Match Report and MoM v Wolves

Neil Dawson

UTC Legend
Eddie throws team to the Wolves

It is always dispiriting when you know the result from the arrival of the team-sheet - it kind of takes the fun out of the pre-match build-up.

In a sadly predictable move Eddie did his normal when 4-4-2 isn't working, him and his league one coaching squad dig out the other formation they remember playing together - the 5-4-1. The last twice we have played it we 1)abandoned it after 20 minutes of chasing an average Southampton around a pitch - sacrificing Mepham in a confidence sapping early substitution and 2) spent the whole game watching Sheff Utd have the ball (and a ball) in a 'welcome back' promotion party. Time to dig it out and dust it off again then and in another great nod to nostalgia 'I know boss - let's shoehorn Franno back into the side - he's just what we need against Wolves's rapid front three' - 'Good shout Jason - get the team sheet printed'.....

So that, along with the fact Lerma was very, very tired (we could all see that from how very very tired he looked when he came on, shattered, exhausted....it was a miracle he managed to put one foot in front of another.....let alone boss the midfield like he did) meant we lined up trying to match a system Wolves have perfected with lots of round pegs in square holes. Still, lets be fair, we only had 14 days to plan for this, no time at all really, went like a flash....

The first half was as poor a half of football as we have strung together since that Southampton away game last year - the difference being we got shot of the system last year whereas this year we decided to persevere. Wolves had most of the ball, moved it well, Traore looked like he would skin us alive and we gave away several stupid fouls that put us on the back foot. We couldn't get out - the difference between the two supposedly 'identical' formations were the full-backs - Wolves pushing theirs into all areas of the pitch which created space for their wide-men while ours just stayed in their normal positions making a back five and just not enough players up the pitch to maintain possession so Wolves pressed high. It was embarrassing and once again we rarely got anywhere near the oppositions goal at home.

Franno was getting taken apart by Jota on the left and brought the wide man down with a misplaced tackle on the edge of the box. MOUTINHO made the most of the opportunity by whipping in a phenomenal free-kick from very wide over Ramsdale and into his top right corner. Nothing changed for Bournemouth with the players looking more and more confused as the options around them grew less and less - all our spare players were at the back so that is where the ball went frequently before being lost. Another free-kick given in panic at Traore was taken quickly - completely catching out Harry who had switched off leaving the flying winger away to cross to JIMINEZ who waltzed between three static centre halfs to score. If a pub team conceded that they would have had the sausage rolls put back in the freezer.

You would have liked to have thought it couldn't get worse but that would have been a massively incorrect assumption. Franno, for who 600 games is clearly not enough experience, though that a very visible shirt pull while on a yellow in a tetchy game was a good idea but unfortunately the only people agreeing with him in the stadium talked like Noddy Holder and dressed in yellow. That, in a comeback only beaten for crapness this year by Nigel Benn, was that for our skipper although unbelievably he got a consoling pat from Eddie (more on that later).

HT Bournemouth 0 Wolves 2

At least Eddie tried to change things in the second half. Danjuma and Lerma arriving for a very out of sorts Billing and Wilson. Lerma immediately brought back control of the game (despite his very visible extreme exhaustion from Thursdays 7 hour business class flight catching up with the Crown on Netflix). Danjuma also brought pace and invention that an out of position Harry can't bring. We had a 4-2-3 formation with the front three interchanging. It looked good - but unfortunately it's only in the emergency manual so don't expect to see the three man front line that the top five of this division play again.

We finally had the ability to get the ball down the other end of the pitch and the legs to win it back. Callum was holding it up better and wee-man and Danjuma were playing off him - the full backs pushed forwards and Wolves were rocked on their heels. We got an earlyish goal when COOK headed home Fraser's corner with a flick and then had a right go. The big opportunity came and went when Ake was left unmarked in the box but his powerful bicycle kick was right at Patricio and he pushed it out with alarm. Fraser flashed one just wide and it really did look like a goal would come.

Wolves were forced to play on the break and Bournemouth were indebted to Ramsdale for a world class save to deny Jota. There was always going to be one more chance, with Ramsdale coming up for corners and Cook moved up front - it was like a cup tie (except we weren't playing a whole disenchanted reserve team). The chance came to Danjuma who unfortunately chose that moment to put his first foot wrong of the match blazing well wide when it had to come back across goal.

FT Bournemouth 1 Wolves 2

Ramsdale 7 - Great save and not at fault with the goals.

Smith 5 - Lost in the formation - better in the second half
Ake 6 - Tougher afternoon than normal removed from the centre he thrives in.
Cook 7 - Kept fighting, winning the ball and scored the goal.
Francis 3 - Appalling display from a skipper on and off the ball.
Rico 6 - He grew into the game after a shaky opening v Traore

Wilson 4 - Just not in right position and looks a shadow of player for Wales
Billing 4 - The performance Huddersfield fans warned us about.
Cook 6 - Played in spits and starts but hugely out-numbered by formation.
Fraser 4 - Continues to 'phone in' his performance

Wilson 5 - Battled manfully when he had a bit of support second half.
(Subs - Danjuma 8 - finally entertainment - Lerma 7 - finally fight despite apparently being in a near coma)

Verdict
Christ - where do you start. My concerns that the management and coaching of our team is becoming stale and predictable is well documented but today brought home many examples of that which we have to change really quickly as it has become too frequent in the last year. There were many mistakes today that are just too obvious and should never have happened. Breaking these down:
1) There is absolutely no point matching a formation with a team that has perfected it. You lose your unique advantages and you send a very dangerous message to your players that you are not good enough to play your way.
2) This is particularly true when your own record of playing this system is abysmal and you and your coaches don't understand the role of the full-back in it so you end up playing it at its worst incarnation not its best.
3) When you are looking at the line up and realise you are not doubling up on a player that has caused you infinite problems before and he is up against your left back who is not as quick as him you have to realise it's not the right formation.
4) To bring in a veteran slow player against a quick forward is also madness. Jota and Traore were always going to get past their full-backs and run at Franno and Ake - we knew Ake would cope but Franno was always going to suffer like we made Mepham suffer at Leicester.
5) Our current defensive formation has actually looked quite solid recently - it wasn't the problem. The problem was scoring goals but we withdrew a forward position to play a defensive one.
6) Harry Wilson who looked great for Wales in the number ten slot was back on the wing where he has looked lame. He could have been in the ten slot for us with Danjuma starting.
7) We have to lose this unique obsession we have that players can't play after a Thursday flight. We play regularly against whole teams that have flown back on a Thursday. With his inevitable two suspensions a year if we don't play Lerma after a break then we lose our best player for 7-8 games a season. It's nonsense as he proved. Start him and take him off if you are worried.
8)We have to play three in midfield. We can't keep getting overran and looked stretched - its rank amateur.
9) Why have we not got a player as talented as Danjuma ready and starting? It's nearly December. Let's hope he is not another talent we waste and lets hope we don't coach his individualism out of him by coaches who couldn't touch his ability as players.
10) Franno let us down hugely today. What he did was inexcusable. If you want an indication of the cosyness and old boys network at this club Eddie walked to him and patted him on the shoulder with consolation. What message does this send out? He should have been blanked - he just cost us the game with planned stupidity.

These points are clear to the majority of fans - the comments before the game were very telling. Our management team have to be better than not spotting these things. At the moment, for the first time in our history, we have a playing squad far more talented than those coaching them and it is showing. 12 months of inconsistencies, blatant errors, bland interviews saying we got it wrong but will be working on it, league one tactics and an insistence that two can play against three in the engine room and players not playing anywhere near their talent and potential.

Its not the squad that need to look hard at themselves after this game it's Eddie and his team. Playing on the break at home, scared to get anyone forwards, reserves in all the cup games we have become WestBrom-lite - time to go back to the spirit and possession football he brought us up with. He has the players to do it.
 
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Oh Neil.....come on....now if anything is a sadly predictable move, its you saying this after a defeat.

Its a shame you have to go down to that level.....I actually agree with the ten points you made at the end of the report.

If you do, where do you think the mistakes come from then?
 
I don't do knee jerk reactions but you are absolutely spot on with everything Neil. I think every fan that saw that line-up and formation immdiately thought 'oh god'.

What is really worrying for me is Eddie thinks we can play this formation. I looked at the players closely and after 5 minutes they were al pointing to different areas on the pitch and looked completely lost.

I actually felt sorry fro Franno today - becuase he should never have been put in that position by the management.

The decision not to start Lerma was utterly ridiculous. Eddie said yesterday he had no worries about his frehsness. He along with Ake are the first names on the teamsheet.

It's hard to see a decent points return from the next 4 games, so we better hope we pick some decent points over Christmas and New Year.
 
At the start of the game Wolves were one place above us. By half time the gulf looked more like a couple of divisions. I think that was the worst I can remember in the top flight.

Things picked up in the second half. I dont understand why we rested Lerma, as he seemed ok to me, making some great tracking back runs.

As for EH consoling Franno. I've no issue with that. Its not like he applauded him off, it was merely a pat on the shoulder.
 
So when we win and do well, is that from 'league one coaches' too??
It was when we had league one players. How often have we played really well for 90 mins in the last 12 months?

I might be too simplistic here but we used to perform better than our squad talent. That to me is credit to coaching.

We then found a level and performances matched the talent in the squad.

We now regularly don’t play to the potential of the squd. If it’s not the players being up to it then it’s the coaching.

The difference is the Pugh/Arter/Daniels etc axis of players made good has gone.

We now have much more talented players but we lack the coaching team to fit a system or a style of play to them.

We haven’t had an identity other than occasionally being able to play on the break for over a year now and we are no threat at home but slightly better away as a result. We’ve become boring.
 
It was when we had league one players. How often have we played really well for 90 mins in the last 12 months?

I might be too simplistic here but we used to perform better than our squad talent. That to me is credit to coaching.

We then found a level and performances matched the talent in the squad.

We now regularly don’t play to the potential of the squd. If it’s not the players being up to it then it’s the coaching.

The difference is the Pugh/Arter/Daniels etc axis of players made good has gone.

We now have much more talented players but we lack the coaching team to fit a system or a style of play to them.

We haven’t had an identity other than occasionally being able to play on the break for over a year now and we are no threat at home but slightly better away as a result. We’ve become boring.

Honestly Neil.....sorry to say but sometimes I get the feeling you yearn for first halves like today, so you can trot out the negative stuff again.
 
Agreed Neil, agreed. I’d add that the biggest problem is still the midfield. We not only play just two - invariably overwhelmed by the opposition - but both are defensive CMs and we’ve no one to provide the creative spark. Maybe Brooks can do a job cutting in from the wing but that still leaves us short in the middle third.

We urgently need at least one dedicated ball-holding midfielder. When we ship out Ibe (and others?) in January this is top priority. Otherwise there’ll continuously be those huge gaps between midfield and the forwards, lack of movement and sterile lateral passing - as in the first 45 today

This is so glaringly obvious that I wonder what’s up with Eddie? Why persist with tactics that fail persistently??
 
Honestly Neil.....sorry to say but sometimes I get the feeling you yearn for first halves like today, so you can trot out the negative stuff again.

You couldn’t be further from the truth - don’t let the fact you disagree with me, which is fair enough pal, make you question my love of my team.

I haven’t spent a fortune, many hours and probably the odd failed relationship following this team around for over thirty years to hope a bad performance happens so I can write about it.

Nobody is happier than me when we win but I’m sure I’m no different to all our other fans with that. I took absolute misery from that first half and being proved right on the odd theory is no consolation, trust me.
 
This is so glaringly obvious that I wonder what’s up with Eddie? Why persist with tactics that fail persistently??

So this is where I come back continually to the often unpopular view that if we are stale in ideas (which seems obvious) and none of us want Eddie to go (again unanimous I think) then isn’t there only one other way to bring new ideas in?
 
Agree Lerma should have started but Eddie will learn from that if it simply was due to flying etc. That said we don't know if he'd picked up a slight knock or told the boss he was knackered.

Franno needs to be put out to pasture - baffling decision to play him. On this point I agree Eddie needs to sort this sort of shit out. Misplaced loyalty ?

Wolves looks good as they should do with the quality they possess. Easily one of the best teams to visit us this season and should finish top six, also doing well in their European campaign.. Just strange they took their foot off the pedal in the second half. The positives for me were the way we came back when down to ten as there seemed to be a collective wake up call.

Credit also to the NS for having some belief and getting behind the team when at HT the situation seemed absolutely hopeless.
 
Another bad day at the office for the management, the first half yet another home non performance, no chances created, never looked like scoring.
Fortress dean court a distant memory.
Players looked confused, smith needed to be on the left to help rico who was being overloaded by wolves out ball. Why was cook not captain?

Danjuma looks a talent, Rico, Cook, Ake did their best, Lerma made his presence felt.
 
The gulf wasn't huge, we were just extremely poor, one of the worst first halves in recent memory.
Second half certainly wasn't boring and if we can make Lerma and Danjuma starters and get Brooks and King back next week then we'll be looking good. Fraser needs to either sign on and sort himself out or F off.
Eddie messed it up completely today. Not hindsight, we also saw the lineup and a loss was predicted.
Onwards and upwards,

I don't buy the Neil league one stuff, it didn't apply 21 days ago so I don't believe it holds any water now. West Brom lite? I take that as a compliment, if we can mirror their success over the last 25 years I'll be happy. I know falling short of 6th will be a major disappointment for Neil.
 
I know falling short of 6th will be a major disappointment for Neil.
I don’t care where we finish. We are in a league we can’t win. All I want is entertainment and a team playing to their potential. Sometimes in this league that will get us in the top ten sometimes it won’t. Playing on the counter attack at home, rarely having shots on goal, seeing talent going to waste and having no interest in cups is not what I signed up for. League positions I don’t give a toss about.
 

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