Wolves Fans' Verdict v Crystal Palace: Time for change

Clive Smith

It was probably a good watch if you were a neutral, but another roller coaster for us Wolves fans. 

Despite it being 2-2, like last week, the feeling at full-time was very different.

Obviously it wasn't the result we wanted, but Palace were the better side, so avoiding defeat was a bonus.

We started very much in attack mode with an exceedingly fluid and adventurous back four. A front foot attack is good but it was a bit too kamikaze for my liking if I'm honest. (Chelsea second half sprung to mind). 

Wolves possession was predictably too often backward or sideways and opportunities were missed due to misplaced passes. 

Palace found it easier to advance into our half but they also squandered their chances. We reached the hour mark with a clean sheet still intact, as we had against Villa and Newcastle but that did not last. 

An individual error cost us from a set piece. Palace had been better after the break and that goal seemed to buoy them up further. 

The mood became miserable all of a sudden. We needed to change things and GON brought three subs on. They seemed reasonable to me, fresh legs to offer a more attacking threat to chase the game.

Not everyone thought they were reasonable however and their reaction was negative and disappointing. Just when we needed support and backing some fans preferred to turn on 'their' team. Shame on you.

Thankfully the changes had an affect. Two goals inside 10 minutes. Two good goals too - delighted to see MOTM Gomes fire one in. He was outstanding throughout the game. 

We failed to hold on and it was another set piece that saw us concede. Very deflating. Three points would have given us a much needed win and lifted moral no end. Difficult days ahead.

There are things that need improving. Being more accurate with our passing is one obvious thing, and a constant theme.  Also our decision making. Ait-Nouri in particular does my head in. How he can get in so many good positions yet fail to see an obvious pass is inexplicably.

We seemed able to create overloads in one area of the pitch but then play the ball elsewhere. Why? We have a throw-in, or possession, in the final third, yet we end up passing it back, often to our keeper rather than putting it in their box. Why?

Tough times for us Wolves fans. Most of us have been here before, and much worse. Help the lads, support the lads, forgive them their mistakes. Come on. Please. They need our support.

Matt Gallimore

For weeks now I have been holding off on the urge to call for a change of manager. He won me over last season and as I'm sure many Wolves fans wished also, I wanted him to get through this tough period and come out the other end stronger as a manager and as a team.

But enough is enough. It's time to go Gary! One win in the last 20 Premier League games, and Gary O'Neil still surviving as our manager sums up the whole ethos of our club now.

Is this what we have become?. That fans are still making excuses for this debacle, and some hoping he is given even 'more time'. 10 games in, not one win, three solitary points, -13 goal difference and bottom of the league. Is this not worrying enough to make a change?

The fact is do we trust Jeff Shi and Fosun to make it better, even if they wanted to? They fired our most successful manager in decades for a 13th place finish. They got rid of a managing director who communicated better with the fans than we had ever experienced before, and after chasing the manager they wanted from the very start, they made promises to Lopetegui that were broken, constantly.

It's been a slow decline year on year and as inept as O'Neil's ability is to halt the slide on the pitch, Jeff Shi is the common denominator in all of these failings as a club. Not far away in Nottingham, they now have what we had. A manager with a plan, ideas, loved by the fans, getting results against the big boys and bringing their club and City together as one.