Huddersfield 1-0 Wolves: The Verdict

[GoldFlagFlyingHigh]

I don't think either of us are trying to say he was the problem yesterday, the whole team was let down by the dreadful midfield 3 and the players around them suffered for it.

But Coady did NOT have a good game yesterday. First half his passing was dreadful and squandered possession just as easily as Saville and Price were doing in the middle. We've watched VLP for two years, we know what he can do and what he can't. He doesn't like being hit. How many times did we see a team turn up at Molineux, give him a couple of kicks early on and take him out of the game? We just let him play his game yesterday, not one player put in a solid tackle on him and I thought he had a quality game. 3rd only to their keeper and Mooy for MOTM in my view.

Timbo II gave Coady an 8 out of 10. That is absolutely outrageous IMV. I can't believe people think that was an acceptable performance for a full back, let alone singling him out for praise. He did improve 2nd half, got himself in a few decent positions but he then put in some shocking crosses and his attempt at goal from the edge of the area was pathetic.

Huddersfield fans afterwards were absolutely slating Coady. One guy said he looked like 'a shadow of the player we had' and couldn't understand why we were playing him at full back.

I don't think you're judging him under this new regime, you made your mind up last season that he was shite playing under handbrake Jackett.
As for his attempt on goal it looked like it was going in and got deflected wide to me. Again slating him for no reason.
VLP was quality and Coady was poor then? I'll give up there! This board is great but so one-eyed at times, people have been slating Doherty for years when it's been obvious there has been plenty of ability and potential there.

 

[Lycan]

I don't think you're judging him under this new regime, you made your mind up last season that he was shite playing under handbrake Jackett.
As for his attempt on goal it looked like it was going in and got deflected wide to me. Again slating him for no reason.
VLP was quality and Coady was poor then? I'll give up there! This board is great but so one-eyed at times, people have been slating Doherty for years when it's been obvious there has been plenty of ability and potential there.

I'm judging him on what I saw yesterday.

You're talking about him as a midfielder. He was at right back yesterday. I'd suggest that it's you that's pre-judging him, not me.

I'm not even going to start on your point about Doherty. My praise for him recently is proof that I'm not judging players based on some pre-conceived opinion.

 

[Norman Deeley]

One inescapable conclusion for me from the first 5 games. If Fosun hadn't come in - if we'd had the Morgan/Moxey/Jackett regime for another season - then we'd have been bloody lucky to avoid relegation, as Price, Edwards, Saville (plus Henry) would have been the midfield all season

 

[Stan Hullis]

Doherty was rightly criticised.

Equally, I've hardly seen a bad thing said about him since his move to LB.

 

[Langers]

There's no way we'd have troubled the top 6 without the takeover but personally I don't think we'd have been relegation candidates either.

The players Zenga inherited are - on the whole - not good enough but I don't think they're THAT bad personally. Certainly in comparison to some of the dross that will be down there.

Anyway it's irrelevant now. We have better and the future looks infinitely more positive.

 

[GoldFlagFlyingHigh]

I'm judging him on what I saw yesterday.

You're talking about him as a midfielder. He was at right back yesterday. I'd suggest that it's you that's pre-judging him, not me.

I'm not even going to start on your point about Doherty. My praise for him recently is proof that I'm not judging players based on some pre-conceived opinion.

He was 7/10 for me at right-back yesterday and hence one of a few who played well. Won plenty of ball and started a lot of our good attacks. Defended well when he had to, rightly being praised by many for a solid performance. Can't possibly see how some thought he was poor or VLP took the piss and was too good for him?

Jack Price was poor in a game when we needed him to step up again and dominate a good side. That won't be popular on here though!

 

[Lycan]

He was 7/10 for me at right-back yesterday and hence one of a few who played well. Won plenty of ball and started a lot of our good attacks. Defended well when he had to, rightly being praised by many for a solid performance. Can't possibly see how some thought he was poor or VLP took the piss and was too good for him?

Jack Price was poor in a game when we needed him to step up again and dominate a good side. That won't be popular on here though!

Not sure what your point is re Price. You won't find anyone praising him after yesterday, he was shite. Tough to decide who was the worst of the midfield 3.

My quick ratings for what they're worth. (will post a full verdict tomorrow, had one 90% typed out earlier but Tapatalk crashed).

Ikeme -6.
Coady -5.5
Iorfa -4
Batth -5.5
Doherty -6.5
Edwards -N/A
Price -4
Saville -4.5
Wallace -5
Bodvarsson -7.5
Mason -6
Teixeira -7.5 MOTM
Costa -7
Oniangue -6.5

van La Parra -7.5 lolz

 

[The Bear]

Price was fine yesterday. The only midfielder to have any credit from the first half, and the second half he was the one starting most of the attacks. Gave the ball away a couple of times mind, but there were much worse players on the pitch than him!

Also, while I'm here, the Iorfa/Batth partnership experiment needs to end immediately. Iorfa is not a CB and looks like he never will be. He worried me more than Hause yesterday (which is saying something) with his Bambi legs getting him into trouble, and AGAIN misjudging high balls and getting underneath them wrong.

Prince shrugged off his ropey debut and looked like the all action midfielder we thought he'd be. He looks ready to start now IMO. Costa too, who also had a decent game.

Also Zenga. If he ever starts with those three midfielders again, he needs his head read. Especially Edwards,who offered less than zero.

 

[Johnny75]

He was 7/10 for me at right-back yesterday and hence one of a few who played well. Won plenty of ball and started a lot of our good attacks. Defended well when he had to, rightly being praised by many for a solid performance. Can't possibly see how some thought he was poor or VLP took the piss and was too good for him?

Jack Price was poor in a game when we needed him to step up again and dominate a good side. That won't be popular on here though!

Just because people don't agree with your opinion doesn't make you right. Not seeing things from another's point of view says more about you than them. I've seen both home games this season and Coady was good at RB for the first but shite against Ipswich in his preferred central midfield slot. Can't compare either performance as they were in different positions.

You can't say a player would play better in a different position than others when you are comparing apples with oranges. Doherty is a good example of this, he's a different player at LB than RB, I've never seen him have a good game at RB but I've seen him have a half a dozen at LB. still doesn't make him a good player at either position and should be replaced as should Coady.

 

[The Bear]

As far as I saw it, Coady was poor in the first half yesterday but nothing you couldn't say about the rest of the back four. He didn't handle VLP very well, but neither did Doherty when he switched wings. As has been mentioned he needed a good kick or two to quiet him down and we let him have free reign down their left.

Coady was better in the second half but they stopped attacking us for the most part so he was able to get forward and help down the right wing. He didn't particularly do much in an attacking sense though. He's not someone I'd want at RB long term. He'll be a squad midfielder and third choice RB by January, or at least he should be.

 

[Lycan]

Fair comment Bear. Probably summed it up just about right.

 

[Deleted Cyber]

As far as I saw it, Coady was poor in the first half yesterday but nothing you couldn't say about the rest of the back four. He didn't handle VLP very well, but neither did Doherty when he switched wings. As has been mentioned he needed a good kick or two to quiet him down and we let him have free reign down their left.

Coady was better in the second half but they stopped attacking us for the most part so he was able to get forward and help down the right wing. He didn't particularly do much in an attacking sense though. He's not someone I'd want at RB long term. He'll be a squad midfielder and third choice RB by January, or at least he should be.

Agreed. Zenga has given the old guard every chance this month and I am sure many will drop back over the coming weeks as the new signings fitness improves. Still think that we are not finished. Huddersfield won the game but we were unlucky not to take a point and that is heartening.Huddersfield could be a Brighton this season.They defend well and always have a goal in them. I would say we are still in the early stages of the revolution but signs are promising

 

[Parkins left foot]

Was away helping my son (& collecting the new wood flooring for my lounge using his trade card for a decent discount) so didn't see or hear any of this till it was well over.

From what I have read & seen from highlights - a Batth error & lack of response from anyone else allowed them a goal, after that we appeared to do enough to a least get something from the game. Not a worry as all teams in this division will lose a number of games & didn't look/sound as if we were completely outplayed.

With the Int break now hopefully Walter has a bit of time to have some quiet reflection on the current situation after what must have been a frenetic few weeks - the new signings will complete their integration into the squad and be fully ready to start after & he will not need/wish to put a midfield out like that again, (plus it doesn't sound as if we are finished in the market yet)

Would give him a B+ at this break - a good start, but still room for improvement.

 

[The Bear]

He needs to sort out the slow/sluggish starts. We can't keep going in at HT behind in matches.

 

[Parkins left foot]

He needs to sort out the slow/sluggish starts. We can't keep going in at HT behind in matches.

Think he knows what he needs to do

 

[The Bear]

Does he? Saying it was too passive isn't really a solution.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Does he? Saying it was too passive isn't really a solution.

Sorry, my wording was not correct - meant to indicate that he was aware.

Hopefully he uses the Int break to deal with the issue and produce the solution

 

[Johnny75]

Does he? Saying it was too passive isn't really a solution.

But he does say we need to be more aggressive. I took that as pressing more and thus more dominant as we have been in other games like Blues and Reading.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Hopefully him 'learning' is that he realises the midfield was terrible and that he can potentially play tex in there in home games and against teams we plan to dominate the ball