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WOLVES supporters should be thankful Mick McCarthy does not hold grudges. Earlier this year, the club's manager was patrolling the touchline at Molineux while "You don't know what you're doing" reverberated in the background. Fast forward 10 months and Wolves are ensconced at the top of the Championship, marching towards the Premier League and the natives have prefixed the manager's name with the word "Super".

It is quite a turnaround and one which those disgruntled with a few of McCarthy's decisions last season would do well to recall when Birmingham City make the short trip to Molineux today for a top-of-the-table clash. Another Wolves win would equal the club record of eight in succession but, far more significantly, open a nine-point lead over Birmingham and leave the third-placed Reading 15 points behind by the time they kick off on Monday. It is a position that suggests McCarthy knows exactly what he is doing.