Mick McCarthy had the last laugh on the amateur assassins that had been ready to pounce if Wolves had lost to Burnley.
A 2-0 win over Owen Coyle’s side sent Wolves soaring up the table into 12th place just days after being slaughtered for his selection policy against Manchester United.
Making ten changes for the trip to Old Trafford had provided an instant talking point as the Wolves boss virtually handed over the points when he posted his team-lines.
McCarthy’s logic was that he needed his main players fresh for the Burnley fixture which as today’s result has proved was indeed a genuine six-pointer with Wolves ahead of Burnley on goal difference.
Since announcing his team to face Manchester United the former Celtic centre half has been constantly questioned on the decision and even joked that he’d received text messages from Tiger Woods and Thierry Henry thanking him for deflecting attention. A contract from Gillette however is unlikely for big Mick.
Straight-talking is McCarthy’s middle named as he confirmed after today’s win.
He said: ” Did the win justify my midweek team selection? I’m not looking for it at all, justification or vindication.
“It is all about results. People’s opinions of my decisions, I’m not bothered with. One or two people’s opinions of me, and my character, I might have trouble with but I’m not going to appease people just because we won. I’m not really bothered.
“I have to be able to manage the club, manage the players, maximise my resources, pick teams and be trusted with it by everyone concerned.
“The day I’m not trusted is the day I get out of the door, isn’t it? So I have to be allowed to do that. We’ve had nine points out of 12 since the Birmingham game and people who were here when we played Birmingham would never have thought that.
“I am delighted but I kind of expected it because of the decisions I made. The nice part was the players believed in me and trusted me and let me get on with it.
“I am delighted but I kind of expected it because of the decisions I made. The nice part was the players believed in me and trusted me and let me get on with it.
“They were 100% behind the decisions I made and they played well today and won the game.”
Anything less than a Burnley win and it would have been open season on McCarthy, especially after the way that Fulham turned over Manchester United.
In season 2005/2006 McCarthy was in charge of Sunderland who were relegated with a miserable 15 points breaking various Premiership records along the way.
The attention of the Premiership circus will move on from Wolves this week, leaving big Mick to get on with his job of establishing Wolves, and himself, in the top flight.
