Player ratings - wolves

[Machiavelli]

Stockdale 7 -- great distribution, but partially culpable for the goal
Bruno 9 MoM -- flair, and that's how to hit a ball
Goldson 7 -- again good, but a bad mistake for their goal
Dunk 6.5 -- given a torrid time by Afobe, but fought well. Really should have put that effort on target
Calde 4 -- I'm really glad Ridgwell is with us, because Calde just isn't a good enough left back
Crofts 4.5 -- ineffective
Stephens 6.5 -- did OK, without threatening sufficiently
Kayal 7.5 -- great desire, and a constant threat
Murphy 4.5 -- needs a rest, probably a long one
Wilson 6 -- fair play to him given his vomiting, one cracking shot in the first half, several other attempts. Positionally strange today.
Zamora 5.5 -- did OK

Manu 6 -- infectious
Hemed 4.5 -- ineffective

Disappointing result. Wolves really were a poor side, especially their attacking players bar Afobe (in stark contrast to last season), but were well organised and dug deep.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Not sure Stockdale gave a shout when Goldson went in and deflected it - if he didn't, Goldson had to go for it and was desperately unlucky.

I agree. Stockdale should have shouted for it as the ball was simple for him and there wasn't a Wolves player nearby. Big fan of Stockdale this season but feel the goal was his fault.

 

[BensGrandad]

A very poor performance against a mediocre Wolves side for which he management must accept a lot of the blame because they got the tactics totally wrong.
They get credit when we are doing well so must accept the crisicism when we are not.

Stockdale 7 Kept the score down and respectable
Bruno 8 Solid perfomance.
Goldson 7.5 Looks a good buy. Another sound performance in only his 2nd start.
Dunk 7 Kept .5 Afobe quiet and managed to get forward.
Calderon 5 Tried hard with plenty of heart but poor in every area of his game .
Crofts 5 Did nothing of note and looked off the pace.
Stephens 6 OK but not his usual influential prompting
Kayal 6 Looks fed up and tired from holding the midfield together.
Murphy 6 Needs a supply of balls for him to run at and then take on the full backs.
BZ 5.5 Disappointing didnt offer much by giving very little support to Wilson.
Wilson 5.5 Obviouly under the weather still offered nothing

subs:
Manu 5 Is he a footballer that we paid money for?
Hemed 6.5 Did a lot more in the time he was on the pitch than the rest put together.

Management: 4 We spend too long trying to keep possession and look pretty should tell the players to get the ball in the box quicker and more direct. Plus continues to play Calderon when it is obvious he isnt good enough now.

 

[portlock seagull]

I agree. Stockdale should have shouted for it as the ball was simple for him and there wasn't a Wolves player nearby. Big fan of Stockdale this season but feel the goal was his fault.

Exactly what we all said at the time and we were close enough to hear Stockdale shout. But he didn't appear to. Saying that Goldson made a howler, no excusing that. HMY btw!

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Exactly what we all said at the time and we were close enough to hear Stockdale shout. But he didn't appear to. Saying that Goldson made a howler, no excusing that. HMY btw!

2 different people have said to me they heard him call.

Quite a key point really in terms of the ratings I would suggest.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Exactly what we all said at the time and we were close enough to hear Stockdale shout. But he didn't appear to. Saying that Goldson made a howler, no excusing that. HMY btw!

Happy new year to you as well! Hope you're well.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

2 different people have said to me they heard him call.

Quite a key point really in terms of the ratings I would suggest.

I sit in the west so will defer call judgement to others. To be fair it is an observation and isn't a big deal. Stockdale has literally earned us points this season. He has plenty of good in the bank.

 

[portlock seagull]

Happy new year to you as well! Hope you're well.

Sorry. Meant HNY, no idea what HMY means! Obviously alcohol still not fully dispersed after last night...

 

[portlock seagull]

2 different people have said to me they heard him call.

Quite a key point really in terms of the ratings I would suggest.

We'll give him benefit of doubt. Was a clumsy swing of the foot by Goldson. He can easily overcome his mistake just by adding the necessary e and t to his surname to earn club immortality. Until then. He owes us

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

I sit in the west so will defer call judgement to others. To be fair it is an observation and isn't a big deal. Stockdale has literally earned us points this season. He has plenty of good in the bank.

Sure, but player ratings are in a game by game basis.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

We'll give him benefit of doubt. Was a clumsy swing of the foot by Goldson. He can easily overcome his mistake just by adding the necessary e and t to his surname to earn club immortality. Until then. He owes us

[emoji106]

 

[Marshy]

Wether Stockdale called or not makes no difference to me, the defender had to deal with it, it was straight forward enough.
real shame as Goldson was excellent other than that and I would stick with him

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Bruno should of stopped the cross which lead to the goal , and is now becoming a problem , Charlton , Middlesboro and now Wolves all scored from crosses which Bruno failed to block the cross .

Don't agree at all,Bruno actually had him in such a position that the cross should have been dealt with, but it wasn't.

There is more to it the diving in to block a cross (see Greer). Sometimes you jockey to a position where you feel you have numbers.

Of the games you have highlighted, I would agree with Charlton, and even then Stockdale should have an ever so slight question mark against him as well being beaten at the near post.

 

[BensGrandad]

Wether Stockdale called or not makes no difference to me, the defender had to deal with it, it was straight forward enough.
real shame as Goldson was excellent other than that and I would stick with him

What was it Jimmy Scoular used to say in the 50s to defenders "if in doubt kick it out" which is what Goldson should have done.

 

[Brighton Mod]

Bruno should of stopped the cross which lead to the goal , and is now becoming a problem , Charlton , Middlesboro and now Wolves all scored from crosses which Bruno failed to block the cross .

Agreed, he gives his man to much space, fails to close him down to force a cross under pressure which he should be seeking to block. Instead as you mention the wingers have had time to make their cross and put our central defenders under pressure. It is a problem as we do not really have any midfield cover for him. Hughton should have see this a long time ago and addressed the problem.

 

[Barry M]

Lol! Murphy low on confidence gets 5 and Manu doesn't look up to it 5! How can you say that Manu doesn't look up to it when he saw no ball and Murphy had all the ball and did nothing!

 

[Simon Morgan]

Stockdale: 7.5 - Distribution really superb and one brilliant save from a long-range Coady shot. If he gave Goldson a shout, then the goal was not his fault, but if he didn't, then it was. It was hard to tell at the time. Looks a class act and is surely one of the best keepers in the league. One thing that really strikes me is how much slimmer he is compared to a year ago.

Bruno: 8 - The best footballer in our squad. He seems to be our main outlet for the diagonal balls, purely because his close control is so good. The shot that hit the bar deserved to go in. I wonder if at times he could have taken more initiative and perhaps crossed slightly earlier just to mix up our slightly predictable attacking play. In the form of his life this season.

Dunk: 6.5 - For me, Dunk's problem is that he tries to be too elaborate and, in doing so, forgets to do the basics. There were a few nearly Ipswich moments again today, and despite an overall solid performance, you got the impression that a cock-up wasn't far away. When he is good he is fantastic, and I think he will have gained a lot from being the senior member of the CB pairing these past two games. I've got a lot of time for Dunk and really hope he starts to eliminate the errors from his game.

Goldson: 7 - Impressive. It's difficult to overstate how difficult it must be to be thrust into the action after sitting on the bench game after game having made a move from a club where you were the main man. As said above, he needed a shout for the goal, so if he got one, then sadly it was his fault. In general, though, he has confidence on the ball, looks alert and seems to read the game well. Could be a really good investment for the club over the next 10 years.

Calderon: 6 - Has done an admirable job in an unfamiliar position. His ball skills are important for winning and retaining possession. He is less good in the air and is not a long-term solution, but thank Christ we kept him on for another year.

Crofts: 5 - I was saying to a mate that Crofts is the unlikeliest of luxury players. He covers lots of ground, keeps possession well and is combative defensively, but he just seems to do less than others around him. He definitely has a role to play in this squad, but given the attacking struggles we've been having, I'd have been tempted to go with JFC instead.

Stephens: 6 - A very central player for us and lots of our progressive play goes through him. I felt that today he was a bit guilty of slowing things down in the attacking third. Hardly surprising given the minutes he's completed this season. He also had a few very good opportunities to shoot on the edge of the box and should have taken them; he is a gifted footballer and would have had half a chance of scoring.

Kayal: 8 - So important to our team. His ball-winning skills are incredible and his physicality makes him a very imposing presence in the middle. His decision making let him down on a couple of occasions today, but we are surely not the same team without him in it.

Murphy: 6 - Some good pace and direct running, but his final ball was not quite good enough today. For the number of corners we had, there should have been more clear-cut opportunities. I think he'd have benefited from having March/Lua Lua on the other flank.

Wilson: 5 - Didn't look at home on the wing and didn't look quite at it generally. We should have been using his dribbling ability a bit more and played him through the middle. Clearly recovering from some kind of ailment and could have been taken off when Zamora was.

Zamora: 6 - He was better against Ipswich when coming on the other day, but had his moments today. Occasionally seemed to be very deep and turned up out on the wing a couple of times too. Would have been interested to see how he got on up front with Wilson and flanked by 2 wingers.

SUBS

Hemed: 5 - Lots of good attributes but lacks goal threat. A good player to have but someone we should be looking to improve on in January.

Manu: 6 - I'd like to see more of him. Provides the raw pace we've been missing since March got injured. Could be pushing for a start soon.


In conclusion, today was the most livid I've been at a final whistle since Tuesday. Seriously, we have just played two pretty good games with a ****-load of injuries against established if unspectacular teams. We have come bloody close on both occasions and deserved more than the 0 points we have. I'd like to think someone is due a hammering in the coming weeks, and once long term absentees return and our January business is completed, we should be an even tougher proposition than we were before. Chin up, lads. It's all good.

 

[leo.eyles]

Not sure Stockdale gave a shout when Goldson went in and deflected it - if he didn't, Goldson had to go for it and was desperately unlucky.

Dead right. It was a tame cross and a strong shout from Stockdale snuffs out the threat.

 

[Meade's Ball]

I wasn't at the game today, so i write this from the perspective of a watching it on the telly critic and, really, to defend Murphy, who everyone seems to grade the lowest in that game. He wasn't ace, and, yes, he's been in unsparkling form the last month or so, but he went at the 9 defenders in and around the box and no one else had any great ideas to break that wall down. Wolves had a gameplan, and they stuck to it, with the aid of a foolish prod home ending up victorious. Murphy i give a 7. Crofts, though, i give a 4.5. Out of position, of course, but, by the devil's horns, he's poor on the ball.
T'others:

Stockers - 7
Joe Bruno - 8
Dunk - 6
Goldson - 6
Calderon - 5 - i might have a small cry if Ridgewell falls injured or unwell.
Kayal - 6
Stephens - 6
Zamora - 5
Wilson - 5

I'm happy that the purchasing window is open, but will be happier with the return of LuaLua and Greer, to give us heart and options.

 

[dazzer6666]

Stockdale: 7.5 - Distribution really superb and one brilliant save from a long-range Coady shot. If he gave Goldson a shout, then the goal was not his fault, but if he didn't, then it was. It was hard to tell at the time. Looks a class act and is surely one of the best keepers in the league. One thing that really strikes me is how much slimmer he is compared to a year ago.

Bruno: 8 - The best footballer in our squad. He seems to be our main outlet for the diagonal balls, purely because his close control is so good. The shot that hit the bar deserved to go in. I wonder if at times he could have taken more initiative and perhaps crossed slightly earlier just to mix up our slightly predictable attacking play. In the form of his life this season.

Dunk: 6.5 - For me, Dunk's problem is that he tries to be too elaborate and, in doing so, forgets to do the basics. There were a few nearly Ipswich moments again today, and despite an overall solid performance, you got the impression that a cock-up wasn't far away. When he is good he is fantastic, and I think he will have gained a lot from being the senior member of the CB pairing these past two games. I've got a lot of time for Dunk and really hope he starts to eliminate the errors from his game.

Goldson: 7 - Impressive. It's difficult to overstate how difficult it must be to be thrust into the action after sitting on the bench game after game having made a move from a club where you were the main man. As said above, he needed a shout for the goal, so if he got one, then sadly it was his fault. In general, though, he has confidence on the ball, looks alert and seems to read the game well. Could be a really good investment for the club over the next 10 years.

Calderon: 6 - Has done an admirable job in an unfamiliar position. His ball skills are important for winning and retaining possession. He is less good in the air and is not a long-term solution, but thank Christ we kept him on for another year.

Crofts: 5 - I was saying to a mate that Crofts is the unlikeliest of luxury players. He covers lots of ground, keeps possession well and is combative defensively, but he just seems to do less than others around him. He definitely has a role to play in this squad, but given the attacking struggles we've been having, I'd have been tempted to go with JFC instead.

Stephens: 6 - A very central player for us and lots of our progressive play goes through him. I felt that today he was a bit guilty of slowing things down in the attacking third. Hardly surprising given the minutes he's completed this season. He also had a few very good opportunities to shoot on the edge of the box and should have taken them; he is a gifted footballer and would have had half a chance of scoring.

Kayal: 8 - So important to our team. His ball-winning skills are incredible and his physicality makes him a very imposing presence in the middle. His decision making let him down on a couple of occasions today, but we are surely not the same team without him in it.

Murphy: 6 - Some good pace and direct running, but his final ball was not quite good enough today. For the number of corners we had, there should have been more clear-cut opportunities. I think he'd have benefited from having March/Lua Lua on the other flank.

Wilson: 5 - Didn't look at home on the wing and didn't look quite at it generally. We should have been using his dribbling ability a bit more and played him through the middle. Clearly recovering from some kind of ailment and could have been taken off when Zamora was.

Zamora: 6 - He was better against Ipswich when coming on the other day, but had his moments today. Occasionally seemed to be very deep and turned up out on the wing a couple of times too. Would have been interested to see how he got on up front with Wilson and flanked by 2 wingers.

SUBS

Hemed: 5 - Lots of good attributes but lacks goal threat. A good player to have but someone we should be looking to improve on in January.

Manu: 6 - I'd like to see more of him. Provides the raw pace we've been missing since March got injured. Could be pushing for a start soon.


In conclusion, today was the most livid I've been at a final whistle since Tuesday. Seriously, we have just played two pretty good games with a ****-load of injuries against established if unspectacular teams. We have come bloody close on both occasions and deserved more than the 0 points we have. I'd like to think someone is due a hammering in the coming weeks, and once long term absentees return and our January business is completed, we should be an even tougher proposition than we were before. Chin up, lads. It's all good.

Superb post. Can't disagree with any of it.