# 2009–10 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season

The 2009–10 season was the 111th season of competitive league football in the history of English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers. This season saw the club return to the Premier League after a five-year absence. They had won promotion in the previous season as champions of the Football League Championship.
Although this season was the club's 61st at the top level of English football, it was only their second season in the modern Premier League; their only previous Premier League campaign had ended in relegation in 2003–04.
The club avoided relegation, finishing 15th, some eight points clear of the relegation zone. Survival was confirmed with two games to spare, marking the first time they had avoided relegation from the highest level since 1980–81.

## Season review

The summer transfer window saw the arrival of nine new recruits in total (seven permanent, two loans) at a cost of £18.5 million. The most notable new addition was Irish international striker Kevin Doyle, signed for a club record fee of £6.5 million from Championship side Reading. Serbian midfielder Nenad Milijaš was the next most expensive signing, bought to add additional creativity. The summer also saw contract extensions signed by Kevin Foley, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Jody Craddock and David Edwards. On the field the players resumed training at their Sir Jack Hayward training ground on 29 June 2009, before flying out to Perth, Australia on 4 July for a two-week stay where they stepped up their training and played their first two games of pre-season. Preparations were completed with the only home friendly, a game against La Liga side Real Valladolid.
The season proper began with a 0–2 loss to West Ham United in the club's first Premier League fixture in five years. Wolves immediately bounced back by winning on the road at Wigan despite a long injury list, giving the club their first ever away win in the modern Premier League.
A further victory against Fulham put them 12th after six games, but this was their last victory for almost two months - a run which included a home loss to winless Portsmouth. Despite credible draws against the likes of Everton and Aston Villa, the team fell into the relegation zone with a defence unable to keep clean sheets. Heavy defeats followed against "Big 4" sides Arsenal and Chelsea, before a lacklustre home loss to local rivals Birmingham City put manager McCarthy under increasing pressure.
December saw a change of fortune with three wins in four games, including a surprise away success at Tottenham, to help propel the club out of the mire. The month also brought controversy though after manager Mick McCarthy opted to field an entirely new outfield line-up to the one that defeated Spurs when they visited Manchester United three days later. The uproar caused by the decision led to the Premier League requesting an official explanation from the club, resulting in a £25,000 suspended fine. 2009 closed with two successive defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City, but enough points to remain above the relegation zone.
The January transfer window saw the club make a club record bid to sign winger Adam Johnson from Middlesbrough, and a long-winded attempt to lure Stephen Hunt from relegation rivals Hull City. Both bids failed, as did late attempts for young defender Nathaniel Clyne and even a loan offer to former starlet Robbie Keane. With no permanent transfers agreed, the club instead brought in two loan signings, both from Belgian club Charleroi – Adlène Guedioura and Geoffrey Mujangi Bia.
The start to 2010 proved equally frustrating on the field with only two points taken from four games, as well as a convincing FA Cup exit at the hands of financially troubled Championship side Crystal Palace. The rot was stopped with a home win over Tottenham, which meant Wolves had completed their first top flight double since the 1980–81 season. Wolves added a second double over Burnley, before a draw at Aston Villa and then a 3–1 victory at fellow strugglers West Ham finished a series of three away game which yielded seven points from a possible nine, giving their chances of avoiding relegation a strong boost.
The team drew four of their five following games, their only defeat coming in the 95th minute away at title challengers Arsenal. This run of points helped assure their Premier League survival. Survival was mathematically confirmed on 25 April 2010 when Burnley failed to beat Liverpool, thus filling the final relegation spot.
The season was concluded with a 1–3 loss at already-relegated Portsmouth before a final day victory over Sunderland took their points tally to 38, yielding a 15th-place finish. This marked their highest position in the English football system since 1979–80. It also meant the club had survived at the top level for the first time in 29 years. Although they finished the division's lowest goalscorers (with 32), a strong defensive resolve meant they had conceded the least of the bottom 8 (56), creating the formula for their survival.

## Results
### Pre season

Wolves took part in their first foreign pre-season tour in five years as they traveled to Perth, Australia to train and play their opening two friendlies against A-League opposition in their first visit to the country since 1972. As had become common in recent years, only their final game was held at their Molineux home. A second "Wolves XI" team largely comprising academy prospects and out of favour senior players also played a series of matches during this period.
"Wolves XI" pre season results (all away): 0–0 vs Kidderminster Harriers (18 July), 1–2 vs Port Vale (22 July), 0–0 vs Hereford United (25 July), 1–0 vs Crewe Alexandra (29 July), 3–1 vs Wrexham (5 August)

### Premier League

A total of 20 teams competed in the Premier League in the 2009–10 season. Each team would play every other team twice, once at their stadium, and once at the opposition's. Three points were awarded to teams for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. The provisional fixture list was released on 17 June 2009, but was subject to change in the event of matches being selected for television coverage.
Final table
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 13 | Sunderland | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 48 | 56 | −8 | 44 |
| 14 | Bolton Wanderers | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 42 | 67 | −25 | 39 |
| 15 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 38 | 9 | 11 | 18 | 32 | 56 | −24 | 38 |
| 16 | Wigan Athletic | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 37 | 79 | −42 | 36 |
| 17 | West Ham United | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 47 | 66 | −19 | 35 |
Results summary
| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Source: Statto.com
Results by round
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Result | L | W | L | D | L | W | L | L | D | D | D | L | L | L | W | W | L | W | L | L | L | D | D | L | W | L | L | L | W | D | W | D | L | D | D | D | L | W |
| Position | 16 | 11 | 13 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 | 12 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |

### League Cup
## Players
### Statistics

Key: ‡ On loan from another club * First appearance(s) for the club
* # = Squad number
* Pos = Playing position
* P = Number of games played 10
* G = Number of goals scored
* GK = Goalkeeper
* DF = Defender
* MF = Midfielder
* FW = Forward
* = Yellow cards
* = Red cards
* † Permanent player left club during the season
* ¤ Loaned to another club for part or all of season
Correct as of the season's end. Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances in parentheses where applicable.
| No. | Pos | Name | P | G | P | G | P | G | P | G | | |
| No. | Pos | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total | Discipline | Discipline | Notes |
| 1 | GK | Wayne Hennessey | 13 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | George Elokobi | 17(5) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20(6) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | David Edwards | 16(4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 16(5) | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | Richard Stearman | 12(4) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14(4) | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 6 | DF | Jody Craddock | 33 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | Michael Kightly | 3(6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4(6) | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Karl Henry (c) | 34 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| 9 | FW | Sylvan Ebanks-Blake | 12(11) | 2 | 2(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15(12) | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | Andy Keogh | 8(5) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0(2) | 0 | 8(7) | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 11 | DF | Stephen Ward | 18(4) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19(5) | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 12 | MF | Andrew Surman | 3(4) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5(4) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | GK | Marcus Hahnemann | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | David Jones | 16(4) | 1 | 1(1) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 19(5) | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | Greg Halford | 12(3) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12(4) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | Christophe Berra | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | Matt Jarvis | 30(4) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0(1) | 0 | 31(5) | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | Sam Vokes ¤ | 0(5) | 0 | 2(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3(6) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | FW | Chris Iwelumo ¤ | 2(13) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3(14) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | Nenad Milijaš | 12(7) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 14(8) | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | Daniel Jones ¤ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | Jason Shackell ¤ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | DF | Ronald Zubar | 23 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | Mark Little ¤ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | DF | Neill Collins ¤ † | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | Geoffrey Mujangi Bia ‡ | 1(2) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2(3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | Matt Hill ¤ | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | DF | Michael Mancienne ‡ | 22(8) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25(8) | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | George Friend ¤ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | FW | Kevin Doyle | 33(1) | 9 | 0(1) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 34(3) | 9 | 5 | 0 |
| 30 | GK | Carl Ikeme ¤ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | GK | Matt Murray | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | DF | Kevin Foley | 23(2) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27(2) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 33 | FW | Stefan Maierhofer ¤ | 1(7) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2(7) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 34 | DF | Darren Ward ¤ † | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34 | MF | Adlène Guedioura ‡ | 7(7) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7(7) | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 35 | MF | Elliott Bennett † | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 35 | MF | Segundo Castillo ‡ | 7(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | DF | John Dunleavy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | MF | Kyle Bennett | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38 | MF | David Davis ¤ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | FW | Sam Winnall | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40 | DF | Danny Batth ¤ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 41 | FW | Ashley Hemmings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | DF | Scott Malone ¤ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 43 | FW | James Spray | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 44 | MF | Nathaniel Mendez-Laing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* ↑ Collins was initially loaned to Preston North End, and later transferred there permanently.
* ↑ Ward was initially loaned to Millwall, and later transferred there permanently.
* ↑ Bennett was transferred to Brighton & Hove Albion.

### Awards

| Award | Winner |
| Fans' Player of the Season | Jody Craddock |
| Players' Player of the Season | Kevin Doyle |
| Young Player of the Season | Danny Batth |
| Academy Player of the Season | Nathan Rooney |
| Goal of the Season | Nenad Milijaš (vs Bolton, 5 December 2009) |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Player | From | Fee |
| 15 June 2009 | Nenad Milijaš | Red Star Belgrade | £2.6 million |
| 17 June 2009 | Marcus Hahnemann | Reading | Free |
| 30 June 2009 | Kevin Doyle | Reading | £6.5 million |
| 30 June 2009 | Johnny Gorman | Manchester United | Free |
| 30 June 2009 | Aljaž Cotman | Triglav | Free |
| 1 July 2009 | Andrew Surman | Southampton | £1.2 million |
| 3 July 2009 | Greg Halford | Sunderland | £2 million |
| 4 July 2009 | Ronald Zubar | Marseille | £2.5 million |
| 31 August 2009 | Stefan Maierhofer | Rapid Vienna | £1.8 million |

### Out

| Date | Player | To | Fee |
| June 2009 | Matt Bailey | Released | Free |
| June 2009 | Mark Connolly | Released | Free |
| June 2009 | Lewis Gobern | Released | Free |
| June 2009 | David Ijaha | Released | Free |
| June 2009 | Billy Lumley | Released | Free |
| June 2009 | Alex Melbourne | Released | Free |
| 1 July 2009 | Stephen Gleeson | Milton Keynes Dons | Undisclosed |
| 10 July 2009 | Darren Potter | Sheffield Wednesday | Undisclosed |
| 19 August 2009 | Elliott Bennett | Brighton & Hove Albion | Undisclosed |
| 1 January 2010 | Darren Ward | Millwall | Undisclosed |
| 5 January 2010 | Neill Collins | Preston North End | Undisclosed |

### Loans in

| Start date | Player | From | End date |
| 13 August 2009 | Michael Mancienne | Chelsea | End of season |
| 31 August 2009 | Segundo Castillo | Red Star Belgrade | End of season |
| 15 September 2009 | Bence Szabó | Újpest | End of season |
| 21 January 2010 | Geoffrey Mujangi Bia | RSC Charleroi | End of season |
| 25 January 2010 | Adlène Guedioura | RSC Charleroi | End of season |

### Loans out

| Start date | Player | To | End date |
| 11 August 2009 | George Friend | Millwall | 16 September 2010 |
| 15 August 2009 | Jason Shackell | Doncaster Rovers | End of season |
| 31 August 2009 | Neill Collins | Preston North End | 4 January 2010 |
| 11 September 2009 | Darren Ward | Millwall | 4 January 2010 |
| 17 September 2009 | Danny Batth | Colchester United | 29 April 2010 |
| 18 September 2009 | George Friend | Southend United | 18 October 2009 |
| 24 September 2009 | Daniel Jones | Notts County | 4 January 2010 |
| 5 October 2009 | Mark Little | Chesterfield | 4 January 2010 |
| 19 October 2009 | Sam Vokes | Leeds United | 1 January 2010 |
| 22 October 2009 | David Davis | Darlington | 4 January 2010 |
| 28 October 2009 | Carl Ikeme | Charlton Athletic | 28 November 2010 |
| 30 October 2009 | George Friend | Scunthorpe United | 13 December 2009 |
| 24 November 2009 | Scott Malone | Southend United | 29 April 2010 |
| 26 November 2009 | Carl Ikeme | Sheffield United | 26 December 2010 |
| 6 January 2010 | Carl Ikeme | Queens Park Rangers | 6 April 2010 |
| 25 January 2010 | Matt Hill | Queens Park Rangers | End of season |
| 12 February 2010 | Chris Iwelumo | Bristol City | 15 March 2010 |
| 15 February 2010 | Daniel Jones | Bristol Rovers | End of season |
| 2 March 2010 | Mark Little | Peterborough United | End of season |
| 4 March 2010 | George Friend | Exeter City | End of season |
| 15 March 2010 | Stefan Maierhofer | Bristol City | 11 April 2010 |

## Management and coaching staff

| Position | Name |
| Manager | Mick McCarthy |
| Assistant manager | Terry Connor |
| First Team Fitness and Conditioning coach | Tony Daley |
| Goalkeeping coach | Pat Mountain |
| Development Coach, 18-21's | Steve Weaver |
| Academy Manager | Kevin Thelwell |
| Assistant Academy Manager / Under-18's coach | Mick Halsall |
| Club Doctor | Dr Matthew Perry |
| Head of medical department | Steve Kemp |
| Club Physio | Alan Peacham |

## Kit

The season saw a new home and away kit, both manufactured by Le Coq Sportif. The away kit was notable in featuring red trims, a reference to their original red and white stripes when the club was first formed. Both shirts featured the club's new sponsor, the internet gambling company Sportingbet.com.