McCarthy tells Wolves to rise to the challenge

Wolverhampton (AFP) Wolves may be only 13 games into their first season back in the Premier League but that has not prevented Mick McCarthy from warning his players that they are already embroiled in a grim scrap to avoid the drop.

Former Ireland coach McCarthy has hit his players with a fierce reality check following two humbling defeats to Arsenal and Chelsea and warned them to embrace the pressure of a relegation battle.

To mention the dreaded expression ‘six-pointer' in the vicinity of most managers at such an embryonic stage of the campaign is running the risk of a snappy reaction. But McCarthy is not like most managers.

Indeed, he is positively embracing the hype ahead of their clash with local rivals Birmingham this weekend.

Currently second from bottom of the table, Wolves face fellow strugglers Bolton next weekend and, with trips to Liverpool, Spurs and Manchester United coming up before the end of the year, McCarthy has made no attempt to sugar-coat their current situation.

He said: "There was no point messing about. The players have to embrace it, understand it, recognise it and play with that."