Newcastle Verdict

[Jefe]

Sick and ****ing tired of being cheated by the officials is my verdict. This season is one of the worst I can remember for refereeing. Regardless of how poorly we played, 1-0 up against against ten men with 70 odd minutes left, changes everything. Madeley and VAR have possibly stolen three crucial points from us today. A challenge system stops this from happening.

The tinkerman Lopetegui gets flack today as well. I wanted him to go 5 at the back at H/T when we were getting battered. Why on God's green earth, when we've just equalised and we have Newcastle on the rack, did he do it then? That's negative mentality on show, trying to shore things up and take a point when all three were there for the taking.

 

[Muscat]

Sick and ****ing tired of being cheated by the officials is my verdict. Regardless of how well we played, 1-0 up against against ten men totally changes the complexion of the game. Madeley and VAR have possibly stolen taken crucial points from us today. A challenge system stops this from happening.

Lopetegui gets some flack today as well. I wanted him to go 5 at the back at H/T when we were getting battered. Why on God's green earth, when we've just equalised and we have Newcastle on the rack, did he do it then? That's a defensive mentality on show, trying to shore things up and take a point when all three were there for the taking.

Would a challenge system have worked? They checked it and didn't think it was worth correcting.

 

[Rhoswolf]

One word CHEATED.

 

[manchesterwolf17]

Another manager whose style of play in an attacking sense could send a glass eye to sleep. To even refer to it as a style is generous. It's next to non existent. Pass it to the winger, who crosses to 1 man against 4 of theirs.

We may as well be playing on the Moon when we get it anywhere near the box for how uncomfortable we look doing so. It's been the same for far too long and nothing has changed one bit under Lopetegui on the issue. This more than anything is why we're in a relegation battle and will be for most of the season if not all.

I highly doubt there's a fan base in the country who've been as short changed as Wolves fans in terms of entertainment/season ticket cost over the last few years.

I long for the day we score a goal like Newcastle's winner. Quick, direct play with runners getting in behind. I'd forgotten what that looks like. Something completely alien to us.

We scored (albeit via a total gift) when we actually showed a glimpse of intent, but after that reverted back to type and got what we deserved for doing so.

We'll probably stay up, but **** me I'm drained of energy watching this dross.

 

[Locks Heath Wolf]

Well, just glad that wasn’t a Friday evening game or I’d of been fuming all weekend. Didn’t deserve anything from that game, take away the VAR issue but we should of been three down at half time that debacle aside…
Couldn‘t seem to even string two passes together from front to back… awful performance unfortunately.

 

[Bigcheese]

Ait Nouri is shocking!

 

[Ewok vs Wolf]

Not interested in analysing the game after the Pope incident as everything would of been different
Make no mistake this is another game where a big match defining decision has cost us
It's an absolute disgrace
Even at 1.1 I was still livid

 

[Premier Quality]

Obviously cheated by the ref and VAR, but it wasn’t a game we were ever in control of so a defeat isn’t really a surprise.

Interested to know what’s going on with Cunha - very disapointing to have podence and Adama starting ahead of him and Hwang on as sub instead of him

 

[Wednesbury Wolf]

Lopetegui is not the messiah.

 

[Glow69]

We're in a battle, can't get carried away with a win or a loss. Pretty level up to the ridiculous decision, then we went to pot till half time. Second half thought did well way and recovered, could see the idea of 5 at the back just poor application of it.

one way or the other on here.

 

[maws]

As poor as some of our play was, as poor as some of our defending was…… the referee and VAR have yet again against us, it’s beyond the law of averages to get so many bad calls!

In 2023 alone we’ve had the debacle at Liverpool, then the ludicrous Lemina sending off. Finally today we have this.

 

[Tring Wolf]

Dreadful performance to finish off a fairly awful weekend for us. The penalty / red card decision obviously would have changed things but we were completely overrun for much of the game and 2-1 flattered us.

Most worrying is the drop-off in performance levels. We’ve had two good halves in 5 games. And for much of the rest of those games, we’ve looked every inch a relegation side.

Have to get some more athleticism in the team. Isak’s movement and ability to run the channels showed exactly what we’ve missed all season.

Sa 6
Semedo 6
Dawson 6
Kilman 6
Jonny 5
Neves 5
Lemina 5
Moutinho 6
Adama 6
Raul 5
Podence 5

Neto 6
Hwang 6
Nunes 5
RAN 4
Collins 4

Moving to 3 at the back worked great last week. But you have to have players who can transition you up the pitch to play it.

Probably would have worked better if we had started with it, which would have helped on set pieces. We looked absolutely shattered at the end and didn’t remotely look like getting back into it after the second.

Thought Adama and Neto looked relatively bright but they’re probably the closest things to positives from today. Well, that and Neves being available for next week.

Make no mistake about it. We’re still in big, big trouble. Going to go right down to the wire.

Next week is absolutely massive.

 

[OLDGOLD]

Re the penalty decision, if it was against us we would all be moaning that it was a very soft penalty, but I suspect we would expect it to be given. 20 minutes of decent football again, but how we were only one nil down at half time is a miracle. Nunes and Ait Nouri absolutely woeful today, and much as I like Lemina, he gives the ball away far to easily.

 

[Ditton Wolf]

Passing awful, too many players not on it today. Passing about at the back causes us problems especially on a high press.
Cannot understand why Cuna not taking any part in the game today.

 

[Bugsy911]

I'm close to giving up on football this blatant cheating week in week out makes a farce of the game I used to love.

Hate what it's become.

 

[Oh When the Wolves]

Cheated

At what point does Sa he get switched to Bentley because of how bad he is at kicking? Puts ourselves under so much pressure

Too many passengers in our team where we never make the most of play when on top - traore , podence, moutinho .

Neves really poor today unfortunately

Lopetegui threw it away with a change to a back 5

 

[Monketron]

We've played much worse and had more crappier results this season but I don't think any game has annoyed me more than this one. We were in complete control going into those last 20mins at 1-1 and looked like the team most likely to score. Didn't just **** away a point tonight but maybe even all 3 with that negative tactical change. So annoyed I can hardly put it into words.

 

[maws]

Re the penalty decision, if it was against us we would all be moaning that it was a very soft penalty, but I suspect we would expect it to be given. 20 minutes of decent football again, but how we were only one nil down at half time is a miracle. Nunes and Ait Nouri absolutely woeful today, and much as I like Lemina, he gives the ball away far to easily.

Remember the Spurs penalty against us last season?? They always go against us

 

[WISAW]

The challenge on Neves in our area by Schar, its no different to the red for casemiro today in the soton manu match.

 

[Jefe]

Would a challenge system have worked? They checked it and didn't think it was worth correcting.

I think so. The problem is the "clear and obvious error" standard, which gives officials a broad excuse for incompetence. VAR looked at that and in a lazy and cowardly fashion, deferred to the referee (who was about forty yards away). A challenge system, where an official must judge it fresh with unbiased eyes, gives us the decision there, I've no doubt about it.

 

[Perton Wolf]

Madeley is a weak ref.

However, the XI was wrong and so was the change in shape. Podence and Moutinho should not be starting games. In terms of the shape, we'd just equalised and were in the ascendency, yet we went to a 5 atb after having 70% possession or so for most of the second half. Absolutely no reason to do it. To add insult to injury, Collins looked rubbish and played Almiron onside for the goal. Have praised Lopetegui in the past but he cost us that game today, got it totally wrong. Maybe Lopetegui isn't comfortable with the squad he has, I don't know but that was bizarre today.

 

[Lobo de Ouro]

We weren't good (obviously)... but 100% of my anger is towards the officials who were utterly atrocious. Sack the ****ing lot of them and employ refs on a merit basis. Best refs get the most games and most money. **** refs never ref again. Train refs to be good.... and punish them when they're bad.

Why the **** is there no accountability?

 

[Black Country Wanderer]

Started well had them rocking then that shocking non VAR penalty
After that we fell apart and they should have scored 3 by HT
Much better second half got ourselves back in it then went to a back 5?
RAN did nothing and left us exposed on the left where they scored the winner
Gave JL the plaudits last week but im afraid he messed it up today
A point for the taking on the second half performance but ultimately they deserved the win
We are right back in the mix for relegation now and the Leeds game becomes huge

 

[OLDGOLD]

Remember the Spurs penalty against us last season?? They always go against us

My memory isn't what it was tbh, but I have a feeling that we are more likely to remember bad rather than good decisions or luck...

 

[Norway Wolves]

Unfortunately the starting line up was wrong again, snd this time substitutions couldn’t get us out of it.

We start Moutinho, we generally lose the game and don’t have any control of the game. Thats what we saw today.

Too many players delivering a 5/-0, we cant get away with that.

 

[Watfordfc]

Would a challenge system have worked? They checked it and didn't think it was worth correcting.

Good point.

Appealing a decision won’t mean they correct it.

But that was a bad call .

 

[Rhoswolf]

As poor as some of our play was, as poor as some of our defending was…… the referee and VAR have yet again against us, it’s beyond the law of averages to get so many bad calls!

In 2023 alone we’ve had the debacle at Liverpool, then the ludicrous Lemina sending off. Finally today we have this.

Exactly, laws of the game applied properly we get a penalty and they're down to 10 men, no way we lose then.

 

[Willywolf]

I'm close to giving up on football this blatant cheating week in week out makes a farce of the game I used to love.

Hate what it's become.

Absolutely agree. But, tbf we were total **** too, scoring a bit of a scruffy, lucky and largely undeserved goal.

 

[Parkfieldswolf]

Lots wrong with us and major squad surgery required in the summer if we survive but my over riding feeling today is the ref/VAR ineptitude. Poor goes we get a penalty it’s a different game. It’s a huge decision that will affect the game and to not even check it in the monitor shows just how **** the system is. We were told VAR would correct all wrong decisions it hasn’t. Their opening goal wasn’t a foul and to compound matters their scorer pushed Jonny to gain an advantage but nothing said about it. Pulling on Sa when he wants to release the ball quick no punishment no yellows it’s so ****ing ****. The game I loved as a kid is drifting away from me. I don’t watch any other football but Wolves and even that is becoming a tough choice now.

 

[Macman]

Beat Leeds next week (and I hope the players KNOW they need to put in a shift next week), and everything will feel Good again.

cant want for MOTD2 tonight for them to discuss the non-penalty/sending off decision.

oh, wait…..

 

[Wolf in Kenilworth]

We were

A) robbed
B) ****

 

[maws]

Lots wrong with us and major squad surgery required in the summer if we survive but my over riding feeling today is the ref/VAR ineptitude. Poor goes we get a penalty it’s a different game. It’s a huge decision that will affect the game and to not even check it in the monitor shows just how **** the system is. We were told VAR would correct all wrong decisions it hasn’t. Their opening goal wasn’t a foul and to compound matters their scorer pushed Jonny to gain an advantage but nothing said about it. Pulling on Sa when he wants to release the ball quick no punishment no yellows it’s so ****ing ****. The game I loved as a kid is drifting away from me. I don’t watch any other football but Wolves and even that is becoming a tough choice now.

I was going mad about that too, stopped a counter attack (Wilson I mean) no yellow? Neves gets booked for that 200%

 

[Mile End Wanderer]

Conned out of a few decisions by ref again today

Performance is wasn’t good enough to get much

Makes Leeds a must win game for us.

Serious shake up needed could of been 5-1 Newcastle in essence.

Who played well.. Sa, Kilman, Hwang and probably Neto

We didn’t perform well. Wonder if the Neves news unsettled us?? At least we have him against leeds

Today showed that Mouts just can’t start a game.

We move on. We have to beat Leeds now!!

 

[MelbourneWolf]

Think it was a pen but Lemina handball was also. Can’t just blame the officials for that Performance. Too many passengers. Not sure why we keep giving the first half away. Really didn’t deserve anything from that

 

[Alex Rae The Substitute]

Verdict = we’ll need points or results to go our way to stay up on the last day against Arsenal.

Those that don’t see this are deluding themselves. We need at least 4 more wins.

 

[maws]

Think it was a pen but Lemina handball was also. Can’t just blame the officials for that Performance. Too many passengers. Not sure why we keep giving the first half away. Really didn’t deserve anything from that

No chance was that a penalty, not a cat in hells chance

 

[Big Saft Kid]

Another manager whose style of play in an attacking sense could send a glass eye to sleep.

I highly doubt there's a fan base in the country who've been as short changed as Wolves fans in terms of entertainment/season ticket cost over the last few years.

I long for the day we score a goal like Newcastle's winner. Quick, direct play with runners getting in behind. I'd forgotten what that looks like. Something completely alien to us.

We scored (albeit via a total gift) when we actually showed a glimpse of intent, but after that reverted back to type and got what we deserved for doing so.

We'll probably stay up, but **** me I'm drained of energy watching this dross.

My thoughts too. I was listening to the 5 Live commentary rather than watching, but it sounded like the usual laborious process by Wolves. I am afraid in JL we have Late Nuno Mark II. He strikes me as another off the production line of defence minded Iberian coaches. How he reshapes the team this summer will confirm that or not, as I expect a mass clear out of players he inherited. One thing: Pat Nevin commented that it was lunatic for Wolves to constantly play the ball out from the back when they clearly not good enough to do it. I have thought this since JL imposed this system. It's asking for trouble. And again he picked the wrong team. Podence and Moutinho should not have started.

 

[Lobo de Ouro]

Think it was a pen but Lemina handball was also. Can’t just blame the officials for that Performance. Too many passengers. Not sure why we keep giving the first half away. Really didn’t deserve anything from that

Lol..... not seen a replay?

 

[Bacon Sandwich]

Very easy to direct your anger at the penalty we should have had, but the big worry for me was how poor we were. With the possible exception of Neto not one Wolves player comes out of that game with credit.

Lopetegui? Bringing Collins on? You have to accept that he gambles. Last week it worked, this week it didn’t. Strip out Hwang’s open goal and we created virtually nothing. I’ve seen some of Palace and Bournemouth this weekend, all of Leeds and Wolves. If you hadn’t seen the league table you’d have said that the team heading for the trapdoor was Wolves.

The only positive I can take from this afternoon is that Newcastle weren’t that good. If they’re seriously pushing for the CL, then there’s no reason why can’t be right up there next season.

 

[SA Wolf]

Dreadful performance to finish off a fairly awful weekend for us. The penalty / red card decision obviously would have changed things but we were completely overrun for much of the game and 2-1 flattered us.

Most worrying is the drop-off in performance levels. We’ve had two good halves in 5 games. And for much of the rest of those games, we’ve looked every inch a relegation side.

Have to get some more athleticism in the side. Isak’s movement and ability to run the channels showed exactly what we’ve missed all season.

Sa 6
Semedo 6
Dawson 6
Kilman 6
Jonny 5
Neves 5
Lemina 5
Moutinho 6
Adama 6
Raul 5
Podence 5

Neto 6
Hwang 6
Nunes 5
RAN 4
Collins 4

Moving to 3 at the back worked great last week. But you have to have players who can transition you up the pitch to play it.

Probably would have worked better if we had started with it, which would have helped on set pieces. We looked absolutely shattered at the end and didn’t remotely look like getting back into it after the second.

Thought Adama and Neto looked relatively bright but they’re probably the closest things to positives from today. Well, that and Neves being available for next week.

Make no mistake about it. We’re still in big, big trouble. Going to go right down to the wire.

Next week is absolutely massive.

Agree with this, Tring and so I can't be ***** to rate the players and provide an assessment of the match as you've done it for me. Just to add that the next two matches (Leeds and Forest away) are now massive and will tell us a lot about whether we will survive. I'm just not sure that our players have the mentality to beat Leeds and Forest who have both showed more bottle than we have over recent weeks.