As if watching the most insipid second half performance since Glenn Hoddle wasn’t bad enough, an averting gaze to anywhere but the football pitch kept focusing on David Dickinson.
In a perma-tan vision of insincerity, the goofy Duke kept catching my eye in an advert under the ‘seamless’ video wall, imploring me to get into mounting debt with the Money Shop.
‘Tick tock’ screamed the headline as I checked my watch to confirm what I already knew.
A few minutes left, no second half shots on goal (barring a Sako free kick) and a team that could pass for Dickinson’s next TV series.
Golden in shirt, occasionally golden to the eye but upon closer scrutiny, a cheap imitation of the real deal like all the other tat on Bargain Hunt.
In an ironic commentary that our revolting sponsors would be oblivious to, those two words were the most apt in a soul destroying second half showing.
To put it bluntly, time will be in short supply for Solbakken if the natives have to sit through much more lifeless, unimaginative bilge like that.
With only three of Stale Solbakken’s signings playing any part in our latest capitulation, a ‘real Bobby Dazzler’ this team is not.
Stephen Ward reverting back to type and Kevin Foley utterly hapless in presenting Charlton with the ball – then acres of space to cross for the equaliser – our manager may as well be talking to Dickinson in the flesh.
Like an amateur collector given an hour to acquire a gem from £300, the Norwegian tried once more to polish a turd with the ‘leftover lolly’ he inherited.
Steve Morgan and Jez Moxey watch the spectacle like viewers in their living rooms, hoping their favourite will somehow defy the flawed format to find some Clarice Cliff glory amid the car boot carnage.
In a passage of play to typify the entire season, the old man in row ‘P’ squealed with delight: ‘It’s like watching Brazil’ at the very moment Jermaine Pennant squandered possession and the inoffensive 25 man-move broke down.
The Bovril warmed the cockles of the heart at half time.
The second half immediately numbed it like a dose of local anaesthetic, fresh from our previous injection at 8.45pm on Tuesday evening.
Moving slowly, predictably with no apparent intent of ever scoring a goal, the momentum we’d patiently built in the first half was squandered with infuriating predictability.
This now-obligatory trait should be enough to make Stale’s hair fall out, when the hard bit in breaching a stubborn 4-5-1 had been achieved with Sako’s accomplished finish from a Foley cross.
Space should be created as the away side is forced to press, we should duly exploit this situation and the game should then be as good as over.
Solbakken – in highborn pragmatism – would doubtless feel the same, calling it a ‘work in progress.’
Either that or ‘cheap as chips,’ depending on whose eye you catch.
And so the inexorable slide down the table continues, just like last season. Not surprising really as we’ve most of last season’s team, a year older, a year slower, and a year more useless.
The only huge bonus is that it is not on TV over here, so I don’t have to watch it.
A massive 2 points from our last possible 9, and third pathetic home performance on the trot.
Fortress Molineux?
You’re havin’ a laff.
Solbakken out then Clive?
No, definitely not, get rid of most of the players first.
Not once have i heard you say anything constructive. By all means criticise but have an alternative option to consider.
Unless we have spoken on the phone or in person, of course you have not heard me.
The alternative is bleedin’ obvious.
Play different players.
Give some of the other signings AND youngsters a chance.
We are, according to a lot of bloggers on this site, in a season of transition, so lets transit, and play the kids, and peripheral players.
Nothing to lose.
And, as has been pointed out before, the youngsters will not only be hungry, but keen to learn and absorb new methods and ideas, something a lot of the old guard are unwilling or unable to do.
How long do we have to put up with Fatty Blake, Doyle, Ward, Berra, Foley etc etc
And, does our manager have the bottle and the balls to admit, even to himself, that he may have misjudged one or two of his signings?
Not mentioning anyone, but the question needs to be asked.
As always, a merry FOwb to you all.
live Wise words my fellow Wolves lover…Wise words !
Kiddi Wolf ,Please let us all know anything constructive about the current team and management.The problems with the teams defenders at all costs is that you have never seen a top class wolves team play.
It is a ‘work in progress’ (IMO). We have made good progress in some areas and not much in others.
We are obviously trying (and I stress trying) to keep the ball more, and be more compact. Our defence seems to be better as a unit but at times they are not being supported by the midfielders and they are still also prone to reverting to type (ie. Ward backing off, berra getting caught flat footed ..)
However, what we still haven’t eradicated is the mentality of getting nervous when we come out from half time leading. I thought we’d done it last month, with a few 1-0 wins but there is still quite some work to go on that one.
We could very easily find ourselves in a relegation battle come February. That is unless Morgan spends some of that 30m+ on some decent players.
We’re far too reliant on players who couldn’t really cut it in the premiership (Johnson, Berra, Ward, Foley, Henry, Doyle, SEB) and one Frenchman who must be wondering what he was thinking when he agreed to join Stale’s (supposed) revolution. All the possession in the world means nothing without a cutting-edge. Said it before that both SEB and Doyle are past it and that is being borne out more and more.
And it’s not helping that Doumbia is looking more like Olofinjana every day, Sigurdarson like Bambi and Pennant the over-paid, over-praised second-coming that has split fans opinions wherever he has played.
As has been said before, looking more and more like M&M using FFP to justify the lowering of expectations. Playoffs if we’re lucky, most likely 7-10th spot.
Where the fcuk is the money Morgan???
Uhhhhm…the negativity is understandable after recent results but relegation battle?? Really??
2 points from 9 IS relegation quality.
There are what, 6 points separating 7th from 20th? A couple more losses and we’ll be tucked-in very nicely into that “will they-wont they” group of teams that hover above the relegation places. I don’t think SS has a fucking clue what he’s in for once the pitches gets heavy and greasy and the players and fans nerves start jangling at the Mol.
The honeymoon period is over – we’ve been shite most of the season but many of us have just been too polite to say anything. That ended for me today. It’s Glenda all fucking over again.
That’s assuming we lose and every single team below us wins – as poor as we have been recently there is a near-impossibility that that will happen and the feel-good factor will return when we win again. Think you’re also the first one to call for Stale’s head too – congrats!
I’m saying that SS has under-estimated the rigours of the Championship, not that I want his head. If the players are struggling to play his style while the pitches and weather are decent imagine how badly they’ll struggle in December and January! I’m not a proponent of hoof and hope, but am a strong believer in horses for courses, and I think SS might be stubborn to a fault – just like Glenda was.
I agree Louie, a work in progress. January is huge for Stale IMO. He either gets some serious dosh to sign some players (I know Jan isn’t a great time to supplement, but it is an opportunity none the less) OR he brings back Cassidy and integrates Zele / McAlinden.
I am pretty pragmatic about this season, but the recipie Solbakken is putting together, however virtuous, is one for disaster unless he is backed like our bank balance would suggest he should be.
I like the deliberate approach, I like the way we retain the ball and treat possession with more importance.
BUT, we are playing with players who are simply not versed in this style and bear the slings and arrows of previous misfortune.
SEB was absolutely awful today. The two full-backs were similarly poor. And as for Pennant…send him back ASAP! Truly awful.
Youth will bring patience, and like 2006/07, could inject some ‘oomph’ into the side.
Like that Bargain Hunt analogy, Stale is having to create an object of desire and whatever anyone says, he hasn’t been given the tools to do so thus far, as Margrietter, Boukari and Nouble don’t count as serious signings.
Either get serious in Jan Mr Morgan. Preferably, bring Cassidy home at once as well, as Doyle / SEB / Siggy have no devilment (like Beckford / Vaughan).
This is a mid-table team for me. BUT it needn’t be over the course of the season.
Up the Wolves!
agree that January is important. Frimpong, a forward and maybe a left back would be nice!
Pennant sounded decent first half and he did well v Bolton? Chants of sign him up? I haven’t seen him so can’t really comment.
Think you are harsh on Boukari and Margreitter signings. Both had injuries, particularly Boukari as he got his first league start and lasted ten minutes before getting a bad injury.
I think our strongest line up is one of the best in the league, but beyond that we don’t have much. Siggy always comes on when we have decided to defend and hoof the ball to him so we don’t get to see much of him. Edwards is just average, and Forde is still young. I’d really, really like to see Zeli given a spot on the bench every now and then
rubbish .. siggy is easily levered off the ball and cant shoot for shit … what other qualities does a striker need ? Doyle Seb Siggy … Really light up front, bozos at the back … Once again only the midfield is creating anything.
I’m with you on Cassidy – he is at least a Championship striker and he is really banging in the goals! Either that or we lose him to Tranmere…
What the hell does Stalle say to the team at half-time???
“First half we dominated but wasn’t able to put the game away and we paid for that with a crap second half”
This CANNOT be a recurring theme for the season! If we can do our second halves like the first we’d have four more points and would be sitting third in the Championship – why we bugger up our second halves I have no idea but Stale’s the only one who can find the answer! DOn’t get me wrong, I still have complete faith in him but I’d prefer him to find the answer sooner rather than later!
Nice one ben spot on.
The fact is charlton where 2 divisions below us last season,i know they came up and on a high
but we should be dealing with these teams if we have any hope of progress.
its alright this pretty passing game but where did it get us in the first half 1 goal for all that possession.
Still think we need to get the ball up to the front pair quicker and its about time we started to bang in a few more goals because the top teams seem to score more freely than we so thats saying something in my book,lets get a speedy striker in to get behind opponents defences and cause havoc our 2 are a bit lethargic in that department, or if we can’t get someone in give cassidy tug back or another one of our players who is banging in the goal for somebody else.Pennent is’nt doing it for me i’d sooner play zeli give the boy a chance.
still pissed off.
Louie the back 4 are being let down by the inadequacies of the midfield.
Timberwolf, I think you are over reacting at a time of great change for the players.
Ben, I agree definitely W.I.P we just have to be patient and trust in Ståle.
There is certainly a more organized and methodical approach to retaining possession but the stumbling block is and always has been midfield. Whilst they look reasonably comfortable with ball retention when possession has been lost, there doesn’t appear to be a great willingness to try harder to get the ball back. As a consequence the opposition midfield stream through or split our midfield line and either run straight at the back 4, who won’t commit themselves to the tackle, or try a speculative shot from distance. Either way we are being exploited by inferior teams with a knack of knowing how to simply survive in this division, not good enough for promotion but too good to be relegated. There’s plenty more of this type of team in the CH. We’d better learn quickly how to overcome these teams because regardless of the reasons, allowing so many home points to be lost is simply not good enough. My patience is with Ståle’s revolution but it will take time and I suspect better quality players in midfield are required, on loan if not bought in the Jan window.
As ever UTW !!!!
Cwmbran, if the style of football is too much change for the players then they shouldn’t be playing for Wolves! I have no time for them, paid as well as they are to pass, trap, run and shoot a football. Why is SS trying to teach old dogs new tricks? Get rid of them! FFS it’s pretty damn simple what he’s asking his team to do.
If I had even the slightest faith that Morgan would spend some of the 30, if i had more respect for Stale’s player assessment skills (outside of Sako they’re complete rubbish), if I thought Stale could motivate ANYONE, then maybe I would share some of the optimism.
But at the moment we’re shite and we know it.
I can handle losing; a lifetime following Wolves has taught me to be gracious in defeat but what is very difficult to stomach is throwing victories away – and doing it twice in five days is not going to ingratiate the team to the fans.
Whatever the ‘coot’ says at half-time, someone needs to gag him because as a mid game motivator he just hasn’t got it. Great to see a few more in the ground today, even if most of them were ‘Young Wolves’, though for the second time this week we were out-sung by the handful of away fans; it’s at times like this that the team need our full support but most fans seem too nervous to fully commit to periods of vocal support likely to intimidate the opposition.
Both team and fans need to move up a gear.
Think we missed Henry……..again.
Mid table obscurity beckons. Don’t bank on significant signings in Jan – remember folks ‘we are Wolves’
Sorry to sound negative but I feel most of the optimism (whilst admirable) portrayed on the blog is I’ll founded.
We are all being short changed by this fuck up of a board.
Tick tock the weeks pass by and the inevitable draws closer.
FOJM
The David Dickenson advert was also catching my eye too. I got that fed up with the paiful keep ball tactics in our own 1/3rd only too be pressed by the Charlton forwards that the back pass became the only outlet for the back 4 and back to the good old days of .. Yes Hoof it up to a 5ft 8 cnntre forward with little hope after that.
This work in progress is a crap excuse for a club with plenty of money nestled in the bank doing nothing. At the moment our team have no tempo, pace or cutting edge to rise above mediocrity. Charlton, newcomers to this league, were a bag of nerves at the beginning and should have been put to the sword well before half time.. but no and the 2nd half performance was truly woeful. says a lot when David Dickenson becomes more interesting.
Please stop the rot SS. it’s only going to get worse if you dont.
The dullest football since the days of Hoddle. Way too slow in possession and far too few chances created in games to ever make the opposition feel like they are ever under the cosh.
To all of you who say give SS more time, money, team in transition etc., you will rue the day. Top managers have immediate impact and SS has done nothing to take this club forward since his appointment- we’ll be closer to relegation than promotion by Xmas. Morgan/Moxey – cut your losses, be bold and get Redknapp whist he is still available. Let’s get some excitement back rather than having to endure this turgid, anaemic apology of a Wolves team.
I think we are where we deserve to be. This season i always expected to finish about tenth. Why? We had the fourth worse record in the premiership ever, fact! We have lost our best players. We went the last 13 games without a win. There was a shambolic debacle in the boardroom about appointments. Stale came in when the players were away. He has only just got his backroom team in place,and he has a legacy of players from a different era who cannot or will not adapt to his ways. He needs another season yet and a chance to play the transfer market. Next season we can judge i think. Yes i am depressed aboutresults and style of play sometimes, but lets see if he comes good. However, i think we all agree part of hat success is dependant on funding, because simply the squad is greater in quantity than quality.
Second half was dire. Charlton looked like the home team, we were sheepish. Doumbia scored a very good goal 2nd half & that would have been it 2-0 and 3 pts. But Doyle, for once, was in the box, just when you did’nt want him there as Doumbia managed to hit him with his shot & the goal did’nt stand. Such is our luck.
Woeful Wolves, the players have not escaped last years demons yet. There are real problems with the way Solbakken has got them playing.
The defenders are too deep, we don’t press the opposition, and give them acres of space. Doumbia & Henry come back all the time to pick up the ball from the defence when the defenders should bring it & commit their midfield thus creating space for the forwards to attack. Instead we move 1 place forward & two back, and eventually Ikeme gets it!
Sakko sends someone else on in his place for the 2nd half of our home games because there is no resemblance between the two players in the no 10 shirt we see in separate halves!
Sigurdarson is like a baby elephant running around with no purpose, SEB might as well have not been on the pitch.
Can Solbakken change this mid table/relegation form? I think he needs to change the team around or it will be too late even with the Jan transfer window. Ward has to be put out of his misery and prised from the left back slot. There is no alternative really, but could’nt Foley play there & Stearman play right back? That would stiffen up the defence. Ward seems to have lost confidence this season & is not as good as he was in the Prem at going forward. The smile seems to have gone out of all the players, they seem in a trance at times and at a loss with what to do with the ball.
Henry & Doumbia unlike the two different Sakkos are too similar & 1 of them needs dropping. As I am a Henry fan I would put Doumbia on the bench, bringing in Edwards to play central with the skipper. Sakko (first half only) would play behind Doyle, & yes I would play Ward on the left. He probably put some of the best balls into the box from the wing 2nd half & I do think he could do a job there. But I do not want to see him as left back again.
That would at least be a start, but the method of play has to change as well, lets play further up the pitch & lets press other teams when we don’t have the ball.
‘Henry and Doumbia are too similar’. At last. I was beginning to think it was just me. They’re not the same but they certainly are too similar to fill a central midfield together. If we get Frimpong on loan the same will be true. Imagine this team without Sako. It doesn’t bear thinking about. We desperately need some creative flair in central midfield. How long before O’Hara is fit?
If Dave Edwards is the answer to any question about the Wolves starting XI then f.uck me we’re in trouble.
If/when O’Hara is fit I hope SS goes 4-2-3-1 with Henry and Doumbia as holding mids and O’Hara behind the front player (prefer Doyle to SEB as lone striker) and Sako and Pennant/Pez wide.
Cannot see Frimpong coming here in January.
This was rubbish today.
25 passes in our own half, then a hoof upfield by the keeper to give them the ball back.
We created nothing…
Big improvement needed.
What has happened to the clean sheets.?
It make be work in progress, But is it progressing.
The opposition seem to see how we play first half, then simply come out 2nd half and counter how we play.
This is when you look for the boss to change things. Maybe its the players he has, but there is no plan B.
Teams are quickly finding us out now.
They were not a great team. A win was expected, instead we were luckly to get the point.
Very poor,
There seems to be a change in the vibe with the team ,is the arrival of weiser confusing them tactically ? Seemed to be doin good post Conner and pre weiser. Or am I grasping at straws for a reason for their poor showing recently? Home is not where the heart is at the mo.
We are looking like a world class team passing the ball sidewards across the pitch and backwards. Unfortunately, The problem comes when we kick the ball forward. Anybody can play sidewards and backwards. When you play this slow methodical style of play, you give the opposition time to get back and defend. You therefore need creative players, who can take players on, or find a defense splitting, through the eye of a needle pass. We simply do not have this type of player. Pennant shows a few touches like this, but he can only play for 45 mins at moment. He looks very unfit. If the board believe in stale and his vision, they must back him to get the ball players he needs. I hate to say it, but that little shite from bolton would be a very good player for our current style of play
Moxey & Morgan are brilliant businessmen, I wish I had them in our business, however as for Wolves, my lifelong team I continue to be dissapointed by them. Can’t help feeling ripped off.
Ok i couldnt go today but there is a note of hysteria here,’that way madness lies'( Lear i am afraid not Hamlet).
I’m both impressed and surprised an uprising hasn’t already occurred. But then the way M&M have staged this implosion and stifled expectations is masterful stuff. If we had a British manager the knives would already be out. Having a foreign coach just means he’s given a longer benefit of the doubt. Still crap results, no matter what way you slice it.
Timberlandwolf you talk as though we are used to taking a nibble at the champions league.If you take a glance at the last 30 years……..
Prefer not to look at the past 30 odd years thanks very much.! Instead I prefer to remember the 1970’s when we weren’t a laughing stock or 1980 when we actually were in Europe.
Can you think of a club that was managed worse in the past 30-odd years? Leeds, maybe? Pompey, surely, but we run those clubs a close second. Look at clubs like Wigan, Swansea and the Tescos – we’re light years behind them.
I’m not prepared to rationalize any longer. We have money in the bank that should be invested in players (not the ground), a much-ballyhooed but little-seen youth system, a manager that’s coached at the highest levels (apparently), why then should I reference the worse 30 years in Wolves history as a way to rationalize this current balls-up? I’m sorry of I don’t feel obliged to continually settle for 8th in the Championship.
Timberwolf i get where your coming from if Stale doesnt get us promoted within 2 seasons he will get sacked thats how it works – and Morgan will either put more money in or start thinking of selling the club ( if he hasnt already ).
If things don’t improve quickly come January we will be looking for a new manager not new players. We are WWFC and this is not good enough.
That’s because most fans are more patient than you are…
Not trying to be negative here, but can we call it for what it is? I can’t understand some of the posts on this thread. What exactly is “the work in progress” that people are talking about? Which areas exactly have we “progressed” in? It’s practically the SAME EFFIN TEAM!!! We just replaced the wingers and sold off our best goal-scorer … that’s all! Where exactly is everyone expecting the progress to come from? Put a pig in lipstick, it’s still a pig! And it’s still Ward in left back, etc, etc. All that’s happened is that we’ve beaten a few poor teams this season (because we’re playing in a LOWER division, remember?). That’s the “progress” some of us must be refering to.
Look, like everything else, there is always an easy way, and a hard way to do things. Morgan could have hired a proven manager like Curbishley who understood this division and what it took to thrive in the one above it, and invested in some key players to build the strength required for the Prem which we lacked last time we were there. Or he could have hired someone nobody had ever heard of until he got here, and bought some players nobody else wanted who can’t even replace the current bozos we’ve got to get into the first team.
We are exactly where we deserve to be guys. And if Solbakken really wants to make this work, he’d better step up the pace on the old learning curve, start giving his youngsters more of a chance and bring in some decent talent come January (no more basement bargains).
Or we can keep pretending we’re making progress, and persuading ourselves we need to give more time, and making philosophical statements about periods of transition, yadda, yadda, yadda …
Come on Mr Morgan and Mr Solbakken … for the love of God … GET A GRIP!!!!
Not a double post I just thought it was appropriate..
If things don’t improve quickly come January we will be looking for a new manager not new players. We are WWFC and this is not good enough.
They won’t sack Hoddlebakken in January, regardless of results. That would mean Morgan admitting he got it wrong, AGAIN. So that’s not going to happen. No, it will be far more complicated and depressing than that … Hoddlebakken will complete the season in some top half of the table position, but no promo. Everyone will make all sorts of excuses about how he needs time and that this year was about building foundations. Then we’ll start next season and when it’s so painfully obvious to everyone around February 2014 that we are not getting anywhere, and it’s another season wasted, THEN they’ll fire him and we’ll start the shennanigans all over again.
Remember, the easy way or the hard way … we are Wolves, so you know which way they’ll pick.
Oh no, I think I hear the negaitivity brigade knocking at my door now … 🙂
Far too much doom and gloom being expressed here!
The ability to retain possession over 25+ passes, even when that entails not actually carrying the ball forward towards the opposing penalty area, is ESSENTIAL towards surviving when we get back in the Premier League. We are never going to attract world class players to the Midlands, so until UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules kick are adopted (if the Man Utds, Chelseas, Madrids and Barcas don’t succeed in blocking it) we MUST be able to keep possession.
In the Championship this is a little frustrating because Charlton, like Barnsley, would surely have caved in had more neanderthal tactics been adopted. BUT while “launching the ball into the mixer” might help us win more games at this level, it will also GUARANTEE that we get relegated back down again immediately we get promoted.
Stale, unlike MIck, is prepared to take the time to lay the foundations first. The supporters should understand that AND BACK IT.
ALLEN makes a very important point; at the moment Henry and Doumbia drop too deep in receiving the ball off the back four. Consequently the passing options for them are limited, but it is evident that more is being expected off Johnson and Berra when in possession. It’s a tough job for centre-backs to pick passes because one misplaced pass, miscontrol or inattentiveness from the reciever means a dangerous break by the opposition with the whole team the wrong side of the ball. But both Johnson and Berra continue to improve in this and is the major item for optimism.
Pennant indeed is a waste of time. Much better to play Edwards as extra support to Henry and Doumbia (allowing Henry to remain deep playing permanently as a cover in front of the back four) and to allow Sako a free role to roam from wing to wing and inside. He is, after all, our most effective forward player at the moment.
We do need a better forward than SEB (or at least one with better movement and guile) to complement the work that Doyle puts in. Unfortunately Siggurdarson ain’t he.
Yes agree with your thinking apart from the Pennant comment, I think he could be dangerous in the right set up, and it is that set up and system which is more important than individual players. Aside from Ward at left back that is!
How much more effective would Doyle & SEB be with a midfielder running at the opposition midfield commiting players,thus enabling movement from the forwards ahead of them?
It is hard, and looking at Notts Forest’s form lateley under O’Driscoll makes me think why we did’nt appoint someone like him in the debacle of the MCarthy exit.
But I am a firm believer in sticking with the Manager you appointed so I hope Solbakken does wake up and smell the coffee burning. It has not been good so far. Already 7 points behind Cardiff, not good enough.
How about a forward line of Griffiths & Cassidy scoring for fun at the moment, although the former’s two goals for Hibs on Friday were pens.
what a bloody well written piece ben…..100 quid lighter and a day wasted again..signs of hope were there but so quickly disapeared. i know we should all remain faithful to our beloved but its starting to wear a bit thin . the young lad next to me has, if history keeps repeating itself, over thirty years of hoping for glory whilst being unable to experience any. will i make the journey up to mol again?….probably yes but i will need to build up the enthusiasm before the next time- IF the football was exiting though and we were showing signs of improvement i wouldnt even think about it….the price you pay eh wtid
Thank you OGMGN! The most sobering moment of the afternoon was when the 4th official held up the 3min board at the end…
…usually the fans start to trickle out, but yesterday most of them sat comatose, unable to move because they couldn’t believe we’d go an entire half without a single shot at goal in open play. I was the same, refusing to accept that we wouldnt fashion a half chance in 48mins.
Then what happened? Edwards and Forde stoutly refusing to pass forward – or just bloody launch it – as the away side twiddled their thumbs. Horrible experience.
Great blog as usual Ben. Having to watch that display and David Dickinson at the same time. There must be a law against it, surely?
Good point about Bargain Hunt though. Moxey’s far more interested in doing things on the cheap than doing them properly and, unfortunately, we get what he pays for.
Two comments on our apparent possession football.Firstly, according to the BBC site, Charlton had 55% possession to our 45.
Secondly, possession is only useful if it has an end product. If at the end of it you just pass it back to the keeper to hoof it up field, that’s not possession that’s time wasting.
And time wasting during a home match is madness. As mad as trying to get donkeys to play like Barcelona.
To be honest Martin, a combination of staring blankly into the Duke’s goggly eyes, mingled with constant glances at my mobile phone for Jake Cassidy updates, was a more enriching spectacle than the turgid slow-mo fare on the pitch.
Seriously.
I’m not being a doom monger, Stale needs time, but by god that was shit yesterday.
I read that stat as well martin.
I don’t know where the BBC got that from.
I reckon that Wolves had much more possession but you’re quite right, it was all totally ineffective, going sideways, back and then either straight to the opposition or back to Ikeme and then straight to the opposition.
I can’t tell you how depressed I was – but then again, I don’t suppose I need to.
I went and saw my first home game for a year when we played Palace and it was exactly the same then.
We ponsed about in our own half, sideways and backwards, wasting minutes at a time of home advantage. And as soon as we attempted an attacking move, we lost possession as Palace counter attacked – almost as fast as we retreated to our own penalty area.
They obviously find it an extremely difficult skill, this newfangled passing idea. I wonder if this lot will ever master it.
Another depressing draw.
Having been almost totally out of internet contact for 3 weeks so nice to read the blog again.
My observations.
The back four are too used to failure.
Ward must be replaced and Foley needs to up his game.
Either one of Berra or Johnson should be replaced by either Baath or Margrietter.
As others have pointed out Henry and Doumbia are too similar.
I’d prefer to see Ismael given a go on the wing, instead of Pennant who has hardly lit up the team.
If we can get back Cassidy then we should do it, and put him in the team ahead of SEB.
I think if the top two places are still within reach during the transfer window then if M&M (Morgan and Moxey) let Ståle spend we will still have a chance of promotion!
All the developments over the past few years have been off not on the pitch.
Think Morgan is gearing up for a sale…This is the real agenda otherwise why would we be in this position?
Morgan having recently failed to take over his beloved Redrow he is looking for an opportunity to
get out. The silence is deafening.
Come on Morgan what exactly is the plan?
On a lighter note the picture emerging of Bens student days explains the cut in grants.
Ha ha! God bless Worcestershire County Council! I was always in bed when Bargain Hunt was on 😉
Forgive my iggorance, but who is David Dickinson?
Over here, dickinson is illegal.
Dickinson should be illegal over here too!
You don’t need to know who he is, just imagine a TV ‘personality’ who has the looks of an old Queen Anne cupboard, the charisma of a rotting piece of meat, the fake tan of Robbie Savage and the talent of Stephen Ward.
Bit like Noel Edmunds then, eh?
You’ve got it!!
Why don’t we give Mcalinden, Cassidy, Griffiths, Sigurdarson, Zeli, Forde or Nouble a proper chance. We just play the same players every single game. Not that surprising that thez become tired pretty easily. Though we should still support Solbaken and the team but seriously, how can we beat a team with such slow passing. No wonder why we arn’t scoring many goals as we should. Lets just hope that we improve soon. UTW!
As for Doyle’s disallowed goal.
Where’s the logic in disallowing what would undoubtedly have been a goal anyway just because it was directed into another part of the net?
To be flagged off side, you have to be interfering with play and i’d argue that Doyle had no interference with a goal being scored.
Oh dear, Oh dear, Oh dear!
Heartfelt and accurate blog Ben.
Now I know what all the pessimistic posts from fans who have actually watched live games are all about.
My first visit to the Mol in an age and we were absolutely awful.
The first thing to say is that the players are not at home playing the way that Ståle wants them to play. And the sad reason is that they are just NOT GOOD ENOUGH to play the passing game.
So Ståle has a choice. Change the way we play back to the old hoof and hope style or change the team. ARE YOU LISTENING MOXEY?
If I want to watch 25 intricate but totally ineffective passes in our own half followed by one misplaced pass that gives the opposition possession, I can watch Roy Hodgson’s England team on the telly.
What everyone has been saying about individuals is true:- EB is fat and slow, Foley is just slow, Bakary Sako shows great class in parts and then disappears, Pennant, who is the one person who has the ability to go past people and get to the byline, spends his time giving the opposition goalie catching practice from 25 yards out, Siggy is quite a big man but gets shoved off the ball like a fairy and Ward… well actually, Ward on Saturday was one of our less bad players I thought.
I said to the wife after about ten minutes of the second half that we would lose the game and if their centre forward, whose name escapes me, hadn’t missed a header that my gran could have slotted home with her eyes shut (and she’s been dead for years) right near the end, we would have got exactly what we deserved – no points!!
I was so disappointed that I cancelled my reservation at the WV1 Bar and Grill.
And the other disappointing thing was that although I was madly waving the wife’s smalls to attract their attention, neither Ben nor Thomas waved back.
And another thing!
I’ve said it many times on this blog and I’m not the only one.
GET CASSIDY BACK.
HE IS A YOUNG FORWARD WITH TALENT.
HE SCORES GOALS.
AND BEST OF ALL – HE WON’T COST ANYTHING MR MOXEY!
YOU KNOW IT MAKES SENSE!
Maybe Morgan & Moxey were hoping a change of style would mean of fortune, however changing the toothpaste when the teeth are decaying won`t work. I believe the methods Stalle is trying to bring in are more suitable to the modern game than any tactics devised by MM.
Sadly the players who floundered for two seasons then failed in the premiership are simply not good enough – and are being now found wanting in the championship.
Not enough pace or mobility, or physical presence to play any system, the season so far has been an anti climax, with the last four matches very disappointing.
MM never had a serious cull when we got promoted, the same players by and large are still there and will never be good enough. Its cheque book time in January or the number of empty seats will continue to grow in that new stand. Two full backs, a striker and a midfielder to knit it all together please, with pace, mobility and physicality, don`t mind if these palyers are ours back from loan duty, can`t be any worse than those players in the side this week.
Watching the quality football played by Man Utd and Chelsea yesterday how many others reflected, is was only 2 seasons ago when we beat both of them.Now we can only struggle against the likes of Charlton. During the second half I actually thought ‘this is like watching paint dry’.Some guy came on Radio WM and said the same thing.I have said on posts before,football clubs have traditional styles of playing the game and slow tempo possession football is not our way.If we carry on down this path it might take a generation before we make it back to the Premier.What a waste, we were almost there and Morgan blew it by concentrating on the ground at the expense of building the team.
Totally agree. But apparently, according to some, we’re making progress. 🙂
But personally I dont think the style of football is the biggest problem. It’s the lack of hunger and the lack of quality. It’s a team of pieces and leftovers.
Would like to find something positive to say.
Brilliant report, as always. Great, insightful comments too. Fans can identify problems, why the fc*k can’t management?
Totally disillusioned – no wonder these players couldn’t keep us up. They can’t cut it in the championship. Pennant – that added bit of class that would take us back to the premiership? Sign him up? What are the feelings of those who applauded his loan move this morning?
Now we are all hoping we can hang on in there until the January window to spend some of the £30M from transfers, £16M from parachute payments and the millions in the “Treasure Chest”. The problem is I can already see us trying to do it on the cheap again. It’s so bl**dy predictable. I forecast little of this money will be spent – on players or players wages.
Move heaven and earth to get Frimpers back as a start. We are throwing away points that will be like gold dust come Easter.
I have had a theory for a while,
We all know how much Morgan loves his beloved Liverpool,
Maybe Wolves is his steppingstone.
He will invest in the infrastructure and make the Club worth more than the £30million and £10 that he paid (invested) New Stands, Compton, Acadamy, Etc.
Then in Another 6 or 8 years time he will sell on for a profit in the hope of buying his beloved again..
How else can we explain the lack of investment in the team. We know the money is there.
Or maybe he blow that theory out the water in January.
Lots here calling for Cassidy back b/c he’s doing well in the lower division.
Danny Batth played a full season for Sheff wed and they got promoted. Should he not therefore be in the team ?
Margreitter and Nouble have not yet been given a chance. Can’t see how anyone can judge them at all.
Add Dave Edwards into midfield and Sigurdson up front and we would have a completely different team playing.
So far Sigurdarson has not proven he is worth a place in the team, he is not skillful enough, he got knocked of the ball easily on Saturday when it came to the crunch. He seems not to have any anticpatory awareness of the play to enable him to get into dangerous positions.
As a fan my heart sinks when either he, Forde or Davis come on the pitch. None of them are currently at the level required for Wolves, that is if we have any ambition to get back to the prem.
That they are getting games, occasionally, is testimony to the club’s lack of investment in quality players.
On top of this lack of quality Wolves seem to be a convalescent home for knackered & injured players; Hunt, Mouyokolo, O’Hara, Margreitter. Then the recently injured Boukari & Peszko. Is this just bad luck with injuries? Or does it go deeper?
Tony Daley in charge of fitness.
Oxymoronic.
Like Scottish goalkeepers, or Army intelligence.
Must admit i was excited about Sigurdarson when he first signed. He’s definitely got pace, physique and no little skill.
But i’m starting to question his bottle. Lot’s of niggly injuries capped off with a convenient dose of the shits when he was the only fit forward available( and we won that game without him.)
He’s a big strong lad but he gets bullied around and doesn’t seem to have any will to win.
There’s not a lot of will to win anywhere in the team thinking about it.
Sit them all down and watch Bully’s goal machine DVD i say. See what desire to win is all about.
God!
What would you give for a ‘new Bully’?
I’d sell Clive’s soul to the devil for that.
But I suspect that he’s already done it – hence the 4 wives.
Ah, there’ll never be another Bully i’m afraid.
306 goals for the same club. And couldn’t be arsed to take the penalties either. Been closer to 350 if he had.
They said the same about John Richards.
Eventually, if football continues in it’s current form, there will be someone who breaks his record……….but it could be another thousand years!!
I count myself lucky to have seen two such goalscoring superstars in my lifetime at the Mol, a lot of clubs never have even one.
One thing is certain, however. There will never be anyone to surpass Bully as a footballer, golfer and piss taker supreme in my lifetime.
Still look back on that day on the golfcourse with him, Mark Davies and Scooped as one of the best days of my life!
Slightly tangential – was in Doha International Airport the other day and it was absolutely dripping with Burrda stuff (mainly Qatari national team garb).
I see our U21 team has been beating just about everyone in their league, losing only to Chelsea who they then thumped in the return fixture.
Last night they played six or seven of the first team squad (Hennessy, Stearman, Batth, Davis, Sigurdarson, Forde, Nouble) at home to Fulham, who the kids had already beaten away.
And how did the do? Lost, of course. Says it all really.
Changing the subject away from Wolves, I am now going to open the proverbial can of worms.
Topic: Clattenberg v Chelsea.
Not taking sides at all, coz I wasnt there and didnt hear anything.
BUT that ugly word racism has come up again.
Now, again, not taking sides one way or another with the ref or the club, but does anyone else see the real irony in an association of black lawyers getting involved?
If that is not racism, then I dont know what is.
Just try having an association of white lawyers, and watch the bleeding hearts start wailing and gnashing their teeth and screaming racism all over the place.
And, kind of ironic again that it’s Chelsea, home of John Terry, blarting on about it, just coz they lost.
Has anyone documented the foul and abusive language all refs have to put up with from the players, over the course of their careers? I doubt it.
I think a nice backlash from the refs would be to uphold the letter of the law, and immediately book or send off anyone who verbally abuses them during a match.
We might end up with a few matches down to goalies only.
Now that would serve the prima donnas right, and give us all a good laff.
FOwb
Nice one Clive get us off this boring, boring WW discussion.
I’ve had the same discussion/argument with my boys over the years. I’m from Wton and brought up on football and distinctly remember the attitudes of players towards referees and officials changing from general banter to varying degrees of abuse and at the time it seemed so strange that nothing was ever done about it. The media concern was to question whether the ref had made a mistake or missed an incident thus justifying the ensuing chaos on and off the pitch. How many of us over the years can remember certain teams ( whom I will not mention ) constantly badgering and bullying referees when decisions have gone against them, and how many times have the FA rolled over and played dead on this issue ??
My boys on the other hand have been born and raised in the land where rugby reigns supreme. In 30 years of being involved in school, district and county rugby as a player, referee and coach here in Wales, you deal with players who play both games and their attitudes and behaviour on a rugby pitch are far superior to football. There’s still plenty of banter, back-chat and the odd occasion when bad language can be heard. There’s probably more physical contact and injury in rugby but one thing’s for sure when the ref says that’s enough, no more, next one’s in the bin, you will find that the game will continue and if not then somebody will be in the bin for 10 mins. This is the tradition of rugby, and after the match a meal, a drink and a chat together. Very seldom have I ever heard outspoken criticism of match officials during or after a game and yes there are always incidents which can be replayed and complained about. Dare I say it but there is more respect for the officials in rugby than football which continues into the professional game which we see on TV. Next time there’s a rugby game on TV, watch it and turn the ref cam on and you’ll see what I mean, there’s plenty of banter and questioning of the refs decisions, but by the captain not every gobby little player with a gripe, and when the ref says no thats it turn away and walk on otherwise 10m, lovely, they do as they are told otherwise they know what will happen.
I’m not suggesting that this format is the solution for footballs ills but something needs to be done to redress the balance. You almost know that certain matches will end in controversy or dispute even before the matches are played, like a self fulfilling prophesy. The same players will be there seeking an advantage at every opportunity, trying to destabilise the decision making and hopefully gather an army of moronic, mindless, misfits (inc managers and media ) to support them in their endeavours. Sadly the FA have a lot to answer for letting things slip so far.
What a come down this is from the glorious summer of athletics when the only problem on the horizon was how many medals will we win. When competitors from all corners of the globe actually got on with each other whilst trying to fulfill their dreams.
The trouble is whereas I love rugby and most athletics events, footballs in my blood. Cut my head off and my neck will read like a stick of rock Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Sorry to go on a bit but Clive’s comment touched on a raw nerve, for which I thank him as my boys are now men and have moved away and my wife really doesn’t have the interest in sport to listen to my rantings and we all do need a rant from time to time.
I wonder what the behaviour is like in American Football or Baseball ??
As ever UTW !!!!!
I dont watch throwball, extremely boring, but they have lots of umpires who can and do throw “foul” flags all over the place, and certain decisions can be questioned by team officials, so they get an instant tv review by the ref.
Baseball is such a gentle sport, mostly played by overweight guys, chewing tobacco, running around in their pyjamas!
Once you get into it, it is fascinating, and the umpires are usually spot on in their decisions.
There is not the room for cheating like there is in football, although the salaries are pretty big. It is a family sport, and most of the singing is initiated by the guy on the tannoy, trying to wake the spectators up!!
Very gentle, I would love several thousand Wolves fans to turn up and start singing!
I found it somewhat paradoxical that the players who shout the loudest about eradicating racism in the game then refuse to join in a campaign aimed at kicking racism out of the game. Seems a bit like refusing to watch Wolves because you support them.
My opinion is that the creation of a black only players union could create a split based purely on colour and may be construed as a form of separation / segregation, one of the greatest evils of racism and something both blacks and whites gave their lives to end.
I feel I need to add that I am not a racist and feel racism has no place in sport or society. I do have opinions on the subject which I have the right to voice in a polite and courteous manner.
Too right mate!
I know that racism and particularly colour prejudice is despicable in many ways but apparently one of the things Clattenburg apparently said that Chelsea are complaining about was calling Mata a “Spanish twat”. If someone called me an English twat I might possibly be offended by the twat bit but is that racism? Not in my eyes.
Chelsea have accused Clattenburg of ‘Inappropriate language’ against some of their players.
COME ON FOR GOD’S SAKE!
It’s just another example of overpaid, primadonna footballers in their own little gold plated worlds who think that they can do anything and are above everybody else. They dish it out and then as soon as someone dares to retaliate they flounce about like a load of spoiled kids.
I’m not particularly a referee lover – the one on Saturday didn’t do us any favours – but they are fallible humans just like the rest of us and are doing their best to control a match where there are 22 players trying to get a decision in their favour by any means they can.
Trouble is Clive, that the powers that control football haven’t got an ounce of common sense between them.
Abusing the referee could be stopped easily, as you say, by booking or sending off the offender.
Diving could be stopped by retrospective bans.
All that wrestling in the penalty area at corners could be stopped by giving a bloody penalty.
Instant replays, like they have in rugby, could end the problem of goal or no goal.
And another thing. What happened to the ‘argue with the ref over a free kick and you get sent back ten yards?’.
I could go on but it’ll only ruin my lunch.
So bloody true guys. From the blatant stuff to just trying to con the linesman, pisses me of.
As a keeper way back when I recall getting worked up about corners versus goal kicks and the oss panalty or free kick. But generally it seemed the ref was usually right and I was only argiung genuine cases not trying to decieve the referee, which is plain and simple cheating.
Today I watch players run the ball over the line knowing they did it and then try to convince the ref he is wrong or blind. In todays game they all seem to do it, its common place to lie for the advantage. That my friends is still cheating, we might all thinks its part of the came but it should not be.
My opinion any player found trying to lie and decieve the offidials in any way should be found guilty by video review if it is clear, and punished like big time. For me it is the worst aspect of the modern game.
I am pretty sure there is a rule saying “No cheating” and “Bringing game into disrepute”
Apply them.
Example the German Keeper admitted after the event that Lampards header was a goal (Nearly a metre over i think he said). But he cleared it and carried on even though he knew it was a goal. Thats cheating yet no sanctions.
It’s not common sense they’re lacking Doog, it’s any sense of honesty or decency.
The way the game is refereed thes days, which often has little to do with the written laws, is authorised and supported by that bunch of dodgy characters who run FIFA. Blatter, Platini and suchlike.
They’ve virtually outlawed the physical, typically British style of play, while happily allowing holding, diving, dissent, time wasting, feigned injuries and any other type of sneeky, gutless cheating you can think of.
It is a beautiful game but they’ve done their best to spoil it in so many ways in my opininion.
Martin I agree 100%. Someone is allowing it to happen. I keep sayig its the refs fault for not taking a stand but it clearly no one seems to back them or motivate them to. Mind you they have 22 players and the benches and coaches wearing them down all the time.
The major stuff makes me so mad, but it starts right at the simple stuff. If i remeber the rules correctly at kick offs all players shall be in their own half. How many games do you see this almost always someone is feet over the line. Maybe it doesnt matter much but if thats the case change the rules. Rules is rules its not upto players and refs to decide which ones apply. I know its sill but it starts the rot.
How funny rio ferdinands association of black players. I wonder if white, half caste or indian players can join. If not, then isnt that racisim. Imagine if the PFA said no black players can join. On the subject of chelsea, as a club, they are disgusting. Everything that is bad about football is embodied by john terry and ashley cole. Not just the racism with the ferdinands, but everything that has gone on before.
I think Wolves should invest in a referee…
All the top clubs seem to have one, so should we.. !
Yeah – Seems they can get more assists than our midfield 🙂
And play better
Couldn’t believe the Reading Game tonight.
If Arsenal had lost we may have got Frimpong back.
Now they have won Wenger will want to keep him for the next round…
Wont be of interest to everybody but MM looks set to take the Ipswich job with Matt Holland as assistant.A more minor role for TC ? It will be a tough job (but not far from his long time home in Bromley) glad he didnt go to bolton or blackburn.
Breaking news: Ward, Berra, Stearman, Henry and Doyle spotted house hunting in Suffolk!
This is an open letter to my daughter who lives in Ipswich.
I’m sorry!
The only saving grace is that a lot more Guinness will be drunk in the Ipswich bars, and judging by recent Ipswich Town history, McDickwadhead’s tenure will not last long.
But think of the positives……………………………………
McCarthy will do well in the Championship, as he did with us – it’s how he deals with the Premier League (if he gets Ipswich promoted) that’s the problem! Of course I don’t expect that with the basement club this season…
Best of luck to MM and TC if the rumours are indeed correct. I wouldn’t begrudge them getting involved in football again, don’t forget we did have some good times and with a bit more backroom understanding of footballers rather than an obsession with finance we might still be in the PL. On the other hand we could be struggling again and heavily in debt in the PL or in the CH just off the pace but with a ” treasure chest ” to spend…….Mmmmmm………don’t quite know which scenario I prefer….?????
As ever UTW !!!!!
I guess as most Governments know and some soccer clubs also. debt only matters when someone cals it or gets real nervous. Soccer clubs with debt and success seem pretty safe generally, Leeds problem was betting the ranch and not succeeding. So given the Football Genius we have in the backroom, its probably best he just keeps counting the money.
The answer is get in some back room talent, spend a bit and succeed other wise we are caught in this spiral.
last saturday was a total waste of time and money…i have always been a believer in follow your club whatever but whatever seems to have made its home with the players. dont know how much more dross i can stand before i have all my wolves tattoos removed with a potato peeler.would be easier if i just hibernated–goodnight x
Good Luck Mick and TC. No doubt you will rescue them and do a job. if they get ptomotion learn for the past and quit while your ahead.
Well, it’s been several hours since the news was announced, and still no signs of Ward, Berra, Foley, Fatty Blake, Doyle, Henry, Edwards or Johnson trying to switch on their GPSs to locate Portman Road.
Does it mean that they will NOT be joining Daddy?
Uncle Clipboard is already there, surely it is only a matter of time…………….PLEASE!!!
If they do not go, we are doomed, Captain Mainwaring, doomed!!!
Where is the Burnley preview blog thingy, this one has got boring?
I for one feel a bit sorry for the Ipswich supporters having mad mick and his sidekick connor
on board,just wonder if he’s read any football manuals befor joining his new post,nah don’t think so.
ps would like to wish him well,but him being pig headed and if he’s reading this he would’nt want a good luck so f##k him and his clipboard.
Saw this post on the E&S blog, and had to steal it!!
Excellent.
The big story about MM’s commitment to the WWFC job was the fact, unlike Hoddle, he had taken up residence in Wolverhampton; But not the full story was it? He may have rented a property and used it a few nights a week, but his main home is in Bromley, SE London,which he has had since his Millwall days and where he skedaddled to once he was given the boot from WWFC and a pay off; He loves it in Bromley and is always seen around the town; It also paid off living in Laaarnden as it got him the gig at BBC with ‘Onest ‘Arry whilst he updated his ‘CV’ and facsimiled his 100+ job applications; So stop this misty eyed dirge, take off those rose-tinted glasses and post ’em to Ipswich, boy will they need them; To Michael Joseph McCarthy, the Wolves job was just that, a job, one of many, most ending in inevitable failure! I predict Ipswich will bore of him very quickly indeed;
PS My mum is from Bromley