Nuno to leave Wolves

[YoungWolf]

White and Tavares sound done. They have an interest in Neves but have bid for Lokonga (sp) and Locatelli which sound more concrete.

arsenal have been a mid table team for about 2-3 years now really. Agree with Punts on Arteta, though they do seem willing to spend some money this summer.

I’d be really pissed if Ruben went there though. I think United should sign him but I’d rather he went abroad..:

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Cathro, Barbosa and Dias have signed up at Spurs.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Cathro been promoted to assistant. Wonder what RPS up to then. Assuming Spurs already have guys for Lapa’s and Figueroa’s roles. Maybe we will re-employ?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I suppose the three missing are still under contract, so if Bruno wants them then we may as well.

 

[Tony Towner]

Also shows the Palace job didn't fall down because of the backroom team

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

That was obviously them spinning a story (who knows why it did fall down, would have been a very odd job for him to take anyway). Surprised so many people went along with it.

 

[PuntsWolf]

I suppose the three missing are still under contract, so if Bruno wants them then we may as well.

Assuming his brother will be his assistant so maybe not space for RPS particularly as theoretically it’s going to be a different style.

Lapa and Figueroa had “non-footballing” roles so I’d see keeping them would be a good thing for continuity.

 

[YoungWolf]

Cathro been promoted to assistant. Wonder what RPS up to then. Assuming Spurs already have guys for Lapa’s and Figueroa’s roles. Maybe we will re-employ?

They have quite a big rehab and sports science team so might be why Lapa hasn’t been taken? That was his area right?

 

[PuntsWolf]

They have quite a big rehab and sports science team so might be why Lapa hasn’t been taken? That was his area right?

Yeah I’d imagine they already do. He was a glorified physio basically. As far as im aware though we don’t have one so I’d get him back.

 

[Tony Towner]

The two who seemed to get the most credit were the strength and conditioning guy, who pre covid avoided pulls and strains and the psychologist guy. Have they gone to Spurs?

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Dias was the fitness coach and he has gone.

 

[big mean bunny]

Nothing really to add here having caught up on the last few pages, but just wanted to point out it was a delight to see a Tomy Super Cup football reference, I can hear the noise that made now in my head!

 

[SSB]

Looks like he was homesick after leaving Tottenham. All he needed was a trip to Bilston for a smile to return to his face.

https://www.facebook.com/860253527425146/posts/4489806701136459

 

[Newbridge Wolf]

I miss the happy Nuno way more than is healthy for an adult male.

Wish we could go back to before the pandemic started and just bloody carry on, we were ace

 

[WolfmanOz]

I'm of the view that Nuno, and to some extent, Wolves, were badly derailed by COVID and the impact it had on the 2019/20 season.

The extension of the 2019/20 season where the club played 59 competitive games from July 25th, 2019 to August 11th, 2020 totally exhausted Nuno and the players both physically and mentally.

The 2020/21 season started on Sept 14th, only 4 weeks after the previous season. So we had no real rest and pre-season, where we know Nuno is so meticulous in setting up the team.

Nuno had correctly, IMO, identified where the club needed to improve to go to the next level, but the lack of rest and time, and of course poor recruiting, resulted in the club going into the new season exhausted.

In hindsight, given the very peculiar circumstances of 2020 caused by COVID, Nuno and Wolves should have delayed the tactical changes required (until 2021/22), and continued with the same formula that served so well in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons - and of course better recruiting (no £35M spent on a vanity project).

Obviously the long-term injuries to Raul and Johnny couldn't have been anticipated, but, as we've all commented here before, the squad was threadbare and it was a major risk, particularly with the sales of Jota and Doherty.

Still it's water under the bridge now, which is a crying shame as the way the club was poised in 2019/20 we could have been where West Ham are now, or at the very least knocking on the door of the top 6 rather than being mid-table.

 

[prawnking]

Mostly true, and the majority of us are on a downer now but a lot of what you point out was said by some people on here while it was actually unfolding. Frankly it wasn't aways welcomed!

Progress isn't always linear, and mistakes happen at every PL club. I think it's by no means certain better recruitment would have pushed us on, although it would have been nice to see. I also don't think Nuno would necessarily have been able to get out of his funk if given another season either.

We should be pleased with the phase we've just gone through, obviously lots of uncertainty as to how the next phase will unfold, but we've done better than most recently promoted clubs. We've certainly done better than Sheff Utd, Leeds and even Villa. Not many non-elite clubs ahead of us in the league as we speak

 

[Papper]

Still it's water under the bridge now, which is a crying shame as the way the club was poised in 2019/20 we could have been where West Ham are now, or at the very least knocking on the door of the top 6 rather than being mid-table.

I think Nuno was desperate for another window which never really came. I am cynical and I think Jeff et al smelled dissent and Jorge maybe felt there was an earner on the cards with a move. Hated the Albion result but I was annoyed when he left. Spurts was a ridiculous fit and many called it at the time.

 

[WolfmanOz]

And of course, unlike most promoted sides, we didn’t have a second season fall off.

Quite amazing given we had the Europa League to contend with, which, unlike so many other clubs, we actually gave it serious attention.

2 consecutive 7th place finishes for a newly promoted club in todays environment was simply superb.

We wasted that opportunity last season, but under Bruno, there may be an opportunity to again push to be a serious contender for a top 8 position, assuming the board will back him in the transfer market.