Are Wolves Dirty?

Mick McCarthy has today insisted that his Wolves side our not dirty. The former Republic of Ireland boss was left incensed at claims his side were deploying overly physical tactics so far this season, and maintains his side are playing fair.

But after Wolves picked up a remarkable 13 yellow cars in their last two games, surely there must be something going a miss at Molineux. But there isn’t according to McCarthy who told BBC Sport: “”I’ve gone through the bookings at Fulham and there wasn’t a bad, malicious tackle, and there we are with six bookings and a sending off. We’re not a dirty team, but at the moment it looks like we are because of circumstances.

“I try my best not to offend anybody, but if that’s the way people want to perceive me and my team there’s not a great deal I can do about it. But it’s wrong, a whole pile of nonsense actually, but such is life.”

McCarthy certainly seems to have been riled by the accusations made over about his team. But in a week where a tackle from one of his players left Bobby Zamora’s leg broken, it is really only inevitable that there would be criticism in to his sides methods.

Personally I had no real issue with the tackle from Karl Henry on Zamora. Hard yes, but over the top no. However what I do have an issue with is the way that Henry had gone about antagonising Joey Barton in the previous game.

I have no issue with getting in to a players head with the odd late challenge, but the way Henry systematically went for Barton was nothing short of disgusting. To say Henry wasn’t dirty that day would be quite frankly laughable.

Why Henry opted to do that I’m not quite sure. I have no doubt that had he not been so outrageously over the top in his bid to get Barton frustrated and ultimately lose his cool than he wouldn’t of come in for the criticism he did after the Zamora challenge. Unfortunately for Henry that has very much came back to bite him and his team.