Bruno Lage

[WeAreTheWolvesII]

Out of interest does anyone else think these posters are the same guy with two different profiles? They always have the same views...

Everyone should have the same view on the post I put as most of it was factual.

 

[GoldenHorseshoe]

Leeds 2-1 . Lost - Squad was a joke

Fulham 0-0. Hindsight an OK result with the squad we had

Spurs 1-0. Outplayed them . Only Kane was the diffeeence and our lack of striker

Newcastle 1-1 . Hindsight an OK result with no striker still

Bournemouth 0-0. Poor result .

Southampton 1-0. Win

Man city 3-0 defeat. Free hit. Same score line as JL

West ham 2-0. Very poor result . No striker still


Then we had Davis and we lost to Chelsea, Leicester, drew with BrentFord, lost to Brighton and arsenal.

Quite clear that Bruno Lage isn’t the one responsible for our position and it’s rather the transfer policy of not signing a striker for years. Then the decision to hire a national league coach rather Than getting lopetegui out of Seville themselves to save some pounds .

Clear as mud

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

Leeds 2-1 . Lost - Squad was a joke

Fulham 0-0. Hindsight an OK result with the squad we had

Spurs 1-0. Outplayed them . Only Kane was the diffeeence and our lack of striker

Newcastle 1-1 . Hindsight an OK result with no striker still

Bournemouth 0-0. Poor result .

Southampton 1-0. Win

Man city 3-0 defeat. Free hit. Same score line as JL

West ham 2-0. Very poor result . No striker still


Then we had Davis and we lost to Chelsea, Leicester, drew with BrentFord, lost to Brighton and arsenal.

Quite clear that Bruno Lage isn’t the one responsible for our position and it’s rather the transfer policy of not signing a striker for years. Then the decision to hire a national league coach rather Than getting lopetegui out of Seville themselves to save some pounds .

In Lage's last 38 games, Wolves won 42 points. Over the course of a season, probably good enough to stay up but a bit bum squeaking.

Nuno's three PL seasons in charge returned 45, 59 and 57. Most agreed 45 was poor, 42 represents a downgrade even on the points total that saw Nuno sacked.

Lage was unable to improve the team in any area, despite being backed in the transfer market and enabled to shape the squad in his image.

He's a fraud and will be nothing but an unfortunate blemish on our clubs history.

 

[lycophilos]

Yep, i'd agree with that. I have said on this thread i don't feel he was backed enough in his first season. Its clear for whatever reason we tightened the purse strings. I just dont think people can use the excuse for 2022/23. When we are just talking about did he get backed or not, he did.

Its clear that the preparation and attention to detail just wasn't there regardless of the transfer window. As i said as well, getting the players in late is no excuse for a lack of any positive signs. We werent showing signs of progression, no identity in our football and we looked unfit and no chemistry in a squad that had superb team spirit under Nuno. If we were, i think they would have stuck by him.

Look at it from the position of his employers, when Lage was appointed.

You have just parted company with Nuno. It doesn't matter who made the decision to appoint Nuno, or whether it was an inspired choice, or just lucky, but it has turned out to be, in context, one of the greatest appointments ever made by any club. Without any substantial "backing", he had turned a squad which seemed suited to the lower reaches of the Championship into one which stormed into the EPL. Then, given backing, had led the squad to two consecutive 7th place finishes in a league with a "Big 6". You had every reason to trust Nuno - to the extent that he has been given the most influential voice in club policy over transfers in and out.

I see no reason to disbelieve the official statement that Nuno wasn't sacked, but that the parting was by "mutual consent". I think it is highly probable that had it not been for the massive disruptions caused by Covid-19, Nuno would still be with Wolves.

For some reason, you appoint Lage, a largely unknown quantity at this level. [Winning the Portuguese Primeira Liga with Benfica, one of the Portuguese "Big 3", is a lesser achievement than Steve McClaren winning the Dutch Eredivisie with Twente, not one of the Dutch "Big 3". ] So, you're not going to give him the level of trust that you gave to Nuno, until Bruno has shown that he deserves such trust. His first season is very up and down, with more of the latter. However, given the difficulties surrounding terminating contracts, you decide to stick with him, and back him with substantial incoming transfers. When it is clear that it isn't working, you sack him.

In hindsight of course Lage should not have been appointed - and he should probably been sacked at the end of last season. But to put his failure down to his not being "backed" is absurd, and mirrors the man himself - always blaming others for his own mistakes.

 

[Flump]

Nuno, or whether it was an inspired choice, or just lucky, but it has turned out to be, in context, one of the greatest appointments ever made by any club. Without any substantial "backing", he had turned a squad which seemed suited to the lower reaches of the Championship into one which stormed into the EPL.

...Neves and Jota in the Championship doesn't count as "backing"??

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

...Neves and Jota in the Championship doesn't count as "backing"??

Nuno was backed big time in the championship, he also got a tune out of some players (Coady, Doherty, Saïss) that previous managers couldn't, and benefitted from excellent recruitment before his time (Costa, Cavaleiro) & astute free transfers (Ruddy, Douglas, Bennett).

 

[Muscat]

For some reason, you appoint Lage, a largely unknown quantity at this level. [Winning the Portuguese Primeira Liga with Benfica, one of the Portuguese "Big 3", is a lesser achievement than Steve McClaren winning the Dutch Eredivisie with Twente, not one of the Dutch "Big 3". ] So, you're not going to give him the level of trust that you gave to Nuno, until Bruno has shown that he deserves such trust.

Lage won the Portuguese league. Nuno didn't.

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

Lage won the Portuguese league. Nuno didn't.

Bruno Lage isn't gonna have sex with you.

 

[lycophilos]

...Neves and Jota in the Championship doesn't count as "backing"??

Of course it does. But was it regarded as so "substantial" at the time? Jota was on loan. Neves is a different matter - it appears his undisclosed fee may have been a record for Wolves at the time.

I am not really a Wolves fan and I only started following Wolves in the 2017-18 season. It was clear to me from the comments of many on this forum - on which I was then only a "guest" - that the way the team was playing came as a very pleasant surprise to most fans.

My admiration for Nuno, and his methods, have probably made me overstate the case. But I do think that very many football fans - including some Wolves fans - still don't quite appreciate the remarkable qualities that Nuno brought to the club. Qualities which Lage largely destroyed, and which Lopetegui seems to be resurrecting.

 

[lycophilos]

Lage won the Portuguese league. Nuno didn't.

So much for winning the Portuguese league being a sign of competence.

 

[Muscat]

Bruno Lage isn't gonna have sex with you.

Oh shame.

 

[Fenrir_]

Lage won the Portuguese league. Nuno didn't.

He took over at a club he knew everyone and let the best squad in the league manage itself for half a season. When the time came to make big decisions he equalled the worst run in Benfica's history and got the boot before he was able to set his own record outright

Roberto Di Matteo won the Champions League in similar circumstances - his mates played for him when he took over - but how good was his managerial career? Should we get him in and give him plenty of backing because he won a CL?

 

[Muscat]

He took over at a club he knew everyone and let the best squad in the league manage itself for half a season. When the time came to make big decisions he equalled the worst run in Benfica's history and got the boot before he set his own record outright

Roberto Di Matteo won the Champions League in similar circumstances and his mates played for him when he took over, how good was his managerial career? Should we get him in and give him plenty of backing?

I mean he totally changed tactics at Benfica and won the title in record breaking style. Easy to say it was "the best squad in the league" when he's won it easily, but they were 4th when he took over.

But I was more responding to the previous post that was downplaying his achievements but also bigging up Nuno, when he had comprehensively outperformed him in Portugal.

 

[Fenrir_]

I mean he totally changed tactics at Benfica and won the title in record breaking style. Easy to say it was "the best squad in the league" when he's won it easily, but they were 4th when he took over.

But I was more responding to the previous post that was downplaying his achievements but also bigging up Nuno, when he had comprehensively outperformed him in Portugal.

He hadn't even done a full season. I'd argue Nuno getting Rio Ave into two cup finals and European football for the first time in their history was a better achievement than taking Benfica on a run for half a season. And that kind of performance is far more relevant when you're talking about someone managing a club like ours

 

[lycophilos]

I mean he totally changed tactics at Benfica and won the title in record breaking style. Easy to say it was "the best squad in the league" when he's won it easily, but they were 4th when he took over.

But I was more responding to the previous post that was downplaying his achievements but also bigging up Nuno, when he had comprehensively outperformed him in Portugal.

And I was recalling a post from someone who claimed that because Lage had won the Portuguese title with Benfica, it meant that he must be a competent enough manager to do well in the EPL. My comparison was with Steve McClaren's achievement at Twente, not with Nuno's achievements anywhere (which now surely comprehensively surpass Lage's).

Anyway, my comment was only an aside to my main point, which is the erroneous nature of the claim that Lage wasn't "backed".

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

I mean he totally changed tactics at Benfica and won the title in record breaking style. Easy to say it was "the best squad in the league" when he's won it easily, but they were 4th when he took over.

But I was more responding to the previous post that was downplaying his achievements but also bigging up Nuno, when he had comprehensively outperformed him in Portugal.

I think we can all agree that Nuno comprehensively outperformed Lage in Wolverhampton.

 

[Rauls Headband]

Where does this myth keep popping up that Lage was given no FINANCIAL backing?

Mosquera - €5M
Trincao - €6M (loan fee)
Sa - €8M
RAN - €11M (made loan permanent)
Nunes - €45M
Guedes - €32M
Collins - €24M
Sasa - €18M
Hwang - €16M

Thats a total of €165M!!!! Lack of fair opportunity in terms of financial backing my &ss!

As for 'Lage didn't get time to bed in his signing' blah blah blah - how many matches has it taken for Lopetegui to make a difference exactly?

So far Lopetegui has been given just short of €38M to sign Lemina, Sarabia and Dawson, and Gomes with a possible €45M to be dropped on Cunha when his loan expires in the summer.

Thats still €82M less (just under HALF!) than was spent in the Lage era.

The only defence for Lage is there were maybe other things going on with the running of the club that may have been out of his control and contributed to a toxic environment, a couple of players sold against his wishes, and perhaps Lage's recruitment was also just a symptom of that.

But doesn't detract from the fact that he inherited a team, rode the coat tails of their collective talent for a while, and then started a period of rot which he didn't know how to reverse, and if he had still been here now I have no doubt we'd be at the root of the table.

If in any doubt, I will quote Lage........

"There is no doubt that language is important, but the most important thing is the way the coach communicates. Nowadays, technology has evolved in such a way that you can get detailed images of what is happening in training and in the game, and sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. In this context, I don’t believe that language should be a determining factor in hiring a coach."

I suppose that attitude goes a long way to explaining this!!!

 

[Flump]

Where does this myth keep popping up that Lage was given no FINANCIAL backing?

Mosquera - €5M
Trincao - €6M (loan fee)
Sa - €8M
RAN - €11M (made loan permanent)
Nunes - €45M
Guedes - €32M
Collins - €24M
Sasa - €18M
Hwang - €16M

Thats a total of €165M!!!! Lack of fair opportunity in terms of financial backing my &ss!

As for 'Lage didn't get time to bed in his signing' blah blah blah - how many matches has it taken for Lopetegui to make a difference exactly?


The only defence for Lage is there were maybe other things going on with the running of the club that may have been out of his control and contributed to a toxic environment, a couple of players sold against his wishes, and perhaps Lage's recruitment was also just a symptom of that.

I haven't seen anyone saying he received "no FINANCIAL backing", but I think it's clear that in his first season, he didn't receive much, and had to work with a small and unbalanced squad

Take a look at some of the benches we put out while he was in charge, or read any of the 500,000 posts on here complaining that our midfield options consisted of Neves, Donk, and a Moutinho old enough that he shouldn't be playing 90 minutes every week, or that his striker options were a returning Raul, or Fabio.

Then, yes, he received €165M in total, but much of it was in the last few days of this summer's window. I think there were 3 games between that window ending and him being sacked, 1 of which we won, and another was against Man City, so it's hardly as if he was thoroughly tested and failed with the new signings.

So far Lopetegui has been given just short of €38M to sign Lemina, Sarabia and Dawson, and Gomes with a possible €45M to be dropped on Cunha when his loan expires in the summer.

Thats still €82M less (just under HALF!) than was spent in the Lage era.

You can't seriously say this without recognising that Lopetegui has been here for 1 window, while Lage was here for 3.

Now before anyone misunderstands, I think Lage was a far far weaker manager than Lopetegui. But it's just daft to pretend they were given equal backing.

 

[Flaneur]

I haven't seen anyone saying he received "no FINANCIAL backing", but I think it's clear that in his first season, he didn't receive much, and had to work with a small and unbalanced squad

Take a look at some of the benches we put out while he was in charge, or read any of the 500,000 posts on here complaining that our midfield options consisted of Neves, Donk, and a Moutinho old enough that he shouldn't be playing 90 minutes every week, or that his striker options were a returning Raul, or Fabio.

Then, yes, he received €165M in total, but much of it was in the last few days of this summer's window. I think there were 3 games between that window ending and him being sacked, 1 of which we won, and another was against Man City, so it's hardly as if he was thoroughly tested and failed with the new signings.


You can't seriously say this without recognising that Lopetegui has been here for 1 window, while Lage was here for 3.

Now before anyone misunderstands, I think Lage was a far far weaker manager than Lopetegui. But it's just daft to pretend they were given equal backing.

Not trying to claim Bruno is on the same level to Julen either, but another thing is even with just one window at the club, it's clear that Lopetegui has much more influence than Bruno ever had.

We've had reports that Wolves won't sign a player without Julen directly speaking with them first, he's been able to bring in a highly respected DoF in Fran Garagarza to work alongside Hobbs & get players that suit his team and way of playing - Comparing that to Sellars, who for one didn't have a clue, but also imv had too big of an ego, citing previously that he wouldn't even look at a player the manager wanted but "he didn't", both himself & Shi forcing players like Saiss & Ruddy out of the club who Lage said himself he would've liked to keep, getting involved in matchday tactics while Davis was in the temp role, etc, it was ridiculous!

The previous setup on the whole was not great at all, and I'm sure that's one of the reasons so much has changed over the past couple of months, as there's no way Lopetegui comes here with Sellars still in a job, and without the influence or backing he currently has in the transfer department.

 

[Rauls Headband]

I haven't seen anyone saying he received "no FINANCIAL backing", but I think it's clear that in his first season, he didn't receive much, and had to work with a small and unbalanced squad

Take a look at some of the benches we put out while he was in charge, or read any of the 500,000 posts on here complaining that our midfield options consisted of Neves, Donk, and a Moutinho old enough that he shouldn't be playing 90 minutes every week, or that his striker options were a returning Raul, or Fabio.

Then, yes, he received €165M in total, but much of it was in the last few days of this summer's window. I think there were 3 games between that window ending and him being sacked, 1 of which we won, and another was against Man City, so it's hardly as if he was thoroughly tested and failed with the new signings.

You can't seriously say this without recognising that Lopetegui has been here for 1 window, while Lage was here for 3.

Now before anyone misunderstands, I think Lage was a far far weaker manager than Lopetegui. But it's just daft to pretend they were given equal backing.

I’m not suggesting he shouldn’t have been sacked, clearly there was a few things wrong - but he wasn’t given a fair opportunity in terms of financial backing to show him the disrespect people have for him.

Not picking on 'Oh When the Wolves' specifically but that's the most immediate post I remember to hand. Its been said plenty by plenty of others, but if you've not seen them that's fine, its ok to have a life and not read The Mix a lot!

Lage had a 'small unbalanced squad' when results were going well at the beginning of his tenure, this always seems to get forgotten when wheeling out the excuses for when it all went pear shaped. Its obvious enough the 'cliff' occurred about April last year, and there's been lots of speculation as to those reasons (training pitch fall outs, throwing players under the bus, players not trusting his decisions, fitness etc) but a 'small unbalanced squad' isn't it.

And its all very well going on about a 'lack of striker' but this is a manager, where it is documented, who was instructing his players not to cross the ball into the box as we didn't have a player with the 'right profile'

Putting all of that aside, what has changed my mind on just viewing him as a victim of the Peter Principle, is his complete lack of accountability for his time at Wolves or even Benfica either at the time or since. The fact he has no introspection that perhaps his man management, or poor in match decision making, contributed to the teams failing is very telling as to what the squad were dealing with.

 

[Rauls Headband]

You can't seriously say this without recognising that Lopetegui has been here for 1 window, while Lage was here for 3.

Now before anyone misunderstands, I think Lage was a far far weaker manager than Lopetegui. But it's just daft to pretend they were given equal backing.

Actually I can and will!

I'll ask this really seriously - so after comparing those three windows to the one, who would you trust to identify and make signings?

Look at the quality of the FOUR players that's been brought in for the same money as Guedes..........

If you want to argue that Lage wasn't backed with trust, I'd agree with that statement, but maybe there's a reason for that!

 

[Flump]

Actually I can and will!

I'll ask this really seriously - so after comparing those three windows to the one, who would you trust to identify and make signings?

Look at the quality of the FOUR players that's been brought in for the same money as Guedes..........

If you want to argue that Lage wasn't backed with trust, I'd agree with that statement, but maybe there's a reason for that!

When talking about backing, people generally mean the amount of investment, rather than how wisely it was spent.

But regardless, Sellars was very clear that Bruno wasn't making the signings under the old regime.

 

[sillytuna]

Bruno wasn't properly backed because those above him made an utter mess of the squad. He likely shares some responsibility but even I would say he was dealt a poor hand and I think he's a rubbish manager.

 

[Clifton Wolf]

Bruno was a fraud and spoke complete and utter garbage, speak the whole time talking in riddles. Scary that some can’t see this and continue to give him support / benefit of the doubt.