Wolves fans fearing relegation after another defeat

Heather Large

What's your verdict on the match? The new manager's first home game and the club celebrating two Wolves greats - it should have been a memorable day.

And it was. But not for the right reason. It has to be one of the worst performances at Molineux for some time. Completely uninspiring and lifeless.

I thought the Blackburn game last season was bad but I just can't think of anything positive to say about yesterday other than the inevitable 'at least it was only 2-0'.

I saw very little if any improvement on how we had played against Leeds and Norwich and I actually thought we were better against Derby because at least then we showed a bit of fight.

For the most part it feels like we're watching the same game again and again and again.

We still have serious issues at the back - nothing new there - and we have neither the strength nor the spark when attacking that we need to get results.

We now seem devoid of any team spirit - you would have thought a new head coach coming in would have shaken things up and boosted their confidence but it's not happened yet.

I usually try to be an optimist but I just can't see how Lambert is going to turn this around in time to avoid the drop. League One is calling and loudly.

Who played well - and who didn't impress? I can't think of one player who deserves to be singled out for praise because the whole team was incredibly poor.

Rob Cartwright

What's your verdict on the match? Well, two games into the job and I have concerns over whether Lambert is the right man for us. I'm not impressed with his team selection, his subs, or his tactics. If he has a game plan, I'm finding it hard to fathom.

Wolves have a tradition of attacking with wingers. We have wingers in the squad, yet we are not utilising them. We are playing very narrow when we do not have midfielders with the toughness or quality to play that role.

I know he's only worked with the squad for three weeks, but I expected more, even at this point. Let's be honest, in the two games we have shown no spark, scored no goals and shown little creativity.

You have to be concerned when he picks Saville again, after his Preston display, and gets exactly the same from him! Surprise.

I have no doubt that Dicko and Cavaleiro should have started this match. Why persevere with a forward who has not scored for 15 games? Not all his fault. Bodvarsson does not suit this formation, he's hardly wasting chances, but I fail to see what he is actually contributing.

From the moment the penalty went in, heads dropped and you could see any confidence we had drain rapidly. Everyone knows Forestieri goes down easily. Everyone except Doherty it seems. Why challenge him when he had his back to goal? It was a foul. Doherty played the next 80 minutes with legs of lead, incapable of timing a tackle.

This team were showing all the signs of a relegation team: No guile, no battle, no skill, no idea.

Who played well - and who didn't impress? We were lightweight, all over the park. Stearman played like someone who hadn't played for weeks! Hause/Iorfa were both fragile, as if expecting their next blunder at any moment.

Coady/Edwards/Costa/Texeira had no impact Price was the only midfielder to do his job, he can't do it all on his own.

Dicko replaced Saville 45 minutes later than he should have. He gets my man of the match for his energy and for giving me some hope. Bodvarsson looks unlikely to score ever again.

The fact is, in the four games since Walter was axed, we have been worse than the four before he left. Its a shambles and it's time those responsible were held accountable.

Chris Hughes

What's your verdict on the match? The more things change, the more they stay the same.

A home debut for Paul Lambert as the new man in charge played out in a largely familiar manner to the Molineux performances of both Zenga and Edwards before him.

A goal down within the first 15 minutes again, thanks to a ridiculous challenge from Doherty that gave Wednesday the chance to lead from the spot, before a combination of an under-hit Iorfa pass, a flat-footed Stearman and a slow-to-react Lonergan allowed Wednesday to double the lead and give us another mountain to climb.

Lambert said after the game he was surprised by the defensive mistakes. Give him three more games and 'surprise' will give way to expectation.

To solely blame the defence would be an injustice though. This game was lost because we have a chronic inability to retain possession and attack with any menace.

Too often our back four had no option to pass into midfield and had to resort to long balls up towards Bodvarsson, where possession was given up and Wednesday were able to start attacking again.

Lambert will obviously be trying to find out what different squad members have to offer but it was painful to see Saville being used as a winger by another manager. You have to wonder how bad our natural wide-men perform in training to be overlooked for a one-paced plodder.

Talk of a play-off push upon arrival was replaced by the acceptance that we're in a relegation battle in Lambert's post-match interviews.

It seems it's taken him just a fortnight of training and two matches to realise that, despite a squad that's "far too big", we're unable to cobble together 11 that are capable of producing a performance.

Who played well - and who didn't impress? Other than the lively Costa there wasn't a player in our side who looked comfortable in having the ball at their feet and trying to beat an opponent.

Peter Abbott (London Wolves)

What's your verdict on the match? Wolves should at the very least have been tough defensively with a new manager knowing this level, however after a lively attacking start (Edwards twice the furthest forward) we slipped back to familiar individual errors and two of these quickly undid us.

From a losing position we eventually paired Cavaleiro and Dicko - why not starters? Too little too late apart from one glaring Cavaleiro miss.

Two months without a win, early goals against (apart from last weekend), individual errors, the picture paints itself. Sad to say we look a poor side at the moment.

Who played well - and who didn't impress? In midfield I thought Price and Coady, apart from one glorious chance which ended with a poor finish, were largely anonymous, Costa tried in vain to prise some openings and Saville seemed too wide to be of great use.

Sarah Connolly

What's your verdict on the match? Void of ideas, void of creativity, void of a goal threat, void of a backbone...

The problem with yesterday is that the only positive I can think of is that Sheffield Wednesday didn't move out of second gear, or it could have been worse.

At the moment, we have problems in all three areas of the pitch. With no credible goal threat, a midfield that can't create and a toothless and leaky defence, we've got serious, serious problems and I can't see where the next win comes from.

Until January comes however, I can't see a quick fix. We need experience in all key areas and that is a serious concern. Too many individual mistakes and no sense of a team spirit is killing us.

Oh how I miss the days of having good partnerships across the park. I can't name a single partnership out there now. Even if we fielded what most would consider our 'strongest' team (i.e. Cavaleiro), I can't see where there is effective partnerships to push us forward.

Paul Lambert has some serious work to do. He's only two games in, and we at least have the January window to come. A lot of old dead wood needs to be cleared out, and I'm sure a lot of fans would agree on the same names for that; Saville, Coady, Evans to name a few. Once that happens and Lambert has a chance to build his own team, we have a chance of escaping a relegation battle.

The only problem is, once you have the mentality of 'relegation battle', it becomes an uphill battle that's hard to conquer.

Having been fortunate enough to have met with Lambert and chat about his plans, I'm confident he knows what he needs to do to turn this around.

However, I have a feeling this will be a very bumpy ride until January. Until then we need to focus on keeping it right at the back and hoping to nick a goal. For me, I'd maybe give more of the U23s a game. We have some serious talent down there and I can't see them doing any worse.

January is insanely important. Get that transfer window wrong, and quite frankly, we better be ready for another League One tour. Over to you, Fosun.

Who played well - and who didn't impress? I can't pick someone who played particularly well. We are slowly destroying Bodvarsson by leaving him isolated up top, Costa is working on his own in the middle to try and create, and Edwards does a lot of running but to no avail.

Hause and Iorfa look shadows of the players they looked so promising of becoming. Too many individual mistakes at the back. I could go on...

All had a poor game yesterday, it's as simple as that.

Russ Cockburn

What's your verdict on the match? Only Wolves could be taken over by billionaire owners and turn 'new manager bounce' into a relegation fight…think we've found the 'Wolves Way' Morgan and Moxey were elusively trying to capture.

Looking at yesterday there is a real sense of desperation both on and off the pitch. The defence is collectively shot and averages about eight mistakes a game, the midfield has less creativity than a Honey G performance and up front we are looking toothless. It's looking as bleak as a night out in Walsall.

If Lambert didn't fully know the task ahead of him he will now.

Lonergan is a decent shot stopper, but wouldn't look out of place on a rugby pitch with his ability to find touch every five minutes.

Iorfa had the type of game where his mom would put him up for adoption and Hause continues to look like a mistake is only a few seconds away.

They would naturally benefit with more experience next to them and a defender who is actually in form…we've got none of those. Stearman looks like he left his pace in Putney and Doherty's form has dipped the minute he put his gloves back on. No surprise Danny Batth had his best game in ages...

The surprising inclusion of Saville did what we all expected...NOTHING. And a midfield trio of Price/Coady/Edwards will always lack creativity and the ability to dictate the game.

On an upside Super Dave added a new arm movement/pointing to his game, a sort of tap to your head and then a bit of a jig. Impressive, shame it makes absolutely no difference to the fact he can't pass more than six yards.

Costa had the temerity to actually beat a few players and was rightly dragged off for showing some ambition. Then we have Bodvarsson. It looks like the Wolves curse of turning decent players into crap ones has taken three months. He looks a pale shadow of the player we saw in August.

The structure of the team isn't helping and he often finds himself isolated or chasing down mis-hit passes from his colleagues. However, he's also not getting himself into the right position to score and this is very worrying. I'm even getting to the stage where I'd consider doing the 'Clap' if it meant we'd actually took three points.

Dicko has to start next game. He made a difference when he came on, although you can tell he needs one to go in off his arse or an instinctive finish to get him back to the old centre forward we know and love.

I'd also start Cav next game. Yes, he missed two chances, but at least he was in the right positions and looks like he wants to create something. If you're going to persist with those three as your midfield axis (which I'm guessing he will) you need a threat on either side to stretch the play.

Four home losses on the bounce, no win since September 24th, a defence that can't defend, a midfield that doesn't create and a strikeforce that would struggle to score down Steelhouse Lane.

I have no confidence in us getting anything against QPR, even with oddball Holloway in charge.

Who played well - and who didn't impress? Nobody. I'd probably give Coady a poor man's MOTM, due to one second of inspiration when he flicked the ball over the defender's head. What followed sums us up perfectly.

It was clear that he had no idea what he had just done and what to do next and a dribble of a snatched shot followed. Compare that to Wednesday's second goal and you can tell how far we're behind play-off contenders.

Fair play to the additional fans who turned up. Now you know what the rest of us who turn up every week have to put up with, not pretty is it?

Russ Evers (Hatherton Wolves)

What's your verdict on the match? The season of goodwill came early for Sheffield Wednesday as two more ridiculous defensive errors gifted them a half time lead we were never going to recover from.

Playing one up front in front of 27,219 fans borders on the criminal especially when the midfield is simply incapable of support.

And £7m bought us a striker who has warmed the bench for the majority of the season. If you cant hit the target from three yards then it's not hard to see why.

Why does every forward pass have to be four foot off the floor causing the (usually) sole attacker to have to turn and face the supplier and then try and control the pass> Quite frankly at the moment this is very poor and it is not as if we are sleepwalking into it - we are staring it in the face. Play two up front and go for it, end of.

Who played well - and who didn't impress? The most worrying statistic i have heard this season is that in 2016 our leading scorer is Saville, who would not be selected for a place in the first 11 by 95 per cent of the home crowd.