Fifty four seconds was all it took to undo all our recent good work on Saturday night down at Vicarage Road, writes Wolves blogger Nathan Lloyd.
Leigh Bromby’s long throwing capabilities were reminiscent of Jay Jay Okocha or Dave Challinor from a few years back or perhaps even our own Lee Naylor?
The ridiculous goal that saw both Darren Ward and in particular Michael Gray flat footed, left us with a mountain to climb for the remaining 89 minutes at Vicarage Road.
On a terrible pitch and with Watford’s solid defence, all our huffing and puffing never really seriously threatened Richard Lee’s goal.
Although we had the lion’s share of possession, we really struggled to find any craft or ingenuity in the final third to unlock the Watford defence.
Mick hit the nail on the head when he said we really were carrying too many passengers. Too many players had poor games.
3-0 was however a very flattering scoreline for Watford. Wolves bossed the first half and then ran out of steam in the 2nd, very similar to our performance against Sheff Wed, but this time with a much different outcome.
On the evening we lost to Watford, I was reading one of the many newspaper pullouts on tomorrow’s 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster.
When you read about 23 people who lost their lives that day, including 8 United players, it kind of puts losing to Watford into perspective.
And closer to home, and embarrassing to see, was the E&S video which highlighted the state of the Duncan Edwards statue that sits proudly in Dudley town centre.
It made me want to grab the bucket and sponge and head down there to clean him myself.
With the 50th anniversary approaching, you would have thought somebody at the Dudley council might have had the intelligent to realise that with all the media focus, now would have been a good time to spruce it up?
Sir Bobby Charlton described “big Dunc” as his hero and said that he never saw a better player in football.
The Munich anniversary reminded me of the famous Bill Shankly monologue, “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I’m very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”
With the anniversary upon us, I wouldn’t really echo those sentiments myself.
Although Shankly came from a more innocent time, surely modern events would render his words foolish and archaic?
But Shankly did live through some pretty bleak times himself.
He lived through the death of the Celtic goalkeeper John Thomson, diving at the feet of a Rangers forward, in 1931. He lived through the Burnden Park disaster of 1946 and the Ibrox disaster of 1971.
He was intimately aware of the terrible injury sustained by Sheffield Wednesday’s Derek Dooley playing at Preston and the near fatal collision Manchester City’s Bert Trautmann suffered in the 1956 cup final at Wembley.
Not to mention the Munich air disaster of 1958.
Shankly understood full well that football and tragedy can never be wholly separated, but he never lost his belief that football was the most important thing. That through the hard times the game of football must come out at the other side and carry on regardless.
So although I will never agree wholly with Shankly’s bold statement, I think his underlying sentiment is that whatever knocks the game receive, the important thing is that it carries on so that millions of other people can learn to play, watch, discuss and love the game as he did.
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30 Comments
Things are very different within the game now!
Gone are the days when fans could identify with the players and club and also the players with the fans.
Todays players are aloof from all that they don’t come from the community and they don’t mix with the community. How can there be any real interest from a player who hails from the middle of Africa for a small city in the west midlands for instance.
It is times like this when I realize that the game as a whole has lost it’s passion and feeling. I somehow doubt that we will ever see the likes of shankly, Busby, or Cullis again.
Although when I watch todays premiership teams I can see that they are far superior to the teams of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s I would still bring those days back without hesitation.
Local teams, local heros and 3pm kick off every Saturday for everybody!
Oh, and no bloody PA systems or half time entertainment!
As a Wolves supporter who saw his first match in 1954 may I say how much I agree with abdonwolf. A great blog.
The game has lost it’s soul. Money is God.
you used to be able to get some half time scores a few years back
now we have to watch moxey try to play golf, people running in between sticks, a fake wall put up or if we lucky enough an inflatable football which barely fits in the goal
please bring back the scores at half time
Look on the bright side at least you havnent got to hear that the Albion arent winning at half time every week!!!!!
Why are we talking about things other than the Wolves?
Disappointing blog.
Good blog Nath!
Lets be honest, football isn’t about life and death.
If the Wolves lose I’m gutted by I don’t feel the urge to hurt someone else or kick the dog.
Thought provoking blog!
4. we8wba
I agree that all the halftime nonsense should be binned, but the halftime scores do always get read out. Your probably missing it buying your 4th pie of the game!
I agree with the posts about the senseless half time entertainments that are occasionally amusing when they are first tried then become boring very quickly. People are interested in half time scores and rather than give a rushed run down of the scores maybe more of a focus could be given to them with goalscorers and other issues from the games reported as well.
Rather than invest in the equipment used in the half time entertainment maybe the club could get more staff on the bars and cafes so that it is possible to get some food and drink before the 2nd half starts.
And why do we have to have some guy screaming into a microphone, trying to whip up some atmosphere?
25000+ crowds can create a fantastic atmosphere all by themselves. Clubs are trying to inflict American style ‘entertainment’ on the game.
I fear that in 10 years time we will be playing the game with four quarters and watching football teams will be like watching the Harlem Globe Trotters!
We will soon have a McEducation, do you think we will soon be watching McSoccer too?
Interesting blog Nathan but without wanting to show any disrespect to the Munich guys and the statue, shouldn’t this be more about our beloved Wolves and less about social issues?!?
NathanWolves (12)
Wash your mouth out son!
Your namesake was drawing a comparison between the lows of losing a football games to the real lows that confront us in every day life.
What is more relevant this week than Munich? And what could we say about the Wolves that hasn’t been said already?
Well if you go back to Nathans blog of last week, he got annilahated by his own set of fans, maybe just a little contribution into why he has taken a different road this weekend.
Anyway, i think it was a timely and interesting blog Nathan. IMO
In 1958 I was 12 years old a born and bred yorkshire lad and with a Sedgely grandad it was inevitable that I would always be a Wolves fan. But I cried that day on the 6th Feb it was such a terrible loss. In those wonderful bygones days we WWFC were bigger and better than Man U but today they have as they have always had a special place in my heart, except when they played the Wolves of course. To begin to even compare those wonderful footballers who played for the love of the game and their club with most of the overated, overpaid pillocks of today is to do them such a diservice. Brian Clough god bless him once said TV and its money would ruin football and he was right, it has and it has lost its soul and connection with the people who matter most the supporters.
Nice tribute Nathan but I fear you were detracting us all from a very very dismal and unacceptable performance at Watford.
13 KateMoss Moxey - Maybe nothing is more relevant then Munich this week, but is the Wolves blog the most appropriate place to write about it? Is the sentiments quoted in the blog just a way to him saying “at least we still have our health regardless of the wolves result - luck on the bright side etc”.
(I am not being disrespectful towards Munich, maybe it should have been a seperate blog that’s all!)
As for what more can be said about the wolves………well maybe start off by talking about how we are going to put it right on Saturday against a team that will play a similar style to Watford!
With hooliganism at a relative low, policing/ground stewards doing a fantastic job, the banning of smoking & the raised safety aspects of modern grounds,I would like to see the re-introduction of standing areas at football stadia.
Prior to the rebuilding of Molyneux (thanks Sir Jack)the South Bank WAS the largest standing terrace in the Country.
remember those halcyon days when the club sold more than 10 balti pies at half time, and that you would get served a pint before the restart…
neither do i.
18 luckywaster:
I can remember having a Bovril with my pie.
The secret is to sneak out 3 or so mins BEFORE half time.
My brother n dad support United. Im a wolves fan.
For a left wing back, Edwards goal scorin record was phenonimal !!
And the state of his statue is basically what the west midlands is all about. Massive S?@t Hole !!
Why shud nathan do a blog on wolves after there dire beformance in watford satday?
Bottom line is this week. Munich 58 is the most important thing.
I can just see those city idiots ruining it at old trafford on sunday
Cmooonn Youuuu Wolveessss x
kent wolf.
i HAVE to stay till the h/t whistle…you never know what’s gonna happen during this golden era of attacking. im not missing the chance of witnessing a guinness record number of punts upfield just for an overpriced pint of carling!!
ps never liked bovril..eughh.
Great blog. This week 50 years ago saw the greatest disaster in English football, like Man U or not this was a human tragedy. Wolves losing, baggies winning or whatever is surely overshadowed by the events of that terrible night. If you as football fan cant get emotional over that then there is no hope for you.
11 abdonwolf;
Exactly!
Before a match, he says ‘if we win today, we can go…’ & ‘we’ve been on good form of late, lets make sure this continues!’
Surely thats just putting unneccesary pressure on the players.
22. Couldn’t agree more
Good blog Nat. Some perspective very welcome.
Good timely blog, Nathan. I love a couple of things more than Wolves and I love football as much as I do my team. My family have been and are Wulfrunian going back hundreds of years. My uncle played for them during and after the war years.My blood is black and gold. I was 11 when the Munich disaster happened and remember the great upset all fans felt in the days before fans’ bias and prejudice was worked up into haterd with the assistance of much of the media. I can remember wolves crowds clapping players such as Greaves and his like when they showed great skill. I cannot and will not hate the Baggies and wish them well. They are the best team in the division. Football is a game to be enjoyed and, at times, endured. We were the best team around in the fifties despite what Bobby Charlton says but MU were also a great team full of great lads. Those of us with minds of our own who do not climb up on the `hate` waggon will be thinking of those MU players no matter how much we dislike the modern corporate MUL Ltd and their like who have destroyed the true competitiveness of the top divisions.
WHAT A DISAPOINTING RESULT AT WATFORD REALLY MUST GET A COMPETENT
MIDDLE DEFENDER ON LOAN THE PRESENT
LOT MAKE A MISTAKE EVERY MATCH
RESULTING IN A GOAL AGAINST
Sorry Natham but I just cannot agree about the timing of this blog, bit like the labour party put out other news to detract from the dire running of the country.
At the moment Wolves are in a dire state of condition, like it or not fellow fans we deserve better than this diabolical display from the worst team ever to don the gold and black. Our Jan signings, minus two, have been attrocious. The football has been non existant, and to get excited about beating two bottom teams and a lower leauge team has me dumbfounded. Where is your passion and pride Wolves fans why oh why can we not demand better without being berated? Would the Man U’s accept this, I doubt it….
I am in the process of setting up a website to petition mighty muppet OUT… Details to follow next few days…. You lot can berate me all you like but now is the time for action.. IF THE E&S ALLOW THIS TO BE POSTED let me know your feelings
KentWolf 17 I could not agree more about the standing issue The first way for the the real fans to reclaim the game is to campaign for the reintroduction of terracing,better atmosphere and lower prices!
9 - they read it out if we lucky when they come back out, they rush the results, they bang them on big screen but if you blink they gone! Thats if the big screens are even working! i know several games they havnt read the scores out! and no i sit in stand at half time not underneath
how about saying the half time scores at start half time or putting soccer saturday on sky like reading do at there ground
You cant read out the halftime scores at the beggining of half time because not all scores are in when the whistle blows for instance if we have 1 minute of stoppage time and and another team kick off a couple minutes late and then have 4 minutes stoppages on top of that?