Wolves Fans' Verdict v Nottingham Forest: A much-needed win!

Chris Ward

Finally something to smile about and what is a massive three points for Wolves. Plenty of positives to take from the performance but still plenty to improve on.

The club did everything right to get the fans in the mood, a return of the fanfare when the teams first appeared, the announcement of the starting line up and the South Bank flag. It’s what we all needed with moral so low and the current discontent between the club and the fans.

Sa was solid and didn’t put a foot wrong topped off with a fantastic penalty save which will do him the world of good. Adama again was our only real threat going forward even though his final ball was lacking at times.

Our real problem at the moment is both confidence and decision making. The lack of goals certainly stems from our final ball and the incorrect passes being made or choosing the right time when to shoot. This can be worked on and the win will no doubt distil the confidence we so desperately need.

A quick note as well on what was a poor referees performance. His inability to book Forest players for clear fouls and on both occasions getting the penalty decisions wrong only to be over turned by VAR. The standard of performances again this season by officials has been nothing short of shocking.

Onwards and upwards! Another huge one on Tuesday night at palace!

John Lalley

Short-term, this result is just about as essential as it gets; over the duration, this match was an irrefutable indication that both of these teams would happily accept survival right now even by the skin of their teeth.

Wolves without remotely excelling bossed the game for the first hour. Forest shamelessly deployed eleven men behind the ball, wasted time from the outset and offered nothing remotely positive. They banked on the likelihood that we simply could not find the target regardless of us monopolising possession.

The ploy would surely have worked without the long-winded intervention of VAR. Given our predicament, it’s understandable that after establishing a lead we might react with a touch of apprehension but to abandon basic game-management and resort to massive introspection and blatant haphazard carelessness was excruciating.

We so nearly blew this desperately needed win. Phone-ins, Facebooks and forums glibly continue with the unchallenged assertion that Wolves, despite their current dismal output boast the ‘best’ squad of players that the club has ever had. Evidence-based? I don’t think so.

Straight after the war, Billy Wright, Bert Williams, Hancocks, Mullen and Roy Swinbourne under the Cullis regime. As the fifties drew to its end, try the following for size; Peter Broadbent, Clamp, Slater, Flowers, Norman Deeley and Jimmy Murray.

The seventies controlled by Bill McGarry; couldn’t these guys play a bit? Dougan and Richards, Parkin, Bailey and Munro, Ken Hibbitt and Dave Wagstaffe. And all of them pocketed silverware in major competitions before leaving Molineux, a place they all graced with immense distinction. Not a single one of this supreme group would have turned a hair testing their skills against the current outfit; any kind of inferiority-complex simply wasn’t in their football DNA.

To say they would have been up for the challenge is to put it mildly; they would have been intent on making mincemeat of the current squad and I wouldn’t have backed against them. What’s more all three of these eras contained a host of other Wolves players who were outstanding performers in their own right.

Sure, comparisons can be odious and right now Wolves do have some good players but these ‘best squad ever’ assumptions are way off the mark. Were any of those proven guys around right now, a healthy number of our current squad would be rapidly packing their bags in search of pastures new.

Not everything relating to the Premier League equates to excellence and the deficiencies at Wolves just now painfully prove that point. So relieved to win, but we need fresh impetus and a more abrasive and competitive attitude if we are to even think about achieving any kind of comfort-zone.

Clive Smith

A goal, a win, phew. Not sure October is the time for must-wins but it sure felt like it given the melancholy atmosphere at the moment.

The first half we have seen several times before. It felt like total domination but the final ball was constantly wasteful. Ait-Nouri and Traore might well have scored and assisted a couple each.

Forest seemed content to leave Traore alone and with Ait-Nouri driving forward on a regular basis we always had options to play the ball wide. Strangely it often took us a while to play the obvious ball. Crosses were plentiful but sadly not productive.

Shots on target were still scarce and Costa looked disappointed to not see more possession. Nunes had plenty, but was so wasteful.

The second half belonged to some guy in a portacabin several miles away from Molineux. Unseen by 30,000 plus people on site he found evidence to award two penalties. Both times VAR took an embarrassing time to come to its conclusion.

Step forward our two heroes on the day. Neves for a clinical finish and Sa for his second penalty save of the season.

The tension that had perhaps only been present in the crowd remarkably transferred to the pitch once we had taken the lead. Forest decided to play and suddenly looked to have two extra men. The harder we tried to keep the ball the easier it became to lose it. Every player chose the wrong option whether it be a pass or a dribble. Time dragged on endlessly with VAR contributing to the eight minutes which ended up being ten.

So, some relief. Clearly all our problems have not gone away and improvement is still required in all areas.

The line-up did give us a better looking shape and square pegs were in square holes. Despite his inconsistent end product Traore was the catalyst for most of our forward momentum, so he gets my MOTM.

Rob Cartwright

I think everyone agreed before the game that the result was the most important thing with both teams desperate for a win.

Well it wasn’t pretty; more of a case of the “least worst team” prevailing.

Nevertheless, it was a massive relief on the final whistle to have got the three points. Let’s hope it gives the players confidence going into this winnable run of games with the chance to climb the table. There’s really not much in it. Wolves find themselves four points from the top half and only six points from the top six. It’s a crazy situation and we now have a chance to take advantage of it.

We started this game well. We enjoyed possession and were playing fairly well, but neither goalkeeper had hardly anything to do. Traore was the main threat and did very well until the final ball where we saw the whole range. It seemed like he was often crossing to no-one in the box and then when Costa and others were in good positions the cross would go over their heads.

That’s what you get with Traore but I’m still convinced he is our most creative (fit) player and so should be starting every game.

Podence did well playing behind Costa, so it’s hard to fathom why we create so little. Is it the full backs coming forward? Is it midfield? I still think our general build up play is too sluggish which allows the opposition to get organised.

We were often facing two lines of Forest defence – a five and a four – and didn’t have the nouse to open them up. When we got close to goal our finishing was poor. Traore and Ait-Nouri twice had chances while Kilman was unlucky with his header coming back off the post into their keeper’s arms.

Of course, VAR was going to steal the show. I have to say both decisions were ridiculous. No-one inside the ground, either the stands or the pitch had appealed for the handball which lead to Wolves penalty. On both occasions play had continued and when it was stopped, it seemed to take an age for the decision to be made.

I think it’s a good thing that the final decision is left to the referee, but this must come quicker.

Neves kept his cool; but Johnson didn’t when he had chance to equalise with eleven minutes left. It would have been a draw as neither team looked like scoring from open play. Sa was brilliant, saving with his broken wrist too.

The home fans were loud and got behind their team right from the start and throughout the game. Everyone knew the importance of this game. It wouldn’t take much to get Molineux rocking once more.

There were a few signs of progress. Players looking out for each other, playing with a smile on their faces and lots of encouragement from the substitutes on the side.

Steve Davis is not the long-term answer but I think we are in good hands during the interim. He picked the right starting XI and made good proactive subs at the right time. We haven’t seen that often this season.

Wolves ‘just’ deserved to win this game. I want to see the same work ethic at Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

Fraser Bishop

Three points, a clean sheet, an electric atmosphere, Hodge’s thumping tackle, VAR controversy and Diego Costa being… Diego Costa. Saturday had it all.

There was real sense of togetherness from minute one and the relief at full time was palpable. Make no mistake, this was a must win game and a six pointer even at this stage of the season and the players looked up for it. It was almost as though they had an epiphany in the week of ‘we’re better than this’ because the intensity was there, and that desire got us over the line.

The first half I thought we were the better side without creating too many chances, but unfortunate not to go in ahead at the break when Kilman’s header hit the inside of the post and rolled along the goal line safely into Henderson’s grasp. Typical.

After having one penalty in the entirety of last season, it was an unfamiliar sight seeing someone in an old gold shirt being stood over the ball from 12 yards. In real time there was limited appeal for the handball but thankfully VAR intervened and went in our favour (for a change). Perhaps Costa might have had it to open his account I thought initially, but of course the man of the hour Neves stepped up and slotted it home. It’s an obvious thing to point out but having him back made a huge difference. Not just because the goal, but he put in a battling performance and the fact he sent the well-documented ‘play time’ tweet into the player’s chat made me respect him even more, which I didn’t think was possible.

I feared the worst when the Forest penalty was given because I thought if they equalise now, they will have the momentum in the latter stages. In these moments, you need players to step up and Jose Sa did just that. He was not prepared to have one fully functioning hand get in the way as he saved his second penalty of the season and in doing so was rightly lauded by his teammates and fans, and then again at full time.

8 minutes came up to set up a nervy finish but we managed the game well. Besides a header from the close range at the very beginning of stoppage time, there were no late chances for Forest. It would be remiss not to mention Hodge’s tackle on Williams which gets the ‘clever foul’ label. It might seem odd a foul has become such a talking point but it showed a nastiness/ nous we sometimes arguably lack and that the youngster doesn’t mind putting himself about. Also, a mention to Hugo Bueno who made his Premier League debut – it was nice to end the match with two academy graduates on the pitch which perhaps is a reflection of the personnel currently steering the ship.

Overall, this was a huge win for us and one which I think we deserved. The atmosphere was the best it has been in a long time and there was a real fight and determination on display which we want to see every week. Steve Davies will remember this game forever, guiding your boyhood team to a Premier League win and hearing your name sung at the end by the South Bank. Wow. ‘One of our own’ he certainly is. Is this a turning point? Does our season start now? Well lets see, it depends on how we back this up.

Adam Virgo

A much needed win in a game where all that mattered was getting the three points however we could. A nice win so I could enjoy my birthday weekend too.

I feel like we just about deserved it, first half we looked like the better side but lacked a lot of quality in the final third with wrong options being taken multiple times.

Second half was very scrappy, both penalty decisions were correct in all fairness but huge props to Jose Sa for saving another penalty this season, actual hero at times he is. Only got one usable hand as well.

Joao Moutinho seems to be struggling in games, I feel like it’s time to start a midfield trio of Neves, Nunes and Boubacar Traore, the latter seems to bring a lot of energy and power to our midfield, something that can really compliment the other two.

I love Diego Costa, his all round game and the way he gets into opposition players’ heads, it’s definitely something that’ll help us along the way.

You could see how much the win meant to the players and I’m really hoping we can kick on from it with our upcoming fixtures and try to put a bit of a run together and get some proper momentum. If we manage to do that, we’ll very quickly rise up the table but Palace away is not easy by any means and our away form is terrible.

We definitely need a new manager in ASAP but it’s also key they get the appointment right, if they do then who knows where we can finish, there’s still plenty to play for but if we get it wrong then we could end up having to fight a relegation battle.

Robbie Meakin

An enjoyable playtime at Molineux. The performance wasn’t particularly one to savour, but you can see the signs of improvement and a win’s a win. Before kick off, I would have snapped my flat mate’s hand off for a 1-0 win so there’s no complaints from me.

It was a massive, much needed and hard fought three points. I don’t know if it’s the addition of Diego Costa or something that Davis and Collins have drilled into the players, but there seems to be a new found fight in the players. You can see more determination and fight within the pack, which was epitomised by Joe Hodge after coming off the bench.

Talking of Hodge, I’d like to add that it’s been nice to see the youth given a chance under the interim management. We’ve seen a bit more of Chem Campbell and Premier League debuts for Hugo Bueno and Hodge, which has been good to see. Everybody likes to see academy lads coming through to the first team.

The re-introduction of Adama Traore to the starting line-up has given us a different edge and it looks like he’s got his head down, ready to get game time and prove himself, whether it be to get a move away from Molineux or prove his worth of the new contract he had previously demanded.

The win against Notts Forest could be just what we need to kick-start out season. Those points have taken us out of the drop zone and we’ve got a favourable run of fixtures now, which could see us move well up the table, starting with a trip to Crystal Palace.

Let’s get behind Davis and Collins. For the strength of the pack is in the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack.