First halves

[sedgwolf1980]

Seriously, what’s this all about now. I know we have always played our ways into games but since the restart last season, our first half performances have been ridiculous.

Im not calling for the managers head, or anything like that, which is why I’ve put this on its own thread, as I’m genuinely baffled now as to what’s happening here and wanted to hear people’s thoughts.

Happened for too long now to not be tactical. I’m just at a loss with it now. Makes zero sense to me.

 

[Wolferoo]

Hearing Coady's post game interview it didn't come across as tactical. He seemed to think even the players are not happy with their first have performance. I'm baffled as we all know we can be so much better.

 

[Leigh72]

Baffling , it really is.
Are we lacking some fitness? We are far to sterile, Traore always coming short when he should just take off down the line, we would turn teams around and get up the pitch.
Rapid pace and we dont use it, bizarre

 

[Wednesbury Wolf]

Hearing Coady's post game interview it didn't come across as tactical. He seemed to think even the players are not happy with their first have performance. I'm baffled as we all know we can be so much better.

Coady is just afraid to say that our manager wants it that way. It's quite deliberate and not venturing over the half way line in the 1st half is exactly what the manager wants. I would imagine Nuno would see our non performance today as a point gained however boring.

 

[sedgwolf1980]

Hearing Coady's post game interview it didn't come across as tactical. He seemed to think even the players are not happy with their first have performance. I'm baffled as we all know we can be so much better.

Yeh just saw that, and Nuno’s too. This has been pretty much the last year now though. Ironically with the exception of the very first game this season where it looked like a change in approach.

Just mates zero sense to me.

 

[Summer_Wolf]

It's an absolute **** take it really is. Can't get my head around why we do it.

 

[Leigh72]

Yeh just saw that, and Nuno’s too. This has been pretty much the last year now though. Ironically with the exception of the very first game this season where it looked like a change in approach.

Just mates zero sense to me.

That 1st game it was the other way round lol

 

[steve vena]

I don't want to pay, 600 quid for next seasons season ticket to watch this I really don't.
Its bizarre.

 

[SuperGran]

I don't want to pay, 600 quid for next seasons season ticket to watch this I really don't.
Its bizarre.

Well there’s 14k on the waiting list that will happily take your ticket

 

[WeAreTheWolvesII]

It's not on, and despite Nuno and Coady's comments this evening, it IS tactical.

There's nothing stopping us pressing, like we do in the second half.
There's nothing stopping our wing-backs and Neto/Traore pushing up, like they do in the second half.

So, he needs to tell us why, instead of lying about it.

Are the players not fit enough?

I can't think of any other valid excuse. Saying we want to condense a game into 45 minutes is something that should only be applied at City, and it's the approach of a newly promoted side. Not this team.

I'm not demanding that we start winning games, and I'm aware we could lose goals by playing with more ambition, but we have generally conceded the first goal anyway, so it's clearly NOT working.

I hope Nuno is just giving a stock answer tonight, because we have a massive problem here that has gone on for far too long, and it's something that we definitely control.

 

[Ned]

Baffling , it really is.
Are we lacking some fitness? We are far to sterile, Traore always coming short when he should just take off down the line, we would turn teams around and get up the pitch.
Rapid pace and we dont use it, bizarre

I wonder about the fitness too. Teams play at a much higher tempo than we do and still finish stronger in some games.

 

[Fenrir_]

Can only put it down to trying to prevent injuries. Last season very understandable with the workload we had and the small squad, this season has seen more injuries than ever and it's across the board, surely it's the only logical explanation for it? The slow start is blatantly part of the game plan because we're a completely different side across the two halves, first half we're relegation certainties, second half we're top six contenders. If it's for anything other than injury prevention it doesn't make sense, and it shouldn't continue into next season whatever the explanation

 

[Ches78]

I think it's becoming (has become) a psychological thing for the players, a bad habit that we can't get out of. The mantra of keeping it tight and staying in the game, playing to the final minute etc has become so ingrained that we can't snap out of it. To be honest, a month or so ago I was wishing we'd get back to only playing **** for 45mins, rather than the full 90...

 

[Kingswood Wolf]

It's crap, it's inexcusable crap. He's making life more difficult for himself as well, which makes even less sense to a situation which already makes zero sense.

 

[RMNottm]

Well there’s 14k on the waiting list that will happily take your ticket

I doubt there are now.

I do want to get back, sing and enjoy a beer in Spoons before and maybe have to moan about the game there afterwards.

With us there, a good rest and a few additions we may be do not play like this.

Let's cut the guys some slag this year it has been awful for everyone.

There are green shoots; let's nurture them for the true spring season of 21-22.

 

[David Moyes eyebrows]

It's not on, and despite Nuno and Coady's comments this evening, it IS tactical.

There's nothing stopping us pressing, like we do in the second half.
There's nothing stopping our wing-backs and Neto/Traore pushing up, like they do in the second half.

So, he needs to tell us why, instead of lying about it.

Are the players not fit enough?

I can't think of any other valid excuse. Saying we want to condense a game into 45 minutes is something that should only be applied at City, and it's the approach of a newly promoted side. Not this team.

I'm not demanding that we start winning games, and I'm aware we could lose goals by playing with more ambition, but we have generally conceded the first goal anyway, so it's clearly NOT working.

I hope Nuno is just giving a stock answer tonight, because we have a massive problem here that has gone on for far too long, and it's something that we definitely control.

That high intensity pressing is just impossible to keep up for 90 mins I reckon. I wonder if that's why we start a little slower? I'm wondering if it's "game management" as Nuno calls it.
We don't have the options off the bench to replace our wide forwards, Neto especially works his socks off but then generally looks knackered after an hour.
If we had four wide men like we did for the second half of last season we could high press with much more intensity, knowing we can replace our wide forwards after 60/70 mins once they're shattered and then continue to press.
We miss Podence and need another similar imho.

 

[Burton Wolf]

Wolves aren't we? I'll take whatever comes. I'm so proud of where we are now. **** everything else xx

 

[DPE]

It’s not even fitness as some have suggested because we struggle to do the basics such as pass the ball. 99.99% of us want Nuno to succeed we don’t want him gone. This is baffling because we used to be amazing. Something is really wrong.

 

[SuperGran]

I doubt there are now.

I’ve been on the list for a year and there is still over 10k in front of me
So where is your season ticket? I’ll happily take it off you

 

[Narfolk Wolf]

Leeds away Coady said it was a tactic because we didn't know how they played. I personally think its now so ingrained we can't stop it. In the first 90 seconds today we had a good chance to apply pressure maybe even create a chance and passed it backwards.

 

[WetheralWolf]

It has to be a tactic no matter what they say - the stats simply don't lie and I don't like being lied to.

I'll take your season ticket off you blah blah blah - well..if you were in a position to 6 years ago then you should already have one .

I'm continually disappointed by the performances in the first 45 and always love the second 45 so why not 90 mins if it is a given of no extra games and minus the extra minutes in ANY cup games...

Nuno deserves to start the season without covid restrictions being around and see where we are as I feel we suffer from a lack of crowd support at home but if it continues then a change will be required.

 

[Wolves2018]

I’ve been on the list for a year and there is still over 10k in front of me
So where is your season ticket? I’ll happily take it off you

Buy mine off me you can give me a grand lol

 

[Wolves2018]

Buy mine off me you can give me a grand lol

This is a joke BTW before I get called a baggies fan xD

 

[Oh When the Wolves]

Tempo. There’s no urgency . We win a throw and we must be the only team to set up a defensive system for our own throw and delay it long enough so have absolutely no players available .

second half we take them so much quicker and we don’t force ourselves to be under pressure .

It is basic stuff like this which is so easy to change .

I don’t think coady helps. How many times do you hear him scream ‘hold’ and we go all the way back to him instead of having a go

 

[Ewok vs Wolf]

Last season I thought the slow first halves were all to do with saving energy short and long term because of the amount of games we had from being in Europe.

On another note i do remember Neville at Valencia mentioning him or the staff didn't think the players were anywhere near fit enough.

 

[Ian]

Yeh just saw that, and Nuno’s too. This has been pretty much the last year now though. Ironically with the exception of the very first game this season where it looked like a change in approach.

Just mates zero sense to me.

Yep its been happening for nearly 2 seasons now, last season many thought it was a Nuno tactic because with so many games ( Europa etc) and such a small squad it was presumed to be a way of conserving energy not overworking the players.
The fact we are still doing it on a consistent basis it has to be tactical.
If its not a Nuno tactic you then have to question why he doesn't have an answer to it.

 

[A3wolf]

IIRC straight from the first half kick-off we got in a great attacking position with plenty of forward options..... and then just went in reverse passing it back to our own half. Intentional or not we play more negatively and safety first early in matches.

 

[inaglasshouse]

I think we actually started brightly but so did Villa. We adjusted as they got through and hit the frame of the goal twice and did look like scoring. I would even say our heads dropped a little. More passes were poorly played and we never gambled.
But thankfully as usual the doctor got the prescription right in the second half and we dominated 80/20 of the good play. We were very unlucky not to go on and win having benefited from villa's misfortune in the first half.
I guess the first half issue has become a thing but really to me it's blown out of all proportion. The problems are not really with tactics, it's with injuries, recruitment and of course the disruption of covid. To blame Nuno is frankly pathetic, disrespectful, delusional and worse still in my book, disloyal.

 

[Mugwump]

It's not on, and despite Nuno and Coady's comments this evening, it IS tactical.

There's nothing stopping us pressing, like we do in the second half.
There's nothing stopping our wing-backs and Neto/Traore pushing up, like they do in the second half.

So, he needs to tell us why, instead of lying about it.

Are the players not fit enough?

I can't think of any other valid excuse. Saying we want to condense a game into 45 minutes is something that should only be applied at City, and it's the approach of a newly promoted side. Not this team.

I'm not demanding that we start winning games, and I'm aware we could lose goals by playing with more ambition, but we have generally conceded the first goal anyway, so it's clearly NOT working.

I hope Nuno is just giving a stock answer tonight, because we have a massive problem here that has gone on for far too long, and it's something that we definitely control.

What rubbish. You cant possibly know its a tactical decision. They are hardly going to come out and tell lies are they. No team in the world is going to play terrible in first halves of games then play better second half. You will be telling me next that the moon landing was faked.

Its is however an issue. Cant work out why its happening, but its certainly not done as a tactical decision. Thats sounds as stupid as that bennie that reckoned they missed out on Europe as it was the right business decision for them

 

[Ian]

What rubbish. You cant possibly know its a tactical decision. They are hardly going to come out and tell lies are they. No team in the world is going to play terrible in first halves of games then play better second half. You will be telling me next that the moon landing was faked.

Its is however an issue. Cant work out why its happening, but its certainly not done as a tactical decision. Thats sounds as stupid as that bennie that reckoned they missed out on Europe as it was the right business decision for them

Believing everything a manager and his captain say to the media is probably just as stupid....
People blaming, Covid, lack of crowds, Injuries ( Yep Wolves are the only team in the league with these issues?!!! ) for Wolves not being able to play for more than a half is laughable.

Not sure whats more of an issue Nuno having a gameplanof getting to half time at 0-0? or him not addressing the problem.

 

[Fenrir_]

I don’t think coady helps. How many times do you hear him scream ‘hold’ and we go all the way back to him instead of having a go

He's instructing his defensive line, "hold (your line)". Have to laugh at the suggestions (and you're not the first) that he's saying to the player in possession to hold possession. He's talking to the other centre backs, no more and no less, he's just loud. If you remember the goal at Arsenal, ball is played up to Traore, Coady screams "hold" and Traore spins off and starts running at the defence

 

[WeAreTheWolvesII]

What rubbish. You cant possibly know its a tactical decision. They are hardly going to come out and tell lies are they. No team in the world is going to play terrible in first halves of games then play better second half. You will be telling me next that the moon landing was faked.

Its is however an issue. Cant work out why its happening, but its certainly not done as a tactical decision. Thats sounds as stupid as that bennie that reckoned they missed out on Europe as it was the right business decision for them

So you don’t know why it’s happening, but you know our poor performances are not down to the manager. Right.

Watch games back (if you can stay awake). Zero willingness to press in most first halves. Zero intensity to the play, and we regularly drop into a 5-4-1.

I wouldn’t say the tactic is to ‘play terrible’, even though that’s what happens. I’d say the idea would be that we’re easing our way into the game.

You cannot have such a clear trend, over such a lengthy period, and then say it’s not down to the manager.

 

[Mugwump]

Believing everything a manager and his captain say to the media is probably just as stupid....
People blaming, Covid, lack of crowds, Injuries ( Yep Wolves are the only team in the league with these issues?!!! ) for Wolves not being able to play for more than a half is laughable.

Not sure whats more of an issue Nuno having a gameplanof getting to half time at 0-0? or him not addressing the problem.

I really dont know what the issue is tbh. I do know though that no team would ever go out with the tactic of " Alright boys, lets play as **** as we can in the first half "

Personally, i think we have lost a bit of confidence and belief in ourselves and its leading to us being very erratic and not executing well.

 

[Mugwump]

So you don’t know why it’s happening, but you know our poor performances are not down to the manager. Right.

Watch games back (if you can stay awake). Zero willingness to press in most first halves. Zero intensity to the play, and we regularly drop into a 5-4-1.

I wouldn’t say the tactic is to ‘play terrible’, even though that’s what happens. I’d say the idea would be that we’re easing our way into the game.

You cannot have such a clear trend, over such a lengthy period, and then say it’s not down to the manager.

Firstly, i never said it wasnt down to the manager, i said its not a deliberate tactic to play poorly in the first half, which it isnt. I think our mentality is to go out and play with the same intensity from start to finish. For some reason, we just cant get our act together for 90 mins.

Secondly, you wouldnt have the faintest idea if its the manager. He is as unhappy about it as most of us are, and from his comments equally as puzzled by it all. And of course i can say its not down to the manager, what an odd thing for you to say. It could quite easily be the players are just out of form, or lacking confidence, or simply not following the gameplan as much as it could be Nuno and his team arent coaching them well enough. All Nuno can do is make the changes at the end of the season and shake up the squad. Regardless of whose fault it is, it will be Nuno who head will be on the block as he is the manager.

You just seem dead set on negativity and having a pop at the manager for some reason at the moment. Its like you are the long lost child of NNW.

 

[Kcb92]

I'm at the point where I'm seriously considering not watching the first half. If they can't turn up why should I?

 

[Nige100]

Well there’s 14k on the waiting list that will happily take your ticket

There may be another that they can have too. I’m reluctant to renew travelling 190 mile round trip watching that ****.

 

[Urko]

It’s basically safety first, don’t concede at all costs with the handbrake firmly left on.

In the second half the handbrake is gently eased

 

[Chris H]

Last season I thought the slow first halves were all to do with saving energy short and long term because of the amount of games we had from being in Europe.

On another note i do remember Neville at Valencia mentioning him or the staff didn't think the players were anywhere near fit enough.

To be fair, isn’t that a pretty standard line trotted out by a new manager when they take over?

They get asked what they’ve changed and what they’ve worked on so they just trot out the standard “well we’ve been working on improving the players fitness and then just getting them to be more positive on the ball and blah blah blah.”

I’d add to be fair, there probably is a little truth in it though as I guess as a managers rein comes to an end if things have started to unravel then players might not be as committed and things like fitness may fall slightly.

 

[steve vena]

I think we actually started brightly but so did Villa. We adjusted as they got through and hit the frame of the goal twice and did look like scoring. I would even say our heads dropped a little. More passes were poorly played and we never gambled.
But thankfully as usual the doctor got the prescription right in the second half and we dominated 80/20 of the good play. We were very unlucky not to go on and win having benefited from villa's misfortune in the first half.
I guess the first half issue has become a thing but really to me it's blown out of all proportion. The problems are not really with tactics, it's with injuries, recruitment and of course the disruption of covid. To blame Nuno is frankly pathetic, disrespectful, delusional and worse still in my book, disloyal.

I've not seen any other team do it. If they aren't fit enough work them harder. If it's because the squad is too small get a few more in. Teams do it against City or Liverpool etc but that's it.
Nothing about being disloyal to nuno. If it continues into next season the crowd will turn. Its a stupid tactic that needs sorting.

 

[Oh When the Wolves]

He's instructing his defensive line, "hold (your line)". Have to laugh at the suggestions (and you're not the first) that he's saying to the player in possession to hold possession. He's talking to the other centre backs, no more and no less, he's just loud. If you remember the goal at Arsenal, ball is played up to Traore, Coady screams "hold" and Traore spins off and starts running at the defence

No he’s talking to the players in possession to not give the ball away