General Wolves News

[Norman Deeley]

Wolves players play more minutes for Portugal than players from any other club side https://twitter.com/Aljeeves/status/1282762640348127233/photo/1

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Can't say I'm surprised by the top and bottom of this table:

https://onefootball.com/en/news/man-utd-sit-top-of-the-premier-league-var-table-30455889

 

[Paul]

Can't say I'm surprised by the top and bottom of this table:

https://onefootball.com/en/news/man-utd-sit-top-of-the-premier-league-var-table-30455889

If anything it dispels the benefit of the 'established top six' conspiracy theory ?

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

I never really bought into that personally. I am fully on board with the "must get United in the CL spots over their rivals (Sheff and Wolves)" conspiracy theory though, and it well and truly backs that up.

 

[Tony Towner]

If anything it dispels the benefit of the 'established top six' conspiracy theory ?

Not really. It doesn't include on field decisions not overruled by VAR. Mahrez's dive for City's penalty against us for instance

 

[malta mick]

Wouldn't VAR be better if viewed by ex pros rather than another bunch of refereeing mates ?

 

[Freddeno]

maybe even better if they bin it completely so we dont have these discussions, but i guess its here to stay along with other tech so they need to sort it out and dont have people holding hands judging it but people who also know the game

 

[malta mick]

maybe even better if they bin it completely so we dont have these discussions, but i guess its here to stay along with other tech so they need to sort it out and dont have people holding hands judging it but people who also know the game

the old phrase "who's guarding the guards"

 

[Freddeno]

haha, yes

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Wouldn't VAR be better if viewed by ex pros rather than another bunch of refereeing mates ?

Depends if they know the rules, bunch old boys letting anything slide because it was alright in their day isn't the the solution to anything.

 

[Tony Towner]

Depends if they know the rules, bunch old boys letting anything slide because it was alright in their day isn't the the solution to anything.

I think a team with each would have merit. One gives the letter of the law, the other understands mindset and game flow. Isn't the red card review panel made up similarly?

 

[PuntsWolf]

Wouldn't VAR be better if viewed by ex pros rather than another bunch of refereeing mates ?

No because playing at a high level doesn’t mean a) you know the rules b) know anymore than someone who played at a low level.

 

[malta mick]

No because playing at a high level doesn’t mean a) you know the rules b) know anymore than someone who played at a low level.

the level is irrelevant, only subject to knowing the rules obviously, but essentially a group of non referees.

 

[Freddeno]

maybe have a panel that votes and most votes for or against wins

 

[MARKakaJIM]

No issue with it being referees doing it, just need better ones. In theory they should be comfortable making the snap call as on field officials and acting as the voice of reason when on VAR duties, way too much onus on the man in the middle being the be all and end all.

We have conflicting opinions at work all the time, it's healthy, you learn from others perspectives and use that knowledge going forwards. Circling the wagons and defending the company line on a point of pride gets you nowhere.

 

[lemonjelly]

Hugely impressed with the customer service from the Wolves online shop.
Had an issue with an order over the past week. Secure message sent, and they resolved it perfectly and very quickly.
Excellent comms from them as well. Really nice, clear, succinct.
Fantastic service. Now just looking forward to a delivery!

 

[Pablowolf]

Could some kindly person put The Athletic's article about the Portuguese players enjoying life in Wolves on this here thread?

Thanking you.

 

[darlowolf64]

Could some kindly person put The Athletic's article about the Portuguese players enjoying life in Wolves on this here thread?

Thanking you.

Monaco. A playboy paradise for billionaires; yachts, supercars, fashion, glorious weather and a Michelin three-star restaurant.

Wolverhampton. It used to have a Debenhams. It’s got four Greggs. And if you like heavy metal and guys with beards hanging over their beer bellies, The Giffard Arms stays open until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.

OK, it’s not that bad, but it’s not exactly where you’d expect to find millionaire footballers such as Joao Moutinho, who embarked on a path that even Christopher Columbus didn’t fancy when swapping Monte Carlo for the West Midlands.

The biggest selling point to prospective new Wolves signings is that Birmingham is only half an hour’s drive away (if you don’t get stuck on the M6) and in recent years new signings have tended to politely decline a modest detached house in Wolvo for the slightly-less-dim lights of Brum, often sprawling mini-mansions in Sutton Coldfield or swanky apartments in the city centre. But that was when Wolves were a middle-of-the-road Championship club.

You may be surprised to hear then, that as the wage packets and profiles of Wolves’ current squad have increased — with the club now chasing a second consecutive top-seven finish and in the hunt to lift a European trophy — the majority of their players have formed a tight-knit community in sunny Wolverhampton, living within a mile or two of the Compton Park training ground.

This isn’t by design. There’s no club rule about having to live nearby (Matt Doherty and Romain Saiss live outside the city, for example) but has been organically led by Wolves’ sizeable Portuguese contingent in particular.

Joao Moutinho, Ruben Neves, Rui Patricio, Diogo Jota, Pedro Neto, Daniel Podence, Ruben Vinagre all live locally, as did Ivan Cavaleiro, Helder Costa and Silvio before them. As does head coach Nuno Espirito Santo.

Throw in Raul Jimenez and Willy Boly, who both used to play in Portugal, plus Spaniards Jonny Castro Otto and Adama Traore, and it’s an Iberian metropolis. Plus, skipper Conor Coady lives locally during the week and John Ruddy, Max Kilman and Belgium international Leander Dendoncker aren’t far away either.

Most of them live in either Tettenhall or Compton and can often be seen shopping at the little Sainsbury’s on Compton Road (or the big one in Chapel Ash, if it’s a weekly shop), or popping to the grocers in Tettenhall for a bit of fruit, or dining at their favourite restaurant, Fiume, in Compton.

Or they host parties and get-togethers at their homes.

“We go around to each other’s houses and have food and do things outside of football, which is beneficial,” Coady said recently. “That’s the great thing about the group, everyone’s really good friends. We go around to Ruben’s quite often – he is a good cook.”

Birmingham may be nearby but the players won’t be seen partying until 4am in a VIP lounge in the Second City. If they do travel to Birmingham, it’s for a meal — hardly anyone in the squad drinks alcohol.

The quiet life seems to suit them: they’ll be recognised by fans, of course, but not mobbed like some of them would be back in their home countries, like Mexico’s Jimenez.

“I can go outside, I can go out to the supermarket, to the street,” Jimenez said last year. “Some people recognise me, some people shake hands, sometimes they ask for a picture. I like it very much here. In Mexico, it is very difficult to be outside. In Portugal, because I played for Benfica, the biggest club in the country, it was difficult (to keep a low profile). In Wolverhampton, the people know you, maybe they see you, but they leave you like you are one of them, one of the city. It is so quiet, I like it here.”

Most of the players are of a similar age and their partners get on, too. Neves, Jota, Podence and Moutinho are all with their childhood sweethearts (24-year-old Podence and his partner celebrated their 10-year anniversary recently), they’re grounded and by all accounts are one of the most professional squads Wolves have had in years.

“They all want to live as close to the training ground as possible,” Andrew Pearce, who has run lettings agency Millennium Properties since 1997 and looked after hundreds of Wolves players and staff over the years, tells The Athletic.

“The biggest thing is that there’s a group of them, so it helps them settle quicker when they’re moving to a new country. I remember when Silas (a Portuguese midfielder) joined in 2003, he couldn’t speak English and he was on his own. He didn’t settle. Now, most of them speak really good English, or they can talk to each other in Portuguese anyway. With the exception of Patricio and Moutinho, they’ve all come here young, in their teens or early 20s and they socialise together, they’re all round each other’s houses cooking for each other, or at Fiume.

“The locality helps — there’s a mini-community in Compton and Tettenhall where there are some really nice, big houses. In the past, Fernando Gomez came from Spain in the late 1990s and there were no nice houses nearby, so he was out in Claverley (a posh village in Shropshire, 10 miles out of town).

“There’s a real community with the Portuguese lads, plus Raul, Jonny, everyone really. They’ve got similar friendship and social groups.”

Pearce tells a story of Moutinho wanting to reserve a table at Bilash, an Indian restaurant in Wolverhampton city centre. It was fully booked for the night. “Just tell them who you are and they’ll give you a table,” Pearce said. Moutinho declined.

“They’re not big-time in the slightest,” he says. “I think they really enjoy the quietness. They don’t want to go clubbing until 3am, they’re not those type of lads, most of them are teetotal or just have a glass of wine. It’s about meals, not clubs. They feel like they’re here to do a job and they don’t need those distractions.

“During lockdown, Rui (Patricio) was in Tettenhall village every day with his wife… in Lisbon, he’d be mobbed but here, people either don’t know them or they’re not bothered. They get the odd selfie, but people just get used to seeing them around.”

Jonny’s, Neves’ and Patricio’s children go to the same playgroup, Jimenez’s and Jonny’s partners are close (both are due to give birth soon) and many of the players’ partners and wives will go to the gym together, training in unison while their other halves are doing the same at Compton Park.

While the majority of the group are Iberian, it helps that one of the few Englishmen, Coady, is the captain and unequivocally the group’s leader. It also helps that the club has a “no dickheads” policy when it comes to hiring new players or staff. “They’re good ages and good people — it’s a natural blend, they’re independent, professional and not needy,” is how it was described to The Athletic by a club insider.

Wolves don’t have full-time player-care staff but a third party drops in at Compton Park every few days to help with bank accounts, financial planning, schools, doctors… whatever a player needs.

Of course, not every new signing settles. As the lone Italian, Patrick Cutrone struggled with the language barrier and a lack of game time, meaning he lasted just six months. But on the whole, Wolves have an enviable record of their first-team signings hitting the ground running, particularly their Portuguese players, with Neto being the latest.

The likes of Jota, Neves, Boly, Jimenez, Moutinho… if they were struggling to adapt off the field, it certainly didn’t show on it.

Some will arrive on their own and then bring their families over later (assistant boss Rui Silva’s son has just moved to England) or, in the case of Moutinho, the whole family will arrive as one (he immediately brought his kids over and got them into local schools).

When Neto signed from Lazio last summer, he brought his parents with him to live in Wolverhampton. Neto joined in a joint deal with Bruno Jordao and the pair added to a huge contingent of Portuguese players and staff. There are eight in the first-team set-up, plus Nuno, assistant Silva and goalkeeping coach Rui Barbosa plus fitness and medical staff Antonio Dias, Joao Lapa, Rui Fuste and Carlos Sales.

Nuno told The Athletic that their mini Portuguese community was good for getting the likes of Neto to adapt to a new country.

“It helps, of course,” he says. “Having some moments with no barrier of language helps the integration. At the same time, we force, and only speak, English between ourselves, so the player has to get up to speed with his English and our communications are in English.

“In a personal point of view, it’s very good to have a friend who lives nearby so you can spend some time, family, wives, inclusive, all those things help.

“We try, knowing that working together we are stronger. This is the main foundation of working together. Everyone that comes has to help.

“We tried as many things as we can (to help new signings adapt quickly). Having already a good base of a squad that has been here since the Championship creates a foundation, that creates a small community. There are strong bonds among them. That helps the players that come, but not all things are perfect.

“We cannot forget during this process we also made some mistakes and there were players that were not able to perform and integrate so well. It’s all about receiving them well, but also the player that comes integrates and believes in the philosophy.”

One place they’re always welcome is Fiume, the Italian restaurant which has become a favoured haunt for players and staff since Walter Zenga began regularly frequenting it during his short stint as manager in 2016. The small and sophisticated canalside restaurant was opened in 2013 by the husband and wife team of Stefano and Carla Scaringi and has earned a reputation as one of the best places to eat in the city.

Players will often converge there after a match, or sometimes before, or for family meals, birthdays, even end-of-season celebrations. Or takeaways, if they’re eating at home. Wolves even hosted VIPs there before Europa League games.

“They’re normal people, they don’t act like stars,” Stefano Scaringi tells The Athletic. “Sometimes you forget they play in the Premier League. They don’t say, ‘I’m a football player, I need this or that’ — special treatment. And they eat like normal people too. We try to keep it as private as possible — that’s what they like, that we don’t bother them at all and we’ve got a good clientele who aren’t on top of them all of the time.

“Some of them don’t eat carbs before a match, some of them do, or they like steak, lots of fish. They like to share, lots in the middle and they’re all sharing — almost like tapas, like they might eat back home. We have a special kind of chicken for the players that they always ask for. It’s very simple. Fried chicken sauteed in sauce, as a starter. They all love it… but I can’t tell you the recipe!”

The secret of Dendoncker’s big running stats (no Premier League player has run further than his 13.21km against Brighton this season) may be the plates of pasta he often orders. Nuno? White fish. Super-agent Jorge Mendes? A ravioli fan.

Fiume also offer an upstairs room if Jeff Shi (another customer), or perhaps Mendes or Valdir Cardoso (his colleague at agency Gestifute) fancy some privacy. What they don’t do is flaunt their special relationship with Wolves’ great and good — their Instagram page (@fiume_restaurant) is selfie-free.

“We never post pictures or anything,” Stefano, a Juventus fan now converted to Wolves and a regular at Molineux, adds. “They want a nice, quiet place to eat. When they arrive in the country and people tell them about us, they know there’s a place that’s safe to go, they won’t be bothered.

“It all started with Walter (Zenga) and then some of the players too, Cavaleiro, Costa, Silvio and Joao Teixeira. When Zenga was sacked he was in here for a week afterwards, he had such a big heart and passion for Wolves.

“They’re all nice — Coady, Traore, Jimenez, they’re just genuine people. They all match well together, they’re a big group, the guys and the families. Sometimes they come here as a squad… Moutinho and Neto are the loudest! He’s (33-year-old Moutinho) the oldest one but he can be the joker of the group too. Coady is the most gentle person ever, such a gentleman to anyone. And Traore, he’s amazingly shy. You’d never think it looking at him.

“One of them could come four times in a week. Neves is a great customer, Traore too. Jimenez, Jonny Otto, they’re all here a lot. We’re good friends with Rui Patricio. It’s like a big family. When they’re all together, you see lots of joy in them. They’re far from home and they want to stay together, trying to put their country where they live, it’s like being back home.”

Like being back home… a mini Portugal in Wolverhampton.

 

[Tom Hark]

"It also helps that the club has a “no dickheads” policy when it comes to hiring new players or staff."

Love that!

 

[visage]

Articles like that really do force home the fact that our recent success is founded just as much off-field as on. Love it.