The Race to be Relegated with Wolves, 24/25 Thread

[Tony Towner]

It was a comment about how one man can turn things around so quickly with the same squad when the quality below is so poor. It wasn't a barbed dig, although it's fair to say I think some of the on pitch stuff gets overlooked by what's not happening off it. Today's team choice could be a decent example, he's either smart or stupid with his Bellegarde selection.

We'll go for smart then

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

We'll go for smart then

Tonight's performance must be how he plays in training!

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Keown saying "I can't understand why Bellegarde hasn't been playing more this season"



Lineker saying it was a foul from Santi

 

[Mel Evo]

Keown saying "I can't understand why Bellegarde hasn't been playing more this season"

Ah, the Pike. In a brutally competitive field, surely the worst pundit in football.

 

[Tredman]

Tbf if that’s how Bellegarde plays as a CM I can’t understand it either

 

[darlowolf64]

Keown saying "I can't understand why Bellegarde hasn't been playing more this season"



Lineker saying it was a foul from Santi

But didn't show the foul in the penalty area on Toti...

 

[Alan]

Tbf if that’s how Bellegarde plays as a CM I can’t understand it either

I’m not making a thing of it, but it feels from a high level that being a “pacey” midfielder is an easy way to get shunted wide in England. I also wonder about how that breaks down racially (y’all know how sensitive I get about the whole physical v mental attributes thing in the culture) but no idea if it would show any significance when broken down.

As ever, that’s not to say that anyone who describes non-white players as “pacey and powerful” is explicitly racist, nor that any manager who puts a player like Bellegarde out of position (particularly by moving them high and wide) is explicitly racist, either. It’s just something I wonder about, like wondering if Mario would have got that bonkers red for approaching a ref if he wasn’t Black (and again, that’s not to say the ref is racist or that Mario definitely would have been unpunished there if his skin was lighter).

Anywho. People are complex and team sports magnify those complexities so this is all just thinking out loud. Does always suck to see players put in positions that prohibit success more than promote it, regardless of race, obviously.

 

[prawnking]

If we've discovered that JRB can be an option there (and offer something different to our other CMs too), then it can only be to our benefit.

Sucks to be Doyle though

 

[Kenny]

If we've discovered that JRB can be an option there (and offer something different to our other CMs too), then it can only be to our benefit.

Sucks to be Doyle though

It does but in this instance maybe better that a manager is clear and open in his thinking.

Doyle doesn't appear to have stropped about it and responded well. Long term he will probably want out if we stay up though

 

[Alan]

Just me who thought Doyle was awful yesterday? Feel for the lad but he looks way off it to me.

 

[Kenny]

Just me who thought Doyle was awful yesterday? Feel for the lad but he looks way off it to me.

Mixed comments on him. Thought he was OK, nothing more but he wasn't on the pitch that long really.

 

[Tredman]

He rushed around a fair bit, closed down well. Tried to take on 3 players which didn’t go well obviously. He wasn’t a massive downgrade so there is that.

 

[Alan]

There was really only the one moment from Doyle that stood out to me; the really poor "I'm going to ignore the two outlet passes behind me and lamely dribble into three guys and be out of position when I lose the ball". Maybe I'm being harsh.

I almost gave him too much credit but it was Hwang (you know, the no-hoper) who put Cunha through for the second. Admittedly the Villa defender didn't do fantastically but by the same token the pass was just good enough to make it difficult to defend.

 

[Hereford Wolf]

The GD means we’re effectively 3 ahead of Leicester and 4 ahead of Ipswich.

We’ve just got to match or beat both of their results and not throw away our goal difference and it’s sorted.

 

[Donegal Wolf]

We’ve just got to match or beat both of their results and not throw away our goal difference and it’s sorted.

Get 7 or even 5pts out of Ipswich, Leicester & Southampton will be a massive step to stopping up.

 

[KiwiWolf61]

Get 7 or even 5pts out of Ipswich, Leicester & Southampton will be a massive step to stopping up.

Agree and the win vs Villa was massive as whatever the gap may be after Liverpool we aren't adrift - that weekend Leicester are at home to Arsenal and Ipswich are away at Villa; so more likely we will still be a point clear.

And the following week when we play Bournemouth away, Leicester are at home to Brentford and Ipswich are at home to Spurs.

I feel the win has made the odds on Wolves staying up this season more likely than not.

However . . .

Even if we survive this season it's going to be more of the same the following season:
- Cunha will leave (and probably Gomes as well) so we will be without our 2 best players.
- Woeful and inadequate transfer dealings/players coming in/out - so the squad will be weakened again.
- I wouldn't be surprised if Vitor packs it in (like Lop but without running his agenda via the media) as it becomes apparent to him (if it isn't already) that Shi/Hobbs are incompetent muppets who shouldn't be anyway near running a PL club.

There's only so much incompetence and wilful neglect any self-respecting Wolves fan will put up with.

A circuit breaker is needed - ideally Fosun sell, but who knows; but surviving just this season only for it to be repeated next season is just a massive turn-off.

 

[prawnking]

Also at some point a promoted club will click in their first season again, and that spells trouble for us with this Russian Roulette model we have.

We've already seen that there isn't really a basket case established club flirting with relegation this season (that isn't us). Both Everton and WH have stabilised pretty well, and the smaller clubs like Brentford and Bournemouth both have excellent managers to keep them well out of trouble

 

[Del Woppio]

- I wouldn't be surprised if Vitor packs it in (like Lop but without running his agenda via the media) as it becomes apparent to him (if it isn't already) that Shi/Hobbs are incompetent muppets who shouldn't be anyway near running a PL club.

Not sure about this bit; like O'Neill, it's a job that's a couple of levels above where his peak should be, he'll stay in it until he's dragged out of the building

 

[jd1981]

Also at some point a promoted club will click in their first season again, and that spells trouble for us with this Russian Roulette model we have.

We've already seen that there isn't really a basket case established club flirting with relegation this season (that isn't us). Both Everton and WH have stabilised pretty well, and the smaller clubs like Brentford and Bournemouth both have excellent managers to keep them well out of trouble

Eventually we’ll get caught out, could still be this year.
Looking at those coming up Leeds probably wouldn’t be to far off us already.
I’m just hoping if we stay up the close flirt kick starts them into action.
Employing somebody capable in recruitment would be a start.

 

[pr0sl0]

Not sure about this bit; like O'Neill, it's a job that's a couple of levels above where his peak should be, he'll stay in it until he's dragged out of the building

Agree with this - plus, he's the model of a modern journeyman manager. Like drafting in Ron Howard when your young rising star director kicks off at not being allowed to insert some of their own style into a studio IP. Comes in, resets everything with an old-hander's professionalism, does a perfectly solid 6/10 job, heads off to his next gig.

If we stay up I'd be surprised if he didn't stay beyond the summer, but at the same time I'll be surprised if he's still in the dugout in August 2027.