Millwall 2 - 2 Wolves: The Verdict Thread

[YoungWolf]

I look forward to hearing the usual. "It's only a minority" excuse you get every 6 months they riot/pitch/invade/fight in the stands/give racist abuse

This is part of the issue as the fans tweeting me are soooo defensive for this very reason.

Just seen a couple of tweets mentioning this. Didn't bother watching the linked You Tube video, it would piss me off too much.

Don't bother mate, I only did to confirm what I heard during the game and it is (what I heard). I sent it to the Millwall fans giving me grief on twitter (pointless) and their response is 'so what?' Sigh.

 

[YoungWolf]

Anyway, the game.

We actually played pretty well, better than in recent games I would say too. Conceded from a set piece and a counter attack (which Nuno quickly rectified), and I would say a point is fair.

Millwall had a game plan, which we sussed out fairly quickly after they scored but they at least tried to attack us at times. Dirty bastards, but that is nothing new.

We played some great stuff, with Costa and Doherty linking really well I felt down the right. We were in control mostly, although Millwall were good from set pieces and had a couple of other opportunities before they equalised.

Hopefully Boly and Cavaleiro aren't out for next game. Boly was great (lots of Millwall fans calling him fat, I wish I was that fat!). I thought it might have been a precaution with him as he had a hamstring issue and this run of games will have had our fitness team flagging him up as one to be careful with over this period.

Miranda made a mistake as soon as he came on which very nearly cost us but apart from that he was fine.

MOTM? Lots of good performances I'd say Costa/Neves. I say Neves every bloody week :icon_lol:

 

[YoungWolf]

Wow, Millwall fans really claim that they don't get the issue with the chant. Sigh. Sometimes it isn't worth it, is it?

 

[Tony Towner]

Just seen the goals. Doherty poor on the first, had plenty of opportunity to get goal side before the ball was played through Douglas, Coady and Saiss? static for the second.

 

[Kenny]

Just seen the goals. Doherty poor on the first, had plenty of opportunity to get goal side before the ball was played through Douglas, Coady and Saiss? static for the second.

On their first if that had been us we would be going OTT in our praise for the counter. Can't really complain on that one, they hit us on the break superbly.
Concerned by the chance they had after that though, where Bennett lost his man and he should have hit the target.
The 2nd came as we lost the first header. Maybe a bit of confusion on our side with Boly only just leaving the pitch but still a poor goal.

Looks like we had enough chances to win the game 3 times over. After every disappointment this season we have bounced back with a win, so here is to that continuing on Saturday

 

[Tony Towner]

I disagree although it is a good counter, Doherty had the opportunity to be between Gregory and the goal, he chose not to. He may not have prevented the goal, but the position he did take up meant Wallace's ball took him out of the game.

 

[slink]

Well that was a fun and eventful game. Will go through everything from racist chanting to the player performances and there is a fair bit to get through.

Firstly the bad side of Millwall and those fans that decided to aim racist/stereotypical chants at Alf. They did happen and when Wolves fans responded with "you dirty racist bastards" it was obvious that they weren't bothered by it and enjoyed it, which was strange. Boly was also booed early on and Alf was booed every time he touched the ball for some unknown reason. It wasn't all of them but i do wonder what their black players think about it.

We did create a lot of chances, some good, some only half but we weren't great defensively at all. From minute one we struggled when Millwall got it forward early and the opening goal was a very poor goal to concede. I know as Kenny said we should say it was a good counter attack but it came from our corner and was nearly identical to a situation just a few minutes earlier when first Coady tried to end and Cav did end the counter by taking their man down. We had been warned and we let it happen again.

Miranda is going to get the blame from what i can see on social media for us conceding the second purely because he was on the pitch and that just isn't the case. His first touch of the game was dreadful but after that he was fine and Boly coming off didn't result in Millwall winning more in the air as they had won a significant amount already and should have scored at least 1 more from free headers when Willy was on the pitch.

I think you could tell we had enjoyed the last few days off as early on we were slow and allowed Millwall to dominate and win both the first and second balls, we improved massively and looked a threat going forward especially when Costa got the ball. He was the best player on the pitch by a long way for me today.

Referee was dreadful and so was the linesman down the right that we attacked in the second half. Referee gave them pretty much everything and penalised any slight challenge from us yet they had to physically assault us for anything to be given. There was a challenge on Saiss around 20 minutes in i think that was a disgrace, i still think it was a red but Williams was only booked. In the premier league or against a team that would have made more of it i think he gets an early bath but this ref was never interested. We should have had a penalty with 10 minutes remaining too when Jota was rugby tackled at the back post but conveniently the referee or his assistant didn't see it. Now it's a tough job but the ref was a homer without a doubt, it was a performance that Steve martin would have been proud of.

Overall i'm happy that we got tested, it did show that we are a real threat if teams want to attack us and leave gaps and it's not very often we're going to be facing a team of giants from set pieces. It's not very easy to defend them but Nuno will be fuming with the first goal i think because it could have been avoided. Still a good point when you look at the game as Millwall created a fair few chances themselves and we have managed to extend our lead by 1. Forget record points totals at the moment, let's just keep racking up the points and making the gap between us and the rest as big as possible.

I'll do player ratings/performances later on a separate post.

 

[leedswolf]

Racist fucking bastard cunting pricks

Your first visit to the 'New' Den?

 

[YoungWolf]

No.

 

[slink]

Right then players wise.....

Ruddy - No real chance with either goal, on another day he might have stopped the first but Gregory slotted home nicely. Saved well from Gregory in the second half and made a couple of good claims and one punch. Distribution as usual.

Bennett - Started slowly and didn't win that much in the air. Got better but had less to do as we took control.

Coady - Looked like he had a massive christmas dinner as he was towing a caravan several times throughout the game. He just seemed a bit slow to react a few times and was another that got better as the game wore on. Skinned by Gregory in the second half but Boly rescued him.

Boly - Won very little against Elliot and the big lads at the back who came up for corners. Not easy to defend against though when the deliveries were excellent. On the floor was good again but did look a frustrated figure a few times. Didn't look a big injury and hopefully fit for Bristol City.

Doherty - Thought he could have got back quicker for the opener as he seemed to slow down but it was an excellent final ball. Got forward well at times and probably should have scored in the first half when Neves put him through. Combines well with the front 3.

Saiss - Absolutely hammered in the first half and struggled to shake it off for 10 minutes. I'm certain in the Premier League it's a red card. Didn't have the best of games on the ball but got stuck in well as usual and popped up with a screamer although Archer may have done better. Loved his celebration and he's always the last player to leave the pitch and clap the fans.

Neves - Probably up there with Costa as our best player. A few sublime passes and does the dirty work too. Not everything came off and he over hit a couple of passes that would have put us through has he executed them. Still can't believe he plays for us.

Douglas - I thought he did ok despite not being at his best with a few sloppy passes and another who was hit hard early on. Nearly won it with his free kick and his set pieces were decent enough again.

Costa - He was the best player on the pitch for me especially in the first half and his run for the goal was outstanding. He nearly pulled it off 2 or 3 times but no one got on the end of the others. Quieter in the second half but still a threat and is definitely getting back to the player he was last season. Should have scored but never got the ball out of his feet far enough and ended up digging it out and hitting it straight at Archer. Deserves a start again on Saturday.

Jota - Lovely finish and was better than he has been of late but not quite at the levels he was a month ago. Still getting kicked and pulled and blocked off at every opportunity which doesn't help. Was rugby tackled late on and should have had a penalty, then i think he was through on goal in the last minute when Hutchinson hacked him down but the ref disagreed(would like to see a replay). A red card wouldn't have really helped us anyway but if he was through then a red should have been handed out.

Cav - Was everywhere and picked up a booking for ending a counter attack similar to the first goal just 5 minutes before it. Whatever he did just never came off really and was punished several times by the ref for nothing at all. He then got hammered just before we scored and was replaced at the break. Good job we didn't put it out as we scored when he was down.

SUBS

Bonatini - Couple of nice bits of play but a proper striker with pace would have been a real asset today especially when we were on top as Leo was a bit slow. We're not getting close enough to him which isn't his fault but it's just showing his flaws. Think we need to get back to Jota/Cav/Costa getting much closer to him and playing those short sharp 1-2s and 3rd man runs.

Miranda - Came on for Boly and apart from the dreadful first touch on his chest he was solid enough and as usual was comfortable on the ball. Won a couple of headers against Morison and while he's not Boly i still think he's harshly criticised by some fans.

N'Diaye - Not real impact apart from with the Millwall fans who didn't like him. Could sort of understand why he came on but i think we lost a bit of attacking intent with Costa going off.

Overall as i said i'm happy enough as we looked a big threat going forward and we're not going to come up against Millwall every week. A side who at home know how to play to their strengths and will cause anyone problems at the Den.

I will say i was disappointed with our fans again who are still in expectant mode rather than getting behind the side which leads to flat atmospheres at times. We need to get back to being behind the lads for the majority not the minority of the game.

 

[leedswolf]

No.

Sadly "Racist fucking bastard cunting pricks" is the norm there.

 

[YoungWolf]

Sadly, yes.

What has concerned me more in the aftermath is a lack of sensible Millwall fans accepting what had happened. In most cases you get people saying 'I assure you they are a minority' etc. Literally no Millwall fan on social media has acknowledged the chanting as unacceptable. Hopefully it is just their moronsn who take to twitter and the sensible ones, if they do have any, which I hope they do, just avoid it all..

 

[FrankMunro-371]

I have not visited the new den, but if it is anything like the original Den, then it is a somewhat intimidating place to go to. Many moons ago, our usual Gang of Four went into a pub in Rotherhothe, and while none of us had Black Country accents, it was obvious we were not Londoners. Suffice to say we drank up quickly and left...

 

[YoungWolf]

To be honest I didn't find it intimidating, there were a lot of empty seats in fact! Just saddened by what I witnessed today.

I'm glad to see that various Wolves fans have reported it to Kick It Out as have I.

 

[leedswolf]

Sadly, yes.

What has concerned me more in the aftermath is a lack of sensible Millwall fans accepting what had happened. In most cases you get people saying 'I assure you they are a minority' etc. Literally no Millwall fan on social media has acknowledged the chanting as unacceptable. Hopefully it is just their moronsn who take to twitter and the sensible ones, if they do have any, which I hope they do, just avoid it all..

One of my best friends is a Millwall supporter (he's from Bermondsey) and a top bloke. He would be the last to excuse that sort of racist bile. There again he is second generation Caribbean.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

To be honest I didn't find it intimidating, there were a lot of empty seats in fact! Just saddened by what I witnessed today.

I'm glad to see that various Wolves fans have reported it to Kick It Out as have I.

Maybe they have gone soft, but back then if they didn't recognise you they would start a conversation, and if your accent was wrong then woe betide you.

To be fair Millwall Football Club have done so much work within the community to try to portray themselves as a family club. But there is only do much they can do, if certain elements of their fan base are intent on making racist comments and looking for trouble at every opportunity then it must be difficult. I wonder what more Millwall can do as a football club to improve their shattered reputation.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

One of my best friends is a Millwall supporter (he's from Bermondsey) and a top bloke. He would be the last to excuse that sort of racist bile. There again he is second generation Caribbean.

This contradicts your previous post.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Their fans need to accept that it's an issue. That would be a big step. They are unwilling to do so.

I'm sure most on this forum and in the wider community would accept we have a tiny minority of absolute morons who seek to cause trouble more than anything, and that leads to incidents such as at the Watford game a couple of years ago. Those fans are not welcome here. Millwall prefer to pretend there is no issue and everyone else is making it up.

Look at the conversation I'm having on Twitter right now:

https://twitter.com/kate_murray/status/945775983763828736

Apparently Wolves fans imagined the lot. Of course.

Anyway. Fuck that lot.

I saw most of the second half and based on that I'd say Millwall were good value for a point. Sat deep for periods, but offered a threat. That's more than any of our last four opponents did. Good team at home and I'll have that point all day. Equalising goal is very disappointing as someone needs to get up at the back stick and we have three players there. But we'll learn from it.

 

[YoungWolf]

Maybe they have gone soft, but back then if they didn't recognise you they would start a conversation, and if your accent was wrong then woe betide you.

To be fair Millwall Football Club have done so much work within the community to try to portray themselves as a family club. But there is only do much they can do, if certain elements of their fan base are intent on making racist comments and looking for trouble at every opportunity then it must be difficult. I wonder what more Millwall can do as a football club to improve their shattered reputation.

I know people who have worked at the club who I have no doubt have worked tirelessly to change perceptions. Unfortunately there is an element of their fan base (most likely a really small minority in the grand scheme of things) who are holding this back, as you say. Continued work that they have been doing and education is really needed, particularly for young children. I'm watching small children making obscene gestures, only encouraged by family and friends next to them, and it is really sad. I have no doubt this occurs at many grounds across this country, but it really worries me that this will never truly disappear as these type of behaviours are learned by their role models (ie. Mum or Dad).

This contradicts your previous post.

Please not on this thread Frank.

 

[YoungWolf]

Maybe they have gone soft, but back then if they didn't recognise you they would start a conversation, and if your accent was wrong then woe betide you.

To be fair Millwall Football Club have done so much work within the community to try to portray themselves as a family club. But there is only do much they can do, if certain elements of their fan base are intent on making racist comments and looking for trouble at every opportunity then it must be difficult. I wonder what more Millwall can do as a football club to improve their shattered reputation.

This contradicts your previous post.

Their fans need to accept that it's an issue. That would be a big step. They are unwilling to do so.

I'm sure most on this forum and in the wider community would accept we have a tiny minority of absolute morons who seek to cause trouble more than anything, and that leads to incidents such as at the Watford game a couple of years ago. Those fans are not welcome here. Millwall prefer to pretend there is no issue and everyone else is making it up.

Look at the conversation I'm having on Twitter right now:

https://twitter.com/kate_murray/status/945775983763828736

Apparently Wolves fans imagined the lot. Of course.

Anyway. Fuck that lot.

I saw most of the second half and based on that I'd say Millwall were good value for a point. Sat deep for periods, but offered a threat. That's more than any of our last four opponents did. Good team at home and I'll have that point all day. Equalising goal is very disappointing as someone needs to get up at the back stick and we have three players there. But we'll learn from it.

I think Kate has finally realised now, to be fair. Hopefully anyway. Lots of Millwall fans varying from 'it didn't happen, you've all made it up' to 'so what?' or even 'it's not just us'. Says a lot too.