That’s what I call a hard earned and thoroughly deserved point.
If we were in any doubt of Gary O’Neil’s credentials, they were rubber stamped tonight.
We’ve become a tactically astute, entertaining side under the former Bournemouth boss, pressing teams high and taking a direct approach to goal.
But tonight we saw a different side to Wolves versus a slick Brighton outfit. The Seagulls huffed and puffed but ultimately O’Neil had Wolves perfectly set-up.
One of his biggest achievements is giving Semedo the ability to sniff out danger. On a couple of occasions at the AMEX we had Nelson to thank with a couple of last-ditch interventions.
A minor gripe would be the lack of a final ball in the first-half, and some rusty finishing in the second.
But Neto and Cunha ran themselves into the ground, and the former was a particular menace on the break.
Tonight confirmed O’Neil’s and Wolves’ progress against one of the best footballing sides in the country.
You’d have to say we’re in the European conversation.
But there are other matters to attend to first.
Excellent performance. We came for a point but if we could snatch 3 then that would have been superb. I thought that the opportunities did arise for us to do that very thing but it just didn’t happen
On now to the big one. I do hope Mr O Neale picks a strong team to complete the job thoroughly
Keep it up Wolves and COYW
Good write up Paddy. This really is GON’s gold n black army, he has cultivated a terrific all for one and one for all team ethic, shown throughout this and all of the recent battles.
Let’s take our team spirit, show our quality and get past the next hurdle. I would start the same team. I think we conserved energy a little at the end there so I think that’s the plan. We have the players to make the difference so let’s give it everything, the players and those fans lucky enough to be going. I will be at home preying on my sofa.
I predicted 2-2. So a draw in the end albeit 0-0 is a fine result. Brighton are a tricky side but under Gaz we have become resilient and with a bit more composure in the final third could have nicked it. But would have taken a draw before kick off so happy. Now on to Albion part 2. I reckon we will get a Danny Creanie style 3-1 win. Shove those Tesco 5-1 right back down their throats . But that’s Sunday. As for tonight. Well done WOLVES and Gazza.
Here in the US, anti-soccer people point to goalless draws as an example of everything that is supposedly wrong with the sport. But that was a seriously enjoyable 90 minutes, with much drama and tension, and Paddy’s comment about us having become “ a tactically astute, entertaining side under the former Bournemouth boss, pressing teams high and taking a direct approach to goal” sounds just right.
The organization and execution on defense was superb, including the quick transition to offense, which brought back memories of the Nuno era. If we can get Neto and Hwang out there simultaneously for a while, and Semedo and Lemina and Cunha and Doyle et. al. keep progressing, we could be very tough to play against.
Lots to like and a few fractional decisions late on that , well another way , might have given us more than a smash and grab …they rarely looked like scoring
A good point ….for them
Don’t know if post game interviews screen both sides of the Atlantic… but USA viewers were treated to a long exchange with Pedro Neto…. Wow… he’s charming fun clever and totally fluent in his adopted language… so so impressed by him.
Please let’s keep him safe and on the team for years to come
Next up … a mercy killing on Sunday … oh and another one next Thursday
Happy days??
Thanks for the pointer to Neto’s interview. I looked it up and watched it. What a positive chap! Superb. Goes to show the personalities in the squad and their attitudes are such a big part of the success of a team.
Go Wolves!
Progress.
Our last 4 games against the Seagulls give us a 16-3 aggregate score, having lost all 4.
A measure of our progress in 5 short months is that a clean sheet away against them isn’t a surprise.
No new injuries.
Neto with another 87 minutes under his belt.
Good performances all round, but it’s the togetherness, game plan and every single player knowing their role that sticks out.
GON is switched on and will be fully aware how important this Sundays game is to us. His approach to the game will be to win and we will be set up accordingly.
Guaranteed.
UTW
Excellent all-round display by the lads for a well earned point.
My only caveat being, I was longing for Gary to be bold enough to give young Fraser a 10-15 minutes cameo on the pitch – in place of the tiring Matheus – who was having one of those days in front of goal – could then have been a valuable 3 pts instead of the 1.
Just felt Fraser would have been on fire and flying and worth a try !
I think that’s as good as I’ve seen Semedo for us. Bravo him.
The first team to get a clean sheet at the Amex Stadium this season, I’ll take that!
We so nearly caught them on the break 3 or 4 times, so it was a great night for us.
The whole team was magnificent against a sustained attack and Brighton are a very good side.
That 0-0 draw was anything but boring!
Now for the Baggies!
COYW
Well done again to GON, his staff and the team for a resilient performance against very difficult opposition. Having witnessed the 6-0 demolition at first hand last season, we are in a much, much better place as a proper tight knit team now than at any other time since the heady days of Nuno in his pomp.
Like other posters have commented with a little more anticipation in the box, we would have come away with all 3 points, and so I would also have liked to seen the introduction of Fraser towards the end but a draw is a good result any way.
Good result. Great performance.
We looked a well-organised team with a clear game plan, which is becoming a consistent theme. Well done to Gary and co for that. There’s no value in putting the boot in on Lopetegui but I can’t help but feel we’re a better-coached outfit in 5-months under O’Neil than we were after a similar amount of time under his predecessor. After getting slapped for 6 by Brighton at the end of last season – just one of many rudderless away performances – it did give me pause for thought about Lopetegui. He had so many players at his disposal, that there was always this lingering doubt we should be doing better, even when the results kept coming at Molineux. Anyway, it’s just a roundabout way of saying, I’m very pleased for Gary and think he deserves all the plaudits he is rightly collecting.
Had Hwang been on the pitch last night, I suspect we might have taken advantage of some of those openings, but then again, they might say the same about Mitoma.
I’m not going to criticise Cunha or Neto too much because they’ve been excellent this season and did a lot of good things again last night, but I will say that with the chances afforded, they’ll be disappointed they didn’t find the net.
In defence, Nelson was the standout but I can’t criticise any of the lads at the back because they blocked everything.
Midfield is probably the toughest position on the pitch, particularly against a Brighton team that move you all over the place, so well done to Mario and Tommy. It was Lemina breaking forward to try and make something happen at the end, but I thought Doyle shaded it for his all-around positional intelligence and passing. He got more aggressive the longer the game went on and is starting to find his feet at this level. With those two and Joao Gomes, we do look well served.
There was a veiled message from O’Neil in his post-match comments about the need to get this number 9 through the door, so hopefully that gets done before too long. The right player up there could really take us to another level.
You’re bang on the money about Lopetegui, Thomas. As well as he did in avoiding the big R, he should have done better last season with the players he had at his disposal. To me, his commitment and character also comes in question. I could never imagine Nuno or Gary walking out days before the start of a season! Glen Hoddle also comes to mind about walking out on Wolves. I was pretty gutted and shocked when Nuno was ousted but in Gary we finally have a worthy successor to Nuno. The counter-attacking last night was very Nunoesque in intent. But it showed how much we miss Hwang. The sooner he is back the better, but we also need a new CF as well, to take us to the next level.
I predicted a 2-2 or 3-3 draw as in my opinion we are now the equal of the league’s best team Brighton (in terms of budget) outside of the top four. The owner Tony Bloom must be the most shrewdest guy around in English football. A bore draw it was not, and we had several chances to take all points.
I watched the match on TV last night but was very aware of my last and painful visit to the Amex stadium, the day we were relegated to League One under Dean Shambles. After that match, good old Deano promised us ‘happy Sundays’ in League One, just before he was sacked, which was a very happy Sunday for me! Thankfully that was the start of our revival, to where we are today, rapidly improving under Gary with Europe in our sights once again.
I always felt that what JLo was really saying (although he may not have have realised this himself) was that he wasn’t a good enough manager to achieve anything with this squad. GON has confirmed that beyond any doubt!
A really well earned point for O’Neil’s men.
Semedo seems to be turning into the wing back we all hoped (but most doubted) he’d become. Doyle is looking like he could eventually become a fitting replacement for Ruben Neves and Pedro is starting to fire on all cylinders again.
But I take my hat off to the entire ‘TEAM’, which is what we have become.
Yet another confusing card given against us. Gilmour spent a lot of time trying to knock lumps off Cunha, but after another coming together, it was Cunha who got booked for ‘persistent infringement’. Well done Craig Pawson.
However, I lay in bed last night with a warm glow and the feeling of satisfaction of a job well done.
… But we won’t go into that.
I am confused – after the last “coming together” of Gilmour and Cunha, the ref signalled for a free to us and waved play on advantage as we were attacking.
When he went to later hand out the yellow, I was sure it was for Gilmour doing it again…
We arrived at the Amex determined not to leave empty handed. But with a seemingly bottomless bucket of grit and bloody mindedness and a tactical masterclass we could well have left with all three points and with a little more guile and composure up front we would have.
Semedo was awesome throughout, especially a stunning tackle on Joao Pedro when goal or penalty seemed the only available options.
Tommy Doyle grows in stature with every game he plays. Mario was rusty but his incredible effort level was undiminished.
Most of all though, what we can take from this very enjoyable performance is that our team really care. They will lay everything on the line for the cause and this, more than anything, gives me confidence that we will prevail, convincingly, in the massive match on Sunday.
COYW
Who was that no show wonderkind we swapped for Doyle and big bag of moola?
Cheers Paddy,
A solid 2nd outing of the season from the blog bench, and a solid away performance to prise a point out of those vicious Seagulls. Happily ending their 23 game scoring run. How do you like those chips?
Even on the radio Lewis Dunk looked formidable, Milner for years the professional. But up our end Daws, Max & Nelson did a fine job. Neto back has made a big difference. A point takes us level with Geordie Oil, who’d of thought that before Xmas?
Must put a word in for the Veterans of the PL. Those mentioned, Danny Ings, Welbeck, Townsend, Berkely, Wood, Coleman etc, all still pulling enough weight.
That’s one Albion taken care of, onto the main course, Stuffed Baggy.
1 lv & COYW