Reading 0 - 2 Wolves Verdict Thread

[Freddeno]

Job done! John Ruddy with some crucial saves..former Östersund/Swansea player Modou Barrow their best player..bet he can be in the olympics on 100m..wouldnt mind him in our team..Jota, Vinagre very good and Bonatini..rest did good too.. UTW!
Ooh and that Doc goal was great!

 

[Carrotdude]

That John Ruddy save was absolutely unbelievable. World class.

I don’t know about this whole ‘we’ll click and thrash someone’ thing, we don’t really play that way, just look at he Fulham game - complete control but never went for it after 2-0.

We have the quality to win games when we don’t play as well

 

[nimrod]

That John Ruddy save was absolutely unbelievable. World class.

I don’t know about this whole ‘we’ll click and thrash someone’ thing, we don’t really play that way, just look at he Fulham game - complete control but never went for it after 2-0.

We have the quality to win games when we don’t play as well

Yes. what. a. save. superb.

 

[YoungWolf]

We deserved to win, though we couldn’t have complained had Reading equalised.

We weren’t brilliant today but we did enough to win I thought. We played some brilliant football at times as per but Reading played fairly well themselves. they Had a poor spine through the time and that is what costs them.

Motm? One of Doc, Bennett, Boly I would say! Cavaleiro was great in the first half and his goal was pure filth

 

[Parkins left foot]

From the commentary (& I would accept that that is not an ideal view) - would give it to Boly

We weren't that far ahead and a couple of times he saved us &avoided us us from conceeding

 

[The Bear]

Stam:

"In the second half, we totally dominated the game. We created opportunity on opportunity but didn't score."

Dominated?!! I thought we looked comfortable until the latter stages personally.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Just watched the C5 effort - Ruddy a fuck up early on, but 2 superb saves later

Lucky to have got him at no real cost

 

[sycophantia]

Just seen the goals, really classy moves and superb finishing for both........who the hell has migrated into Doherty's skin this season

 

[Parkins left foot]

Just seen the goals, really classy moves and superb finishing for both........who the hell has migrated into Doherty's skin this season

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (a B - or even lower grade horror film) would explain that

 

[slink]

Being honest we weren't great today but we had enough about us to get the job done. Reading were decent but we have them their opportunities with silly errors and Ruddy/Boly had to save us numerous times. If we can win when we play like this then it just shows how good we actually are and we have players who can step in if they need to.

Ruddy - Started pretty poorly to be honest, made a meal of a save in the first minute that hit his face and then the post and then kicked straight at Barrow from Coady's bouncing back pass. He also palmed a cross down in the second half when he could have caught it or punched it but was rescued by Boly. Then he decided to win us the game basically after we made errors first to deny Barrow with a world class save followed by a top save with his feet. His errors weren't punished and then he made some excellent saves so got to say it was a good game in the end.

Bennett - Got caught for pace a few times but going to happen with Barrow, apart from that he was defensively solid and when required took a booking for the team which was cheered by the away support. More agricultural than the other defenders but sometimes it's needed and it was today.

Coady - Another good game when he lead by example and mopped up excellently a few times. Amazing how he has become this player.

Boly - He's close to being the best defender i've ever seen in a Wolves shirt if not the best. He just seems to make everything so effortless and always seems to be there. Crucial interceptions and blocks followed by ultimate composure on the ball to play out from the back.

Doherty - I said a few times last season that i thought he could do a job in midfield and with his position now he is basically doing that. Makes himself available constantly and makes crucial runs forward to create space and give us an extra man in the final third. Defends much better higher up the pitch too. Capped his performance with a superbly taken goal that he smashed through Mannone's legs. Never thought i would say it but i doubt there's a better right wing back in the league right now. Was booked rightly for diving.

Saiss - Reading cut off the diagonals most of the time so he had to keep it simple as he could and often did so. Got stuck in when needed to and showed a couple of moments of pure class. Crucial player for us.

Neves - Like with Saiss, Reading cut off the passes he wants to play but he did the simple things well and again showed that he isn't afraid to put a foot in. Much like Saiss again had a few moments of class in a game where Reading shut off his options pretty well.

Vinagre - The more i see him the more i think he's going to be some player. He's so comfortable on the ball for someone of his experience and could have come away with 2 or 3 assists had others made better runs or played him in. Defends well too and apart from one error in each half was outstanding. Questionable whether Douglas comes in despite his set pieces.

Cavaleiro - You could see he was on it from the start and was causing Reading all sorts of problems when we got it to him. Super run and sublime finish to put us in front and also put in great deliveries from open play and set pieces that we looked a threat from.

Bonatini - Not as involved in recent games but super movement to create space and his work rate is top class. Nearly scored with his last touch.

Jota - Great pass to Cav for the opening goal and always gives us an option on the counter and threat that others have to wary of. Had a shot blocked when he should have played Vinagre in and again was fouled his fair share of times. Goal scoring form has dipped but only a matter of time before he gets back on it.

SUBS

N'Diaye - Didn't really get involved a lot to be honest.

Bright - Held it up well a couple of times, did make a couple of errors but in terrible conditions and don't see how he can get unfair criticism when everyone else made mistakes that lead to chances for Reading.

Costa - Is he back? It looks like he might be. Looked at ease with the ball and beat a couple of their players like the old Costa would have in the lead up to the second goal. If he is then what a player we have coming back.

We move on to Wednesday with our third 2-0 win in a row and prove again whether we player well or not we are more likely to win the game than not and Nuno is making sure everyone says grounded. Looking forward to the Leeds game and see what piece of delightful football is next.

 

[big mean bunny]

Bloody hell, Doherty. Finish!

 

[White Wolf]

Hello everyone, new poster here but have been lurking for a while. Recently got back from the game so here were my thoughts.

Ruddy - Awful first half. Made a hash of Swift's long range effort in the first minute, could have gone in, almost cost us a goal when he tried to pass out and it got blocked going just wide. Dropped a cross at the start of the second half leading to a scramble but then went on to make some good saves, one of the ones from Barrow was superb. 7/10
Vinagre - More than adequate replacement for Douglas. Solid defensively and always impressed by his dribbling and technique. Beat his man for pace a few times and put some good crosses in. 8/10.
Boly - My MOTM. So calm and composed at the back, threw himself at the ball time and time again to block a shot or hack away a cross. Attackers barely got the beating of him one-on-one and it's so refreshing to see a centre-back who can run with the ball and pass it without just lumping it out for a throw-in. Great block on the line too. 9/10.
Coady - Made some good interceptions/blocks/clearances. Came out with the ball a few times and made some decent long passes. 8/10.
Bennett - Admittedly I am not keen on him but he was mostly solid. Smacked the ball away and cost us possession a few times when I think he could have played it out from the back instead. Got a yellow card for taking out Aluko when it looked like he was on a dangerous run. At fault for Reading's best chance by not stopping the pass to Kermorgant which led to Barrow's chance which he should have scored. 7/10.
Doherty - Took his goal well. Good with his running, and picked out with the pass by Saiss/Neves as usual though his crossing was poor and often made the wrong choice in the pass. Defensively solid, got booked for diving (looked like he did). 8/10.
Saiss - Neat and tidy for most of the game though late on like a few others kept giving the ball away. A few good passes but not his best game. 6/10.
Neves - Same as Saiss really but kept the ball a bit better. Offered more going forward. 7/10.
Cavaleiro - Had a very good game, particularly in the first half, Ilori couldn't handle him and ended up getting subbed off after 30 minutes. Made some dangerous runs and was unlucky not to score again. Goal was superbly taken, wonderful bit of skill. 8/10.
Bonatini - Didn't get on the ball much, link-up play was OK. Went agonisingly close with a shot right before being subbed off. 6/10.
Jota - Brilliant assist, and almost set Cav up for a second. Good in the first half but faded in the second. 6.5/10

Bright - I find him so frustrating. Yes he has ability but he makes the wrong decision far too often. Gave the ball away and offered nothing. Like the Preston game I find the decision to bring him on for Bonatini odd. 3/10.
Costa - This was a far better showing off the bench than what I have seen previously. Good with his running and looked much sharper. Made a good run to beat three men and then his run to set up the goal for Doherty was great. Only 15 minutes but his best performance of the season for me. 7/10.
N'Diaye - Similar to Preston, brought on when there was a lot of pressure on us. Can't remember him doing much though, and before the second goal we were just generally terrible at keeping the ball. 5/10.

Ref was OK. No complaints about Bennet's card and it looked like Doherty dived to me. Linos missed one obvious throw-in our way and what looked like a Reading corner when Ruddy let the ball go out after a save but otherwise no real complaints.

Reading can feel unlucky to have lost this one, draw would have been a fair result in my opinion. Not sure how they haven't scored but was impressed by how they played, even with Dave Edwards in the side. Aluko and Barrow were big threats but we did manage to contain them. Well done and looking forward to Wednesday.

 

[Alan]

Now that the dust has settled a bit...

Ruddy - 7: I almost had to give him a 6. He was Lonergan-esque today, there were a ton of simple things that he barely managed to get right or in other cases just barely managed to get away with after completely fucking up. If not for some ridiculous saves in the last 10 or 15 minutes, I'd be calling for him to be dropped. But he did make saves when he needed to, and that one handed save against Barrow... well, I doubt even he knows how he managed it.

Doherty - 8: At times he's unplayable; Nuno singled him out for praise after the game and he absolutely deserves it. He and Cav have such a good understanding at the moment. They support each other so well going forward and he even gave Bennett a sufficient amount of help defensively. He's a completely new player in this system and although Reading did leave him far too much space on his goal, not every RB in the division would have got into that space so effectively, much less finished it as he did.

Bennett - 5: I didn't think he was great today. Did the simple stuff well enough and made some good blocks but also made some really cynical challenges and honestly could have been sent off. His incident in the box with Kermogant wasn't a penalty but I've no idea what he was thinking putting his arms around the Reading player like that.

Coady - 6: We don't ask him to do much direct defending which is probably to our benefit. He still sweeps up so effectively, though, and he is very good at reading danger and getting into position to block incoming shots. His passing wasn't at the standard he's shown so far this year, probably due in part to the weather and also Reading's tactics, which were clearly to close down the space around our wingbacks so that they couldn't receive the ball from our defense easily.

Boly - 6: His worst game in a Wolves shirt that I've seen. Was left exposed by Vinagre too often but didn't respond to it properly. He's always walking the line between comfortable and lackadaisical but today he fell on the wrong side, especially when we were under pressure. Didn't help relieve that pressure but was certainly key in stopping it amounting to anything for Reading.

Vinagre - 6: He's electric with the ball at his feet and when he's taking on a defender 1-on-1 you can't bet against him. But defensively he has a lot of work to do; too often today he left Boly to do work he should have been taking care of. There was even a point when Jota had to cover for him, and I still haven't figured out what he was doing in the meantime. Then there was the giveaway inside our box. Inane defending at that moment. I had been calling for him to replace Douglas recently but after today I think he still needs too much work defensively to be a regular starter already.

Saiss - 5: Went missing too often today. Wasn't his usual destructive self and didn't make a mark on anything. Didn't do anything wrong but didn't slow down Reading in any significant way.

Neves - 6: Ditto Saiss, but with some better passing to release the forwards.

Cavaleiro - 9 MOTM: When he's on it, good Lord, is he on it. Had Ilori on toast multiple times, and then McShane, and then Moore. No matter who Reading tried to mark him with, it didn't matter. His workrate is immense, his delivery is dangerous, and his goal was silky as you like. When he plays like this, there's no team in this division that can stop him.

Bonatini - 6: Did okay not nearly up to his usual self. Didn't contribute to open play as he usually does and weirdly ended up in a wide position a few times. He'll have better days.

Jota - 7: Like Bonatini, seemed a bit off. Still held the ball up well and is so strong, but he wasn't really menacing like we know he can be. Like Bonatini, he'll have better days.

Bright - 6: Did about as well as Bonatini. Held the ball up well a few times but came on as we were really starting to lose control of the game. Didn't do anything spectacular but nothing awful. Helped occupy the Reading defense to create space for Doherty's goal.

N'Diaye - 5: Played his part in the build up to Doherty's goal but didn't really stem the flow of Reading's attacks, which was likely his remit when being subbed on.

Costa - 7: Finally showed flashes of his brilliance. Didn't quite get off the hook for looking so disinterested earlier in the season but just a couple more performances like that and all will be forgiven. His run in the build up to Doherty's goal was sublime and has rightfully been praised already.

 

[slink]

It must have come across differently on tv than being at the game because Boly was outstanding Alan, he got a foot or his head to everything, the block to stop Kermorgant in the first half was top class and he just exudes confidence on the ball. Not sure whether Aluko's effort was going in after Ruddy denied Barrow either but Boly managed to get a foot to it to make sure. He was clear MOTM for me with Cav for his first half hour and Ruddy for his saves late on just behind.

The other 2 of the back 3 were much better too, no way would Bennett get a 5. The incident with Kermorgant was good defending and so was the foul for which he was booked. Sometimes you have to be cynical and Wolves teams in the past would have let Reading through there but Bennett was not having it and the support that yellow card got from the away support said everything.

Don't agree that Vinagre was bad defensively either, one on one he didn't get beat and was asked to get forward to push Reading back when he could. Don't think he left Boly exposed at all and if he did Willy dealt with it easily. He made 2 errors but he's going to do that and neither were down to his defending just naivety in our defensive third.

Bonatini ended up wide because Cav came inside a lot, he basically played as the central striker because we adapted to what Reading did. They kept their full backs wide with Vinagre and Doherty when they could which meant there was no space wide for Cav especially so he came inside even more than usual to affect the game. This was a clear plan that obviously worked because we scored through it and had a couple of other good chances despite gifting Reading a few.

 

[Sedgley Wolf]

Yeah Boly pushed Cavaleiro for the MOTM award, in my opinion. Calling him lackadaisical just doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

Fantastic to see Costa use such a brief cameo so effectively. I hope this is the start of him getting back to his best.

I also can't believe Ruddy is getting a hard time. He kept a clean sheet yet again, no doubt helped out by a wonderful defence, but he made world class saves when it mattered.

This team is going places.

 

[t3ch]

I also can't believe Ruddy is getting a hard time. He kept a clean sheet yet again, no doubt helped out by a wonderful defence, but he made world class saves when it mattered.

2nd half saves or not, those errors in the 1st were shocking.

 

[YoungWolf]

A lot I disagree with there Alan! Boly was outstanding, and Vinagre was very good in and out of possession, though he nearly gifted them a goal when he lost the ball in our box in the second half. It was down our right where we conceded more chances I felt. For all Doherty and Bennett's good work (both had good games), we lack pace in that area and that is where I think teams may target us as a potential weak spot. I see Miranda coming back in that position but for now Bennett has done well enough to keep his place at the moment.

 

[Siggy]

I watched on TV I saw it very similar to Slink, very strange ratings from Alan if you ask me but then it's a game of opinions and we all have one.

I was very close to opening a thread titled "Most Improved Player" as it isn't just a one horse race now, Doc has won me over (I must still be drunk) the transformation of Doc and Coady is amazing Nuno and his team really are brilliant coaches.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

 

[Tony Towner]

Spiers said it was Boly's best game in a Wolves shirt, Alan his worst that he'd seen.

 

[The Bear]

Boly was nowhere near his best to be fair to Alan. But still good enough to stop Reading.