27 Oct 2020 12:07:58
Who thinks swapping Traore for Bruno Fernandes would be a good deal?
27 Oct 2020 12:10:02
Hypothetical of course?
27 Oct 2020 12:32:12
A no brainer for me Nigel.
So a big yes from me. 👌.
27 Oct 2020 12:49:27
We do need A Bruno Fernandes type player in midfield to be more positive and creative and could be the spark we need, how did we miss out on him probably his wages though it may have been better to target a high profile player than buy as many as we have, a lot of are still keeping the bench warm or can’t get on it .
27 Oct 2020 13:12:31
Assume you heard what Kieron Dyer said after the game?
He said that the only thing stopping Wolves was an attacking midfield player. He then said something along the lines of if only they had bought Bruno Fernandes.
Now as Bully Boy said, even though he was bought v cheaply relative to the kids we bought this summer and therefore we could have easily afforded his transfer fee (although Kieron now thinks he is worth over £120m i. e. over well over twice what MU paid and he is probably right! ), he wouldn't have come to us! It is not 'just the wages - he is not earning that much at MU (rumoured to be circa 180k pw) - indeed if we had sent Moutinho the other way as part of the deal he probably is earning similar if not less than what Moutinho, Silva and Vitor earn when put together? This may have caused issues in the dressing room initially- but not once he started playing!
No he wouldn't come to us as we simply don't have the aura yet - we are not seen as a big team worthy of big players and won't be until we have been at the top of the table and captured trophies for a number of years.
It is going to be v hard!
Consequently even if MU were willing to do the deal - which they wouldn't - Fernandes would certainly say no.
Big worry for me at the moment though is Traore - he is not the player he was previously and playing 25 mins a week in a side that is in " hanging on mode " most of the time is no good for him and his body language seems to indicate he has got that!
This week he didn't do a lot in his 25 mins but did find the corner flag well twice and put in good crosses - but of course there was no one there - very rarely is - so what was the point in that he might well be thinking?
On a positive note we have ten points - although that is 3 less than the same fixtures last year from the non promoted/ relegated teams.
Only Arsenal have conceded less of the teams that have played 6 games
But only the bottom 3 have scored less
and more worryingly we have now conceded vital goals in the final moments of several of our last few games - Newcastle and Stoke this year, Seville, Burnley and Sheffield last year come to mind
A concern?
27 Oct 2020 13:16:09
Nigel T ; We’ve got a player as good if not better than Fernandes and if Nuno had him he’d play him in his own half as he does with Ruben Neves, one of the best strikers of a football we’ve ever had at Molineux.
27 Oct 2020 14:24:45
We all know what Keiron Dier said but we’ve banging on about it for a while now, why not give Neves an advanced role. We don’t seem to have a plan B .
27 Oct 2020 17:10:45
Whatever the reason is Traore isn't doing enough and the reported £100,000 a week contract on the table for him imo he needs to do a lot more.
Hence my quick response to Nigels hypothetical question.
On another note we have more points than this time last year and we are no where near at our best.
27 Oct 2020 17:27:26
After our patchy start we are still well ahead of last season. Plus, we have fewer matches by being out of Europe, which will help this season. Under Nuno we have improved season after season, and will continue to until we hit Fosun's target, which is regular Champions League football.
27 Oct 2020 17:28:49
Taff - Are you suggesting playing Neves further forward and the other mid - Dendonker or Moutinho ( presumably Dendonker) as the more defensive one?
Maybe play both with Neto dropping out - although that seems v defensive?
Personally I'd be happy with Podence rather than Neves in the 10 role as I think despite his undoubted skill and creativity he is less likely to make a significant contribution when he is stuck out wide on the left than he would in the number 10 role and Neves does a great job in that controlling CM role?
We were told we were going to be playing a different system this year and that is why we tweaked the squad a bit.
Well whilst I accept it is v early days still it is clear that other than Semedo none of the new players are getting or in the foreseeable future are going to be getting a sniff and if we are have changed system its imperceptible and, again acknowledging the paucity of games played so far, at the moment it is not working!
I have seen all the games bar the first 75 mins at Leeds and other than the opening 20 mins against Sheff U and an inspired 25 mins in 2nd half against Man City the Newcastle game was prob the best we have played all season - if not since lockdown - but we barely ever looked like scoring!
Yes Semedo had his best game for Wolves by a mile but he still has a long way to go before he can replace what we previously had there - hopefully further improvement is in the pipeline - and whilst Podence looks v good he is clearly not a natural goal scorer
As they have replaced our two main goal threats after Jimenez we are therefore desperately short of goals.
Something has to change and maybe Taff you are right and a system change is required - if it is Neves or someone else playing the AM role I don't care but with Moutinho's highly predictable drop off - he is getting old! - we simply don't have the balance right in CM at the moment
Dier is not the brightest button in the box or the most incisive football pundit but if he can see it then it must be as screamingly obvious as I thought it was before the start of the season and throughout the transfer window when I repeatedly said we sadly now needed to replace Moutinho with a new energetic goal scoring AM.
It is clear that our mid is not connecting to the front three and with the WBs not up to speed with the system yet and Traore being wasted on the bench - Neto has played ok but he is nowhere near where a motivated Traore was - we are unbalanced and look unlikely to score regularly.
Whoops I read the various other sites on wolves and all of them are far more negative than this one and perhaps I have been infected by their negativity but whilst I remember v well where we were only a few short years ago and am v v happy with what has happened since then I am now greedy and want not just more but better.
We are so close to that break through (the one that gets you Trophies and thus pits you on the virtuous circle that leads to the Bruno Fernandes quality players) - and with the league a shambles this year after a v odd summer transfer window - (which I gave a 4 out of 10 when I analysed it a few weeks ago but with hindsight [ALBEIT ONLY SHORT] it now looks like we loused up! ) this could be the year we make that breakthrough.
I am therefore desperate that we do not fall backwards due to lack of ambition or a lack of ruthlessness.
We weren't ever going to get Fernandes but we could have done far better than we did and even now we need to be on the front foot - Traore has to play and be told go get them - a free role to destroy teams not stick on the right wing and pointlessly repeatedly cross to no one!
We are v strong defensively we don't need to throw the baby out with the bath water but a small tweak - moving Podence more central and freeing Traore plus getting the WBs flying like they used to and we will be back on track
CP is the last of the so called easy fixtures but who knows this year.
Onwards and upwards!
27 Oct 2020 18:35:24
That’s a good call old gold Podence could be more effective in the roll and Traore should start he seems more focused when he does. We do seem to forget how far we’ve come and what a cracking team and manager we have, just a few tweeks.
27 Oct 2020 19:04:12
Taff - that is a huge fish!
ps one of my friends comes from Resolven - just over the mountain from you. If you went to the 74 game I assume you must be a similar age - when were you born?
27 Oct 2020 21:11:26
Hi old gold I was born in 1952 the fish is a walleye I caught in Canada last year!
27 Oct 2020 21:32:28
As I said I read lots of other sites and there is a really good thread called "Dull as ditch water" on the wolves forum that discusses tactics/ formations etc etc in a really intelligent and cogent manner.
Lots of different views and ideas (partic on Traore's role {indeed if he has one})
But basically its pretty clear from that site that Wolves fans want a change to the formation of two wide men, 5 at the back and 2 def mids leaving just Jimenez to attack!
Hopefully Nuno can adapt or the players can make it work better - ie the WBs have to get forward and contribute, the wide men have to come inside and drive at the box occasionally to keep the defenders honest and the CMs have to get closer to the front 3 and move the ball much faster and more positively.
A v interesting read and I'd recommend!
27 Oct 2020 21:47:22
Taff - you said you caught it last year but were born in 1952 - ie you were 67 in the photo!
You are a fair bit older than my friend then - but DON'T look it - and my friend said he didn't know people in Merthyr anyway but his sister is married to a man from Aberfan - literally on your doorstep and where the disaster was!
28 Oct 2020 07:23:52
Old gold-thanks for the compliment I put it down to the fresh air in the Valleys and Lamb dinners 😀.
28 Oct 2020 09:53:16
Think that we need another striker, Fabio not ready yet. Could have had Antonio, at a snip, not so long ago! Feel that Semedo will be very good in time, as for Adama- don't think he'll ever be consistent enough and we just can't afford to carry 'luxury' players. As for midfield, would like to see Saiss in there, defensively, allowing Neves to get forward more. COYW.