Missed Chances: Wolves 1 Hull 1
Posted by Thomas on 30th August , 2009So what was it? 2 points dropped or 1 point gained?
Kevin Doyle - Showed real promise
After what was a terrible start to the match, Wolves gradually clawed their way back in and with the chances they created, should really have gone on to take the maximum.
That being said, Hull could easily of been two up before half-time; effectively killing the game as a contest. And unfortunately that’s the reality of the Premier League. Sluggish starts like this will end up costing Wolves dearly, especially against more ruthless opposition.
We just weren’t at the races in the first half.
Even Geovanni’s opener seemed a soft goal to giveaway. The effortless way Hunt danced passed Halford to stand the cross up, was only as sickening as the fact that nobody was able to read the flight of the ball well enough to prevent the tiny Brazilian from stealing in to score.
And the marking didn’t improve. Ghilas should have doubled the visitor’s advantage with a free header at the back post but fortunately sent a tame header right down Hennessy’s throat.
Things weren’t going much better at the other end either. Doyle looked lively but wasn’t being allowed to get into positions where he could really do damage. Halford was winning every flick-on in and around the box but nobody was gambling to get on the end of them. All in all, it was pretty depressing stuff.
Keogh had our best two chances, twisting and turning in the box but eventually skying one effort and shooting right at Myhill with another.
We looked like a team that desperately needed something to fall our way, so we were counting our lucky stars when it did.
You couldn’t ask for a better start to the second half as Craddock flicked on for Stearman and the England Under 21 international volleyed home emphatically.
What a relief.
From there though, we didn’t need any breaks, just a bit more potency in the final third.
Keogh ran clear and tamely poked his shot wide, Doyle smashed a point-black volley against Turner on the line and Vokes headed wide in the dying seconds with the goal at his mercy.
And while all this was going on at one end, Hull were offering practically nothing as an attacking force at the other; making the eventual final score all the more dissapointing.
So even though it was a game we could easily have lost, you can’t help but feel slightly deflated that we didn’t win.
I continue to have great faith in this squad of players, but we must start to convert these promising performances into goals and wins.
Of course this situation will be significally aided when the likes of Kightly, Ebanks-Blake and Iwelumo return to action. And if you haven’t heard the good news, Kightly is back in training next week, inline for some kind of involvement against Blackburn in a fortnight.
With SEB also likely to be available soon, that little bit of cutting edge in the final third could prove the difference at the business end of games.
And ultimately yesterday’s performance illustrated that Wolves really need to start taking care of business.
All my worries about our defence have been resolved, with consistent strong performances without using any of the new signings (bar Mancienne) and all the players seem to have stepped up their game. Even without Foley we looked strong at the back and I was impressed by Stearman, giving Foley a run for his money and the goal which just adds to the praise.
In the middle, Jarvis was good, Henry is turning into the next Makelele and Milijas had his moments. But Halford yesterday was disappointing, perhaps it was his injury still lingering but one thing is for certain – we desperately need Kightly back.
It is of all places, at the front that gives me most concern. We have dominated at least half of all the games played so far yet only have two goals. Wolves need to be more clinical in front of goal and I really do feel McCarthy needs to sign one more proven striker. All credit to Keogh as he really has improved over the break but the chances he is given he has got to convert them.
Overall, yesterday was another good second half performance, but the team has seriously got to get going from the word go.
agree with everything said. We show great promise and aren’t looking out-classed in this league. We can fight it out well with the others around us but also try to play some good stuff. We do need to make the most of our chances but I feel once we start scoring it will become easier and we’ll be more clinical.
The break came at a good time. Give everyone a rest, bring back injuries players and give Mick a chance to work with the team. (hopefully on shooting!)
“So what was it? 2 points dropped or 1 point gained?”
Definitely 2 points dropped! After returning from the game I’ve seen the highlights twice now (courtesy of BBC and Sky), and each time I get more frustrated we didn’t win! I agree with most of what you said Tom, but think you give Hull more credit for their first half performance than is due. As far as I was concerned Hull got a lucky break scoring early while Wolves were still waking up, then parked the team bus in front of their goal and made no effort to attack for the rest of the game.
How didn’t Keogh at least get his shot on target when put through by Big George (anybody else think he had a great game?). Similarly, how did Stearman shoot wide when seeming to have all the time in the world from the edge of the box? How did Turner get to what seemed a certain goal from Doyle? And by the time I saw Vokes’ header near the end I was hiding behind the couch! Literally.
Our performance definitely warrented a win, that’s a massive two points dropped. I can’t help thinking that if Kights and SEB had been fit the scoreline might have been closer to Sheffield or Forest at home at the start of last season.
I thought it was disgraceful how much time Hull wasted. Halfway through the first half their keeper was asking the bench how much time was left. As for Stephen Hunt. Oh my lord he winds me up so much.
As for the referee (a certain Mr Stuart Atwell
) he is definitely not fit to referee. Missing several fouls, not punishing the blatant time wasting and missing that arm round Keogh’s neck.
the phrase ‘be careful what you wish for’ springs to mind, as a recent poll on here revealed virtually all of us want SEB on the bench when fit. the most baffling results since iraq went to the polls. even stranger was mick’s public’s criticism of vokes…sounds like he wasn’t the only one to miss a sitter yesterday,so dont quite understand his reasonings on that one? 4pts off 4 isnt disaterous though,got 2b content with that. lets see what the window brings. beckford and st ledger anyone?
Just watched the game courtesy of Setanta. You have no idea how much discipline it takes not to look at the scores for a whole 24 hours! Anyway, we were fast asleep for the 1st 20 minutes and let in a really soft goal. Credit to the team for coming back into the game, but we were very guilty of wasting some decent chances, although Hull defended well. Hull are by far the worst team I have seen in a long time, I predict that they will be bottom by Xmas and one by Easter. Teams like that degrade the quality of this league and shouldn’t be allowed out of League 2.
I thought George had a so-so game today, missed a few tackles and the majority of his distribution was really poor. Keogh for all his running just needs to be more clinical, there really is no excuse for that tame effort when thru 1 on 1. Doyle was excellent – we have a gem of a player with him who will only get better. Defence was excellent, Milijas is improving but still seems to go missing. Henry superb. Jarvo seems to be getting the ball caught in his feet, I think he will eventually take this league by storm but needs a bit more confidence that he can beat his man.
All in all I’m a little disappointed with the result because Hull are a poor team. I still believe we will survive comfortably we just need to find the back of the net!
Well done Jed, dont know how you managed to stay under the medai radra for 24 hr. Reminds me of a very funny Likely Lads episode!
Agree with most of your observations but ‘keogh needs to be more clinical’ – he cant!
At the risk of being branded a traitor t the cause and not a real fan, I’m sorry but its simple -Keogh is CRAP! He wasnt good enough last season and if we intend relying on him for goals, we aint going to score any!
How on earth the majority of people here have voted for a fit Ebanks-Blake to sit on the bench is quite beyond me.
I cant think of amother striker at any club with the amount of goals per appearance that Seb has achieved for us being consigned to the bench. Oh, hang on – maybe there is one……..Big Chris Iwelumo!
15 goals by November and he got dropped in favour of the useless, inept Keogh! Incredible!
I dont doubt Keoghs commitment or effort but we’ve moved on and so should he – to Leicester or somewhere.
Doyle and Seb – the futures golden!
Ben, where did you hear/read MM criticising Vokes? If he did he needs a slap. Have you got a link?
Scooped i agree about the poll. Needless to say i voted for him to play, I’d play him even if he was dying. His strike rate for us is incredible, could you imagine Liverpool playing N’Gog because Torres was being nursed back from an injury? No chance.
2 points dropped, but 4 points from 4 games is a relatively good start.Ther are others blow that would swap !! I’m a bit concerned that we have only scored two goals, but, when Doyle is 100% , and Seb to coem back, I’m sure we will be OK. It certainly looks a lot better than in 03, when we had already let about 20 goals in! I still think we need a midfield grafter, and why only give Vokes ( a true striker) 30 seconds, when Keogh ( grafter but no forward) , 89 minutes. I don’t understand Mick sometimes, he certainly is his own man, and good luck to him
Neither a point gained, nor 2 points lost (given how early we went behind), somewhere in between.
This is so not 2003, we are competitive, we are there and there abouts, we have players in reserve (Zubar, SEB, Kights) ready to come in. If we stay in the running we will come good, but we can’t afford to fall off the pace. I can’t wait for a Mancienne Zubar centre half partnership.
With any luck Segundo Castillo will dominate through the midfield as well. Let’s keep robbing Eastern Europe. I just hope he’s match fit and well adjusted to make an impact ASAP. It’s a good sign he’s already played in England with Everton.
Apparently he is a holding midfielder who is strong in the air and in the challenge. Perfect cover for Henry
How anyone can criticise Keogh after his start to the season is beyond me. Admittedely, Hull was one of his weaker performances, but he was our best player against Wigan and linked up well with Doyle at City.
Whilst his finishing does need to improve, he’s still only 23. If he can add clinical finishing to his undoubted work rate, he could be a top quality player. However, he won’t be able to do that if fans get on his back after one or two poor games.
Andrew – Dont blame me or other Keogh critics for his woeful finishing!! He isnt good enough and if he doesnt know where the net is at 23 he never will.
Surely work-rate and endeavour are a minimum requirement for a professional sportsman. I dont doubt he gives his all for the cause but the end result is invaraibly the same – he misses the target! Again and again!
I’m not aware of any fans ‘getting on his back’ and its simply ridiculous to suggest the fans are responsible in any way for his inability to stop scuffing feeble attempts wide from eight yards.
If we’re going to survive and progress at this level we cant afford passengers. Taxi for Keogh!
Scooped – a little strong with the taxi thing fella! Keogh has been excellent this season, however surely how long can we have a player in the team that misses simple chances. This league cries out for clinical finishing, anything else is not good enough. Chances are more restricted in this league and if a player is not clinical then points get lost and we cannot afford to lose points. The (non) strike against Hull is the perfect example – great work to get into a one on one position and then wastes it with a extremely weak shot that dribbles off target when realistically it would have been easier to score, 2 points lost. Don’t get me wrong all strikers miss chances, and I have no issue with that, but when Keogh is in a goal scoring position (and credit to him he is excellent at making space and finding good positions) I know that out of evey 10 chances he will maybe score one, and unfortunately at this level its just not good enough.
We’ve signed the giant Maierhofer today – he looks a really exciting prospect and with Halfords rockets I smell a few goals, if he can get on the pitch!
Looks like 6ft 7in Stefen Crouch has put pen to paper, so happy with that bit if business!
Kwolf, Mick singled out Vokes on the official website, in his after match comments. He basically said he told Vokes he should have buried it, and Vokes knows it.
Not sure why he felt the need, but hey ho. He then went on to say that Doyle and Keogh will terrorise defences this season, so I think we’d better get used to that pairing, even when our golden boot winner is fit!
I havent seen any of the highlights, or any of the write-ups, as I’m a bit cut off here in deepest Eire, but sounded like a bad miss. (i’m actually sending this email by carrier pigeon)
I can’t really add any more on the Keogh debate. My main gripe is that Iwelumo was dropped after just 6 games without a goal for Keogh last season, despite forging the most lethal partnership since Bull and Mutch.
But Scooped, as you have said yourself, it’s Mick’s team and he can do what he likes with it. Who are we to argue?
Maybe this argument will effectively be null and void when the big Austrian is up top.But I doubt it!!
I wish we had signed that Portugese midfielder… I would have enjoyed having a Pinto with a Castillo
I’ll get my coat
Great news about Maierhofer, this is very good. Go away doom and gloom. Come on the Wolves.
Na na na nanana nanana KEOGH.
Having just You-Tubed Maierhofer I have but 2 words. Cult Hero. Check out his mad agent goal celebrations. I hope he loves techno music.
First of all Ben you’re NOT in Eire!!! You’re in the North mate, pound stirling, MPH not KPH and all that, don’t want you walking into the wrong pub signing Fields of Athenry and dissappearing in the peat bog mate!!
All I can say is that watching the game on Saturday, I would have had a hard time to convince any new comer to the Prem that they were watching 2 of the best 20 teams in the contry, the standard was very low, not even a good C’ship standard of football was played.
4 Games down, 4 goals let in, 2 goals scored, 4pts gaind. I read someone say here that we should be happy with that and that they are confident that we will be OK. Based on what exactlty?? These stats, panned out, means we will be relegated with only 36pts.
“But we are improving” i hear you say “Burnly and Birmingham are much worse of” I hear you say. Well I would rather be in Burnleys position right now than ours. Burnley have already got two wins out of what will be two top 10 sides, Man U & Everton, we have scrapped and win and a draw agaist teams who will be in a dog fight with us, The cause for optimisum is 100% with the claret and blue. We have played two top ten teams and been well beaten.
Keogh is not the player that is going to get us the gaols for survival, this is the Prem, not the local parish league where every gets a fair crack in the true Christian spirit!!! I thoufht eh N’Gog, Torres anaalgy was spot on.
I know we all love our boys in gold, but again can I call for some perspective on here, look at the situation as a neutal and not a fan, very hard I know, but if the positive propaganda on here continues, it will be harder and harder to face when we enevetably do get back to back hammering or don’t pick a point up in 6 games
Still way better than 2003 though eh