Wolverhampton Wan-derers launched themselves from the foot of the Premier League table with a 4-0 thrashing of Blackpool last Saturday afternoon. The win is their biggest ever in the league and adds to an impressive run of results as of late.
They have now earned seven points from their last four matches, which include a victory at home to Manchester United and a rare point on the road at West Bromwich Albion. In fact, the draw at The Hawtorns was only their fifth point away from home all season.
It’s maybe unfair to suggest at this early stage, but the current run of good form may be down to the signing of Jamie O’Hara, on loan till the end of the season from Tottenham Hotspur.
The Londoner has made just five appearances since his move to the Midlands club but in his last two games, in which he played the full 90 minutes, he has scored twice and put in man-of-the-match performances on both occasions.
O’Hara has made over 50 appearances at his beloved Spurs, the team he has supported since childhood, and has scored seven times in both domestic and European competitions. But with the arrival of Rafael van der Vaart and the rise of Gareth Bale, the left-footer found it increasingly difficult to cement a place in the team at White Hart Lane.
It’s not the first time O’Hara has gone out on loan. The 24-year-old had spells at Chesterfield and Millwall before making his Spurs debut in the 2007/08 season. But it was his time at Portsmouth last season where he began to show his true potential as a playmaker and a danger from set pieces with an accurate left-foot.
Although he could not prevent Pompey from being relegated, the fans’ favourite did help guide them to an FA Cup final only to be defeated by league champions Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley.
He was however honoured as Portsmouth’s player of the Year after many pivotal performances in his 29 appearances, while also scoring three goals.
O’Hara’s hopes of gaining a place in the Spurs team for the current campaign were dashed last August when doctors decided he would need surgery to rectify a stress fracture in his back, which ruled him out of contention until the new year.
Now fully fit, but out of favour, he accepted the move to Molineux until the end of the season in the hope of gaining some regular first-team soccer in the Premier League. With three years left on his contract, this could be O’Hara’s last chance to impress Harry Redknapp enough to force his way into the manager’s plans for the future.
The midfielder also has hopes of one day playing at international level, but for whom still remains a mystery.
Although he has played underage for England, including seven caps for the U21s, he has never broken into the senior squad. It is a year now since rumours began that he might declare his allegiance to the Republic of Ireland. A recent change in Fifa eligibility rules allows a player who played for one country at U-21 level to switch his allegiances and play for another at senior level.
In an interview with Talksport Radio in the UK, he said: “All my family are Republic of Ireland, all live in Wicklow, so I’ve got a big Irish family and they are always phoning me up, saying ‘Come play for Ireland.’ But obviously through the young stages, I’ve always played for England, so you know I didn’t want to be disrespectful and say I play for Ireland and I’m not 100 per cent.
“Now I think the opportunity has come, I’m 24 years old. I’m playing Premier League football, hopefully on a regular basis so if I get the phone call then it’s something I’ll look at.”
Jamie O’Hara has been an influential player with numerous clubs in the past, and there are few who doubt that his many talents would be an excellent addition to an Irish team if he were to choose this route.
