Wolves Fans' Verdict v Newcastle: Wolfpack ponder just where Wolves went wrong

James Pugh

Always hurts to throw away a lead but probably a fair result. Newcastle were by far the better team in the second half and Wolves failed to keep control of the game. Some key positives, Neves had another masterclass and scored that absolute thunderstrike. Another one for the already stacked highlight reel. The new boys Guedes, Collins and Nunes are exceptional signings and didn’t do too much wrong.

Really feel for Hwang, had an alright start to the season but the last two games have really knocked his confidence for six. Maybe a new start elsewhere might be best for all parties if wolves get a good fee, but would have really liked to keep him in the squad. People are quick to forget he was one of our top goal scorers last year.

But questions do need to be asked about Lage’s substitutions. Surely the Donk and Adama is who you bring on to regain control of a game, rather than two of wolves most lightweight players in Hwang and Podence. I guess he’s the manager and I was sat watching the game hungover in my trackies so what on earth do I know, but surely that’s common sense. Some winnable games in the distance and apparently Saša Kalajdžić has a taste for orange chips, so I am still feeling optimistic, but Lage really need to get these players firing if we want any hope of keeping our best players beyond this season.

Chris Ward

Oh Bruno, this one is on you. Another average performance summed up by a huge Hwang error. After a good midweek performance from Traore and a goal to his name, this game was crying out for him; however, Bruno’s persistence with Hwang could end up being his downfall. It was another case of strange substitutions by Bruno which clearly impacted the tempo of the game just after we scored what we thought was our second goal.

Wolves again showed glimpses of the real quality they now possess however, only in brief spells, and the time is certainly ticking for Bruno to start getting a tune out of these superstars that he has at his disposal. There is plenty to be excited about, but the performances make it really hard to be. There is a real mixture of bad decision-making and bad executions, and if we can correct this, we can really be a force to be reckoned with.

Neves was Wolves best player and added another super strike to his repertoire. His range of passing and work rate was fantastic and we desperately need other players to step up, start producing at the levels we know they are capable of. Nunes oozes quality, but for large parts of the game the ball was passed over him rather than through him and wasn’t able to make the impact we all hoped for.

I haven’t made up my mind with Collins yet. Confidence and composure are seriously lacking. He looks nervous in possession and you feel he has a mistake in him each game as shown today with his miss control and switching off against Tottenham for their winning goal. The longer Wolves go without a win, the pressure will increase on Bruno and the players. It almost feels the midweek fixture against a shell-shocked Bournemouth is a must-win to kick start this season.

My final note is on Hwang, and with Bruno constantly picking him at the end of last season, you have to wonder is this now due to our growing Korean fan base or does Bruno really see a player in there? A big few days coming up with the end of the transfer window looking to address our goal scoring issues and add another quality addition to the central midfield.

Liam Kennedy

Never let Ruben neves leave this football club. What a performance by him, his passing was nevesish, his shooting was immense, his tackling was class, where would wolves have been without him, probably on the end of a loss. Also worth noting that Semedo was very good as well, him and neves were by far the two best wolves players on the pitch. Just like the week before (and the week before that, and the week before that, and the week before that) we showed some promise, but an unreal Hwang cross and a incredible Saint-Maximan finish make this feel like a loss. In no way did we deserve to win based off the balance of play, I felt even though they never looked like they were going to score, we were still too passive for the majority of the second half, sitting off them and allowing them time on the ball. We definitely need that midfielder who’s willing to break up play and get involved because I felt we lacked that yesterday, apart from neves. Four games, two points, not the ideal start but if you had to pick the next team for Wolves I think Bournemouth would be high on everyone’s list.. A team that has just conceded NINE, yet I’d be surprised if Wolves had nine shots to be fair, because whilst there were moments, we struggled to break down a Newcastle team that had injuries, and were there for the taking. Positive moments are all good but creating chances and putting the ball in the back of the net is a big problem for Wolves and it needs to be resolved quickly, because Neves isn’t going to score a worldie every game, we need goal scorers! Two wins are needed against Bournemouth and Southampton too prepare us for the City/Liverpool onslaught. FT: Bournemouth 1-0 Wolves.

Rob Cartwright

This was a fabulous game of football though we felt disappointed at the end.

We thought we were going to win 2-0 but felt like we’d lost at the end.

The reality was a draw with both sets of fans reasonably happy. The support for both teams was superb too.

Neto had an early chance, following a superb 50 yard precision pass from Neves to Guedes. The ball finally nestling on top of the net.

Willock should have scored too, before Nunes had a great chance with a free header, though I think a deflection off the defenders head unbalanced him.

A Neves rocket did put Wolves in front before half-time. This was the icing on an absolutely superb performance from Neves. The Captain was simply awesome.

VAR intervened on 46 minutes, when Schar should have seen Red for an ugly tackle on Neto.

VAR changed the game again, on 81 minutes, following a wonderful counter attack goal for Wolves. This should have been the winner, but was ruled off for a push by Neto (in our own half). These are rarely given, so far away from goal.

Unfortunately, we played too deep from this point and gave the impetuous to Newcastle.

The substitution of Neto for Hwang cost us the game.

I cannot see what this player contributes. Neto was tiring, but the game was shouting out for Traore. Matt Targett had come on for Newcastle and we know he was unable to contain Adama when playing for Villa.

Hwang contributes nothing, but when he needed to defensively clear the ball, in added time, he put it in the worst possible place back into the “danger zone”. Saint-Maximin finished it well but this should have gone out for a throw-in or a corner.

That was not the actions of a professional footballer and reminded me of the horror show by Hoever, against Liverpool last season. I cannot think of any reason to bring him on yesterday, other than merchandise and streaming sales in Asia!!!

Newcastle almost won the game deep into added on time which a header onto the bar.

Again, plenty of encouraging signs. Neves was superb. Nunes, Guedes, Neto, Semedo and Jimenez also played very well. Moutinho and Kilman were good. Only question marks for me was concentration levels of Collins and Jonny.

We need to win at Bournemouth. It won’t be easy. It’s still in August!

Clive Smith

Fine margins, fine margins. Soon we will be on the right side of the fine margins. A fast and physical game that was not short of quality either.

In a very open first half neither side looked in complete control but Wolves had three glorious moves that lit up the Molineux. Attacks that led to chances for Neto and Nunes were superbly created while a typical Neves 'tap in' was a wonderful strike. It's was all great to watch.

There was plenty of work still to do and we saw less of the ball after the break but we did see our defence stand tall. Sa and the back four were magnificent making blocks and winning tackles, trademark Wolves. Our dynamic skipper was also here, there and everywhere, as and when required.

On scoring our second, celebrations were slightly inhibited due to the VAR suspicion. There had probably been a dozen similar challenges during the game that had gone unpunished (see Dan Burn for more details), but the Neto challenge was upgraded to rob us of a goal. It is hard to feel justice was done fairly.

That feeling of injustice was then intensified as it so often is. Hwang looked in complete shock, when his wayward clearance was expertly rammed into the back of our net, while others in the team bent over double or fell to the floor. A crushing feeling felt by all the pack watching in gold and black.

That first win of the season still eludes us, but the performances against Spurs and Newcastle were better than the opening three games of last season when everyone was purring about our form, if not our results.

So, its onto Bournemouth, where anything less than nine goals would suggest we are not as good as Liverpool, and three nervous days to keep MOTM Neves at the club.

Obviously there is room for improvement, Nunes and Guedes still need to get used to the pace of the game, with the former getting caught in possession more than you would expect. Our overall passing in the final third needs to be sharper. Defensively we did well but needed to make some better defensive headers so they did not go to an opposition player so often.

John Lalley

We’ve been severely rationed of prime entertainment at Molineux in recent months, but this game whilst not an out and out thriller, was still well worth watching. Conceding so late and so spectacularly inevitably spells frustration but on the balance of play, Newcastle might think they may just have shaded the game. Willock missed horribly in the first-half and the despairing challenge by Neves late on probably meant that our crossbar was rattled instead of Newcastle stealing all three points. Wolves defended with undeniable commitment and determination but too often found themselves hacking and miskicking desperate to clear their lines. Unfortunately, we indulged ourselves once too often and paid a heavy price. Poor old Hwang; it just had to be him. Right now, he is the convenient scapegoat for the moaners to pile into but any condemnation should be tempered with a touch of realism. Saint-Maximin’s strike was sensational bordering on freakish; pan-cake days only. Mind you, the strike by Neves for our goal was none too shabby either; he had an outstanding game and did so much to keep us afloat as Newcastle gradually wrestled control. What was hugely frustrating was our inability to maintain possession and punish Newcastle on the break in the second half. Gradually gaps appeared on the flanks and we failed dismally to turn numerical advantage into a killer second goal. All too often, sheer carelessness saw opportunities frittered away and exasperatingly VAR stymied us on the single occasion we did get things right. Their ball-retention was a whole lot better than ours and they completely merited their point, but had we shown more poise and quality as they inevitably flooded numbers in our direction, this game could have been ours. Surely this opening of space cried out for Adama Traore to stretch his legs but Bruno decided otherwise. Maybe he reckoned that the likes of Hwang and Podence might offer more in terms of work-rate as we tried to protect a lead. My own view, for what it’s worth, is that if you don’t use Traore in these circumstances it’s hardly worth him changing into his playing kit. He must have sat on that bench a touch bemused; he remains an erratic but still potential match-winner strictly and increasingly it seems on the periphery and that’s a shame. View it how you like, but it’s a poor start to the season. Last season we began with four defeats in the first five games but our style of play back then offered more positives than appear evident this time around. Lovely weather right now but it could be a very hard winter.

Just a word about Willy Boly apparently failing to turn up for this fixture after being selected. I indulge myself in quiet moments thinking how lucky I have been to see some great professionals representing Wolves. I remember Malcolm Finlayson our 1960 Cup winning goalkeeper telling me that despite all his success as a millionaire businessman, ‘Nothing I have done in my life compares to playing for the Wolves. Nothing comes close.’ Reckon Malcolm must be turning in his grave.