Wolves Fans' Verdict v West Ham: A negative approach means a negative result

Rob Cartwright

Well, the dream was good while it lasted. Bruno is right – we are very close to being top four contenders, but we are not there yet. The board have certainly let us down in failing to strengthen. One or two players could have made all the difference.

I was very disappointed with this game. The starting XI was like waving a white flag to West Ham. Not a single supporter would have predicted this team!

Trincao and Dendoncker were anonymous in their key positions. Add to this Hoever, who I have doubts is good enough for this level. Hwang also had a poor game too.

Silva had an excellent game, but was too isolated up there on his own and Neves was the lone ranger in midfield.

Soucek, Rice and Bowen have never enjoyed so much space and time with the ball.

I’m afraid our defence fell short too. Kilman didn’t do himself justice if Southgate was there, as reported. Coady and Saiss were both culpable for the goal scored from a routine throw-in after an hour.

Why were the changes, so obviously needed, not made sooner. I would have bought two subs on at half-time and saved one for last 15 minutes. Podence and Neto were more urgently needed.

Yes, Wolves had more shots, more corners, more crosses and more possession; yet we rarely tested their keeper.

It’s the hope that gets to you.

How can away performances at Man Utd and Tottenham be so different to those at Arsenal and West Ham?

Something has changed about our mentality and tactics.

A very frustrating two games.

Adam Virgo

Another very poor performance, top six hopes very much on the ropes now with us needing to pick up a lot of points from teams below us and the ones above having to drop points. It’s a lot to ask for.

I just feel like after the Leicester win there was so much hope and belief about this team and now there’s a real worry the season could peter out into nothing. I would have been fine with a point at both Arsenal and West Ham before Thursday but to lose both is a real tough one to take.

Every time we have a chance to move into fifth or the top six we bottle it. Team selection was completely wrong, if anything it highlighted the weaknesses we have beyond our first XI.

Semedo and Ait Nouri have been key to the way we attack in the wide areas, both having a hand in a fair few goals this season and it’s no surprise we’re useless without them. Even without one of them it’s a struggle.

Semedo being injured meant Hoever had to play but he is nowhere near good enough for us, even as backup. Lack of ideas when he’s in an attacking situation, no composure when defending 1v1 and just all over the place, very clumsy.

Marcal is also terrible, way too slow for a wing back, can’t pass or cross a ball, not able to dribble with the ball, it’s like we have to carry him through the game.

Dendoncker cannot play in a two-man midfield. I’ve highlighted this before and this game proved it to me again, his technical ability is so poor for a midfielder. In a three it’s fine because he doesn’t need to be utilised in the same way and I have no idea how Bruno can’t see that.

Trincao is just not premier league quality, I honestly have no idea what he offers. If we sign him in the summer and Barcelona end up buying Adama off us, then we are in trouble. He should never ever be starting over Podence or Neto.

We had over 60 per cent possession and I wonder how much of that was between our defenders and Jose Sa. Lack of ideas going forwards and Bruno took too long to make a change. 1-0 down and then reacts like it’s too late then and our record when going behind is horrific. We need to be more proactive in these games, West Ham could play a few passes and were behind our defence so quick.

Clive Smith

I don’t know about Bruno having to lift the players after Thursday. Someone needed to lift my spirits.

Players might take it one game at a time but most fans have to plan and think about blocks of games in advance.

The first three games for instance. The mid-December block of playing the top three in four games, playing them again in our final six matches. We have just had a current block of five toughies in eighteen days.

Buoyed by a healthy points tally and League position, going into those games hopes were high even if expectations were more pragmatic.

The West Ham game closed out this block and... well it was a game too far frankly. Bruno changed five players and probably wished he could have done the same again at half time. We might be closer to having a full headcount in our squad, but the depth of quality is not there at the moment.

The passive approach we had at Arsenal was again in evidence. Moving the ball from back to front proved difficult, even more so than on Thursday, not helped by our starting three forwards this time around.

MOTM Neves was afforded plenty of space and had a quarterback role. He tried his best to find a probing ball but with Marcal and Hoever unable to offer as much in attack, compared to Ait-Nouri and Semedo it meant we attacked in a narrow way and predominantly ahead of the Hammers defence.

After a typical bright opening fifteen minutes we were second best during the opening half. Sa being the busier keeper, he too played well. Frequently we were under the cosh, brought on by ourselves as much as anything. Having a high press on our centre defence is making it harder for us to retain possession and cross halfway. Bruno has taken this approach further than Nuno and it still needs more fine tuning to be successful.

After conceding a scrappy goal we gained some momentum with our substitutions without looking all that likely to score. A disappointing outcome could not be avoided.

So, we have gained more than a point-a-game in these five matches, not as many as we’d have hoped, but it confirms we are competitive with our peers in the ‘best of the rest’ behind the top three.

John Lalley

What sticks in the throat as much as these two defeats in London is the timid approach that ultimately saw us reap exactly what we deserved. There’s nothing worse than slinking off the pitch disgusted in the knowledge that much of the quality you have to offer remained untapped in the dressing-room.

We simply did not have the courage of our convictions; almost as if an inferiority complex diverted our attention and limited our ambition. Whatever entered our psyche it did for us; we were set up to fail and we let ourselves down big time.

Wolves didn’t come away with full points at Old Trafford and Tottenham by allowing inhibition and insecurity to dictate their approach. They won these games because they confidently backed themselves to assert their imprint on the proceedings.

Here, quite inexplicably, we went to the other extreme. Much had been made of these two fixtures in the capital and even if the hyperbole about Champions League qualification may have been a touch fanciful, the response from Wolves to both games has been baffling.

Instead of taking the initiative, we erroneously set up a garrison hoping to withstand the inevitable siege. The tactic can work but the more we conceded the tempo the more West Ham dominated midfield. So much so that our defenders simply didn’t have an outlet to gain any sort of respite.

The errors increased, West Ham were quicker to the ball, sharper in the tackle and totally dominant in all areas. The irony is that just as The Hammers and their irritated supporters were running out of patience, we spectacularly derailed ourselves by conceding quite hideously from a routine throw-in.

Wolves have defended heroically all season but this error would have left an under-12’s team crimson with embarrassment. Elementary self-destruction; defending worthy of losing any game.

With Hoever enduring a torrid return, Saiss and Coady below par and an understandably preoccupied Kilman having one of his least effective roles, it really is an indication that West Ham, unable to add to their lead were no great shakes themselves.

That said, they happily allowed us sustained possession after their goal safe in the knowledge that our ineptitude extended throughout the team. Wolves didn’t threaten Fabianski’s pleasant afternoon in the Spring sunshine one iota.

That rascal Zouma it has to be admitted was immense in the centre of their back-line. No trace of feline grace that’s for sure, just powerful old-fashioned defending that ensured we were never in the frame.

A cameo from Pedro Neto suggesting that his rehab is up to speed offered some consolation to what has been a desperately disappointing week; otherwise, we were inept; devoid of idea or inspiration.

We opted out and that borders on the unforgivable. Our season remains retrievable with European qualification of some sort a distinct possibility, but this was a wasted opportunity.

Heaven knows, we didn’t go down all guns blazing to say the least. Didn’t do ourselves justice; funked the challenge and copped out really. Capable of so much better; response urgently required!

Russ Evers

Bruno has worked wonders to overachieve with this squad and get us dreaming of Europe. But too defensive on Thursday at Arsenal and then sending the reserves into a very winnable game at The London Stadium. A very disappointing end to quite frankly a woeful weekend.