Matheus Cunha

[wwbug]

Letting Sasa and Silva go was probably essential financially, for squad unity and for their development/happiness. Did it seriously weaken the squad options - not really.

We wanted a 9, but despite the outgoing loans we couldn't afford one, we knew that, it's frustrating.

Were Sasa, Silva, or the 9 we didn't get going to fill Cunha's boots if they were here - no chance.

So the whole argument is a bit silly really.

What is silly is planning and working at offloading players and not replacing them, when there are plain gaps and with the resources that became freed by offloading them.
We had neither a large squad or that many options . Unless you felt Neto, Bellegarde and Sarabia could be played in the frontline and centrally. We weren't looking to replace Cunha or the above guys , we just needed to add cover and options. What we did is reduce the cover and options. That is silly. Plain to anyone who watches football and understand the dynamics of scoring goals.

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

Letting Sasa and Silva go was probably essential financially, for squad unity and for their development/happiness. Did it seriously weaken the squad options - not really.

We wanted a 9, but despite the outgoing loans we couldn't afford one, we knew that, it's frustrating.

Were Sasa, Silva, or the 9 we didn't get going to fill Cunha's boots if they were here - no chance.

So the whole argument is a bit silly really.

Bang on. We already have a replacement for Cunha anyway. He's just nowhere near as good as Cunha though, is the problem.

But that's a problem the majority of the PL has when losing one of their best players. Take Arsenal last season for example. When Saluba was out their form fell off a cliff because his backup was so far off it.

But for most, as even City have proven this season, backups are generally way off the pace.

 

[Bill S Preston Esq.]

Forest have got Awoniyi as well.

The fact they have him as part of their bloated squad is partly the reason they're looking down the barrel of a points deduction.

 

[Jefe]

Interesting replacement name choice though.... Jefe meaning boss or leader, person in charge.

That was basically because I wanted something short and snappy this time. I'd watched ¡Three Amigos! again for the umpteenth time the week before, and one of El Guapo's goons is called Jefe. I thought, "Yeah, what the Hell, that works".

 

[Contrarian]

According to so many on here there are few number 9s out there , that is their strong opinion, we have been told that for over 4 years.
But I bet Brighton, Brentford , Nottingham Forest , Fulham , Luton , Palace, Bournemouth and all our competitors will find one.
Trincao, Guedes those type of ineffective wasters are easy to find, and waste the odd £25 million on.
Just wait to the summer though , or perhaps next January 2025 or .................or ....................

Yet other than Solanke, we have two players who have scored more than any player at the other clubs you list. We already have two players exceeding any of their strikers, at least on this seasons form. So where they have found one, we already have two.

Of course things can always be improved I think we are currently better off in the striker department than most, if not all, of the Other 14. Would be looking at other positions as being more in need of upgrade/backup at the moment.

I just don't get why, during 3 seasons where we had no striker who could get beyond 6 or so goals a season, the clamour was for centre halves! And now we have 2 striekrs way beyond our level at that time period ...and now the clamour is for more strikers.

 

[Ned]

I know what you mean. You could feel the whole stadium get the life sucked out of it when Cunha left the field on Saturday.

But I'm now excited to see what GON does about not having Cunha. About what his plan B will be. He doesn't strike me as the type to sulk around about not getting what he wants. I think a big part of Lage's first season was just that, he lost interest after a disappointing January window.

If we adapt and somehow manage to pick up points and play decent football without Cunha, then GON is clearly very good at adapting to situations and motivating players.

I'm hoping his plan b isn't what we reverted to attacking wise in the second half in getting the ball wide and crosses in the box... That would certainly fuel the "why let Sasa go first" fires.

 

[Werewolf of Wombourne]

Yet other than Solanke, we have two players who have scored more than any player at the other clubs you list. We already have two players exceeding any of their strikers, at least on this seasons form. So where they have found one, we already have two.

Of course things can always be improved I think we are currently better off in the striker department than most, if not all, of the Other 14. Would be looking at other positions as being more in need of upgrade/backup at the moment.

I just don't get why, during 3 seasons where we had no striker who could get beyond 6 or so goals a season, the clamour was for centre halves! And now we have 2 striekrs way beyond our level at that time period ...and now the clamour is for more strikers.

The spectre of Bully still hangs heavy over Molineux. A lot of our fans are still stuck in the era of 2 up top including a big target man, or a no.9 that scores 20+ when everyone else gets 5-10. Football has moved on, it's about team goals now. We had a great no.9 in Raul yet the season we don't have a recognised no.9 in the team we are on track to score by far our highest goal tally in the Premier League era.

 

[lets all have a disco]

The spectre of Bully still hangs heavy over Molineux. A lot of our fans are still stuck in the era of 2 up top including a big target man, or a no.9 that scores 20+ when everyone else gets 5-10. Football has moved on, it's about team goals now. We had a great no.9 in Raul yet the season we don't have a recognised no.9 in the team we are on track to score by far our highest goal tally in the Premier League era.

Spot on....

 

[SuperGran]

The spectre of Bully still hangs heavy over Molineux. A lot of our fans are still stuck in the era of 2 up top including a big target man, or a no.9 that scores 20+ when everyone else gets 5-10. Football has moved on, it's about team goals now. We had a great no.9 in Raul yet the season we don't have a recognised no.9 in the team we are on track to score by far our highest goal tally in the Premier League era.

Exactly right

 

[crocos]

• Big man up front
• Fox-in-the-box
• A snotter
• A pair of oak tree-trunks at the back; bandaged skull optional

Come on Gary; sort it out FFS and stop this free-flowing inter-changing nonsense

 

[Flump]

• Big man up front
• Fox-in-the-box
• A snotter
• A pair of oak tree-trunks at the back; bandaged skull optional

Come on Gary; sort it out FFS and stop this free-flowing inter-changing nonsense

And wots all this zonal marking? Zones dont scor goals!

 

[DanishWolf]

The spectre of Bully still hangs heavy over Molineux. A lot of our fans are still stuck in the era of 2 up top including a big target man, or a no.9 that scores 20+ when everyone else gets 5-10. Football has moved on, it's about team goals now. We had a great no.9 in Raul yet the season we don't have a recognised no.9 in the team we are on track to score by far our highest goal tally in the Premier League era.

Its a good point, but half our goals has been scored by two players, where one of them, who's also assisted 6 goals, is now out for the season...

 

[Black Country Wanderer]

Its a good point, but half our goals has been scored by two players, where one of them, who's also assisted 6 goals, is now out for the season...

Is he out for the season?
I havent seen anywhere officially thats said that

 

[CelebrityWolf]

Its a good point, but half our goals has been scored by two players, where one of them, who's also assisted 6 goals, is now out for the season...

Who is out for the season?

 

[SuperGran]

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

What is silly is planning and working at offloading players and not replacing them, when there are plain gaps and with the resources that became freed by offloading them.
We had neither a large squad or that many options . Unless you felt Neto, Bellegarde and Sarabia could be played in the frontline and centrally. We weren't looking to replace Cunha or the above guys , we just needed to add cover and options. What we did is reduce the cover and options. That is silly. Plain to anyone who watches football and understand the dynamics of scoring goals.

I was saying this in September, but somehow without having a 'proper 9' (unless you want to count Sasa, which is a bit of a stretch at best) we've scored at a much higher rate than previously. We've not shipped out a 'proper 9' so we just have the same problem we had before and again we need to find solutions to that problem, just like we did before. There were people on here saying we wouldn't win a game while Neto was out. I'm not saying I'm never guilty of it myself, but over-reaction to bad news is the norm on here.

 

[Jefe]

I was saying this in September, but somehow without having a 'proper 9' (unless you want to count Sasa, which is a bit of a stretch at best) we've scored at a much higher rate than previously. We've not shipped out a 'proper 9' so we just have the same problem we had before and again we need to find solutions to that problem, just like we did before. There were people on here saying we wouldn't win a game while Neto was out. I'm not saying I'm never guilty of it myself, but over-reaction to bad news is the norm on here.

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, it's less having a specific profile such as a line-leading number 9, and more about Gary not having enough options - and therefore tactical flexibility in this area. Brentford demonstrated that it's so much easier to handle one of Neto or Cunha than the pair of them. Just double up.

When Neto pulled his hamstring, I was like you freaking out that that goals would dry up, but we still had some seven options: Cunha, Hwang (fully fit), Sarabia, Bellegarde, Fabio, Sasa and Fraser. Cunha came good too thankfully, having previously blown hot and cold. Now we only have the front three of Neto, Hwang (leg strapped up) and Sarabia, with Bellegarde (a CAM ultimately) and Fraser (a kid) waiting in the wings. Five players for three positions. Who out of that group will give us something extra to help keep the goals coming? Bellegarde? Fraser? Another forward would have been real handy here.

 

[QB Wolf]

As I mentioned earlier in the thread, it's less having a specific profile such as a line-leading number 9, and more about Gary not having enough options - and therefore tactical flexibility in this area. Brentford demonstrated that it's so much easier to handle one of Neto or Cunha than the pair of them. Just double up.

When Neto pulled his hamstring, I was like you freaking out that that goals would dry up, but we still had some seven options: Cunha, Hwang (fully fit), Sarabia, Bellegarde, Fabio, Sasa and Fraser. Cunha came good too thankfully, having previously blown hot and cold. Now we only have the front three of Neto, Hwang (leg strapped up) and Sarabia, with Bellegarde (a CAM ultimately) and Fraser (a kid) waiting in the wings. Five players for three positions. Who out of that group will give us something extra to help keep the goals coming? Bellegarde? Fraser? Another forward would have been real handy here.

But he never really used Sasa or Silva so it was 5 really, the same as now.

I agree another forward would be handy, if only the club had tried to get one in Jan.

 

[Jefe]

But he never really used Sasa or Silva so it was 5 really, the same as now.

True, but he would absolutely be using one of them now though if they were here. He had the 'luxury' I might say of turning his nose up at them when we were relatively injury free earlier on and he had a settled three or four players, but everyone knows injuries begin to mount around now. Players driven over the red line and pulling up. I'm sure Gary laments that Sasa isn't available right now, and he's having to give Fraser game time earlier than he'd like.

 

[Ginger Chimp]

Yet other than Solanke, we have two players who have scored more than any player at the other clubs you list. We already have two players exceeding any of their strikers, at least on this seasons form. So where they have found one, we already have two.

Of course things can always be improved I think we are currently better off in the striker department than most, if not all, of the Other 14. Would be looking at other positions as being more in need of upgrade/backup at the moment.

I just don't get why, during 3 seasons where we had no striker who could get beyond 6 or so goals a season, the clamour was for centre halves! And now we have 2 striekrs way beyond our level at that time period ...and now the clamour is for more strikers.

Mix.

Innit?

 

[Stourport wolf]

• Big man up front
• Fox-in-the-box
• A snotter
• A pair of oak tree-trunks at the back; bandaged skull optional

Come on Gary; sort it out FFS and stop this free-flowing inter-changing nonsense

And a mad ****er in goal, preferably not Scottish. Any body over 50 will understand what I mean by that.

 

[Very Proud (AKA Still Proud)]

• Big man up front
• Fox-in-the-box
• A snotter
• A pair of oak tree-trunks at the back; bandaged skull optional

Come on Gary; sort it out FFS and stop this free-flowing inter-changing nonsense

So that'll be

Chris Iwellumo
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake
Alex Rae
Paul Butler and Ludo Pollet

 

[QB Wolf]

Yet other than Solanke, we have two players who have scored more than any player at the other clubs you list. We already have two players exceeding any of their strikers, at least on this seasons form. So where they have found one, we already have two.

Of course things can always be improved I think we are currently better off in the striker department than most, if not all, of the Other 14. Would be looking at other positions as being more in need of upgrade/backup at the moment.

I just don't get why, during 3 seasons where we had no striker who could get beyond 6 or so goals a season, the clamour was for centre halves! And now we have 2 striekrs way beyond our level at that time period ...and now the clamour is for more strikers.

Yet the boss still wants a striker!

 

[crocos]

So that'll be

Chris Iwellumo
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake
Alex Rae
Paul Butler and Ludo Pollet

That lot would get torn a new one playing our lot now

 

[Thank you Sir Jack]

View attachment 40513

What a tremendous positive attitude!

 

[DanishWolf]

Who is out for the season?

Cunha I presume..but I'm sure you see the point even if it turns out not to be that long.
Point was that while I do agree that we now aren't relying on 1 primary goalscorer as with Bully, and to a large degree Raul in his prime, we still have Cunha and Hwang responsible for half of them.

 

[DanishWolf]

Is he out for the season?
I havent seen anywhere officially thats said that

Is he out for the season?
I havent seen anywhere officially thats said that

True, club haven't given a timescale so let's all imagine he's available again soon..

But the point I made wasn't really whether it was the whole rest of the season or just a chunk of it
It was merely that a lot of our goals this season has come from him and we can't expect the rest of the team to just replace that

 

[SilverstoneWolf]

And a mad ****er in goal, preferably not Scottish. Any body over 50 will understand what I mean by that.

Scottish goalkeepers were always a joke. When I took a Wolverhampton Schools U18 team to a tournament in Glasgow, I realised why - all the schools and youth pitches were Red Gra! Absolutely no way a young lad would volunteer to dive around on that horrid stuff!!

 

[wwbug]

Yet other than Solanke, we have two players who have scored more than any player at the other clubs you list. We already have two players exceeding any of their strikers, at least on this seasons form. So where they have found one, we already have two.

Of course things can always be improved I think we are currently better off in the striker department than most, if not all, of the Other 14. Would be looking at other positions as being more in need of upgrade/backup at the moment.

I just don't get why, during 3 seasons where we had no striker who could get beyond 6 or so goals a season, the clamour was for centre halves! And now we have 2 striekrs way beyond our level at that time period ...and now the clamour is for more strikers.

Agreed but we have done this despite, not because, we dont have a central attacker.
Then having achieved those great things we weaken the squad , took agamble and now things look grim.
I am sure we all hope GON again manages to get around these problems.

 

[wwbug]

I was saying this in September, but somehow without having a 'proper 9' (unless you want to count Sasa, which is a bit of a stretch at best) we've scored at a much higher rate than previously. We've not shipped out a 'proper 9' so we just have the same problem we had before and again we need to find solutions to that problem, just like we did before. There were people on here saying we wouldn't win a game while Neto was out. I'm not saying I'm never guilty of it myself, but over-reaction to bad news is the norm on here.

Lets wait and see . And hope .
A position we should not be in however pervesley it is argue we would be better off with less options .

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

Lets wait and see . And hope .
A position we should not be in however pervesley it is argue we would be better off with less options .

The truth is though, all of us would have liked a 9 in August and in January. None of us know the financial position. I'm not even convinced Shi knows, and if he does he doesn't seem to tell the managers or even the DoF. For me it is definitely more about the lack of an option though, same as it was a week ago, and not about Cunha's injury, that's just a blow regardless of what happened with Broja or anyone else. I feel like some people are reacting as if Cunha or Silva were our only CF options, when in fact neither of them was anyway, it's just frustrating we don't have one except a promising kid who should probably be learning his trade on loan now.

 

[Chriswwfc]

View attachment 40513

Was Neto not strapped up with crutches? I’m sure he was for a few weeks.

Hopefully a good sign. *clutches straw*

 

[wwbug]

The truth is though, all of us would have liked a 9 in August and in January. None of us know the financial position. I'm not even convinced Shi knows, and if he does he doesn't seem to tell the managers or even the DoF. For me it is definitely more about the lack of an option though, same as it was a week ago, and not about Cunha's injury, that's just a blow regardless of what happened with Broja or anyone else. I feel like some people are reacting as if Cunha or Silva were our only CF options, when in fact neither of them was anyway, it's just frustrating we don't have one except a promising kid who should probably be learning his trade on loan now.

It isn't the financial position though is it ?
Because right up to the last minute we were chasing the South American lad and others . So we had money , just not the time to negotiaite or move on.
I am positive we have wanted a number 9 since September . And knew we didnt want Silva or Sasa from about that date also.
Yet an agent hijacks a deal in the last days of January . That deal should have been done in principle before 31st December . As a banker .

 

[Dr Wolfenstein]

View attachment 40513

Hopefully just the distortion of the mirror rather than a botched medical procedure on his lower left leg.

 

[lets all have a disco]

I very much doubt they will leave their first team squads as short as ours but we will see.

Wilson out for 12 weeks...and Isak out......so them already well short Newcastle....

 

[Leominster_Wolf]

Wilson out for 12 weeks...and Isak out......so them already well short Newcastle....

That’s ok @WeAreTheWolvesII is adjusting his list to add Dan Burn as a ‘striker’

 

[Mardenboroughs Shoulder]

Don’t forget Fraser

 

[mcwolf]

Stick Lemina in false 9........he would cause problems....with Hwang n Neto running the channels.....

or Doyle

 

[mcwolf]

Sky Sports have now DELETED their post about Cunha being out for the season

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

or Doyle

To be honest I thought Lemina in a false 9 was a very dubious suggestion, but now you've proposed Doyle there it seems like genius.

Would be happy to go with Lemina and Doyle sitting and Gomes going more box to box behind Neto and Hwang though.