Traore - lucky escape

Adama Traore was very very impressive in the championship last year and, if you recall, Sir Neil was looking at bringing him here in the summer. I think they were negotiating around 3/5 million ,(according to reports at the time), before the wolf pups came in with £18 million of someone else's money.
Well, that was just as well with hindsight because it was obvious last night that he's not good enough at this level .

It shows how much our often criticised defence has improved that he was so easily contained, but it also shows that spending huge amounts guarantees nothing and what a gamble it is to pay money for a player who does well at another level with another club. I say all this largely to counter those who critisise Sir Neil for a couple of transfer mistakes.

I've said for a long time that Wolves have been building up disaster for themselves in the future with their spending and that it wouldn't build solid success. I've pointed out that they've got what I'd considered to be an obvious vulnerability for a long time and it's surprised me that it's taken coaches this long to identify it , but they obviously have now . That's by the way really and just me being smart arsed about being proven correct.
My real point is that even the real big moneyball teams like Manchester City and Chelsea have bought numerous big money players who turned out to be no good . The likes of Wolves, Ipswich for example, and ourselves can't afford to do that so we must be careful how we spend until we've achieved the real financial stability to compete in that market and in the mean time build up our standards the hard - and more solid- way.

Now we see the outcome of these different philosophies . Sir Neil, the old fashioned soldier who trains his men hard and is prepared to fix bayonets compared to Nuno, the grand strategist with battalions of prancing cavalry and drummers who will eventually and inevitably over reach himself . For anyone here who's read a book, it's compatible to Wellington and Napoleon or General Washington and Cornwallis. In short, guts, determination and hard work will always beat empty short term exhibitionism.

We were not drawn into spending money we hadn't at that time got on a player like Traore because that would have been the road to where wolves are starting to realise is not solid defendable ground. That is entirely attributable to our manager, and I hope some of his half witted critics will now have the good grace to admit it on his birthday !

Anyway, I think we're 14th now , with a much more disciplined and battle hardened force than we started with. They've had their baptism of fire and survived it.

I'm starting to wonder then, whether my original prediction that we'd finish about tenth was wrong. We could be a bit higher I suppose, so do you think I was a bit over cautious in saying that ?

Top ten? I'll have some of whatever you have been drinking.

He has always been known as a player with very little end product. If you watch him in small patches he stands out and looks dangerous but in reality he offers little in the final third. Probably a player Warnock could get more from but 18m was always madness.

Top ten? I'll have some of whatever you have been drinking.

Dulfss blAd

(Wolfs blood)

Top ten? I'll have some of whatever you have been drinking.

Dulfss blAd

(Wolfs blood)

Cheers Jim.

I’ve conceded the title now, but think well nick that fourth spot on the last day of the season.

He has always been known as a player with very little end product. If you watch him in small patches he stands out and looks dangerous but in reality he offers little in the final third. Probably a player Warnock could get more from but 18m was always madness.

Spot on.

He’s lightning quick but has no first touch and his delivery/composure is awful.

Hes too quick for the ball

thing a lot are missing a big point on here, last night he was going to be their biggest threat....he has pace. our defence does not. Hoillet did a SUPERB job defensively covering. I thought and still think our tactics were confusing at best, but fair play to junior he kept him quiet. so it wasn't a lucky escape, and it wasn't the fact he isn't that good. it was thanks to junior

He is fast but not a good footballer. Complete waste of money. Keep it up Wolves and with any luck you will go bankrupt.

thing a lot are missing a big point on here, last night he was going to be their biggest threat....he has pace. our defence does not. Hoillet did a SUPERB job defensively covering. I thought and still think our tactics were confusing at best, but fair play to junior he kept him quiet. so it wasn't a lucky escape, and it wasn't the fact he isn't that good. it was thanks to junior

No. I meant that it was a lucky escape when we lost out to Wolves in our attempts to sign him. He's not actually good enough at this level because he's fast but he can't control a football or make a decent pass at that speed . Junior just upped the speed and pace because Sir Neil could see that'd stop him being able to play.

The tactics were to exploit the two faults in Wolves which I've been mentioning for weeks , although I was being mysterious about it for obvious reasons.
1 . they can't deal with inward narrow crosses and shots on a diagonal from the outer corner of the penalty area because their defensive set up leaves two empty channels there. This was exploited by Junior when he scored and at least twice by Harry Arter. I'd think this was set out to them by Sir Neil as a deliberate strategy. The way they set up at the back is very vulnerable to wing backs cutting in and that's why he played wing backs.
2. You can choke off their whole attack by playing three tight in midfield because they've only got one way through and if you do that it'll be as if they're three men short because those three forwards will NOT drop deeper or tackle back.

That great win last night was a tribute to Sir Neil's footballing brain as much as our fantastic boys on the pitch !

Never understood what people saw in him, old fashioned saying I know, but he flatters to decieve.
Never a premier league player and never worth 18 million.

Reminds me of Sterling in the sense he has the ability to take off and be a top player but needs the guidance and that's what Pep done with Sterling.. to be as powerful yet so quick as he is you don't see it often in many.

Always been the same since he went to Villa, terrorises defences but no end product nor goals.. but he can be a top player playing at the very top.

Adama Traore was very very impressive in the championship last year and, if you recall, Sir Neil was looking at bringing him here in the summer. I think they were negotiating around 3/5 million ,(according to reports at the time), before the wolf pups came in with £18 million of someone else's money.
Well, that was just as well with hindsight because it was obvious last night that he's not good enough at this level .

It shows how much our often criticised defence has improved that he was so easily contained, but it also shows that spending huge amounts guarantees nothing and what a gamble it is to pay money for a player who does well at another level with another club. I say all this largely to counter those who critisise Sir Neil for a couple of transfer mistakes.

I've said for a long time that Wolves have been building up disaster for themselves in the future with their spending and that it wouldn't build solid success. I've pointed out that they've got what I'd considered to be an obvious vulnerability for a long time and it's surprised me that it's taken coaches this long to identify it , but they obviously have now . That's by the way really and just me being smart arsed about being proven correct.
My real point is that even the real big moneyball teams like Manchester City and Chelsea have bought numerous big money players who turned out to be no good . The likes of Wolves, Ipswich for example, and ourselves can't afford to do that so we must be careful how we spend until we've achieved the real financial stability to compete in that market and in the mean time build up our standards the hard - and more solid- way.

Now we see the outcome of these different philosophies . Sir Neil, the old fashioned soldier who trains his men hard and is prepared to fix bayonets compared to Nuno, the grand strategist with battalions of prancing cavalry and drummers who will eventually and inevitably over reach himself . For anyone here who's read a book, it's compatible to Wellington and Napoleon or General Washington and Cornwallis. In short, guts, determination and hard work will always beat empty short term exhibitionism.

We were not drawn into spending money we hadn't at that time got on a player like Traore because that would have been the road to where wolves are starting to realise is not solid defendable ground. That is entirely attributable to our manager, and I hope some of his half witted critics will now have the good grace to admit it on his birthday !

Anyway, I think we're 14th now , with a much more disciplined and battle hardened force than we started with. They've had their baptism of fire and survived it.

I'm starting to wonder then, whether my original prediction that we'd finish about tenth was wrong. We could be a bit higher I suppose, so do you think I was a bit over cautious in saying that ?

that was a very enjoyable read well done butty

For what it's worth. I find it laughable when fans of sides such as Fulham brand us poor. We aren't poor. we are a good team. We are just in a league containing a lot of good sides. In years gone by when sides go down playing badly that's a fair assessment. But we aren't playing badly at all. We may not have the quality that others have. But we don't give up and get smashed because the players can't be bothered. Much of that is down to Warnock who has assembled a squad of honest 100% players that work for each orher, for us and for him.