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Dan has already mentioned he was out for the game tomorrow but popped this in here so we can bitch about our medical team again...
The stuff last week was loan with an option but certain amount of appearances trigger a clause where we have to buy him.These mysterious groin issues keep cropping up.
Isn't his loan to buy option dependent on appearances?
Real shame. Looks like a proper player and gives our midfield some much needed energy.
Dan has already mentioned he was out for the game tomorrow but popped this in here so we can bitch about our medical team again...
But had yet to get there which is where I think Johnny's cynical mind is goingThe stuff last week was loan with an option but certain amount of appearances trigger a clause where we have to buy him.
Johnny, cynical? Are you sure ?But had yet to yet there which is where I think Johnny's cynical mind is going
No I wont have him pigeon holed as cynical, he's just a tadJohnny, cynical? Are you sure ?
For some, the World Cup will have been viewed as an inconvenience but, for the new Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach, the break from domestic football could not have come at a better time.
It is just over six weeks since Julen Lopetegui was confirmed as Bruno Lage’s replacement at Molineux and he takes charge of his first game there on Tuesday night, when his team play Gillingham in the Carabao Cup.
It has been a transformative few weeks at the West Midlands club, with sources talking about how the 56-year-old has made small but significant changes behind the scenes that have improved the mood.
Senior figures admitted that the club had been in decline since March 2022, when they lost at home to Leeds United despite being 2-0 up. It was a significant moment in Lage’s Wolves career and one from which he ultimately failed to recover.
But it was not only on the pitch that there were issues. It is understood that standards had slipped, so it was imperative that the club brought in the right man-manager to get them back on track.
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A win against Gillingham, who are bottom of Sky Bet League Two, would put Wolves into the quarter-finals of the League Cup and give the club, who sit bottom of the Premier League, a boost before their top-flight campaign resumes on Boxing Day away to Everton.
Lopetegui took Wolves to Marbella as he whipped his players into shape for the new style
ISAAC PARKIN - WWFC/WOLVES VIA GETTY IMAGE
For supporters, it will be the first chance to see what this side looks like under the new head coach. Wolves used the break to hold a ten-day training camp in Marbella, Spain. It was viewed as the perfect chance to integrate Lopetegui and his eight new members of staff.
It was a taxing camp for the players, with sources telling The Times that Lopetegui was surprised at the lack of fitness within his squad, certainly compared with his previous team, Sevilla. Training included double sessions most days.
Steve Davis, who was interim head coach after Lage left, tried to work on improving fitness through small-sided training games and now Lopetegui wants his players to take it up a notch.
It is understood that rather than working tirelessly on specific tactics, which could change depending on the opposition, the key to the sessions in Marbella was how the team are going to play differently through intense pressing.
The focus was on running harder and winning the ball back higher, allowing more players to arrive in the penalty area. Wolves have struggled in front of goal this season, managing only eight goals in 15 games; the fewest in the league.
Wolves sit bottom of the Premier League after nine defeats in 15 games
OLI SCARFF/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGE
When Lopetegui arrived he presented the new sporting director, Matt Hobbs, with a list of players capable of improving the squad. The recruitment team, Hobbs and the owners have then checked the names against their own lists, with senior figures admitting they were pleased that everyone was on the same page.
Hobbs, who recently took over from Scott Sellars, is busy trying to get players to bolster Lopetegui’s squad, with the Spaniard hoping to make new additions when the transfer window opens at the start of January. But, given Wolves’ position in the table, there is an acceptance that they may have to overpay for their prime targets.
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And although Lopetegui’s work on the pitch is vital to getting Wolves off the foot of the table, those around the club have spoken about the impact he has had off it.
One of the first things Lopetegui changed was when the players and staff would eat. Under Nuno Espírito Santo, there would be a one-hour period for players and match-day staff to eat together in the hope of building relationships and friendships. Under Lage, that disappeared and some sources believe it contributed to a lack of togetherness during matches.
There was a feeling that Wolves had lost cohesion under Lage
ZAC GOODWIN/PA WIRE
Lopetegui, his staff, the players, the media team, chefs and all the coaches ate together in a large room at their Spanish hotel and that is something the Spaniard will be keen for them to do back at the club’s training ground.
It is understood the players have bought into his clear messaging and the plan he has laid out to the squad, with some praising his incredible communication skills, even to the younger players. The hope from the top is that he can bring back a culture that some felt went missing in the last few months of Lage’s reign.
Off the pitch, Lopetegui is settling into life in the West Midlands with his wife and has been having daily English lessons. Despite being able to communicate easily with the Spanish and Portuguese players, of which they are many in the Wolves squad, it is understood that he wants to respect the culture by being able to speak English.
Around the training ground, there is no talk of relegation. There is a belief that the club have a strong squad and a coach good enough to get them out of the mess they are in. With six uninterrupted weeks to get to know the club and his team, Lopetegui could not have hoped for a better start to his reign.
With big matches coming up against Manchester United, City and Liverpool, as well as a derby against Aston Villa, that now has to translate to the pitch, with fans desperate to see some progress.
I mean, you're gonna get a like purely for the round of fucks thrown at the dessicated cunt, but cheers for thr c&p.Fuck Murdoch the dessicated old cunt
i know people will roll their eyes at this but this disastrous state of affairs is 100% on Jeff Shi’s head.The waste is criminal.
Cutrone, Guedes, Hoever, Semedo, Hwang, Fabio, Podence, loan fees for Vallejo, José and Trincao, you're looking at £160m+ there for very little return on the pitch and none of them are/were worth anything like what we paid.
Sacking Nuno and all our coaches to appoint Bruno Bibs and his weirdo brother (and in turn sack them, as they're as shit as their half page CVs suggested), chuck another load on top.
Mitigating circumstances and I have hopes for all of them, at least in the medium term, but we've got nothing for the summer's near £80m spend on Nunes, Kalajdzic and Collins as yet.
i really hope you’re rightHe won't as Lopetegui is now the Wolves employee with the most clout of all. We need him, he doesn't need us.