Winter Improvement Thread (aka Winter Squad Weakening Thread and TWF Suicide Watch)

[Papper]

awful brand of football and our best players leaving.

That's the sorry state of Wolves January 2016.

Twenty years ago we were spending big and the bookies favourites to get into the PL and Bournemouth were rock bottom of League 2. Now they're spending twelve million on our best player.

You build a team that makes the play offs and you've replaced the legend Sako. There is eleven of them out there. They could still yet do that ....

 

[darlowolf64]

That's the sorry state of Wolves January 2016.

Twenty years ago we were spending big and the bookies favourites to get into the PL and Bournemouth were rock bottom of League 2. Now they're spending twelve million on our best player.

You build a team that makes the play offs and you've replaced the legend Sako. There is eleven of them out there. They could still yet do that ....

20 years ago we were spending big and buying absolute pony, old, here for one last big payday shite!

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Exactly 20 years ago we were 20th in this division and out of the relegation zone on goal difference. There were two clubs above us who aren't even in the Football League now.

That was no golden age, we missed our chance to really build something big and the entire landscape has changed now. I am surprised Afobe is going to Bournemouth because the likelihood is that they're just going to be another Swindon/Oldham/Bradford/Wigan flash in the pan club, you can't ever really establish a long standing top flight career there. For someone who spoke of joining us as it was a chance to put roots down after numerous loan spells, ultimately he has left us after a shade under 12 months and is joining another club who he'll have to leave relatively soon if he wants to keep developing. So I'm not that sold on him being the good guy here, that said I don't think we should be selling him.

 

[Papper]

Exactly 20 years ago we were 20th in this division and out of the relegation zone on goal difference. There were two clubs above us who aren't even in the Football League now.

That was no golden age, we missed our chance to really build something big and the entire landscape has changed now. I am surprised Afobe is going to Bournemouth because the likelihood is that they're just going to be another Swindon/Oldham/Bradford/Wigan flash in the pan club, you can't ever really establish a long standing top flight career there. For someone who spoke of joining us as it was a chance to put roots down after numerous loan spells, ultimately he has left us after a shade under 12 months and is joining another club who he'll have to leave relatively soon if he wants to keep developing. So I'm not that sold on him being the good guy here, that said I don't think we should be selling him.

If even half of those players on Taylor or McGhee's injury list had been fit I reckon we'd have gone up. Somehow it just didn't happen.

 

[thehistorymakers]

If even half of those players on Taylor or McGhee's injury list had been fit I reckon we'd have gone up. Somehow it just didn't happen.

I read somewhere that Molineux was known as the graveyard.

 

[thehistorymakers]

Exactly 20 years ago we were 20th in this division and out of the relegation zone on goal difference. There were two clubs above us who aren't even in the Football League now.

That was no golden age, we missed our chance to really build something big and the entire landscape has changed now. I am surprised Afobe is going to Bournemouth because the likelihood is that they're just going to be another Swindon/Oldham/Bradford/Wigan flash in the pan club, you can't ever really establish a long standing top flight career there. For someone who spoke of joining us as it was a chance to put roots down after numerous loan spells, ultimately he has left us after a shade under 12 months and is joining another club who he'll have to leave relatively soon if he wants to keep developing. So I'm not that sold on him being the good guy here, that said I don't think we should be selling him.

We were 4th the year before and 3rd the year after.

 

[Derby Wolf]

We were 4th the year before and 3rd the year after.

While footballing heavyweights like Barnsley went up instead of us... The 90's will always be a period of immense waste. A golden opportunity squandered.

 

[Tony Towner]

It's why I hate Bolton so much. Go up in 95 and I think history would have been very different

 

[Quirkafleeg]

20 years ago we were spending big and buying absolute pony, old, here for one last big payday shite!

We had a great squad in 93/94 and still fucked up promotion. Stowell, Venus, Thommo, Keen, Thomas, Bull, Kelly. It seems what ever we do what ever we spend we are jinxed or constantly stuck in a Bermuda triangle.

 

[Quirkafleeg]

It's why I hate Bolton so much. Go up in 95 and I think history would have been very different

How we didn't win 10-0 in the first leg is still a mystery. Then Jason McAteer shanks one into the top corner. 2nd leg I don't need to tell you anymore. First time I cried at a game, it broke me man.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

It's why I hate Bolton so much. Go up in 95 and I think history would have been very different

I'm dubious on that tbh, Taylor's alehouse football wouldn't have got us very far and there isn't much to suggest we'd have got the next appointment right even if we were in the Premier League.

 

[jd1981]

Sorry the 90's especially between 93-98 will always be seen as mass under achievement for me, false dawns and numerous opportunities missed.
I certainly don't look back at it as good period, this wasn't aided by the appointments of Taylor and then McGhee.
The bright spot in that era was our cup runs 2 quarter finals and a semi-final dumping 4 PL sides out in that period.

 

[Irish_Wolf]

Selling Afobe says it all. Its clear he sees the club have no interest in matching his ambition of PL football.

 

[Boozad]

Finding those forwards that make a difference is a tough thing, that's why you have to work hard to keep them.

Sounds like a bit of a swipe at the board there from Ken, but given he's the one who effectively alienated Afobe on the pitch it carries no weight. It seems everyone is taking shots at everyone now, the club does appear to be in one big mess.

 

[Norman Deeley]

Or possibly just badly proof read - which is pretty poor for someone who writes for a living

Curse you, Holmes. I was hoping nobody noticed. Let that be a lesson to me: never drink half a bottle of red, type and then publish on the West Brom forum. Who knows what other hideous typos you could make...

 

[Deleted Cyber]

Selling Afobe says it all. Its clear he sees the club have no interest in matching his ambition of PL football.

Back to now and you are spot on.For me most of my frustration this season is the actions not matching the words from the club at managerial and board level

 

[DejaVuWolf]

In hindsight, we should have let him leave in the summer. What a mess.

 

[Tony Towner]

I'm dubious on that tbh, Taylor's alehouse football wouldn't have got us very far and there isn't much to suggest we'd have got the next appointment right even if we were in the Premier League.

I think that match knocked the stuffing out of the fans, players and manager leading to Taylor (rightly) being sacked six months later. If we'd gone up I'm sure SJH would have given him money to spend and at that time it would have been sizeable relative to what was being spent with others. All speculative and no guarantee it would have been spelt well, but of all the opportunities missed over the last 20 odd years I think that was the biggest

 

[FrankMunro-371]

In hindsight, we should have let him leave in the summer. What a mess.

In the summer we had an owner who we thought was interested in the club. Since then he has more or less washed his hands of the club and wants to sell up.

What we need urgently is a new owner, but that is easier said than done.

 

[DirkHartog]

Better to get something good for him now by selling high, which clearly The Cherries are happy to do.

The only problem is that it leaves us short up front with Dicko still out? Hopefully we can grab the next Afobe from the lower divisions before the deadline.