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Post by Trotter on Feb 3, 2016 6:58:07 GMT
A surprising end to a match I thought we would get absolutely nothing well worth the point though so is the tide turning I wonder, I sincerely hope so.
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Post by andyl on Feb 3, 2016 9:31:56 GMT
No.Not a tide turning. At present I have little confidence that Neil has the experience to build momentum.
Yesterday he was forced by injury to use Woolery for Madine and Spearing for Pratley. Would he have made these changes otherwise?. I rather doubt it. It was only a few days after the Leeds game and the injection of fitter players really helped. if Woolery ran out of steam somewhat in the second half for a solitary striker role he was much better equipped than Madine. He had one or two good chances early on, is a much more versatile player than Madine lacking experience but better in the air and far quicker. He pressed their defence well. Spearing made his usual few stray passes and was caught in possession a couple of times but he battled away for 90 minutes , got in countless tackles and with Trotter won the midfield battle, not bad considering that Neil's set up and Davies' current non-combatancy left them as often as not outnumbered. Wolves seemed to have a 4-4-2ish set up with Mason flitting in and out deeply; they used Van Parra ( I think) on the right but anyway a fast tricky winger but otherwise played it slow and careful maybe even poinderously through the midfield.
We of course had begun with our two airy fairy wingers and after a couple of attacks predictably we lost possession upfront( Silva I think was to blame but if not he was certainly the culprit on at least two other occasions where we just about got back and saved the day once after his error was compounded by Holding who got too easily turned on the half way line ( Davies got back and rescued this)
We are just too wide open to counter attack. Time and time again. And because our midfield lacks pace of any description and our back four is deep lying and in Dervite's case slow beyond words, one pass can turn our atack into a goal for them and it could be so easily avoided..at least as a routine and regular occurrence.
Feeney didn't get a look in in the first half save for one good shot- in fact our only on target shot. Silva had imperilled the upper tier once or twice,
The situation screamed out for a half time or 60 minute change and, if fit, it cried out for Heskey whilst Woolery was still on. In the event Heskey came on after 65-70 minutes and for Woolery. I thought he did well but 38 year old Heskey in a one man attack? Silva had stayed on but offered little other than a few forward darts. Mark Davies was allegedly spotted in one attack. But it was mainly via Feeney in the second half that we pressed forward and he did very well indeed linking up with Vela and sometimes Spearing or Trotter. Trotter's strength here is that he hits his passes for the most part ahead of Feeney and quite crisply so it gets him going forward with a bit of a chance. In the first half Davies was looping balls slowly to him but from distance so he was surrounded.. and we all know what happens when Feeney is marked or cuts inside- they start an attack!. But here in the second half we were a constant threat and their crowd got very restless.
Suddenly we were one down. Their sub ( please note, Neil) fastened on to a breakaway. Silva and Davies were awol and he had all the time in the world to move effortless past Moxey and Holding whilst Dervite stood still and scored the easiest of goals. A good shot and I think out of Amos's range
We got lucky though and credit for persistence. Trotter was pushing forward positively and got the opposition tangled up more than once. Silva had a late burst of energy and the opposition got obsessed with Heskey once fouling him with Heskey himself penalised but in the end wrestling him to the ground for Dobbie's free kick. Heskey at 38 is still much better than Madine in short bursts and I suppose Neil did make a game changing substitution when he brought him on. That he left Silva on longer tah he should have led to a great stroke of fortune when he scored a header.
At the back Dervite was poor and his distribution embarrassingly so. I have to wonder if Taylor, Finney or Twardzik would improve that back line. It would be a big call to opt for one of them but with Dervite in situ we cannot escape relegation in my opinion. Holding is just about OK there. He reads the game better than most, is quick and distributes the ball well most of the time but he is vulnerable. I'd love to see him move into defensive midfield. I think he could be amazing there.
But overall it was same old same old with the usual vulnerability to counter attack and inadequacies in both boxes. We got away with it somehow but saying that, not for the first time, we played more fluently than they did for much of the game and that was due to various factors of which the play of Trotter was the most important. He makes us better through the midfield. Another was that with Woolery upfront we stopped punting it aimlessly. Amos even once passed the ball to Vela with a side foot. Wonders wil never cease. Maybe Amos was feeling more confident and has put recent disasters behind him/ That would be good.
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Post by joanna on Feb 3, 2016 19:53:04 GMT
Wolves' first goal was the result of a fluke deflection following a Wanderers' tackle on a breaking forward. The ball fell unbelievably perfectly into the stride of a Wolves' player, wrong-footing the covering defenders who had anticipated the direction of the intended pass. Lucky!! Dervite and others had been in the opposition area to add numbers to our attack. They had no chance of getting back.
The second Wolves'goal came via an excellent bit of play, though the end-product was a gentle shot which Amos might possibly have got to if had moved his feet rather than just dived.
We dominated most of the game, and especially the second half when Spearing and Feeney stood out. Woolery and Trotter had little effect on proceedings, one despite running around madly, the other by lumbering around, miles off the pace, until he was substituted. It was no surprise that our equaliser followed soon after the Tortoise's departure.
But the thing that stood out was the spirit the team showed, shrugging off again the hollow feelings that our financial crisis must surely have instilled, and coming from behind once more to gain some deserved reward. Is fitness improving? We seem to have been coming strong towards the end of games recently. Is it also due to Lennon? I think we should continue to be looking to praise where possible. Their celebrations showed how much they care, a point that some fans seem to have missed in their obsession with finding fault. Lack of effort really is not an issue. A positive attitude continues to be required from all involved...management, players and particularly fans (including me when it comes to Mr. Plodder.....sorry, Trotter!)
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Post by Deleted on Feb 3, 2016 21:33:36 GMT
just seen the goals and I have to agree with Joanna on her points ,cant make any other points as I was not there, but the part about fans fault obsession we seem to all have our glass half empty all the time ,seems that Moxey got the last touch on our second goal takes three or four looks to see it have a go usual place on sky .
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Post by andyl on Feb 3, 2016 22:33:02 GMT
I don't read the first goal like that. We had over committed for the third time in as many minutes. The ball was launched aerially out of defence into no man's land where they had left Van Parra. Had it been at our end no doubt we'd have had ten back. Silva whose defensive play is improving makes a valiant attempt to get back. Van Parra cuts inside. Spearing blunders. In and deflects the ball beyond Vela who is not wrong footed but flat footed . He reacts way too slowly because he has lost concentration and away they go. Amos made a good save. Mason was in the right place.
For the second goal again we miss a key tackle and Moxey is left for dead. Normally he would foul his man here but he just let him go. Henry did well and the shot was excellent. I've faulted Amos a lot recently but not for that goal.
I agree re Spearing and Feeney. Woolery faded having done his best work in the first half. As I was leaving the ground I heard a fan say laughingly and loudly to anyone within earshot'Who would ever have thought Trotter would be our man of the match three times running' in my opinion that is a lot fairer re last night. Trotter. was a major factor in our possession dominance.
I also disagree with those who have said it was a dull game. Bolton began very well , we're rocked back and took a while to recover but overall with the glaring exception of Dervite actually moved the ball around rather well. We were a lot better than we were at say Hull pre the return of Trotter. It's not coincidence that we have played better since. If only we could just set up to avert simple counter attacks and could offer more in attack.
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