The 2014–15 season was the 116th season of competitive league football in the history of English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers. The club competed in the second tier of the English football system, the Football League Championship, following their return to the second level after being promoted as champions from League One at the first attempt.
The club finished the season in seventh position, missing out on a play-off place on goal difference. Their tally of 78 points represented the highest points tally not to earn a play-off place since the system was introduced.
Season review Following their record-breaking promotion from League One, pre-season training began on 26 June with Wolves having already made two of their three summer signings with Tommy Rowe and Rajiv van La Parra arriving on free transfers; Chelsea academy graduate George Saville would join for a fee in late August but fail to make any impact before being loaned out. The transfer window saw deals reached to remove some of the club's transfer listed players from the wage bill with Tongo Doumbia, Jamie O’Hara and Stephen Ward all moving on.
The season began with a 1–0 win over newly relegated Norwich, which was soon followed by two further 1–0 wins against the other two teams to have fallen out of the Premier League, Fulham and Cardiff, respectively. The team lost just twice in their opening 15 league fixtures, bringing them a place in the top 4 of the division. However, a lengthy hamstring injury to striker Nouha Dicko left the team lacking attacking options, with Leon Clarke having scored just once. The loan acquisition of Hull striker Yannick Sagbo failed to solve the issue as the player's lack of fitness became apparent and the deal was cut short. A second Premier League striker was loaned in with Sunderland's Danny Graham then having a six-week stay but providing only one goal. During this time Wolves suffered five defeats in a row, their worst run at Championship level since 1991, dropping them into mid-table.
With Dicko regaining fitness by the Christmas period, the team went two months undefeated and bolstered their attacking threat by signing Benik Afobe from Arsenal, who had led the goalscoring charts while on loan at League One side MK Dons. The January window saw the departures of two further transfer listed players, Roger Johnson and Kevin Foley. The following months saw the team regain a footing in the promotion race, as they became one of the eight clubs at the top of the division to break clear of the remaining teams.
After sitting in 8th place for several weeks, a run of four consecutive victories in late March/early April allowed them to finally break back into the play-off positions. However, they immediately suffered two consecutive losses - at local rivals Birmingham and promotion contenders Middlesbrough - that dropped them again down to 8th. After a home match against fellow play-off challenger Ipswich, managed by former Wolves manager Mick McCarthy, finished 1–1, Wolves were left needing to hope that teams above them would drop sufficient points in the final two rounds of games to allow them back into the top 6. Although Wolves won their final two games to catch Ipswich on points, their goal difference proved insufficient to overtake either the East Anglian club or Brentford, who had been promoted as runners-up behind Wolves in the previous season. Wolves' tally of 78 points was the highest-achieved to date by a team that did not qualify for the play-offs since their introduction.
Results Preseason
Championship
A total of 24 teams competed in the Football League Championship in the 2014–15 season. Each team played 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 18 June 2014, but was subject to change in the event of matches being selected for television coverage or police concerns.
Matches
Results summary
Results by round
League table
FA Cup
League Cup
Players Statistics
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Awards AwardWinner Fans' Player of the Season Richard Stearman Players' Player of the Season Richard Stearman Young Player of the Season Dominic Iorfa Academy Player of the Season Regan Upton Goal of the Season James Henry(vs Bolton, 31 January 2015)
Transfers In DatePlayerFromFee 3 June 2014 Tommy Rowe Peterborough United Free 10 June 2014 Rajiv van La Parra Heerenveen Free July 2014 Jordan Allan Airdrieonians Free July 2014 Christián Herc Nitra Free July 2014 Conor Levingston Gorey Rangers Free July 2014 Connor Ronan Rochdale Free 21 August 2014 Nicolae Carnat Hagi Free 26 August 2014 George Saville Chelsea £1,000,000 3 November 2014 Tomasz Kuszczak Unattached Free5 January 2015 Jordan GrahamAston VillaUndisclosed14 January 2015 Benik AfobeArsenal£2,000,000
Out DatePlayerToFee June 2014 Marcus Barnes Released Free June 2014 Jordan Cranston Released Free June 2014 George Elokobi Released Free June 2014 Tim Jakobsson Released Free June 2014 Kristián Koštrna Released Free June 2014 Tyler Lyttle Released Free June 2014 David Moli Released Free June 2014 Robbie Parry Released Free June 2014 Jamie ReckordReleased Free June 2014 Peter Smith Released Free June 2014 Jack Storer Released Free June 2014 Jamie TankReleased Free June 2014 Sam WhittallReleased Free 18 June 2014 Michael IhiekweTranmere Rovers Free 11 August 2014 David DavisBirmingham City £150,000 12 August 2014 Anthony FordeWalsall Undisclosed 15 August 2014 Stephen WardBurnley Undisclosed 28 August 2014 Jamie O'Hara Released Free 29 August 2014 Tongo Doumbia Toulouse Undisclosed January 2015 Victor Wagner Released Free 12 January 2015 Kevin Foley Released Free 2 February 2015 Roger Johnson Released Free 2 February 2015 Ben Priest Dundee Free
Loans in DatePlayerFromEnd date30 September 2014 Yannick SagboHull City13 November 201414 November 2014 Danny GrahamSunderland31 December 201427 November 2014 Jordan GrahamAston Villa4 January 201527 November 2014 Donovan WilsonBristol Rovers4 January 2015
Loans out DatePlayerToEnd date18 July 2014 Zeli IsmailNotts County4 January 201525 July 2014 Jake CassidyNotts County4 January 201528 July 2014 Kortney HauseGillingham24 November 20141 September 2014 Jack PriceYeovil Town4 October 20141 September 2014 Kevin DoyleCrystal Palace1 January 201511 September 2014 Georg MargreitterChesterfield13 December 20142 October 2014 Liam McAlindenFleetwood Town30 October 20147 October 2014 Jack PriceLeyton Orient3 December 20149 October 2014 Eusébio BancessiCheltenham Town6 November 201420 November 2014 Jonathan Flatt Wrexham5 January 201527 November 2014 Kevin FoleyBlackpool3 January 201513 January 2015 Björn Sigurðarson Copenhagen30 June 201515 January 2015 Liam McAlindenFleetwood TownEnd of season15 January 2015 Jake CassidySouthend UnitedEnd of season15 January 2015 George SavilleBristol City20 April 201523 January 2015 Scott DuttonCrawley Town21 February 20152 February 2015 Ashley CarterChesterfieldEnd of season2 February 2015 Leon ClarkeWigan AthleticEnd of season12 March 2015 Michael JacobsBlackpool9 April 201521 March 2015 Sam RickettsSwindon TownEnd of season26 March 2015 Jonathan FlattChesterfield24 April 2015
Management and coaching staff PositionNameHead coach Kenny JackettAssistant head coach Joe GallenFirst Team Fitness and Conditioning coach Tony DaleyGoalkeeping coach Pat MountainHead of Football Development and Recruitment Kevin ThelwellHead of Recruitment Stuart WebberAcademy Manager Gareth ProsserClub Doctor Dr Matthew Perry Club Physio Carl Howarth
Kit The season brought both new home and away kits again manufactured by supplier PUMA. The new home kit featured the club's traditional gold and black colours with black arms, which had been worn on the final day of the previous season, while the away kit was an all white design with black collar. Both shirts featured sponsor What House? for a second and final season.
References