Yesterday’s game drew neither the fanfare or headlines to match Haye v Bellew but like other recent defeats was reminiscent of your average boxing match.
Wolves, ever the plucky underdog, rolled with the punches against a heavyweight foe but once again found themselves floored by full time.
Reading may have only claimed victory through two fortuitous goals but the reality was they never really needed to step out of second gear, despite the best efforts of Paul Lambert’s team.
This has become somewhat of a recurring theme, so much so I’m beginning to suspect we’re just not good enough for what has become an exceptionally competitive division.
The sight of George Saville ambling around at left back (a new nadir in Lambert tactical innovations) is unlikely to be erased from my mind anytime soon.
Similarly, another afternoon spent watching Connor Coady unsuccessfully impersonating a Championship midfielder left me evaluating my life choices.
However, as was recently pointed out by one of my neighbours in the North Bank, bemoaning the limitations of specific players is a fruitless exercise as the overriding fault with our current team is a collective matter rather than one lying with specific individuals.
Costa and Saiss aside, none of yesterday’s team stood out as being of the standard needed to get out of this division.
This of course is a major failing on the previous regime’s part, though some of the culprits remain knowingly at large.
What our owners will do about this in the long run is anyone’s guess but in the short term it’s left us dependent on the continued failings of Bristol City, Wigan and Rotherham.
And what a sorry state of affairs that is.
I have just bought two tickets for next week against Rotherham.
I thought it would be nice to see the Wolves win a match in the Championship before we go down to division three.
Well, the way our play and the Gods seem to be against us, it could well happen.
do you mean you think we could beat Rotherham !
Absolutely! Ivan Cavaleiro could already return into action in the match against Ipswich, and I certainly expect him to return against Rotherham. How it changes the first team lineup remains to be seen. The performance of Iorfa against Reading was pretty solid, the same was Marshall’s. The Ipswich match will probably decide who’s playing as a right fullback against Rotherham. Nice to actually have strong competition on the right fullback spot. Stearman has also played in that position, but not recently. And Coady’s performances in this position has been very good.
Yep In a nutshell.. Saiss Costa Dadi Conner prob Doherty Hause the only players who could help us up to the Prem ..bye bye the rest ..that’s it.If we stay in this Division..
The worst era since McCarthy in the double drop..
£60M min needed to compete and prob a £2-3M manager ..- that’s the formula..
Other than that a Wolves fans life is currently very perilous and very very depressing..
I’m at Ipshit Tues and it doesn’t bear thinking about..
This week it is my plan to take back my Brentford tickets.
Travelling on a Tuesday for the inevitible defeat by the team of Three years ago playing the football of three years ago is just not worth the effort.
A fact bourne out by Tuesdays trip to Ipswich, there is only one coach travelling and only 270 tickets sold, that’s the Hard Core fans turning their back.
Now that is really time to worry Fosun…
If you read this and care, may I say one name.
Thelwell
Your move, Fosun.
It has been mentioned that because we have games in hand we will be ok.
I have always been of the opinion that points on the board are better than games in hand.
You have to win those games in hand, and at the moment we couldn’t even beat a fuckin’ egg.
And, one of those “winnable” games in hand is against Huddersfield.
Easy three points there, then!
Is Lambert being told who to play, or is he his own man?
If the former, he should quit and move on.
If the latter, he should quit or be fired.
We now have McArthorse mark two.
The big difference between him and Lambert is now there are two love children on the pitch every week, Saville and Edwards, instead of just Ward.
Once again, if five hundred million worldwide Wolves fans can see the shite on display, why cannot the manager?
I have no earthly idea where the next point is coming from, and once Bristol City win a game, we are down.
At least by the time I get over there for the Preston game, we will be relegated and there will be no pressure.
We might actually score!!
Good job Big Sam stuffed the shit or the weekend would have been a total disaster, football wise.
Happy Birthday to Mrs. CFH.
There can be no doubt that the only way forward for our club is to effect a massive clear out from top to bottom. We have become a very sad joke.
Yes, Mr Lambert`s selections and tactics are increasingly bizarre. Yes, there is the possibility that he may not be the long term answer that we all had hoped for. But the reality is that he is saddled with a group of players, who both individually and collectively a simply not good enough. This is the result of the sheer incompetence of those responsible for recruitment, most notably our self styled guru Mr Thelwell. Over recent years he has been responsible for shelling out a few hundred thousand pounds here, another couple of hundred there, for his “ones for tomorrow “. A great idea, except that for by far the majority of his signings, tomorrow will never come, since there is little real talent to develop. Meanwhile the inadequacies of the core of the senior squad have continued to be ignored. How, for example, could we not have recruited at least one quality proven striker in January, when our supposed strike force had for several months not managed a single goal between them ? The consequences of all of this mismanagement will likely be disastrous.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Throughout our set up we have key personnel who have survived a series of fired coaches / managers, so that they have become directly associated with continuing failure. They are all used to losing and not winning. They are themselves a major part of the problem.
We can only trust that Mr Shi will by now have recognized the fact that the club is rotting from within, and that he will have the courage to oversee the major clear-out which alone can protect our long term future.
Mike excellent blog and my thoughts exactly.
Absolutely..continued failure (less of course the good players we got rid of Sako McDonald Afobe) below average players get below average results..The defence particularly as we concede spectacularly..but then there is the strike force and then they have to be fed..
Total rebuild with real money..
Thanks rasmin, a nice description of the whole ‘ wolves supporter ‘ experience atm
However a couple of words stuck in my mind whilst reading down Heavyweight foe
Really, when did we become the plucky underdog to the heavyweight foe of. Feckin reading !!! Please don’t take this as a critique of your fine writing because I always enjoy your take on match day reports but I was just jolted with the possibility that we may now be at that cross roads,
I never wanted lambert but wanted to show him some support but it now appears he is living up to his point a game reputation,
I would like to offer an option going forward but to be honest I don’t have one ,
Utmw
I attended my first game in ages yesterday, and had to go in the Reading end. I used to live there so went with mates, and couldn’t get a ticket in the away end anyway.
With that in mind, I’m 24 and my ‘youth’ ticket in the home end cost £13 – take note Wolves? I was on the side of the pitch, along the goal line at the far end from Wolves fans. An equivalent ticket in the Billy Wright would have cost me £30. And look where the two teams are in the table. Go figure.
This blog post is spot on. I was astounded to see Saville at left back. If not Doherty, why not CBJ? Doherty, Hause, Williamson & Iorfa would have actually been solid. Saville directly cost us the free kick for the second goal – a clipped ball going nowhere towards the touchline and he clatters his man, right in front of me. The Reading supporters were rubbing their hands with glee. For this selection, PL has to take some stick. Saville struggles in his correct position, let alone one where positioning and timing are key assets.
Coady too looked one-paced. A key moment was when he could have slipped Costa in, dallied, didn’t see Costa had changed his run and slid it straight out for a goal kick. His effort can’t be faulted, but it just isn’t good enough right now.
I actually thought we might get something from the game after we equalised and had a (decent enough I guess) spell – how wrong I was.
I’m surprised that ‘the goal they never was’ isn’t mentioned in the blog, although maybe you guys couldn’t see it. From my seat it was a yard or two over the line yet not given. I’m talking about a Saiss header from a corner – such a shame we didn’t get that as an early lead could have changed how we played against a very average Reading side.
But as you say, we shouldn’t bemoan referees or mistakes without looking elsewhere too. We haven’t invested in quality at all and it can be seen with this string of results. On 31st January, after the Barnsley game, it looked positive. But we really are staring relegation in the face – as the Reading fans around me were quick to point out.
Enough of this doom and gloom, I refuse to let my beloved football team ruin my weekend, time and time again. Surely it’s possible to be entertained by the challenge of the now inevitable relegation battle, perhaps then more interesting to go through this than settle for mid-table mediocrity. Let us not forget the exhilaration we all shared when watching that now infamous ‘Stephen Hunt scorcher’ at the conclusion of a similar challenging period in Wolves’ recent history.
So when was the last time you were a fully engaged and contented Wolves supporter? my answer to that would be – our last foray into League 1. So bring it on, if we’re going down, I intend to enjoy the experience; last time it was interesting to visit never seen before stadiums and to see the pleasure on the faces of visiting fans as they enjoyed the ‘Molineux ‘ experience.
Life’s too short to spend decades of it as a ‘disappointed’ Wolves supporter.
I am sorry but I do not share your enthusiastic enbracement of failure. That’s an easy cop out. I want success not at all costs but nonetheless success. Very sad for me when we wheel out the league one was fun last time. We were lucky in several respects, Kenny Jackett, decent players like Sako and McDonald. If we go down the future could be very bleak. We need to fight to ensure we don’t go down. So for us fans it means being vocal and not letting the players just give up and take the fat pay checks without a care in the world for our great and proud football club.
BUT… I’ve seen ample evidence over the last few weeks to show that we are currently not good enough to be a Championship team. We all want success but Wolves are not a successful football team so it’s a matter of enjoying the journey instead; that’s what I’ve been doing for the last forty five years of following the Old Gold & Black and will continue to do so. I’d lost my voice when leaving the Molineux after the Blues game but it made no difference to what happened on the pitch.
We were treat to a mediocre first half where both sides cancelled each other out. Second half was a different story with Wolves dominating play, then Reading scored a lucky goal. We responded soon with Marshall netting close in. That would be the Marshall that hardly showed anything in the first half, indeed I wanted him subbed at half time. Fair play to him that once he netted we saw a different player.
The team news was ‘interesting’ to say the least. Saville at left back was one that stuck out like a sore thumb. To be fair to the lad I have seen a lot worse performances at left back, I thought he worked hard and put in a decent shift and he had a shot on target.
Williamson, and Hause in particular looked solid together, Siass covered in front of them and stopped Reading getting any kind of rhythm going, he was everywhere and also came up with some decent passes.
Cody & Dave ran and ran but unfortunately neither of them can manage to string a pass between them. Their distribution was non existent. And that is where we are really being let down. We had nobody who could see the gaps or pick out a pass.
Costa teased and ran and tracked back but he is a shadow of the player we saw at Liverpool.
Up front Dicko was causing the Reading defence problems with his running off the ball but all too often we failed to get the ball to him. I was surprised then that he was replaced by Wiemann. I would have left Dicko on, brought Bright on to replace Coady and put Siass in his place.
We were mugged by Reading and I still don’t know how we did not come away with anything, baffled by it.
I could not fault the players for their effort yesterday but it is obvious that we lack quality in the middle of the park to open up defences and provide the service that our forwards are not getting. PL needs to do something in that area and fast.
Don’t be baffled, think PL . ROLL ON iPSHITE.
First half was dire. The two stuffy goals that took the game to 1-1 were a reflection of the (lack of) quality on display. After that, we were the better team, which really isn’t saying much. Can’t shed any light on the controversial incidents that Lambert is lamenting as they were down the other end but, based on replays, I would not have awarded a goal for Saiss’s effort or a penalty for Costa’s (the arm was out but the offence is ‘deliberate’ movement of hand to ball). I though both Williamson bookings were harsh but we were already behind again by the time he got his marching orders. It’s not the ref’s fault that when we stopped presenting the ball straight back to our opponents and actually started trying to achieve something we still weren’t good enough. Positives: In spite of some dodgy touches early on Saiss yet again demonstrated a touch of quality that most fans can recognise but has been lacking in central midfield since Lambert arrived, Williamson organised the defence in a way that we all know an experienced Centre-Half should, Marshall looked match fit, Doherty was given a long overdue rest (bless him for trying to overcompensate for his technically challenged teammates in midfield but he’s been a defensive liability for a while now in my opinion), we restricted Reading to 3 chances (granted they scored two of them but I’m doing my best to silver line this cloud). People are saying we need to stick with Lambert because his replacement will only have the same players to pick from. Meanwhile in France, Prince Oniangue, having scored 2 in 6 starts for Wolves has now scored 3 in 8 for Bastia but was considered surplus to requirements by Lambert. With Saiss and Oniangue at his disposal our head coach has repeatedly picked grafters Saville, Evans and Coady and let a full transfer window pass by without adding a goalscorer whilst putting his faith in misfiring strikers who’ve scored 1 goal between them since August and playing his favourite workhorses out of position in preference to purchasing/selecting proper full-backs. I think it’s fair to say he’s part of the problem. I agree it’s probably not an ideal time to appoint a new head coach because, after all, why give the new guy the indignity of losing to our old manager and then get beaten at home by a rock bottom team that’s only picked up 1 point on the road all season. Let’s give Lambert the chance to do those things. I think he’s earned it.
Great summary of the situation
wwwebs you say you would not have awarded a goal for Saiss’ effort. Exactly how far must the ball be into the net for a goal to be awarded ? Isn’t a yard enough ?
Re the Saiss effort, I’m saying we had no perspective on that from the away end and the camera angle that shows it in the highlights is inconclusive. If it was a yard over I would have expected every Wolves player in the vicinity to be celebrating (then protesting). What we actually see is a couple of arms raised, appealing in hope rather than expectation. If there is another camera angle showing the whole of the ball over the line then I’m happy to stand corrected.
Thank you for responding wwwebs. Living 15 miles from Reading I know a few people who were there yesterday who saw the ball well over the line and relieved with the decision. GermanWolf (above) was there and agrees with this. Anyway fact: it wasn’t given so on to Ipswich and lets hope we get decisions go in our favour for a change.
I stand corrected. Goal line technology being introduced to the Championship next season apparently to theoretically save us from such agonies in the future. I wonder if they’ll have it in the 3rd division 😉
Yes, I don’t understand why Prince was loaned out to Bastia either. “Coudn’t play with too many foreigners”, according to Lambert, and in hindsight look where it got us. Prince and Saiss are good players, foreigners or not. I’m really looking forward to Graham’s return, but it will probably take some time before he’s fit enough to make a difference. Does somebody know where he is in his rehab process compared to the other players?
I believe Graham is back in light training and Cav could be back next week.
We deserved a draw, so lets go and give mick a real good game on Tuesday. Time for stout hearts some of the comments are ott. COYW
Here’s a question you have to ask. Imagine you won the lottery, big time, and you bought a football club, and money was no object (relatively speaking). Would you:
a) Go buy and invest in a set of proven Premier League players and build a Premier League challenging team around them, or
b) Would you continue to try to turn George Saville into Lionel Messi?
This is where I don’t get it with Paul Lambert. He had a chance to upgrade in January. He didn’t. It was painstakingly obvious to everyone that we needed a forward who scored for fun, and come January, he didn’t get one. We may as well be playing Freddie Eastwood and Adam Proudlock up front atm. Same difference. We can’t win games without a prolific striker who will find a goal from nowhere when you need one.
Instead, he brought in a couple of his old favorites from his previous teams who have barely been played for whatever reason and seem to be more of the same. He loaned out Teixera and kept Saville … I’m sorry, but I lay the current team position and predicament TOTALLY at Lambert’s feet right now.
Wasn’t the team position under Zenga higher than this under Lambert? I’m not saying Lambert is necessarily a bad manager, but he is making very bad decisions. He needs to stop the theatrics and self promotion (yeah, we know, he played in the Champion’s League, he told us about a million times now) and focus on Wolves and some common sense.
Teams don’t get into relegation battles on the basis of one or two bad luck results. They get into it as a result of endemic and persistent problems and repeated mistakes. I have said this before, on countless occasions, that with the exception of 1 or 2 players, nobody in the current squad is of premiership quality. So how, FFS, does anyone seriously expect a top 6 finish? In fact, most of the regulars, like Saville and Coady, are actually not even of Championship quality, and therein lies a very easy explanation of why Wolves are where they are, in a 3rd division relegation battle, because that is the quality of the team selections put out there most of the time.
So get it right Mr Lambert! Use the best you have, forget about fekkin Saville (I never want to see this idiot in a Wolves shirt again – infuriatingly useless!) Get the team out of trouble and then start a total rebuild this summer, spending some decent money on QUALITY players (not just over-rated ones thrown in by some dodgy agent), and make a serious go of it. Look at the kind of quality Newcastle have. That’s where we need to be aiming.
It shouldn’t be this hard! Just some common sense and good, sound decisions. Get it right FFS!
Go Wolves!
Coady is a better fullback than midfielder.
Spot on..it’s now a Q of playing to the strengths of who he’s got ..We’ve got to do a Leicester ..fight for what we are all about ..be currently player selective then later buy and replace for nxt season..
It’s pretty dire. Only listened to the 2nd half on WM. Just hope there is hope & we can win again & secure 50 points.
This weeks key with 4 points a must. A zero then Lambert’s dead meat at Wolves. And yes this bunch of players will have taken us to the base of the pyramid again!
But I have some hope that enough people employed by Wolves will get us out of this!
Life choices is good. It makes you think this level of crap is just not what life’s all about. But next Sunday we could all be smiling, I really hope so & then we actually start progressing as a club once more. Up the Wolves!
I have to take the glass half full approach here and as such disagree with many of the statements made about yesterday’s game – which I was at – the prospect of relegation this season and the state of our squad in general.
For me Coady had a good game and was one of our better performers. Saville and Edwards were the real dead wood. Coady and Saiss are undoubtedly the best defensive pairing to protect our back 4. Not Price or Evans or Saville or Edwards. I agree though that Saville at left back was bizarre in the extreme – a mediocre 3rd division midfielder playing at left back in the Championship?
I do not think we will be relegated and am convinced we will pick up the necessary points to finish around 15th. Big deal I hear you say but right now we’d all take that I guess. Whether Lambert will still be here by then is another matter and certainly I don’t think he will be our manager come August.
As for the squad I truly believe we have the nucleus of a very good squad capable of promotion next season. Am I mad? A bit but I think with the right manager, good coaching in how to play real football – passing and moving – a good pre-season, the removal of Thelwell, a fully fit squad, a settled squad and the addition of at least 4 key, quality players – £30m should do it – we will be fine. Ikeme, Burgoyne, Flatt, Iorfa, Hause, Doherty, Coady, Williamson, Deslandes, Saiss,,Oniangue, Roman, Gibbs-White, Costa, Marshall, Enobakhare, Cavaleiro, Graham, Dicko, Bodvarsson and Zyro plus a centre back, left back, creative midfielder and striker would give a 25 man squad capable of winning the league. The new 4 need to be real quality mind you, not cheap rubbish. The striker would orobly cost £10m at least.
Positivity people. Believe.
This time next year we’ll be millionaires (or the footballing equivalent thereif).
I agree in principle, but I do not believe you go far enough.
For example, continued belief in Dicko and Bod is surely misguided. One goal between the two of them in over 6 months of games. How can we possibly win games if we labor with strikers who can`t strike ? How many more chances do these two duffers deserve ? Surely now is the time ti give the likes of Bright and Wilson a chance. They can do no worse than the present incumbents.
Irrespective of who is the manager next season we will win nothing until we rid the club of the mass of mediocrity in place at the moment. Nothing less than a major clear out, starting with Thelwell, will suffice.
Mike – I would persevere with Dicko and Bodvarsson for the simple reason that in the main they have been deployed as a lone striker in front of a midfield totally devoid of flair, skill, quality or creativity. Unless and until we play with those qualities in our midfield – and Price, Evans, Saville and Edwards have none of those qualities – it is unfair to blame our strikers I feel. Dicko has come back from a bad injury and instead of having Sako, Afobe and McDonald he’s got those lot to ‘supply’ him with the chances a striker needs. He will be great again IF we play with a creative player in midfield. Bodvarsson also has quality, maybe not as a 20 goal a season striker, but as a different type of striker who can hold the ball up etc. I want a new striker as our number one man but think Dicko, Bodvarsson and Zyro, assuming he will be fit again, as alternatives/cover. I rate Enibakhare highly and wish Lambert would play him behind Dicko where his flair can blossom – and NOT play Edwards there out of position. Edwards best position is on the bench and brought on late on when we need someone to run around a lot and close down opponents.
There is considerable merit in your argument, in that with the exception of Saiss our midfield is devoid of any constructive quality. However, neither Dicko or Bod look even remotely likely to score given the system of playing only one up front that Mr. Lambert endlessly favors. Is it not the time for the coach to set up the team to win, rather than just not to lose ? We urgently need points in the bag. If yes,– and certainly this should be a must against Rotherham — then why not play Bright alongside either Dicko or Bod as an out and out striker ? In my opinion he has the pace and skill to succeed in this role.
Bedford……..I want to believe mate truly I do but the evidence on display only points to one thing……and I cannot bring myself to write the word..!
For the half hour we were on top got a sinking feeling we were not going to score again. Then got a feeling it was all just a prelude to them going back up the pitch and finishing the job. Which they did.
Have liked some of the things Lambert has said so what has gone wrong ?
When a new manager comes in he should put his stamp on the team its not about being fair to failures. He needed to get more shape into the squad building some players up and getting others out of the picture. He needed to bring a strong experienced character into the team a midfield general perhaps.
Something needed to change but he has changed virtually nothing. Instead he has just carried on with players and a formation that were already falling short and were the very reason he was brought in. The cup run now looks like a smoke screen and just another kick in the nuts from the players. Now it could be almost too late.
Here’s a transcript of a telephone call that my Molineux Mole recorded earlier today.
Only the names have been changed to protect the guilty.
Wellthell: I’ve just had Jorge Semtex on the blower and he’s prepared to let us have some more Barcefica cast offs in the Summer for the usual 10%, plus my little cut as well of course. Those plus my cheap ‘ones for the future’ should see us OK next season.
Paul Lambchop: Aye. Hoots mon an’ we’re positive an’ playin’ well the noo!
Wellthell: Of course, if we’re in Div 3 you won’t be around so I’ll have to Lord it over someone else. At least I know I’m safe. I’ve outlasted I don’t know how many managers and I’ll outlast you too.
Paul Lambchop: Aye but I canna fault the effort. We’re on the up. Saville, Williamson an’ aw an’ it war a staen col’ pen I tell ye!
Wellthell: That’s easy for you to say but I have to go back to Jeff and explain the mess you’ve got us in to.
Paul Lambchop: Nae mon, ye canna dominate games an’ no put the ball in the net ye ken. An’ it were over the line, I’d bet ma sporran on it.
Wellthell: I should get them in for extra training before Ipswich and brush up on your excuses.
Paul Lambchop: Wha are ye sayin’ mon? Are ye takin’ the piss ya wee baldy sassenach?
Wellthell: I’ve got to go now, I think that’s Fosun on the ‘phone and there’s a lot of buck passing to get done.
Paul Lambchop: See you Jimmy. Up your kilt! Stitch that!
Wellthell: Oh! By dose!
Doog i would give you a like mate but you aint going to need it.
It has been a while since I’ve had or made time to drop some comments on here. I know your probably thinking I don’t give a rats Wolfy arse but here goes anyway!
I’m unable to watch many of our games live in the States. I did however get to see the Stoke / Liverpool / Chelsea games shown on Fox sports. It was great to see us playing good fluid, solid high attacking football. Were we perfect of course not but I though wow.. it finally looks as though Lambert has finally got it right.
Now 5 – 6 games back into the reality of the Championship I’m sitting here asking… What the heck has gone wrong? Can someone please give me some input before I end up in the nut barn.
Depressed in Atlanta..
I think our collective expectations were much lower against the Premier League teams and the pressure was all on them. It’s impressive to be well drilled and well organised against a better team and to catch them with their pants down. It makes it appear that you’ve carved them open with your incisive counter-attacking play when in reality you’ve just taken advantage of the gaps left behind whilst their whole team was camped out in your half. It’s much harder to pull that off when you’re at home to Wigan. After years of relegation battles I think Lambert must have settled on a style of play that suits the underdog and maybe subconsciously he’s dragged us into this situation because he doesn’t know how to use flair players that actually put you on the front foot and entertain. That would also explain why our home form is abysmal. An expectant Molineux turns up hoping to be entertained but is confronted with a bunch of grafters who can press but can’t actually play. When the opposition parks the bus our lot are exposed for the also rans they really are. The natives get restless, the Wolves get worse and we lose again.
I see Evans is coming in for some negative press again.
I must be one of the few who rate him. He’s still very young and with the right coaching, opportunities and encouragement ought to get better.
http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=64634
As far as I can ascertain Evans has played in 3 cup matches, including Stoke and Liverpool away, and we’ve won all 3. At the start of the season, before he was injured he played in 5 games of which we won 3, drew 2 and lost 0. The teams good start evaporated when Evans was injured.
In league games since his injury he has appeared 3 times, twice substituted due to knocks and we have lost all 3 games by the odd goal.
Why is Evans coming in for some stick? In a word: Wigan. His one paced 3 yard sideways and backwards passing display against Wigan was one of the worst individual displays I’ve seen from a so called professional. For those who didn’t witness it, imagine Karl Henry but at walking pace and without the tackling. He was withdrawn in that game for being so appallingly bad that even Lambert could see it and has rightly not been anywhere near the squad since. But he’s got a three and a half year contract so at least he doesn’t need to worry about the mortgage. On that evidence (failing to execute a single penetrating pass against a frankly woeful Wigan side) he is certainly no midfield playmaker. Maybe, like our other currently in favour midfielders he can do a decent job for the underdog, pressing more talented midfielders into eventually mis-hitting a pass and we can nick one against the run of play but I, for one, have much loftier ambitions for this once great club. I think before the contract extension most of us were, at best, ambivalent. To follow that particular reward with a horror show was inevitably going to attract some criticism. I think it went to his head a bit and maybe he’d started to believe his own myth. Let’s hope he’s embarrassed about his particular contribution to kick starting this latest relegation dogfight or that at the very least they’ve written in a salary reduction or release clause for the 3rd division. If and when we do see him in a Wolves shirt again I sincerely hope he’s learned his lesson that winning a new contract is the start and not the endgame.
Ah, I can see you are a fan as well.
That is some response – I don’t think we can accuse you of being ambivilaent. Do you really believe a player stops trying when he gets a new contract? Do you really believe that PL was instrumental in giving him a new contract and has now discarded him? I understood he was withdrawn against Wigan because he was carrying a knock and that is why he hasn’t played since. Perhaps I’ve got that wrong. You appear to have based your assessment of this guy on what, in your opinion, was one poor half.
You are fully entitled to.
What has Evans done to deserve a contract extension? He hardly ever plays! He is not even good enough when fit to get into our world beating midfield! In days gone by he would be given a free or just let go. Today’s Wolves though are different. There’s a certain Thelwell who has his favourites, from his time in charge of the youth setup. Simple, Evans ain’t good enough for The Wolves that I want. We used to have decent midfielders, Hibbitt, McCalliog, Daniels, Broadbent, Bailey, Daley, Carr, Ince, Rae, Cook, Cameron, Vaughan, Downing, etc. Now we have to put up with Evans, Edwards, Coady and SAVILLE (or is he a left back all of a sudden). Shocking all round. Gutted by it all.
“What has Evans done to deserve a contract extension? He hardly ever plays!”
You’d have to ask Lambert but I suspect a long term injury had something to do with it.
Of course the argument rages about sacking yet another manager … but as Blackburn are seemingly proving, the man in the dugout is pretty influential on getting results out of the team. 6 straight defeats… Thick Mccarthy will surely make it seven … and then I ask, what thread of crediblity do the Lambert “remainers” have left ?
We’re going down boys and girls. despite Edwards’ impassioned pleas, we need to turn results around and 7, SEVEN straight defeats are enough, ENOUGH to convince this reader that Lambert has run out of ideas and doesnt not know what he is doing.
Get Zenga back, get Rowett in, Ranieri if he” have us, please please,. most of us agree you got rid of Zenga too soon, but you’re doing a ‘Mccarthy’ by holding on to Lambert this long.
This is the same squad that beat Newcastle et al – we do have the players, we just dont have the manager.
If there is a positive, I think 46 points may be enough to stay up this year (it has been for quite a few years in div 2). So 11 points required ( we have to play Bristol C away early April). However to get 11 points requires getting the ball between the two posts and the cross bar. Unless we achieve 11 0-0 draws. The achievement of scoring a goal is currently lacking. We need to do something and quick. During December and January we actually won 7 and lost only 3 of 12 games. Which also meant we scored a few goals. So PL needs to see if he can retrieve that formula. Next two games Ipswich and Rotherham. Would like 4 points (min 3). I fear 0 points could mean the end for PL. Sad in a way because he bounced in to Molineux with a spring in his step and looked rejuvenated. I wanted him to do well but I expected better than what has been delivered. It is a cut throat business and two more poor results could see him gone. The sterile mass mediocracy will remain and there is the problem.
I for one am behind Lambert and the squad. We don’t need any more turmoil. The players are growing through this period and will come out better. PL will keep us up just as he kept the villa up.It probably won’t be pretty but I think the formula will be found. We are like a fruit machine that hasn’t paid out in a while – we will tilt and the goals and points will flow.
With 13 games left we need 15 points. I truthfully can’t see where they will come from based on current form, quality and strange decisions!
We do however have a team capable of winning – Stoke & Liverpool didn’t roll over.
We need to play for 90 minutes not 20 or 30…. if we’d have only played 80 mins per game would have a further 8 points and please subs are to improve the team surely?
At Reading these are my opinions (and I was there so remain my opinions):
Saville to start? WTF
Saville at LB? DOUBLE WTF if Doc was knackered sack the fitness coaches cus we ain’t playing 3 games a week….
Ikeme, for the most of the game sent pointless balls up front which then kept coming back
Coady when having time on the ball normally chooses the wrong option – pass accuracy better when he doesn’t have time to think.
Marshall (slimmer) didn’t really do anything until the toe poke went in and then showed some determination – what
Dicko off and Weimann on – what again?
Good points
Saisse – please give him game time for next 13 games and he’ll bust his balls for us
Williamson – talks/shouts and got on with the job – straight back in after suspension
Hause – will be a great ctr half given time and a decent partner that can teach him
Needed
Graham and/or Cavalero – extra urgent
Drop Saville
Drop Super Dave and sub if needed for good or bad
Start with Enobakhare and Dicko
Don’t play players out of position FFS we have numbers to 64 know…..
And please practice throw in’s + corners to get past first man + free kicks
PL surely on has 1 possibly 2 games – not that I necessarily want to change the manager now, but 7 or 8 losses – he cannot survive that
As for the Big R – this is a real possibility – can we beat the drop? Yes easily, but will we? I really really don’t know – Rotherham are down but then pair any 2 from 6/7.
Still a massive job this season, but, next – well I keep saying FOSUN are a business and they are not expecting us to play Div 3 football next year…… the roller coaster ride would not get safety approval – it’s the corkscrew x oblivion x nemesis but it ain’t “the Smiler”
For once I cannot think of anything to say……….that’s never happened in all my 40 years of supporting my home town club.
I remember the free fall all the way from the first division in 1983 to the forth and of course from Premier to third recently.
Those were bad times but nothing compare to what’s happening now. Then we had a decaying ground and no training ground the first team were training on the North Bank car park…….but now…….now we have a billionaire owner a decent ground and constantly reminded of the Acadamy status Premier league level no less…….yeah Premier League Acadamy .
We have everything a club needs to succeed the fans, the ground, the training ground and he Acadamy.
But what we don’t have is…….the leadership, the vision, the ambition the players or the manager or owner the bring all these thing together ………..like Man City did and Chelsea did there owners were single minded in the visions and stop at nothing to bring them about.
Paul, That last sentence really sums it up for me.
I do still back lambert, but I think even the best of managers panic and will try anything when they are faced with a bunch of wasters.
When they realized they weren’t being sold and some even getting new deals, they gave up trying and took the collective piss.
Strike one-January transfers
Strike two-saville at left back
Strike three………………
We were genuinely unlucky in this game. Although the first half was dreadful, we were much the better team in the second half, I don’t agree that Reading were finding it easy, Rasmin.
Although Coady ‘puts a shift in’ he clearly isn’t good enough. I hope PL works that out soon.
Despite the depressing result it was encouraging to see that the 2000+ fans clapped the team off.
Not sure why Williamson is considered the messiah, he was ok but we still lost and then he got himself sent off. This was due to his tactic of blocking any reading player running at him, a tactic that will only work twice!! Coady was infuriating won the ball in good positions then sliced or hoofed the ball out, abysmal lack of basic skill. Hause, Iorfa, sais, Dicko and Costa all played well but 5 against 11 is a recipe for defeat. I can see all the players care and hope that we can scrape a few wins to relieve the pressure.
COYW
Altogether now – “he’s not the messiah, he’s a very naughty boy”.
Listened to the commentary and have seen the highlights.
I felt we were unlucky with their first goal, unlucky with the disallowed Saisse header and the Williamson send off was a travesty. We certainly created more than them in the second half but few chances were clear cut and this is our problem. Lack of creativity in midfield.
Another defeat and our situation is becoming dire. I can’t help the feeling though, that if we can’t accrue more points than clubs of the quality of the three below us, then we will indeed deserve to be playing in League 1. But I reckon we’ll be just about OK. The points will come. Starting this week.
I am indifferent to our survival.
What a mess.
Can’t see why people think we were ‘conned’ by Mendez.
All the players he brought in could have been nurtured so we were not in the position we are in.
For some reason the ‘philosophy’ is Edwards, Coady, Saville etc are better.
They are not.
All three flatter to deceive.
For me the best we can hope for is not to be relegated.
Then, hopefully in the summer Fosun will start again.
I’d get rid of Lambert & Thelwell both of whom have flattered to deceive.
My thoughts for what they are worth…
A much improved performance from the last few matches and we were unlucky not to get something from the game. Although we had less possession (to be expected away from home) we had more shots than them and were the better team in the second half. Their two goals were both soft – a jammy deflection and then abysmal marking from a set piece – while we couldn’t take advantage of our greater attacking play. Typical of so many games this season.
Iorfa played much better on his return. Please keep the defensive trio of Williamson, Hause & Saiss for the rest of the season and give them a chance to show what they can do. Now Doherty has had a break get him back in the side at left back.
The big problem is now the goals have dried up for Edwards and Costa who else is going to score? Unless somebody can find their lucky scoring underpants then we will go down as we always let in a goal or two and lady luck seems to have well and truly deserted us.
I can see an argument that without his goals then Edwards place in the team is under threat. Time to give Bright a run in that no.10 position?
Shooting practice has to be on the agenda for the rest of the week. I’m expecting bugger all against Ipswich but anything less than a win against Rotherham and sadly I think that will be curtains for us.
Either way there needs to be major change in the summer but at the moment I still see Lambert as part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Can’t say the same for a certain Mr Thelwell though….
I hate to burst your commendable optimistic bubble, Newty, but much improved and bad luck dont get the points.
There is no such thing as a soft goal, they all count against us.
The greater effort and better play, and all the other improvements count for sod all.
The ONLY thing that matters is getting more goals than the opposition.
Our defenders cant defend, our midfield does not exist and our strikers cant.
Recipe for Relegation.
We have some semi proven youngsters, who have all had a taste of first team football, and should be thrown in at the deep end.
They cannot do any worse.
If nothing changes, we will be down by April.
Latest from Molineux is grim reading for anyone making the hike to Ipshit tomorrow.
Three players in the squad for tonights U23 game, I shit you not….
Donovan Wilson, (Him that’s scoring every U23 match)
Morgan Gibbs-White (runs every bleeding U23 game)
Bright Enokhabare (Relegated back to U23’s)
Lambert has lost the plot, he really has.
Look what an Ipswich fan ha written about us FFS they know us better than we know ourselves, (not difficult when never see the same team twice)
http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/31288/
One saving grace, Niall Ennis starts tonight after his broken leg. He also knows where the net is, so we won’t see hime until PL walks.
Cannot believe Enobakare has been sent back to the U23’s. That is madness. Almost as mad as me driving to Ipswich tomorrow – leaving at 3pm as even though its a 2 hour drive I can’t afford to get stuck in the rush hour traffic between Bedford and Ipswich so get there at 5pm or about 830pm!
Lambert is deeply disappointing me – seems to hate any kind of flair or creativity or quality and more interested in people who run around a lot and put a shift in. Seems to morphing into Kenny Jacket as each day passes.
At least we could almost understand what Jackett was saying, unlike Lambert, Solbakken and McDickwadhead!!!
Not just Jackett worse the original shift believer………Mc Carthy of Barns….a ly.
Was pleased to see Niall Ennis back in the line up
I think you’ll find, Stu my ole friend, that that whole article is a series of statements pinched from Wolves fans recent comments across the internet.Hardly any of it actually written by the Ipshite fan. Still, it shows there is a modicum of discontent within our ranks. 🙂
Pity that PL was’nt KJ as then we’d likely be safe by now.
Maybe PL doesn’t play the foreign players because he just cannot make himself be understood by them!
Soft I know but PL is tough for me to understand particularly on post match apology when on Saturday he was clearly feeling desparate.
Still as Dave Edwards said the players are 100 per cent behind the manager. He’s got 2 games, I hope he pulls it off & stays but if he can’t pull off at least 4 points by 5:00 pm on Saturday, he has to depart.
We’d probably then be better off without him. No win in 8 is beyond bad, & no manager can survive that.
Think you summed it up Bedford. I was expecting better from Lambert. Even during the wins we have never really looked a cohesive force. Kevin Phillips who knows a thing or two about football writes in the E and S that another two defeats would leave PL’s position in serious jepardy. He says any club suffering 8 consecutive defeats would find it difficult to sustain a manager. He suggests 4 points required from next two games. Rotherham have taken 1 point from 54 away from home. We all know what will happen on Saturday. Don’t we ?
FFS, Lambert,
Are you feckin stupid man. ?
That’s a midfield player doing what midfielders should do and a Striker scoring for the 3rd game in a row.
It must be me…….
Nurse medicate me quickly.
52′ Donovan Wilson can’t stop scoring at the minute. After excellent work by Gibbs-White, Wilson is put through on goal and makes no mistake
Is Paul Lambert still manager? Lord help us.
Well at last the First team has found some consistency ..
Constantly losing though is not what we had in mind…
Tonight it seems the U23’s are at least following in the first Teams footsteps conceding 2 late goal against the Villa..
There is no divine right for any club to have membership of the prem or championship. But for a club of wolves standing to be contemplating relegation when clubs with the financial clout of Burton Barnsley Huddersfield and Forest are steering a route to safety beggars belief. There are circumstances when relegation can turn a struggling ship around. The chance to clear out the dross, blood youngsters, develop an effective method of playing that everyone can buy into, build confidence in the winning habit and revitalise supporters. But we have done that and then to see that in three short seasons we have completely lost the momentum of our sacrificial season of league one penitence is frustrating beyond words. Have we progressed at all in that period and how does the current team of relegation fighters compare with the doomed team of 2013. Surely Williamson and Hause are a cut above Saunders nightmare pairing of. Gorkss and Johnson. But are Saisss and Coady any better than Henry and O’Hara. Our left footed genius of that era Sako stands comparison with Costa and the same could be said when comparing goal shy Doyle with Bod. But by the end of the season the in-form striker SEB had limped off to the treatment room where the current line leader Dicko is very slowly dragging himself into form. Probably more important than individual abilities is the level of spirit and belief in the team. The 2013 vintage proved to have very little, time will tell whether the 2017 crop is able to muster enough to avoid another year of contrition in the naughty step division.
As already stated DONOVAN WILSON scored again last night… HE IS ON IT …..yippee a wolves player scoring.. START him on Saturday Mr Lambert.. IF it doesnt work out put Dicko on second half… he is only good for half a game anyway… WHAT YOU GOT TO LOSE ….your already up shit creek without a paddle… but maybe… just maybe … lady luck has handed you one … if i were you i would grab it with both hands and whatever you do DONT DROP IT !!!!!!!
Good luck for tonight, we’re really going to need it.
Muck MiCathode is unbeaten since he was booted from the Mol, he’s have that cheeky grin on his face too, lets hope we can wipe the smugness off….
Alls been said in this & previous posts but really don’t want Division 3 next year again, the thought of Washall beating us is just too much to take.
Let’s go for a win with Doc restored to LB and Cav back in with Dicko up front…..
As for the rest of the team, who knows.
FOstfc
COYFW