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Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Full name Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club
Nickname Wolves
Founded 1877
Ground The Molineux, Wolverhampton
Capacity 29,400
Chairman Rick Hayward
Manager Stuart Gray (caretaker)
Previous manager Dave Jones
sacked November 1, 2004
League Coca Cola Championship
2003-04 Premier League, 20th (relegated)
Overview
Wolverhampton
Wanderers F.C. is a Wolverhampton-based football club playing at the
Molineux.
Molineux Stadium is situated on Waterloo Road and has four stands all
named after players who have become legendary at the club - Billy
Wright, Steve Bull, Stan Cullis and Jack Harris.
History of the club
The team was founded
in 1877 by John Baynton and Jack Brodie after a group of pupils at St
Luke's school in Blakenhall had been presented with a football by their
headmaster Harry Barcroft. Two years later, they merged with the local
cricket and football club to form The Wanderers.
The club was given
the use of two fields - John Harper's Field and Windmill Field - both
off Lower Villiers Street in Blakenhall in its early years. From there,
they moved to a site on the Dudley Road opposite the Fighting Cocks Inn
in 1881. The club became one fo the twelve founders ofthe English
Football League in 1888.
Notable Players
It enjoyed
prominence in the 1950s under manager Stan Cullis, winning the first
division championship three times and winning the F.A. Cup twice. The
club was described by some as the greatest football team in the world
after beating the Hungarian side Honved 3-2 after being 2-0 down at
half time. Players in the team included Billy Wright (OBE) who was the
first footballer to win over a hundred international caps (taking 105
caps in total) and captained the England team 90 times. The club's top
goalscorer is Steve Bull with 306 goals. Other notable players include
Derek Dougan, John Richards, Frank Munro, Mel Eves, Bill Slater, Ron
Flowers, Robbie Keane, and Seol Ki-hyun.
Wolves are the only club to have won five top-flight divisional titles (see Club Honours below).
Decline and rescue
The club went
through a bad spell in the 1980s, being relegated to the Fourth
Division and almost going bankrupt. More recently the club was bought
by Sir Jack Hayward and is enjoying better times. This general
improvement culminated in manager Dave Jones taking the club through
the First Division play-offs, into the Premiership for the first time,
in 2003.
The club, got off to
a disastrous start in the 2003/4 season playing for 2 months without a
single win until earning its first premiership win against Manchester
City in October. They were relegated to the Football League
Championship at the end of the season. Following a poor start to the
2004/5 season Dave Jones was dismissed as manager on November 1, 2004.
Sir Jack Hayward
also stepped down as Chairman and passed the ownership on to his son
Rick Hayward writing off the £40 million owed to him. The club are
commonly known as Wolves; the club logo features a wolf head.
The club's fierce
local rivals are West Bromwich Albion, "shit on the Albion" being a
common chant for Wolves fans, regardless of the occasion. Also the
Subway Army are renowned for hooliganism at Wolves' matches.
Club Honours
Division One Champions : 1953/4, 1957/8, 1958/9
Division Two Champions : 1931/2, 1976/7
Division Three Champions : 1988/9
Division Three (North) Champions : 1923/4
Division Four Champions : 1987/8
FA Cup Winners : 1893, 1908, 1949, 1960
FA Cup Runners-Up : 1889, 1896, 1921, 1939
Football League Cup Winners : 1974, 1980
Sherpa Van Trophy Winners : 1988
Texaco Cup Winners : 1971
UEFA Cup Runners-Up : 1971/2
Club Records
Appearances:
Most appearances (total) : Derek Parkin - 609 (1968-82)
Most appearances (league) : Derek Parkin - 501 (1968-82)
Most consecutive appearances : 171 (127 league) - September 1970 to September 1973
Individual Records
Most goals scored (career) : Steve Bull - 306 (1986-99)
Most league goals scored (career) : Steve Bull - 250 (1986-99)
Most goals scored (season) : Steve Bull - 52 (1987-8)
Most league goals scored (season) : Dennis Westcott - 38 (1946-7, First Division)
Most goals scored (FA Cup) : John Richards - 24 (1969-83)
Most goals scored (League Cup) :
John Richards - 18 (1969-83)
Steve Bull - 18 (1986-99)
Most hat-tricks scored : Steve Bill - 18 (1986-99)
Most goals in european competition football : Derek Dougan - 12 (1967-75)
Most goals scored (individual, game) :
5 - Joe Butcher against Accrington Stanley - 1892 (Division 1)
5 - Tom Phillipson against Bradford City FC - 1926 (Division 2)
5 - Billy Harthill against Notts County FC - 1929 (Division 2)
5 - Billy Harthill against Aston Villa FC - 1934 (Division 1)
Fastest recorded goal : 12 seconds, John Richards against Burnley FC - 1976-6 (Division 2)
Most international caps received whilst playing for Wolves:
England - Billy Wright, 105 - 90 as captain (1939-59)
Scotland - Andy Gray, 13 (1979-83)
Wales - Dai Richards, 11 (1927-35)
Northern Ireland : Derek Dougan, 26 (1966-75)
Republic of Ireland : Robbie Keane, 9 (1998-9)
Team Records
Most league goals (season) : 115 (Division 2 ; 1931-2)
Most points scored :
Two points for a win : 64 (Division 1, 1957-8)
Three points for a win : 92 (Division 3, 1988-9)
Best home victory (league) : 10-1 against Leicester City FC, Division 1 ; 15 April 1937
Best away victory (league) : 9-1 against Cardiff City FC, Division 1 ; 3 September 1955
Worst home defeat (league) : 0-8 against West Bromwich Albion FC, Division 1 ; 27 December 1897
Worst away defeat (league) : 1-10 against Newton Heath, Division 1 ; 15 October 1892
Best home victory (FA Cup) : 14-1 against Crosswell's Brewery ; 2nd round, 13 November 1886
Best away victory (FA Cup) :
5-0 against Reading FC ; 1st round, 15 January 1910 (match played at Molineux)
5-0 against Grimsby Town FC ; semi-final at Old Trafford, 25 March 1939
Worst home defeat (FA Cup) : 3-6 against Derby County FC ; 3rd round, 14 January 1933
Worst away defeat (FA Cup) : 0-6 against Rotherham United FC ; 1st round, 16 November 1985
Best home victory (League Cup) : 6-1 against Shrewsbury Town FC ; 2nd round, 1st leg, 24 September 1991
Best away victory (League Cup) : 5-1 against Fulham FC ; 2nd round, 2nd leg, 3 October 1995
Worst home defeat (League Cup) :
1-3 against Fulham FC ; 2nd round, 11 September 1974
1-3 against Luton Town FC ; 2nd round, 30 August 1977
Worst away defeat (League Cup) :
0-5 against Fulham FC ; 3rd round, 5 October 1966
0-5 against Sunderland FC ; 2nd round, 2nd leg, 27 October 1982
Highest transfer fee paid : 3.5 million pounds to Bristol City FC for Ade Akinbiyi, September 1999
Highest transfer fee received : 6 million pounds from Tottenham Hotspur FC for Robbie Keane, August 1999
External links:
Official Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. site
Wolves statistics
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