Match Thread: Wolves v Albion 16th January 2021 KO 12.30pm

WTF happened and can anybody please explain why we lose our main strike force and then leak goals, this from a defence that was miserly, now sadly they're just miserable

Having fumed for the last few hours I have tried to take a more measured view of the squad and recent performances. Take a deep breath.
Patricio, perfectly adequate and ably assisted by Ruddy so no need for any changes.
Semedo and Hoever, still settling in but showing a good level of skill and commitment, no need for changes.
Boly, Coady, Saiss, all experienced and reliable, backed up by Kilman who has impressed when called upon.
Jonny, Marcal, RAN, a very capable trio so no need to look for upgrades.
Neves, Moutinho, Dendoncker generally reliable and can really put in a shift, backed up by MGW,
Vitinha and Otasowie.
Traore, Neto, Podence, Raul Silva, skilful and quick should be a problem for any defence.

So not really a small squad just one that has had a disproportionate number of key players unavailable through injury simultaneously which would be damaging and difficult for any team to manage. Plus our high ratio of young Portuguese players in this time of isolation and separation from family and friends is having an adverse affect also upon Nuno who will not have seen his family for weeks/months. Football is just a game and is played better with a happy contented squad and I haven’t seen many smiles on the pitch lately. This slump in form is annoying to say the least but I am hopeful that when some of the more experienced return we will see an upturn in our fortunes.

I didn't see the match as I had to go into work but have seen some highlights.
Terrible, awful result. The first penalty may have been just outside the area but it was a foul. Traore once again losing possession and then sits on his @#$%&. Second penalty was correct decision.
Reading the comments on the thread it sounds as though there were some strange substitutions but, as I said, I didn't see the match.
I know some are keen on a back four but this has to stop. For the last three seasons we used a back three every match and were always pretty sound at the back. Now we are leaking goals. I don't know if changing to a four was ever a plan but it seems as though we came across it by chance. we only used in the first place when we only had two available centre-backs against Southampton. It didn't seem as though it was ever planned. For Christ's sake scrap it and go back to what has worked for three years. It's true we have struggled to score enough goals but two should be enough to beat WBA and three should certainly have been enough to beat Brighton.
What with changing the defence, trying to change the way we play and the amount of changes in personnel which, by and large have been forced upon us, we are changing too much at once.
Start by going back to a back three and stay with it.

I agree with so many comments on here, we should return to the basics we know we are good at.....3-5-2. Whether Samedo can do the job Matt D did last year is still a concern. We miss Jonny but who wouldn't - RAN is getting better by the game. Near half of the first choice team are injured - from our small squad this is bound to make a huge difference but no excuses for todays game against Sandwell., collectively we were very poor.
Rumour has it that Nuno will not be given any funds for transfers this window, is this the root to the other rumour that Mendes is looking to place Nuno elsewhere. Is Mendes our Ally or enemy? Does Mendes' group profit detract from the development of Wolves albeit benefit the Fosun group profits?
Fosun/Jeff Shi please recognise the job Nuno has done, I'm fairly confident you do but you have to back him and replace Diogo Jota with a quality forward, ready to play to Premier league standards, you are looking at several tens of millions else your investment over the time you have guided our club to where we are will take a significant step backwards. Fosun/Jeff, Nuno is our Alex Ferguson he will, with your astute backing, become the best manager Wolves have had since the great 'Sir' Stan Cullis.

Where to go from here?

Yesterday was awful, the result just dreadful. I don’t know about you lot but I haven’t been able to watch the lowlights yet.

Obviously I wanted to see four at the back yesterday to better support the front line …. Why not? At home versus our locally rivals who have consistently proved their inability to score and have looked in disarray since Big Sam arrived. A pre-match phone call from my Baggies mate just to tell me that they are the worst side they’ve had in the premier league. Yes, four at the back, why not!

Proved wrong! Needless to say, I’ve changed my mind now, keep with what you know, keep the drill. Three centre halves, two wing backs and all the rest that goes on in midfield and up front. We have to return to a system to better shut the back door, else we will keep on losing. Points on the board is what is needed now. Rest assured however, if we do so, the remainder of the season won’t be pretty. 3-5 at the back has already proved even more unlikely to produce goals in the absence of real quality. If we don’t purchase a temporary centre forward or even longer term solution plus / minus a driving forward thinking midfielder with an eye for goal, then we have problems.

Being beat by a team of poor quality hurts badly, even more so it being Albion. It’s ruined my weekend. And despite a substandard performance, that was by no means our worst of the season, at least in my view. I felt we deserved to be in front at 45 but even so, Robinson had that gilt edged chance to make it 2-0 before our comeback. Great to see Silva score who took that chance very nicely and terrific to see Boly having such an impact in both goals.

Second half, we had all the possession but no clout. I still can’t work it all out or explain. No refinement, a lack of cohesion, scattered approach, plain weird. Traore and Neto did their level best to comply with the game plan and both got some decent crosses in. Alas their efforts were thwarted by either nobody being there or a lack of quality. Yet we did have chances, for example, Cutrone missing out from 8-9 yards. That was an agonising metaphor for the whole match for me, as was the quite simply pathetic and disgraceful dive from Silva …… somebody needs to have a word.

But we did score twice, okay not the five like Palace and Leeds, but you have to back us to win having scored twice. The marking for the long throw was so weak but it was finished well and the penalty in the second half was indeed a penalty, Coady clipped him, so no complaints. But the first penalty …….. yes we played poorly, but I don’t get that decision at all.

The substitutes too …… screaming out to get another forward man on early yet it was MGW for Neves. Really?!! MGW did have an impact when he got on ……. Unfortunately it involved giving it away for fun. And Coady for Ait-Nouri – a statement substitution or was Coady that bad? I think the former whilst acknowledging that Conor certainly didn’t have his best in Old Gold.

And Nuno …… what’s with the body language yesterday? I much preferred it when he was getting into trouble by fist pumping like at Ashton Gate, than the recent moans and groans about the ref.

Something isn’t right at the club at the moment is it? Personally, I completely reject calls for Nuno’s head ….. sadly, such opinions are being voiced. We’ve had the smooth and now it’s the rough and he’s earnt the right for time and space to sort things out, but is Nuno getting the support he fully deserves from above? What is the strategy from Fosun to get us out of this slump? Reliance on small squads is all very good and it’s worked, albeit risky, but gaps in key positions cannot be filled by unproven youngsters who might fetch a tidy transfer fee in a few years. Whether we pay £3.5M, £15M or even £35M, new recruits need to be able to play today, not tomorrow.

I am certain things will get better and under Nuno, our best manager for 40 years, not least as some of our more senior players come back on line, but I the transfer policy has to alter to give us a chance of competing and covering key positions.

So where do we go from here? Victory Park, Chorley is the answer.

It can’t possibly happen twice can it? UTW

Quote:

Ivybridge Wolf

So where do we go from here? Victory Park, Chorley is the answer.

It can’t possibly happen twice can it? UTW

Don’t tempt fate Ivy😀