Wolves - back from the sofa

[RoyalBlue]

Couldn't get to the game (thanks a million Sky) and have only just watched a recording of it. Having done so, I am absolutely stunned by the amount of negativity towards the players and performance.

Couple of high/lowlights (there were so many to select from) - Guthrie 'nearly getting sent off soon after coming on' - Er no, it might have been a yellow card (ref decided that it wasn't and couldn't be said to be completely wrong in that assessment) but no way in a million years would it have been a red unless we had one of our traditional world's poorest refs in charge. 'Feds could have been more decisive for the goals' - WTF?!

[Handsome Man]

Obita 3?

One mistake apart I thought he was very decent with some excellent defending in difficult situations and usual quality dead ball deliveries.

Hector 10?

Hmm, something odd going on here...

I like Hector, and Obita's mistake negated every thing else he might have done in the game.

[bcubed]

It was a great game and I was happy with a point in the end. They would have gone equal top with a win or something, so they can't be bad.

I thought we had the better of the first half, and were looking impressive when it was 2-2, so losing would have been a massive waste. Adkins made a massive mistake over Akpan, but at least he seems to have admitted it. Norwood was good, Blackman was surprisingly effect and some of the passing under pressure was excellent - we are definitely moving in the right direction.

Their fans were very quiet - there's usually a bit of noise when the bigger teams come to visit.

Marks /10

Federici 7

Gunter 6
Obita 3
Hector 10
Pearce 5

Akpan 8, as it turned out
Norwood 7
Blackman 8
Taylor 7
Cox 7

Murray 8

Guthrie 5
Kuhl 8
Mackie not sure

And I can't believe people are still falling for things like the original post on here. One-joke comedy internet personas can be a laugh, but not after years and years.

Agree as do others that taking Akpan off was a big mistake, but where does Nigel admit this?

[Royal Rother]

Obita was a little unfortunate with that clearance in that it just deflected off his left foot before he hit it with his right.

It happens to the best, unfortunately it was a rather important moment!

[curetonsdipper]

Feds 7 - could do nothing about the goals. Did well and showed safe hands the rest of the game
Gunter 5 - How shaky does he look right now?! To be fair he was up against sako today who is an absolute beast but it worries me that our current captain looks devoid of any confidence
Hector 6 - Took his goal well and fairly solid. When this lad gets some more experience under his belt he'll become a hell of a centre back. Very composed but does make some silly decisions sometimes. I do like having a ball playing defender though (that ball out to left in the first half was delightful)
Pearce 6 - Not his best game and looked a bit shaky a times but still a pretty reliable champ defender
Obita 5 - At fault for 2 of the goals but having said that he's still one of my favourite players right now. Like hector it comes down to experience. People shouting hes not a defender after the first real mistakes he's made at the back since playing there is ridiculous! Not a great game but a real talent
Blackman 6 - Im always in two minds with blackman. during the game I do get excited when he gets the ball but at the end I always come away without remembering anything significant hes done. Hes got nice feet but no end product. Having said that, kebe was like that before he hit his peak so time will tell.
Norwood 8 - Everything I like about a midfielder is norwood. Hes just got that bit of class. Quietly dictates the tempo for us and just gets on with it. Didnt see it as much today but superb passing range aswell.
Akpan 6 - I want to like him but hes just never given me a reason to. His only bonus today was that guthrie was so much worse.
Taylor 7.5 - Actually thought he had a really good game today. Took his goal well and went about his role nicely. Hes not a natural winger and it shows but thought he had his best game there today.
Cox 7 - Doubted the signing when he joined but he grows on me every game. Works twice as hard as everyone else. Acts as a really good link between the midfield and murray, and is actually very decent when he gets the ball to feet.
Murray 6.5 - Would be a 6 but for his well taken goal. He is good but he disappears at times and tries to buy fouls often rather than releasing the ball. Having said that he cant half finish which is exactly what we need up top right now. Its a shame we arent getting crosses into the box for him as much as theres where he will flourish (need GMac back)

Guthrie 3 - poor from adkins and clearly unfit
Mackie 5 - again unfit but does at times show what he can do
Kuhl 5 - ineffective (do love him though - hes going to a heck of a player given time)

All in all a very enjoyable point. Thought wolves were a well organised side and clearly not unconfident. We need to start getting behind these young lads. These things take time and dont happen overnight. You can already see the football has improved since last season with some lovely passing at times. Its a young team and with a bit of confidence and experience they'll be a very good side. This season is a learning curve and we need to enjoy it for what it is. I for one am very excited about this young side under adkins even though ive never warmed to him and am happy for him to prove me wrong. Hector, Obita, Kuhl, Taylor and Cooper to me all look like they can become very good players and i cannot wait to see mccleary and williams back in the side alongside them! Plenty of positives right now IMO. hopefully we can start getting maximum points from games like this but midtable atm for me seems fair.

[Whatevs]

Feds 7 - could do nothing about the goals. Did well and showed safe hands the rest of the game
Gunter 5 - How shaky does he look right now?! To be fair he was up against sako today who is an absolute beast but it worries me that our current captain looks devoid of any confidence
Hector 6 - Took his goal well and fairly solid. When this lad gets some more experience under his belt he'll become a hell of a centre back. Very composed but does make some silly decisions sometimes. I do like having a ball playing defender though (that ball out to left in the first half was delightful)
Pearce 6 - Not his best game and looked a bit shaky a times but still a pretty reliable champ defender
Obita 5 - At fault for 2 of the goals but having said that he's still one of my favourite players right now. Like hector it comes down to experience. People shouting hes not a defender after the first real mistakes he's made at the back since playing there is ridiculous! Not a great game but a real talent
Blackman 6 - Im always in two minds with blackman. during the game I do get excited when he gets the ball but at the end I always come away without remembering anything significant hes done. Hes got nice feet but no end product. Having said that, kebe was like that before he hit his peak so time will tell.
Norwood 8 - Everything I like about a midfielder is norwood. Hes just got that bit of class. Quietly dictates the tempo for us and just gets on with it. Didnt see it as much today but superb passing range aswell.
Akpan 6 - I want to like him but hes just never given me a reason to. His only bonus today was that guthrie was so much worse.
Taylor 7.5 - Actually thought he had a really good game today. Took his goal well and went about his role nicely. Hes not a natural winger and it shows but thought he had his best game there today.
Cox 7 - Doubted the signing when he joined but he grows on me every game. Works twice as hard as everyone else. Acts as a really good link between the midfield and murray, and is actually very decent when he gets the ball to feet.
Murray 6.5 - Would be a 6 but for his well taken goal. He is good but he disappears at times and tries to buy fouls often rather than releasing the ball. Having said that he cant half finish which is exactly what we need up top right now. Its a shame we arent getting crosses into the box for him as much as theres where he will flourish (need GMac back)

Guthrie 3 - poor from adkins and clearly unfit
Mackie 5 - again unfit but does at times show what he can do
Kuhl 5 - ineffective (do love him though - hes going to a heck of a player given time)

All in all a very enjoyable point. Thought wolves were a well organised side and clearly not unconfident. We need to start getting behind these young lads. These things take time and dont happen overnight. You can already see the football has improved since last season with some lovely passing at times. Its a young team and with a bit of confidence and experience they'll be a very good side. This season is a learning curve and we need to enjoy it for what it is. I for one am very excited about this young side under adkins even though ive never warmed to him and am happy for him to prove me wrong. Hector, Obita, Kuhl, Taylor and Cooper to me all look like they can become very good players and i cannot wait to see mccleary and williams back in the side alongside them! Plenty of positives right now IMO. hopefully we can start getting maximum points from games like this but midtable atm for me seems fair.

reported for racism

and don't try and come back with the 'some of my best friends are black' routine as it won't wash

[WoodleyRoyal]

Um I've met lots of black people who wash... Poor form there whatevs

[curetonsdipper]

Feds 7 - could do nothing about the goals. Did well and showed safe hands the rest of the game
Gunter 5 - How shaky does he look right now?! To be fair he was up against sako today who is an absolute beast but it worries me that our current captain looks devoid of any confidence
Hector 6 - Took his goal well and fairly solid. When this lad gets some more experience under his belt he'll become a hell of a centre back. Very composed but does make some silly decisions sometimes. I do like having a ball playing defender though (that ball out to left in the first half was delightful)
Pearce 6 - Not his best game and looked a bit shaky a times but still a pretty reliable champ defender
Obita 5 - At fault for 2 of the goals but having said that he's still one of my favourite players right now. Like hector it comes down to experience. People shouting hes not a defender after the first real mistakes he's made at the back since playing there is ridiculous! Not a great game but a real talent
Blackman 6 - Im always in two minds with blackman. during the game I do get excited when he gets the ball but at the end I always come away without remembering anything significant hes done. Hes got nice feet but no end product. Having said that, kebe was like that before he hit his peak so time will tell.
Norwood 8 - Everything I like about a midfielder is norwood. Hes just got that bit of class. Quietly dictates the tempo for us and just gets on with it. Didnt see it as much today but superb passing range aswell.
Akpan 6 - I want to like him but hes just never given me a reason to. His only bonus today was that guthrie was so much worse.
Taylor 7.5 - Actually thought he had a really good game today. Took his goal well and went about his role nicely. Hes not a natural winger and it shows but thought he had his best game there today.
Cox 7 - Doubted the signing when he joined but he grows on me every game. Works twice as hard as everyone else. Acts as a really good link between the midfield and murray, and is actually very decent when he gets the ball to feet.
Murray 6.5 - Would be a 6 but for his well taken goal. He is good but he disappears at times and tries to buy fouls often rather than releasing the ball. Having said that he cant half finish which is exactly what we need up top right now. Its a shame we arent getting crosses into the box for him as much as theres where he will flourish (need GMac back)

Guthrie 3 - poor from adkins and clearly unfit
Mackie 5 - again unfit but does at times show what he can do
Kuhl 5 - ineffective (do love him though - hes going to a heck of a player given time)

All in all a very enjoyable point. Thought wolves were a well organised side and clearly not unconfident. We need to start getting behind these young lads. These things take time and dont happen overnight. You can already see the football has improved since last season with some lovely passing at times. Its a young team and with a bit of confidence and experience they'll be a very good side. This season is a learning curve and we need to enjoy it for what it is. I for one am very excited about this young side under adkins even though ive never warmed to him and am happy for him to prove me wrong. Hector, Obita, Kuhl, Taylor and Cooper to me all look like they can become very good players and i cannot wait to see mccleary and williams back in the side alongside them! Plenty of positives right now IMO. hopefully we can start getting maximum points from games like this but midtable atm for me seems fair.

reported for racism

and don't try and come back with the 'some of my best friends are black' routine as it won't wash

Funnily enough my sako quote is taken from mick gooding so this report is going right to the top of reading match reviewing

[Huckleberry Hound]

Really enjoyed the peaceful prematch sat outside with a beer in the sun. No shit music. No back the boys twàt.

Was the atmosphere really any worse for the lack of goal music or other aural gimmicks?

^This.

Although the booming announcement for the number of minutes added at the end of the first half was rather amusing.

[genome]

It was nice to see Blackman score again, though

[Woodcote Royal]

Just watched the first half back (I am that sad) and still can't for the life of me work out why Adkins decided to bring his mohawked lovechild on.

I sit very close to the bench so hear a lot of what Adkins and Croft say. For the final 10 mins of the 1st half, Adkins was chewing the arse off of Akpan. Literally losing the plot and screaming at him like Ive not seen before. He wasn't pressing, moving, picking up his man and some bad ball control just before HT right under Adkins nose was the final straw.

Good for him. Perhaps he should do what Coppell used to do and sit in the stands during the first half because anyone with a view from that angle high in the stand could tell him that the defensive shape with Akpan was perfect and was mentioned several times on commentary.

Watching him now, on the TV and just after the Taylor equaliser he starts telling everyone to stay calm. Which is a bit of a cheek considering he was the one who created the panic through his poor half time decision.

Quite. As managers go, Adkins is a Grade A pr*ck who NEVER learns

After a creditable first half performance produced a 1-0 lead, he does his best to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory

If and when Karacan gets back to his best, it's hard to see Akpan keeping his place but to take him off and expect Guthrie to perform the same tedious but vital role is as good an illustration as any as to why we are short changing ourselves in having Bodgkins in charge when there are many better alternatives out there.

The best crop of youngsters in our history are wasted on this guy.

[melonhead]

Baffled by this comment. When has Guthrie played well?

Frequently. Was an early PotS contender last year.

For exactly 4 games

But the idea he's had single figure bad games is the real lol

[mad79]

Say what you want about akpan. Alright not his best game but no akpan second half left our fragile defence wide open to walk straight through the middle. You always need a ball winner in the middle of the park

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

Well that was a good point after being a goal down twice in the game.

We need to injects some pace into out play the players just want to slow it down and turn back towards goal all the time.

The next four fixtures (Leeds (A). Brentford (A), Derby (H) and Bournemouth (A) Will have a big say in whether we will finish top or bottom half.

[CJC]

We very rarely look capable of keeing a clean sheet under Adkins. His teams at Southampton & Scunny always let goals in (and scored a fair few aswell) and i cant see that changing here. Admittedly 2 goals were down to individual errors but we a conceding too many especially at home. Bringing a half fit guthrie on against a physical wolves side was suicidal

[NewCorkSeth]

How many saves did Feds make? I mean to warrant a rating of 7 following conceding 3 goals I can only assume he made at least 5 saves and wolves had been taking pot shots the entire 90 minutes? Because the radio didn't translate that very well :/ if 5 is a score of average when marked out of ten what did he do to get such a high rating?

[Royal Ginger]

In his defense he didn't stand much of a chance.

Obita's gift naturally caught him off guard, and there was no reason for him to be positioned for a back post shot if the defense hadn't danced out of the ball's way. He saved a 1 on 1 early on and he was very good at dealing with crosses.

Not a classic performance from him, but certainly not a bad one either.

[Platypuss]

Say what you want about akpan. Alright not his best game but no akpan second half left our fragile defence wide open to walk straight through the middle. You always need a ball winner in the middle of the park

Akpan isn't a ball-winner either though.

[NewCorkSeth]

In his defense he didn't stand much of a chance.

Obita's gift naturally caught him off guard, and there was no reason for him to be positioned for a back post shot if the defense hadn't danced out of the ball's way. He saved a 1 on 1 early on and he was very good at dealing with crosses.

Not a classic performance from him, but certainly not a bad one either.

7 just seems a tad generous?

[Royal Rother]

Say what you want about akpan. Alright not his best game but no akpan second half left our fragile defence wide open to walk straight through the middle. You always need a ball winner in the middle of the park

Akpan isn't a ball-winner either though.

Indeed - to me he looked somewhat shy of tackling yesterday.

I quite like him but he really needs to beast up a bit to be what we need him to be.