McCarthy's anger after Wolves V Stoke disaster

Grim-faced Mick McCarthy today blasted a performance that was Wolves' poorest under him after his side folded at Stoke, writes TIM NASH.

The 3-0 defeat at the Britannia Stadium was Wolves' third in four games and they remain second bottom.

And boss McCarthy, who has been in charge for nearly five years, groaned: "That was as poor as we've played. There was nothing from that performance to lift us.

"We're in a scrap for Premier League survival and we've no chance if we play like that. We need more of a 'Mick McCarthy performance' which that wasn't - and that was hugely disappointing."

The Molineux chief called on his players to recall their famous wins over the big teams to inspire them to stay up.

"We have to remember some of the performances during the season the nine games we've won when we played very well," he said. "Playing for Premier League survival should be enough to motivate them."

But McCarthy vowed that last night will be the last below-par display this season. "Rest assured we'll be a lot better by the time of the Birmingham game," he said.

"However we play, we have to compete better than that. Stoke were a far better team than us last night."