Transfer Speculation Thread 2014/15

[Carrotdude]

I would like to see us be able to play a front four of:
VLP Dicko Afobe Sako
I don't think we have the midfield to do this on a regular basis, so I'd like to see a true all rounder signed in that area. I think we saw yesterday that Price and McDonald will never be the answer in a 2

I think any 3 of those 4 in a 4-3-3 formation is more likely and would be more solid defensively. In theory they should all be very capable of interchanging position across the front line.

 

[Johnny75]

I see your point but I think we play a 4-2-3-1 rather than a 4-4-2 as Afobe/ Edwards/ New player will fill that role behind the central man. I thought Afobe would only be able to play as a centre forward but I think we have a good all rounder who can play both.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I can see us moving away from 4-2-3-1 and to more of a 4-3-3 in the longer term.

Edwards - McDonald - Price

Dicko - Afobe - Sako

As it stands would be most likely.

 

[Alan]

Can't see us shunting either Dicko or Afobe wide tbh.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

They aren't wide players in that formation. Liverpool played that system last year, Sturridge and Suarez weren't out wide.

 

[Carrotdude]

They should be switching about and not really being 'wide' players but the danger is that we end up with a striker playing as a winger, especially as we concentrate a lot of our play down the wings.

 

[Premier Quality]

Even though he's scored a few lately, we should still be looking to replace Dave Edwards with someone who has technical ability.

 

[Johnny75]

They aren't wide players in that formation. Liverpool played that system last year, Sturridge and Suarez weren't out wide.

That's why I don't think we'll end up with that formation. I think we'll stay more in the Chelsea type formation of 4-2-3-1 and their wide players are tucked in but can play very wide. I think our midfield pair are more suited to that formation too.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Even though he's scored a few lately, we should still be looking to replace Dave Edwards with someone who has technical ability.

He has been our best player (on a par with Stearman).

I want to see us playing 4-4-2 in February.

Sako ------Dicko------------Afobe-------------VLP

----------------Edwards------McDonald

-Golbourne---Batth-----------Stearman------Iorfa

----------------------Ikeme

 

[YoungWolf]

We don't need to go about drastically changing our shape. Nor should we be playing Edwards in a midfield two. We may move towards a 4-3-3 in the future with one of the midfielders screening in front of the back four but the two wide forwards (ie. Sako ansd van la Parra) would still be more like wingers, as a lot of our attacking play is based around the wide areas and getting deliveries into the box.

We don't need to worry about shoehorning all our best players into one team, let them fight for the places and be more determined when they get their chance to keep their place. Dicko still looked bit short of being 100% fit, its great we have another quality forward who can play in this formation if Dicko gets injured or needs a rest.

 

[Tony Towner]

He has been our best player (on a par with Stearman).

I want to see us playing 4-4-2 in February.

Sako ------Dicko------------Afobe-------------VLP

----------------Edwards------McDonald

-Golbourne---Batth-----------Stearman------Iorfa

----------------------Ikeme

I'd like to see that, against weaker opposition like yesterday or if chasing the game, but with ANother instead of Edwards

 

[Carrotdude]

We don't need to go about drastically changing our shape. Nor should we be playing Edwards in a midfield two. We may move towards a 4-3-3 in the future with one of the midfielders screening in front of the back four but the two wide forwards (ie. Sako ansd van la Parra) would still be more like wingers, as a lot of our attacking play is based around the wide areas and getting deliveries into the box.

We don't need to worry about shoehorning all our best players into one team, let them fight for the places and be more determined when they get their chance to keep their place. Dicko still looked bit short of being 100% fit, its great we have another quality forward who can play in this formation if Dicko gets injured or needs a rest.

I agree to a certain extent but we have the ability to change our shape a bit ore effectively with the addition of Afobe and that can only be a good thing.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Don't think we will go 4-4-2. Ken has tried it on a few isolated instances since last January and ditched it very quickly. He doesn't like the lack of control we have playing that system.

 

[YoungWolf]

Absolutely. That showed in the game yesterday, how deep Blackpool defended and how much in control we were allowed us to play another forward and it certainly helped us.

“Blackpool yesterday dropped off us and let us have the ball at the back and we passed it around without necessarily going anywhere.

“It was a different scenario as often teams in this league will close you down from the front.

http://www.wolves.co.uk/news/article/keep-pushing-2210882.aspx

We can afford to go to 4-4-2 (or the variant of it that we played yesterday when Afobe came on) when circumstances dictate but the teams in this division generally play with a lot more intensity and in order to be in control of the possession the extra man in midfield can be crucial. Whether our three in midfield do that well enough for us is another question.

 

[sycophantia]

Can't see us changing from our 4-2-3-1 anytime soon, its the best formation for the players we have and works well against any team...its also easy to switch to 4-3-3 and back depending on whether we are in or out of possession. I used to think we needed a plan B but thinking now it may be better to mainly stick to this but have enough on the bench to change like for like if a particular player isn't cutting it.

 

[Kford-wolf]

It must be me but I just don't get people keep calling for Dave edwards to be replaced, maybe he's not the most technically gifted player but what he lacks there he more than makes up for in so many other ways. Yes there are better players out there in the number 10 role but I'm guessing an improvement on edwards would cost a few million quid, money we don't need to spend in my opinion

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

He's in good form at the moment and fully justifying his place. However there are times when he is not on form/the team doesn't have as much of a stronghold on the game and his lack of technical ability can hurt us - look at the Forest game for example. A couple of occasions he had a chance to be in on goal but his touch was lacking and the opportunity was gone. He never has and never will be a player who creates chances for others - and most number 10s are the creative fulcrum of a team who play this system.

It's no different to any other player in any other position - he needs to keep producing the goods and if we have an opportunity to upgrade then we have to take it, there is no room for sentiment here and no sense in standing still.

 

[Kford-wolf]

He's in good form at the moment and fully justifying his place. However there are times when he is not on form/the team doesn't have as much of a stronghold on the game and his lack of technical ability can hurt us - look at the Forest game for example. A couple of occasions he had a chance to be in on goal but his touch was lacking and the opportunity was gone. He never has and never will be a player who creates chances for others - and most number 10s are the creative fulcrum of a team who play this system.
It's no different to any other player in any other position - he needs to keep producing the goods and if we have an opportunity to upgrade then we have to take it, there is no room for sentiment here and no sense in standing still.

I appreciate what your saying and totally agree if an upgrade becomes available we would be mad not to go for it but it just seems sometimes like there's some kind of witch hunt against him and no matter what he does he will always get slated from some quarters. Yes he is in form at the minute and no doubt at some stage that will change but no more so than any other player. I'm beginning to sound like the chairman of the Dave edwards appreciation society lol which isn't the case but I do think he gets a lot of unfair criticism, it's all about opinions and it would be a boring world if we all agreed, just like there's a certain wolves player who really annoys me yet others seem to like him, we all see things differently.

 

[YoungWolf]

I think fans just appreciate what the positives are to his game and what his limitations are to be honest. He works bloody hard closing down opposition players, he gets in good positions and he makes good runs behind the back of the opposition defence. BUT, he doesn't link our midfield to the attack as well as we could, and technically he is not great.

He's been very effective in the past week but he does have spells like this and then goes quiet, and I do feel that a really good number ten could be what takes us forward as a team.

He has been one of our better players this season and maybe sometimes (myself included) people can be over critical, but he is also definitely one we could upgrade on.

 

[Tony Towner]

Edwards works as an extra midfielder when you need extra legs. There was a game earlier this year (Bolton or Blackburn) where that was exactly what we needed and he was MoTM. What he isn't going to do though is break down and probe the opposition when they put every man behind the ball like yesterday. To be a top 6 team I think you need someone that can do the latter in more games than the former.