Wolves FancastWolves FancastWolves FancastWolves Fancast
  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
  • PODCASTS
  • BLOGS
  • Video Content
  • CONTACT US
  • SHOP

Wolves Pop Their Cherries

    Home Blogs Wolves Pop Their Cherries
    NextPrevious

    Wolves Pop Their Cherries

    By Gully Kular | Blogs, Gulraj Kular | 0 comment | 24 November, 2019 | 0
    Images: Twitter – @OfficialFPL

    Wolves returned to Premier League action against Bournemouth on Saturday, but continued their strong form with another three points. It wasn’t without it’s challenges though and Gully Kular sifts through the 90 minutes.

    A welcome return to domestic action. The frequency of international breaks can be a frustrating thing, most certainly when likely to disrupt a good run of form, such as the one we’ve been on.

    We’ve gotten used to our players being summoned to all corners of the globe now, but Nuno makes it abundantly clear the anxiety this gives him. The perils of working with a rather concentrated squad.

    We were also faced with the prospect of Bournemouth away immediately after the break.

    To say Dean Court/The Vitality Stadium hasn’t been a happy hunting ground in recent years would be an understatement.

    Frankly, aside from a rather comfortable 2-0 victory at Molineux last season, there’s been very little to enjoy about playing plucky little Bournemouth.

    Let’s just say the team in red and black have enjoyed the rub of the green, or rather the rub of the genie in the lamp known as the referee.

    It feels an age since we tasted victory over Aston Villa, but as stated we’re in a good run of form since a positive switch in formation released the shackles of our forward line in particular.

    Here, each of the front three had a significant impact on the game. Eddie Howe, in his infinite wisdom, decided to match up Wolves’ formation, dragging in the long-serving Simon Francis after what can only be described as an eternity after his last Premier League start.

    Both decisions would ultimately prove fatal for the Bournemouth boss.

    Nuno and his coaching staff have been working with the Wolves shape since they arrived at the club, a system which is ingrained into the bone structure, the muscle memory of the Wolves players.

    A 4-4-2 Bournemouth side with an underused club captain wheeled-out for action were ripe for the picking – and so it proved for the first 45 minutes.

    Wolves were as close to rampant as we could expect away from home, consistently turning the Bournemouth defence and making in-roads through Adama Traore and Diogo Jota.

    It was the latter who induced the first major incident in the half, drawing the aforementioned Francis into a clumsy challenge on the far edge of the penalty area, the challenge of a man chugging away in an effort to keep up with the sprightly forward.

    What happened next was simply sumptuous.

    It remains to be seen what Joao Moutinho will do post his playing days.

    By the end of this day, he’d have legitimate rights to add ‘scriptwriting’ to his CV amongst his large repertoire of skills. Filing it below set pieces would be a nice way to have done it.

    A day that began with him putting pen to paper on a contract extension, featured a wonderful, dipping, arcing free kick and some quick thinking off another set piece, before the announcement of that new deal in the aftermath of another Premier League victory. I think you can call that a good day’s work.

    I’ll let everyone else fill in the column inches on Moutinho’s importance to the team, but let it be known that he can only be described as one of the best in the division at this moment in time.

    At which point, I feel it necessary to commend a figure I would very rarely comment upon – the referee..

    We’ve had our fair share of run-ins with Bournemouth and officials over the past few years, to the point where the Cherries have developed a reputation – deservedly, in my eyes – for engineering situations in order for opposition teams to suffer at the hands of the law.

    Over the course of the first half, Bournemouth were repeatedly giving away fouls, but Simon Hooper was ready when required, with card in hand to dish out the punishment, with Simon Francis receiving it in the capital form.

    There pretty much ended a half in which Wolves had played some of their best football this season. It was an ideal scenario heading into the break, for every reason except the fact this is Wolves and we just cannot be relied upon to comfortably see out/press home this kind of advantage.

    In a way, this forced Howe to revert to type and with a chance to remove one of his cautioned players in Phil Billing, he reinforced with players who by the end of the game can rightfully claim to start their next game in Arnaut Danjuma and Jefferson Lerma, who probably would’ve started had it not been for the travel he’d endured (although Raul Jimenez didn’t seem to struggle with that…).

    It’s too simplistic to suggest we were complacent, but you have to expect some kind of reaction from a team who had nothing to lose in the next 45 minutes.

    This is perhaps where there was a tinge of disappointment from my perspective. It could all have been very different though.

    The subject of VAR isn’t one I’ve wanted to delve into – there are plenty of opinions elsewhere for you to engage with. But yesterday another of the issues VAR brings with it was laid bare.

    Diogo Jota’s disallowed goal, without VAR, would have been a sore point, but the referees would have received the brunt of the criticism. The referees now have a tool to help them make such decisions though and the fact is they didn’t apply VAR correctly at all. Maybe it’s a reflex action from assistant referees, but they have been advised to allow play to continue and raise any flags they think necessary once play has concluded.

    Here, the flag was raised to early and the whistle blown too soon, for a call that was so marginal, that the naked eye simply couldn’t make the decision. I’ve long held the belief that marginal offside calls have been ‘hunches’ and ‘a feeling’ that the player is offside, simply because the quickness of movement is often beyond human comprehension to an exact science. That’s not a criticism of linesmen: it’s just a fact.

    So why not just allow the technology to make the decision? At least then we can’t argue with it.

    Any who, we managed to prevail in the end, despite some unnecessary nerves.

    We lie 5th in the table after the weekend’s results, a position that seemed way beyond us at one point, a time when we were happy enjoying the rollercoaster of Europe while accepting a top ten finish would be an amazing achievement.

    Why does everyone seem to think that this is beyond our capability? If there’s one thing to take from the fact we’ref fifth in the league at this point, it’s that this league is not to be feared.

    The mass congestion in the middle portion of the table is there to be taken charge of, with a ‘favourable’ run of fixtures in the offing and our best players running into an excellent spell of form.

    So don’t be afraid of dreaming bigger – another European spot is within our grasp.

    Gully Kular
    Musings from Molineux
    Twitter: @molineuxmusings
    Facebook: Musings from Molineux

    Listen to the latest episodes of Wolves Fancast…

    Adama Traore, Bournemouth, Joao Moutinho, Premier League, Raul Jimenez, VAR, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Wolves, WWFC

    Gully Kular

    More posts by Gully Kular

    Related Post

    • It’s time for Wolves to start fulfilling their potential

      By David Evans | 0 comment

      Image via sport.netIt’s nice when Wolves get gushed over in the media, says Wolves Fancast host David Evans.Following Wolves’ 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Molineux, you would be forgiven to think that it was WolvesRead more

    • No Saville’s or Holt’s | My Wolves Decade XI

      By Edward Marshall | 0 comment

      Image via WikipediaEveryone has their team of the decade. Ed Marshall kicks us off with his selection of his Wolves XI of 2010-2019.As we move into a new decade the guys at Wolves Fancast areRead more

    • The Social Media Derby. Wolves Outclass Aston Villa.

      By Gully Kular | 0 comment

      Image: Twitter @premierleagueThe first Midlands Derby for over a year ended positively for Wolves, but did it ever really feel like one? Gully Kular of Musings from Molineux didn’t think so.Is it just me, orRead more

    • Vote for the Wolves Fancast Player Of The Season 2018/19

      By David Evans | 0 comment

      It’s that time again. What a fantastic season it has been. Wins against the top 6. Struggling against the bottom 6. Last minute goals. Stellar performances and an actual cup run (just don’t mention theRead more

    • Adama Traore announcing himself to the Premier League in a 2-0 win away to Man City

      Adama Traore for the Wolves Fancast POTS Award 2019/20

      By Rye Hoops | 0 comment

      Image via football365Adama Traore and the narrative power shift.When tasked with describing Adama Traore as a nominee for the Wolves Fancast Player of the Season Award, and his footballing attributes, be it a fan ofRead more

    Leave a Comment

    Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    NextPrevious

    Recent Posts

    • The Impossible Job…Except For Those That Pursue It
    • In Defence of Bruno
    • Hwang Hee Chan: The new Bull
    • Oh Adama Traore
    • Bruno Ball: Initial Thoughts on how Wolves have played under Bruno Lage

    Recent Comments

      Archives

      • March 2023
      • December 2021
      • September 2021
      • August 2021
      • July 2021
      • June 2021
      • May 2021
      • January 2021
      • December 2020
      • November 2020
      • September 2020
      • August 2020
      • July 2020
      • May 2020
      • April 2020
      • February 2020
      • January 2020
      • December 2019
      • November 2019
      • October 2019
      • September 2019
      • July 2019
      • June 2019
      • May 2019
      • April 2019
      • March 2019
      • February 2019
      • November 2018
      • October 2018
      • September 2018
      • August 2018
      • July 2018
      • June 2018
      • May 2018
      • April 2018
      • March 2018
      • February 2018
      • January 2018
      • December 2017
      • November 2017
      • October 2017
      • September 2017
      • August 2017
      • July 2017
      • June 2017
      • April 2017
      • March 2017
      • January 2017
      • December 2016
      • November 2016
      • October 2016
      • August 2016
      • July 2016
      • June 2016
      • May 2016
      • April 2016
      • March 2016
      • February 2016
      • January 2016
      • December 2015
      • November 2015
      • October 2015
      • September 2015
      • August 2015
      • July 2015
      • June 2015
      • May 2015
      • April 2015
      • March 2015
      • February 2015
      • January 2015
      • December 2014
      • November 2014
      • October 2014

      Categories

      • Alex Richards
      • Andy Gillard
      • April 2015
      • August 2015
      • August 2017
      • Ben Husband
      • Billy Price
      • Blogs
      • Charlie Meyler
      • Compton Stars
      • Craig Talbot
      • Dan Butler
      • Dan Jones
      • Daniel Hall
      • Daniel Sherriff
      • David Evans
      • David Handley
      • December 2014
      • Edward Marshall
      • FA Cup
      • fancast advent
      • Fancast Debate
      • fancast flutter
      • February 2015
      • February 2016
      • February 2018
      • Graham Large
      • Guest bloggers
      • Gulraj Kular
      • Jake Howard
      • Jamie Allen
      • Jan Hogen
      • January 2015
      • January 2016
      • January 2018
      • Joe Hill
      • Joe Williams
      • Josh Lemans
      • Luke Regan
      • March 2015
      • Match Previews
      • Match reports
      • Matt Cooper
      • Matt Guy
      • May 2015
      • Michael Spencer
      • News
      • NIck Perkins
      • November 2014
      • November 2015
      • November 2017
      • October 2017
      • Oliver Floyd
      • Ollie Lewis
      • Paul Berry
      • Premier League
      • Richard Hobbs
      • Ross Watson
      • Ryan Plant
      • Rye Hoops
      • Sam Astley
      • Sam Lamberth
      • Sam Murphy
      • Sam Pickering
      • September 2015
      • September 2017
      • Stu Hall
      • Stu Hawk
      • Tom Bason
      • Tom Tracey
      • Uncategorised
      • Uncategorized
      • Wolves Analytics

      Meta

      • Log in
      • Entries feed
      • Comments feed
      • WordPress.org
      • PRIVACY POLICY
      • COOKIE POLICY
      • CONTACT US
      Copyright 2020 | Website designed & Sponsored by Pixel Yeti Media
      • HOME
        • ABOUT US
      • BLOGS
      • PODCASTS
      • Video Content
      • CONTACT US
      • SHOP
      • PRIVACY POLICY
        • Cookie Policy
      Wolves Fancast

      We use cookies to give you the best experience on our website. Learn more about the cookies we use and how to control them here.

      You can control certain cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

      wolves football fancast
      Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
      Privacy Overview

      This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

      Strictly Necessary Cookies

      Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

      If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

      3rd Party Cookies

      This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

      Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

      Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!

      Cookie Policy

      You can find out more information about our Cookie Policy.