Pre-season friendly thread

[Dire Wolf]

Decent 2nd half, Neves was outstanding in the 2nd half, amazing what difference not having Moutinho next to him did to his performance. We definitely need new talent in midfield, Donk and Moutinho just aren’t up to it. Hoever I thought had one of his better games, but realistically if he is playing regularly in the PL something has gone wrong for someone.

Overall, we look almost exactly like Nuno’s Wolves of last season, which honestly, isn’t very good for a supposed fresh start and fresh ideas. The recruitment team have badly let Bruno down up to this point and without 3-4 new signings we are heading for a bottom 6 finish IMO.

 

[Alan]

I recall a preseason in which the Carolina Panthers went undefeated (4-0 at the time), then proceeded to go 1-15 in the regular season.

Any severe judgement one way or the other is still remarkably too soon. Especially with a new coach involved. How anyone could read these performances as anything close to the finished product is beyond me.

 

[Deano]

I recall a preseason in which the Carolina Panthers went undefeated (4-0 at the time), then proceeded to go 1-15 in the regular season.

Any severe judgement one way or the other is still remarkably too soon. Especially with a new coach involved. How anyone could read these performances as anything close to the finished product is beyond me.

I take your point about pre season results and to a degree performances not being the be all and end all but that's a pointless comparison, in the NFL, starters play one quarter and as the game goes on players that don't even end up making the roster start getting introduced in pre season.

The team that will play next week played the majority of the game today, the signs don't look encouraging to me.

 

[Alan]

That doesn't change the fact that there hasn't been nearly enough time with the players and coaches together for me to say, "oh yeah, they should have it figured out by now".

 

[Deano]

That doesn't change the fact that there hasn't been nearly enough time with the players and coaches together for me to say, "oh yeah, they should have it figured out by now".

Well we better figure it out fast or we will be in big trouble

 

[Alan]

I think that's overstating things.

If we haven't figured it out by late November, then we'll be in trouble. We survived last year playing some spectacularly dull football. We know this team can stay up even when they're playing, well, a bit shit.

 

[Deano]

I think that's overstating things.

If we haven't figured it out by late November, then we'll be in trouble. We survived last year playing some spectacularly dull football. We know this team can stay up even when they're playing, well, a bit shit.

You don't have these weird grace periods in football while players and coaches work things out. You have to adapt to the squad you have and change things gradually especially when the squad is basically the same. Thought people might have learned a few lessons from the Solbakken debacle.

 

[redvictor]

Well we better figure it out fast or we will be in big trouble

You can see what they are trying to do. Press high, aggressive off the ball and trying to move it forward quick. It takes time to learn all that while being pressed by the opposition. Doing it around cones is easy. I certainly think they will get better at it, and with 2 or 3 more quality additions they will thrive. It all depends how quick because the managers job will depends on it.
Hopfully Jeff and the team are working right this second to sort it..

 

[MARKakaJIM]

You don't have these weird grace periods in football while players and coaches work things out. You have to adapt to the squad you have and change things gradually especially when the squad is basically the same. Thought people might have learned a few lessons from the Solbakken debacle.

Lage has already dialled things back from his original ideals to help suit the squad has he not? Perhaps there's more compromise to come if they can't get the right signings to promote further change.

 

[Alan]

You don't have these weird grace periods in football while players and coaches work things out. You have to adapt to the squad you have and change things gradually especially when the squad is basically the same. Thought people might have learned a few lessons from the Solbakken debacle.

Solbakken was given enough time. Although I'd still maintain that we were mostly fucked that year on the basis of our players.

The lack of patience I think is not particularly good for the club, the coach, or the players. It has been barely a month.

 

[Deano]

Lage has already dialled things back from his original ideals to help suit the squad has he not? Perhaps there's more compromise to come if they can't get the right signings to promote further change.

If they don't get the right signings to further the change the change at head coach was all a bit pointless.

 

[Deano]

Solbakken was given enough time. Although I'd still maintain that we were mostly fucked that year on the basis of our players.

The lack of patience I think is not particularly good for the club, the coach, or the players. It has been barely a month.

Again, there is no arbitrary grace period like "end of November" we can preach patience until the cows come home on boards like this but football is a results business and if we start badly with all of the other stuff that's gone on at the club this summer, Molineux certainly won't have the positive atmosphere it has for the last 4 years.

 

[jd1981]

Right many on here said we should wait until the today before showing any concern.
Nothing since then has calmed any doubts I had since then if anything we look pretty much the same as last season. Sterile first half and easy to cut open and more endeavour second half but always chasing things.

 

[AndyWolves]

If we start with Neves and Moutinho in a 2 we aren't going to improve.

That simply cannot continue.

 

[AndyWolves]

I said a while ago I'll be concerned until I saw a reason not to be, I haven't seen anything to make me not been concerned.

 

[jd1981]

I’m just struggling a bit at the moment to see what kind of identity we’re going to have.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

I said a while ago I'll be concerned until I saw a reason not to be, I haven't seen anything to make me not been concerned.

I hope that mentality has been in place for a good 12 months or more.

 

[Alan]

Again, there is no arbitrary grace period like "end of November" we can preach patience until the cows come home on boards like this but football is a results business and if we start badly with all of the other stuff that's gone on at the club this summer, Molineux certainly won't have the positive atmosphere it has for the last 4 years.

Then Molineux is wrong, IMO. The extent of the impatience truly grinds my gears.

If we don't give Lage time to make what he wants to do work, then we've truly fucked up by getting rid of Nuno and we're all the more likely to end up like Watford.

 

[Tony Towner]

Solbakken was given enough time. Although I'd still maintain that we were mostly fucked that year on the basis of our players.

The lack of patience I think is not particularly good for the club, the coach, or the players. It has been barely a month.

I think you are confusing frustration that the manager isn't being supported in the transfer market with criticism of the manager

 

[jlo]

I wonder what would've happened if we had just backed Nuno instead. Suspect he wasn't planning on continuing to play the way we finished last season