Wolves Blog

It's a blog. About the Wolves.

Ben Rasmin

Bristol City 1 Wolves 2

Blog, Bristol City

If you’re anything like me, the new year will have you contemplating the last 12 months and what lies ahead from a personal, professional and societal perspective.

 

Naturally, such philosophising extends to the beautiful game and yesterday’s rip roaring, top of the table clash will no doubt have left many dreaming of a bright future for Wolves.

Rightly so, given the quality of opposition and context of our turnaround victory.

Just as the stars align in order to usher in a new year, so it seemed they were conspiring against Nuno and his charges in the early throes of this contest.

After an enthusiastic Robins side drew two excellent saves from John Ruddy in the early throes of this contest, things went from bad to worse as Danny Batth was given his marching orders by referee Peter Bankes.

My view, though partisan, was that the skipper played the ball and that any card shown should have been yellow.

That being said, the benefit of hindsight and an innate desire to play devil’s advocate would lead me to suggest that, in the context of this oh so modern game, a red may have been warranted due to the fact that it was actually Batth’s kamikaze first touch that led to him needing to make a challenge in the first place.

Either way, it was a game changing moment that left the home crowd and their effortlessly grating manager baying for blood.

Nuno’s dismissal to the stands was another bitter pill to swallow and left the impression that Bankes, like Stephen Martin before him, wanted to make himself newsworthy in front of the Sky cameras and an enemy of all those in old gold and black.

Despite these travails, City were repressed by an excellent defensive showing and the game remained locked at the interval.

That soon changed when Bobby Reid benefitted from a wild deflection that left Ruddy helpless and the home side in the ascendancy.

It all felt eerily reminiscent to our defeat to Sheffield United and Helder Costa’s errant display up front (surely his worst in a Wolves shirt) meant seldom were forecasting a fightback.

Thankfully, there was another chapter of this story to be told and the introduction of Ivan Cavaleiro saw us build momentum and eventually find a route back into the game.

Frank Fielding’s terrible impersonation of Manuel Neur saw him receive his marching orders and levelled the playing field, with Barry Douglas’ subsequent free kick deflecting past City’s substitute goalkeeper and leaving the scores tied ahead of a frenetic final act.

With chances scuppered by both sides on account of tired legs all round, it appeared the game was only going to be won by the team with the bigger appetite for victory.

Thankfully, this side are a ravenous bunch and another sumptuous set piece from Douglas allowed Ryan Bennet to head home the most delirious of winning goals.

Cue pandemonium on the pitch, in the stands and, in the case of me and my family, the living room of a quaint holiday cottage in Padstow.

It was truly a moment to saviour in this most cherished of seasons, with Nuno’s wild celebrations in the Ashton Gate executive area set to be a crowning moment in our recent history and a hugely popular GIF amongst Wolves fans.

What can be achieved by the club in the next 12 months, given our meteoric rise over the 2017/18 season to date, is anyone’s guess but, as is so often the case with our club, it’s safe to assume it won’t make for dull viewing.

A belated merry Christmas to you all, and a Happy New Year.

Birmingham City 0 Wolves 1

Birmingham, Blog

BBC WM, as any local football fan can attest, often makes for interesting post-game listening.

Last evening, in the wake of a sixth consecutive win for Wolves, the phone-in was largely dominated by the topic of Birmingham’s second half performance.

In the eyes of the commentary team, though admittedly few of their fans, they had given the league leaders one of their sternest challenges this season.

Couple this with Steve Cotterill’s rather laughable assertion that we were ‘average’ and that ‘without goal line technology, they might have got away with it’ and the picture of a rather chastening night at the office becomes clear.

And yet, the home side didn’t muster a shot on target all evening.

Which begs the question, if this is to be considered one of the more challenging victories of the season so far, then is anyone really capable of landing a punch on this team?

Labels such as ‘the Manchester City of the Championship’ often prove to be more of an albatross around the neck than lasting compliment, but in this case it’s beginning to look fitting.

Like City, Nuno’s ensemble have begun to demonstrate an aptitude for winning in all manner of ways, whether it be in the vein of recent shellacking of Bolton or this more arduous of successes.

This has been irrespective of how the opposition have performed, with few teams actually standing out as being poor thus far.

Despite their inability to pepper John Ruddy’s goal, the Blues were in the ascendancy for much of the second half.

Nonetheless, I never really feared that we’d let the points slip away from us. Tell me, is that overconfidence or acceptance of the reality that we’re simply too good for the majority of teams in this league?

Much has rightly been made this season of our passing ability but what’s equally impressive to me is the ferocious appetite the players show when closing down their challengers, a skill flaunted on numerous occasions last evening.

With Ruben Neves’ enforced absence a glaring feature of our inability to penetrate a resolute (if appallingly over-competitive) home guard, the need to suffocate Blues’ play was more pressing than it likely would have been had our Portuguese maestro not been missing.

And press they did, with potential threats such as Jota and Lukas Jutkiewicz squeezed out of the game almost entirely.

Willy Boly was integral in this respect, turning in a performance as good as any I’ve seen from a Wolves defender past or present.

Though our success to date has been resultant of the efforts of all our players, it’s clear to see who the key individuals are within this current outfit and the gargantuan Frenchman, along with the rejuvenated Connor Coady, is certainly the key cog in our resilient defence.

Also standing out was the unrelenting work rate of our wing backs, a feature of our play that I feel is slightly under appreciated at present.

I shudder to think what training actually entails for Barry Douglas and Matt Doherty, but they’re both fit as fiddles and two of the stand-out performers at present.

It was a more fitful evening for our lauded front three, but some of the play conjured was a marvel to behold with Diogo Jota once again earning the acclaim of pundits in spite of his challengers’ cynical attempts to halt him in his tracks. Whether he stays beyond this season remains a topic for discussion, but it’s been a privilege to watch him play in old gold regardless.

Ultimately, despite Cotterill’s Scooby Doo villain-esque remarks to the contrary, it was another win for Nuno’s promotion chasing juggernaut and, with our perceived counterparts in sky blue chasing a 14th successive win in the Premier League, it’s left to us delirious supporters to ponder when this remarkable run will end.

With basement boys Sunderland in town next, you wouldn’t bet on it being any time soon.

Reading 0 Wolves 2

Blog, Reading

Groundhog Day is a film I’ve often described as being akin to watching Wolves.

Rarely has the comparison been used with flattery in mind.

Year after year we’ve endured one insipid performance after another, with an occasional upset victory cheering us up every now and then.

At times, it seemed as if there was no light at the end of the tunnel.

That has been provided in spades, however, by the promotion chasing juggernaut assembled by Nuno and co.

They too are a predictable bunch, the key difference between them and their predecessors in old gold being they can’t stop winning.

It’s a quaint feeling being a Wolves fan nowadays, with each victory carrying an alien sense of inevitability.

Yesterday, we were put to task by a Reading side that appear as talented as they are limited.

And yet the scoreline would suggest another leisurely afternoon for the league leaders.

The old adage goes that the best teams can win games without playing well and, though I’m not usually one to indulge in cliches, the saying is ringing true at present.

We play some breathtaking football at times, but our resolve when under pressure is just as impressive as our swashbuckling play in the final third.

After being subjected to years of calamitous defending by various coaches, it’s a pleasure to see Wolves be able to cope with onslaughts in the manner in which they did yesterday.

Ryan Bennett, Connor Coady and Willy soma carisoprodol muscle relaxant Boly were in imperious form, particularly during a second half in which the Royals had plenty of chances to level the score.

John Ruddy, meanwhile, had arguably his best game since joining the club, keeping the home side at bay with a string of crucial saves.

As we all know, such solidity provides a platform from which our creative forces can do damage and both goals were once again pleasing on the eye.

Diogo Jota’s through ball to Ivan Cavaleiro was a thing of beauty, as was the latter’s ensuing shimmy round the opposition goalkeeper.

Matt Doherty left it late to prosper from some sumptuous build up play in the game’s dying embers, no doubt prospering from some tired Reading legs as he slotted cooly past a hapless Vito Mannone.

It all seemed rather routine, and quaintly poetic given the opposition had former subjects of ire in their ranks.

Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Dave Edwards always gave their all for the club, but they’re a million miles of the standard required to play in this current vintage.

Whether this air of invincibility will prevail over a notoriously bruising winter period remains to be seen, but promotion is currently looking an elementary task for this side.

* Wolves are looking strong odds for promotion so to maximise your returns with freebetting make sure you check out what’s on offer from the leading bookies.

Wolves 2 Fulham 0

Blog, Fulham

What a difference 11 months can make.

Last time Fulham pitched up at Molineux, the points were shared in an eight goal thriller which, although entertaining, said more for the quality of the opposition than it did the home side.

As Thomas rightly pointed out in his match preview, the Fulham of 2016/17 offered a blueprint for Wolves to aspire to.

Slaviša Jokanovic’s side oozed confidence when slaloming through last season’s ragtag equivalent, and few left the ground on that grisly December afternoon under any illusions about the gulf in class between the two.

When you consider tonight’s routine victory against the Cottagers in that context, it’s hard not to raise a wry smile.

If ever a game demonstrated the progress made by Wolves since the curtain fell on last season, this was it.

Nuno’s men were simply irrepressible in the first ten, claiming an early lead through Romain Saiss’ second goal of the season.

And though the visitors grew in stature after conceding, they were unable to prevent Barry Douglas and the increasingly prolific Leo Bonatini from combining for the second.

From that point on, proceedings were fairly routine in a bonfire weekend fixture low on sparkles.

Nonetheless, only the most hard nosed of supporter could fail to be impressed by the efficiency with which we kept our opponents at bay.

Whereas the Wolves side of years gone by looked flustered when put under the slightest amount of pressure, today’s group look capable of weathering almost all storms that come their way.

Even more impressive is the extraordinary confidence with which they move the ball, regardless of its position on the pitch.

For that we have to thank Ruben Neves, who is beginning to resemble more a gift from the heavens than he is a club record signing.

How such a supremely talented footballer has come to be plying his trade in England’s second division remains a mystery to me, but it’s certainly a sight to behold.

Tonight’s man of the match performance is arguably his best in old gold, especially given the technical dexterity of his counterparts in white.

Whether it was the ferocity with which he pressed when out of possession or the simple outrage of his passing range, there was plenty to laud the Portuguese for this evening.

Simply put, he makes us tick and keeping him fit has to be a priority for Nuno and his staff moving forward.

That being said, credit ought to be afforded to the performances of Barry Douglas, the provider of two sumptuous assists, and Willy Boly, who alongside Connor Coady looks by far and away the best of our current crop of centre halves.

However, as has been the case all season, this triumph was the result of a concerted team effort, one which leaves us sitting pretty at the top of the division irrespective of what our nearest contenders do tomorrow.

Only the boldest of match goer would have predicted that a year ago, a truth which leaves this writer brimming with optimism – albeit cautious optimism – about what’s still to come.

Wolves 3 Preston North End 2

Blog, Preston North End

If last week’s victory was a demonstration of Wolves’ ability to win beautifully, then this tempestuous fixture was the opposite.

Whether or not it had anything to do with the old adage of foreigners not liking wet and windy weather, many of our continental stars were off colour in the opening half.

Enough stray passes were played to make an untrained eye think that this was Paul Lambert’s Wolves side on display, and not the Nuno incarnation that has had us all purring of late.

Our own shortcomings aside, there’s no denying the credentials of our opposition.

Preston came with a gameplan and, much like Cardiff, executed it to perfection, though admittedly they were fortunate to have the mind bogglingly incompetent Stephen Martin on refereeing duties.

Questions were asked of Wolves, and for large parts of the game it was difficult to remain steadfast in the belief we would answer them.

Alas, this team appears to be capable of conjuring goals at will and did so at the death of a first half in which we had been second best.

The rejuvenated and oft celebrated Ivan Cavaleiro showed a striker’s instinct to tap over the line after the ball had ricocheted around the box, notching a goal which revitalised an otherwise sluggish home team.

One might argue that Leo Bonatini’s ensuing brace and the subsequent three goal advantage flattered Nuno’s side, but the majority of the 27,000 plus crowd cared little for justice at that point.

The Brazilian loanee is really starting to look the part and has proven the frivolous concerns of some regarding his ability to score goals to be just that. His nimble footwork, deceiving strength and excellent reading of the game makes him a key cog in our feverish front three and I’d like to see Fosun make his stay at Molineux permanent come the summer.

Our healthy cushion was not to last long, with the Lilywhites providing a perhaps timely reminder that, for all the resolve of the new look back three, we are still capable of conceding needless goals.

First, the impressive Jordan Hugill was given the freedom of Molineux and headed home a teasing cross before Roderick Miranda then conspired to miss a routine clearance and allow Preston to force home a sloppy own goal.

I’m a fan of Miranda, believing him to be one of the more underrated of our summer acquisitions, but he was our weakness for much of yesterday’s game. He’ll need to improve his concentration levels if he’s to fend off the returning Willy Boly’s claim for a place in the starting eleven.

What ensued after that carnage was an acid test of our resilience, with Preston dominating the ball and invoking some real backs to the wall defending. Connor Coady and Romain Saiss were particularly brilliant during this period, both using their gangly frames to help prevent disaster.

After we rode out a spell of seemingly endless pressure, the aforementioned Martin decided to allow the game to descend into farce by instigating a mass brawl between all sets of players. This culminated in the just sending off of Alan Browne and his hilarious ‘Where’s Wally?’ like efforts to find him after his quick trudge down the tunnel.

Some comic relief on an otherwise stressful, but no less gratifying, afternoon.

Though Nuno’s unlikely to have enjoyed this one quite as much as he did the Villa game, his team have nonetheless proven that they can win games one of two ways. History will tell you that’s an essential characteristic for any promotion chasing side to have, and whilst it remains early days it’s hard to contest the view that Wolves are looking ominously equipped to achieve their ambitions.

Burton Albion 0 Wolves 4

Blog, Burton Albion

In the wake of this victory – our most convincing of the season by some distance – one can only assume that the Wolves players wiled away the hours of Friday night playing FIFA 18.

The football on display at the Pirelli Stadium was often befitting of a video game, such was the precision of our build up play and composure in front of goal.

The footwork of the diminutive pairing of Ivan Cavaleiro and Ruben Vinagre was often the stuff of pure fantasy, with poor Stephen Warnock ending up on his backside when attempting to prevent our fourth and final goal.

It was a performance to behold, one that erased the premature fear of a dip in form following our defeat to Sheffield United.

Given our response to the loss against Cardiff earlier in the season, that always seemed unlikely but those of a glass half empty persuasion can be forgiven for expecting the worst given there is the small matter of the derby with in-form Aston Villa looming.

As pointed out in previous blogs, Wolves finally seem to have found themselves a manager capable of instilling a winning mentality within the club and that was never more apparent than yesterday.

Say what you like about the Brewers, but they’re a formidable side at home that try and play football the right way.

Nonetheless, their efforts were fruitless yesterday as we surged into an early two goal lead.

Cavaleiro, in the sort of form that makes him worthy of the seemingly never ending song that has been dedicated to him, did well to tee up the clinical Diogo Jota for the first, whilst the less Stephen Bywater hears about the Roman Saiss’ tap in that followed shortly after the better.

If those goals were pleasing but somewhat underwhelming, the following two made for gleeful viewing.

Ruben Vinagre, arguably the best performer on the pitch, weaved his way into the opposition box in a manner befitting of the world’s very best full backs before dispatching the ball low and hard past the hapless Bywater.

Though he is far from the finished article, it is becoming clearer with every passing game that the Portuguese loanee is a frightful talent that has the potential to go far in his career.

It was hard to see that goal being topped for quality, but the fourth was the result of some simply outrageous skill.

After turning the aforementioned Warnock inside out, Cavaleiro squared the ball to the also excellent Matt Doherty who rolled it nto the path of a gleeful Leo Bonatini for an easy fourth goal of his Wolves career.

Liquid football is the most appropriate term to describe this performance, and we now head into the international break, dependent on today’s results, sitting pretty in second place.

We can only hope that the ensuing spate of international games does not throw us off kilter, as you’d suspect we’ll have to replicate these standards when facing the more challenging prospect of Steve Bruce’s promotion chasers.

One thing’s for certain though, in this sort of form, Nuno’s men are capable of putting anyone to the sword.

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