Bruno Lage

[Loefah]

He's lucky the standard is poor this year. We might finish 8th or 9th but 51 points would have only got 12th last season

 

[Contrarian]

The team selections and tactics are solely down to him.
We play like we play because of him.

Get rid.

Disagree with this 100% Half the time people complain that "it's exactly the same as Nunoball"! It can't be both ,can it? We play like we play primarily because of the players. Players who were acquired, nearly all in the Nuno era, precisely to play this way. Because we can't outshoot the big spenders. Stay organised, keep it tight and rely on a counter and individual flair to snatch something. Yes, it's not always looked this dull, but that has been the foundation since promotion.

Both Nuno and Bruno have tried to change the way we play, and both have failed because the players have remained much the same. If anything, its' a steady weakening, Nuno losing Jota, then Raul. Bruno losing Traore and not having Raul and Neto at their peaks available.

I'd say we play the way we play because it was a smart move to play this way for a newly promoted club. We are struggling to move on from it, though.

 

[Boss Hogg]

He’s unlucky in that Fosun have given up at exactly the time the team needs a refresh and they haven’t backed him.

Having said that, he hasn’t done well enough with this group of players over the last couple of months and his in-game management has been poor all season.

For me he has to go.

 

[YouGottaRaulWithIt]

True but he got a stale squad to finish 8th this year. I hope he gets the chance

Not finished yet. 10th more likely.

 

[Pessimistic Wolf]

I'm not necessarily advocating sacking him or keeping him. I think it's a relatively small variable in our success compared to things like squad makeup and financial backing.

I think he's had a pretty average season. Some good games, some good performances, some individuals who've kicked on well. This is balanced against disastrous late season form, a real lack of playing style and identity and some pretty hit and miss transfers. I have sympathy for him on the grounds that he's mostly inherited Nuno's squad, had minimal financial support and had to maintain Nuno's shape because the players aren't suited to his style.

This season hasn't been as good as the first two seasons, but a bit better than last season. Maybe year on year improvement isn't a realistic expectation and we need to come to terms with that, after the first 2.5 years of Nuno?

We know that the club now wants to operate transfers on a fiscally neutral basis. That makes a rebuild of the squad really difficult if we're just replacing the players out of contract. We'd need to be getting big money for a star or two to make a decent fist at a) rebuilding and b) growing the squad.

We also probably aren't thinking about growing the squad. I know Lage has intimated that it would at least be needed to European football, but I think Lage has a bit of a rogue habit when it comes to media and transfers. The higher ups speak quite positively about the benefits of a smaller squad, so I don't have high hopes.

We have to ask whether another manager, who we could realistically attract, would have done any better given within our specific parameters.

I don't think the likelihood of that is so high that it's obvious we should get someone else in. I'd say our point total is pretty average, and our performances have been slightly low average. That fact we're 8th speaks to a bit of luck, but also perhaps is something to Bruno's credit. I can think of a few games where we didn't really deserve the points.

My view is that unless there's a financial and strategic change at the pub, swapping out managers who don't massively overperform is mostly an exercise in futility. It feels like the skill of the manager accounts for about 10% variance, whereas culture, playing squad, strategy, scouting, transfer decisions and purchases make up the other 90%.

I guess I'm asking what the point in changing managers is when everything else is holding us back far more.

 

[YouGottaRaulWithIt]

That's pretty balanced.

I was standing on one leg at the time, so yes.

 

[marrs-guitar]

When the longer a coach stay, the worse his team plays, there's not much to recommend keeping him.

The only thing we had going for us in the mid-season was that the defence was working quite well and allowing to eek out narrow wins, particularly helped by Sa, Kilman and Saiss playing the best football of their careers for a brief spell, but over the last two months the defence has looked as badly organised as anything we've served up in the top flight in previous relegation campaigns. Even today the opposition could easily have scored 3 again with a little more quality.

The attack has never functioned from day 1 to the final home game against an awful, already-relegated side that ships goals for fun. Aside from the few goals we actually do score there are as good as no further real quality chances in the majority of our games.

 

[Stafford]

I think minus the past 2 months. He's been tactically astute. I'm not sure what we can go off, we just don't have any premier League quality forwards at the moment. I'm sure Neto will be better after a preseason.

 

[Oh When the Wolves]

Where are his minerals

Nothing to lose and he plays a back 5 and hwang

 

[Ponty]

All this saying give him his own players overlook the fact that at least half our current squad have deteriorated under him. Any manager has to work with what he's got and having seen how we've got worse as the season has gone on I see no reason to believe he's going to suddenly show an improvement with new players even though it's blindingly obvious the scope for improvement on recent games is huge.

 

[Mile End Wanderer]

Time for the club to give Bruno some transfer funds

 

[Gold Flag Flying High]

So its off with his head by the majority on here then? I think the team has deeper issues than if we have the right head coach but it will be interesting to see how the owners react to this season, still one more game but never thought for one moment we would be sitting 8th at this point or any point this season.

 

[WickedWolfie]

Time for the club to give Bruno his UB40.

Fixed that for you.

 

[Mile End Wanderer]

Fixed that for you.

Can’t judge him with Nuno’s squad these players only know one system

 

[WickedWolfie]

Can’t judge him with Nuno’s squad these players only know one system

A cop out excuse.

 

[JOSWolf]

Time to go. Looked like a rabbit in the headlights on the touchline today. Out of his depth in my opinion and the team has no identity and God knows what they must do in training.

 

[Wolf in Kenilworth]

Stay organised, keep it tight and rely on a counter and individual flair to snatch something.

Against Norwich at home?

 

[Bugsy911]

Can’t judge him with Nuno’s squad these players only know one system

I can judge him on not getting the best out the players he has and making some of the most bizarre team selections and subs I've ever seen.

I would trust him with a penny looking at Hwang and Trincao on those alone he deserves the sack.

 

[Deleted member 7862Bler]

Thanks for the wins away at Villa and Man Utd. Now please **** off and let’s hire a manager who
1) has actually played football himself
2) has managed a senior team for a whole season
3) has some personality and passion

 

[dewolfman]

Think if you hire a manager he deserves to have a chance to sign his own players build his own team, he’s been playing with Nuno’s squad for a season and did better than Nuno’s last season.

 

[Contrarian]

Against Norwich at home?

Remember Huddersfield? And numerous other matches (e.g 0-2 home defeat to struggling Palace in first season back) . We did exactly that - stay deep ansd wait to counter a poor opponent. Several matches far worse than today.

 

[Contrarian]

Thanks for the wins away at Villa and Man Utd. Now please **** off and let’s hire a manager who
1) has actually played football himself
2) has managed a senior team for a whole season
3) has some personality and passion

Steve Bruce?

 

[WickedWolfie]

Against Norwich at home?

That's what we should have done against Citeh. However, our resident "tactical genius".....

Today was about his last chance to save his job methinks....

 

[Mile End Wanderer]

I can judge him on not getting the best out the players he has and making some of the most bizarre team selections and subs I've ever seen.

I would trust him with a penny looking at Hwang and Trincao on those alone he deserves the sack.

Hwang was being eyed by the club for years.. Again many players will be leaving it’s obvious they haven’t looked interested for weeks. Blame Bruno or the players??

A cop out excuse.

Do you really think that Spanish manager Lopetegui would come here?

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

He's lucky the standard is poor this year. We might finish 8th or 9th but 51 points would have only got 12th last season

We may yet finish 10th. A total capitulation. It's the managers job to motivate the players. Lage has failed, miserably.

 

[NewarkWolf]

He didn't. He skipped the lap of mediocrity. It was his mediocrity that he let the players take alone.

Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I'm hoping he's done, and there's something to these Lopetegui rumours.

I thought he was in the boardroom getting his p45

 

[Deleted member 7862Bler]

Steve Bruce?

4) doesn’t look like a potato

 

[WickedWolfie]

Hwang was being eyed by the club for years.

Do you really think that Spanish manager Lopetegui would come here?

Lopetegui was prepared to come in the Chump. It really depends on the deal he is offered (he will want money to spend).

Reportedly Nuno turned down Hwang and l can see why. I really fail to understand why we didn't wait until this summer to decide about the option. Hwang is bloody awful played wide... which is where Lage keeps playing him!

 

[Tarcisio Mifsud]

Wolves were lucky to manage to collect good points up to Feb. that ensure their safety for next season. Once this was achieved, something happened, as if the players forgot how to play football in the premiership and Bruno could not raise again their motivation. I would not be disappointed if he moves on as he cannot do his job at Wolves. Choosing Hwang before the Portughese winger for today match was an insult to the Wolves fans.

 

[SteveBullsKnee]

Thanks for the wins away at Villa and Man Utd. Now please **** off and let’s hire a manager who
1) has actually played football himself
2) has managed a senior team for a whole season
3) has some personality and passion

1) what sort of playing careers did Wenger and Mourinho have?
2) he’s managed a full season this year
3) he’s full of passion

 

[Ponty]

Lopetegui was prepared to come in the Chump. It really depends on the deal he is offered (he will want money to spend).

Reportedly Nuno turned down Hwang and l can see why. I really fail to understand why we didn't wait until this summer to decide about the option. Hwang is bloody awful played wide... which is where Lage keeps playing him!

Hwang is bloody awful, the end!

 

[Supadavewolf]

4) doesn’t look like a potato

That's Rooney out of the equation as well then...

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

I thought he was in the boardroom getting his p45

Hopefully.

 

[Contrarian]

4) doesn’t look like a potato

5) Hasn't been dismissed as England manager due to being caught talking about beating transfer regulations

 

[Ponty]

Every game since Everton away we've had lower XG than our opponents. We can't create and we can't stop opponents creating. In fact since 1 December we've only had a higher XG than opponents four times. Tactically astute my ****!

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

1) what sort of playing careers did Wenger and Mourinho have?
2) he’s managed a full season this year
3) he’s full of passion

Give me a tangible example of Lage's passion?

 

[Loefah]

He's full of something, not passion though.

 

[Deleted member 8455jwf]

Give me a tangible example of Lage's passion?

I think the opposite, he has too much. Constantly losing his marbles on the touchline, must cloud his judgement.

 

[Hot Fuss]

Genuinely hate the the entitlement on this forum. Hope Bruno gets a massive pay off and ****s off from the idiots on this forum.

Wolves fans moaning about being 8th with this squad? Laughable.

**** squad as predicted in august, no **** does better with this lot.

 

[Titch]

Anyone else see this?

Yes I did and most around me in the Billy Wright upper. Was a short heated exchange.
Bruno had only just got off the bench, Tony Roberts was stood up more than him!