Blackburn 3 Wolves 1 - Analysis

Wolves simply can't garner anything from Premier League opposition unless they are firing at their absolute maximum.

There were few positives to come from this humbling experience on Saturday. Instead, it was a sobering reminder of this season's realities.

Why Mick McCarthy's men produced such an un-Wolves-like performance is a puzzle we may never get to the bottom of.

But, after an international break which played havoc with Wolves' preparation, having four of their best players on the treatment table wasn't the ideal way to acclimatise to life at the top. They need every scrap of help they can get as they strive to establish themselves.

As captain Karl Henry suggested afterwards, when a tracksuit manager as methodical and diligent as McCarthy doesn't get the chance to work with his full squad until 24 hours before the game because of international duties, there is an argument for Wolves' chances of getting anything from it being significantly reduced.

Furthermore, George Elokobi falling foul of McCarthy's strict but well-known policy in timekeeping, didn't help matters.

Ironically, Elokobi's replacement Matt Hill was Wolves' best player. But it was a further disruption they could have done without.

Whether the midweek internationals had anything to do with it, on the day numerous players unwittingly chose Ewood Park as their season's nadir.

Wolves observers know Michael Mancienne is a class act. But that ability sadly deserted him in Lancashire.

Left exposed by Karl Henry's poor pass that led to El-Hadji Diouf skipping away from his for the first goal, he then inexplicably allowed Gael Givet a free header for the second, failing to get off the ground as the Rovers' left-back powered in an effort that went in off former Albion and Wolves striker Jason Roberts' chest.

Coming 11 minutes after the break in response to a Wolves onslaught – led by half-time substitute Stefan Maierhofer – it knocked any wind from their sails they had gathered and effectively ended the game as a spectacle.

Teams outside the top four don't generally recover from two-goal deficits in the Premier League.

It could of course have been so different had Christophe Berra dropped his rising shot three or four inches lower after keeper Paul Robinson fumbled Greg Halford's free-kick with six minutes gone.

But these are the margins that Premier League games are won and lost, and when Wolves see chances go begging, there is always the thought they will be punished for it at the other end.

In fact, rather than be punished, the visitors were initially continually reminded of Rovers' overwhelming superiority on the day as Sam Allardyce's side swarmed forward for the rest of the first half following Diouf's opener.

That's when goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey earned his money with a save to deny a free-kick from Morten Gamst Pedersen, who saw the post come to Wolves' rescue from another set-piece on the stroke of half-time.

Such was the lacklustre nature of Wolves' performance, that even when they were a goal down at the break, few would have given them a chance of clawing the game back. Mancienne and Nenad Milijas, in particular, looked well off the pace.

The Chelsea defender may have been sluggish after two England Under-21 internationals in Greece and Macedonia.

As for Milijas, the Serbian is clearly a high quality footballer but, strangely, he has so far failed to reach the excellent levels of performance he managed in pre-season.

On Saturday, he played as if he had lead in his boots, but the former Red Star man has the ability to change that for gold as he settles into his new surroundings.

Wolves just need that to happen sooner rather than later, with much sterner tests not too far around the corner.

Thankfully, Maierhofer is one foreign signing who appears to have wasted no time in settling in, if his 45-minute showing was anything to go by.

A swerving shot that sailed wide, a blocked header and a poacher's goal were his eye-catching moments that lifted the gloom.

But what was perhaps just as telling was the impact his presence had on the Rovers defence, who didn't know how to handle him. Now the tallest player in the Premier League, the 6ft 7ins striker is more mobile than his height suggests.

When Wolves did manage to get the ball forward, he occupied their entire back four with his power and movement to suggest they have another dimension up their sleeve.

That said, as McCarthy's side try to get a foothold in the Premier League, Rovers chairman John Williams revealed just how difficult their task is off the field as much as it was exposed on it.

In his programme notes, Williams wrote Rovers' wage bill on players for this season was £41million, a reduction of £5million on the last two years. A figure which, he reckons, puts them 13th highest in the Premier League.

Allowing for the 32 players listed in their programme, that equates to an average weekly wage of £24,639 – way above what anyone earns at Wolves.

It's a sobering thought to reflect on, especially put against the adage 'you finish based on how much you pay.'

Next Sunday, Wolves face one of the players who McCarthy was linked with in the summer but admitted was way out of Wolves' league.

Damien Duff scored a wonder goal for Fulham yesterday in what turned out to be the winner in a 2-1 victory over Everton.

The Irish star was said to be earning £70,000 a week at Newcastle and probably hasn't taken a pay cut to return to west London. It just shows what Wolves are up against – and why they need to be at their maximum all the time.

There can be no return to this Rovers display.

By Tim Nash