Mix in some of Nuno’s stragglers with Bruno’s flops and a sprinkling of Uncle Jorge’s half-baked Iberian losers that nobody ever asked for in the first place and what have you got?
Arguably the worst squad never to get relegated in Premier League history.
Circle the drain for long enough and you’ll eventually get sucked down. By the grace of god, we haven’t been swallowed under this season but we sure as hell will next time with so many of these half-hearted failures lining up again.
With eight less goals than Dave Jones’ rock-bottom side in 2004 and 10 less than Mick McCarthy’s disaster-class of 2012, this squad should be contemplating life in the Championship, by rights. Were it not for Craig Dawson, I’d argue that we would be.
It’s no wonder that Julen Lopetegui said that keeping them up is his biggest managerial achievement because, to put it bluntly, they’re bluffers who he simply can’t trust.
For the sake of our manager’s sanity – and surely his commitment to the cause – he needs to be able to mould his own squad before we disappear down the plughole for good.
In this most desperate of seasons, desperate measures are now needed and if we’re not to follow in Southampton’s footsteps, we need to press the reset button, bin off at least 15 of these painfully inconsistent performers and start again. Players of heart, passion, consistency and pride to wear the shirt are now needed, mirroring the man on the touchline we’re so lucky to have.
Leave
Taking out the insufferable levels of sentiment which afflicts so many of our fans, the following players should be shown the door as soon as soon as this horrendous season is finally over.
Sa
Did more than anyone to stave off the threat of relegation last season and played with a broken wrist this season. Undoubtedly a controversial choice, but his levels have dropped alarmingly. He appears unable to play out from the back in the manner the manager wants. Also appears incapable of learning from the same mistakes.
Semedo
Embodies everything wrong with this squad. Talented, but when he’s bad – which is every other game – he makes me feel nauseous just watching him. Doesn’t score, doesn’t assist and too frequently doesn’t track his man or even make an effort to get back behind the ball when squandering it. (See Palace away for the most gutless show of laziness in a Wolves shirt). A liability.
Jonny
Like Semedo, cuts the jib of a player that genuinely can’t be bothered. A shame, as he was great before two serious injuries which are surely the reason for his regression. Either way, he should never play for us again. Thanks for the memories.
Coady
More great memories than anyone and served us with pride and distinction, but there’s a reason the windshield is bigger than the rear-view mirror. Where we head now is of more concern than the past and the fact he wasn’t good enough for relegation-haunted Everton, or even Bruno Lage, says it all. Thank you Conor.
Hoever
Like so many on this list, he’s so underwhelming precisely because he hints at having something. Not defensively astute enough from what I’ve seen and not at the level that we should be aspiring to reach.
Ait Nouri
Another one who hints at quality, but who follows up promise with horrendous performances, lacking the most basic pre-requisite of effort. Like so many leopards posturing as Wolves, he’s proved unable to change his spots and cannot be trusted. One silver lining is that he might command a half-decent transfer fee.
Nunes
What an abomination of a season from a bloke we all patiently waited to come good. A potentially fatal presence, precisely because he has such ability. Games against Chelsea and Brentford had everyone excited what might come next. What followed was one of the worst individual displays at Brighton in history. Is he restricted by Neves’ presence? Whatever the explanation, he’s been the most underwhelming signing in 35 years of watching Wolves. Looks constantly miserable to be here and yet another who can’t be trusted.
Sarabia
Arguably the most pointless signing I’ve had the misfortune of suffering since…Hwang? By his own admission, the Premier League is too quick for him. Every game passes him by and his flaky, featherweight presence is not enough to offset the fleeting moment of competence. Lopetegui has clearly seen enough by the fact he never plays him any more. Did he even want him in the first place? Get rid.
Hwang
Another one-good-game-in-five merchant and another who can’t be trusted. Contrary to popular opinion that he works hard, I don’t think he even does this. He postures at hard work, but never closes down or tracks back with any real purpose or intent. Must have a half decent sell-on value owing to good World Cup and commercial value.
Podence
Concedes possession more often than a baby concedes candy. Worse still, the baby has a more imposing physical presence. If there’s a more infuriating player than Podence then I’m yet to see him. Remains our most likely finisher on the rare moments we create an opening, but every other facet of his game is a luxury. We can ill afford luxuries in our predicament.
Moutinho
For the sake of his legacy, Joao must be replaced now, and only retained in some sort of coaching capacity if he wanted it as he’s earned that right. Cameos such as Spurs recently remind us of one of the best players to have worn the shirt, but age catches up with us all and it hasn’t been nice viewing to see our midfield swamped when he starts, despite his admirable effort.
Adama Traore
Since racing those kids in a car park, he’s lost 5 yards of pace. The Adama of old was one of the most electrifying sights I’ve ever seen making George Ndah look slow. But this is a pale imitation of that version. Has either lost his jet heels or can’t be bothered to engage them anymore. Coupled with an age-old millstone of revolting outputs and this is an easy decision to make.
Guedes
We all know who sanctioned this deal and we’re due a big favour for accommodating Guedes. Another who encapsulates everything I hate with this squad. No heart, desire, fight or seemingly pride in his own performances. Nonsense like this must stop.
Diego Costa
Any fan who genuinely wants to see Costa given a contract extension is, frankly, part of the problem. With his goalscoring days firmly behind him, his infectious trolling and talismanic presence can’t be enough to earn him a new deal – if he even wants to stay for another year in the first place. Appreciative of his hard work, but the levels of sickly sentiment amongst some clouds what we actually need in the here and now.
Jimenez
Pains me to write this, as he remains the best striker I have seen since Steve Bull. But, through no fault of his own, he is no longer the superstar he once was. His powers have waned and it has been sad to see his levels deteriorate so markedly. Better to have loved and lost, and we will forever love the Mexican.
Keep
Neves
No words are needed, but the future of our wonderkid from Porto rests with him and his agent, I’m sure, making this entry largely irrelevant!
Dawson
Did more than anyone to ensure we didn’t get swallowed into the drain.
Lemina
Another with the requisite minerals and pride to wear the shirt.
Kilman
Body language occasionally belies a very talented footballer. An ever-present with age on his side.
Collins
I might be in a minority, but thought Collins looked very promising. Still young, thrown in at the deep-end and will surely be better for the experience.
Bentley
While one swallow doesn’t make a summer, his Old Trafford debut hints at great promise. At worst, an able back-up keeper.
Toti
He has great potential and our side generally picks up more points with him in it. A rough diamond to be polished
Bueno
A rare highlight in an otherwise miserable season. Huge promise and a player who can only get better.
B Traore
Looks to have the assets that so many of the above lack. Deserves a chance after injury.
Gomes
A cult-hero in the making and displays like Chelsea (home) suggest that we’ve found a gem
Cunha
Can count himself fortunate not to be on the list, as he’s been a horrendously expensive gamble and the jury is still out. Hoping that a bona-fide no9 will unlock new levels for Cunha as a no10.
Neto
His health has been hopelessly mismanaged by Nuno and Bruno and he needs time and support to get back to his old levels. If he finds them again, he’ll be an asset.
Kalajdzic
Another whose body was treated like a losing lottery ticket. Hope we will hit the jackpot from the £15m signing but remains to be seen if we will. Idly thrown into the breeze against his wishes with a dodgy knee was another blot on this shambolic season.
Fabio
Whilst one of his biggest critics, we should look at him following two loan spells of seeming success. With such shameful goal outputs by our hapless forward this season, he can be no worse and by occupying the same areas of the pitch he used to, he could be valuable with greater physicality and experience.
Hodge
Showed ample levels of attitude, pride and passion, hinting at why Man City thought so highly of him. A loan will do him the world of good next season.
Cundle
Another loan at Swansea City might suit all parties. Like Hodge, displays great attitude and this should not be taken for granted.
Chiquinho
A potential ace-in-the-pack. Much more direct than other forwards we’ve had to endure this season. Another I’d look to loan out.
Ben, it`s great to read such straight forward opinions honestly expressed.
The bottom line is that you are absolutely correct. We may differ about a few individuals –e.g Collins. — but that is not material within the overall picture. The fact is that by far the majority of your proposed exits are spot on for the very reasons that you gave.
That somehow Lop managed to stave off relegation is in itself a miracle. But effectively all he has done is to paper over the cracks of the major problems brought about by gross mismanagement over the past three seasons
The brutal reality is that if the club fails to tackle the base cause of our massive decline as a matter of major priority, — which necessarily requires a thorough clear-out of mediocrity and those not fully committed to the cause, –there can only be one result.
Relegation
We are hugely fortunate to have a world class coach at the helm. But now is the time to provide him with the real support that he deserves. The time for idle words is long gone; now is the time for Shi act with with real intent. And he should start by making it clear that the input of all new players will rely on those selected by his coach.
Will it all happen ? Who knows. But this time around what is certain is that there will be no more second chances.
“Sarabia [ . . . . . ] Lopetegui has clearly seen enough by the fact he never plays him any more. Did he even want him in the first place? ” ????
I thought Sarabia was a J.Lo. pick? Weren’t they at Sevilla at the same time? And he would certainly have come across him in the Spain national set-up?
I doubt if any of the January signings weren’t OK’d by J.Lo.
Some might call it a “sickly sentiment” but I think Diego Costa would have scored more goals in the last couple of months if anyone could have been bothered to supply him with the ball in the opponents box a little more often. I’d keep him if for no other reason than Kalajdzic is unproven.
“Any fan who genuinely wants to see Costa given a contract extension is, frankly, part of the problem.” Equally frankly, Ben, you’re a dick if you believe any fan has enough influence with the hierarchy at Molineux to form even a tiny “part of the problem”.
Rumours have it that Man Utd want Collins. Please let it be true . . . . . Sell, Sell, Sell!
Lopetegui called Sarabia to come here. Have you read Sarabia’s intetviews?
Hope Mosquera will be given a chance as well
Will Fosun back jlo with sufficient funds ?
Perhaps Neves will have to be sold but hopefully the players listed will bring in sufficient funds to avoid that and that Neves can be played further forward instead of wasting his ability.
Well, for my part I’d definitely have Collins and Neto on the Leave list.
I can’t see that the minimum once a game howlers will ever be ironed out of Collins. That makes him too much of a liability in his position.
As for Neto, surely we’ve now seen enough of him post injury to realise that he’s just not going to reach anywhere near the same level again. Can’t take on an opponent anymore, lost a yard of pace, runs down blind alleys with his head down never looking at the bigger picture, ridiculously one footed, an air of immense frustration in his body language etc etc. And to think I thought he was going to be our next big star.
Bloody Hell Ben where did that come from? You summed my thoughts up to a tee but I’m not sure I’d have been brave enough to post on the blog.
After having been able to compete with every Premier team under Nuno most of them are now head and shoulders above us. Indeed, on a number of occasions this season we’ve looked and played like the worst one.
Unlike teams like Brighton our recruitment policy has not been successful. The Iberian experiment has largely failed – gutsy performers like Neves and Moutinho have flourished whilst the featherweight brigade of Nunes, Sarabia and Guedes along with Trincao and Vitinha before them who stand out in the Portuguese league simply can’t cope with the rigours of the Premiership.
It’s going to be a big ask to recruit the right sort of players in the summer whatever the level of support given by Fosun.
Are Giles, Hodge Cundle and Sanderson good enough – who knows. Will they be given a chance – probably not!
We have to accept that Neto may never be able to recapture the form of old and despite obvious ability ( only seen on YouTube) every fan will have their heart in mouth every time Kalajdzic goes down next term given his injury record. You even get the feeling that Silva is one of a growing number of players who doesn’t want to wear the Old Gold.
Defensively I agree with you about Collins – yes he has a mistake in him but so has Kilman. You do wonder how many more seasons Dawson has at the highest level but at least unlike attackers we do have some promising young defenders around the lower leagues.
We’re doomed if we can’t score more goals next season but we do need a midfield capable of creating them. Had it not been for bad decision making (again) last summer we could now have a midfield including Palhinha and MGW. Would they have offered more than Nunes and Guedes – Hell Yes!!
Apparently, Arsenal want Neto for £50 million. But what do they know?
Take the money as long as it’s reinvested.
Of that’s correct, which I doubt, they’ve been watching old videos!
That bs rumour would have been put out when they thought they might need to win the last game. Now it’s irrelevant and I hope we smash them.
Agree totally Ben I’d throw Kilman in there as well he has really dropped off since Coady left and got a roasting from Dawson yesterday he’s to casual and as a defender you cannot be.
Some one blogged we should not judge Jeff and Fosun until the window closes…..we I’m fed up of giving them the benefit of the doubt every window in the last 3 to 4 years has been a disaster….rember Jesus….and most recently Gedes.
Window after window it’s been the same out come……late signing ie last summer those that came in were not brought in till the end of the window giving them no chance to settle in with a pre season and gel with the rest of the squad.
And as usual Uncle George will no doubt be all over every transfer in and out and those coming in will probably not from these shores……..same old same old approach.
Will Jeff and Fosun prove me wrong I hope so but very much doubt it.
We end the first half of the season bottom of the league, 10 miserable points, rudderless and clueless.
We change the manager.
We add half a dozen players.
We end the season, almost, 40 points, nearly halfway up the league.
Suddenly, two thirds of the squad that achieved this minor miracle of a turnaround, including several of the newbies,are absolute crap and should be nowhere near the Premier League. If Senor Lopetegui had had the whole season we would be challenging for Europe. With this squad.
Can I suggest that it’s the manager change that has changed our fortunes. I too, of course, see some players are past their sell by date, and some others have flattered to deceive. But to suggest that two thirds of them fall so far below the required standard is disregarding what they have achieved since December.
Absolutely agree. It would be ridiculous to get rid of so many premier league experienced players. It’s sledgehammer to crack a nut .
Absolutely spot on Ben and whether everyone agrees with every player you have highlighted is largely irrelevant. The overriding picture is a damning indictment of the Shi/ Mendes recruitment over several windows – lots of money spent and a lot of mediocrity and plain rubbish bought. God help us if Lopetegui doesn’t get control of what he wants within an agreed budget for next season.
Ben
Wonderfully honest summary of our hopeless mixture of mercenaries, wantaways, neverwantedtobeheres and justnotgoodenoughs.
It’s a bloody mess and it’s JL’s miracle that we’re going to have a go at a rebuild.
I would start at bringing back Coady (if possible) and Fabio as they are under contract and imo both have something to offer. Would also keep Sa if he wants to be here. And full marks to Dawson and Lemina who probably kept us up.
Other than that agree with all your outs and wouldn’t be that bothered to lose any one else except the iconic Neves but we have to accept that isn’t going to happen. As for the maybes we will all have our thoughts. That includes Kilman who no longer looks bothered and Collins is a must go.
Will Lopetegui get the backing he wants/needs for such a massive rebuild – well if he doesn’t I suspect he’ll just walk with The Great Escape added to his impressive CV because there is little doubt he has a get out clause in his contract. Who could blame him?
Finally no more Mendes “ones for the future” please -the focus is on the present.
Fosun threw a few bob into the January survival fund but this summer is going to be the acid test.
Agree with virtually all of your sentiments Ben but I doubt the club will be bold enough to make this wholesale clear out .
The one clear out you have not mentioned is Shi who has of course overseen the last couple of years of shockingly bad decisions the average fan would not make .That is not going to happen but I have no faith he will do any better in the summer unless Jlo really is in charge of it all .
Nick I agree with you that Shi is the real problem.
He has no real knowledge of the game and somehow managed to get rid of those well qualified and proven guys around him, such as Dalrymple, so that he could control the whole show. Then it was a very simple step to surround himself with ‘Yes Men’ who he could lay blame on when things inevitably went wrong.
That Fosun have allowed him to continue in this pivotal role for so long is amazing. In my view Shi should be right at the top of the exit list. But it won`t happen and on we`ll go with nasty little deals via Mendez remaining the norm. It would be laughable if it wasn`t so sad.
To all the doomsters just look at Sandwell Town. Fosun provided massive backing both in August and January. J lo at the helm . Fosun to be applauded for bringing J Lo in. Backing him. I have no doubt he will be backed again. I have no doubt J Lo will have had a say on who is being signed.i have no doubt J Lo will have a say on who maight be signed. He is an international manager. Jesus . The amount of negativity on here is unbelievable. Fosun have overseen the most successuccesful Wolves side since the 1970’s. Just think on before the constant moaning and groaning.
CoD
Why is your focus on a backstreet club who are down there Walsall. You’re setting the bar too low.
Fosun came here with trumpets blaring, drums banging, whistles blowing etc, and over the last 3 years have let us down. According to their original prospectus we should now be mixing it with “the big 6” rather than just out of a relegation scrape. But given that even Jeff & co haven’t taken us down to WBA’s level.
We should have much higher aspirations than yours.
What ? A team languishing in the doldrums for 40 years. A new set of owners who finally invest and get us out of the purgatory. Two 7th place finishes in the top league. An FA cup semi final. Euro tours. Six successive seasons participation in the top league. Best Wolves side for 50 odd years. Not good enough though obviously.
You tell him Cheese. Casting aspersions on your aspirations. I think PJB may well be heading for relegation himself next term if he keeps that sort of talk up. 1 lv
Entirely agree Cheese. The depressing thing about the moaners, complaining endlessly is their inability to look back on life at the Mol before Fosun. The other depressing thing is it’s the same old names making the same old points. There have been times when even PJB seemed to be less myopic but he seems to have reverted to type.
It was the like being next to the regular in your local who moans about the bar staff and landlord but never realises he is the problem. Eventually you go to the pub down the road. Which is what I did when I stopped posting on this previously wonderful place to be.
Cheese I admire your fortitude and determination to be the ray of light in this sometimes dark place.
Morning guys
Presume I’m allowed the right of reply.
Surely stating that we have been let down and mismanaged over the last 3 years is hardly an opinion – the facts are there for all to see. The platform that Nuno was building has been dismantled to the point where we can barely score a goal and it’s only due to the miracle pulled off by Julen Lopetegui that we are still in the PL.
Prior to Jan. recruitment has been shambolic.
We shouldn’t be setting our sights on being better than WBA. WWFC has the history, resources and demographics to have top ten expectations and over the last 3 years we have under achieved throughout the club and we have lost our way. You have to earn it and we aren’t doing it.
I see that as constructive criticism not moaning.
In good faith I rest my case.
Your “constructive criticism ” would carry more weight if it wasn’t the same old tired points paraded as “facts”. In reality they long since lost credibility. In fact they are not constructive. Try suggesting solutions if you want to be constructive.
My response is as (copy and pasted verbatim) a reply to DOOGooder this am.
“Couldn’t agree more about Jan. signings.
Those who label me as doomster conveniently ignore that I have consistently lauded both the club and even Jeff himself for the prompt and decisive action which almost certainly saved us from relegation.
But the different angle is that they were mainly JL’s own choices and even Cunha is not a Mendes man”.
COD I love reading your comments, and much admire your continuing positivity. But today I think that your conclusions lack balance
In the latter part of my business career I held the position of CEO and Chairman of a publicly quoted UK corporation. The biggest lesson I learned during this tenure was that if your business model is not working, it needs to be changed PDQ. Failure to act decisively can only have one result. Disaster. And this is precisely what we now face.
Our business model in not working. After the initial successes under Nuno, the past three years have been a time of continuing and escalating decline. Fundamental issues have been routinely swept under the carpet. Losing and the failure to entertain are key factors which have become the acceptable norm.
The problem lies not with the cash input of Fosun, but rather relates to the sheer incompetence of Shia and his cohorts in the disposal of available funds. Our business model relates to a very unhealthy relationship between a Chairman [ Shi ], who is very ignorant of his product– football — and a players agent [Mendez,] Their respective best interest is frequently directly opposed.
The result is that substantial funds have been thrown away on a completely unbalanced squad comprising mediocre players, many of whom simply do not want to play for us. Unless this ridiculous business model is scrapped in its entirely, the immediate future of the club is bleak.
I suspect that Ben`s understanding of the realism of our situation is what has prompted the writing of his article, and is the reason why PJB and others on this blog are so apprehensive. To dismiss these concerns as irrelevant at this critical stage is to be irresponsible
In my view, the start point must be to oust those who cannot perform to an acceptable standard, or would prefer to ply their trade elsewhere. Then to introduce a new business model whereby the Chairman`s role is to oversee the administrative running of the organization, having no direct input in day to day matters, including player recruitment. His role should extend to establishing the transfer budget,, but then the recruitment process should be left entirely to the the coach to whom all involved in the process should directly report.
In short there must be a division between those directing the administrative affairs of the club who establish policies, and those whose responsibility it is to ensure that the policies are then properly applied and made to work
This is the method adopted in all successful businesses, irrespective of the sectors in which they operate. It should be immediately applied at our club.
In summary I believe that to continue with the present mode of operation is not an option. We are at a critical juncture. Survival as Premier league club is entirely dependent on adopting a business model which is fit for the purpose
Mike
Great post.
My business principles are the same as yours – if it’s broken fix it quickly, but it’s been broken for over 3 years. What started out as a feasible grand (business) plan back in2016/17 based on a mixture of ambition but not a great deal of substance ran out of steam at the time we lost Dalrymple which left a vacuum with only Shi and a disillusioned (and deprived of sensible investment) Nuno to steer the ship.
And since then the first serious attempts of fixing it properly have been seen in the last 6 months. Which leaves a big rethink and a lot of work left to be done even to get back to “parity”.
But at least JL (with the backing of Jeff and Fosun to be fair) has saved us from having to do it fighting back from relegation.
Hail Julen Lopetegui!
Hard to believe there are so many incompetents running football clubs in the top tier or two.
Maybe, just t maybe, it isn’t the same as running a regular business.
What kind of company were you running?
Our manager and his team really have performed miracles to get us to safety. They deserve full credit.
It’s a shame that the achievement of avoiding relegation won’t be remembered in quite the same way as winning a championship or qualifying for Europe, but make no mistake, the job that Lopetegui has performed is every bit as impressive as anything any other manager has done for Wolves in recent times. Both the manner of it and the importance of it. Imagine the potential repercussions of playing in the Championship next season.
Which brings me on to Nuno. After Fosun’s acquisition of Wolves, there was a continuation of poor management appointments until they settled on the ex Porto coach, NES.
Who ??
Relatively unknown. His personality and approach along with money and Uncle Jorge’s clients and clout turned around our club’s fortunes and we romped to one of the most emphatic Championship titles ever seen.
Further strengthening, a small tight knit squad and our momentum, a team used to winning, playing with effective counterattacking football, whilst being underestimated by bigger teams, gave us two great seasons. Helped by remarkably few injuries.
Then we ran out of steam.
Mistakes at various levels, including recruitment and senior management dismissals finally caught up with us and we entered the Bruno era. We were spiraling down the plug hole.
Which brings us to now.
We are fortunate and it is a privilege to be playing in the Premier League. Our 6th season beckons but talk of learning from mistakes made is absolutely right.
You have to improve to survive. But this is not a full fledged irretrievable disaster. This is tough competitive football, and right now we are the 13th best team in England out of 92 in the leagues.
Financially sound. Very much looking forward not over our shoulder. Should we be content with that ? No ! We want more ? Yes ! But let’s not lose perspective.
As well constructed and written as Ben’s blog is, I don’t think we need quite the fire sale that is being suggested.
For want of a better analogy, teams are usually made up of heroes, villains, and everyone else. When the heroes hold sway and the villains are removed, you have a high performing team. Everyone else become heroes. Winning becomes a habit. Positivity rules. And vice versa.
That’s the challenge that the hierarchy faces this Summer. Make enough right choices of outgoings and incomings. Strengthen the squad in the right positions with players who have a great mentality as well as strength and ability and everyone else will follow. Hopefully.
Our biggest need – goals (no shit Sherlock). And has been for 3 seasons now.
I’m confident JL knows what is needed. He’s said he wants to meet with Jeff Shi to discuss plans. He expects and certainly deserves to be backed. He’s earned that right with what has been done since November.
You get the feeling that he will make the right decisions and spend what he is given well. But he and his team must be the ones calling the shots. Every choice to buy and sell or loan must be made by experienced football professionals who have only one question to ask each time. Will it improve the team ?
What wouldn’t we give to light the fuse and be absolutely on fire again !
UTW
Well said, Mutts. Keep up the good work. 1 lv.
I agree with a lot of what you say Mutt1eigh and I also think morale plays a big part in how a squad, however good or bad, performs, and to be honest morale amongst the players must still be pretty low even if we have escaped relegation.
A very good feat considering most clubs, who are bottom at Christmas, invariably go down.
The club, however, desperately needs to re establish that ‘feel good’ factor that it had when it last got promoted into the Premier.
That’s the tough bit and I think that can only happen in the dressing room.
We have just ovoid end relegation by the skin of our teeth and you think Jeff and Fosun are doing a wonderful job…….this mess of a season has been on the cards for two years.
We have been in decline the last 3 years and our league positions are proof of that.
If your only plus is that we are better of than Albion well we so nearly joined them and if nothing changes we soon will be.
I assume by ‘your’ you mean me. That’s fine . I give it out. I can take it. I don’t hide away. It’s great we can have a debate. But you only have to look at Southampton. Watford last year. Everton now. Money pumped in . Wrong decisions. My argument is the big picture shows the most successful Wolves team for 50 odd years. And with the current manager and the continued backing from Fosun the chance of good things to come.
Ha ha Cheesy mate. Lucky you’re not the only optimist on here, ready to enjoy / endure a 6th consecutive season of PL football / punditry in August. 1 lv.
Or the 600 million that chelsea have spent
Cheese…..so it was you I couldn’t remember who said at the time I was posting.
Yeah I get what you’re saying there are clubs worse off.
The fact is we are approaching our 7th year under Fosun and the last 3 we have declined to a point where we could have been relegated and I cannot see it getter any better unless there is a dramatic change in ambition.
50 years COD? Bit of poetic licence there.
Barnwell / Barker?
Let’s agree on 40 before we went down like The Titanic.
We have a top class, experienced international coach and thank goodness for that. Men like him belong in the Premier League, they are very good at their job , they can improve players and manage the turnover of players in and out of the club.
We all have our opinion of players but know nothing about what goes on during the week. J-Lop will know by now what should happen in the summer and what his first team squad will look like in August. Let’s just hope he gets what he wants and gets on with the job.
We’re playing a £300 mil squad in a £Billion pound league. That’s a lot of extra noodles if we want to turn up at Old Trafford etc. with a shout. We might have nicked an unmerited point, we might have lost 5-0 if not for Mr Bentley.
I’m interested in how J-Lo gets it together (or not) going forward. He’s going to be the one who gets the team fired up, and playing with the ruthless commitment a Non 6 club requires just to survive the EPL.
Recruitment is obviously the Key to this project, as non of us want to be staggering through next year in a similar fashion to this.
Or spending shed loads of dosh on bonfire material, see ‘The Boy Wonder’ & ‘The Giraffe’. But also McChelsea and Los Toffees, who have had worse seasons than us I would argue.
We want J-Lo in charge so will have to give him the ammo else he’s offski, in my opinion. We haven’t come this far to throw in the towel, or chuck all the toys out of the pram at our first sniff of relegation. Keep the faith.
1 lv & COYW,
Agree with a lot of what Ben said and also Cod I think a few players have done their dash, but for some of the players they need to come back from the Algarve with the new j.Lo attitude, the pressure of an relegation battle must be immense and pre season will be a good time to reset and immerse themselves in j.los philosophy they can always leave in the January transfer window if they can’t hack it
Hopefully Silva can return as a new signing but the prem might be a league to far.
Biggest one to get rid of is Mendes or keep at arms length just comes across to me as a manipulating money grabbing git and Jeff needs to extract himself from his back pocket even Jeff must have learnt a thing or two about football these past years
I’ve got the answer to bring a halt to the years of overspending and disproportionate number of misfiring or misfit acquisitions.
Spend what it takes on poaching Brighton’s entire scouting and recruitment team!
Best quality blogging for quite some time here
I’m in the camp that feels Ben is being a tad harsh and for my taste advocating too drastic a change
Great coaches … and I believe we have one… don’t just hire fire and mould, they also upgrade the players they coach and I would hope that names like Ait Nouri and Neto can be polished and brought to a much higher level… maybe even the Young Prince?
Next season is only a few months away and I don’t expect us to suddenly be top six material
Evolution not revolution is my hope
But
We need to find a new Neves and a system t/ strike force that scores 50+ goals
It might take a couple of years
OODCL
Great read as always mate.
I don’t think it’s the worst squad ever to survive in the Premier League, but it might possibly be the most infuriating.
There is an abundance of technical talent but the inability of individuals to perform consistently and the disjointed nature of the attacking play is galling.
One of the things I don’t like is the lack of adventure in our midfield play. How often do we see Ruben receive the ball, look up and then just Cruyff turn and pass to a defender who then gives it away trying to thread a pass? That just can’t be right.
The midfielders don’t operate in combination with one another and there’s not enough movement off the ball from those further forward.
I think there’s a hangover for some from the 352/343 days where we had a more rigid style of play and they’re struggling to adapt to a more fluid system.
We need to address these problems and yes, I think there will be a mass exodus. Probably not to the extent of your list Ben, but certainly 9 or 10 will depart as a minimum and that should give us funds to find suitable upgrades.
On your Kill List the two I’d disagree with are Sa (who I think has had an excellent season and done as much as anyone to keep us up) and Hwang who I think could be a useful player if we can solve the chronic issues in our build up.
The second half of the debate is who do we bring in? I would say it’s obvious we need the following qualities that are desperately lacking in the current group…
Height
Physical presence
Movement off the ball
Ability to pass through lines
A center forward is the obvious starting point to get the top two checked off. Gyokeres at Coventry would be an easy pick up, especially if they don’t get promoted through the playoffs.
With Southampton’s relegation confirmed I would also consider Carlos Alcaraz. He’s a busy, combative midfielder with an eye for goal. Someone will go in for him I’m sure.
We’re probably not going to get Ward Prowse but he would clearly be a great addition if Ruben were to leave.
I agree that we need to take a look at Ryan Giles. His numbers are too impressive to overlook and left back is a problem position for us.
Those are three or four that would help alter the dynamic of the side.
There are plenty of existing players I like, many of whom you list and others who could come good in the right system and with a proper pre preseason (Sarabia must be better than we’ve seen and I’m looking forward to getting Boubacar, Kalajdzik and Chiquinho back), so it’s not doom and gloom.
I just want to see us playing with clear intention in all areas of the pitch, which shouldn’t be a huge ask with the head coach we have in place and the resources that should be at his disposal.
I think I mentioned here a while back that maybe a clearance of many midfielders would be a good idea because of our lack of ability to get the ball to the forwards. If we can’t put our finger on who or why, maybe just start with a clean sheet.
Maybe Ruben, unintentionally, is a problem. Maybe he is too cautious. We played very well in the games that he was suspended.
I think that there is some residual negativity left over from the Nuno era which maybe needs to be cleansed. Not that I am blaming Ruben or the other midfielders because it may be completely happening subconsciously. Or completely in my mind.
Brutal assessment Ben! You start off with Sa who is probably one of the best shot stoppers in the Prem and can take credit for most of the home clean sheets we have recorded this season. You want a keeper who is excellent with the ball at their feet and you look at Raya and Edison. Most of the others are competent shot stoppers and Jose Sa is one of the best. I hope he stays. Then I read down the rest of your firing squad list and have to say I’m in full agreement. Massive summer ahead.
Taken another look at the hit list and will grant reprieves to Sa,Semedo, Nunes and Sarabia . Undecided about Hwang as I’m still trying to forgive him for Newcastles late equaliser. If Raul is leaving there should be some official acknowledgement of his fantastic contribution so disgracefully ended by the thug Luiz. So pleased Arsenal got done yesterday.
“Always look on the bright side of life”.
Fosun’s record of recruitment has been mixed to say the best… and pure rubbish to say the worst.
But let’s look at the last transfer window, overseen by JLo.
Dawson:- possibly the best deal done since Moutinho.
Lemina:- a driving midfield force. One that we’ve been missing for a long time.
Gomes:- a possible legend in the making.
Cunha:- Shows promise in a front two.
Sarabia:- OK, fair enough, looks a bit of a spent force.
But four out of five is a pretty decent return.
We all have different opinions on who should go or stay. But the ones we have brought in recently are a definite improvement.
So recruitment is looking up.
As we should be doing.
DOOGooder
Couldn’t agree more about Jan. signings.
Those who label me as doomster conveniently ignore that I have consistently lauded both the club and even Jeff himself for the prompt and decisive action which almost certainly saved us from relegation.
But the different angle is that they were mainly JL’s own choices and even Cunha is not a Mendes man.
That’s exactly the point I’m making PJB.
The recruiting policy, which has been so hit and miss with Jeff and Mendes at the helm seems to have taken a different course.
Whingeing and sniping at the people responsible for those errors in judgement serves no purpose.
JLo has got his hand on the tiller and is steering us towards a safer course, where the needs of the club come before the lining of the pockets of a perma-tanned wheeler dealer in a sharp suit.
What’s gone is gone.
What’s been done has been done.
We can only look forward and hope things are on the up.
I agree DOOGooder but when moving forward we all need to learn from the mistakes of the past; hopefully that is where the club is now at and if so we could be in for a very interesting summer. I think we’re on the same page.
For any club out of the top 6 juggernauts the finances are so tight that one windows poor recruitment (either player or managerial) can see you take a tumble down the league. Chelsea and liverpool have shown it can happen to giants as well. Wolves 2nd half of the season form would see them top half. First half was relegation fodder. But last season was the opposite way round.
Southampton, everton, the vile, West Ham, leeds all have flirted with top 6 and bottom three over past few seasons. The fact is without Saudi oil baron levels of investment consistency in this league is near impossible. I suspect the poster boys of good recruitment Brighton are 2-3 seasons away from a “what went wrong at Brighton” video.
Mid table mediocrity is really all we can aim for. We will have seasons where we flirt with Europe and seasons where it looks dire. But every transfer window is a lottery and suggesting replacing 70% of the squad and expecting an improvement is ridiculous. We need evolution not revolution.
Chesterwolf
Your reference to the top 6 juggernauts. Presume you mean “the big 6”
I’m no financial analyst but have just done a bit of research and come up with the following.
Fosun are the 459th ranked commercial enterprise in the world according to Forbes valued at £9 billion.
We are therefore far from paupers compared to anyone barring state owned Man. City and maybe the new joker in the pack Newcastle.
Some comparisons-
Man Utd (Glazers) £3.8 billion
Chelsea (Ted Boehly) £5.3 billion
Liverpool (John Henry / Fenway) £3,2 billion
Spurs (Joe Lewis) £5.4 billion)
Arsenal (Stan Kroenke) £8.8 billion.
I appreciate that we are a smaller part of Fosun’s business in comparison to those others but it does mean that if they really have the intent Fosun are more than capable of competing at the very highest level as per their original set of objectives.
Can we have some more pocket money please Guo.
Good work PJB. A positive contribution to the debate. Interesting to note the 5 year net spend, and Everyone’s in Debt on this metric. gives a different flavour as to who’s doing what.
Brentford, minus £781k
Brighton, minus £43 mill
Bournemouth – £59 mill.
Leicester – £62 mill
Palace – £82 mill.
Wolves’ spend in the last 5 years at -£275mill puts us 13th on the list just above Tottingham at -£330 mill. Chelsea long way bottom with -£650 mill.
Anyway what does any of that mean and how does it relate to that round shaped thingy, the football?
Being good at buying players for naff all and then selling the little beauties for a kings ransom 2 /3 years later is a knack no doubt. One the Shi / Fosun gambling syndicate has barely got to grips with, to the tune of £275 mill in 5 years.
1 lv & COYW.
They weren’t too good doing that with Concalves or Cutrone or Traore or, probably, Guedes.
How many of our star players did they initiate selling for a really big profit?
They sold a lot of Championship level players to make some money, a few million pounds here or there but no really big stars.
And even Julen is saying he doesn’t want players who don’t want to be here so if Diogo or Rafa Mir got his head turned by Liverpool or some Spanish club and wanted to leave…
Cheers John. Though Wolves have been averagely bad at recruitment, we know there are mitigating factors. FFP handcuffed us for 3 seasons, Jimi’s injury, the sale of Jota. Bruno then had a mass hire and fire disaster. J-Lo has just about brought us back round, and now has the opportunity to build a culture and team at his new club. Who and how this happens is open to speculation. We wish him the best, with the inconsistent crew he’s inherited, he’s still a way off the identity Nuno got together. 40/1 he’s off to Spuds? Give us a break. 1 lv.
Mendez has got to grips with it ,Guedes has done 3 clubs for just over a hundred million nice little earner for mendes plu s what wolves will let him go for
So you don’t think FFP has anything to do with it or Chairman Winne telling Chairman Guo not to spend as much.
Apparently, many people were certain of that not too long ago.
Great blog Ben but you won’t get a job as a government ambassador
Let me try and put it in a slightly kinder way and ask everyone to look down the list provided and give me one player that would become an automatic choice for any of the teams sitting in the top six positions of the premier league
Our aim as a club must be to fill one of those positions every season. This season without the good fortune of week after week we found the teams around us helping us out with their results thereby somehow once clear of the relegation positions even with a bad result the other teams could do no better. Yes we improved with JL in charge and the team did as well as they could other than Brighton and Bournemouth when nothing seemed to work
You are right Ben and if we can’t move these players on then the coaching staff have a big job on their hands to improve them
I’m hopeful that some of the youth can burst on to the scene in the same way that Bueno and Toti have done and the lads injured for most of this season can also become regulars in the the team for next season
COYW
50 years COD? Bit of poetic licence there.
Barnwell / Barker?
Let’s agree on 40 years before we went down like The Titanic.
Sorry, misplaced, refers to Cheeseburgher repeated from above.
Ok chaps. No worries. Wolves ay we. Let us see what Fosun do next. I think even the conspiracy theorists were a bit surprised by the spending in August 2022 and January 2023. Fosun backed J Lo. I have no fears they won’t back him again in the summer.
Yeah stand corrected. We finished 6th in 1980. And won the lwague cup.
I was referring to the last time Wolves had at least 5 consecutive years in the top flight which was the 70’s.
Great blog Ben. Totally agree with your analysis. If we were up against this season wait till next if we are left to rely on too many on your ‘thanks but no thanks list’. Personally I suspect JL and co will be first out the door after his meeting with the chairman.
Cheslyn Hay wolf. Respect mate. Wolves ay we.
There was a time not too long ago that people on this website would say that if you could guarantee them 17th place at the start of the season they would take it.
Now, they are complaining about 13th or 14th, or whatever, in a particularly bad season.
For some reason, people expect young single guys to choose to move to Wolverhampton over staying in Madrid, Paris, Rome or London.
Unless or until Wolves become a regular Champions League presence, this will not be the case, unless used as a stepping stone to clubs who are.
You’ve obviously not been to Wolverhampton, John, as you’d know why in the blink of an eye. Am I right?
John
Disagree.
That was before we were taken over by a Chinese conglomerate who promised the earth and after a very promising first phase started to let the whole project fall apart until they panicked in January. Not saying we should be CL every year but we should expect top 10 as the norm.
And by the way your disrespect for the City of Wolverhampton is out of order. Any footballer coming to Wolves will be living on the edge of some the best countryside in the UK without the costs of living of say the Home Counties, ask Ruben Neves. And the nightlife in Birmingham ain’t bad for the singletons.
Numerous ex Wolves plyers and managers have chosen to settle in the area. Perhaps you should support Man. United or Tottingham.
No, it was after that and after we were promoted.
Not sure Premier league footballers care too much about the cost of living, to be honest.
They wouldn’t have a clue, Wolfstroker. I know, for a fact, that humdrum life essential skills like home budgeting, bill paying, acquiring tradesmen etc is taken away from most players at the top level so that they can concentrate totally on the football. Clubs assign staff to do everything for them. How boring is that but quite nice I suppose, particularly if English isn’t your first language.
I would like to point out that Forest brought in a lot of new players in the summer and they are, I suspect, nowhere near where they want to be in the table.
So just recruiting volumes of new players is not necessarily the answer.
Agreed
The players need to 1/ settle in a foreign country
2/ buy into the vision of the manager and owners
And be the right players in the first place. Forest’s buys were a lower level version Chelsea’s scattergun policy.
Whilst it’s true to say we need players of heart, passion and consistency who are proud to wear the shirt, approximately thirteen of them based on Ben’s write-up, to find and recruit sufficient players who deliver all these qualities will be at best extremely difficult and at worst impossible.
How do you find out if players will play with heart, passion, consistency and be proud to wear a Wolves shirt prior to signing them ? Do you think players would be honest enough to admit to the contrary if they found an offer financially attractive? Do you think Wolves would sign a player who they believed was unlikely to offer these qualities ? In my opinion the club signs players hoping they can be motivated to consistently show the required qualities whilst knowing in reality it’s a gamble.
The person we need to be most concerned about keeping next season is Lopetegui.
We have a top class manager and other clubs are interested in him, Spurs amongst others.
I can’t believe that after waiting so long and trying so hard to get him, that Jeff wouldn’t have given him certain guarantees about rebuilding the squad.
If we lose him then we’re back to square one (possibly not even that far advanced).
Post World Cup Mini League
1 Wolves P21 30pts (-6gd)
2 Crystal P P21 24pts (-6gd)
3 West H P21 23pts (-9gd)
4 Bournemth P21 23pts (-18gd)
5 Forest P21 21pts (-12gd)
6 Everton P21 18pts (-18gd)
7 Leeds P22 16pts (-21gd)
8 Leicester P21 13pts (-18gd)
9 Southampton P21 12pts (-21gd)
Spurs, Newt? He’s entered the betting at 40/1. Get on if you believe that.
I don’t think he’ll go but it’s interesting some of the comments he’s made since securing safety. A meeting with the chairman, planning for next season, only wanting players who want to be here etc. And now the Spurs news is made public – coincidence?
I’d say he was subtly letting Jeff know he expects to be backed in order to build the squad he wants.
Top manager.
Not sure the mini league counts now we’re safe Newt, surely we should be compared to the whole Prem. We are 9th overall which is firmly mid table form but a lot better than pre JLo.
Very interesting debate and discussion on here amongst fellow bloggers. I guess the truth will become apparent soon enough. If Jeff and Julien are aligned we can expect a positive summer of transfer activity and potentially exciting (or at least better) season ahead. If they aren’t aligned Julien will be off soon enough and then we can probably expect the narrowly avoided relegation of this season to probably become reality next. Our moment of truth awaits……..
Sutton
Our moment of truth awaits indeed……..- in Shanghai. And Jeff Shi is probably the key figure whether we like it or not. So come on Jeff do us proud.
Wow. Wow. Did someone kick your dog or something?
Yes. Wow. Wow. It bow wow no more.
Folks, check out Liam Keen’s Express & Star article on Wolves potential summer transfer dealings and the state of finances. Interesting and also concerning.
Hind Sight thanks for highlighting the article. If its contents are accurate, I found it more encouraging than concerning, assuming agreement can be reached with JL. The distancing of the Mendes relationship can only be good news for us and it will be great to see young and hungry talent and some of our homegrown players in the squad.
Hind Sight / Sutton
I presume we’re referring to the E and S article – “Analysing Wolves’ summer challenge and recruitment policy changes”. It coincides with my post above re Fosun’s resources versus “the big six” which illustrates that if Fosun have the intent to lift us out of mid table mediocrity at best they have the resources to compete with all bar Man. City.
BUT this will only happen if Shanghai really wants it to and will only be possible if they comply with (manipulate) the Financial (Un) Fair Play regulations as others do which needs some adept restructuring of the club’s finances. I’m not Jeff Shi’s biggest fan as most know, but in his defence as he himself has stated his hands are very much tied due to FFP.
Let’s see what the summer brings but my own thoughts are that football is not high enough in Fosun’s portfolio priority to make this an attractive proposition for them.
As entertaining as Ben’s blog is, it’s a tad unrealistic.
I can see the old guard Jonny, Coady, Podence, Moutinho, Adama and Jiminez going which i think is at it’s natural conclusion.
I’m gonna go out on a limb here though and say i’ll be glad to see Neves leave too, three managers have failed to build a cohesive unit around him, 4 managers if you include Steve Davis. I think it’s time to move on and with JLo’s competence i’m confident that it wouldn’t bite us on the arse.
As for the rest:
Sa is not a spent force and if Bentley is pushing him for the #1 spot then there’s no need to get rid, he’s a more than capable 2nd keeper.
Samedo has improved immensely under JLo.
Nunes i think possibly if we can get close to what we paid for him although i think in the right shape he has the potential to shine, consistency is everything though.
Hoever i think wouldn’t want to be here since Lage unprofessionally threw him under the bus but did he ever really get a chance?
Ait Nouri is a difficult one, JLo obvs doesn’t rate him but might improve with a full pre season under him as he clearly has bags of potential.
Sarabia has shown promise but couldn’t hit a barn door, neither can anyone else for that matter though, can’t see them selling him though.
JLo clearly sees Hwang as a fit and he has done far better than most since the managers arrival.
Guedes is gone.
Costa i agree entirely with your comments about sentimentality, thanks for your help during this difficult period but tata, i can’t see him accepting a back seat role and if we expect to be anywhere near challenging top six next season he is not the #9 to take us there.
Not sure about Neto, he has never been the messiah we expected him to be (or even close), flashes of brilliance but little to show for it and inconsistent when he’s been fit.
Not sure about Silva either, he’s not making the starting 11 at PSV and neither is he pulling up any trees as a sub.
Intersting article in the E & S as regards money available to JLo.
https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/wolverhampton-wanderers-fc/2023/05/16/analysing-wolves-summer-challenge-and-recruitment-policy-changes/
FINAL CALL for the BLOGGERS BALLBASH ..
If there’s anyone else wishing to have some nosh and a drink (or two or three etc) could you please let me know asap so that I can finalise them numbers …
It’s an international field and folks are travelling a long way do be there.. come on guys .. you know you want to have some friendly banter and a good laugh … our two C in C’s will be there too …
Having taken the time to absorb Ben’s excellent opening post- playing Devil’s advocate in parts but setting the scene for the major changes ahead. Liam Keen’s article also aims to illuminate the obstacles in the way of re-shaping the squad.
We must be careful of not ‘throwing out the baby with the bath water’ when we look to replace experienced players who have previously been the bedrock of our team. Recruits with no experience of the PL are risky and not so easy to move on if they don’t add value.
Only two wishes from me- Lopetegui to fulfill his contract and also to be given full authority on player movement. Anything else is detail.
Much debate to come over the summer but in the meantime we need a full throttle team performance this Saturday and a thankfull Molineux sendoff to those who have served with distinction – Raul, Jonny, Joao, Adama, Ruben and Nelson. They have given us some brilliant memories in their time with us.
Very well said Woodend.
My 2 wishes would exactly match yours.
I think they are probably sequential; we don’t know the details of JL’s contract but it would be surprising if he didn’t have an escape clause. So for me the likelihood of him staying will directly corelate with the level of backing he gets from Jeff and Shanghai. And yes it’s imperative that he has the latitude to bring in his own recruits (as he was in Jan.) without the Mendes complication being a compulsory part of the equation.
Don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the medium term future of WWFC will be decided on what happens this summer.
Spot on PJB and thank you- a pivotal period coming up and also a GREAT time to be a Wolves fan. We don’t do boring at WWFC!
Never have done boring in my time Ww.
WWFC – one of the world’s biggest roller coasters. Div1 champions to the 4th division and back again.
Besides that then Ben then all’s OK then…..
I agree but I consider this season as one of the most successful ie at one stage we were certain to be obliterated from the prem and a miracle really has taken place….
LP must be congratulated for having big balls to take us on in the first place.
Fosun were exciting owners but nxt season we have to borrow and buy…So come on…
Not sure how much we have to spend or be allowed to but I hope that neves doesn’t sponsor this.
Our hopes live on with in my case a vallium habit everytime we kick off
Very big Japanese contingent given the big VIP treatment shown around the mol and training ground
Would add Giles to the keep list, has impressed with Boro.
Watched him for full game last night. Got some excellent crosses in but also some that some might call Adamaesque. Did seem reluctant to take on his man though. Overall impression was a steady wing back who perhaps needs drawing out of himself to produce his full potential.
Gyokores looked a handful but will be staying at Coventry if they beat Luton.
Article on BBC website with direct quote from JL stating that he has had his meeting with Shi and That “ there are ffp problems that I didn’t know about before I was here……” and that we have to invest to remain competitive in the PL”. I like JL for his honesty and straight talking. Jeff has got his work cut out this summer but many would argue it is of his own creation. Maybe Ben”s assessment at the head of this thread is more of a necessity than a wish list.
Must have had my crystal ball out when I posted above a couple of days ago. It can’t have come as a huge surprise to JL, but does it mean he might walk?
That would be my fear PJB. Let’s hope he hasn’t been missold the project. The sad reality is that we have wasted an awful lot of money in our poor recruitment strategy over the last few years and those chickens are now coming home to roost but out of darkness cometh light…….
Fred Karno’s Circus springs to mind Sutton.