The January 2024 "Will we actually sign a striker or just Che Adams/Kieffer Moore" Transfer Thread

[Carsy]

It didn't happen so can't be proven either way. It improves your chances of being m9re creative though surely?

No i agree. I was just saying that I still don’t think we will be a hugely creative force. Not that GoN shouldn’t have done it, as I agree with you he should’ve made those changes

 

[Quirkafleeg]

Brownhill is OK.

But we don't need 5 first team CMs for 2 spots.

Boubacare Traore isnt going to make the grade for me. He's just to Jamiroquai for my liking.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

Thing is, Hwang especially, but also Cunha and Sarabia make those runs. Either we don't look for them, or we're not confident playing those balls, or our style is to not play those balls.

It looked to me like we were focusing on not giving the ball away and consequently weren’t playing any risky passes. That presumably is under direction from GO and if it isn’t why isn’t he telling them to play balls into runners more than once a half? I’ve noticed far less runs by the forwards and I’m sure that’s a response to the ball rarely being played. We aren’t good enough to play neat, short passes through the middle of the pitch against a packed, organised defence so resorted to the horseshoe of doom and even if GO hasn’t worked out that doesn’t work most of us have seen enough of it to know it doesn’t with the players we’ve got.

 

[Templeton Peck]

Our performances against teams who sit deep have been poor across 5 years and 3 managers. The common denominator is the back 3.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

We aren’t good enough to play neat, short passes through the middle of the pitch against a packed, organised defence....

Our goal came from that.

 

[Wilf Wolf]

Our goal came from that.

One move in 90 minutes. As soon as we equalised we went into “safe” mode.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

One move in 90 minutes. As soon as we equalised we went into “safe” mode.

We are capable of it though, and i don't believe for a second that it was a choice to go into "safe" mode, it was a consequence of Forest sitting deep, poor/tired performances and a drop off in quality with each sub we made.

No way did GON say "let's take a point" during the HT team talk.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

West Ham
Chelsea
Brentford
Everton
Brighton
Man Utd

Our next six league games and I'd be fine with starting three CHs against all them.

But we shouldn't be so bloody inflexible, yesterday was genuinely like watching McGhee's Wolves. Not all nostalgia is good

 

[Tony Towner]

Our performances against teams who sit deep have been poor across 5 years and 3 managers. The common denominator is the back 3.

It is, but that's as much about the wing backs as the centre halves.
Take yesterday as an example if you have a Cash or Chilwell type, players who are naturally suited to the role, then you split your 3 centre halves have a holding mid to screen and push the wing backs high, wide forwards, play slightly more inside and you look to overload, get behind the defence and pull the ball back to people hitting the box.

None of our wing backs with the exception of RAN who is hit and miss have been capable of that in the PL, whether that's peak Doherty, Jonny, Semedo, Marcal or Bueno, it's not their game. Bueno should be capable, but whether it's fitness, confidence or ability he doesn't do it. His best moment in a Wolves shirt remains his first game away at Palace, we've not seen that since.

So what you end up with for the last 20 mins is the chs holding hands on the halfway line, Doherty and Semedo standing like statues waiting for the ball and a very congested central area on the edge of their box.

 

[Johnny75]

We are capable of it though, and i don't believe for a second that it was a choice to go into "safe" mode, it was a consequence of Forest sitting deep, poor/tired performances and a drop off in quality with each sub we made.

No way did GON say "let's take a point" during the HT team talk.

He may not have said that but the way he set up, subs he made and the tactics he used that's exactly what would happen.

We could've played like we did for the goal more often, as that was triggered by Forest scoring where we actually played on the front foot and got Lemina forward but we didn't and We got the tepid, turgid, one dimensional, championship tactic rubbish we saw in the second half.

That game is squarely on GoN yesterday.

 

[Jinky]

He definitely got the subs wrong yesterday. Doyle should have been the pick ahead of Traore. And to be honest, Sasa would have been useful (despite looking awful in his last couple of appearances), because we’d pretty much resorted to passing it sideways and occasionally whipping in a cross for their mutant CB’s to clear.

Don’t get the Doyle criticism. He’s been better off the bench rather than starting but he’s still young and learning. £5m is a snip and we’d be stupid not to take it. Remember his quick thinking and pass to Sarabia in the build up to our winner v Spurs? There’s no one else in our squad that plays that pass in that moment IMO. He could have made a difference yesterday.

I suppose we need to remember that GON is learning on the job a bit.

 

[Johnny75]

Mutant CB's????

Niakhati, Boly and Murillo? Wily Boly is not a mutant and Murillo's about 5'11".

 

[Jinky]

Mutant CB's????

Niakhati, Boly and Murillo? Wily Boly is not a mutant and Murillo's about 5'11".

True. They seemed to deal with every cross with ease, though.

 

[Johnny75]

True. They seemed to deal with every cross with ease, though.

They did and we didn't get players in the box when GoN was saying we should be doing more of it.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

PTS doubling down on "we need a #9" except:

a) I doubt we'll sign one (who wants to sell a good one in the middle of the season, and why would we overpay when we aren't making Europe or going down)

b) Cunha hasn't played as a genuine #9 for absolutely ages now, wasn't even doing it at the back end of last season under Lopetegui, none of this is new

c) It's far less of an issue when Neto is playing so we have a proper front three rather than two + Sarabia/Bellegarde, who aren't quite CMs, #10s or wingers

Gary O'Neil has set Matheus Cunha free and Wolves are reaping the rewards

Wolves now need a new No 9 - because taking Cunha out of his central role is bringing the best out of their record signing

theathletic.com

 

[Lycan]

If we need a #9 it's because Silva & Kalajdzic were supposed to be those options. Unfortunately Silva is shite and O'Neil doesn't seem to want to give Sasa any significant minutes.

 

[Quirkafleeg]

A number nine is essential because Fabio and probably Sasa will be loaned out in January.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I doubt Sasa will go unless he asks to.

Fabio makes no difference as he gets 0 minutes anyway.

Still begs the question who we'd sign in turn, people keep mentioning Broja, he is fucking shit.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Hwang and RAN likely not with us in January too (I believe?) That's significant in terms of goal creation and goals.

I think we need a no.9, but getting one is never easy for the reasons mentioned by DW.

 

[Tony Towner]

Isn't Fabio getting 0 minutes sort of the point? PTS, Johnny Phillips and LL have all said we are after a 9, so it's definitely the rumour the club want out there. Cunha has said he doesn't want to play where he is and GON has said he's having to because we don't have an option, so everything would suggest we are at least going to try and sign one