Frustating complacency, lack of intensity and poor approach - My thoughts on the Wolves game.

I don't understand why Rafa gets a hard-on over 4-5-1 and controlling the ball.

If we're away from home and playing against a stronger side then fair enough, but this is the **** championship and we're against Wolves at home!

We look infinitely better playing 4-4-2, and I don't see why we couldn't play it today.

Gayle CANNOT play up front on his own. He should be playing alongside someone else so he can space to do his thing.

Ratings -

Sels - 4.5 - Some half decent saves, but more really poor positioning and flapping at the ball. He really doesn't give me confidence.

Anita - 6 - Apart from his red card challenge he was the only consistent player on the pitch. Good defending and decent attacking play.

Mbemba - 3.5 - I'm disappointed that this lad isn't developing like we thought he would. His ball playing was poor today, but that could be largely down to the plans just falling through.

Lascelles - 5 - Decent aerial play but not much else to write home about.

Dummett - 3 - Jesus.....

Shelvey - 5 - Some good passing, some awful passing.

Hayden - 4 - Didn't impress at all.

Ritchie - 5.5 - Worked hard most of the game and put in some decent early balls. A shame he ruined it for himself by not shutting the f*ck up.

Diame - 4.5 - Drew in some fouls in some decent positions, but he really doesn't sell himself. He isn't hard working and his good moments are too few.

Perez - 3 - Laziness not chasing for the ball at times, and just not effective on the wing. Also lost the ball to give Wolves essentially their winner.

Gayle - 3 - Couldn't do much up front on his own.

Mitro - 4 - Tried, but missed a really good opportunity to get us in the game.

Atsu - 4 - Meh.

Benitez - 4 - Reasonable sub choices but poor approach overall. I understand what he wants us to do but we just don't have the players to do it yet and we should have more ambition at home against a mid table Championship side. We look much better in a 4-4-2.

 

Anyone know why we bought a good left back yet continue to play with a ****e 4th choice League 1 centre back?

 

**** it.
We lost a game, we'll lose a few more.
Not up to speed yet but in 3rd spot, happy with that.
I'm off to get pissed as it's my 21st birthday tomorrow
Laters.

 

Happy birthday faggot.

 

Diame 4.5, worst player on the park yet again, vastly overrated and offers nothing, would rather have Gouffran in every game.

 

Gouffran should be starting. Perez is another one that is vastly overrated.

 

couldn't understand the formation today
Shelvy and Hayden sitting too deep in the first half not getting out of our half
Perez out wide, not really his position
Gayle Isolated against a monster back 4
Diame just wasn't at the races or the game to be honest - only came to life when we went down to 10 men

an assistant on the east stand who was like a rabbit in headlights, not up to standard
a referee who was in his world cup final mode and out of control - "look at me - look at me"
how he and the assistant missed the elbow in the face of Gayle is unbelievable
also the handball that blocked Gayles header on goal in the first half

 

not sure on that (Perez that is) , I think he should be playing just off the main striker rather than out on the wing

 

What went wrong today? Well, Wolves grafted their nuts off and we were a yard off the pace throughout, basically. On top of that just about every player had square boots on - so many mis-controlled balls and poor passes. Then you've got the fact that we running down blind alleys all game long, putting the ball high in to our wingers who had the ball headed easily away, or got crowded out when it was on the deck. There were virtually no through balls where players were trying to get beyond the back line. Overall, though, there wasn't enough intensity. Credit should go to Wolves and they deserved to win, but we still handed them their goals.

Perez's work rate in particular was bordering on disgraceful at times. I was disappointed with Hayden as well as his level has dropped there today and Shelvey was a bit off the boil with his passing, but Wolves CMs were on top throughout and deserve credit. Have to say I'm not sure what Diame is meant to bring to the team at the moment. The ref was **** and didn't let the game flow, and the Anita sending off looks like a joke.

 

i think we should sack Rafa and get mclaren back

 

I agree that Perez is a promising player and will continue to be so untill he decides to retire

 

Fredor has the night vigel slot then... lol

 

I'll be back at 8am to take over the shift.

 

Perez is overrated. Comfortably worst player on pitch. Dummett was poor but when Shelvey can't play the ball 2yds to you and every pass he does make is 2-3yds behind you, it is going to be an awkward day.

Shelvey believed his own hype.

Tash hit nail on his head in title, no intensity, 2nd to every ball, complacency and just generally expected it to fall in our lap. A good wake up call.

 

I wonder if too much rotation is a problem? Certain players seem to come and go and can't get a momentum going and Perez seems to be the new Dyer in that he gets played a different position every game!

 

This is my concern with the rotation policy. It's ok keeping players fresh I guess but it's like they know that they won't play next game. Regardless of how well they play etc. Poor performance by all accounts and especially after qpr

 

Perhaps a little but its difficult because you are lauded for it when your team wins and players are fresh, then slated when your team loses. There is a balance somewhere I suppose. I think you have to take a longer term view of rotation too, at this stage it may lead to the odd disjointed performance. Long term it should be more seamless and will allow us to be a lot more flexible, have less injuries and suspensions.

The reality is rotation wasn't a problem yesterday, the team on the pitch was easily good enough to win. The problem was complacency and expecting to win, and as a result forgetting that you have to fight for the right to play first. We should have been smarter to realise Wolves were going to be at it after a humiliating 4-0 reverse at home. Regardless we need to be keyed up for every game. We went through the motions expecting it to fall in our laps.

Perez was just shocking. It wouldn't have mattered where he was playing, just terrible effort and commitment. Shelvey - words can't describe how bad he was. His passing was akin to Sunday league. Ritchie too just looked a bit off his game. Anita and Dummett were rendered useless. Perez and Ritchie couldn't hold it long enough to allow them forward, and Shelvey couldn't pass water to release them anyway. Quite a disturbing performance to be honest. Hayden seemed happy to play no real part in the game, same goes for Diame. Gayle tried to be fair to him but he wasn't at his best and had no support at all until Mitro came on. He was trying too hard and missed a very very good chance. All in all we just weren't at the races and paid the price. I have to commend Wolves back four though, they worked really well as a unit and were first to everything. Edwards in midfield also, bossed Shelvey/Hayden on his own.

I couldn't really slate the two centre backs, they had nothing in front of them to work with. No movement, no fight. The two full backs were poor in possession, passed what little good ball they did get out of play. That said the lack of movement in front of them meant every pass was a tight little knock down the line. Vurn might get away with it a little, but Dummett lacks ability so you need others making it easy so he can concentrate on defending. The sooner the other lad is fit the better. We should not expect that to transform us though, if we pass like we did yesterday and remain static, he'll look awful.

 

For me you can only rotate if you have the luxury of bringing in like for like replacements, and it's this that baffled me completely. We just played the exact same way we played in the first two losses. It was inexcusable. Perez cannot support Dummett and vice versa, because Perez wants to be in the middle near the box and for all he has the right attitude, he cannot play wide. Reminiscent of Benitez first arriving in the PL and playing the same players who had failed so badly under the previous incumbents.

We seemed to hit upon the right formation, in 4-1-4-1, and took the game forward - this "control things" at the back isn't right at all. We don't go forward with any urgency.

Goalkeeper looks a real duffer as well.

 

He did not in anyway have the right attitude yesterday Perez. If he had been French I can imagine the slating he'd have got for being a pussy/split pea heart. If he'd been British a la Dummett, I can imagine the comments about lack of ability. Zero excuses for him im afraid, totally unacceptable.

Formations etc made no difference it was all about attitude. The mentality yesterday was clearly one of arrogance thinking this will be simple. Got our arse handed to us pure and simple.