Back to the old days

[wallace]

Here comes a dampner but it does feel like we are going for signing cheap and cheerful again after a few seasons when we stood proud among the higher levels in the premier. Our present approach isn't building from the base Nuno built as we dabble with championship level players in the hope our untried coach can come good.
Come on Wolves the only club I've supported in over 65 years, I look forward to eating humble pie.

 

[Direwolf]

It's not always just about individual talent. It's also about cohesion, having the right squad to play how you want and grit and determination to come back and grind out results. We saw that when Craig Dawson came in last season. Mental fortitude can be pretty key it helps breed confidence and resilience.

 

[The House of Wolves]

I presume this is in reference to Che Adams, the lad has played his last 5 seasons in the top flight and consistently scored goals, even in a struggling team.

Referring to him as a “cheep and cheerful Championship player” just comes across as having a massive agenda.

I’ll take honest, professional, hard working players of his kind who WANT to play for Wolves over egotistical mercenary signings like Nunes and Guedes all day long.

 

[sc91]

Here comes a dampner but it does feel like we are going for signing cheap and cheerful again after a few seasons when we stood proud among the higher levels in the premier. Our present approach isn't building from the base Nuno built as we dabble with championship level players in the hope our untried coach can come good.
Come on Wolves the only club I've supported in over 65 years, I look forward to eating humble pie.

Young and hungry was the base of Nuno's Wolves, we are once again signing young and hungry, albeit you're not a fan because they aren't coming in at a huge fee?

Persistent misery some people, I swear.

 

[SuperGran]

In January we bought 6 players 5 of which are first team starters. Adding depth to the team now without spending megabucks on superstars that don’t want to be here. We have Silva and Sasa that we didn’t have last season Che will be back up to them. Spending a massive amount on a striker would make no sense

 

[The House of Wolves]

Young and hungry was the base of Nuno's Wolves, we are once again signing young and hungry, albeit you're not a fan because they aren't coming in at a huge fee?

Persistent misery some people, I swear.

Nuno’s Wolves also had a great balance. For every Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota there was a Ryan Bennett and Conor Coady.

Seems O’Neil wants to get back to that great balance of Brazilian/Spanish flair (Cunha, Sarabia) but also the tough British steel (Tommy Doyle/Che Adams) where it’s needed.

 

[wolfgar]

I can appreciate he’s no Van Basten, but a day before the window shuts, who are we realistically going to get thats better than Adams and on a loan to buy? He’s not that bad. This time last year we were forced to sign a 34 year old Diego Costa because we had no strikers at all. Fabio, Cunha, Sasa and Adams is a pretty decent set of options all things considered. Each of them a trier and none of them a ******** either?

 

[Alex Rae The Substitute]

Sa

Doherty/ or Semedo
RAN/ or H. Bueno

Kilman
Dawson
Santiago (untried admittedly)

Lemina
Gomes

Fabio Silva
Neto/ or Cunha
Che Adams (potentially)

Back ups: Sarabia, Doyle, Hwang, Kalajdzic, Toti, Jonny, Bentley, Reed(?), González, Hodge, B. Traore


Sure it’s not got the class of Jota, Neves, Raúl, Moutinho, Rui Patricio, or (peak) Jonny…… But, I’m quietly confident that should be enough to keep us in the PL, which clearly is this seasons MO.

 

[wallace]

Young and hungry was the base of Nuno's Wolves, we are once again signing young and hungry, albeit you're not a fan because they aren't coming in at a huge fee?

Persistent misery some people, I swear.

I was hoping to build from Nuno rather than starting from scratch.

 

[SuziQ]

The spending of last summer and January is just not sustainable for a club of Wolves' size. Plus when we have spent big, the players we've signed have hardly set the world alight.

I'd much rather the young and hungry with a point to prove than a £30 million player who doesn't really give a ****.

 

[sc91]

I was hoping to build from Nuno rather than starting from scratch.

But we hit our ceiling, we aren't big enough to sustain to be constantly moving up the table. We hit our limit.

 

[sc91]

Nuno’s Wolves also had a great balance. For every Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota there was a Ryan Bennett and Conor Coady.

Seems O’Neil wants to get back to that great balance of Brazilian/Spanish flair (Cunha, Sarabia) but also the tough British steel (Tommy Doyle/Che Adams) where it’s needed.

Agreed, making a team almost haha.

 

[Werewolf of Wombourne]

Nuno’s Wolves also had a great balance. For every Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota there was a Ryan Bennett and Conor Coady.

Seems O’Neil wants to get back to that great balance of Brazilian/Spanish flair (Cunha, Sarabia) but also the tough British steel (Tommy Doyle/Che Adams) where it’s needed.

Great point, well made

 

[wallace]

But we hit our ceiling, we aren't big enough to sustain to be constantly moving up the table. We hit our limit.

I dared to dream of sustainability with a multibillion pound backer.

 

[Golden Oldie]

Surely there's an ongoing unreality in some of the sentiments being expressed? We are a medium sized club, one of many fighting for recognition as something special, and we have been fortunate for a few years as a foreign company funded us well beyond our means, or the means we will ever be able to generate for ourselves. Well the world is an unkind place and our benefactor has hit hard times, and if they quit altogether who do you think is going to replace them? The reality is, the dream is over, but if it has raised us to being a modestly successful PL side, that properly managed could be such for the foreseeable future, who should argue with that?
I think we will be ok this year, we have a potentially useful squad that will get us circa 50points, with highs and lows along the way. That is not failure, and plenty of medium sized clubs, like us, would be more than happy to have that to look forward to. I won't be responding to anyone disagreeing, that is everyone's right, but incessant moaning just isn't my thing nor reading about it either.
COY happy W.

 

[QB Wolf]

People may not like FFP but it’s there to ensure clubs live within their means and don’t end up like Leeds a few years ago or Portsmouth of Sheff Wed etc.

We weren’t operating within our means and this had to be addressed this summer, yes it’s been painful, but teams have to be refreshed.

In many ways I think we’ll have a better squad than this time last year.

 

[woop woop barmy army]

We seem to have more success with the lower price bracket of players apart from Raul...

Patrick Cutrone 23 million did nothing
Nunes - yes made a profit but did set the world on fire.
Fabio Silva - ???? will leave it at that
Cunha - Decent but not 40 million
Guedes - less said the better
Nelson Seemed - way over pried.

Thats nearly 200 million on 6 player off the top of my head.

shop wisely and players that want to come to wolves 6 decent players in the market should cost less than 100 million.

 

[Bostin]

Why are football fans so short sighted?

We've had ONE summer of conservative spending after being one of the biggest spenders in the league, and suddendly we're 'crap' again.

Give me strength.

 

[BrierleyHillWolves]

Another depressing post.

Isn't this what Brighton have been doing? Young Hungary players.

Brighton spent 20mil on Adam Webster from Bristol city couple seasons back , championship player with no Prem experience.

How would that of made you feel ?

 

[Bostin]

I dared to dream of sustainability with a multibillion pound backer.

People have this perception that the more you spend on a player, the better they will be.

It's rarely the case.

Give me £8m on Gomes - who broke his neck to play for Wolves - over £44m on Nunes any day

 

[SmiffyWolf]

People say how good or not our local journos are .

Will one ask Jeff Shi when the window closes what the plans are going forward . Or is it just to make the numbers up?

Ask if any developments or maintenance will be done to the stadium and ask is their a timeline to this.

Then regarding the team ask what is the strategy from Fosun with Wolves in the next 3 years or 5 .

Then ask what clubs structure are we now trying to follow in the Prem .As a fair few of Mendes boys have ****ed off or sulking . So has this changed .

 

[WKFWolf]

Another depressing post.

Isn't this what Brighton have been doing? Young Hungary players.

Brighton spent 20mil on Adam Webster from Bristol city couple seasons back , championship player with no Prem experience.

How would that of made you feel ?

mostly South American i think but absolutely right

 

[JJ59]

Here comes a dampner but it does feel like we are going for signing cheap and cheerful again after a few seasons when we stood proud among the higher levels in the premier. Our present approach isn't building from the base Nuno built as we dabble with championship level players in the hope our untried coach can come good.
Come on Wolves the only club I've supported in over 65 years, I look forward to eating humble pie.

I understand how you feel but buying big isn't the only route to the top. Bobby Robson remains one of the best ever English managers of all time. He took Ipswich up to the first division where they were top 6 for almost all of their first 10 seasons winning in Europe and being champions in the process. His players were skilled footballers but none were megastars, they played as a team. A remarkable fact is that in his 13 years there he bought just 14 players in total, about just one a season.

 

[WKFWolf]

we've finished mid table for three seasons, not sure who people are expecting us to buy tbh

 

[BrierleyHillWolves]

mostly South American i think but absolutely right

Yes but they didn't spend a lot on them young and Hungary.

Yet we wasted millions on players who don't wanna be here

 

[Flump]

Isn't this what Brighton have been doing? Young Hungary players.

Nope, Bolla's gone out on loan.

 

[Bill McCai]

Why are football fans so short sighted?

We've had ONE summer of conservative spending after being one of the biggest spenders in the league, and suddendly we're 'crap' again.

Give me strength.

According to transfer market -

18/19
Spent
€113m
Received
€23m
Net Spend
€90m

19/20
Spent
€117m
Received
€24m
Net Spend
€93m

20/21
Spent
€88m
Received
€79m
Net Spend
€9m

21/22
Spent
€38m
Received
€32m
Net Spend
€6m

22/23
Spent
€177m (that does not include Cunha and B Traore!)
Received
€63m
Net Spend
€114m

These cover Summer and Winter transfer windows.

We went big in the first two seasons back. Low net spend in 20/21 (selling Jota helped), stepped back in 21/22 (post Covid) and last year we spent big to a) back Lage and b) fix things in Jan.

 

[groundhogwolf]

I was hoping to build from Nuno rather than starting from scratch.

Nuno was 3 years ago, and a vibe that will probably never be repeated.

 

[JadeWolf]

we've finished mid table for three seasons, not sure who people are expecting us to buy tbh

Yep, since promotion we’ve finished 7th, 7th, 13th, 10th, 13th. Average position is 10th. We’re a mid-table side.

 

[SmiffyWolf]

According to transfer market -

18/19
Spent
€113m
Received
€23m
Net Spend
€90m

19/20
Spent
€117m
Received
€24m
Net Spend
€93m

20/21
Spent
€88m
Received
€79m
Net Spend
€9m

21/22
Spent
€38m
Received
€32m
Net Spend
€6m

22/23
Spent
€177m (that does not include Cunha and B Traore!)
Received
€63m
Net Spend
€114m

These cover Summer and Winter transfer windows.

We went big in the first two seasons back. Low net spend in 20/21 (selling Jota helped), stepped back in 21/22 (post Covid) and last year we spent big to a) back Lage and b) fix things in Jan.

Would be intrigued to look at the figures of other teams where we would want to be like Villa, Brighton , Newcastle and a few teams like Palace , West Ham, Everton to see the amounts . As I don't see many teams struggling with FFP like we supposedly have .

 

[SmiffyWolf]

Yep, since promotion we’ve finished 7th, 7th, 13th, 10th, 13th. Average position is 10th. We’re a mid-table side.

Leicester won the league which we would all love . Look at them now ,Just saying as poor management and down we could go .

One thing that cost Leicester and I think most would agree is they didn't improve their 11 and left it . Have we improved our 11 thats a matter of opinions but just raising the point .

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

How are we supposed to 'build from Nuno' when every player that was part of that team has left? (Albeit Doc came back!)

The miracle is after all the mistakes that started the day he was sacked, we're still in the Prem in a position to go again.

 

[AndyY]

I was hoping to build from Nuno rather than starting from scratch.

That train left 3 years ago. We failed to build in Nuno's third season

 

[AndyY]

I dared to dream of sustainability with a multibillion pound backer.

Sustainability and multibillion pound backer are at odds with each other. Fosun have invested heavily (just sometimes on the wrong or on over priced players); sustainability means sell to buy (or grow your own from the Academy) which we have failed to do in reality. We are probably trying to do that now.

 

[AndyY]

Yep, since promotion we’ve finished 7th, 7th, 13th, 10th, 13th. Average position is 10th. We’re a mid-table side.

Which is a damn sight better than we have been for most of the past 40 years. I just hope we can maintain our PL mid table status with the odd cup run and flirt with Europa Conference/ League for a long time to come. Its better than Promotion, relegation, relegation and Stevenage away!

 

[Werewolf of Wombourne]

That train left 3 years ago. We failed to build in Nuno's third season

Nuno's 3rd season was the COVID season and we suffered the most horrendous injury to our best player. How could we possibly build?

 

[SilverstoneWolf]

Am loving this thread - so many measured & sensible posts rather than the usual tirade of foul-mouthed abuse of Fosun & nonsense re how ‘crap’ we are. Well done posters! Sanity prevails!!

 

[The Wolf In The North]

Nope, Bolla's gone out on loan.

Explains why we bought him, though. Jeff thought his manifesto was clear, but predictive text causes no end of problems.

 

[Wisdomwolf]

People may not like FFP but it’s there to ensure clubs live within their means and don’t end up like Leeds a few years ago or Portsmouth of Sheff Wed etc.

We weren’t operating within our means and this had to be addressed this summer, yes it’s been painful, but teams have to be refreshed.

In many ways I think we’ll have a better squad than this time last year.

Even Man City appear somewhat belatedly to start playing by the rules, Utd are having to rein in and then elsewhere look outside the likes of Spurs, Villa, Newcastle and Liverpool and the spending patterns are quite similar.

 

[loppers86]

Here comes a dampner but it does feel like we are going for signing cheap and cheerful again after a few seasons when we stood proud among the higher levels in the premier. Our present approach isn't building from the base Nuno built as we dabble with championship level players in the hope our untried coach can come good.
Come on Wolves the only club I've supported in over 65 years, I look forward to eating humble pie.

It’s all down to Hobbs - if the recruitment is good we may well survive this season.

if it’s not then well be just like we were under 2004 and 2012 - some good players and an ok manager who just happen to be worse than all the other teams and managers in the division.