Away dayers Stu hall gives us his thoughts on Wolves draw yesterday against QPR.
When Sky decided that yet again we should be broadcast to the nation in London at 12.30pm, I really did think it would be a bad day all round.
Usually a poor performance can be taken on the chin as part of an overall good day out but waking up at 5.30am to get ready for a 3 hour coach journey is a special kind of torture.
But no, Wolves actually came through and in the 2nd half especially, actually looked like an exciting team to watch again at times.
Thanks in no small part to the much maligned Rajiv Van La Parra who was not only Wolves man of the match, but the most impressive player on the entire pitch.
No this isn’t a spelling mistake or a cut and paste gone wrong, a player who has been relatively useless for 95% of his Wolves career has actually found some form on his return from Brighton, to actually now look like our best chance of success.
It is a remarkable turnaround and one that maybe gives them faint play off chances credence.
Not that it looked anything like this shortly after kick off with QPR taking the lead after just 2 minutes played.
A bog standard ball into the box from Phillips from the left was met by the head of Polter, sporting a very strange man bun it has to be said, who guided the ball into the net with Ebanks-Landell left looking on.
Things didn’t really improve either as QPR dominated the half with Wolves having a low cross from VLP cleared from inside the 6 yard box, as the only really attack of note barring one Edwards header which Smithies dealt with comfortably.
The half time whistle seemed to take an age to arrive and when it did it was more a sense of relief that the score was only 1-0.
All that soon changed though as 3 minutes into the 2nd half as James Henry shooting from range paid off with what seemed like 2 deflections leaving the keeper with no chance as the ball crawled over the line.
With that, Wolves looked a different side. All of a sudden there was a willingness to go forward and actually pass to each other rather than just hoofing it up the field.
There only looked like winner from this point on with Edwards finding himself with headed chances from balls into th box from both flanks.
The first from the left he didn’t connect well enough with to cause any danger but the 2nd from a brilliant VLP cross bought the save of the match out of Smithies, finger tipped to safety.
In the dying minutes though it could have been very different.
Chery found himself with a free shot on goal from 16 yards out from a pull back from fellow substitute Washington.
With just Ikeme to beat, he somehow managed to hit the post with the ball ricocheting back out.
It would have been unfair on such a spirited Wolves display, especially as there seemed to be legitimate penalty claims against Hall, who did seem to move his arm towards the ball rather than the other way around.
In truth though a draw was a fair and decent result but now the hard work starts for Wolves hierarchy.
With the uncertainty over the ownership issue and having a windfall of between £6-8m from the Afobe sale, transfers need to happen.
There is no game no before the close of the window so there is absolutely no excuse for incomings this time.
There are holes in defence with Batth again looking suspect, there is no cover on the wings and absolutely no striker of note or fitness to score the goals needed.
With people like former Wolves academy player Sam Winnall scoring a hat trick for Barnsley in league one and being in brilliant form anyway despite this, there are players out there who wouldn’t cost the earth to acquire surely?
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