Source: Team_Talk
Mick makes case for the defence
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has no intention of adopting a gung-ho attitude as he sees not getting beat as the key to Premier League survival. McCarthy has seen his side edge clear of the bottom three with the emphasis being on a solid defence which has kept three clean sheets in the last four games.At the other end of the pitch Wolves are without a goal in six and a half hours and have managed only one in their last eight home matches.But McCarthy will only be concerned about that statistic if Wolves go down.He said: "It matters because everyone wants to see goals. It matters because we want to win games."But it doesn't matter if we finish on more points than at least three other teams and have scored less goals."I don't know what people want me to say about it. I can't answer it any more than saying 'Don't get beat.'"I want to win but if it ends up being 0-0 against Blackburn, as it was on Saturday at Fulham, that's fine because I don't want to lose."I'll be telling the lads, for a start just don't get beat. Then you have half a chance of winning and you've got a chance of taking something."I still maintain the view that if we don't concede we have a damn sight more chance of winning games than if we are 2-0 down and looking to get back into a match."McCarthy added: "It's not a surprise we have to base our game on trying to keep clean sheets because, if we don't give anything away, then we've always got a chance."We all love to play expansive football, but you can't always do it. Birmingham have played in that same solid way. Their success has been built on clean sheets."That's vital because, if you give goals away, then it's very difficult to get back into it."McCarthy is expecting Wolves will have to pull out all the stops to pick up further points despite Blackburn and Sunderland being safe in mid-table and Portsmouth having already been relegated and in the FA Cup final.He said: "It's dangerous to be playing the teams we've got ahead. They could come and take their foot off the gas but I don't see that happening."Do you think Sam Allardyce, Steve Bruce and Avram Grant are going to say 'Let's just go and have a game lads?' There is no chance of that happening."