Let's talk about Nuno....

[sycophantia]

... except for the slightly important evidence of him actually playing well in a four for us!

We've just got a case of missing players suddenly becoming the messiah, conveniently ignoring that we looked unconvincing earlier this season even when Boly, Pod and Adama were playing together.

Raul is the one.

don't think anyone is saying the missing players are messiahs, rather that we'd be in a better position if we had them available and its inevitable we are worse off without them

 

[Haggstone]

... except for the slightly important evidence of him actually playing well in a four for us!

We've just got a case of missing players suddenly becoming the messiah, conveniently ignoring that we looked unconvincing earlier this season even when Boly, Pod and Adama were playing together.

Raul is the one.

Nope, I’ve just seen enough of him over a sustained period of time to know he’s a) better than he has shown since lockdown and b) would be better than Saiss in a back four. Soz.

 

[AndyWolves]

I said nearly every minute... And Trips just above you is saying he'd still be playing every game!

It's a well known fact that Nuno chose to play Raul almost every minute of every game.

I'm saying that the club were aware of many of the problematic variables - pandemic, abbreviated close season, exhausting 2019/20 season (especially for Raul), Raul's new fatherhood (remember his form before his injury?), so I'm surprised that wasn't all taken into account when we made our big striker signing. What if Raul had caught covid? We signed Fabio in September 2020, not September 2019

I think the club knew all that and took a calculated risk to get Silva in now thinking he wouldn't be anything more than a bit part player this season and possibly next.

The payoff being Silva develops into a high quality forward whilst Raul does the lions share for the next 1 or 2 seasons.

 

[prawnking]

Nope, I’ve just seen enough of him over a sustained period of time to know he’s a) better than he has shown since lockdown and b) would be better than Saiss in a back four. Soz.

You may be right on b), but there's not enough evidence to make it an absolute certainly, just like there wasn't with Coady. I could easily see Nuno preferring Saiss there

 

[AndyWolves]

... except for the slightly important evidence of him actually playing well in a four for us!

We've just got a case of missing players suddenly becoming the messiah, conveniently ignoring that we looked unconvincing earlier this season even when Boly, Pod and Adama were playing together.

Raul is the one.

I'd say if we had Podence and Adama available we'd have won or at least drawn last night.

 

[Haggstone]

don't think anyone is saying the missing players are messiahs, rather that we'd be in a better position if we had them available and its inevitable we are worse off without them

It’s far easier to argue against absolutes though, hence the hyperbole.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I'm not sure what the question is here. Are we seriously debating whether we should sack the best manager we've had in 40+ (probably longer) years?

Because if we are, that's cloud cuckoo land. I could understand if we were playing like absolute shite, or in serious relegation trouble. But we aren't and we aren't.

Flapping more than Andy Marshall.

 

[prawnking]

I'm not sure what the question is here. Are we seriously debating whether we should sack the best manager we've had in 40+ (probably longer) years?

No, not a single person has done that.

Just discussing his decisions

 

[Del Woppio]

I don’t think it’s the quality of the individual players we can put out either, the blend isnt right. Our game is about partnerships across the pitch, not having 11 individuals who are good on paper and then wondering why they aren’t performing.

But we've not exactly been shoehorning players out of position all over the place. We've got units that are performing at a level lower than the sum of their parts, that's pretty obvious. The performance level since lockdown has been pretty poor. Since then we've become one of the most boring sides in the league

 

[Haggstone]

You may be right on b), but there's not enough evidence to make it an absolute certainly, just like there wasn't with Coady. I could easily see Nuno preferring Saiss there

Well lets put it another way then, I’m confident that an in form Boly would be better in a back four than Saiss and/or Coady.

Since we are dealing in certainties now, how sure are you that Boly wasn’t carrying a knock when his form nose dived on his last return?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

It's the fickle nature of things, didn't see this thread after we bossed Palace on Friday, wouldn't have it if we'd beaten Brighton (should have) or at least drawn last night (should have).

I imagine we'll beat Albion and Chorley and then we can appreciate what we actually have. Would love to know who we'd get that's actually better than Nuno. Alan Curbishley is available.

 

[sycophantia]

I'm not sure what the question is here. Are we seriously debating whether we should sack the best manager we've had in 40+ (probably longer) years?

Because if we are, that's cloud cuckoo land. I could understand if we were playing like absolute shite, or in serious relegation trouble. But we aren't and we aren't.

Flapping more than Andy Marshall.

No I've not seen anyone advocate dumping Nuno, its been a reasonably sensible debate about his tactics and selections I think.......so far.
Must admit when I saw the title I was cringing a bit as I was a while ago with the 'dull as dishwater' thread but so far its been a decent thread imo

 

[AndyWolves]

Its honestly some very fine margins which have cost us in numerous games this season. Even last night Ruben hit the post and Hoever should have had a penalty.

 

[Del Woppio]

I honestly don't think I've seen anybody suggest he be replaced? It's not unfair that his performance be scrutised though. He's made more poor decisions in the last 9 months than he had in the entirity of the rest of his reign.

It's also pretty reasonable to look at the stylistic/mentality issues that came towards the end of his time at Valencia and Porto, and whether history is repeating itself here today. I said in the other thread that cracks were being papered over by results outstripping performances earlier in the season, and it's probably too far the other way now in that results are probably worse than you'd expect for the performance level. But over all since lockdown, performances haven't been great

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Well we're not a great team, are we? We're an upper mid-table one in general, and we're missing our best player.

This is what happens when people get silly dreams about challenging the top four, we're miles off. I love this team, best I've ever seen, but for a while too many people have thought we're better than we actually are and then get wound up when we don't win all the time. You're always going to get variance in results when you're mid-table. That's why you're mid-table.

 

[Haggstone]

But we've not exactly been shoehorning players out of position all over the place. We've got units that are performing at a level lower than the sum of their parts, that's pretty obvious. The performance level since lockdown has been pretty poor. Since then we've become one of the most boring sides in the league

Raul Jimenez is a world class striker, he’s that good he scores when he’s playing poorly and brings the best out of players around him. Out injured.

Willy Bolly is the best defender at the club, we have struggled to keep clean sheets whenever he is out of the side, even in the championship. Out injured.

Daniel Podence is currently one of our main goal threats. Out injured.

We have a Spanish full back who can actually defend because he isn’t a teenager. Out injured.

Now, I’m not saying we always play well even when we are able to field our strongest 11, we are Wolves and so still have limitations at this level.

I just don’t see much controversy in suggesting injuries to key players might at least go some way to explain poorer performances and results.

 

[sycophantia]

Well we're not a great team, are we? We're an upper mid-table one in general, and we're missing our best player.

This is what happens when people get silly dreams about challenging the top four, we're miles off. I love this team, best I've ever seen, but for a while too many people have thought we're better than we actually are and then get wound up when we don't win all the time. You're always going to get variance in results when you're mid-table. That's why you're mid-table.

Think most people (on here) accept we are an upper mid table team team trying to improve, our results over the last 8 games or so and inconsistent form are going to make people ask questions......its normal I would think

 

[Del Woppio]

But we've gone from that 6th to 8th group, to the 9th to 15th group, in terms of results and performances. Even with Raul, we were only our-creating and out-scoring the bottom 4 or 5. Not scoring enough cost us Europe last season, and it looks like costing us top half this season. Now obviously it doesn't really matter whether you're 8th or 14th, but it's not unfair that the fact that we look worse, are performing worse, and have worse results, despite still being able to select some bloody good players.

 

[Tony Towner]

Well we're not a great team, are we? We're an upper mid-table one in general, and we're missing our best player.

This is what happens when people get silly dreams about challenging the top four, we're miles off. I love this team, best I've ever seen, but for a while too many people have thought we're better than we actually are and then get wound up when we don't win all the time. You're always going to get variance in results when you're mid-table. That's why you're mid-table.

That's all very fair, but it's the club who have driven those dreams. See YW's comments last night around his perception that we won't sign a player that won't operate at Top 6 level.

 

[Del Woppio]

Raul Jimenez is a world class striker, he’s that good he scores when he’s playing poorly and brings the best out of players around him. Out injured.

Willy Bolly is the best defender at the club, we have struggled to keep clean sheets whenever he is out of the side, even in the championship. Out injured.

Daniel Podence is currently one of our main goal threats. Out injured.

We have a Spanish full back who can actually defend because he isn’t a teenager. Out injured.

Now, I’m not saying we always play well even when we are able to field our strongest 11, we are Wolves and so still have limitations at this level.

I just don’t see much controversy in suggesting injuries to key players might at least go some way to explain poorer performances and results.

I haven't said that at all.

I accept that the players missing will result in a drop off in results and performances. I do not accept that the players we have fit and available are performing as a team to their potential.

Don't focus on what's missing, focus on what we've got left. What we've got left is underperforming compared to its ability and its potential