As Wolves prepare for an exciting pre-season clash with Celtic in Dublin on Saturday, the chairman of the Irish Wolves supporters’ club has expressed his delight at welcoming his team to his hometown.
Having got their pre-season off to a positive start in their first official friendly of the summer, Wolves will be heading across the Irish Sea in high hopes as they take on the Scottish champions at the Aviva Stadium, but Celtic will be looking to take advantage of their large fanbase in the Irish capital.
Speaking to Mikey Burrows on the latest episode of Wolves Weekly, Irish Wolves chairman Tony Lawlor described the hectic few weeks he’s had since the fixture was announced as he tried to explain the magnitude of the game for gold and black supporters in the city.
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On Wolves heading to Dublin
“It will be great. Once it was announced, everything was helter-skelter for a couple of days as everyone was running around looking for tickets. Once the friendly against Porto on Tuesday is over, it will really hot up again.
“You only have to look at social media and WhatsApp group and they are desperate for something to talk about when it comes to Wolves. We have this friendly now and it’s great to see.
“I’m so used to seeing Wolves in Dalymount Park and Bray, but now we get to see them in the big sweet shop of the Aviva. We’re really looking forward to it because it will be a great day.”
On watching the Old Gold play at the Aviva
“From a Wolves fan’s point of view over here in Ireland, see Wolves playing at the Aviva is going to be great. I don’t think a lot of the Irish fans here can actually believe that we’re travelling to the Aviva to see Wolves, so it’s going to be huge.
“It’s actually a busy weekend because the All-Ireland final is on that Sunday, so on the Saturday night in Dublin the pubs are going to be filled and they’re rubbing their hands together. It will be a massive weekend.
“I’ve had a lot of people asking me to get tickets, so I know we will have a decent slice of the crowd there from our club. It’s a bit surreal at the moment, but as the game gets closer you will start to say, ‘I’m actually going to watch Wolves at the Aviva on Saturday’, and it will start to sink in.”
Set to take on @CelticFC in Dublin on Saturday.
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On Irish Wolves’ growth
“In previous years, during the days of Mick McCarthy, Stale Solbakken and even Kenny Jackett, it was a cosy little group, and there would be a few hundred who would come over, and we all knew each other, whereas now, it’s like an away game but at home. There will be two or three thousand Wolves fans in a huge stadium, but I’m really looking forwards to it as it doesn’t happen too often.
“I’ve always said that we’re like a family and there’s always been more of a family feel to it supporting Wolves. A lot of the lads who live close to Molineux probably go to the ground, have a pint at the game and go home.
“For us, we’re on the go from four in the morning as we meet up at the airport and have a great time, so it’s like meeting family once a week. As a group we’ve been travelling together for about 15 years now, and it's great if we can get a result but I’ve been supporting Wolves long enough to know that the result isn’t going to be there for you evert week!”
On Celtic’s Irish fanbase
“It’s always been that way. In order, you would probably say Manchester United, Liverpool, Celtic, but they would probably swap around depending on how things are going.
“They will have a huge crowd there. Literally three-quarters of the stadium will be geared for Celtic, and the other quarter will be where the Wolves supporters are, so it will be great.
“The last time we played Celtic it was up at Celtic Park and it was a great occasion, so there will be a lot of Irish supporting Celtic, but there will be a lot of Wolves fans coming over to Dublin from Wolverhampton.”
Former Wolves and Celtic defender Lee Naylor also joined Burrows to discuss the first meeting of the sides since 2011, in which the Old Gold were able to claim a 2-0 win at Celtic Park in another pre-season friendly.
But Naylor believes the pressure will be firmly on the Scottish side due to the sheer number of supporters for the club who are based in Dublin and will be backing their team inside the stadium on Saturday.
On a big crowd expected at the Aviva
“There’s no doubt this game is going to be a big crowd – Celtic in Dublin. I wouldn’t read too much into it, but Wolves are going to want to go out there and get a result.
“I’ll be honest, everyone just wants a slice of Celtic in pre-season because of what they have got in terms of fan base. I remember one pre-season, we had 11 or 12 games. It’s a season in itself, but that’s what it is when you are the best Scottish team and with a fan base like they have, it just makes it even more special.”
On the pressure being on Celtic
“They will be under pressure, 100 per cent. Brendan Rodgers will know that pressure because Rangers will be making a go for it this season, they’ve thrown some cash at it, and it will be interesting because Ange had a massive season last season and had a total sweep.
“After that, you’ve got to go and do it again. It’s as simple as that. There’s that pressure on them now that they have to go and repeat it.
“There’ll also be a pressure on Celtic because of where it is. The Irish fans love it when Celtic come to town, so they will want to put on a show. I’ve played for Celtic in Ireland before and when you’re there you feel like you have to perform.
“There’s less pressure for Wolves, but it will still be a massive test for us because Celtic have got their way and they’ve got their players in who are following on from last season. They’re missing Jota, but they’ve got some very good players in the building.”
