Live Match Discussion 2024/25

[Alan]

COVID seemed to take a massive toll on Nuno’s mental health; there were definitely red flags in his final season and I wasn’t really upset we tried to move on. Obviously, with hindsight, it meant there was no more buffer between the squad and Shi’s, er, interpretation of reality.

I’m beyond pleased Nuno is doing so well. Wish it was here rather than Forest, but do I think we’d be in 5th right now had the rumors of his return prior to hiring Lop been true and we’d actually brought him back? No, probably not. Impossible to say.

Would we be less diabolical at just about every phase of play? Yes, without a shadow of a doubt in my mind.

 

[sycophantia]

I was fucking raging and incredibly sad when Nuno was sacked. How we could let the best manager in my 50 odd years of supporting Wolves go with no chance of another season to get his mojo back. At worst he was a safe pair of hands for that season and we could have been looking at alternatives during that season if it didn't work out.
Incompetence on a massive scale.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

View attachment 12400


Makes you fucking sick. Like we're not just off the pace, we've got flat tyres and we're running out of petrol.

You know how far back we'd have to go in order to accumulate 26 Premier League points? Early February. They're not clubs that are spending massive money. We've sacked one of their managers, we'd have turned down Emery before he took Villa. We'd have written off Frank as a jammy little cunt. We'd have told Silva to do one and the others I doubt Hobbs had even fuckin heard of until they got their present jobs.

It's bad enough we take Bournemouth's fucking cast off, but then we get suckered into his MNF theatre and a little fucking purple patch and next thing you know there's a bunch of clubs that, 3 years ago, would've been DELIGHTED to finish above Wolves and we're not even in the same fucking game as them. Fucking embarrassing decline. Outrageous

A fair few wanted Emery but I doubt he’d have even bothered to pick up the phone if Shi had called.

 

[Wellen Wolf]

Today's comments from our old 'friend':

Morgan Gibbs-White: “It’s hard to put into words but we have to keep believing,” says the Nottingham Forest midfielder in an interview with Sky Sports. “Keep believing in the process, keep believing in the manager and keep believing we’ve got a good enough squad at this level. We’ve shown it away at Anfield and we’ve shown it again tonight. We’ll be disappointed we’ve conceded two goals but we’ll be pleased that we’ve managed to see the game out and manage it.”

If we'd had some common sense about the basics in our club then perhaps GON, his coaches and the players could have spoken and done similarly at some stage in 2024.

 

[KiwiWolf61]

I'll repeat what I said in my review of season 2020/21 re Nuno - there were a number of quite unique circumstances that needed him to rest and take his time to re-energise.

Notwithstanding Nuno did make some uncharacteristic mistakes i.e. prioritising the Premier League game against Southampton instead of the FA Cup 5th Round tie at home to them only 3 days prior. I was, however, disappointed to see that a fair number of Wolves supporters had been clamouring for Nuno’s removal saying that his time was up - for me this was unfair as there was numerous unique circumstance in 2020/21 that should have been taken into account.

1. The lack of an off season and an exhausted squad (including Nuno and his assistants) which meant Wolves effectively played 2 seasons straight.
2. The woeful transfer activity, which did not appear to be sanctioned by Nuno - leaving him with inadequate goal scoring options.
3. Raúl Jiménez’s serious injury and the impact it had, not just on the team, but also on Nuno personally.
4. Nuno spending an inordinate amount of time away from his family for close on 2 years.
5. Nuno falling out with his highly valued assistant Rui Pedro Silva - something I’m sure was due to the unique conditions at the time.

All of which should have been taken into account by Jeff Shi; in which a smart, professional and compassionate chairman would have told Nuno to take a total break from Wolves for 1-2 months and then return to the club when he was rejuvenated. Then see how things would pan out in 2021/22.

But no, Jeff Shi, in his infinite wisdom knew best. Now if he had Pep Guardiola lined up . . . oh wait Wolves got Bruno Lage. Although I suspect, it was a relief for Nuno, given his payout and not having to deal with Jeff Shi anymore.

So for the following 4 seasons the club has been on a steady decline where relegation looks inevitable, probably in 2024/25.

Coupled with a transfer policy over this period that has been all over the shop, a club hierarchy that is totally divorced from its local fanbase and an ownership that appears to have lost interest in developing the club. The club is now meandering through various levels of mediocrity that is soul destroying for its loyal fanbase.

All of which, compares starkly, with what Nuno had achieved during his 4 years at the club which had Wolves on the edge of reaching the top 6 and establishing themselves as a football force; whilst having a unique connection with the fans.

 

[YoungWolf]

There are so many mitigating circumstances for that season.

For Nuno himself it was probably good for him to get away (but should never have taken Spurs job) but for our side it’s criminal that we sacked him really. May well have taken a couple of seasons to get back to his best but he’d bloody earned the opportunity with what he’d done in the previous 3 seasons.

Since Nuno we’ve finished 10th, 13th and 14th. We wouldn’t have done any worse by keeping him would we?

 

[Kenny]

There are so many mitigating circumstances for that season.

For Nuno himself it was probably good for him to get away (but should never have taken Spurs job) but for our side it’s criminal that we sacked him really. May well have taken a couple of seasons to get back to his best but he’d bloody earned the opportunity with what he’d done in the previous 3 seasons.

Since Nuno we’ve finished 10th, 13th and 14th. We wouldn’t have done any worse by keeping him would we?

I don't think Nuno wanted to stay in the end.

Jeff's power grab was pushing him further away.

 

[jd1981]

All boils down to Jeff and Fosun, in reality it’s good Nuno left with his stock still high and maintained his cult status.
Victim of his own success maybe. Promotion, 7th, 7th, 13th. FA Cup Semi final Europa league QF.
As I’ve said if coming 13th playing poor football warrants the sack then you really have become spoilt and over expecting.
Some things he still did in that season that we’d crave for now ie knowing how to stop conceding goals and reversing poor form.

 

[sycophantia]

There are so many mitigating circumstances for that season.

For Nuno himself it was probably good for him to get away (but should never have taken Spurs job) but for our side it’s criminal that we sacked him really. May well have taken a couple of seasons to get back to his best but he’d bloody earned the opportunity with what he’d done in the previous 3 seasons.

Since Nuno we’ve finished 10th, 13th and 14th. We wouldn’t have done any worse by keeping him would we?

Bang on.

 

[sycophantia]

I don't think Nuno wanted to stay in the end.

Jeff's power grab was pushing him further away.

Well yeah, they treated him like shit rather than the saviour he was. No self respecting, ambitious coach is going to work for this lot long.

 

[The Bear]

RVN seems to be a Coady fan. Has started him in both games in charge so far in a back three and now a back four.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

We all know his limitations but he is thousands of times better than Faes.

 

[Alan]

We all know his limitations but he is thousands of times better than Faes.

His hair holds his talent hostage, I think

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Great goal Raul

 

[jd1981]

What a finish that is

 

[YoungWolf]

I’m so glad he’s come back to a decent PL level striker. sad it’s not with us

 

[Alan]

I’m so glad he’s come back to a decent PL level striker. sad it’s not with us

A real eating crow moment for me; I was really close to outright disliking him by the end of his time here. I thought he was done done. I would have bet money on it.

 

[YoungWolf]

A real eating crow moment for me; I was really close to outright disliking him by the end of his time here. I thought he was done done. I would have bet money on it.

Oh I completely thought he was done mate. You aren’t alone there.

 

[Lupo]

Ipswich beating Bournemouth

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I could never dislike him, he did look totally washed though. Wasn't even doing the basics right, I could excuse the goals drying up as we were a shite attacking team, but he was miles off it.

Didn't look much better for 80% of last season for Fulham either.