Update from Matt Hobbs

[Wolf 82]

If it's true we're shopping in the £8-15m range, I'd like to think each sale would facilitate at least one new signing right away. Outside of Jonny and Raul, I can't think of a player I would want to sell for less than £8m. Kilman and Ruben could possibly generate £60m between them, which would free up as many as four new signings.

That raises an interesting question.. I would like to see the average hit rate in our 30mill+ signings compared to 2Xing our average 15mill signings.. I expect we have done way way better from our lower cost signings.

Maybe that’s our new approach.. 2 x 15mill or 3 x 10mill signings are far more likely to have at least one hit the mark and add value than 1 x 30mill.

 

[Deleted member (smith)]

That raises an interesting question.. I would like to see the average hit rate in our 30mill+ signings compared to 2Xing our average 15mill signings.. I expect we have done way way better from our lower cost signings.

Maybe that’s our new approach.. 2 x 15mill or 3 x 10mill signings are far more likely to have at least one hit the mark and add value than 1 x 30mill.

Maybe an enthusiast will list out top ten expensive signings and their current value…..you certainly have a point that despite connections our transfer business leaves a lot to be desired?

 

[CodsallWolf]

Or when you're selling a house, do you point out to the buyer all the creaky floorboards and which taps leak without being asked.

What an odd comparison. You clearly missed the point.

 

[wwbug]

i expect the following to leave:

Sa
Podence
Jimenez
Costa
Collins (possibly)
Neves (probably)
Moutinho
Jonny
Adama (probably)
Ait Nouri

and maybe also Silva, Neto and Nunes

that is a heck of a churn

And if that is what JL wants to get his own team so be it.

Those guys almost got us relegated.

 

[Glow69]

I'd concentrate getting rid of;

Nouri, Podence, Neves, Jonny.

And go from there.

 

[Wolf316]

I'd concentrate getting rid of;

Nouri, Podence, Neves, Jonny.

And go from there.

I’d add Raul to that list too.

 

[oldgoldheart]

And if that is what JL wants to get his own team so be it.

Those guys almost got us relegated.

Dont disagree

 

[Darvo]

I can’t quite get my head around how the situation changed so significantly in such a short period of time (to the extent that our new manager was caught unaware)?

Surely, the club knew what was going to be spent in January and how that would affect future budget due to FFP?

How could this not have been foreseen and made clear to JL?

Smacks of poor control / management at the top of our club. All this talk of a ‘long term project’ / ‘shared vision’ rings hollow to me if we aren’t even capable of short to medium term financial planning / budget control.

Sort it out Jeff.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

I can’t quite get my head around how the situation changed so significantly in such a short period of time (to the extent that our new manager was caught unaware)?

Surely, the club knew what was going to be spent in January and how that would affect future budget due to FFP?

How could this not have been foreseen and made clear to JL?

Smacks of poor control / management at the top of our club. All this talk of a ‘long term project’ / ‘shared vision’ rings hollow to me if we aren’t even capable of short to medium term financial planning / budget control.

Sort it out Jeff.

As others have commented. Consider where we’d have been had Jeff said to Julen in November, we can spend well in January, but we’ll have to recoup it all in the summer, and Julen had said, sorry no thanks. Perhaps then we’d have been relegated with a manager like Beale instead? You’d likely be on here now complaining about Jeff not saying whatever it took to secure Julen and stop us getting relegated, with a similar quip!

Fact is that there are all sorts of reasons for why Julen may have had a different impression of the summer budget. Ranging from Jeff saying what he needed to secure him (as above) to a simple misunderstanding, to Julen asking the club to spend more in January than planned, such as to secure Cunha. None of us know what was said between Shi, Hobbs and Lopetegui last year. We can all speculate, and draw our own conclusions.

 

[JadeWolf]

I wonder whether Lopetegui was promised a bit of money in the summer from the sales of Nunes and Guedes, neither of which look likely now? That could change things, if they’d hoped to pick up maybe £60m for them two?

 

[Darvo]

As others have commented. Consider where we’d have been had Jeff said to Julen in November, we can spend well in January, but we’ll have to recoup it all in the summer, and Julen had said, sorry no thanks. Perhaps then we’d have been relegated with a manager like Beale instead? You’d likely be on here now complaining about Jeff not saying whatever it took to secure Julen and stop us getting relegated, with a similar quip!

Fact is that there are all sorts of reasons for why Julen may have had a different impression of the summer budget. Ranging from Jeff saying what he needed to secure him (as above) to a simple misunderstanding, to Julen asking the club to spend more in January than planned, such as to secure Cunha. None of us know what was said between Shi, Hobbs and Lopetegui last year. We can all speculate, and draw our own conclusions.

Would I have been disgruntled if we’d have been relegated ... not half!

Does that stop me from being sceptical about the quality and integrity of our long term project plan / shared vision / financial management? Absolutely not.

 

[CelebrityWolf]

All this seems fairly obvious after what we spent in January doesn't it. We weren't gonna do that twice in six months.

 

[CelebrityWolf]

Would love to know what happened with RAN. Exactly the type of player we should be going after. A full back with an attacking mindset.

 

[Taffywolf]

Would love to know what happened with RAN. Exactly the type of player we should be going after. A full back with an attacking mindset.

He did seem to settled and playing well then under JL he hasn’t looked the same player.

 

[OLDGOLD]

Would love to know what happened with RAN. Exactly the type of player we should be going after. A full back with an attacking mindset.

That's the problem. We don't do attacking!

 

[The Clock]

Would love to know what happened with RAN. Exactly the type of player we should be going after. A full back with an attacking mindset.

He's been watching Semedo too much.
Both slow to get back.

 

[JOSWolf]

He did seem to settled and playing well then under JL he hasn’t looked the same player.

When JL first arrived he was arguably our best player for his first few games in charge and then it all unravelled.

 

[Bognor_Wolf]

Well now we know why Matt Hobbs never mentioned Fabio Silva when talking about the players out on loan....

 

[SilverstoneWolf]

Would love to know what happened with RAN. Exactly the type of player we should be going after. A full back with an attacking mindset.

I believe he fell out with JL (who does not accep any challenge to him. Same reason JL fell out with Jimenez (& possibly Moutinho in the end??))

 

[wwbug]

I can’t quite get my head around how the situation changed so significantly in such a short period of time (to the extent that our new manager was caught unaware)?

Surely, the club knew what was going to be spent in January and how that would affect future budget due to FFP?

How could this not have been foreseen and made clear to JL?

Smacks of poor control / management at the top of our club. All this talk of a ‘long term project’ / ‘shared vision’ rings hollow to me if we aren’t even capable of short to medium term financial planning / budget control.

Sort it out Jeff.

So many poor purchases since Nuno left ,and woeful mismanagement .
I wonder if JL realised how bad the value of our existing players were.
If we could sell Neves , Alt Nouri , Podence , Silva, Guedes , Semedo and Sa for £ 160 million fine, but they have been so badly managed we probably wont get half of that. He may not have worked that out.

 

[Minimalist]

All this seems fairly obvious after what we spent in January doesn't it. We weren't gonna do that twice in six months.

Or, actually, for a third time in 12 months....

 

[Minimalist]

Would love to know what happened with RAN. Exactly the type of player we should be going after. A full back with an attacking mindset.

That’s what it says on the tin, but actually watching RAN, when playing he does often turn back on himself, it can be quite odd as he works the situation to get the opportunity to attack an isolated fullback, but then doesn’t actually back himself 1v 1.

 

[SuperGran]

Did Hobbs mention Hoever? Sure he won’t want to come back either

 

[JOSWolf]

Interesting Sanderson was mentioned by Hobbs. Maybe Lopetegui is going to give him a chance in pre season?

 

[Fifty Niner]

When JL first arrived he was arguably our best player for his first few games in charge and then it all unravelled.

From the time JL publicly announced that RAN’s future was at left back, pretty much.

 

[Timberwolf]

Smacks of poor control / management at the top of our club. All this talk of a ‘long term project’ / ‘shared vision’ rings hollow to me if we aren’t even capable of short to medium term financial planning / budget control.

Sort it out Jeff.

How do you work that one out? You can have all the best planning in the world but if the head coach turns out to be as talented as an earthworm, you’re left with fighting fires.
Everyone is quick to criticise Jeff but he sacked Bruno before the WC, played the situation with JL with patience and not a short amount of class re:his poorly father, and then got Fosun to agree to a £100m emergency spend.
Whatever the reason for the misunderstanding around funds being available this summer, that is all it appears to be, a misunderstanding.

 

[Wolf316]

How do you work that one out? You can have all the best planning in the world but if the head coach turns out to be as talented as an earthworm, you’re left with fighting fires.
Everyone is quick to criticise Jeff but he sacked Bruno before the WC, played the situation with JL with patience and not a short amount of class re:his poorly father, and then got Fosun to agree to a £100m emergency spend.
Whatever the reason for the misunderstanding around funds being available this summer, that is all it appears to be, a misunderstanding.

Bruno should have been sacked in the summer and Jeff got very very lucky that Julen changed his mind.

 

[Timberwolf]

Bruno should have been sacked in the summer and Jeff got very very lucky that Julen changed his mind.

Lol…is hindsight your superpower?
Along with many others, you seem fixed in the position that everything negative that happens at Wolves is Jeff’s fault, and successes never are.

 

[Wolf316]

Lol…is hindsight your superpower?
Along with many others, you seem fixed in the position that everything negative that happens at Wolves is Jeff’s fault, and successes never are.

Most on here wanted Bruno gone in the summer as it was clear he wasn’t up to the job.

 

[SingYourHeartsOut]

Most on here wanted Bruno gone in the summer as it was clear he wasn’t up to the job.

I don't think this thread really supports that claim. A lot of people thought he just needed backing

POLL - Bruno Lage: Stick or Twist

Ok, now the season is over we can look at this again. Everyone knows this will be a massive summer for Wolves, with several players leaving an already thin squad. We have ended the last third of the season with relegation form so it should concern every Wolves fan. So... have you lost faith in...

www.molineuxmix.co.uk

 

[Eastyorksyeltz]

I don't think this thread really supports that claim. A lot of people thought he just needed backing

POLL - Bruno Lage: Stick or Twist

Ok, now the season is over we can look at this again. Everyone knows this will be a massive summer for Wolves, with several players leaving an already thin squad. We have ended the last third of the season with relegation form so it should concern every Wolves fan. So... have you lost faith in...

www.molineuxmix.co.uk

Never look back, it's always embarrassing!

 

[Golden_Wolf]

Did Hobbs mention Hoever? Sure he won’t want to come back either

All seems to have gone very quiet with him.

 

[SuperGran]

All seems to have gone very quiet with him.

Had a couple of good games at Stoke

 

[SmiffyWolf]

Had a couple of good games at Stoke

Like the rest our our first 11 had a couple if good games. Then went missing in action

 

[groundhogwolf]

I believe he fell out with JL (who does not accep any challenge to him. Same reason JL fell out with Jimenez (& possibly Moutinho in the end??))

How about JL fell out with nobody, just a few players unable to take instruction, and 2 who were finished here.

 

[SuperGran]

How about JL fell out with nobody, just a few players unable to take instruction, and 2 who were finished here.

That’s not dramatic enough

 

[SakosRightFoot]

How do you work that one out? You can have all the best planning in the world but if the head coach turns out to be as talented as an earthworm, you’re left with fighting fires.
Everyone is quick to criticise Jeff but he sacked Bruno before the WC, played the situation with JL with patience and not a short amount of class re:his poorly father, and then got Fosun to agree to a £100m emergency spend.
Whatever the reason for the misunderstanding around funds being available this summer, that is all it appears to be, a misunderstanding.

I don’t disagree that Shi gets some unwarranted abuse but let’s not claim the timing of the sacking is to his credit as he clearly didn’t plan to do it when he did and the plan to wait for Sevilla to sack JL then swoop in was never a good one. I firmly believe if it weren’t for the away end turning so strongly at West Ham he would’ve lasted much longer

 

[Darvo]

How do you work that one out? You can have all the best planning in the world but if the head coach turns out to be as talented as an earthworm, you’re left with fighting fires.
Everyone is quick to criticise Jeff but he sacked Bruno before the WC, played the situation with JL with patience and not a short amount of class re:his poorly father, and then got Fosun to agree to a £100m emergency spend.
Whatever the reason for the misunderstanding around funds being available this summer, that is all it appears to be, a misunderstanding.

It’s fairly simple really...

Either the club’s management team aren’t capable of managing our finances / FFP properly or they didn’t act with integrity when appointing JL. Maybe even both. Either way it’s no way to run a club.

There are far worse owners out there than Fosun. But come on, the last few years has seen a scattergun approach at best.

EG - Why has our player recruitment been so poor? Cos Jeff thought he could run the show single handed.

 

[AndyY]

Would love to know what happened with RAN. Exactly the type of player we should be going after. A full back with an attacking mindset.

Didn’t someone suggest they had heard rumours of a personal issue behind the scenes that had affected him, and that JL liked him?

 

[wwbug]

How do you work that one out? You can have all the best planning in the world but if the head coach turns out to be as talented as an earthworm, you’re left with fighting fires.
Everyone is quick to criticise Jeff but he sacked Bruno before the WC, played the situation with JL with patience and not a short amount of class re:his poorly father, and then got Fosun to agree to a £100m emergency spend.
Whatever the reason for the misunderstanding around funds being available this summer, that is all it appears to be, a misunderstanding.

I reckon WWFC has halved in value since our Europa league cup semi. That is the essence of our FFP situation.
Why did it half in value ? The promotion of Sellars and the employment Lage .
IMO we now have the right men in place - but cant give them that lost money it's gone .
It may be this was all at the request of Fosun. So Shi gets off and starts to use his acquired knowledge .
If Shi stays good luck to him but he must assert some influence over the board.