation battles, battles that in England at least, have already been won or lost. I may be slightly biased on the Good Week, but for one brief window this season, I am perfectly entitled to be!
Good Week - Mick McCarthy
I am a Wolves fan, and unlike around 50% of my kin, I actually am pleased with the job big Mick has done for
the club. When he took over, we were struggling by our standards in the Championship, and were filled with a squad of aging talent and overpaid prima donnas. Roll on, and Wolves have now finally managed to go back to back seasons in the Premier League, for the first time in over 25 years, and have done so without breaking the bank nor riding their luck too much. But the reason its a good week for Mick simply follows the Manchester United vs. Wolves game in mid December, where McCarthy made 10 changes to his started 11 and was fined by the Premier League for failing to field his strongest team. Nevermind he went on to use all but two of those players on a regular basis throughout the season, and that the following game saw Wolves beat Burnley 2-0 during a busy festive period, but his decision to do this was vindicated by the line, “Judge Me At The End Of The Season”. He has achieved his mission brief, to keep Wolves in the Premier League and that decision has ended up playing some role in doing that. This week confirmed that Wolves will be a top flight club, and for Mick, as a fan, I say thank you!
Bad Week - Hull City
Whereas Portsmouth were doomed financially. and very few people expected Burnley to do as well as they 
did, there was a real positive feel about Hull City this season. Players like Bullard and Altidore coming in made them seem more geared for a Premier League season than say a Bolton or even a Wolves, and they had a manager who whilst slightly controversial, enjoyed playing the press game and wasn’t afraid to mix it with the big boys. Whether Phil Brown lost the players, or the board lost the faith, bringing in Ian Dowie in whatever technical role they wish to brand it was a sign the club was struggling, and it is no shock they are now a relegated team. Whereas Burnley didn’t overspend, Hull are in a situation of below average Premier League players on Premier League salaries now playing Championship football, a combination that has ruined several clubs in the past already. Going down 2-0 against Villa then flopping against Sunderland showed the lack of fighting spirit Brown’s men had displayed 12 months ago, and this Bad Week may go on to be a long term thing for the team from the North.
asala,m
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