By Tom Bason
June 9 2010

With Steven Fletcher becoming Mick McCarthy's 38th signing since arriving in summer 2006, I decided to take a look at some of McCarthy's better signings. Each day this week, I will be taking a look at 2 players, and then on Friday you can vote for your favourite. I'm not necessarily looking just for value for money, but someone who has took the fans by surprise or drastically improved the team.

Chris Iwelumo from Charlton Athletic, £400,000

Apps: 30 (23)

Goals: 16

Chris Iwelumo. What can be said. A giant of a man in every sense of the word. Standing tall at 6'4", he is the sort of player not afraid to put his head where I'd think twice about putting my feet. Signed, I assume, to give us a different attacking option to the smaller Sylvan Ebanks-Blake and Andy Keogh, Iwelumo quickly staked his place for a first team berth, and deservingly kept it. 15 goals in his first 16 appearances earned him a Scotland debut at the age of 30 (which of course ended in THAT miss, but let's not dwell on that). It wasn’t just the quantity of goals either- an aesthetically pleasing hat-trick at Preston was followed by away goals at Southampton and a brace at Sheffield United at a time when the rest of the team was floundering. It was as if he took all the weight on those giant shoulders.

After Christmas, the goals dried up. Teams worked out how to defend against him and he grew frustrated, giving away silly fouls. But he was still mentally strong, looking to lead the line from the front and fully deserves his Championship winners’ medal. Would we have won that league without his pre-Christmas goals? I doubt it. A pre-season broken foot in 2009 ensured he was restricted to cameos in the Premier League, before subsequently being loaned out to Bristol City. He has since moved on to pastures new (for a bigger transfer fee than we paid), in Burnley where he is probably at his level. All Wolves fans will find a place in their hearts for Big Chris, who for 6 glorious months was probably the best striker in the league.

Stephen Ward from Bohemians, undisclosed

Apps: 94 (26)

Goals: 3

Like many of the World’s great fullbacks, Ward started out as a more attacking player. Ok, maybe he’s not one of the great fullbacks, but he’s looked a decent Premier League player. Signed initially in January 2007 as a striker, who can also play wide left, Ward impressed initially in tandem with fellow Irish signing Andy Keogh. Three goals in his first six games earned Ward the Championship Player of the Month for February. These are, to date, the only goals Ward has for the club. The following season, with Matt Jarvis missing much of the campaign, Ward was shifted to left midfield. Here he played a vital role in holding his wide position, freeing up space for the advancing Michael Kightly on the opposite flank.

With the return of Jarvis to the team, and long-term injury to George Elokobi, Ward was forced back to an even deeper position in 2009/10 at left back. Here, Ward performed admirably. Although hesitant to close down his opposing winger, he covered the centre-backs well, and wasn’t afraid to push forward and put his attacking instincts to good use. A regular in the Premiership campaign, Ward’s versatility has earned him a new 3-year contract. As a player who started out as a hardworking striker, and turned into a competent fullback via a spell as a defensive winger, Ward has been invaluable member of the team over the last two and a half years.