If we had top four aspirations...

[Deleted Cyber]

Every top side has a great spine. We currently don’t.
Rui is international class not world class but should be considered good enough when on song, like the last month not the previous three.
Jonny Boly would be fine but you would need a significant upgrade at CH and RB
Neves is fine as is Raul if he comes back the same. Support striker would be needed. Aguero? Neto is fine and I would build the team around him and Neves. He has more chance of being world class than any other player in our current first 11.
moutinho would need upgrading. I am sure that Mendes has enough in his locker to bring the right players in at the right price. However the last three windows have been very poor and it is imperative that this one is a significant improvement

if and it’s only if we finish top four in my lifetime I guarantee that Fabio Silva will not have been a striker in that team

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Agüero

Honestly, what planet are you on.

 

[Johnny75]

AH Cyber, you were doing so well today, but much like Semedo and Doc you always have one mare in you.

Don't ever change.

 

[Norman Deeley]

Every top side has a great spine. We currently don’t.
Rui is international class not world class but should be considered good enough when on song, like the last month not the previous three.
Jonny Boly would be fine but you would need a significant upgrade at CH and RB
Neves is fine as is Raul if he comes back the same. Support striker would be needed. Aguero? Neto is fine and I would build the team around him and Neves. He has more chance of being world class than any other player in our current first 11.
moutinho would need upgrading. I am sure that Mendes has enough in his locker to bring the right players in at the right price. However the last three windows have been very poor and it is imperative that this one is a significant improvement

if and it’s only if we finish top four in my lifetime I guarantee that Fabio Silva will not have been a striker in that team

Mendes will move the right players at the right price for Mendes, Cyber. As long as we're in the top flight and he can wheel and deal I don't think he gives a stuff about our top 4 aspirations.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I think a bit of patience on Fabio might be in order.

 

[AndyWolves]

I think a bit of patience on Fabio might be in order.

Those who will have patience already have it. Those who have already deemed an 18 will never make it, won't change their minds

 

[Paul]

I think a bit of patience on Fabio might be in order.

Couldn't agree more, but Cyber has a voodoo doll of him so the debate will rage on

 

[Paul]

Those who will have patience already have it. Those who have already deemed an 18 will never make it, won't change their minds

Repeat after me : 5,000,000 cheaper than Joelinton, 5,000,000 cheaper than Joelinton

 

[sycophantia]

Think our 'spine' is fine, Rui, Boly, Neves, Raul, add in Neto, Jonny, just need to flesh the rest out.

 

[Deleted Cyber]

Agüero

Honestly, what planet are you on.

I just think that a top four team needs a world class goal scorer and they are rarely available. This summer he will be. The chances of him coming are zero or less. But this is supposed to be a fun thread for us to dream. I would love to see Aguero, Messi, Ronaldo or similar wearing a wolves shirt even in the twilight of their careers. It won’t happen but nor will us being top four without a change in our recruitment policy

 

[Deleted Cyber]

Couldn't agree more, but Cyber has a voodoo doll of him so the debate will rage on

No Cyber likes his 35m signings to make more of an impact.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Anyone thinking we're going to be top four any time soon is dreaming in the first place.

You may as well ask if we should sign Havertz after he hasn't had a great time of it at Chelsea.

 

[sycophantia]

Yeah I'm sure we have top 4 aspirations but for me its probably 5 years from now, in the meantime we try and keep improving and make ourselves a top 6 team for now. Any one expecting top 4 soon is setting themselves up for a few years of disappointment imo (it could happen of course)

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Quite right. Regular European football and some good cup challenges is our next step.

 

[AndyWolves]

I think our next challenge is to remain competitive as the nucleus of the team changes. Hopefully that results in top 10 (ideally higher) placed finishes. We'll truly be considered established when we've changed most, if not all, of our first 11.

 

[Wolvensam]

I think despite the mare of this season, to have finished seventh two seasons running and (probably) anywhere from 8th-14th this season, is pretty good going for our first three years in the Premier League. We've never really looked in any great danger of relegation either, and Nuno regularly pulls us out of slumps we inevitably get in.

Nuno has the right ideas, they were just implemented at the wrong time: he shoudn't have attempted to evolve our play with no pre-season and training ground time at a premium. But would we have stuck at 4-2-3-1 had Raul not got injured and Boly not been in/out? Probably. And would it have worked? Also probably.

The next step is establishing ourselves as a side who regularly finish in the top 10 and keeping the nucleus of our side as much as is physically possible. If we followed a similar route to Leicester (their freak title win aside, as that won't ever happen again) I'd be happy - and becoming a side who regularly competed for the top four took them eight years to achieve.

 

[sycophantia]

I think despite the mare of this season, to have finished seventh two seasons running and (probably) anywhere from 8th-14th this season, is pretty good going for our first three years in the Premier League. We've never really looked in any great danger of relegation either, and Nuno regularly pulls us out of slumps we inevitably get in.

Nuno has the right ideas, they were just implemented at the wrong time: he shoudn't have attempted to evolve our play with no pre-season and training ground time at a premium. But would we have stuck at 4-2-3-1 had Raul not got injured and Boly not been in/out? Probably. And would it have worked? Also probably.

The next step is establishing ourselves as a side who regularly finish in the top 10 and keeping the nucleus of our side as much as is physically possible. If we followed a similar route to Leicester (their freak title win aside, as that won't ever happen again) I'd be happy - and becoming a side who regularly competed for the top four took them eight years to achieve.

I agree with you but doubt some of our fanbase are so patient.

 

[prawnking]

I think despite the mare of this season, to have finished seventh two seasons running and (probably) anywhere from 8th-14th this season, is pretty good going for our first three years in the Premier League. We've never really looked in any great danger of relegation either, and Nuno regularly pulls us out of slumps we inevitably get in.

Nuno has the right ideas, they were just implemented at the wrong time: he shoudn't have attempted to evolve our play with no pre-season and training ground time at a premium. But would we have stuck at 4-2-3-1 had Raul not got injured and Boly not been in/out? Probably. And would it have worked? Also probably.

The next step is establishing ourselves as a side who regularly finish in the top 10 and keeping the nucleus of our side as much as is physically possible. If we followed a similar route to Leicester (their freak title win aside, as that won't ever happen again) I'd be happy - and becoming a side who regularly competed for the top four took them eight years to achieve.

I think a lot of this is fair, but I'd question a couple of points: saying '8th-14th' is a huge dollop of spin... we're ten points off 8th, having played a game more. 11th-15th is more like it

Also, regarding Nuno's 'ideas', I have my doubts about any formation or way of playing which only works, or which the manager will only use, when we have our entire first choice XI available! Seems unrealistic and inflexible rather than any evolutionary way forward

 

[Johnny75]

I think a lot of this is fair, but I'd question a couple of points: saying '8th-14th' is a huge dollop of spin... we're ten points off 8th, having played a game more. 11th-15th is more like it

Also, regarding Nuno's 'ideas', I have my doubts about any formation or way of playing which only works, or which the manager will only use, when we have our entire first choice XI available! Seems unrealistic and inflexible rather than any evolutionary way forward

Never had you down as one of the 'Nuno Out' brigade...

 

[prawnking]

I agree with you but doubt some of our fanbase are so patient.

Tbf, not many fanbases of big clubs are, if that's what we aspire to be.

Don't know why we think our fanbase is so much worse than other medium sized clubs with a bit of history and potential. I doubt it is.