Southampton 0-1 Wolves: Verdict Thread

[WolfMan]

I'm just struggling to see what people actually expect. Before a ball was kicked this season it was pretty much doom and gloom on here with most people predicting a lower bottom half finish with us doing well to avoid getting sucked into a relegation battle. Has it at some point changed and now we're expected to win most games whilst playing free flowing attacking football? Have we suddenly become Man City?

Taking into account the pre season expectations, surely a one nil grind away from home against one of our direct rivals should be just the sort of performance/result we should be happy with. I could understand it if everyone was expecting us to tear it up this year and have a great season, but they really weren't were they.

 

[Carsy]

Got to be honest, its very strange criticising others peoples live opinions in a match thread from a game you haven’t watched.

It’s bad enough seeing all the captain hindsight’s criticising the match thread after the game when they have watched it.

I did actually look through the match thread on the way back and it echoed pretty much my opinion at the time. The game was shit, we created no chances after the first minute, Marcal is terrible (as a WB), Podence gave the ball away everytime he had it and Hwang is basically Andy Keogh.

One thing I noticed with Podence was him taking up lovely positions inside right, semedo bombing on past him and Podence for now apparent reason going left and giving it away. Multiple times.

Harry hindsight being the best trader in own and all, but why on earth is our decision making so poor at times

 

[Johnny75]

I'm just struggling to see what people actually expect. Before a ball was kicked this season it was pretty much doom and gloom on here with most people predicting a lower bottom half finish with us doing well to avoid getting sucked into a relegation battle. Has it at some point changed and now we're expected to win most games whilst playing free flowing attacking football? Have we suddenly become Man City?

Taking into account the pre season expectations, surely a one nil grind away from home against one of our direct rivals should be just the sort of performance/result we should be happy with. I could understand it if everyone was expecting us to tear it up this year and have a great season, but they really weren't were they.

Ah, I see, we should be happy with Paul Lambert/ Steve Bruce style shit football.

Remind me again why we changed manager?

 

[redvictor]

Why hang onto the shit and ignore the good stuff?

Isn't the important thing that we got through the poor performance and struggle to eventually get ahead, hold on and come away with 3 points, a clean sheet and a massive morale boost for our best player, new manager and whole team? It was clear to see what it meant to the players.

Are people saying they'd have preferred us to play them off the park and lose narrowly?

What a load of purist shite

This! I have no idea why people are arguing about it. The performance wasn't good, but we got 3 points. What's not to be happy about? Maybe the manager has an idea about playing to who you are up against. He's learning on the job in the PL.

 

[prawnking]

This! I have no idea why people are arguing about it. The performance wasn't good, but we got 3 points. What's not to be happy about? Maybe the manager has an idea about playing to who you are up against. He's learning on the job in the PL.

Southampton have dragged City, Utd and West Ham down to their level with 0-0's so far this season, I think it's a bloody good result

 

[sycophantia]

Got to be honest, its very strange criticising others peoples live opinions in a match thread from a game you haven’t watched.

It’s bad enough seeing all the captain hindsight’s criticising the match thread after the game when they have watched it.

I did actually look through the match thread on the way back and it echoed pretty much my opinion at the time. The game was shit, we created no chances after the first minute, Marcal is terrible (as a WB), Podence gave the ball away everytime he had it and Hwang is basically Andy Keogh.

It was a bit tongue in cheek really but there you go.
Pretty much everyone has said what you have regarding the match so I'm not sure why everyone is having a go at one another.
I still think Raul has been unfairly criticised this season....and those games I have seen

 

[Carsy]

Ah, I see, we should be happy with Paul Lambert/ Steve Bruce style shit football.

Remind me again why we changed manager?

No one is saying we should be happy I don’t think with the style of football. But it’s one game, and a bloody important one.

If we had lost that, 3 points from 6 games, Newcastle becomes a massive game and we could be looking down the barrel.

much rather yesterday’s game rather than we play beautiful attacking football and lose, given the stage of the season

 

[Johnny75]

No one is saying we should be happy I don’t think with the style of football. But it’s one game, and a bloody important one.

If we had lost that, 3 points from 6 games, Newcastle becomes a massive game and we could be looking down the barrel.

much rather yesterday’s game rather than we play beautiful attacking football and lose, given the stage of the season

Maybe you need to reread the original post from Wolfman again as that's exactly what he says

Again, why change manager if the football isn't an improvement?

 

[prawnking]

Ah, I see, we should be happy with Paul Lambert/ Steve Bruce style shit football.

Remind me again why we changed manager?

The word hyperboly is overused on here.

But comparing a single attritional away victory with the careers of two managers who've managed 100's of games in a grim style (most of which they still would have drawn or lost) is something else

 

[redvictor]

Maybe you need to reread the original post from Wolfman again as that's exactly what he says

Again, why change manager if the football isn't an improvement?

I think everyone gets that. It's the context of now that's important. 3 points from 4 games put us under a bit of pressure. Another 3 points gained helps relieve that pressure. The performance is an aside right now. Let's get some points on the board first before we launch back into fancy football. Imo anyway.

 

[PuntsWolf]

It was a bit tongue in cheek really but there you go.
Pretty much everyone has said what you have regarding the match so I'm not sure why everyone is having a go at one another.
I still think Raul has been unfairly criticised this season....and those games I have seen

I agree. From what I’ve seen people are just saying what they see. They aren’t “expecting“ anything. The game was rubbish and we stole a win.

It’s nothing to get overly positive or negative about to be honest.

We lost games we didn’t deserve too. We’ve won a game we didn’t deserve too. Much like the team were praised vs United despite the result. They are allowed to be critiqued here despite the result. It’s not a hard concept but people seem to struggle with it.

 

[Johnny75]

I think everyone gets that. It's the context of now that's important. 3 points from 4 games put us under a bit of pressure. Another 3 points gained helps relieve that pressure. The performance is an aside right now. Let's get some points on the board first before we launch back into fancy football. Imo anyway.

Fancy football?

 

[redvictor]

Fancy football?

As in attacking easy on the eye stuff. All good if you are picking points up, but our return was 3 out of 12 points from it. As you are a footballing bloke i thought you'd have understood why we had to grind out a win yesterday.

 

[prawnking]

Again, why change manager if the football isn't an improvement?

Do you think one game is a fair sample size?

 

[Carsy]

Maybe you need to reread the original post from Wolfman again as that's exactly what he says

Again, why change manager if the football isn't an improvement?

To be fair I’ve just glazed over parts as it just seems to be going round in circles. If he is saying that he was happy with the style of play, then I totally disagree with him. As I’ve mentioned, poor performance, great result. Yesterday needed a result, obviously a performance would’ve been lovely as well, but the win was priority.

to answer your point about changing manager and style not changing, again, I totally agree, if this wasn’t a one off game. Majority of our performances have been fairly exciting so to base lage off 1 game is abit unnecessary IMO.

If we continue to play like we did yesterday all season, then il share your view. As we’re 6 games in, with only 1 dull performance (2 if you include Brentford but that was more down to us being shit rather than not trying to be attacking) then I might share your view.

 

[WolfMan]

Ah, I see, we should be happy with Paul Lambert/ Steve Bruce style shit football.

Remind me again why we changed manager?

You were on about people struggling with nuance earlier mate, throwing stones and glass houses comes to mind.

Of course we shouldn't be happy with shit football, but it's been 6 games for god's sake. In 3 of those we've played good football but lost.

As I remember you were one of the most vocal critics of our failure to sign the players Bruno said he needed to play his style. Now you are kicking off as the football isn't up to your standard, I'm struggling to see what you expected to happen?

 

[Johnny75]

As in attacking easy on the eye stuff. All good if you are picking points up, but our return was 3 out of 12 points from it. As you are a footballing bloke i thought you'd have understood why we had to grind out a win yesterday.

I don't think passing football we'd seen in the first 3 games was fancy. It was a style a lot of folks, including myself, could get on board with and it was individual finishing that was the problem.

Raul's second half finish in any of those three games and we win them all. But them's the breaks.

The regression I've seen over the last 3 games is disappointing, even if it has yielded points and begs the question, why bother changing the manager?

I hope Bruno can get back to that style against Newcastle with an inform Raul.

I think a front three of Podence on the left and Trincao on the right would give us better control in the front three than we had yesterday as well as an actual footballer at LWB.

 

[Johnny75]

You were on about people struggling with nuance earlier mate, throwing stones and glass houses comes to mind.

Of course we shouldn't be happy with shit football, but it's been 6 games for god's sake. In 3 of those we've played good football but lost.

As I remember you were one of the most vocal critics of our failure to sign the players Bruno said he needed to play his style. Now you are kicking off as the football isn't up to your standard, I'm struggling to see what you expected to happen?

So tell me again what was the point in changing manager?

 

[prawnking]

I agree. From what I’ve seen people are just saying what they see. They aren’t “expecting“ anything. The game was rubbish and we stole a win.

It’s nothing to get overly positive or negative about to be honest.

We lost games we didn’t deserve too. We’ve won a game we didn’t deserve too. Much like the team were praised vs United despite the result. They are allowed to be critiqued here despite the result. It’s not a hard concept but people seem to struggle with it.

Not sure I agree with this.

It's nothing to do with critiquing one game, or the players, or manager in isolation. At least a couple of prominent posters quickly extrapolated a single game into an existential crisis over our playing style.

The expectation being that we should be playing attractive football and winning.

If we only do the former: criticised for vanity relegation football. Only do the latter: purist strop

 

[redvictor]

I don't think passing football we'd seen in the first 3 games was fancy. It was a style a lot of folks, including myself, could get on board with and it was individual finishing that was the problem.

Raul's second half finish in any of those three games and we win them all. But them's the breaks.

The regression I've seen over the last 3 games is disappointing, even if it has yielded points and begs the question, why bother changing the manager?

I hope Bruno can get back to that style against Newcastle with an inform Raul.

I think a front three of Podence on the left and Trincao on the right would give us better control in the front three than we had yesterday as well as an actual footballer at LWB.

I don't disagree with any of that. The point i think everyone is trying to make is that one shit game with a result doesn't make the season. In fact that result takes a little pressure of the players, and let's them build a little bit of confidence into the next match.
Like all of us i want to see the football we played in the first three games, but the results are key in this league. Being top of the XG/shots league does absolutely fook all for our position in the table.
I know you know this.