Notts Forest 1-1 Wolves: Verdict Thread

[Loki]

The mental gymnastics wolves fans on social media have been going through to defend Podence have been reminiscent of Liverpool fans when Ivanovic was bitten. Embarrassing.

He's not whistling, he's not kissing, he's not saying something, he's not pulling a face, he's not blowing on him. He's spitting at him.

I`m not defending him, but pictures of him with his cheeks blown out would seem to indicate there`s a gob full of saliva in there. Hence if he spat, there would be some obvious evidence surely? Of course, the player who it was aimed at could put the whole episode to bed as he had the best view. Even if he was mimicking a spit it deserves some kind of punishment. Podence, we all know, is a cheat and his reputation goes before him. Let`s hope, after the investigation is complete, a line can be drawn. For the record, I want him gone at the end of the season as long as we can find someone else who can provide a few goals.

 

[WsWolf]

Whatever the 'project' is it needs ripping up and starting again.

We've had 3 managers and a caretaker play this horseshoe of Doom with an isolated central striker and no movement off the ball.

It doesn't and never has worked.

That's all on the club as a whole.

At some point I think we have to concede that a lot of the issues of creativity are due to personnel and not shape. As you say 4 managers have struggled to get a tune out of these players going forward. The lack of movement is the single biggest issue, midfielders who don't offer passing angles, wide midfielders who stand in the full backs space. Cunha makes loads of runs that open space behind but our other forwards just stand there, does my head in.

 

[Johnny75]

At some point I think we have to concede that a lot of the issues of creativity are due to personnel and not shape.

I don't agree with this. As @Deutsch Wolf pointed out Lop can do this but for whatever reason over the last few games we've stopped doing it.

As you say 4 managers have struggled to get a tune out of these players going forward. The lack of movement is the single biggest issue, midfielders who don't offer passing angles, wide midfielders who stand in the full backs space. Cunha makes loads of runs that open space behind but our other forwards just stand there, does my head in.

The passing angle thing is weird as we have the players to do it and when Lop first arrived we certainly were moving off the ball.

But it's all stopped. There's something deeply wrong at Molineux and it's this ridiculous strategy by the looks of it.

If we had a decent journalist working on Wolves, they'd write a piece on it and find out why.

 

[malta mick]

Its time to pick the best eleven in their best positions, preferably Raul & Cunha together up front, and unless injuries occur keep them together to get some continuity for the rest of the season.

 

[BGreenWolf]

Part of the problem, surely, is that we don’t actually have a good 11 at all.

 

[Johnny75]

Part of the problem, surely, is that we don’t actually have a good 11 at all.

Not having that, we've battered Liverpool and Spurs and the midfield we should have is one of the best in the league.

 

[WsWolf]

I don't agree with this. As @Deutsch Wolf pointed out Lop can do this but for whatever reason over the last few games we've stopped doing it.



The passing angle thing is weird as we have the players to do it and when Lop first arrived we certainly were moving off the ball.

But it's all stopped. There's something deeply wrong at Molineux and it's this ridiculous strategy by the looks of it.

If we had a decent journalist working on Wolves, they'd write a piece on it and find out why.

We've done it sporadically but it's not consistent. Players just operating in their comfort zone is the only conclusion I can come up with.

 

[Jinky]

Not having that, we've battered Liverpool and Spurs and the midfield we should have is one of the best in the league.

Agreed. It’s the way they’re being set up and the instructions they’re being given from the manager and coaching staff. That’s not to say that individuals within the squad shouldn’t be performing at a higher level, but Moutinho isn’t a number 10. Nunes isn’t a left winger. Toti isn’t a LB etc etc etc. No wonder some of them look like they haven’t got a clue what’s going on.

Our squad is horribly unbalanced, we all know that. But Lop has players at his disposal that could go out and outclass the likes of Forest, Bournemouth & Leeds. He just isn’t utilising them properly.

 

[sycophantia]

Part of the problem, surely, is that we don’t actually have a good 11 at all.

Think we're a CB and striker/goal scorer, maybe a keeper short of having a 'good' 11 but the players we have should be good enough to pull us away from danger if they apply themselves and we use the right tactics.

 

[sycophantia]

We've done it sporadically but it's not consistent. Players just operating in their comfort zone is the only conclusion I can come up with.

Inconsistant is the right word, probably a blend of the players and tactics at certain times. From my memory, under JL we've looked pretty good, Liverpool, Spurs second half, Newcastle about 30 minutes at different parts of the match, Fulham till Cunha went off injured. Probably others that I can't remember or did'nt see.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Think we're a CB and striker/goal scorer, maybe a keeper short of having a 'good' 11 but the players we have should be good enough to pull us away from danger if they apply themselves and we use the right tactics.

We don’t have any pace or directness. Dennis was turning Semedo inside out whereas Traore just runs to the corner flag. Gnonto and Harrison offered the same for Leeds.

Neto is the closest we have but we haven’t seen him do it for 2 years.

So teams with nil pace you’d expect to be better at working the ball through the middle of the pitch with “technicians” like Cunha, Sarabia, Podence, Moutinho, Neves but we’re terrible at that as well.

 

[sycophantia]

We don’t have any pace or directness. Dennis was turning Semedo inside out whereas Traore just runs to the corner flag. Gnonto and Harrison offered the same for Leeds.

Neto is the closest we have but we haven’t seen him do it for 2 years.

So teams with nil pace you’d expect to be better at working the ball through the middle of the pitch with “technicians” like Cunha, Sarabia, Podence, Moutinho, Neves but we’re terrible at that as well.

Suppose it depends what you class as a 'good 11' for me that means being competetive, which we should be with the players we have, last few games we haven't been for various reasons.
We're unlikely ro have a good 11 compared to the likes of the very top teams.

 

[Deano]

I don't think we are only a CB and a striker away. We don't have the right blend of central midfield players and although we own plenty of wide players, apart from Podence their goal output is woeful.

 

[WsWolf]

Not having that, we've battered Liverpool and Spurs and the midfield we should have is one of the best in the league.

Dunno man, we have no balance in there. All of them want the play infront of them, none are real goal threats. I think Nunes and Neves with a more attacking 8 type would be perfect but we don't that player.

 

[sycophantia]

Just read some of the post match comments of Cooper, what a twat, hes got some fucking neck saying "without being disrespectful, Wolves have had pitchside disciplinary problems since the manager changed", we obviously have but he's been the cause of many of them.

 

[sycophantia]

I don't think we are only a CB and a striker away. We don't have the right blend of central midfield players and although we own plenty of wide players, apart from Podence their goal output is woeful.

Im not sure about that, I like Lopetegui and still think he'll get it right but over the last month or so I don't think he's got the best out of the personel he has at his disposal. We have options at CM, it just seems a bit of confused mess in the way they're being deployed currently.

 

[Paul]

Just read some of the post match comments of Cooper, what a twat, hes got some fucking neck saying "without being disrespectful, Wolves have had pitchside disciplinary problems since the manager changed", we obviously have but he's been the cause of many of them.

Just came on to say the same

"We know, and I don't say this disrespectfully, but there has been a lot of ill-discipline on the Wolves touchline since the change of manager," said Cooper.

"We were prepared for it. The last thing we wanted was for anything to boil over and for there to be any problems.

"But at our stadium we cannot let opposing staff dominate officials and try and influence the game. We have to stand up to it and that's all it was."

 

[jd1981]

Very sanctimonious crap from Cooper and portraying Forest as the sweet little innocent angels.
Comments almost as bad as Warnocks xenophobia after we beat Cardiff.
Well Stevie at your manor less than 12 months ago you had a full on pitch invasion that resulted in a former player being seriously assaulted.

 

[sycophantia]

Just came on to say the same

"We know, and I don't say this disrespectfully, but there has been a lot of ill-discipline on the Wolves touchline since the change of manager," said Cooper.

"We were prepared for it. The last thing we wanted was for anything to boil over and for there to be any problems.

"But at our stadium we cannot let opposing staff dominate officials and try and influence the game. We have to stand up to it and that's all it was."

Yeah, in all of the recent matches with them there have been high tensions and we've let it affect us but they've been at least as bad as us at fault probably instigated more.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Suppose it depends what you class as a 'good 11' for me that means being competetive, which we should be with the players we have, last few games we haven't been for various reasons.
We're unlikely ro have a good 11 compared to the likes of the very top teams.

We were never good at being a progressive passing team. We lost our directness with the sale of Jota and Neto injuries, and our ability to win direct balls with Raul injury. We’ve lost the ability to score from set pieces.

We’re miles away. We need to decide what we are/want to be and sign players to fit that.

We have touchline wingers but don’t get forwards or midfielders in the box. We have one paced, technical forwards but don’t play through the middle of the pitch and get shoved off it easily when we do. We play inverted forwards but the output from the FBs outside of them is awful (Bueno excepted), but we again don’t get players in the box anyway. We have one paced midfielders who don’t get into scoring positions and don’t create, the one athletic midfielder in the team currently can’t pass water.

Boubacar and Gomes look like they offer something different but it’s way to early to hang our hat on them as starting CMs in this league, even though I am optimistic about them from the little we’ve seen.

We need a massive clearout. Out of the 16 players who made the pitch yesterday I’m only really arsed about Bueno long term. Neves will leave and I’m not arsed about the rest.