Jody Craddock could be Wolves' hero

Wolves columnist John Lalley has called for a hero in the next six games that will decide his club's Premier League future - and believes Jody Craddock could be their man.

The most concerning consequence of the two heavy defeats just inflicted on Wolves was the inevitability of capitulation after the concession of the first goal in both games.

At Newcastle and again against Everton on Saturday, as soon as we went behind a landslide at our end looked likely with little retaliation from us as an attacking force.

It is of course, a recipe for disaster and Wolves have chosen the most alarming imaginable time to revert to the hesitancy and individual errors that bedevilled us earlier in the campaign.

Wolves no doubt had a four point target in mind prior to the two games but, in reality, they never gave themselves a ghost of a chance in either match.

The comical mix-up between Jamie O'Hara and George Elokobi to set up Everton's third goal summed up the glaring lack of cohesion in our ranks.

Everton had appeared only marginally committed early on but by upping their tempo just a notch or two, they immediately discerned that easy pickings were very much on offer.

At the first hint of resistance, we were left floundering unable to win any high ball launched into our danger area as Richard Stearman and Christophe Berra were both twisted and turned out of position.

The chaos unravelled alarmingly quickly, confidence drained rapidly and our game plan fell to pieces.

Depressingly, an under-strength Everton despite a couple of outstanding long range finishes were not remotely tested and needed to show little in the way of top quality to prevail.

Sylvan Distin was a rock of dependency in the Everton penalty box, his partnership with Phil Jagielka was in stark contrast to the haphazard vulnerability causing mayhem in the Wolves' defensive system.

The towering command of the Toffees' pair emphasised that the Wolves' back four is at best, still a developing work in progress.

This is not to suggest that both Richard Stearman and Christophe Berra have not performed heroically at times this season. On occasions, both have been absolutely outstanding in seeing off the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and both Manchester clubs.

But defensive instability occurs when the entire team malfunctions as a unit.

Both of our full-backs have struggled to close down vital space for our opponents in the last couple of games and, with our midfield second best, pressure has been heaped in our direction.

Our backline is not a physically intimidating unit, the likes of Distin and other powerhouse Premier League defenders can dominate smaller forwards and, without the guile and craft of the subtle Kevin Doyle up front, our entire game plan is diminished.

His unique ability to absorb and relieve pressure is priceless to Wolves and his absence up front means less possession and increased vulnerability.

One of the wisest decisions manager Mick McCarthy made at the start of his time at Molineux was to recruit Gary Breen to lead our back four.

Wolves were strapped for cash and bodies at the time with mere survival in Championship football appearing to be the limit of the club's ambition.

Breen was already well past his considerable best, alarmingly short of pace and susceptible to being hopelessly stranded when turned by quicker forward players.

But his signing was a masterstroke. For starters, Breen was a magnificent competitor with a lot to say for himself and his abrupt communication skills were frequently directed at fellow defenders to remind them of exactly what was expected.

Breen had terrific positional sense which saw him assert his strengths before his weaknesses could be exploited.

He didn't take kindly to being second-bested physically either and, when necessary, he pushed the laws of the game to the limit and rough-housed any opposition player who got in his way.

When liberties were taken, he had no taste for turning the other cheek. He was strong in the air and his anticipation for sniffing out trouble was uncanny but above all he was a leader, an outstanding organizer of a defensive unit and if needs dictated a bit of a bully as well.

In the short term, at least, it worked a treat - how Wolves could use a similar type of character right now.

For much of last season, Jody Craddock brilliantly fulfilled the role. Though not as demonstrative as Breen, Craddock led by inspired example and his absence this time around has been sorely missed.

Whether a veteran like him could have repeated such an amazing degree of consistency is debatable, but certainly not being able to call upon his calming influence for at least part of time has undoubtedly been a handicap.

With our position becoming increasingly desperate, McCarthy may be left with little alternative but to ask Craddock to front up once more.

We have to defend our goal demonically for these last half a dozen games, any repeat of the charitable disposition shown to both Newcastle and Everton will guarantee relegation.