West Ham 1-0 Wolves: Verdict Thread

[Tony Towner]

I think / choose to believe it's a player confidence thing. Losing 2 big games in a couple of days will be demoralising enough as it is without being told you are shite post game. I'd imagine he's feedback his true feelings in a gradual manner during the week. He's not come across as deluded before this.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I've seen managers (not just ours) defend the indefensible in public, I do get that. But his immediate post-match interview on Sky was a garbled mess, that worried me a bit. Just rambling about nothing, and it's not because he can't speak English properly because he can. None of it made any sense.

I've no issue with a team that plays to its strengths, ours clearly is aiming for a 0 or 1 against and going from there (was the same under Nuno). Let's not pretend we play really good football though, we don't.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

I've seen managers (not just ours) defend the indefensible in public, I do get that. But his immediate post-match interview on Sky was a garbled mess, that worried me a bit. Just rambling about nothing, and it's not because he can't speak English properly because he can. None of it made any sense.

I've no issue with a team that plays to its strengths, ours clearly is aiming for a 0 or 1 against and going from there (was the same under Nuno). Let's not pretend we play really good football though, we don't.

I think that's sort of what he's saying in the quote LJ posted above. He knows they need to create more but at the same time he feels the players are limited in the way they can do that.

Feels like he's sort of given up to some extent, initial plan didn't work, didn't get chance to bring in the players he wanted, now he's just coasting along a bit doing what he feels he needs to for the players at hand. He doesn't come across particularly happy with it either.

 

[Tony Towner]

I think that's sort of what he's saying in the quote LJ posted above. He knows they need to create more but at the same time he feels the players are limited in the way they can do that.

Feels like he's sort of given up to some extent, initial plan didn't work, didn't get chance to bring in the players he wanted, now he's just coasting along a bit doing what he feels he needs to for the players at hand. He doesn't come across particularly happy with it either.

I wish he'd stop being selectively unhappy. Everything suddenly becomes rosey when the transfer window is open

 

[MARKakaJIM]

I wish he'd stop being selectively unhappy. Everything suddenly becomes rosey when the transfer window is open

He wasn't happy until it was about to close to be fair.

 

[Tony Towner]

He wasn't happy until it was about to close to be fair.

That's not true, his tune changed a couple of days after the window opened when it's a reasonable assumption Jeff told him to button it

Bruno Lage passionately defends Jeff Shi over Wolves transfer plans

Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach Bruno Lage was speaking after watching his team defeat Manchester United

www.google.co.uk

 

[MARKakaJIM]

That's not true, his tune changed a couple of days after the window opened when it's a reasonable assumption Jeff told him to button it

Bruno Lage passionately defends Jeff Shi over Wolves transfer plans

Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach Bruno Lage was speaking after watching his team defeat Manchester United

www.google.co.uk

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I think that's sort of what he's saying in the quote LJ posted above. He knows they need to create more but at the same time he feels the players are limited in the way they can do that.

Feels like he's sort of given up to some extent, initial plan didn't work, didn't get chance to bring in the players he wanted, now he's just coasting along a bit doing what he feels he needs to for the players at hand. He doesn't come across particularly happy with it either.

We did play well in the first three games (not as Brazil 1970 as TWF would have you believe, but certainly attacking), the thing is we didn't lose those games because we got torn open. We lost them because we couldn't finish for toffee.

At the minute we're essentially Nuno's Wolves minus the personality and minus Jota, it's all a bit empty to me.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

We did play well in the first three games (not as Brazil 1970 as TWF would have you believe, but certainly attacking), the thing is we didn't lose those games because we got torn open. We lost them because we couldn't finish for toffee.

At the minute we're essentially Nuno's Wolves minus the personality and minus Jota, it's all a bit empty to me.

I can sort of understand reverting largely to old ways after the opening games, whilst I agree the style of play wasn't the reason for the results you'd still potentially risk losing the players confidence asking them to keep doing something new that wasn't paying off. It did actually look like it would work out if they stuck with it though, unless they were going to go a full season of slack finishing like Brighton last season, so it feels odd there doesn't seem to have been much effort to get back towards that style since.

Whether that's because results have by and large have been good so it felt safer to keep things ticking along or the players weren't responsive to change if he's tried it in training, who knows. As you say it all feels a bit flat right now, there isn't the same punch on the counter to replicate the peak of Nuno's conservative ethos nor does the higher line and slightly braver defending of the back three do enough to encourage a wholesale change from that style.

It's a little bit reverse Solbakken, rather than a manager asking someone else's squad to play in a way they can't it feels like the manager is curbing his own desires to maintain a semblance of status quo for the players.

 

[Carsy]

Just highlights the importance of this summers transfer window. If Lage is playing the way we are because he feels the players are limited, I really hope he is backed with the players he wants.

If we bring in a few signings, it will be interesting to see what changes that brings, and gives us a wider scope judge.

If either players don’t come in, or players come in abs we continue with the same style of football, then serious questions should be asked on what Fosun are wanting.

As long as points are on the board it’s passable. If we were a lower mid table team, playing this brand of football, then it likely won’t be accepted. See last season for example

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Just highlights the importance of this summers transfer window. If Lage is playing the way we are because he feels the players are limited, I really hope he is backed with the players he wants.

If we bring in a few signings, it will be interesting to see what changes that brings, and gives us a wider scope judge.

If either players don’t come in, or players come in abs we continue with the same style of football, then serious questions should be asked on what Fosun are wanting.

As long as points are on the board it’s passable. If we were a lower mid table team, playing this brand of football, then it likely won’t be accepted. See last season for example

I think this just complicates things in the current situation, because results have generally been good why would the owners feel the need to spend?

Lage might be asking for money/players but from their perspective it doesn't appear like it's really needed given the league position. Maybe if they were sitting in 15th struggling to establish a new style of play it would create more appetite to provide some funds.

Perhaps the victim of his own success in that regard.

 

[Throbber3]

I think this just complicates things in the current situation, because results have generally been good why would the owners feel the need to spend?

Lage might be asking for money/players but from their perspective it doesn't appear like it's really needed given the league position. Maybe if they were sitting in 15th struggling to establish a new style of play it would create more appetite to provide some funds.

Perhaps the victim of his own success in that regard.

Pretty much no team in europe has a better points per goal ratio than us. 24 goals 40 points. Its a complete anomoly. If I could be bpthered I would try and find something similar in the premier league from previous years. If the owners think that is "business as usual" then they need their bumps feeling.
Big March , Big summer. Not hopeful based on Fosuns recent window record.

 

[Johnny75]

Pretty much no team in europe has a better points per goal ratio than us. 25 goals 40 points. Its a complete anomoly. If I could be bpthered I would try and find something similar in the premier league from previous years. If the owners think that is "business as usual" then they need their bumps feeling.
Big March , Big summer. Not hopeful based on Fosuns recent window record.

I presume you’ve done the defensive ratio, for balance?

 

[Throbber3]

I presume you’ve done the defensive ratio, for balance?

Plenty of teams with good defensive records, they just score a lot more than us. Sociedad are the closest to us sitting 7th with only 25 goals and level goal difference with 41 points. Their defence concedes more though. Again. Nothing in France or Germany to compare. Nice the closest with 21 goals against but they have scored 37. Nothing in Austria, only the bottom team has scored fewer!

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Just shows we are very efficient and hard to beat. Most games we score first we win.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

We were that and better to watch under Nuno, to be honest.

 

[Jinky]

We were that and better to watch under Nuno, to be honest.

I think your love of the bloke has erased some of the performances from last season from your memory. We were absolutely not better to watch last season and were getting worse. Let’s not rewrite history because we’ve lost a couple of games.

We are not the most attractive on the eye in the PL, but we’re a lot better now than the direction we were heading under Nuno. Whether we all like the guy or not.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

No rewriting history on this side, my friend.

We were indeed crap last season but there were multiple mitigating factors as we all know.

That >>>>> Anything Lage has served up, and it's not even close.

 

[Johnny75]

I think your love of the bloke has erased some of the performances from last season from your memory. We were absolutely not better to watch last season and were getting worse. Let’s not rewrite history because we’ve lost a couple of games.

We are not the most attractive on the eye in the PL, but we’re a lot better now than the direction we were heading under Nuno. Whether we all like the guy or not.

If you'd played this at the end of Jan I'd have no qualms but the last 3 performances (including the Leicester win) have been diabolical to watch.

As poor as anything served up under Nuno and comparable to MM losing the plot performances.

It's completely inexplicable.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

If you'd played this at the end of Jan I'd have no qualms but the last 3 performances (including the Leicester win) have been diabolical to watch.

As poor as anything served up under Nuno and comparable to MM losing the plot performances.

It's completely inexplicable.

I'd have these down as entertaining (to varying degrees) performances this season:

Leicester (A) (lost)
Tottenham (H) (lost)
Man Utd (H) (lost)
Everton (H)
West Ham (H)
Man Utd (A)
Southampton (H) (arguably fortunate to win)
Tottenham (A)

Doubt there'll be many advances on that, I'll be generous and add the second half at Brighton (the first half was absolutely abject from both teams). Eight and a half out of 26.