New Season

[b3h]

I'm still around the DW 2 days after Nuno left stage. And considering we have 1 friendly left then our first game I think we maybe are a bit too

Joking a little ofc. Have watched all friendlies. Some positive/different signs. A couple of decent signings would help settle nerves across the board obvs. But think/looks like Lage has got a tough job whatever happens and I feel like I have no clue what is about to happen. That feels odd, maybe mostly as it's been the first time in several years, idk. Not sure what to make of us possibly playing our old friend 343 but with the good ol' attacking football added in. I'd also say I'm worried about the club as a whole a bit at the moment and not just Lage being manager

I haven't really commented much either way tbf to myself but I suppose I am a bit of 4) off the other thread

 

[Kenny]

I would say that last bit is unfair Mark.

These are the teams we beat last season:

Sheff Utd x 2
Fulham x 2
Leeds x 2
Arsenal x 2
Palace (H)
Chelsea (H)
Southampton (A)
Brighton (H)

I think we deserved to win pretty much all of those in the end and there weren't many/any spawny draws either.

Plenty where we deserved nowt and got nowt too.

Events in the Arsenal and Brighton home games helped us. Luiz being worried by Jose (plus their keeper forgetting where his area was) and Dunk losing his brain 45 yards from goal.

 

[Tony Towner]

Events in the Arsenal and Brighton home games helped us. Luiz being worried by Jose (plus their keeper forgetting where his area was) and Dunk losing his brain 45 yards from goal.

You can pull things like that up on every season though. Going the other way, Moutinho brainfart seconds after being half time 3-1 v Brighton away, comical Kilman handball at Leicester which lead to the interpretation being changed, Semedo's penalty against Villa, God knows what against Albion etc etc

 

[Kenny]

You can pull things like that up on every season though. Going the other way, Moutinho brainfart seconds after being half time 3-1 v Brighton away, comical Kilman handball at Leicester which lead to the interpretation being changed, Semedo's penalty against Villa, God knows what against Albion etc etc

Of course just out of that list of wins they are the 2 that came with an ounce or 2 of luck.
The Arsenal game probably the key moment of our season as well. Luiz and Leno have a day off and we are getting dragged into that battle at the bottom. Was it 1 win in 10 or 10 with no win before it?

 

[WolfMan]

Attractive football and attacking football aren't mutually exclusive. A team can move the ball around nicely without having any great attacking intent or can be very attacking with very little aesthetic appeal and vice versa. Teams fall into all different shades of grey between the black and white of those extremes and it's up to every individual what blend they consider to be entertaining to them, some will accept anything as long as the results are right.

For me Nuno never had Wolves as a genuinely attacking side at any point, it was always solidity that came first even in the Championship where the gulf in quality over most opponents allowed much more freedom. They were generally easy on the eye without being particularly gung-ho though, sustained possession and moved the ball around well enough.

In the Premier League I'd say the aesthetics took a hit with the move to 352/532 and surrendering more possession to better opponents. There were however flashes of greater entertainment as some of the counter attacking at pace was a good watch. It wasn't thrill a minute stuff by any means but similar in style to Leicester when they won the league, the patient defensive element could be somewhat forgiven by the sudden acceleration into attacking opportunities.

Last season everything nose dived though, generally awful to watch, minimal attacking impetus and often little effectiveness to even paper of the cracks with undeserved points.

It's all semantics really isn't it, to me it was entertaining to you it was cautious. Cautious isn't usually a word you associate positively when watching a football team though is it, it's a byword for boring.

To be honest I was that sick of watching it last season I was just glad for a change. I was quite critical of Nuno and his approach when he left but as times gone and I've reflected, I've come to the conclusion that he was dealt a pretty shit hand in his last season. Yes he probably could have done certain things differently, but with all things considered, we probably finished where we should have.

To dismiss him as a cautious manager somewhat diminishes what he achieved in my opinion. I've experienced some of the most exhilarating moments I can remember watching Wolves under Nuno.

 

[jd1981]

Events in the Arsenal and Brighton home games helped us. Luiz being worried by Jose (plus their keeper forgetting where his area was) and Dunk losing his brain 45 yards from goal.

Conversley look at some things that didn’t go our way that could have changed games we lost Leicester away, Liverpool at home, Albion at home just a few to mention where decisions went against us.

 

[AndyWolves]

I thought with the players we had available to us in the championship we should have scored more goals.

Or at least we had the potential to score more than we did

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

We should have got 100 points. Criticising that season is fucking mental

 

[AndyWolves]

I'm not criticising am I? I'm just saying that we had players far better than anyone else and should have scored more than we did.

 

[Throbber3]

o dismiss him as a cautious manager somewhat diminishes what he achieved in my opinion. I've experienced some of the most exhilarating moments I can remember watching Wolves under Nuno.

My nagging overall feeling is that Porto and Valencia fans told us exactly what he would be like and to all intents and purposes, they were right. Now we have someone very different in charge, with a different ethos who appears very hands on. Nuno was hands on early on but not to the extent Lage has appeared on pre season.
I would still like some additions to the squad. I am convinced Guedes will join. Maybe Palhinha. We may even keep one of Neves or Traore . I wish Bruno every success on a difficult journey. If he is manager this time next year then we will have had an excellent season, beyond what many are thinking currently will happen.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

It's all semantics really isn't it, to me it was entertaining to you it was cautious. Cautious isn't usually a word you associate positively when watching a football team though is it, it's a byword for boring.

To be honest I was that sick of watching it last season I was just glad for a change. I was quite critical of Nuno and his approach when he left but as times gone and I've reflected, I've come to the conclusion that he was dealt a pretty shit hand in his last season. Yes he probably could have done certain things differently, but with all things considered, we probably finished where we should have.

To dismiss him as a cautious manager somewhat diminishes what he achieved in my opinion. I've experienced some of the most exhilarating moments I can remember watching Wolves under Nuno.

Cautious was your word not mine and boring your interpretation rather than my insinuation.

Teams can be interesting and even entertaining without going all guns blazing for 90 minutes. Leicester in their title winning season were a good, if rather simplistic, team to watch. At times they appeared to be capable of creating chances with every turnover of possession through the pace of Mahrez and Vardy on the break. Atletico Madrid similar, a robust team first and foremost but with plenty enough talent to turn the tables when they get the ball back.

I'd rather have watched either of those than Pep's Barca team who I always found incredibly frustrating to watch, some of the most talented players in the world seemingly playing within themselves for 90% of the time.

I don't think many would argue that either Ranieri or Simeone are anything other than conservative in the way they set up those teams. I'd doubt any fan of either would take such a description as an insult or belittling of their achievements given both delivered the greatest recent achievements for their respective clubs in doing so.

 

[Lupollet]

I haven’t seen enough to properly comment, but I’m not optimistic. I think everyone in the squad was bought to be a round peg in a round hole in Nuno’s system.

If we try to change, some will adapt and some won’t. We’re not going to magically become better at pressing than Leeds just because the coach says to try. Leeds we’re built by their manager to do that.

if we don’t add some centre halves I think we’ll struggle badly because the defence brings down the midfield with it.

personally I’d stick with Nuno’s game plan but try and make small improvements here and there and try to make sure we’re not in a relegation battle.

 

[redvictor]

I honestly can't call it yet. I've watched the pre season games and for sure you can see the difference in the playing style. You can also see we have a problem with pace in the middle and the back and defending set pieces still. Mosquera looks like he has pace, but he's very raw, and will need shepherding for a while.

I'm still not sure about Bruno. Whilst it seems he has some good ideas going forward, i think he'll have trouble with players for his tactics. I know they are all pros, and for sure they will be able to adapt. It's how long it takes. If they get some kind of result from the first 5 games it might be ok. Get wailed on those first three games particularly and it might put them into their shell, and have to resort to run away football, which would be back to square one! And... to get the fans onside i think those first games have to get some sort of result (draw, win)

I see lots on twitter/FB saying mid table would be ok this season. If that did happen then we've spent a lot of time and money getting rid of someone who could 100% get us that every year, and with a couple of players extra be top 10 every year.
Whatever happens this season it has to be better than the last one, or why did the club do what they did? All my opinion of course..

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

It doesn't necessarily have to be better this season, but in the longer run it does.

 

[redvictor]

It doesn't necessarily have to be better this season, but in the longer run it does.

For me it does, but everyone has their own take on it.

 

[Del Woppio]

Last season I just wanted better football, more intensity, and more entertainment, whilst accepting that the transition will result in a lower mid-table finish, but the hope that there's a plan in place for the next few years.

I'm far from convinced it'll come off tbh, not least because I think that Fosun have basically chucked the towel in, and we're basically never going to see a net spend anywhere close to where it needs to be to bother the top six. The investment needed to get us this far has been more than value for them, but the investment to get any further regularly won't be put in.

 

[Tony Towner]

I think that Fosun have basically chucked the towel in, and we're basically never going to see a net spend anywhere close to where it needs to be to bother the top six. The investment needed to get us this far has been more than value for them, but the investment to get any further regularly won't be put in.

I think without outside investment this is where we are at. From a where they picked us up from perspective it's still some achievement. John Richards was leading scorer the last time we had 4 successive seasons in the top league. From where we thought we were going it's quite sad.

 

[GLASGOWOLF]

Saturday will be really interesting, Myself a West Ham fan, Man Utd, Swansea, and Spurs fan.
at least 2 of them were / are Freelance Journos, and I value their opinions as they are usually well informed, it will be interesting for their take on things.

I did my research on Bruno's time at Benfica today, along with his other spells in English football, also researched the transfers, it surprised me how many have moved, however the vast majority have been just shuffling there pack, with some Swaps and Free Transfers, only really Man U, Spurs (soon) have spent big money, which sort of ties in with what we were saying at the end of last season.

I think we are all looking at the season with some trepidation and nevousness, ranging from DW's he'll be sacked and we will be close to relegation, up to me thinking we have the same team as we finished last season so am expecting a 14th - 10th finish, and Lage probably seeing out the season.