Brighton (H) 30/4: Build-Up & Match Thread

[Deutsch Wolf]

Never disputed that.

We have a lot more bad days than good under Lage though.

 

[Derby Wolf]

Fortunately we were very consistent from mid December (and played well) to late February where we picked up 19 from 24 points. It seems that is 100% forgotten now.

It wasn't until late February at all..

Brighton 15/12 - Appalling first half, as bad as Newcastle. Second half much better, should have been 2 or 3.

Chelsea 19/12 - Reasonable first half, camped on the edge of our 18 yard box second. Sa won us a point v Mount.

Man Utd 03/01 - Very good performance, Could have been more.

Southampton 15/01 - Generally decent performance, could've very easily been 2-2 with their header off the post before Traore wraps it up. Sa made a brilliant save at 0-0 too. Fine margins.

Brentford 22/01 - See Brighton.

Performances tailed off there for me, Spurs was the standout performance in February but we had both Arsenal games, the West Ham no show, and Leicester game which really ought to have been a draw sandwiched in with another masterclass v Norwich.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

It wasn't until late February at all..

Brighton 15/12 - Appalling first half, as bad as Newcastle. Second half much better, should have been 2 or 3.

Chelsea 19/12 - Reasonable first half, camped on the edge of our 18 yard box second. Sa won us a point v Mount.

Man Utd 03/01 - Very good performance, Could have been more.

Southampton 15/01 - Generally decent performance, could've very easily been 2-2 with their header off the post before Traore wraps it up. Sa made a brilliant save at 0-0 too. Fine margins.

Brentford 22/01 - See Brighton.

Performances tailed off there for me, Spurs was the standout performance in February but we had both Arsenal games, the West Ham no show, and Leicester game which really ought to have been a draw sandwiched in with another masterclass v Norwich.

Our form until we lost to Arsenal on the 24th of February, was 19 points from 24, so unless you are arguing that isn't late February i don't know what to say.

That was also our best form in the Premier league over 8 games ever i believe? So it seems a little entitled to moan too much about it, no?

Of course since then we've been patchy to say the least, but there have still been some good stuff there as well (Leeds first half, Watford, Villa) as well as utter dirge like against Newcastle, Palace and the latter part of the Burnley game.

We are an upper mid table side, with a small squad, 3 senior midfielders (the best of which is currently injured ,one is 35 and the other isn't actually very good) and no goalscorer. I honestly don't know what people were expecting from this season.

Actually i do, it's here!

https://www.wolvesforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/where-will-wolves-finish-2021-2.37228/page-4#post-1500132

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I'd quite like for it to not feel like a chore watching us, which it does and pretty much has all season.

Also if we play like shite I'd prefer it if Bruno McGhee didn't try telling us how we were really good.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

And looking at that both LW and DW had us down as 15-17, yet are two of he biggest critics of a side that sits in 8th! You two should be overjoyed, i'm happy and i had us down for an 11-14 finish and i thought Lage was a fucking awful appointment.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I mean for the "what are you moaning at" brigade, let's re-assess the actual McGhee's time here.

First season: Didn't get relegated, probably would have done under Taylor
Second season: Finished 3rd, highest we'd finished since 1984
Third season: Made an FA Cup semi final, best progress since 1981

Don't know why people hated him, look at those achievements. In reality it was shite, wasn't it.

We're a Premier League team who realistically *shouldn't* be bothered by relegation yet we're punching above our weight if we make Europe, so in that situation aesthetics and tone matter. We're awful to watch and the manager increasingly comes across as a dick.

I don't enjoy disliking the man in charge, it's rubbish.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

I mean for the "what are you moaning at" brigade, let's re-assess the actual McGhee's time here.

Oh come on, you're better than that. Is it not a fair point to make to you when you thought we'd really struggle and we haven't?

McGhee's aim was to get us into the Premier League, he failed.

Lage's aim is to have us flirt with Europe and have us punch above our weight, he has succeeded with that.

That doesn't mean I like how Lage comes across in interviews, i don't.

But there is a very strong argument that many could make that Nuno's football was worse than this last season (and i didn't want him gone either) and at times even when we were good under Nuno.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Guarantee you we won't finish 8th under Lage next season. Newcastle and Leicester will finish above us for a start.

Allardyce finished 8th with Everton, I doubt you would disagree that he was crap for them and deserved to get sacked.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Guarantee you we won't finish 8th under Lage next season. Newcastle and Leicester will finish above us for a start.

Allardyce finished 8th with Everton, I doubt you would disagree that he was crap for them and deserved to get sacked.

That's a really odd argument, i was saying that you thought we'd finish 15-17th this season, we are 8th, yet you are the most pissed off Wolves fan i know of, if you'd have predicted us to win the league, the FA Cup and league cup, I'd get it.

I really don't give a fuck what Allardyce did with Everton years and years ago, and even comparing how we play football to him and Pulis is Mol Mix stuff.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I didn't bring Pulis up

Do you enjoy how we play? Do you enjoy how the manager comes across? I don't. I'm not sure what you want me to say.

"We're 8th" is the fig leaf of all fig leaf arguments.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

I didn't bring Pulis up

Do you enjoy how we play? Do you enjoy how the manager comes across? I don't. I'm not sure what you want me to say.

"We're 8th" is the fig leaf of all fig leaf arguments.

You have done before.

I have enjoyed how we have played over the course of this season, definitely!

No, we're 8th isn't a fig leaf of arguments at all, it's THE most critical point to any football club, where you come in the league is what it's all about, every effort on goal is in the attempt to get as many points as possible, it's genuinely laughable to suggest otherwise. In fact when we were more open and attacking in the first few games, you were still a huge critic, because (rightly) you said it means nothing if we don't get the points and now we have more points and you are moaning about the football?

Would you prefer we were 15th but played more easy on the eye football? Or would the fact we were 15th, and therefore had lost more games surely mean that it would be less enjoyable? Given your stance on the opening few games, i'd imagine it'd be the latter?

I enjoy watching Wolves win, if we play good football along the way, great.

I love watching Neves, Moutinho, and to a lesser extent the likes of Coady, Jonny and (sometimes) Podence (and formerly Traore and Jota) play for us, that is entertainment in itself.

Your standards are clearly far, far higher than mine, despite expecting a 15-17th finish this season.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I haven't brought up Pulis at all, others have and I've responded in the same conversation.

I currently spend a lot of money to watch football that to my eye at least is awful, presided over by someone who isn't really qualified for his position and likes to gaslight fans into thinking we're actually great while he throws players under the bus when it suits him. I can't pretend that makes me happy because it doesn't, and as I don't think anything is going to materially improve any time soon I probably won't be watching us in person very much in the short term. That, in fact, makes me sad as bar boycotting us under Saunders after a while and living overseas for a spell, I've been going for 34 years more or less unbroken.

I'd quite like us to appoint a proper manager. Not someone who serves up a worse version of the football under the guy who preceded him and where if we go a goal down, I may as well head to the pub.

 

[prawnking]

Firstly, I think for a club like us, being a competitive PL side is as good as it realistically gets. Bruno has kept us at that level.

I think the complaining about how we play/our style is, to some degree, a bit disingenuous*, as I've never known it being such a key factor previously... We're not a West Ham / Albion style bunch of deluded purists who reckon we invented attacking football. We've been a fairly direct team historically, haven't we?

When we were an awful watch under Nuno last season, it was pointed out that at least we were picking up an acceptable rate of points, and not flirting with anything other than mid-table mediocrity. Surely the same applies here? Up until recently the points haul was good enough for a top 4 thread to be started, so all is not lost?

* I say to some degree disingenuous, as its easy for me to say that when I don't have the financial outlay of season ticket holders who sit and watch some of our ropey performances of late that I can just watch at home

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Direct football doesn't and never has bothered me, I'm about as big a Mick McCarthy acolyte (while accepting his limitations) as there is. I've no time for Tony Mowbray's "soft feet" nonsense. It's why I've always railed against Hoddle and his superficially "good football", there's nothing good about it.

We're dull though and for nearly a quarter of a season, dull and unsuccessful. I can't pretend to enjoy that.

 

[sycophantia]

Firstly, I think for a club like us, being a competitive PL side is as good as it realistically gets. Bruno has kept us at that level.

I think the complaining about how we play/our style is, to some degree, a bit disingenuous*, as I've never known it being such a key factor previously... We're not a West Ham / Albion style bunch of deluded purists who reckon we invented attacking football. We've been a fairly direct team historically, haven't we?

When we were an awful watch under Nuno last season, it was pointed out that at least we were picking up an acceptable rate of points, and not flirting with anything other than mid-table mediocrity. Surely the same applies here? Up until recently the points haul was good enough for a top 4 thread to be started, so all is not lost?

* I say to some degree disingenuous, as its easy for me to say that when I don't have the financial outlay of season ticket holders who sit and watch some of our ropey performances of late that I can just watch at home

This is pretty much where I am, although I'm with DW on the 'wish he'd stop talking bollocks after we've been shit' page.

 

[Carsy]

But surely we have regressed because we have lost our best player(s)? Rather than the formation?

We’ve been poor for a couple of months. I wouldn’t say we have been great all season but results have masked that and other teams just being shit/weird

I get what you’re saying about we still are in with a shot of Europe. I haven’t written it off. The thing is, if you’re struggling for for you tend to make changes, personal wise and tactical wise.

If we continue with 5 at the back, we risk continuing our current level of performance, with 4 at the back, Ofcourse there are big risks as well. Both have pros and cons IMO

Saying Podence is our best forward makes me cringe. Although, it’s probably accurate, it’s a sorry state of affairs

 

[AndyWolves]

I have to disagree about podence being 'cringe'.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1519222646143172609

 

[Tony Towner]

He has three assists, so only 1 in 12 of those chances is taken, granted our finishing is poor, but I think they must generously define what's a chance. Gross also only has 3 and Buendia 4.

He makes me cringe, nothing to do with stats and everything to do with the needless flicks, dives and playacting

 

[AndyWolves]

At a guess they're using the key pass metric (a pass which lead to a shot).

Our top 3 (per 90) are Neto, Podence and Adama. Neto & Adama would make it onto that list if they'd played more games.

Hwang & trincao are miles away

 

[Carsy]

At a guess they're using the key pass metric (a pass which lead to a shot).

Our top 3 (per 90) are Neto, Podence and Adama. Neto & Adama would make it onto that list if they'd played more games.

Hwang & trincao are miles away

Cringe as in a don’t think he’s overly that good. I don’t think any of our forward line would get into any of the other top 7, or whether some teams lower down would take Podence.

People moaned regarding Adama. Yes, I was a defender of Adama and personally would still have him here, but I don’t really see Podence being much more productive?