During his time on caretaker duty, Rob Edwards has often spoke of a desire to see Wolves play with a clear identity.
This is perplexing to me as to my knowledge the team has been doing just that from this season’s beginning.
Early leads have been handed to the opposition with unfathomable regularity and bountiful character has been shown just as games have grown irretrievable.
That is more or less the story of our season so far and today was no different, though the first half showing did manage to set a new barometer for sheer awfulness.
Incoming manager Paul Lambert (a good choice in my opinion) knows a thing or two about haphazard defences from his arduous time in the Villa Park hotseat but today’s defensive quadrant, not to mention those behind them in reserve, promise to provide his toughest challenge yet.
Danny Batth was disgracefully signalled out as the chief offender but the reality was that, despite him being at fault for Derby’s second goal, he was far from alone in the mistakes making department.
Dominic Iorfa, Matt Doherty and the laughably overrated Cameron Borthwick-Jackson (who has looked more like a FC United loanee than Manchester United since his arrival) were all guilty of error throughout the 90 and it’s hard to imagine that the opposition will have an easier first half than the one they enjoyed today.
However, our problems are certainly not restricted to defence. Though our attacking players are certainly not short of quality, one or two were exposed today as being devoid of the sort of character and commitment that is expected at the Molineux.
Joao Teixeira is a player I’ve struggled to warm to since his arrival and his rotten attitude was there for all to see today, with the deputy gaffer deciding after a mere half hour that he wasn’t up for it.
Meanwhile, Ivan Cavaleiro continued to make his pitch for the moniker of worst record signing of all time with another fitful display that does little to dispel the suspicion that he’s actually no better than the chap we farmed out to Bolton this summer.
Perhaps more patience needs to be afforded to our contingent of summer signings but with almost half the season gone we ought to think about when’s fair to label Jorge Mendes’ stable of foreign imports as flops.
Credit where it’s due though – we had a go at Derby in the second half and may have taken a point had the referee been a bit more consistent in his decision making.
It’s hard to bemoan bad luck when you consistently make life difficult for yourself though and until Wolves can cut the amateur mistakes out of their game it’s hard to see us getting anywhere close to realising Fosun’s ambitions for the club.
Over to you Paul.
Good summary. Shame we missed out on Steve Bruce again but, based on track record, Lambert is the best available to do the job. First job is to get this Wolves side playing for 90 minutes. January can’t come soon enough.
When was the last time a team got relegated before Chrissymas?
We could be setting some records this season!
Clive, look up not down, it stops you from going kiddy.!
Agree with pretty much most of what what you posted Rasmin. I know we were truly awful & Derby could have put 5 or 6 into our gaping net. However, Derby’s time wasting tactics in the first half was outrageous. If the ref had clamped down on it with a yellow card, we might have…lost a bit more fairly & I’d have a little more respect for the Rams.
If one was a realist today then the writing was on the wall with the Derby attack licking their lips at the thought of how we defend.
Home or away we are just meat to anyone hungry for goals ..
Typical first half and if it wasn’t for our goalie (man of the match IMO)
they could of been 5-0 up at half time..
I ask again how long has this to go on?
Even the crowd were booing at DB (poor sod) and I rest my case regarding our defence once more..
Our moral is at a low ebb we have a Captainless team and manager less one and the hope of getting into the top six on par with winning a golden goal ticket..
We had so much to look forward to at the time of Fosun buying us and if Lambert has a strategy (I’m sure he does) then we must implement it asap..
Fosun can only in this position say to him spend whatever it takes to change this embarrassment and I firmly believe this is what they have said.
January will be interesting times..
We seem to Court misery at Wolves and if it wasn’t for Fosun I would be saying what we have to endure as a fan but at least we know action is being taken.
Mr Lambert come on down, sort out our conceding like – yesterday
and then go on a 5 win run ..please..
See you all at Wembley…
F A Cup Or PLay off final ?? Maybe both??
We won’t be at Wembley mate.
Forgot to say: Coady’s back passing in the early part of the match, invited pressure on our short-in-confidence defence. Set the tone for the game.
I remember reading The Day of the Jackal and admiring how Freddie Forsyth could make a thriller work about a plot to kill de Gaulle when we all knew that the attempt would fail. The genius of Forsyth was to keep us reading so we could discover how the Jackal would fail. In fact you all most believed he would succeed. So as I watched the second half unfold despite knowing there was only one result possible I had no idea how we would lose and for a few brief minutes even thought we might draw or even win. It was thrilling and there were memorable moments; the back heel by Bodvarsson to release Cavaleiro, Dave Edwards playing like a human pinball, the attacking play of Doherty, Coady voicing his opinion about the decision making abilities of the referee, Costa’s goal and there was also much to forget; the whole of the first half. Most football supporters spend their lives watching their team fail, watching their hopes crushed and their dreams unfulfilled.
It’s now the Day of the Lambert. He will fail eventually but in the meantime there’s always the next game, the next two or three players to be added to the squad…….and the totally illogical belief that Lambert might just hit the target.
Again, I am scratching my head as to how Wolves can have a multi-million pound takeover and get considerably worse. Today was poor, and it’s a shame as it isn’t for want of trying.
However, my head-scratching has led me to the following conclusions:
– Fosun don’t know how to run a football club, and have just thrown money at it.
– Those already in place at Wolves (Thelwell/Dalrymple) aren’t helping them either.
– Jorge Mendes’ recommendations are not suitable for the Championship.
There’s been a number of mistakes since Fosun took over. There is too much inexperience too soon, at all levels of the club. When added together, these mistakes have caused this season’s malaise:
1.) Sacking Jackett in the manner they did. Terrible timing and harsh on him.
2a.) Appointing an absolute nobody as a replacement, who is not up to management generally, let alone in the Championship.
2b.) In appointing said nobody, they ignored the most suitable candidate of all, Steve Bruce. A disgraceful oversight.
3.) Signing far too many players, and only 2-3 of them actually being up to the demands of the Championship. £7 million on Cavaleiro is not acceptable. Gladon, Oniangue, Teixeira. They are not experienced enough in this league when all put together.
4.) Some of the useful members of the old guard have been banished far too quickly. Jack Price, a star of 2013/14 & second half of 2014/15, is criminally overlooked. It doesn’t just disappoint me, it angers me.
Does Paul Lambert still fancy it? He could do worse than clear out half of the useless summer signings we made. We will be relegated if things don’t change, let’s not kid ourselves.
I think iorfa’s performance needs mentioning,never mind we’ve got PL to get us to the PL.
I agree. Iorfa’s performance was shockingly bad, several degrees worse than anyone else on the pitch. He seemed petrified by the ball and unable to get his body in the right position to play it when it came to him. Apart from one vital block when we were 0-2 down, he was a liability for the whole 90 minutes.
Agree with most of your report Rasmin. I don’t think Cavaleiro’s as bad as you say.
Felt for Batth, he has to be rested from the fray. Thought Rob Edwards missed a trick in taking off Jon Dadi when we had got the upper hand.
He should have gone for broke with Dicko & Jon Dadi upfront. Oh well at least we start again with the Lambert era. Pleased that Jeff Shi emphasised stability.
For me Edwards & Doherty were our best players today. Plenty of heart & passion, just wish the others had that as well.
But the only way is up & I do feel a lot more confident with Lambert at the helm rather than Zenga.
I agree Alan.
Comparing Cavaleiro, who was definitely one of our best players 2nd half, with James Henry is insulting imo….
We play better with Prince and Saiss than Coady and Savile….
People should have patience.
As for Danny Baath, well if he loved Wolves, he should drop himself!
Yes, we were awful first half, but unlike the last time we were threatened with relegation from this division, we have some very skilful players, whom with good management could get us promoted.
Let’s hope Lambert’s the man…..
shambolic and devoid of ideas…
The 4th richest club in the country ??? and we get Lambert ???
Lambert has one hell of a job on his hands…
Someone is taking the piss somewhere…
I agree with most of what you said Rasmin,but I thought also Cavaliero had his best game in a wolves shirt.
As said Doherty had a good game Costa mediocre good goal though.,but a great deal of blame lies with the team selection over all ,Edwards game plan was like nothing I’ve seen the way he set it up,ie,playing it to narrow with the full backs coming inside leaving the flanks wide open(,strange.)
Tixy was shit ,Edwards didn’t come alive until the second half,Seville didn’t do his self any favours by getting himself booked when just stepping on pitch,Coady is full of energy but devoid of any skill.
DB,DI, have gone backwards.Brothwick-Jackson a good ball player but like all the back four NEEDS A LEADER.DB isn’t the answer he needs dropping.
I pity Lambert he’s got a job on,it all needs a fresh approach, I hope PL’s got what it takes.
Forgot to mention. That f:-) king referee was he worst I’ve seen hear since Renee.Shocking wanker.
Same old story. The game was done in 15 minutes and we gave ourselves too much to do.
The first half performance was ridiculous, comical. Has a defensive unit ever looked so inept? Iorfa was ridiculously poor, Coady anonymous.
Sad to see Batth jeered by his home fans, or should I say, some idiots on the South Bank. Should never happen regardless of how poor he has been of late.
Cavaleiro will come good for me. He’s definitely got the quality, we just aren’t getting the ball to him enough.
Yet again, another word for Dave Edwards. The only one who looked like he cared in the first half, and another, brilliantly timed header.
It saddens me to see the contempt some fans hold him in. Yes, he’s a limited player but what happened to appreciating loyalty and someone who gives his all for our club, unlike plenty of others? Love you Dave.
Finally, welcome Paul Lambert. Last two jobs have clouded people’s judgement of him. He managed to keep Villa up when they were a sinking ship, which looking at what subsequently happened was some achievement.
A word of warning, if the rot has already set in there is a very real danger of a slide towards League One. But we showed in the second half that, hopefully, that shouldn’t happen.
I agree with all of that Rich.
A blogger recently wrote that he thought Iorfa plays “like a giraffe on ice”. I thought it was a funny comment. Seeing him yesterday, I realise the blogger was not joking! He was absolutely dreadful!
We seem to have gone to the old plan of passing the ball mainly sideways until we get close to the halfway line, then as soon as an opponent comes anywhere near us, we send the ball all the way back for the goalie to hoof it up! Why? Can’t our players pass the ball in their own right (rhetorical question after that first half display). Might even be worthwhile trying out Saiss & Hause at CBs. They can’t be worse than what we say yesterday.
Up forward Bod tries very hard to hold up the ball until the troops arrive to help. Not yesterday! They were quite happy in their own patch trying to pass the ball sideways.
I keep saying that a manager does not have that much influence on a team if they can’t pass or shoot. I hope to God I am wrong!
Good Luck Paul Lambert, first thing you need is to install confidence, Iorfa M of match when I saw them earlier in the season, yesterday not just bambi on ice seemed the ball was giving him an electric shot every time he touched it, still prefer him as a back though not CB. Jon Dadi never really won 1 challenge in the air – is he not fit after coming back from injury ?
Think Jef Shi needs to say who has final decision on transfers hopefully it will be the manger and whoever signed Paul Gladon, Williamson (he will never play for us as he will never be fit) etc will stand up and leave the club.
Also even the trumpeter was 2nd rate, does nothing get done properly at the Wolves ?
To be fair to the trumpeter (bugler, actually), it’s very hard to play in cold weather, when your mouth and instrument are cold. It makes it harder to modulate the airflow and change the notes by altering one’s embrochure.
How come the ones on the TV at Chelsea I think and match of the day and also arsenal today were perfect ? ???????????
They have hot lips.
I didn’t say it was impossible!
I thought that report was a bit harsh!
Yes. Awful first half. Awful.
Tex can go back to Portugal. Disgrace the way he skulked off.
Batth needs a rest, again a disgrace to hear him booed.
The signings are mostly flops and can be called that now.
I do genuinely think tho that we have bottomed out now. Hauling the disinterested Tex off was a symbolic moment of potentially great significance for me. It could show the end of the first phase of Fosun and the beginning of the second phase.
I still think this team had great potential I really do. Lambert needs to set us up not to concede first of all then we can start to get the flair players strutting their stuff.
Cav had his best game so far and will come surely start banging them in.
Costa has got it in him and Jon Said, those three plus last year’s team and decent management and we will start winning.
I also thought Derby were excellent first held and I doubt we will play any body better.
Some top comments I have to echo. This is a thoughtful intelligent blog.
Agree with the comment from Rich above about Dave Edwards, the guy is having a good run of form. The fans round me were appreciative of his never say die attitude. Some of his tackles back were brilliant. When he got the goal, the South Bank sang Super, Super David Edwards a first I’d guess!
The back-line is a problem what a pity we did’nt hold onto Scott Malone who is playing really well for Fulham.
Lambert seems a good choice I feel happy & relieved with his appointment. I am sure he will steady the ship & given time will reward the fans with a winning promotion chasing team.
How soon? Hope for this season with a late unsurpassable run? But stability, patience & some tactical nous are what’s required after the boring international break.
But for an atrocious first half we could have got a point. But for an atrocious referee we could have got three. But the reality is that this match was lost because we played a pair of central defenders who, at the moment, have zero confidence. Add to that a complete lack of defensive cohesion/organisation and we were never likely to win – e.g. for Bent’s goal the full-backs were lying deeper than the central defenders – always a recipe for disaster. The experience in Derbys’ squad suggested it was always going to be a struggle tho’ when I saw that Derby’s left back is relatively young I thought Costa would have a field day. Sadly we rarely managed to get the ball to him in space.
Conversely, I don’t think that Lambert has so much major work to do. If he can get the defence organised in even the most basic fashion we showed that we have enough going forward to more than trouble even the 2nd strongest defence in the Division. Cav. finally showed flashes of what he can do, Costa woke up after half time and Nouha is getting into the right sort of positions. Finally credit to Dave Edwards (who must surely take the armband) and also to Coady and Doherty who at least showed that they cared.
I have seen some shite in my life but yesterday’s first half beat everything previously.
I was screaming to Rob Edwards to bring Saville on after 15 minutes and take Tex off as we needed some steel in the middle of the park rather than a lightweight play maker. Tex was understandable pissed off but it had to be done.
Second half was so much better and Dangerous Dave stood head & shoulders above any other Wolves player. Lonigren also saved us from total humiliation. Cav came to life in the second half as we finally started to get the ball to him, he looks a very decent player. Send CBJ back to Utd, the lad is out of his depth.
If Paul Lambert was watching this yesterday he must be wondering what on earth he is letting himself in for….boy oh boy he has a massive task on his hands.
Good Luck Paul, you are going to need it.
Cant remember when i saw a more pathetic performance that first half. Of course booing your own players doesnt help, but geez can you really blame some of them.
if Lambert is given money which im sure he will – his recruitment has to start at the back
4 new defenderts and bring back Ebanks Landell FFS, those goons are absolutely useless. Not just yesterday pretty much all season long
On the plus Great to see Dicko showing glimpses of his old self and Bodvarsson is always a threat. I would say we still need another proven striker
I agree with sending Texeira back, and as ive said before the only thing cavaleiro has achieved is to line mendes’ pocket.
However Helder Costa has been has been good, and with Graham and Zyro returning we do have a couple of decent attacking wingers… probably need one or two more.
Still cant quite believe after getting rid of beetroot and spending 12 million on 12 new players we are just off the relegation zone and needing to rebuild … the mind boggles.
oh well, its only a game right.
Don’t think the ref was that bad. Cav got the wrong side of Ince and made contact, if it was at the other end we’d have been screaming for a pen. Then Cav definitely played for his. Both correct decisions, although l seem to be in a minority. The challenge on Doherty late in the game l thought was a better shout.
Can’t believe a team can have such a different attitude in the 2 halves. How can professional footballers not do the basics and for some of them show little or no desire in that first half? It was embarrassing to watch. We deserved nothing out of the game.
I feel a bit sorry for Danny, he is doing his best but he is not a leader and is not captain material. The booing of him was pathetic and won’t help his lack of confidence.
One of the things Lambert (a great appointment by the way) could do is relieve Batth of the captaincy, give it to Dave Edwards and bring back Stears. We need his experience in there in the short term. Then in January, break the bank to bring in an experienced centre half which we have been lacking for many years.
Sorry but Ince dived. Period. He knew it and so did everyone in the North Bank.
Game was lost in the first half though and we continue to shoot ourselves in the foot. Lambo has to start with the defence and start playing for clean sheets.
Quick thought on the goalkeeper- good shot stopper but rooted to his line – he will get caught out of he doesn’t come for crosses.
I agree with most of what I’ve read, but would make one point. Iorfa and CBJ are getting much flak from many but these are young lads for whom confidence is everything. Experienced pros can often rise above the pressures in a struggling team whereas youngsters can find it all a bit overwhelming when the going gets tough. It’s not their fault we don’t have steadier hands to replace them with.
Cut ’em some slack. They are both fantastic prospects.
Sorry Linden. That obviously wasn’t aimed at you. It should have gone at the bottom.
Would be interesting to see what our record would be like just taking into account the last 75 minutes of the game (yeah, I know Clive).
Taking Teixeira off early might be a seminal moment in the season.
I think that it should be fairly easy to avoid relegation, as long as the dressing room has not been lost. Doesn’t take a lot of talent to avoid relegation.
We could have been blown away in the first half and I was relieved when we came in at half time only 2-0 down. I was pleased with the application in the second half but I thought that if the Ince penalty was legitimate we had two very strong shouts for at least one, either when Cavaleiro went down and later Doherty.
Desperately need the new manager bounce, so a hearty welcome to Paul Lambert. At least the international break means he’s got some time to work with the players.
Wow! Has Paul Lambert got a job or what?
I heard that he’d got the match lit after sneaking down to the boardroom at half time, but Jeff and Jorge managed to wrestle the contract out of his hands before he could send it up in flames.
Speaking of that first half, it reminded me of when I used to take my old girlfriend’s Yorkshire Terrier out for a walk, and how by the time I’d bent down to try and grab hold of the little sod, he’d already gone. Now I’m sure I must have seen a more feeble and inept display by a Wolves team (any McGee effort would do for starters) but bloody hell! You’ll have Jeff calling himself the Golden Chink at this rate, probably a week before he joins the queue at the Shanghai Job Centre. There’s only Wolves that could break transfer records and be worse than when they started.
The good thing was that the second half was much better (though not exactly difficult) and as we dragged Derby down to our level, proved to be an exciting 45 minutes though sort of in the way the Keystone Cops used to chase black and white bandits in their collapsing car.
But we could’ve got a draw! So there’s hope for us yet!
God only knows what Paul Lambert can do to get this bunch whipped into shape but I along with most of the fans will welcome him warmly I expect, and off again we go on our never-ending trip into the twilight zone.
Enjoy your week off….but remember, it WILL end.
UTW
How on earth can Rob Edwards be so highly rated as a coach, his team selection was way off, surrendering the midfield to the opposition, and having to make an embarrassing change so soon into the match.
Most of the inept defenders in the first half have been coached for years by Edwards, who was himself a full back/central defender.
Then why with so little time left take off our tallest striker for Dicko when surely 2 strikers on the pitch were required, and would surely have been a better option.
Desperately needed players with pace, mobility, physicality, vision, ability, lets hope our new manager is backed by the owners in January to get some in, I`m sure Lambert knows who he wants.
Just thinking wonder if some of our lads were piss-d off at having to come in over the next few days due to the manager change meaning that their few days in the sun would have to be cancelled ?