Welcome Notice

Hello and welcome to Molineux Mix a forum for Wolves fans by Wolves fans.

Register Log in

Lage and goal prediction

Eastern Wolf

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2018
Messages
675
Reaction score
1,223
Not used by the English
I grew up in Dudley (England) in 70s and 80s and “Soccer” was definitely used in daily slang speech. I would say as much as “football” while at school. Even used to watch Star Soccer on the telly every Sunday. No one would bat an eyelid to its use then . Probably as a backlash against Americans using the term it fell out of favour in Britain during 90s.
I like the term and don’t like how Americans have taken ownership of it.
 

Fenrir_

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Oct 6, 2019
Messages
6,689
Reaction score
14,156
Again that's down to him. Is he even capable of explaining what he wants in plain English? Judging from his press conferences, I have my doubts.


Agree. We're an English club and I think it should be English that's spoken at team meetings etc. I really didn't like that tactics board from the training camp which had the heading in Portuguese. Anything team/group related should be in English. If he needs a chat one to one with some of the Iberians or Boly or Raúl who've both played in Portugal and he can get it across better in Portuguese then fair enough, but English should be the main language used

I've got enough sticks to beat him with, I don't need another one! But maybe if he could get his message across better he'd have used more than one of the English speaking kids he had as subs at Leeds, might trust them a bit more and they might understand his instructions better
 

Mugwump

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Feb 21, 2015
Messages
15,284
Reaction score
17,105
How did Liverpool do vs Fulham?

Thats an extremely weak argument. That has nothing to do with our performance and that has nothing to do with how poor we have been for over half a season carrying on into this season. Poor performance is a normality for us these days. Its not for Liverpool so i dont see the comparison.
 

Mugwump

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Feb 21, 2015
Messages
15,284
Reaction score
17,105
Same posters thought sa wouldn’t ever save a pen. Bud they doubt Bruno

So much OTT negativity towards lage

It’s quite simple. Give him a striker that can put the ball in an empty net from 5 yards

9 points from the last 42, no wins in 9 games, 5 wins in the last 19 games and not much good form in there. Not really sure how any negativity can be called over the top. He's lucky we didnt sack him in the summer really.
 

Mugwump

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Feb 21, 2015
Messages
15,284
Reaction score
17,105
But we've let go for a pittance, the best man for the job - is the point.

Man City won the league by playing a false 9, how's that working out for us?

Plenty of teams do play with a back three, you're correct. But with varying degrees of success. I'd suggest we won't be as successful playing it without occasional England skipper Conor Coady.

They can play with a false 9 because they have firepower from all over the place. We dont, we have the likes of Adama and Podence who have proven they just cant score goals in the top flight. Jury is out on MGW, Neto and Guedes yet. Hwang we all know isnt good enough.

I'd be less concerned about Lage if i saw some good performances even if we were losing, something we can build on. We tend to look good in 10 or 15 mins spells and we just cant get a foothold back into the game.
 

Big Saft Kid

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Jul 12, 2005
Messages
18,784
Reaction score
16,902
I grew up in Dudley (England) in 70s and 80s and “Soccer” was definitely used in daily slang speech. I would say as much as “football” while at school. Even used to watch Star Soccer on the telly every Sunday. No one would bat an eyelid to its use then . Probably as a backlash against Americans using the term it fell out of favour in Britain during 90s.
I like the term and don’t like how Americans have taken ownership of it.
I grew up in Wolverhampton in the 50's and 60's and I have no memory whatsoever of 'soccer' being used in the ordinary speech of my fellow West Midlanders. It was only used by journalists ('Star Soccer') and people who wrote books for kids like me ('Soccer Annual 1960' as a Christmas present). Nobody, absolutely nobody, talked about 'the soccer results' or going down the Mol for a 'soccer match'. 'Dudley (England)' was obviously a completely different world (not!).
 

Eastern Wolf

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2018
Messages
675
Reaction score
1,223
I grew up in Wolverhampton in the 50's and 60's and I have no memory whatsoever of 'soccer' being used in the ordinary speech of my fellow West Midlanders. It was only used by journalists ('Star Soccer') and people who wrote books for kids like me ('Soccer Annual 1960' as a Christmas present). Nobody, absolutely nobody, talked about 'the soccer results' or going down the Mol for a 'soccer match'. 'Dudley (England)' was obviously a completely different world (not!).
You're a different generation. Admittedly was used as slang, maybe even trendy slang, but never the less no one had a problem using "soccer" in everyday speech as they do now. But I was only a kid so maybe I didn't see or notice anyone having a problem with it. My PE teacher used to say soccer but not exclusively. Actually we used the term "footer" more than anything else as a slang term for football. The term "footie" wasnt ever used. Might be just a Dudley thing or my particular part of Dudley.
 

Big Saft Kid

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Jul 12, 2005
Messages
18,784
Reaction score
16,902
Like I said 5/13. Which is one shy of 6, which is pretty much half.

It baffles me you don't believe the Spanish speakers who btw can all speak English, can't speak Portuguese. Or that Boly who played in Portugal for four years and could speak English after a season here couldn't either.
Portuguese is a language related to Spanish which may make it easier for Spanish speakers to understand it, I grant you. But they may not feel comfortable speaking it. But someone like RAN, who is a French speaker, won't know it, nor Hwang, nor any of the Brits. I can't see how using Portuguese in team talks would work. Be interesting to be a fly on the wall to hear the language(s) used.
 

Oh When the Wolves

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Nov 6, 2007
Messages
28,817
Reaction score
24,194
9 points from the last 42, no wins in 9 games, 5 wins in the last 19 games and not much good form in there. Not really sure how any negativity can be called over the top. He's lucky we didnt sack him in the summer really.
We’ve played 2 games this season

Very selective of last seasons games . Half of which the players were on the beach for .

Tedious.

He wasn’t lucky at all. Did an extremely good job last season considering he didn’t have any signings and played a system he didn’t want to play
 

Big Saft Kid

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Jul 12, 2005
Messages
18,784
Reaction score
16,902
You're a different generation. Admittedly was used as slang, maybe even trendy slang, but never the less no one had a problem using "soccer" in everyday speech as they do now. But I was only a kid so maybe I didn't see or notice anyone having a problem with it. My PE teacher used to say soccer but not exclusively. Actually we used the term "footer" more than anything else as a slang term for football. The term "footie" wasnt ever used. Might be just a Dudley thing or my particular part of Dudley.
Yes, I am a different generation, but I don't recall 'soccer' suddenly becoming a thing in normal speech in the 70s/ 80s. Of course everybody was familiar with the term, but it was a journalistic usage, not something in everyday speech.

And by the way I went to secondary school in Sedgley, which was then in the borough of Dudley. They day talk about soccer on Sedgley Bonk mate!
 
Last edited:

Fenrir_

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Oct 6, 2019
Messages
6,689
Reaction score
14,156
Same posters thought sa wouldn’t ever save a pen. Bud they doubt Bruno

So much OTT negativity towards lage

It’s quite simple. Give him a striker that can put the ball in an empty net from 5 yards
So much OTT praise, it's nothing more than blind faith. He's done NOTHING to prove he's capable of this job

Portuguese Paul Lambert, everything aligned for him for a few months when he got his promotion at Benfica and he's still riding on that wave. Guess what, every one of our forwards got less chances last year than they had when previously playing for us, whose fault do you think that is? Shi's?

Down to that completely inept coach we have and nobody else
 

Oh When the Wolves

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Nov 6, 2007
Messages
28,817
Reaction score
24,194
So much OTT praise, it's nothing more than blind faith. He's done NOTHING to prove he's capable of this job

Portuguese Paul Lambert, everything aligned for him for a few months when he got his promotion at Benfica and he's still riding on that wave. Guess what, every one of our forwards got less chances last year than they had when previously playing for us, whose fault do you think that is? Shi's?

Down to that completely inept coach we have and nobody else
Yep . Shi’s fault.

Needed a mkdfielder for 3 seasons now as well as a striker.

Not many managers come into a club and don’t get one signing .

No suprise we created less when we had Neto out injured , Jimenez returning from his injury, moutinho one year older, creative full back sold .
 

Adrian_Monk

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Apr 17, 2006
Messages
16,427
Reaction score
13,126
Sounds like entitlement creeping in already. Or lack of context and perspective. We finished 10th in Bruno's only season. Our 3rd best finish in 40 years. An improvement over Nuno's last season. Sacking a manager for that level of performance is something that few clubs do. The Sky 6 and the Looney Tunes owners like Watford who sack a manager for breathing do. We are neither of those.

Only Sky 6 clubs are genuinely entitled to sack a manager for finishing 10th - for them it would be their *worst* season for decades! I've mentioned elsewhere, not being local, nearly all football supporters I know are not Wolves fans, and they think it barking mad when they hear a large section of our fan base wanted Bruno gone - and this goes back to *before* the bad run, don't forget.

Yes, we are struggling - especially to score goals. But easily, a third of the league so far looks overall no better than us. Even struggling, we've been a decent finisher away from 4 points, and not far off 6 points. I do have doubts about Bruno, I just think all this talk of "he's got 3 more matches" (or 2 or 5, according to preference) is ridiculous and would be counter productive if he was sacked then. If we are bottom 6 and sinking when the World Cup comes around, yes, definitely that would be time for the owners to seriously consider it. FWIW I was losing faith in Nuno in his last season, too, but 100% wanted to give him till Xmas in the post-Covid season, too.
That's not how owners see it though. They ignore that a manager hasn't been backed, they may even ignore the past too if there's a build up of negative momentum.

We have a tough run of games coming up. Owners will be looking at things like that too - nothing to do with entitlement, most people posting similar things have offered support and sympathy for Lage, but doubt that Jeff will see it the same way
 

tonto

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Dec 30, 2016
Messages
2,385
Reaction score
3,704
I grew up in Wolverhampton in the 50's and 60's and I have no memory whatsoever of 'soccer' being used in the ordinary speech of my fellow West Midlanders. It was only used by journalists ('Star Soccer') and people who wrote books for kids like me ('Soccer Annual 1960' as a Christmas present). Nobody, absolutely nobody, talked about 'the soccer results' or going down the Mol for a 'soccer match'. 'Dudley (England)' was obviously a completely different world (not!).
Here here
 

Oh When the Wolves

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Nov 6, 2007
Messages
28,817
Reaction score
24,194
That's not how owners see it though. They ignore that a manager hasn't been backed, they may even ignore the past too if there's a build up of negative momentum.

We have a tough run of games coming up. Owners will be looking at things like that too - nothing to do with entitlement, most people posting similar things have offered support and sympathy for Lage, but doubt that Jeff will see it the same way

They will be patient with Lage, like they were with Nuno
 

tonto

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Dec 30, 2016
Messages
2,385
Reaction score
3,704
Portuguese is a language related to Spanish which may make it easier for Spanish speakers to understand it, I grant you. But they may not feel comfortable speaking it. But someone like RAN, who is a French speaker, won't know it, nor Hwang, nor any of the Brits. I can't see how using Portuguese in team talks would work. Be interesting to be a fly on the wall to hear the language(s) used.
Black Country?….:tearsofjoy::tearsofjoy:
 

Adrian_Monk

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Apr 17, 2006
Messages
16,427
Reaction score
13,126
Would you suggest we sack him with no replacement ready to take over, who would we chose,not another McCarthy Connor situation
With our squad I doubt we would be down to a shortlist of Megson, McLaren and Connor, or their modern day equivalents Allardyce, Pearson and Tony Roberts. Far better proposition than a team that scraped 17th two years in a row and had an overperforming championship squad that had finally returned back to their level
 

Supadavewolf

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Apr 19, 2016
Messages
7,243
Reaction score
14,858
We’ve played 2 games this season

Very selective of last seasons games . Half of which the players were on the beach for .
If you're right about being on the beach (and I don't necessarily agree, by the way), isn't this a major criticism of Lage's inability to motivate the players?
 

SmiffyWolf

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Jun 20, 2022
Messages
2,234
Reaction score
3,149
I do think we need a striker .

The only problem for me is that we had Strikers last year in Raul and Fabio and we scored **** all . So I don't think it is a case we get a striker and all will be resolved .

As the chances need to be created which is not happening . Maybe it is that our portugese way of playing is to reserved and not direct enough in the final third. As Nuno had these players in teh Prem ( or most of them) and we didn't win 3-0/4-0 very often.

So I think it might be a case that we need Nunes next to Neves and say Andrew Silva . But the 3 behind Silva or two if he tweaks it need to be creating chances not looking for the easy sideways pass .
 

Fifty Niner

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Feb 21, 2013
Messages
10,072
Reaction score
6,416
Thats an extremely weak argument. That has nothing to do with our performance and that has nothing to do with how poor we have been for over half a season carrying on into this season. Poor performance is a normality for us these days. Its not for Liverpool so i dont see the comparison.
A poster on MM quipped that his mate calls Wolves bedtime because we’re normally last on MOTD (if I’ve remembered it correctly).

There’s a reason why such a label can stick because for Nuno’s last season and most of last season we were a pretty dull watch.
 

Premier Quality

Has a lot to say
Joined
May 29, 2022
Messages
1,800
Reaction score
3,998
To be fair to Donks, he is a defender/defensive midfielder. Neves has more natural ability so should be playing further up the field. Donks is an excellent pro being asked to do a job for the team.
I do get that - and I agree it’s not his fault - but logically we should replace him with someone with more ability, as his lack of ability is making it harder for the team.
 

Adrian_Monk

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Apr 17, 2006
Messages
16,427
Reaction score
13,126
They will be patient with Lage, like they were with Nuno
They may be, they may not. Nuno had a lot of credit in the bank and never slipped into a precarious position - Lage has far less football and social credit - despite the dire football at the end many were heartbroken Nuno had gone, I can't see it being the same with Lage despite that fans are generally sympathetic to his circumstances, making replacing him far easier in Fosun's eyes.

One interpretation of the Coady loan deal is it's a get out clause in case the new manager disagrees. Interesting take on it without any basis, but you could see why
 

Fifty Niner

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Feb 21, 2013
Messages
10,072
Reaction score
6,416
I do get that - and I agree it’s not his fault - but logically we should replace him with someone with more ability, as his lack of ability is making it harder for the team.
Logically we should, yes. In reality we need 5 or 6 new players across the team, players who are an upgrade on what we have or at least on a par with ‘potential’. The current squad is stale.
 

OsloWolf

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
5,675
Reaction score
1,667
So much OTT praise, it's nothing more than blind faith. He's done NOTHING to prove he's capable of this job

Portuguese Paul Lambert, everything aligned for him for a few months when he got his promotion at Benfica and he's still riding on that wave. Guess what, every one of our forwards got less chances last year than they had when previously playing for us, whose fault do you think that is? Shi's?

Down to that completely inept coach we have and nobody else
Harsh, but I agree. I just don't see what he is bringing to the table. I don't get what we are trying to do in attack and I don't understand how this much talent becomes such a slow, dull and uninspired team. I agree with those saying 10th last season was decent, but if you look beyond the table pretty much every statistic puts us in the relegation spots. We were so, so boring to watch. And at times we were pretty lucky (like that beautiful Villa game where we were poor for 75 minutes and a deflected (terrible) Neves freekick in OT won us the game).

I want Bruno to be a success, but I just can't see it.
 

Mugwump

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Feb 21, 2015
Messages
15,284
Reaction score
17,105
We’ve played 2 games this season

Very selective of last seasons games . Half of which the players were on the beach for .

Tedious.

He wasn’t lucky at all. Did an extremely good job last season considering he didn’t have any signings and played a system he didn’t want to play

Dont make me laugh. Lage did a brilliant job for the first half of the season, and a garbage one in the second half. Its hardly selective when you simply take the results of the last 19 games. You are talking nonsense there saying its selective. Which ever way you want to look at it, a consecutive run of games even if you want to ignore our 2 rubbish performaces this season, is hard to argue against. the last half of last season ( 14 games ) resulted in just 3 wins, 2 draws and 9 losses. Thats sackable no matter who is in charge.

I agree he hasnt been helped in terms of transfers, but it was his choice to play with a back 3. You just cant keep shifting the blame to other people because he cant get results and get us playing well. He sets the team up, he formulates how he wants them to play. He got the team effective if not excelling in the first half of the season, but in the second half, as the results clearly show, we were dog****.
 
Last edited:

Mark Rankines Lovechild

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Sep 1, 2008
Messages
13,658
Reaction score
10,880
I said at the start that I was unsure if Bruno is a good head coach or lucky (with regard to the good run we went on last season). Jurys still out for me but, at the same time, its pretty plain he has been under-resourced until maybe this season, Key players have either been injured or returned from injury not quite at the level they were etc. Its also pretty plain that Nuno had the say when it came to transfers and Bruno certainly doesn't , he gets what he is given. Jury is out for me but lets see what he does with (hopefully) further, better quality additions. Jury remains out for me.
 

Mugwump

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Feb 21, 2015
Messages
15,284
Reaction score
17,105
So much OTT praise, it's nothing more than blind faith. He's done NOTHING to prove he's capable of this job

Portuguese Paul Lambert, everything aligned for him for a few months when he got his promotion at Benfica and he's still riding on that wave. Guess what, every one of our forwards got less chances last year than they had when previously playing for us, whose fault do you think that is? Shi's?

Down to that completely inept coach we have and nobody else

I do think to a point he has been let down by the club not signing enough players. Its hard to argue against that one. I just cant see how people seem to be praising him for the excellent work in the first 14 premier league games of 2021/22, but then when we started playing like crap and our form was terrible, then thats not down to Lage. These people cant have it both ways. He is either responsible for both good and bad or he isnt responsible for any of it.
 

Mugwump

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Feb 21, 2015
Messages
15,284
Reaction score
17,105
I said at the start that I was unsure if Bruno is a good head coach or lucky (with regard to the good run we went on last season). Jurys still out for me but, at the same time, its pretty plain he has been under-resourced until maybe this season, Key players have either been injured or returned from injury not quite at the level they were etc. Its also pretty plain that Nuno had the say when it came to transfers and Bruno certainly doesn't , he gets what he is given. Jury is out for me but lets see what he does with (hopefully) further, better quality additions. Jury remains out for me.

I actually dont think Nuno had much of a say tbh. Maybe in the first couple of years he did, but then i think it got taken away from him and thats probably a big reason there was a parting of the ways. We havent really had a good window since we got promotion.

I still think our transfers are still mainly down to Mendes sadly. I say sadly because even though i think its a huge positive for us, i think its made us lazy with our recruitment.
 

Mark Rankines Lovechild

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Sep 1, 2008
Messages
13,658
Reaction score
10,880
I actually dont think Nuno had much of a say tbh. Maybe in the first couple of years he did, but then i think it got taken away from him and thats probably a big reason there was a parting of the ways. We havent really had a good window since we got promotion.

I still think our transfers are still mainly down to Mendes sadly. I say sadly because even though i think its a huge positive for us, i think its made us lazy with our recruitment.

I personally think he had the final say for a large chunk of his tenure and this changed after the Semedo/Silva buys, but I do agree that it probably played a part in his departure.
 

Mugwump

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Feb 21, 2015
Messages
15,284
Reaction score
17,105
I personally think he had the final say for a large chunk of his tenure and this changed after the Semedo/Silva buys, but I do agree that it probably played a part in his departure.

I think he did with Semedo, but i think even Jeff admitted Fabio was his decision. As i said, i dont think we have done much decent business since our first window in the premier league really.
 

OLDGOLD

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Oct 11, 2009
Messages
21,052
Reaction score
13,859
I think he did with Semedo, but i think even Jeff admitted Fabio was his decision. As i said, i dont think we have done much decent business since our first window in the premier league really.
Certainly not where it counts, and where most of us have seen issues for 2 or 3 years.

And re soccer......at school in the 70s and 80s and it was an occasional term at best, with footie being predominant.
 

Eastyorksyeltz

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Dec 2, 2021
Messages
2,042
Reaction score
3,792
Semedo was my mistake. But I refuse to believe that the rest, including all the Brits, will happily chat away in Portuguese.
Didn't say they would happily chat away in it. I said they had a working knowledge of it. Spanish and Portuguese have many common words and structures. Working closely with Portuguese players and staff over long periods or playing in Portugal, will also have helped players like Boly, so excluding the Brits, who are a distinct minority, that is around half those you mentioned who will have a working knowledge of Portuguese. Certainly enough for Bruno to get his ideas across to them and the actual Portuguese, which seemed to be what you were talking about in the first place.
 

steve vena

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
5,784
Reaction score
6,330
You're a different generation. Admittedly was used as slang, maybe even trendy slang, but never the less no one had a problem using "soccer" in everyday speech as they do now. But I was only a kid so maybe I didn't see or notice anyone having a problem with it. My PE teacher used to say soccer but not exclusively. Actually we used the term "footer" more than anything else as a slang term for football. The term "footie" wasnt ever used. Might be just a Dudley thing or my particular part of Dudley.
When I was young we called it" togga"
. Anyone else hear that ?
 

Eastyorksyeltz

Just doesn't shut up
Joined
Dec 2, 2021
Messages
2,042
Reaction score
3,792
You're a different generation. Admittedly was used as slang, maybe even trendy slang, but never the less no one had a problem using "soccer" in everyday speech as they do now. But I was only a kid so maybe I didn't see or notice anyone having a problem with it. My PE teacher used to say soccer but not exclusively. Actually we used the term "footer" more than anything else as a slang term for football. The term "footie" wasnt ever used. Might be just a Dudley thing or my particular part of Dudley.
Coming from a different bit of Dudley borough in the same time period I would agree. It was also probably a bit of a class thing though, teachers and grammar school kids would use it to differentiate from rugger. They didn't let you play "soccer" in the grammar schools, only in the Secondary Modern and Tech schools. Very much an enforcement of middle class values and the accepted slang went with that.
 

Premier Quality

Has a lot to say
Joined
May 29, 2022
Messages
1,800
Reaction score
3,998
Logically we should, yes. In reality we need 5 or 6 new players across the team, players who are an upgrade on what we have or at least on a par with ‘potential’. The current squad is stale.
The big ones for me are CM (Donk) and striker (Hwang/Raul)
 
Back
Top Bottom