BFTG Wolves

[marlowuk]

Well - that was an entertaining (yes - really!), albeit frustrating, game between two average Championship sides under difficult wet and very windy conditions. A draw was about right although 3 - 3 would probably have reflected better the missed chances by both sides!

Wolves are a big physical team and the referee (and I seldom criticise them) let them get away with 'murder' and some of the fouls he did award were baffling to understand.That said, it is a contact sport and some of our players need to learn how to stand up to the physical challenges without (over) reacting by falling over theatrically.

MOTM was El Habsi who has played well for the several games now. Obita did pretty well against a fast and tricky winger although he always seems to be a yellow card waiting to happen. Cooper showed some skilful touches today although made (at least) two bad mistakes that could (and maybe should) have resulted in goals against us. McShane was solid and good in the air and it was great to have him back while Gunter looked suspect defensively but useful going forward.

Norwood had another off-game with simple passes going astray; HRK struggled to get much joy until he was switched to the right again when Ola John was introduced. Then he seemed a little improved. McCleary was not at his best but I don't understand the hate for Williams! He makes mistakes but at least he is trying to make something happen. I dread to think how pedestrian we would look, as a team, without him.

Vydra was poor and rarely challenges for the ball. John came on and added his usual energy but little else. Of our newcomers, Kermy did reasonably well, I thought - nothing spectacular but kept it tidy. Rakels only had about 15 minutes but worked hard for the cause. Neither will set the division alight but both have potential.

We'll probably be last on the telly tonight but there were, in truth, enough near and blatant misses together with goalmouth scrambles to make an entertaining highlights showing if anyone bothers.

It was a point; it was a clean sheet; it was 1 place higher in the table!

[Muskrat]

Two bang average teams playing out a drab game in awful conditions. Not much more to say. Don't judge Brian this season, next season will be the telling one.

Just pure LOL @ the Wolves fans singing "this ground's too big for you" when they play in front of 10,000 empty seats on average at Molineux.

[Victor Meldrew]

marlowuk,
Are you a spin doctor for the club or are you just easily pleased.

Occasionally 0-0s can be entertaining but I think you will be hard pressed to find too many others who thought this one was .
It was a game easily forgotten and we can all do a Brian and move on in the hope that a better side like Burnley might bring the best out of us and perhaps Brian can con the players into thinking that it is an FA Cup game.

[tidus_mi2]

Two bang average teams playing out a drab game in awful conditions. Not much more to say. Don't judge Brian this season, next season will be the telling one.

Just pure LOL @ the Wolves fans singing "this ground's too big for you" when they play in front of 10,000 empty seats on average at Molineux.

The funny thing for me was them singing "Shall we sing a song for you" and then after 10 minutes of silence singing the same song again.

[RoyalBlue]

Two bang average teams playing out a drab game in awful conditions. Not much more to say. Don't judge Brian this season, next season will be the telling one.

Oh, deep joy! Nothing at all to look forward to there then. Two seasons of wasted opportunities, we will now see all our real talent offloaded and replaced with bargain basement 'buys' who play with a 'togetherness' but little else. Togetherness should be the finishing touch, not the starting point. Our drop from the PL last time around proved that 'togetherness' is just not enough.

[RoyalBlue]

Calm down Paul

We all sit with different views of the game.....and we all share different views.

From my view he was poor and made some very poor calls......however......he was on the pitch and had the best view of all.

Unfortunately, it would appear that despite his view, he should've borrowed someone's whistle

I am calm, very calm but I will comment if utter drivel comes before my eyes. Worst ref this season. Missed 3 reds, please!!

You again miss the point. I don't think anyone is saying there would have been three reds but that the incompetent fool missed/let go three very bad challenges, each of which might well have seen a red from another ref. Had he dealt with the first, the players would have exercised more control after that. And if there had been two reds, so be it. It's not as though it's never happened in other games.

[bobby1413]

I guess just can't wait for this season to end now .... boring.

I think we said that last season too didn't we?

[AthleticoSpizz]

Are we out of the cup already?

[bobby1413]

Despite my general negativity in life, I am quite a positive person when it comes to RFC. However today I got 3 hours sleep after finishing a night shift and really didn't feel in the mood to go and for the first time in ages I've seriously considered even leaving the house. Anyway, I dragged myself down there and I wonder what for.

Losing doesn't bother me necessarily as long as there is something entertaining, something going on, chances being created. It seems ages now since we've had a decent exciting game with shots on target, actual play being created.

I'm now back in work for another night shift and nakered from my 3 hours sleep

[bobby1413]

Dreadful late lunge on Obita that could have left him badly injured - dished out a yellow rather than red. An even worse lunge on Williams, the ref was looking straight at it, where the player even appeared to hook both legs around Williams. Williams down injured - not even a free kick awarded. Another lunge through from behind one of our players- their man eventually got a touch on the ball but only after he had wiped out our man - no free kick. Penalty claim near end? Bizarrely allowing us advantage and then blowing when the cross was in the air and our players were attacking it - play brought back for the free kick. And plenty more......

That having been said, the performance of our players, manager and 'coaching' team was far worse.

Maybe next time Obita won't go down like he's been shot and then miraculously get up with a spring in his step.

[Nameless]

The incident where he played a prolonged advantage was good reffing. We'd lost the ball when he brought play back.
I did think he was lenient on the tackles but as fans we're not always in a position to judge. At least one of the tackles mentioned looked to me just like a really good hard tackle. Was pretty surprised it wasn't penalised but there was actually nothing wrong with it.
Most of the other tackles were of the careless rather than reckless type - yellows not reds.
The Rakells penalty claim was puzzling.. It was either a pen, or a yellow for Rakells but the ref simply ignored it. Presumably he simply missed it ?

[bobby1413]

In regards to that Obita tackle to me it looked 50/50 and a decent fair challenge from both players where Obita came out worse

[3points]

Thought HRK was back to his usual lightweight, unable-to-get-past-his-man, crap in the first hour.

Soon as he swapped to right he once again became decent.
I'd take HRK over McCleary at the moment on the right. Else HRK needs dropping as he is dogs*t anywhere else

Iorfa is quality. That's why he looked better on the right, as Doherty away crap. Iorfa shows what we are missing at right back

[3points]

The referee was fine.

.

Really? So why was he booed when he got just about everything wrong? Is booing now indicative of an average performance and therefore acceptable?

You sure you were at the right game? Beginning to wonder! Referee boo'd? oxf*rd when did that happen other than normal moaning at a ref?

Definitely in the North Stand, along with the "you don't know what you're doing" chant. George Saville was lucky to stay on the pitch with three two footed tackles

Pretty clear penalty shout in the second half as well, which wasn't given, and then the ref gave a goalkick for something that clearly came off the chest of the Wolves player

[3points]

The Rakells penalty claim was puzzling.. It was either a pen, or a yellow for Rakells but the ref simply ignored it. Presumably he simply missed it ?

And wasn't it a corner? Not sure how it could have hit Rakells last the way he went down

[RoyalBlue]

Dreadful late lunge on Obita that could have left him badly injured - dished out a yellow rather than red. An even worse lunge on Williams, the ref was looking straight at it, where the player even appeared to hook both legs around Williams. Williams down injured - not even a free kick awarded. Another lunge through from behind one of our players- their man eventually got a touch on the ball but only after he had wiped out our man - no free kick. Penalty claim near end? Bizarrely allowing us advantage and then blowing when the cross was in the air and our players were attacking it - play brought back for the free kick. And plenty more......

That having been said, the performance of our players, manager and 'coaching' team was far worse.

Maybe next time Obita won't go down like he's been shot and then miraculously get up with a spring in his step.

It matters not whether he was seriously injured or not. It was a late and very dangerous challenge.

[loyalroyal4life]

It's no surprise the FA Cup tickets are so cheap and they're giving away tickets to Rotherham.
Who would pay full price to watch this rubbish?

Even Charlton away for a fiver is looking like a total rip-off.

Amen

[AthleticoSpizz]

^ good grief you miserable twats^

(see fan or customer thread)

[Born Again Royalist]

Gunter looked suspect defensively but useful going forward.

Its no good going forward if you can't end it with a DECENT cross

[Ian Royal]

Decent match. Wolves looked average. We had enough of the play to win but couldn't create a clear chance and put it away. Could easily have lost. Good clean sheet given their scoring record. Decent point. The important thing is not losing. It'll do.

Al-Habsi - 9 MOTM Some very good saves, didn't put a foot wrong. Won us the point.
Gunter - 7 good game, same old weaknesses I won't repeat. Some balls into really dangerous areas. Shame there was no one there for them. And that he could/should have seen that and played different balls.
Obita - 7 stronger defensively than normal, I thought. Decent going forward.
McShane - 8 rock, played well, glad he's back
Cooper - 6 A bit ropey at times with loose passes/clearances, but nothing major
Norwood - 6 got caught several times, passing dipped a bit. I hope he's not going to completely lose form like last year. Key player.
Williams - 6 drifted in and out. Some blind alleies, some inadvisable shots.
McCleary - 7 caused some problems but not at full speed
HRK - 6 not as good as recently, decent but out muscled too much, some insdvisable shots
Vydra - 6 hard work as usual, too many attempts to be clever or overplay it
Kermorgant - 6 not quite there, looks decent though

John - 6 touch of the drenthe's, looks exciting delivers not a lot
Rakels - 6 not very involved, ok

Basically, too many poor choices cost us. Shooting from distance with no hope when we should be passing. Passing to the wrong flank in attacks and over-cooking it in the middle when they should be shooting.

Brian 8 good shape, good team, good tactics.
Ref 5 fussy bastard.