Luton 1-1 Wolves: Verdict Thread

[Kenny]

Kilman as a captain is a waste of time. Even if the captain has a 1% influence of the referees decision then it would be better than what we had.

When the pen was being checked Kilman spoke to the ref and the ref said it’s being checked and Kilman was like “oh ok”. If that was me, I’d be saying “it’s clearly not a pen, it’s taken a massive deflection, that’s the rules, you’ll need to go and have a look and see, you won’t give it when you see it again”. Well that was my thoughts sitting in my lounge anyway, not being directly involved in the game FFS. Neves was too far the other way going apoplectic about nothing fouls but Kilman as captain offers us no advantage, it’s actually a hinderance.

Probably worried he would get booked if he said anything

 

[Tony Towner]

Many on here, me included, have said for years that the captaincy is an overblown talking point. Kilman proves when you take it to that extreme it isn't

 

[WsWolf]

Fuck that give it Neto. Had the bollocks to speak out last week, our most influential player. Talisman effect.

 

[AndyWolves]

Many on here, me included, have said for years that the captaincy is an overblown talking point. Kilman proves when you take it to that extreme it isn't

I think it used to overblown, but now he's the only one who can advocate for the team to the ref. So it has a bit more materiality to it than it used to.

 

[Keef]

At least we get another stamp

 

[The Dude]

1) I actually think the Bellegarde red was quite harsh. He didn't kick Lockyer, he pushed him away with his foot. Lockyer was guilty of purposely staying tangled. Naive of Bellegarde but hardly the crime of the century.

2) never a fucking penalty. Gomes can't make that block at full stretch without his arms flailing everywhere, he just can't, it's impossible. We've been screwed again by dreadful officiating.

3) we were fucking shit. Lucky to get a point.

 

[The Bear]

Have we had an apology or explanation yet?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I think they'd have ended up scoring anyway without the scandalous penalty. If it had stayed 1-0 then Gary O'Backpedal would have had Dawson and Captain Crap standing level with Sa at some point. We gave up even trying to play.

 

[The Dude]

I think they'd have ended up scoring anyway without the scandalous penalty. If it had stayed 1-0 then Gary O'Backpedal would have had Dawson and Captain Crap standing level with Sa at some point. We gave up even trying to play.

We never started playing. I can't see any green shoots of a game plan. I'm confused as to our playing style.

There's no rhyme or reason to our "style", it changes from week to week, from half to half. We have no identity.

 

[Tony Towner]

Today's game plan was to let them burn themselves out. Without the red card and the penalty it probably pays off, by luck rather than execution. I disagree with Deutsch that they would have eventually scored anyway, I don't think the goal affected the trajectory of the game, if anything it put wind in their sails and they still didn't really look scoring even though we didn't have any interest in attacking.

You shouldn't be going to a team like that with that game plan, but from what I can tell that's what it was

 

[Alan]

I agree with that assessment, Tony, but it strikes me that many of our conceded goals have come from nothing, or a spectacularly rapid breakdown on our own part.

I don’t trust our ability to keep a clean sheet.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

We've kept one clean sheet in six, that against a team who haven't scored at home all season, aided by a hairline offside in our favour and two saves by Sa that are out of keeping with his generally wank performance levels.

Almost as if sitting off teams while you have a truly terrible centre half combination is a bad idea.

 

[Tony Towner]

I agree with that assessment, Tony, but it strikes me that many of our conceded goals have come from nothing, or a spectacularly rapid breakdown on our own part.

I don’t trust our ability to keep a clean sheet.

I don't see how you can trust them given the players involved. O'Neill has to fashion out of them what Lopetegui managed to do at home. If he or someone that replaces him can't do that then we are done for as we are going to be porous away from Molineux, so our fate starting with the Villa game will be written by that.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I don't see how you can trust them given the players involved. O'Neill has to fashion out of them what Lopetegui managed to do at home. If he or someone that replaces him can't do that then we are done for as we are going to be porous away from Molineux, so our fate starting with the Villa game will be written by that.

- Change the keeper, Bentley isn't a long term answer but Sa keeps actively costing us big chances/goals with moronic decisions and he doesn't learn
- Play at least one centre half who can run
- Don't ever bring Doherty on
- Maybe consider playing the one centre forward we have who can hold the ball up and so it isn't endlessly coming back at us
- Perhaps try keeping possession now and then
- Stop settling for results with ages to go and trying to be José Mourinho 2004, you actually look like Bryan Robson 2004

These are not difficult concepts.

 

[Tony Towner]

The defence and goalkeeper is exactly the same one Lopetegui had though, which was my point. At home he found a way to keep clean sheets and offensively we have better options now than he did. Away from home he and they were a liability

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Neves did far more defensively than people ever gave him credit for, I think Joao Gomes has a huge future but he's miles off that level right now. Plus we had Moutinho to close out games.

Lopetegui understood Kilman/Dawson's limitations far more and also mitigated them by playing Toti at LB (I get why you wouldn't want to do that in a progressive sense long term).

Sa has always been a timebomb and people kidded themselves he wasn't an issue, he will always give away terrible goals, he is shit. I don't think I've ever disliked a Wolves keeper more, I just pitied the likes of Lonergan and Jones Mk II. He does it out of stupidity.

 

[Tony Towner]

Who Lopetegui wanted to get rid off, although tbf I think he wanted to do that to half the starting 11. I wouldn't disagree, his blind spot seems to have been Kilman

 

[Jinky]

We never started playing. I can't see any green shoots of a game plan. I'm confused as to our playing style.

There's no rhyme or reason to our "style", it changes from week to week, from half to half. We have no identity.

100% agree. GoN doesn’t appear to have a clue what our ‘plan’ is, which is why he seems to switch things around constantly during the game itself. The players today looked confused on multiple occasions. There was one instance where the camera was on GoN flapping his arms around and shouting something (remind you of anyone?) towards RAN who turned around and ran away with a confused look on his face.

He then tries to rectify things with bizarre, negative substitutions - which somehow makes things even worse.

He’s showing alarming signs on a weekly basis that he’s out of his depth. Whoever described him as looking like a rabbit in headlights was absolutely spot on.

As I’ve said, I don’t actively dislike him as a person - but I don’t want him managing my football club. I actually feel a bit sorry for him now & want him (plus us) put out of misery.

 

[Squeak]

- Change the keeper, Bentley isn't a long term answer but Sa keeps actively costing us big chances/goals with moronic decisions and he doesn't learn
- Play at least one centre half who can run
- Don't ever bring Doherty on
- Maybe consider playing the one centre forward we have who can hold the ball up and so it isn't endlessly coming back at us
- Perhaps try keeping possession now and then
- Stop settling for results with ages to go and trying to be José Mourinho 2004, you actually look like Bryan Robson 2004

These are not difficult concepts.

You really do have a downer on Sa don't you?
He made a superb save to keep it at 0-0 today and was generally OK for the entire game.
He didn't cost us a goal. He didn't make any daft decisions other than when Dawson didn't hear him. A typical defensive mix up that happens to all teams occasionally.

He is not afraid to come out for the ball and usually gets it. He is a pretty good reaction keeper partic. from close range.
OK, last season wasn't the greatest but he was carrying two injuries. His first season was better than Patricio at any point and he gave us another dimension.

Sa is far from our worst problem and yes, he hasn't hit his first season highs, I agree. However, if you think Bentley is going to do better, then you are grossly mistaken. Any keeper behind this defence is going to have problems.

 

[Alan]

Sá isn’t Prem quality, although he isn’t outright crap.

As I love to say, it’s telling that if Charlotte and Wolves traded GKs I’d barely notice it on either side.