Wolves 1-1 Norwich: Verdict Thread

[Wilf Wolf]

just read Bruno's interview on sky.
the players gave everything the last few months !!!
we gave Norwich 1 chance and they scored !!!
we have missed 3 defenders !!!

Perhaps he'd like to explain how if Norwich had one chance their XG was 1.53 and ours was 1?! They could have been 2-0 up before they did take the lead.The only explanation I can see is that he's a deluded fool!

 

[PuntsWolf]

Have to disagree on a couple of points. We created a couple of chances first half, not enough by a long way admittedly.
Jonny has been far from his best recently but garbage is way OTT.
Chiquinho poor? Not for me, wasn't perfect but really got us going second half.I didn't mean we were vulnerable second half.
I agree Boly is done, has been for over a season.
Yes it was nice to see us second half not aiesdly playing it sideways/backwards.

I think the difference in our opinion is because of our expectations. The only chance I can think can possibly be considered a chance in the first half is the Hwang header. Not a meaningful chance when you consider the distance out and who it’s falling too.

Jonny was poor. Chiquinho got us going as I said, our brightest spark. But a low bar. He looked raw again and TT summed it up well.

 

[SSB]

I’m pretty surprised at the lack of dissent towards Lage from the stands. In fact “Bruno Lage’s Barmy Army” is still ringing out quite loudly from the South Bank.

 

[Mel Evo]

Well, that was, uhm, that.

What a sorry, sorry state of affairs. I’m nearly past angry (not quite) and just morose. Looking forward to a bunch of folk making theoretical cases for why Bruno could stay. Yes there is blame elsewhere for where we’ve got to, but that observation is no reason for keeping him. He’s off the scale bad.

One of the startling things is how completely disorganised we become whenever we are chasing a game. It’s Boys Brigade stuff. The Brentford six up front wasn’t a one-off, it’s chaos every time. It’s almost impossible to believe they actually train together. It’s bullshit to see this squad are a bunch of poor players, they’ve been poorly coached and it’s a stark staring case of bad leadership. Again, that’s not absolving players of blame but this all comes from the top.

 

[Jinky]

Excellent point raised by Tony earlier. Two months ago we had 7th place, at worst 8th, pretty much secured.

Because of the way we have dropped off a cliff since then in both performances and form, we’ll likely finish 10th now.

The difference between finishing 7/8th and 10th from a financial point of view is monumental when you consider the rise in ST prices will give them an extra million and they are apparently desperate for that.

The business decisions from the people in charge of the club have been pathetic for the best part of 3 years now. And we’re supposed to trust these clowns that they’ll sort out the direction the club is going in both on and off the pitch?

I’m sure we all can’t wait to be patronised by Shi in the next couple of weeks when he says “we improved the league position”, whilst blissfully ignoring everything else.

At least we made some additions to the esports team this week, eh?

 

[Mild 'n' Scratchins]

Lucky to have drawn that game, based on an absolute atrocious first half, when Pukki gave Coady & Co the run-around. Clueless in defence, clueless in attack, again. Hwang proving ineffectual again and Raul not wanting to be in the right place at the right time. Chiquo, Toti, RAN and Neto played well. Otherwise, poor. I really think that performance from Coady and the improvement second half, without him, means we look at options to replace him permanently in the starting XI, either from within the ranks or via recruitment (not holding my breath on the latter). As for Bruno, to persevere with Hwang throughout this bad run of results and his obvious inability to motivate the players, for me, means he has to goo!

 

[sycophantia]

I think the difference in our opinion is because of our expectations. The only chance I can think can possibly be considered a chance in the first half is the Hwang header. Not a meaningful chance when you consider the distance out and who it’s falling too.

Jonny was poor. Chiquinho got us going as I said, our brightest spark. But a low bar. He looked raw again and TT summed it up well.

Oh absolutely my expectations after the last few months are less, after the previous 4 or 5 games, I don't think today was anywhere near as bad. My frustrations are more those matches since the Asrenal games. Lage clearly doesn't have a clue what to do if his plans dont work, on top of that he doesn't seem to have much of a plan in the first place recently.
A few are calling out some players for lack of effort, personally I didn't see that today, more a lack of quality at times and a lot of confusion about what they were trying to achieve.
I said before the game I'm concerned about the future, I still am.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Oh absolutely my expectations after the last few months are less, after the previous 4 or 5 games, I don't think today was anywhere near as bad.

But it surely can’t be as bad as we are playing the worst team in the league, at home, who have already been relegated, whose last 4 games they’ve lost a combined 0-12, and then there last 14 games have 5 points from 42.

Should have been impossible to lose that game today and we were closer to that than winning it.

 

[jd1981]

Certain previous managers would’ve hounded by this run of MM springs to mind.
I think it’s a case of we’re 8th so I can’t complain, keep saying it if you’re judging Bruno on the the league position you’re burying your head in the sand.
I think we’re in a very perilous position, playing squad that’s become so outdated it’s no longer fit for purpose.
A manager tactically nieve and incapable of reversing fortunes.
It’s odd considering we’re top half but there’s a real feeling of turmoil at the club.
Some of our support are arrogant and nieve enough to believe that there will be 3 worst than us next season so it’ll be ok.
Based on what I’ve seen in the last 2 months there’s not one side I could guarantee we’ll come above next season.
Someone said on the match day thread that West Ham were miles ahead of us, yes they’re.
But consider after the 19/20 they nearly went down. Their spending since is hardly astronomical just a case of two clubs one being well organised and well managed and one resting on its laurels.
This season after Brentford game looks like Bruno has just copied Nuno’s homework with some errors along the way.

 

[WarwickWolf]

Absolute fucking rubbish, if this imbecile is in charge next season with the possible loss of up to 4 players we’re in deep shit.
To be honest I’d take Dyche over this idiot and I never thought I’d ever here myself say that.

Missed you, Trev!

 

[Wolf Hunting]

That photo of Neves holding his little girl and practically crying tells me that's his goodbye to Molineux.
What a pisser.

 

[jdrodrigues]

View attachment 5407

Seems it is goodbye then.

We're screwed.

 

[sycophantia]

View attachment 5407

Fuck

 

[slink]

Was just like most games recently to be fair, Bruno got everything wrong, some players weren’t putting it all in, some aren’t fit and some aren’t good enough.

I refuse to go completely negative and get really frustrated with it as I think there’s too much negativity in life anyway these days (understandably) but if i take that all away and look at everything i’d struggle to think of any reason to keep Lage after the last 2 months and most of the players could go to.

 

[Lupo]

Interesting that pre-match yesterday the Norwich fans to a (wo)man were incredulous at the side that Smith picked and their reactions were similar to those of many Wolves fans at Lage's selections.

https://forum.pinkun.com/index.php?/top ... /#comments

And we scraped a draw

 

[PuntsWolf]

This wound me up a lot last week but I was going to let it slide given the season is irrelevant.

But given more sub-parks defending from Coady, and him being the only real reason we are still playing a back 5, we seriously need to move on from the 5 or him if we don’t think he can play the 4 in anything other than the low block, which from the Norwich goal he can’t. He isn’t just bad at engaging 1v1, he just outright refuses.


No one in their right mind thinks this is a goal scoring opportunity. You go and engage him and Pukki is probably happy to win a corner with zero help, away from goal in the channel and another defender on the way.



But no. Coady allows him to not only get in the ball, but turn to run at him in the box. Still, force him down the line and he has no one to cross to. He will still probably be happy with a corner.


Pukki now just ambles to Coady. No step overs or anything, but has bizzarely squared himself up and is almost showing Pukki inside into the danger area. Again if you show him down the line he isn’t scoring, and he still has no one to cross to.

It should never go in from where he shoots from, but that’s what happens sometimes if you let people in the box and take shots…

Add this to his absolute shit shows for goals against Liverpool, City, Chelsea, And Burnley then it hasn’t been a good month for the bloke. Great at throwing his body on the line, loads of passion. Can’t defend big spaces, 1 v 1 or in a high line. So we either stick to the low block or he can’t play.

 

[Dire Wolf]

I said in the commentary thread yesterday that unfortunately I think the problem with the defence is Coady. I think he is a great bloke, and in a lot of ways the heartbeat of the club, but his defending has been abysmal and the cause of so many problems. He has been stepping up to make challenges when he shouldn't leaving so much space in behind him it's ridiculous. Then when he should close someone down like in the post above he doesn't! Yesterday he stepped up almost into midfield so many times it was only a matter of time before Liverpool capitalised.

I'm not sure if this is him having brain farts or he is under instruction to do it, but it has caused problems for the defence time after time. If he's playing as the 'sweeper' in a back 3 surely he should be the last defender and the other defenders or midfield players should be engaging attackers further out? Maybe I just don't understand his role well enough, or maybe he's not carrying out his role properly.

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Yeah that's piss poor from Coady, not that it should make any difference in a situation like that, but for what it is worth I think Coady has been playing with an injury for months.

He's also not really had a rest for any period since we came back after Covid, our weird Europa league campaign, then straight back into a season, then the Euros with England (whilst obviously he didn't play, but he'd have been training and "on it" every day), hopefully this summer will see him get 100% fit and refreshed.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

He's not really played as a sweeper this season, it's been just as a standard centre half. His role isn't the same as it was under Nuno.

Plus our overall defensive tactics are different, we used to pretty much never catch anyone offside, we play higher now (partly due to Sa's style) and actively do try to play an offside trap. We aren't very good at it, mainly as we're badly coached.

 

[Jinky]

Coady isn't playing those long, raking passes when we switch play to one of the wingers either. I don't know if this is because teams have worked out we do it, so the pass isn't on as often, or if it's under instruction. The thing is, he's a "blood & thunder" defender. He'll throw himself of shots, get blocks in etc - but he has always looked vulnerable when he's in a 1 on 1 situation and this season he has looked like he is running in treacle - got to be an injury?

He's a cracking bloke, but I feel like he's holding us back on the pitch. It'll be interesting to see if Southgate continues to pick him despite his drop in form (I suspect he will because of his character).