It was a massive gamble for the Molineux manager.

Wolves fans can certainly feel a bit aggrieved about the team selected by Mick McCarthy at Old Trafford. Whether they were at the game, having spent a lot of money on tickets and travel or just wanted their team to stand up against the best, they were let down.

Their boss sent out a message that even at their best, they were unlikely to get a point and that other battles were more important.

It is annoying because it is a truth that you don’t want to hear in football. You can trot out every cliché you like, such as “it is 11 v 11 when you get on the park” but there is an acceptance that there is a growing gap between top and bottom.

When United come to Molineux, it will be a different story but it was a shame to see the line-up for a fixture that many Wolves fans would have looked forward since the moment they earned promotion.

However, for starters, Mick McCarthy owes no one an apology.

He is the boss and he picked his team with all aspects in mind. If McCarthy believes that resting his players on Tuesday night will see them in better shape for the weekend, a “six-pointer” if we return to clichés, then surely that is his prerogative. Harsh on the Wolves fans but if they stay up; maybe they will come to Old Trafford next season able to put up a fight.

The other thing is, people really need to come back from the idea that Mick McCarthy and Wolves have broken some form of moral code.

Since when did football have a moral code?

You can bet some of the fans up and down the country moaning about what McCarthy did are the same one who shout derogatory remarks and chant offensive songs, game in, game out.

Racism, homophobia and downright offensive chanting is as alive today on the terraces as it ever was, should that not be hounded out of the game if there was some form of moral code alive?

The greed of players and agents, the increased “do you know who I am” attitude, the fights, the aggression and everything else that is setting football players apart from everyday people, should these things not be part of a moral code and therefore criticised every weekend?

Also, lets not forget, the scene of Mick McCarthy’s crime was Old Trafford, home of Manchester United. The same Manchester United players who a few years back hired a hotel for a Christmas party and spent over £100,000 on hiring girls for a night of drinking, gambling and lap-dancing.

When you consider how much the United stars earn, the sum of money will be comparative to what the average wage earner will splash on their works Christmas party but it just feels wrong to be so outrageous and obvious with their spending and the idea of “hiring girls” doesn’t seem too clever either.

And people want to discuss a moral code about a manager selecting players from his first team squad?

As usual, most football fans need to get a grip on reality. You get the feeling that some of the anger is because it gave Manchester United an easy game. The ABU (Anyone But United) crowd is still pretty big and it would have caused them great anguish to see United virtually gifted three points, especially at a time when the Red Devils are struggling.

Don’t get us wrong, there are reasons to dislike United, the above party being just one but a real football fan could find reasons to dislike any team, apart from their own. By all means hate United but don’t let it seep into every line of reasoning you have.

Back to Wolves.

It was definitely a gamble by Mick McCarthy and as football fans will tell you, gambles don’t always work.

Martin O’Neill did a similar trick last season for Villa’s Uefa Cup tie in Moscow. The travelling fans were mightily aggrieved but there was an agreement that O’Neill’s move may have been the spur to push Villa into the top four.

It wasn’t.

In fact, it seemed to stall Villa’s season, the club never hitting the heights after their Moscow trip and eventually finishing way down the table from where they hoped to be.

Both managers can count a time at Celtic Park in common and both offered some mighty right hooks in their time there.

O’Neill delivered a knock out blow to the dominance of Rangers whereas Mick McCarthy laid out players like Crawford Baptie from Falkirk.

Sunday will be the first indication if Mick McCarthy was right to select such a team for the trip to Old Trafford but nothing will be proven until the end of the season. Much like Phil Brown’s half-time team talk at Eastlands last December, this week may well be the pivotal one in Mick McCarthy’s season.

Do you think Wolves will stay up this season?

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