These precious back to back wins have created the blueprint for what we can achieve under Lopetegui.
We’re starting to resemble a team that has an appetite for pressing, defending and winning second balls.
And that intensity off the ball translates to pace and movement when in possession.
When was the last time we could say all of the above about a Wolves side?
Special praise must go to Diego. The way he presses from the front and brings Cunha and Sarabia into play is something we’ve sorely missed. The goal might have been fortuitous but he earned that luck with the position he took up. Surely he warrants another year?
As for Nunes, the way he glides between the lines is utterly joyous. He’s now playing with confidence and panache.
The same can be said about Lemina and Gomes getting through mountains of work in the engine room.
Of course Neves has to come straight back into the team, but have we already settled on next year’s midfield?
As for the defence, it’s like watching a brick wall. Dawson’s experience and excellent positioning has transformed Kilman and Semedo. Likewise with Toti, who has surprised us all with his rampaging runs down the left.
I don’t want to get ahead of myself – safety isn’t quite secured. But imagine what Lopetegui could achieve with another transfer window and a full pre-season?
We deserve to celebrate today’s performance and result, hot on the heels of last week’s win v Chelsea. I’m so pleased for Costa and Hwang.
Thinking ahead however, our next game is another winnable one against Leicester, away.
Our survival is by no means guaranteed at this stage, despite the vital six points snaffled up in the space of a week.
The average number of points needed to survive in the Premier League since it moved to a 20 team competition is 36.2. Over the last 11 seasons it been just 35.
The average of a point a game, 38, has only been needed once in the last 11 years.
With Wolves sat on 34, it seems that another win and draw from 7 games would likely be enough.
Looking at it another way, Southampton look favourites for the drop, with Leicester, Everton and Forest all looking perilously close to joining them.
This is all hypothetical and anything could happen, but we have given ourselves every chance of a mid table finish and the bookies a number of other teams to make favourites for the dreaded drop.
Another pedal to the metal performance against Leicester will feel like we’re at the finish line of a season that a few months ago we couldn’t wait to see the back of.
Hell, we might even get to relax and enjoy a few nothing to lose performances in the next month.
And with Ruben to come back, the 4-2 loss against Leeds seems a very long time ago.
The future suddenly looks very bright.
UTW
I think we go out at Leicester and they will be desperate for a win . This will suit us as they can’t sit back and take a draw.A win here and we are safe. Leicester down. This could be one of those days. J Lo will have us focused. The Light is shining through the darkness. OODCL.
Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic!
We are heading in the right direction…
Well done the lads and I’m feeling more confident against Leicester than I was two weeks ago.
Why does Neves have to come back into the team? Can’t see that being fair to any one of Gomes, Nunes or Lemina who’ve been great for both games. Considering we’re away from home next game, having the double pivot with two tenacious DMs is the right move. Neves should wait for his chance should either Gomes or Lemina drop off.
As much as we love our talisman Neves, why change a winning team.
But I’m sure the Gaffer knows best.
yeah agreed – its no ones fault he has amassed 10 yellow cards and had to sit out, and we now have a winning formula – I wouldn’t change a thing….
Leave neves on the bench, too slow with a team moving forward, we are better without him, does not work hard enough, overrated big time, see what we get for him
Nice weather in Sandwell?
Costa properly bullied their centre halves and did superbly for the opening goal, earning his good fortune with how it came back into his path.
The last two games have underlined the importance of physical presence up front. We play the ball forward, it sticks and others come into play. Basic but effective.
We’re playing with less width but it’s clearly suiting Cunha, Nunes and a few others. There’s a nice mixture of power, tenacity and technicality that we haven’t seen for a while. Lopetegui has tried everyone and everything but finally seems to have landed on the right combination.
I was sceptical when he brought Toti in down the left but he’s been a major contributor to successive clean sheets. It’s great to have three big men at the back and although Brentford still caused us grief with balls into the box, we did enough. Dawson was a monster yet again. What a vital addition he’s been.
Do you bring Neves straight back into the team? I’m not sure myself. It would involve either dropping Lemina or Gomes, which I wouldn’t consider or adjusting the shape of the team, which again doesn’t make much sense after back-to-back wins. A nice dilemma to have for sure and unimaginable in the first half of the season when he almost single handedly propped us up.
The same can be said about the position we now find ourselves in having been bottom on Christmas Day. It’s hasn’t been pretty but we’re very nearly there now.
Thomas, it seem to me that Costa is only now approaching the fitness levels required in the Premiership. Also the past two games are the only times he has played with a strike partner up front. These two factors have transformed him from a struggling ‘has been ‘into a potent force.
Today not only did his physical presence and determination cause havoc across the Brentford back line, but there were very encouraging signs of a budding relationship with Cunha, which bodes well for the future.
Costa is now thirty four — but in today`s world this is not too old to remain a force to be reckoned with . I believe that if his form can be sustained during the coming games we should very carefully consider extending his contract by a further year. Such a deal may just prove to be a real snip.
What cannot be underestimated also is the mentality that Costa has bought too, it seems infectious. That drive, determination and ruthlessness must have had a big impact in the dressing room and on the training pitch, as well as the impact we are now seeing on the playing field. Especially after we lost some experienced players in the summer.
Assuming we stay up, which we should now, there are lots of decisions to make with the forwards, not just Costa.
Diego might be worth another year if he can sustain this form. He’ll benefit from a proper pre season next time too. But can you keep both him and Raul? The latter has another year on his £100k a week contract and might be hard to offload.
We’ve shelled out massively on Cunha so getting the best out of him is important. As you rightly point out Mike, he’s looked much better playing off another centre forward, whether that was Costa in the last two or Raul at Fulham where they linked up very well.
What about Kalajdzik? If he can get back to fitness, you’d imagine he’ll have something to say. I maintain high hopes for him but will be tough after a second serious injury.
Then there’s Fabio too. I’d love to see him come back and show he’s developed into the player we always hoped he can become, but I suspect we’ll get an offer in the summer and try to reclaim some of the silly money we paid for him in the first place. Even if he proves us wrong, I don’t think it would be a bad decision just from a squad management perspective.
None of this even takes into account the wide players. We know Traore is leaving but what about Podence, Neto, Sarabia and Hwang. Even though he gets the most abuse it’s Hee Chan that the manager seems to turn to when fit. We may cash in on one of Podence or Neto. There’s also Chiquinho to consider who liked a good prospect before his injury.
Trying to second guess Fosun’s transfer strategy over previous seasons has proved to be a fool’s game Thomas.
Whilst everything you’ve suggested may come to pass I’d suggest it’s equally possible many of the players we think are at the end of the road may still be around next season.
A superb performance, and a much deserved victory.
Costa has been transformed since he has been given a strike partner. No longer expected to carry the load on his own, he has become a completely different animal, putting himself around and harassing’ defenders as if his life depended upon it and generally becoming the essential focal point up front which we have long lacked.
In the middle of the park Lemino and Gomez are striking a formidable partnership, providing the work rate and solidity necessary to give us the platform on which to build our attacks. And as for Nunes, now that he is being played in his correct position and is able to drive forward with the ball, he is proving to be very bit the player we all expected. Surely we should not be contemplating selling him in the summer but rather seeing him as the guy around whom to build a real winning side
And let`s not forget the contribution of Toti at the back. Now, out of nowhere, we seem to have a guy with real pace to get forward to great effect, but who also understands his primary role as a defender. Our left flack is no longer constantly exposed; our defense no longer porous.
The last couple of games have seen a great turn around in terms of how we play and the resulting self confidence that this has brought about. We need to avoid complacency, but how satisfying it is to have belief that at long last we appear to be on the right track.
Great win, neves been a great servant, but last 2 games 6 points, can’t change a winning team, time for a glass off malt whiskey, wolves aie we
Don’t disagree completely but the biggest reason for Costa’s transformation, in my opinion, is actually getting fit. Match and physically. He hadn’t played competively for well over 6 months when he joined. That might be ok at 24 but certainly not at 34.
Couldn’t make it today at a wedding, so don’t know too much about the game itself but looks like another improved performance.
So some random thoughts.
Needless to say 3 points – priceless and other results starting to go our way.
7 points clear of the drop zone with 7 to go looks good, so I’m looking forward to some better sleep at night!
24 points from 16 matches since Lopetegui came in is very solid form and deserves huge credit after the shambles Lage and co left behind.
His selections seem to indicate that JL has found out the fighters from the freeloaders.
Hopefully we could be at a point whereby in a couple of weeks he can start planning for next season.
Do we have the foundation to get back to return to top half or better?
Big, big rebuild needed, specially in midfield as I fear we shall lose Neves, Nunes and Moutinho from our midfield and Jiminez (actually we lost him 3 seasons ago) and Traore in attack. Would love to pay Neves a king’s ransom to stay but he now deserves a shot at the big prizes. Semedo, Ait Nouri and the choirboy also possible movers. Good luck Julien, but you did sign up for it.
Looking forward to our couple of minutes on MOTD tonight.
Back to the present – if we cock it up now we deserve to go down. But an appeal to Fosun; it looks as if you should get away with the serious lack of judgement you have displayed over the last 3 years, but the Premier League is unforgiving. You have your man now and he’s proving his worth. But we are still at a watershed and you need to give him everything he asks for just to get back to the heyday of Nuno and then some to take the next step.
And a question – is Shi the man to oversee it?
No……….he isn’t……..Jeff is responsible for the fall from two 7th place finishes to relegation battle.
A lack of investment up until the last window and a punt on an unknown in Lage has put us in this mess along with Jeff’s micro management of all things espeacilly recruitment the lack of a proven director of football……Hobbs is Jeff man he promoted him and there in lies the problem Jeff has surrounded himself with yes men and there is no one to challenge his decisions or offer a different viewpoint.
Glad someone is on the same page CHW. Sorry for repetition, but it all changed the day Laurie Dalrymple departed. You can’t change history, it’s there for all to see if they want to look.
If(when) we stay up the ball is totally in our court and I can’t see that a big, big rebuild is necessary in midfield. Neither Neves or Nunes are going anywhere unless the club is content to let them go but, if they do, I’m confident that under Lopetegui’s stewardship we’d get the right replacements. Most of January acquisitions were driven by him and all have worked to some extent. Moutinho might even be given another season as he is still gold dust for controlling the game in the final 30 minutes.
Traore will be returning soon to bolster numbers, Lemina has been transformed from journeyman who appeared Fulham and Southampton, Gomes is a star in the making and Hodge will wiser, better and older .
The unanswered question Ped Ant is whether Lopetegui will be given sufficient free rein to overcome the autocratic nature of Shi – we shall see. Recent history would indicate that it’s very doubtful, but January does leaves room for some optimism.
I’d imagine that he obtained the assurances he required before he signed. That’s why initially he said no but later agreed to take the job. Time will tell, of course.
what are you talking about?
Forget about the last window where he got to splash £350 million?
“Jeffs the reason for this”
“jeffs the reason for that”
Jeff is also the reason we got those 7th place finishes. A bit of a wobble but we have a proven manager now that is proving more each game he knows whats what.
Totally disagree.
Since Shi has been in sole charge the club has gone into reverse gear.
Meanwhile Harlequins have made major strides forward.
Every team has relative ups and downs…
Who’d relish being a Boggies fan ..
then there’s Leicester.. PL winners a few years ago and in the shite now .., maybe a Watford fan .. sack a manager every couple of weeks .. Sunderland even .. wallowing in div 2 …
It’s not been the best season . thanks imo to lunatic Lage .. but we’re in a better place than many others ..
Not so worried about one bad season as a steady but inexorable decline over 3 years LT. Now we appear to to have the right man in place it’s absolutely essential to back him as we should have done with Nuno.
To blow it once was madness, to do so again would be criminal. And I don’t agree that we are just any club. With the geographical support base we have from Wales to the East Midlands and North Staffs through the Black Country we are potentially bigger and better than virtually anyone outside the so called big 6.
It’s strange that a few local entrepreneurs from not so very long ago could make a better hand of running the club than a global corporation like Fosun who haven’t done as well as the club achieved under the Marshalls and John Ireland or matched the transformation from the Fourth division to the PL that Jack Gallagher and Jack Hayward did between them.
Don’t underestimate the power of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC as Shanghai were quick to highlight when they arrived with all guns blazing and lots of hollow promises. “European elite in 10 years” – you still have 3 years to pull it off Guo.
Come on The Mighty Wolves!
Hi PJB – Just no
Not sure how, 7th to 13th, to 10th to now 12th is a 3 year decline.
Sounds like you want to just point the stick.
Not that I haven’t accused to club of certain mistakes, But if we are staying mid table in the prem its hardly a decline, Its a shift of interests if anything – EVERY team goes through it, Jeff has invested, Not sure how you blame him.
I’d blame, bad player management – Medez and Injuries…. Personally.
I mean we missed 20 goal a season Jiminez… yet we are still in the mix? Figure that one out!
I agree . Teams have peaks and troughs. You could argue about some of the recruitment over the past 6 years under Fosun. But you have to look at the big picture. 2017. We were a mediocre championship side. Locked in eternal frustration. Stuck in division 2 seemingly forever. Fosun provided the funds and a manager who got us promoted on near on 100 points. We couldn’t have dreamed two 7th place finishes. FA Cup semi final. Euro adventures. But those dreams were realised. Mixed fortunes since admittedly but looking increasingly like an unprecedented SIXTH season in the premier league on the horizon. A top manager. And probably another infusion of signings in the summer. Sure. Fosun have made mistakes but they also hold Wolves dearly. I can’t complain.
2014 we was in league 1…. let that sink in
What a magnificent performance and result today ..
Costa fully deserving his goal and all round causing the Brentford centre backs problems… so there you go Ben Mee.
Three more precious PL points and .. yes .. we’re nearly there… a result at Leicester will be another massive step to safety and hopefully send Lineker’s Foxes and Vardy into the championship.. which I will enjoy immensely..
Big big defensive performance today with all of the back four immense. … and at last how pleasing to have a strong bench to support the starting XI.
It’s by no means certain that Neves will start next week and his absence shows us as P2 W2 Pts 6 Goals For 3 Goals Against 0 … impressive..
Finally .. it was a pleasure to follow Jose Sa down Hordern Rd in his ‘25 litre’ gas guzzling, bus sized Porsche ..
Good news keeps on rolling. PPG for 18th place projected to end of season = 33.10. Which means that as we stand today 34 points will keep you up. So. Wolves as we stand are pretty much safe. But I want 1 more win to remove any doubt. 7 games to get it.
Who was that team and where have they been hiding?
J-Lo’s got the good biscuits in for the lads, and they have responded with a couple of top class home performances. That’s more like it.
Great to see Costa finding his mojo, bullying the Nylons and getting his goal.
Hwang put the icing on a pleasant afternoons work, in what was a potentially tricky fixture.
Nothing more than the long suffering fans deserve since expectations were allowed to rise under Nuno 6 seasons ago.
Let’s continue to build on our best season on season run in the Prem to date.
1 lv & COYW.
In the time that Traore has been with us he has clearly worked hard on his heading.
Even in his cameo role, he was positively Douganesque !
Also, how is Nunes able to just saunter but still leave defenders in his wake ?
That was a battle of a game, and we won it. Top marks again for a really excellent team performance! Nunes’s set up for the Hwang goal was special. He’s definitely working out this Premier League.
I’m definitely not a counting my chickens type but we’re nearer to safety after that.
In this precarious world of top level football where petro dollar teams can buy whoever they want on a whim nothing is certain.
All we need to focus on now is beating Leicester. The one thing I can say with confidence is that Lopetegui looks like the real deal. Once survival is beyond a shadow of a doubt I really am looking forward to see how he can further shape this team. And the January window has massively boosted us, Dawson, Lemina, Gomes are making a difference. Cunha has not quite hit his tracks yet, Sarabia jury’s out but he gets around the pitch well.
Happy days, but not quite over the line yet!
So good to see the whole team working together as one unit. Strong in defence, dominant in midfield and swift and fluid in attack, we carried on where we left off against Chelsea, picking up endless loose balls, second balls, 50/50 balls. Where there were balls, we picked ’em up.
Special mentions for Diego (of course), Nunes and Super Max Kilman.
Diego looked fitter than at any time since joining us and ran his socks off for the cause. His joy on scoring was fully shared by we fans and the Diego chants must have been music to his ears.
Nunes finally seems to have found his mojo, and wow, what a mojo it is. Deceptively quick, he seems to leave opponents in his wake almost effortlessly and his run to set up Hwang’s finish was devastating.
Maxamilian Kilman. What can you say? So composed when the heat is on, so skilful on the ball and so difficult to get past even when seemingly second favourite. I’ll change his name, if I may, to Thanksamillion Kilman.
Massive decision to be made now Ruben has served his suspension. I’m so glad it’s not I who has to make it.
Congratulations to Mr Jeff Shi on finally getting his man. Excellent choice sir.
Aaand relax…..
Neves on the bench for me next game, who gets dropped for him to come back in? Surely that would be insane given our previous form this season. The difference for me is the higher tempo and the pace which we bring it from defence to attack. JLo has hopefully found the sweet spot for our new signings and if they shine not playing in Neves shadow then so be it. We’d still be in the bottom three if it wasn’t for our captain but if his absence is the ingredient needed for the rest of the team to perform effectively then JLo has a decision to make albeit an enviable one by football standards cos we have a squad now where we can leave our best player on the bench! If you’d have said that 3 games ago you’d have been laughed at. With Toti solving our left back problem things are looking bright. It’s still only 2 games so I don’t wanna get carried away, it’s just like us to go to Leicester and lose and apparently they bossed the second half against City so it’s in their locker.
Costa looks match fit at last and is coming good at the business end of the season, we all know what he’s capable of so if he hits a run of form we could be in for some fun in the the last few games now that the pressure is off. He clearly prefers playing with a strike partner as does Raul who I feel has been unlucky not to get a run playing alongside Cunha. Great to see Hwang back too as JLo obviously sees him as a player who fits his style, whenever he’s fit he plays a part and is very effective, staying fit though seems to be the problem. Two strikers actually doing their job at last.
Lots to smile about 🙂
IMHO, that was THE best performance by Wolves this season. The whole team worked well, I can tell, because I did not swear once at any Wolves player !!
The future does indeed look bright when you consider the players yet to come in. The return of Kalajdzic. B.Traore, Chiquinho will strenghten the team even more, allowing for the departure of players that are due to leave us for one reason or another.
Let us also not forget our academy youngsters like Hodge, Bueno and Lembikisa and players on loan like Silva and Giles. All could very well be playing PL in the next year or two. The future looks bright indeed.
Hopefully the performances we have seen this week is an indication of the way our manager wants the team to play, Exciting football that will bring results and therefore a full ground every time we play.
Keep the faith. Here endeth the lesson. Amen.
Some of our interplay was fantastic; Citeh like.
To intimate that we are a better team without Neves, to my mind, is both disrespectful and wrong and I’m sure any fan doesn’t really think that on reflection. Midfielders tend to get their fair share of knocks as with Traore at present and to have our present set of midfielders fit is a great bonus.
Neves will, I think, be on the bench to come on later in the next game. He has carried this team at times this season pre JLo when things have not been going well. Competition for places can only improve his performance and he will slot into this team easily with no loss of performance by the team, I think.
I’m sorry for being tetchy regarding his future inclusion, but he has been the heart of our team and I place him alongside Peter Broadbent as my all time great, personally.
Next season will take care of itself with the sometimes unhelpful assistance of player’s agents.
Have just come across this – four black and white minutes – quite literally, the pitch was covered in snow – of Wolves v Everton on Boxing Day 1970. Two goals from the Doog, a nice touch from Waggy and an incisive pass to Bobby Gould to set up the second goal. A sign of how things used to be with a pass back to Phil Parkes and Alan Ball getting booked – what more could you want?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LmZT4O1caE
Enjoy and COYW
Brilliant JazzW … a game I remember well,,being there of course, and Clive was there too …
They just couldn’t keep the DOOG quiet…
Everton had some decent players on the day ..
I was there too.
Standing in my usual place in The Enclosure, just in front of His McGarryness. ‘Smiler’ as I used to call him.
All that success and never cracked a grin.
I can’t remember whether I was there or not – I used to be on the South Bank and from there didn’t get much detail of the goals. I was there on two other memorable occasions involving Everton though…..
……on 21 January 1961 t was WWFC 4 Everton 1, One of the goals was scored by Ted Farmer – whose early retirement due to injury was a real blow to the club. The game was memorable because he scored his 21st goal on his 21st birthday on the 21st of the month and on what was his 21st appearance for the first team. ……
…… I can’t remember the date of the other game, but we lost. The game descended into farce in the second half when thick fog enveloped the ground. Wolves were attacking the South Bank, but weren’t really in the game, most of which took place in their half. Albert Dunlop, the Everton Goalkeeper was standing on the 18yard line peering into the gloom, from which a few times, a figure in gold would emerge – only to disappear again when – all too often – the attack broke down and Everton resumed their onslaught on the North Bank end. It eventually went quiet and we weren’t sure if the game was still in progress. We found out when a St. John’s Ambulance man came onto the pitch and told Dunlop everyone else was back in the dressing room. The fog was so bad that, even on the edge of the penalty area he couldn’t see that there was nobody left on the pitch.
Does anyone remember the game at molineux in the snow with an orange ball against Everton when Norman Bell got a rare start and scored a hat trick for us?
I don’t know about that one, but this lists several successes in the snow.
https://www.wolvesheroes.com/2010/11/27/wolves-the-snow-kings/
Yes ..
Dont, remember the orange ball in the snow….but I do remember the wonderful Three Goals scored by Jesse Pye on Boxing Day against a struggling Cliff Bastin England and Arsenal Centre Half’
Express and Star headlines “A Piece Of Xmas Pie for Wolves”
Seems to me that what’s changed in the last two games is we haven’t been constantly passing sideways to get the ball to Neves.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the man. He’s been a great servant to the club but we have become over-reliant on him. He has often shouldered all the responsibility to create something.
With his suspension, someone else had to step up, and who’d have thought that they all would.
Suddenly, we’ve become a team.
Judging by many opinions offered above the bell is tolling on what has been, for many of us, the best era of Wolves modern history. I refer of course to the six years Neves has given.
I will always carry with me the memory of THE goal he scored back in The Championship. I was privileged to be nearly in line with Ruben, in The Steve Bull, as the ball looped towards him and he caught it with the sweetest strike many of us have ever seen. Such was the disbelief there was a moments silence before we all leapt to our feet.
Most of us thought without him Wolves were reduced but the last two games show there is life after Neves. If as seems likely he departs in the summer I will always treasure what he brought to The Molineux and I will wish him luck for the joy he gave me. But I hope he has enough affection for Wolverhampton to stay and for a while at least continue to make us happy.
Got to give Costa another season …. there’s been so much work put into him .His class is ageless .. and now that he’s got himself to decent fitness , he is starting to show what a fantastic addition he is . A gamble that is finally paying off !!
Looks like Lopetegui has found both his starting 11 and the style of play to take us forward . It also looks like our team are enjoying playing for each other , playing for the club ,playing for the the support and playing for JLo !
I think everyone knows that when we get past this dog fight ( or crocodiles) then next season is going to be different gravy !
UTW
Totally agree with Costa .. he’s enjoying the role and deffo worthy of an extension to his contract ..,
I can’t really add too much to what has been so succinctly written by my fellow bloggers.
Just one thing though.
If we’ve done a better bit of business in the last couple of seasons than bringing in this player, I’d like to know what it was.
I said at the time that getting rid of Conor Coady, apart from seriously weakening the side and the morale of the club, made me fall a little out of love with the team I have followed for over 50 years.
The man I’m referring to is not the ebullient and hyper character that Conor was, but he has stabilised the defence with his rock solid work and is mentoring Max Kilman and bringing him back to the sort of form that he showed last season.
All this, on a free transfer.
Here’s to Craig Dawson.
Cheers mate!
Maybe we can get Coady back now Dyche clearly isn’t a fan and Lage has gone; not often, but just sometimes you can go back. Dawson, Coady and Kilman looks like a formidable back 3 if needed.
Fully agree about Dawson btw, but why ever did we buy Collins?
Costa may not be destined to score many goals for us, given his age and time out of the game, but he is being taken to the hearts of the Molineux faithful all the same. And for good reason. I have an exciting feeling though that his sheer work rate, experience and increasing match fitness levels are reaching a tipping point where he will go onto a golden swansong in his career over the next season or two. I would definitely extend his contract.
Hard to make sense of Everton’s downfall. Double jeopardy. Possible relegation and also a points deduction. They got away with dodgy unaudited accounts at the start of the season, showing no case to answer. But the new audited accounts have dropped them in the shit. If they’re going to be relegated they’re better off accepting the points deduction this season, instead of next season in the championship. That’s what they get for nicking our club captain! Karma. I just wish Coady had stayed to fight for his place at Wolves. He might even have kept in contention for England. A major career and reputational error. Morgan Gives Shite has hardly fared better at Forest. Karma.
I’m chuffed that I forecast a 2-0 win for the Prediction League, if we kept our heads. There was just the one yellow card against us, in spite of the provocation of dodgy decisions. We’re learning not to be provoked. Red mist gets you nowhere.
So I think me and JLo have cracked it
He picks a premier league mid – table starting line up and I predict a 3-0 loss
Simples
Formula to continue for remaining games … tho’ I’ll be sleeping more soundly once I see us on 39 points
and preferably after the next 3 matches lads!
It will be fascinating to see who JLo keeps and let’s go over the summer
Surely we need a top striker? And it’s not the boy prince
Meantime as bloggers have highlighted there’s a lot of quality to come back from the injured list
Braced for LANM&J
(Life after Neves , Moutinho and Jimenez )
…they gave us such great times but I think it’s over for different reasons
Meantime Leicester 3 Wolves 0!
We lost Jiminez to David Luiz two and a half years ago.
And good luck to Molineux legends Neves and Moutinho wherever they move on to.
The six points from two home games has been fabulous on and off the pitch but what has struck me is the togetherness that we had in the Nuno era seems to be coming back. The two victories have seen real team efforts overcoming decent opponents by being aggressive, determined and resilient. Partnerships developing in key areas of the pitch, Dawson + Kilman, Lemina + Gomez, Costa + Cunha. In our customary brief and last slot on MoTD, look at the collective celebrations after each goal, that says a lot about the team spirit. We’re almost safe so let’s not cock it up please lads.
Agreed about the togetherness except that poor Nuno had to do it with a threadbare squad. He gamely stuck to the big lie that he wanted a small squad. My arse he did. He was obviously following orders. That big lie was exposed after the quarter final defeat to Sevilla. Nuno then did his best Oliver Twist pleading face, please sir, can I have more? Thankfully we seem to have adults in charge of our great club now. Lopetegui will be rewarded with the squad he needs in the summer, and we will be challenging for top seven next season.
Not very long ago they were writing us off. Well, not any more they ain’t !
“ He’s mad that trusts in the tameness of a wolf, a horse’s health, a boy’s love, or a whore’s oath.” (Macbeth)
King Lear actually, but I get your point mate.
“Now, men, when you play cards with me, you don’t lose money – you learn a trade.” (Sergeant Bilko).
Thanks for the correction Doog. Much appreciated.
Yes, sorry about that. The present Mrs DG’er says that my middle name should have been ‘Pedant’.
No no … you middle two names are Laff and Ayette…
The conundrum for me is where was Lady Twix headed off to all those years ago ..
No no … you middle two names are Laff and Ayette…
The conundrum for me is where was Lady Twix headed off to all those years ago ..
Dirty Leeds lost 11-2 last two home games . Every cloud has a silver lining !
Jeff Shi really gets my goat. How dare he go meddling in football matters, appointing Lopetegui and spending the best part of £75m in January. Makes my blood boil so much I have to moan about him even when we win.
Post World Cup Mini League
1 Wolves P16 24pts (0gd)
2 West H P15 17pts (-5gd)
3 Crystal P P16 17pts (-6gd)
4 Bournemouth P16 17pts (-14gd)
5 Forest P16 14pts (-13gd)
6 Leeds P17 14pts (-16gd)
7 Everton P16 13pts (-16gd)
8 Southampton P16 11pts (-15gd)
9 Leicester P16 8pts (-14gd)
We have at last a manager that can see what’s going on and identify a change of strategy.Thank fully.
Neves either fits in or we sell even if he has God like status… back to this fixture it was a banana skin we won with manager passed on attitude..
More players of quality and nxt season will be turbo charged..
We will survive what was looking like the old days of here we go again…
Our new manager deserves a 5 mil bonus for keeping us all sane.
Current PPG average rolled forward last 7 games. Here is how each club will look after game 38 (with current gd):
SAINTS 28.19 -29
LEICS 30.65 -14
NOTTM F 33.10 -32
EVERTN 33.10 -22
LEEDS 35.55 -20
WHAM 39.27 -12
BMTH 40.45 -28
WWF C 41.68 -16
CPAL 44.13 -9
My calculations suggest as it stands we will be safe after game 36 . Which means no hiding behind the sofa for Arsenal away !
And don’t underestimate the goal difference. Currently 5 teams worse than us which means you can add another point on to our tally.
Just watched Man Utd’s capitulation to Sevilla tonight.
Oh Dearie me. What a pity. Never mind.
Robbie Savage on form with his commentary,
“I’ve gotta say, I’m lost for words.”
Nice one Robbie.