Wolves Fans' Verdict v Sheffield Wednesday

Rob Cartwright

What's your verdict on the match? Another horrendous journey to Sheffield thanks to our national car parks the M42 and M1. Thankfully, a much better result making the journey home a delight!

It was a poor game with neither keeper having much to do. Who cares?

Another away win, a couple of records broken and top of the league for Christmas. Thank you Santa Nuno.

Team selection over Christmas will be an interesting dilemma; a few of them have looked jaded over the last two and a half games, yet they keep getting results and don’t look like conceding any goals soon.

Wolves started well. My frustration is that we are moving the ball around too slowly, especially on the offensive and opponents are getting high numbers behind the ball. This is a marked change to the play against Villa and Leeds, for example.

Sheffield enjoyed lots of possession, but they were creating very little with our defence dealing with everything they could offer. They had decided Vinagre was the weak link and attacked mostly down the left side. He stood up well to the test.

Sheffield missed the first real chance on 20 minutes, shooting wide.

The King Neves showed them how it should be done, 14 minutes later, with a 20-yard shot with ‘class’ written all over it. He simply passed the ball into the corner of the net, through the over crowded box following a clearance from a wolves free kick. It was pinpoint accuracy usually seen on a snooker table.

A goal worthy of winning the game, for sure.

Nuno responded to Sheffield subs by bringing on Batth for Vinagre, in need of extra height for an inevitable aerial bombardment. It didn’t really materialise.

Costa replaced Bonatini who hadn’t really impacted. Cavaleiro played 90 minutes, again, though was replaced in added time.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? John Ruddy is becoming a spectator; he had very little to do,again.

Coady was class throughout and gave a real leaders performance encouraging, shouting and challenging his teammates throughout the game. Boly and Doherty had good games too. Bennett lost his cool having a constant battle with Rhodes.

Neves was the pick of the midfield with Jota and Saiss doing well.

Cavaleiro was involved a lot without achieving much and was caught offside too often. A quiet night from Bonatini.

Man of the match was Coady, for me, making it a happy return to Sheffield for him and us.

Natalie Wood

What's your verdict on the match? “Well it wasn’t pretty but it was effective"...a summary by a fan leaving the game just about summed it up. Compared to recent months the past few games have been disappointing but the results are still coming in.

First half was so scrappy that I think many of the away end were wondering why we had paid £33 each to in the freezing cold on a Friday night. There was a lack of intensity and creativity. In the first half hour Sheffield Wednesday were probably the better team, moving the ball well and bossing the midfield but even with their domination bar the one save Ruddy had to make they never really looked that threatening.

However after 30 minutes Wolves came alive, especially a certain Mr Neves who seemed like he had lost his way slightly recently. His goal was beautiful...if we are all being honest it probably shows why this guy too good to be in the Championship! Being so far away from the goal on the night, the away end probably didn’t fully appreciate how perfect it was at the time – pure talent! After that goal his confidence seemed to reappear, long beautiful passes started to return and he became the key man in the middle of the pitch again.

The rest of the first half went really without incident, you could feel Wolves starting the turn the screw and really take control. Only little bump was the seemingly unnecessary battle between Rhodes and Ryan Bennett – not quite sure what was going on in Bennett’s head and perhaps he was a lucky boy the ref didn’t see it all but it shouldn’t put a dampener on what was another solid performance by all at the back.

Second half again Wednesday started well but within 15 minutes their fire had well and truly been put out. There was still a lack of creativity but no doubt we were well in control and saw the game out quite comfortably.

I think if you had told Wolves fans at the end of last season we would be sitting nicely at the top of the league with 51 points (FIFTY ONE) they would have fallen off their chairs laughing but here we are! No doubt we have the talent and belief to keep this going but the performances of recent times are a bit worrying.

I think maybe a little shake up in the team might not be the worst thing just to get things kick started again. Costa always seems lively when he comes on so not sure it would do any harm giving him a little run during this busy period.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? There is no doubt our defence is an absolute class above most of this league (and most of the Premier League...) and Friday night just showed it. For me Conor Coady has been such an unsung hero this year, again another fantastic performance by the skipper.

Russ Evers (Hatherton Wolves)

What's your verdict on the match? A hard fought away win despite not firing on all cylinders.

This was won by the defence mainly who stole some Sheffield steel to add to moments of genuine brilliance especially the 25 yard pass in from Ruben Neves for the only goal.

We were far from our best but the intent was there even if the delivery was slightly off. Most of the passing was a yard too short or too long and some of the control was off but we ground out another result and displayed great team spirit throughout.

Twenty-two points from a possible 24 and moving further clear...and some still say Santo isn't real !

Clive Smith

What's your verdict on the match? The sparkle we had in November has not been seen this month, yet we have kept accumulating points – 51 from 22 games is a worthy achievement and all concerned deserve praise.

For much of the season it has been our attacking front three who have been the shining light within the side. Now though different elements of our skill set are seeing us through games.

Three of our old-school guys stood out. Coady continues to amaze, looking like the perfect central centre half-cum-sweeper. Doherty has energy and ability in the attacking half in abundance while Saiss has gone up several levels since last season. All three looked strong and capable at the final whistle while others, on both sides, looked to be flagging. Well done on a good shift guys.

For much of the game Sheff Wed played well. With more of a goal threat than Blues or Sunderland yet we still managed to protect our goal, dealing with crosses efficiently and keeping chances to a minimum.

A pretty even first half saw us leading thanks to a perfect pass into the net by Neves. Hit at pace with clinical accuracy. If only his regulation shots were as precise. It was about time he added to his goal tally, being out scored by Douglas and Boly did not look good on his CV.

Wednesday had wasted a chance from the edge of the box and Ruddy needlessly went walkabouts on a high cross, but those were the only moments of danger. Thankfully the Bennett and Rhodes battle did not leave us short handed.

After the break Wednesday looked more desperate to play in our half which opened the game up and provided more opportunities for us to add to our lead. Bonatini missed then created a chance within two seconds but otherwise our opportunities were wasted by poor decision making. Both Jota and Cav were at fault here while the best chance late on fell to Bennett who tried to pass with the goal almost at his mercy.

Our close control and quick feet were met with frustration leading to a topping up of yellow cards. Yet again we ended up playing 10 men although this had no affect on the final outcome.

Nuno sounded more happy and pleased in his post match interview than usual. Perhaps it is the string of winning clean sheets, which is an away record, that he liked so much. Fosun did come in and say they wanted to add to Wolves' history, well here is one small step.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? Except for one cross Ruddy's handling diffused several Wednesday attacks. Otherwise it was a regulation game for our keeper.

Vinagre, still only 18 remember, came in and did okay. He had less chance to overlap and get forward but equally looked better defensively.

Doherty is what Vinagre could be when he gets to be a bit older (25). You never used to expect players in his position to be box to box but that is how is playing right now.

Coady always looked 'in charge' at the back. Seeking out potential danger, sorting it, and starting the counter attack. He looks good , does not over complicate things and is not flashy. That mistake on his last visit to Sheffield was clearly a one-off.

Boly looked strong. Hugely impressive at times and just about managed to get away with the occasional carelessness. He made one brilliant clearance when an OG looked likely!

Bennett had his poorest game for us. He looked below par the whole game, both at centre back and wing back once Vinagre had been subbed.

Neves was able to be more creative than against Sunderland and we were better for that. Lovely goal.

Saiss was my man of the match. The longer the game went on the more he seemed to offer the side with or without he ball. Quite a tidy up, close down and put a foot in, sort of performance. Could have done better with a header to make it 2-0.

He linked up play well and his quick passing meant Wednesday had to work hard to get near the ball.

The front three all look like they could do with a rest frankly. They each did some good things but equally were wasteful. Bonatini in particular ran less channels and was not as available for a pass as usual.

Jota didn't commit the defenders enough near the box and slowed play up just when it looked like we had created an opening.

Cav drifted closer to the touchline than the centre which meant he had more to do when he had the ball to get closer on goal.

Quite a few times when we did break and get the ball wide there was not enough players in the box to cross to.

Costa saw plenty of the ball in the closing stages. When he takes players on he looks very skilful.

Batth and N'Diaye came on to protect our lead and provide greater height to combat the Wednesday subs.

Another win and a satisfying result. Great that Sky offer the chance for more Wolves fans to watch via TV. Far from great for those who have to travel in a rush hour Friday evening and a one lane M1 late at night.

Adam Virgo

What's your verdict on the match? Carlos Carvalhal will be having a dream tonight, not about a football team, but about Nuno Santo and dreaming he was as good as his Portuguese counterpart.

Another under par performance but we’ve taken three points and got another clean sheet, happy days. A lot of it is down to the work Nuno has done since he came in, where he installed his 3-4-3 formation and style of play instantly.

I don’t blame any fan that didn’t go. I’ve seen a lot of criticism especially on Twitter about our fans but we’ve all been fantastic so far this season – 1,200 is a great effort (even though Leeds would have taken 30,000 and walked back after the game) considering it’s la week before Christmas, the price of the ticket was extortionate, food, drink and travel expenses on top of that plus no trains after 9.30pm. We also have two other away games coming up which aren’t exactly the cheapest either so it’s understandable people gave Friday a miss.

That’s now four wins all with clean sheets whilst being on TV and we’ve picked up 22 points out of the last 24 available but our foreigners obviously can’t handle the pressure, the weather, the midweek games or the physicality of the Championship.

You have to find different ways to win, especially when we’re in the position we are. Teams will automatically raise their game against us, Sheffield Wednesday proving that again. We’re only the second team to keep a clean sheet at Hillsborough this season too which says everything.

The opposition are changing their formation and ways of playing just to cope with us which shows how good we are. It also makes it difficult for us as the preparation we will have done may not be as effective considering the other team are going about things differently against us in their own ways.

We could have ended up winning 3-0 if we had taken the counter attacking opportunities but we will get that right eventually, it’s still a work in progress and we’re not anywhere near the finished product yet.

It took a moment of magic to win us the game and it was an exquisite finish from Neves, finessed it like you do on Fifa with RB/R1 but the technique was absolutely sublime.

Who played well – and who didn't impress? Neves got man of the match and I felt it was thoroughly deserved. He probably had another four shots like last week but with the ability he has it’s fine even though more often than not they go over. Sometimes you get the odd one like at Hull and Friday night so you can’t blame him for trying as he has got it in his locker.

Most players, especially in the Championship, would have hit it hard and probably into row Z but that’s why Neves cost £15m. He has an intelligent footballing brain and the technique on the strike just shows how good of a player he is. Not just that but his control and passing ability are both fantastic, he reads the game well and he can beat opposition players too. I say it a lot but to say he’s 20 and everything he possesses, he’s going to be a star when he’s older.

The whole defence were solid, great tactics by Nuno as well to bring on Batth for Vinagre when they brought on Nuhiu and Joao. Added the much needed height and strength to the defence and he dealt with everything well.

Boly, Coady and Bennett have been a fantastic partnership, in the last eight games when it’s been those three starting, we’ve conceded two goals which is an outstanding return and gives you a platform to build on to then go and win games like we have been doing. Everyone is banging on about the opposition having 10 men in the last three games...well it’s been the same for us too as Ruddy has had almost nothing to do.

The front three weren’t at their best, there were a couple of moments from Jota and Cavaleiro but until Costa came on, there didn’t seem to be much of a bright spark in the attack.

Maybe Costa could start next game to freshen things up, he looked good when he came on and his skill and dribbling at times was sensational. The way he beat Morgan Fox, went back, ran a ring around him and beat him again which got Fox sent off for the foul was hilarious but class at the same time. He was causing all sorts of problems down the right hand side and it was like the Costa of last season again.