Ian Holloway's praise for Wolves boss

Blackpool boss Ian Holloway has claimed Wolves are 'lucky' to have Mick McCarthy as manager as he prepares his team for one of 'our toughest assignments of the season.'

Holloway has watched Wolves' progress with more interest than most outside the area in recent years having seen McCarthy sign two players who excelled under him - Richard Stearman from Leicester and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake from Plymouth.

And the Blackpool boss reckons McCarthy has done a superb job over the last four and a half years, re-establishing Wolves with a team made up of young and hungry players.

He said: "Wolves are a fantastic team with some great players and in Mick they have a terrific manager, who I know and have respected for a long time. He's done a brilliant job at the club and they are lucky to have him.

"I'm expecting one of our toughest games of the season and we'll have to work our socks off and play at absolutely our best to have any chance of getting a result."

Holloway also shot down talk of Wolves being a dirty side after they attracted harsh criticism nationally earlier this season.

He said: "Wolves are a cracking team and anyone who thinks they play a certain style of football is totally wrong and out of order.

"I was critical of Danny Murphy when he made those comments earlier in the season, criticising Wolves, Blackburn and Stoke."

The Blackpool boss is ready to shake hands and have a post-match beer with his Wolves counterpart, after apologising for his own comments criticising McCarthy's nine changes at Manchester United last season.

Holloway claimed McCarthy made his multiple changes because he had no chance of winning at Old Trafford and lacked the belief in his players that he had in his.

The Tangerines chief has threatened to quit over making 10 changes in their recent 3-2 defeat at Villa.

He said: "Mick is a top man - I have no problem with him at all. I have already sorted out what he was upset about. I was just talking about my team and I didn't even know what his quotes were.

"Someone asked me a question and I responded, but I was tricked and my words were spun around.

"But there's no problem and I'll have a beer with him tomorrow - he's a fantastic fellow."