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What a diference a year makes (aka oh ho ho it's tragic...)

those were the days

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No real surprise we drew 0-0 again yesterday. We're a hard-working team but bereft of real creativity and quality. Yes, we've had bad luck with injuries but the squad has been downsized systematically both in #s and wages and you ultimately get what you pay for.

It's pretty depressing to think how far we've gone backwards over the last 12months. If you compare yesterday's line-up to the home game against Leeds last April, it tells you all you need to know...

Yesterday's XI: Ikeme, Doc, Batth, Hause, Iorfa, Price, Coady, Henry, Saville, Mason, ALF
v Leeds Apr15: Ikeme, Golbourne, Batth, Stearman, Iorfa, Price, KM, Henry, Dicko, Afobe, Sako

That team 12 months ago had plenty of creativity and goals in them and options on the bench that would give opposition managers' headaches. The fans were fully behind the team and the atmosphere at Molineux was rocking to the tune of Magic.

I struggle to blame the players or Jackett too much for what's happened over the last 12m and think we've arguably outperformed in terms of points given the quality of the squad for most of the season. The football, however, has been pretty dire but it's been needs must stuff to get points on the board as we've been eviscerated the few times since Christmas we've tried playing more open football.

Poor, poor strategy at board level and I fear for us next season if we don't bring in some quality over the summer and if the likes and Dicko and Graham take longer to come back than hoped. For me, Morgan and Moxey have indisputably betrayed the fans this season.
 
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SingYourHeartsOut

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Excellent OP, very much how I see it. In fairness why KMac isn't playing is an important question but the terrible luck with injuries and manager's tendency to play safe should not mask the fact that we have stopped actually trying to compete with the top teams in this division, the long term strategy will not work as the kids who are good enough will be sold.
 
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wolfofwolvesstreet

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Agree the side is devoid of creativity and has gone backwards.

Jackett has to take a lot of the blame though. He sets the team out the way it is and has made baffling selections from week one, even when we had more creative attacking options. We've had one up top nearly all season and a stodgy, workmanlike midfield most of the time. Awful, awful football to watch.

Moxey also needs to go. 16 years or so in one role. That is WAY too long at any company. You have to have fresh ideas and change, it's completely unhealthy. The strategy at Wolves has gone horribly wrong. Time for an overhaul.
 

Dan G WWFC

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There's no threat in the final 3rd, there's no creativity in the middle.

No quality in the side. Or squad for that matter
 

JOSWolf

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Are we really set up to attack teams, though? We still have better players than Rotherham, for example and they are scoring goals and playing with positive intent.
I just feel Jackett is far too cautious and negative, with how he sets his teams up.
I think he has reached his limit at Wolves and needs replacing with a young up and coming manager, like a Carl Robinson, our ex player or Nielsen at Hearts. Yes it is a gamble but both Norwich and Bournemouth gambled and look where they are!
I honestly cant see Jackett changing and dread to think what will happen, next season, if he remains in charge. The players look to me like they need a new voice to listen to and fresh ideas. Yes we have been very unlucky with injuries but we still have capable enough players to do a lot better than three nil- nil draws in a row, at home, if they were set up to play in a more attacking and positive manner.
Those are just my opinions before I get another poster slating my views. Sorry if they offend anyone!
 

Dan G WWFC

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Are we really set up to attack teams, though? We still have better players than Rotherham, for example and they are scoring goals and playing with positive intent.
I just feel Jackett is far too cautious and negative, with how he sets his teams up.
I think he has reached his limit at Wolves and needs replacing with a young up and coming manager, like a Carl Robinson, our ex player or Nielsen at Hearts. Yes it is a gamble but both Norwich and Bournemouth gambled and look where they are!
I honestly cant see Jackett changing and dread to think what will happen, next season, if he remains in charge. The players look to me like they need a new voice to listen to and fresh ideas. Yes we have been very unlucky with injuries but we still have capable enough players to do a lot better than three nil- nil draws in a row, at home, if they were set up to play in a more attacking and positive manner.
Those are just my opinions before I get another poster slating my views. Sorry if they offend anyone!

Rotherham ended up with 34% possession.

The difference they have to us, is that Leon Best and Derbyshire are better at feeding off crap long balls hit towards them, then ALf or Mason.

I don't think we are technically any better then Rotherham currently.
 

Wolf316

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We knew Sako was going for twelve months his replacement should have been signed the day the transfer window opened.
 

Dan G WWFC

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We knew Sako was going for twelve months his replacement should have been signed the day the transfer window opened.

If finding a Sako was that easily, we would've had a front 5 of them.

So would every other Championship side.
There's a reason why he's on 50k a week in the premiership. Finding players like that is a 1 in 100
 

SingYourHeartsOut

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If finding a Sako was that easily, we would've had a front 5 of them.

So would every other Championship side.
There's a reason why he's on 50k a week in the premiership. Finding players like that is a 1 in 100

True enough, but if you think back through the season apart from Graham's brief spell there we have been useless. Edwards, Wallace, Helan, Saville - surely we should have had a better plan than that?
 
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Ulfhednar

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I think maybe you're remembering last season better than it was.

I remember the Birmingham game after they'd just been beaten 8-0, we showed them too much respect, were cautious, sat off them, gave them the space, time, & confidence to find their feet, got 0-0. And all those games on the run-in when we bottled it, like Ipswich, still cautiously playing a super measured numbers game. KJ's caution definitely lost us points in many games last season that might have seen us promoted. That's mitigated though by how many other points did we get via his caution?

Last season was a matter of good but not good enough, needs to learn, adapt, & improve, to attack when opportunity is there. Don't know of any evidence this season that that improvement has happened or is ever likely to happen. Whenever we get on the front foot & go 1 up, we immediately go back to defending, it's just too cautious, it's not Wolves.
 

Wall heath Wanderer

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If finding a Sako was that easily, we would've had a front 5 of them.

So would every other Championship side.
There's a reason why he's on 50k a week in the premiership. Finding players like that is a 1 in 100

It wasn't just finding a "sako" though, it was a failure to find a replacement for him and also to provide decent cover for that position.
Same was done with stears, sold without an adequate replacement.
Same with afobe.
 
D

Deleted member 4099

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If finding a Sako was that easily, we would've had a front 5 of them.

So would every other Championship side.
There's a reason why he's on 50k a week in the premiership. Finding players like that is a 1 in 100

We didn't need to sign a like for like replacement for Sako we just needed a decent championship standard left winger.
 
D

Deleted member 4099

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It wasn't just finding a "sako" though, it was a failure to find a replacement for him and also to provide decent cover for that position.
Same was done with stears, sold without an adequate replacement.
Same with afobe.

And on and on and on decision after decision $$$$ poor!
 
L

lostinbristol

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Are we really set up to attack teams, though?

I'm not even sure we were set up that differently to be honest. I feel like if anything it just shows how much difference having that level of quality in the front 3 makes if you set up this way.

That's the gutting thing for me really, watching that just get ripped from under us in a matter of months. Every team in the division was terrified of our forward line, and it let Kenny set up fairly defensively and hope that the magic trio created something out of nothing. They usually did, so we looked class.
 

The Professional

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Every team in the division was terrified of our forward line, and it let Kenny set up fairly defensively and hope that the magic trio created something out of nothing. They usually did, so we looked class.
Absolutely. If we remember some of the games without Sako last season (and some with him when he wasn't in the mood) we were pretty average, and were pretty defensive and lacked movement and ideas. It wasn't Jackett being a great coach, it was using the better players at his disposal. Without these players, and the lack of funds/vision to sign replacements, it shows where we are as a club, and his severe limitations as a head coach.
 

maws

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We ain't no worse or more boring than most teams in this league, just there's a belief most teams are swash buckling, Lambert was supposed to be a bright young manager, Villa fans will tell you he isn't and yesterday I saw no great attacking intent from Rovers
 

Wolf316

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If finding a Sako was that easily, we would've had a front 5 of them.

So would every other Championship side.
There's a reason why he's on 50k a week in the premiership. Finding players like that is a 1 in 100

We were never going to find anybody as good as Sako but I'm sure we could have used the Coady money and found a better left wing option than Dave $$$$ing Edwards!
 

JOSWolf

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It wasn't just finding a "sako" though, it was a failure to find a replacement for him and also to provide decent cover for that position.
Same was done with stears, sold without an adequate replacement.
Same with afobe.

Don't forget Dicko getting injured and no replacement for him, either.
 
E

Edgmond Wolf

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No real surprise we drew 0-0 again yesterday. We're a hard-working team but bereft of real creativity and quality. Yes, we've had bad luck with injuries but the squad has been downsized systematically both in #s and wages and you ultimately get what you pay for.

It's pretty depressing to think how far we've gone backwards over the last 12months. If you compare yesterday's line-up to the home game against Leeds last April, it tells you all you need to know...

Yesterday's XI: Ikeme, Doc, Batth, Hause, Iorfa, Price, Coady, Henry, Saville, Mason, ALF
v Leeds Apr15: Ikeme, Golbourne, Batth, Stearman, Iorfa, Price, KM, Henry, Dicko, Afobe, Sako

That team 12 months ago had plenty of creativity and goals in them and options on the bench that would give opposition managers' headaches. The fans were fully behind the team and the atmosphere at Molineux was rocking to the tune of Magic.

I struggle to blame the players or Jackett too much for what's happened over the last 12m and think we've arguably outperformed in terms of points given the quality of the squad for most of the season. The football, however, has been pretty dire but it's been needs must stuff to get points on the board as we've been eviscerated the few times since Christmas we've tried playing more open football.

Poor, poor strategy at board level and I fear for us next season if we don't bring in some quality over the summer and if the likes and Dicko and Graham take longer to come back than hoped. For me, Morgan and Moxey have indisputably betrayed the fans this season.


It's tragic you know
Morgan and Moxey must go
 

Sussex Wolf

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I'm not even sure we were set up that differently to be honest. I feel like if anything it just shows how much difference having that level of quality in the front 3 makes if you set up this way.

That's the gutting thing for me really, watching that just get ripped from under us in a matter of months. Every team in the division was terrified of our forward line, and it let Kenny set up fairly defensively and hope that the magic trio created something out of nothing. They usually did, so we looked class.



I think you make a good point there. It's a often said phrase that the best form of defence is to attack, and to some extent this works, if your forward line are that dangerous, the other team cannot do anything other than try to contain them, and the forwards can then be supported by the forward looking midfield and defence. In L1 and at times last season, we had that, and it allowed our midfield and defence space and time to mop up the few(er) attacks that "returned fire". This season, without a Sako, Dicko, and more recently, Afobe, we have rarely put teams under pressure, quite the opposite in fact. This has exposed our defence and forced KJ to play even more defensively.

There's a WWII analogy for how we played last season compared to this, but I'll leave that others to discover!
 
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