Wolves Fans' Parliament discussed a host of ways of improving the match-day experience when they met at Molineux last night.

And members were told they should protest against the council's decision to make streets around Newhampton Road out of bounds to car-using fans in recent seasons.

Halesowen-based Rod Palmer said he had attended games for 50-odd years and always parked at West Park. "It's getting so difficult to find spaces," he pointed out. "If we get 28,000, I'll have to bring my lunch with me. If we expand the ground and attract even bigger crowds, I'll be buying a campervan. Where will we all park?"

He was supported by Martyn Edwards and by Tim Richards, who called the residents-only parking ruling 'crass politics.' "We should fight it because it will creep into other areas," Tim argued. Kulbinder Kular suggested there was little difference with match-days as so many workers parked near West Park from Monday to Friday while Roger Fellows said: "Our licence entitles us to be on the public highway. I don't think this parking restriction is fair and I'm not sure it's legal."

Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey replied by saying he had been a thorn in the council's side on this issue. "My personal view is that it's crass in the extreme that the local population have got their councillors to change it," he said. "We were here long before they were here and it's only three hours 20-odd times a year.

"The only answer is to bombard the council with a massive petition. I'd be delighted if it succeeded because the problems are terrible considering what we do for the local community." Muriel Bates offered to gather signatures in her role as a programme seller and Parliament chairman Matt Grayson said the club would facilitate any action in an effort to see people power prevail.

Molineux's PA system was also discussed and Jez, on hearing Mark Cadman remark how well Swansea's worked, said checks had revealed that seven of Wolves' speakers were malfunctioning. Four of those were in the Stan Cullis Stand but repairs had been carried out since the last home game and further improvements were planned for October 27-28. He pointed out, though, that Swansea had a new stadium while Wolves' facilities were around 15 years old.

Mick Boydell said it was still difficult to reach the toilets and proposed that stewards might be used to clear crowds forming outside. And Georgina Savage was aware of a smoking problem in the toilets. Lynne O'Reardon, Wolves' ticketing and membership manager, said smoking was a particular problem in the Jack Harris Stand and told the meeting that all season ticket holders had received a letter reminding them Molineux was now a no-smoking facility. There had also been inserts in the programme and e-mails but Ryan Leister said the situation hadn't improved in his experience. Gerry Collins said the smoking by Wolves fans in the toilets area at Preston this season was 'awful.' Matt Grayson summed up: "We're doing everything we can and it's about personal responsibility."

On a similar issue, Muriel Bates said she recently stopped people taking drinks to their seats at Molineux while Les Hughes had been surprised when served beer in a can in the Steve Bull Upper at the home game against Reading. "That shouldn't happen," Jez insisted. "The sales assistant should have poured it for you, although we're now offering plastic bottles with the lids taken off."

Muriel said plastic bottles thrown to the ground were a potential safety hazard but thanked the club for making the concourses non-slip following talks at an earlier Parliament meeting.

In response to Wilf Hadley's regret that Molineux's scoreboards were no longer in use, Jez said: "We're doing nothing about them this season. We had costings and found it too expensive while the stadium redevelopment is pending. Hopefully, the entertainment on the field will compensate."

Mark Cadman complained that high ticket prices had made the recent trip to Swansea very expensive while other matches, such as Preston, had been cheap. Jez replied: "The away following this season has been spectacular. I just wish it was cheaper for you but we can't help it if home clubs grade us as a Tier A match."

Lynne O'Reardon said there were encouraging signs in the response to the launch of the Family Four ticket offer at the November 8 visit of Burnley but said most business would be done in the last week. She said the club remained sensitive to the issue of season ticket holders feeling their discount had been eroded by such offers but there had been very few complaints. Richard Harries said 62 of 71 fans he polled - described by Jez as a significant survey - were happy for discounts to occasionally be implemented if it meant a fuller stadium.

James Rogers asked on behalf of a friend whether away half season tickets could be considered, maybe as Christmas presents, but was told the club wouldn't reverse its decision to charge supporters full price at Molineux up to the age of 65, rather than 60.

Lynne promised to investigate Kulbinder Kular's assertion that the ticket office's intercoms were too loud when fans were giving out sensitive information such as addresses, although she said supporter numbers had been introduced with such problems in mind.

John Meaney said the club may have scored an own goal by insisting that any returned tickets would now only be refunded up to 48 hours before a game rather than up to 60 minutes before kick-off. But Lynne, while saying understanding would still be shown, said the system had been abused by fans block-booking, then returning odd ones very late.

She also assured Kulbinder Kular that fans who had paid £15 for tickets for the October 25 game at Watford would be reimbursed £2 as Watford had mistakenly printed tickets marked £13 - the price Wolves would stick with for that particular batch.

Gerry Collins expressed annoyance at going to away games and being told fans didn't need to sit in specified seats. He said he and his son had been positioned near to abusive Swansea supporters recently as well as having to walk 45 minutes in the rain to their car afterwards because only two buses had been used for an advertised park-and-ride scheme. Jez Moxey pledged to look into what he said sounded like lazy stewarding. Terry Brearley pointed out that the issue of reserved seating had been troublesome at several games.

Laurence Westwood was unhappy Wolves fans were kept back for 20 minutes after the Swansea game 'in a virtual cage' - action he said incited trouble. Martyn Edwards recalled being kept in for 40 minutes at Bristol City in April.

In response to a question from Daniel Yeo about how Cardiff fans would be handled at Molineux in February, Jez said: "There will possibly be another bubble. We have more talks in a month but a lot depends on behaviour between now and then and the intelligence picked up."

Alan Gripton was told that no more TV monitors would be provided on the Billy Wright concourse while stadium redevelopment plans were unclear and was also informed that lack of space prevented guests from accompanying season ticket holders into the Terrace Bar.

Matt Grayson let members know that there were plans afoot to try to engage local children to work alongside an artist and smarten up the Molineux subway with a Wolves theme - something Laurence Westwood called 'a great idea.'

ON-FIELD ISSUES

Jez Moxey said it was incumbent on the Parliament to formally acknowledge the club's best start to a season for decades. "And all with a team showing an average age of less than 23," he said.

Chris Cox said fans were thrilled to bits when Wolves bought three players on transfer deadline day, seemingly out of the blue, while John Meaney asked whether more money would be spent in January if the side were still flying high. "There's a provision but it depends whether it's the right player at the right price," Jez replied. "It's not a question of doing it at any cost."

To Les Hughes' question about why Daniel Jones hadn't been kept at Molineux, Jez said the managers and players felt it necessary to develop him further by loaning him out and, by joining Oldham, he had gone to an ideal club."

Jez also said Jeff Whitley had been doing some mentoring while training at the club to get fit.

Peter Bagley asked whether the credit crunch would affect Wolves and was told by Jez: "It depends on the fans. Will they continue to come and support us, whether it's match-days, filling a brand new suite like this or using the shop. We have to be realistic: it's tough out there. Some of our corporate sales are down but if the team does well, everything else usually does well. If we have a great season, we're hopeful we can make up any shortfall in income.

Jez assured Wilf Hadley that the club had no borrowings and had cash in hand. "We are in good shape to deal with a very difficult time."

MEDICAL MATTERS

The meeting was also addressed at length by Wolves' head of medical department Steve Kemp.

Nine months into his second stint at Molineux after also serving Leeds, Preston and South Korean club Busan, Steve gave the encouraging news that Jody Craddock hoped to resume training next week, Matt Jarvis could be jogging lightly at the same time and Michael Kightly was raring to go this weekend. In addition, Matt Hill should train again next week and Lewis Gobern may be fit for Christmas following muscle fatigue problems.

He said there was now more skill-sharing between first-team physios and those with the Academy and believes it's no accident that one of the best pre-seasons he has had work-wise was followed by one of the best starts Wolves have had. And he said the club's commitment to buying younger players had created a change in mentality that made his job easier.

"I don't have to ask players to get into ice baths anymore," he said. "They just do it." And Jez Moxey added: "The reason I agreed to finance his plans by paying £40,000 on baths here and at Compton was that I trusted him. I needed to be convinced these players would jump in."

Asked by Roger Fellows whether it was difficult asking older players to buy into the modern culture, Steve said: "I couldn't present a better example than Chris Iwelumo, who is as hungry as anyone and doing extra pilates in the afternoons. He has gone out of his way to do more. Jody is last out of the gym and Michael Gray is a fantastic character around the club."

He called the addition of staff such as Tony Daley vital and outlined other innovations, like heart-rate monitors that identify players' workloads, and personalised videos to show a player every touch he has had in a game.

"We look at every player's strengths and weaknesses so fitness programmes are specific," he added. "And these are reviewed fortnightly. Jody told us he had pain in his foot a couple of weeks earlier than when he last played and that's possibly due to the type of boots he was wearing. In hindsight, maybe we could have done more."

Kulbinder Kular asked how Wolves' medical facilities compared worldwide and was told: "I've been to Bayern Munich, Chicago Bulls, Chelsea and Manchester United and we are so much improved than when we were in the Premiership. No Championship clubs have facilities as good as ours."

Steve answered Chris Cox's question about whose decision it was to take off an injured player by saying it was between three parties and that a substitution was normally made if two agreed. In the recent case of Kightly, it was a decision between physio and manager.

John Pike asked how the media reported within hours a player's likely absence time - and whether it was accurate. Steve said such information was usually passed from him to the manager, then the manager to the media. He said the club were hopeful the 12 weeks mentioned in Matt Jarvis's case might be reduced to eight.

Steve addressed Gerry Collins' concern about whether Wolves could sustain their all-action game for 46 matches by saying: "It's a massive ask for Kites and Matt to remain fit for every game, given the intensity at which they play."

Questioned by Kulbinder Kular about how Wolves tracked players they loaned out, he added: "There's a development coach Steve Weaver, who is in contact with them almost daily, and we watch them as often as possible as well as having them back here training on occasions."

To Wilf Hadley's enquiry about drug-testing, Steve said: "My biggest headache every morning is telling the FA when and where we're training and where players are if they aren't training. I need to establish a window of two hours every day in case a player is chosen for a random drug test because if he misses a test three times, he's banned for 18 months.

"Players are warned about other addictions, too, like playing on Playstations until 3am in the morning, which I had at a previous club and which means players aren't ready for games."

Steve, who provides weighty medical dossiers on players Wolves are about to sign, agreed with David Bissell that there was often a mental anxiety to be overcome with injured players and answered Mike Taylor's enquiry about psychologists. "We had probably the best in the country, part-time, in Tim O'Brien, who has gone to Arsenal. I've seen others since but it's a very difficult position to fill."