Johnny Phillips: Wolves need to give their fans something to feed off

The midweek FA Cup tie against Liverpool was unsatisfactory on a number of levels, a much poorer game than the first encounter at Anfield and a lack of cutting edge that let the home side down.

Significantly, the support was noticeably subdued in the stands. This was Molineux under the lights for an FA Cup tie against one of the big guns.

These are the days that galvanise supporters. The chance to be an integral part of proceedings, as has happened on numerous occasions over the years. The ingredients were there, but it just didn’t happen. All quiet on the South Bank front.

There is no finger-pointing going on here and it is never as simple as that, there are more nuanced factors at play, and it is not just something unique to Wolves at this moment.

“They were silent for 45 minutes,” said Pep Guardiola about Manchester City’s fans on Thursday evening. “I want my fans back – not my away fans, they are the best – my fans here.”

That’s the supporters of the champions he’s talking about, after a 4-2 win.

Wolves have had far less to cheer about in the past 18 months. And, for the record, Guardiola is on very shaky ground claiming City’s travelling fans are the best. There are many clubs in the Premier League – Wolves included – who have phenomenal support on the road.

On Tuesday, a huge away allocation at Molineux could have been the catalyst for a response from the home ends but it didn’t materialise.

It was a stark contrast from the best atmosphere of recent times, also in the FA Cup against massive opposition, when Wolves saw off Manchester United in a pulsating quarter-final in March, 2019.

One-off floodlit fixtures often set the scene for that cacophony of noise. Before that United match, another January third round cup tie stands out when Newcastle United were beaten in 2003. Prior to that, the play-off semi-final against Crystal Palace in 1997 and the FA Cup meeting against Sheffield Wednesday two years earlier rank among the loudest occasions.

Lopetegui will hope that the near symbiotic relationship between team and supporters, which Nuno Espirito Santo created, returns under his stewardship.

The 2019/20 season, notably, produced some great occasions and the visceral roar from the stands was a regular ingredient.

Not just on those great European nights or during the famous comeback against City, but even in defeat such as the one against Liverpool three years ago this month.

The energy from those on the pitch and in the stands seemed to feed each other. It can be a chicken and egg question when talking about whether the atmosphere or performance comes first, but this observer is inclined to believe it is the latter which feeds the former.

So it is understandable that Molineux has become quiet in recent months with Wolves as the lowest scorers in the Premier League.

The songbook seems a diminished version of the Nuno era too, as a more interchangeable group of players has made it difficult to identify the central characters.

There is certainly less of a bond with this team than Nuno’s. It was noticeable that the most vocal moments from the home support on Tuesday came when reacting to the opposition, whereas Wolves fans are always at their best championing their own qualities.

VAR fatigue is also a factor. Paying spectators are becoming disillusioned and frustrated with these interventions while armchair supporters are being put first.

VAR has also given rise to an increased level of cynicism with many believing they are being cheated by the technology. Some bizarre decisions have undermined the process, particularly in recent weeks, and this certainly adds to a sober mood in the stadiums.

The legacy of Covid-19 should not be underestimated too, and this is still being felt across the country. It knocked the stuffing out of football supporters and after more than a year of behind-closed doors action they returned with the scars of the pandemic which kept people apart for far too long, a little less certain in their step.

We live in a digital age when some in the stands are more preoccupied with updating their social media accounts, snapping players wandering over to take a corner, or filming the goading of opposition supporters. Baiting of rival fans from a safe distance for the benefit of an Instagram story or TikTok post. The modern-day phoney war. These distractions are getting more commonplace and there is a knock-on effect, which points to less focus on the actual football.

And this is where Lopetegui comes into it. He would probably not like the comparison after two tetchy encounters, but the Spaniard has more in common with Jurgen Klopp than he may care to admit. Klopp is the curse of fourth officials. They loathe having to stand on the touchline and marshal the technical areas during Liverpool games. The ear-bashings, histrionics and confrontations. But Klopp gives the fans something to get excited about while simultaneously transmitting a sense of urgency onto his players.

The touchline vogue in these early Lopetegui days is much the same. He is on the front foot, getting in the face of the fourth official and ready for battle with the opposing dugout. The players did not quite match that energy on Tuesday but they are starting to respond. And all this might just help get the supporters going again too. That, and winning football matches.