Wolves Fans' Verdict v Bournemouth: We've come a long way under Gary O'Neil

During the week I read a statistic detailing the difficulty of the beginning eight fixtures of the season. Wolves had the toughest set of opening fixtures of the 20 teams in the league according to this ranking system. It is quite remarkable that we find ourselves only a few points shy of the European places in the table and it is still early doors, but huge credit must go to Gary and his team for the current points haul and position in the table.

It is also very encouraging that Gary’s post match comments indicate they are keeping their feet firmly on the ground. His response to the three points seem to indicate there is a lot more to come in terms of playing style, tactics, and what he wants to see from his team on the match day. He must have been so personally satisfied to get one over his old employers but publicly didn’t say a word about it. What class.

The switch to the back three is paying dividends with all three centre-backs playing at a much higher level and lapses in concentration way down. Lemina was barely missed in midfield against Bournemouth, with Tommy Doyle coming on at half time and having a huge impact. We now have some strength in depth and competition for places that will push the first XI even harder. Gary must be very pleased with that. It will be very interesting to see if Doherty retains his place once Semedo is eligible again.

Albeit it is only Bournemouth but each game is massive and to ruthlessly capitalise on the opponents' defensive mistake was a nice change. Great finish from the big man after a lovely little ball from Hwang. Keeping Hwang fit will be a bonus. Lastly, Cunha’s unselfish celebration deserves a mention, highlighting Neto’s involvement after his goal. For Cunha it could have been easy to boast in his exquisite finish but by drawing attention to Neto we see the togetherness and belief in each other that Gary is building amongst the squad. Long may that continue and we are now onto a fantastic fixture at home vs Newcastle under the Molineux lights. Our front three can really get at the Toon back line which could set this up for a cracking fixture!

Rob Cartwright

This was another significant step forward, as Gary O’Neil was able to make the changes required to win an away game, after being behind at the break.

Wolves were in control for most of the game, but lacked urgency in the first half. This was put right by the introduction of Doyle who showed his worth having come on at half-time. He looks comfortable with the ball and certainly knows how to pick out an attacking pass. I think we saw enough to feel he must start from now on. Quite a decision for O’Neil to make with regards to who he leaves out?

It was a dream start to the second half, as Cunha scored a great equaliser after just two minutes. Doyle started the move with an excellent ball through to Neto, he crossed to Cunha in the box who fired while on the move. A great goal and deserved.

We were well on top by the Bournemouth red card, after 57 minutes. I didn’t think there was much in it, to be honest, but replays show a deliberate head butt, albeit a soft one.

It was one way traffic from this point on. Wolves played some good passing football and were winning corner after corner, with 12 in total.

It felt like it was only a matter of time before the win was secured, but we had to wait longer than was comfortable.

Sasa had come on to replace Cunha with less than 10 minutes remaining. Once more he proved to be more than simply a goal scorer. His positional play and ball control is very good. He also showed us his ball winning determination to create and score the winner.

The Bournemouth keeper played a short ball to his defender at the edge of the box. Many a striker would have left the defender to clear the ball, but Sasa ran back to win the ball and play it to Traore who immediately passed to Hwang, still on edge of the box from the previous attack. Hwang thread the ball to Sasa who had run back into the box for a calm first touch strike on goal.

This gave Wolves the win they deserved and we seem to be making progress with some consistency. I reckon we’ll need this and more next week against in-form Newcastle, but you never know. I hope he plays Doyle and goes for it from the off.

John Lalley

I first saw Bobby Charlton play against Wolves back in 1961. The notion that he would headbutt an opponent regardless of the level of provocation remains incomprehensible. He simply had too much class.

Games change on such moments; Lewis Cook’s bizarre reaction certainly changed this one. Sir Bobby I suspect would have been left baffled at such an act of mindless unprofessionalism.

Both teams would have been targeting this game seeing it as a real winning opportunity; Wolves left it late but what a significant victory this was. Post match, Gary O’Neil typically kept his emotions in check remaining respectful and politely restrained on the outside.

Inwardly, his absolute delight must have been beyond substantial especially as he has been barraged with criticism at not only Bournemouth, but in Wolverhampton as well. He and his players are competing just fine at present; plenty of challenging times no doubt lie ahead, but currently expectations are being exceeded.

Bournemouth desperate for that elusive first win made an energetic start but it was Pedro Neto who again ignited this match. His brilliant shot that rattled the bar was another indication that Wolves for the first time in a long while possess a player who can be a game-changer. Whether the team is under pressure or simply misfiring, he has the flair and confidence to offer us a lifeline.

He set up Matheus Cunha for a stunning finish and he will have been annoyed to miss a great opportunity after a truly fabulous move of intricate skill on our left flank. Fine margins; with time running out, Pablo Sarabia played a hopeless ball to concede the goal-kick from which Bournemouth assisted us in clinching the game. Frustration transformed into elation; classy finish too from Kalajdzic – Sir Bobby would have approved!

Clive Smith

You only need to look at our away record over the last 18 months to realise how important these three points are.

Lets not pretend it was a pretty game or a brilliant performance – we've played better and lost – but there were plenty of positives along with the result.

Despite having more of the ball, and getting into several good positions, we were not quite 'on it' and found ourselves behind at the interval. The goal we conceded happened far too easily for anyone's liking. Meanwhile we squandered some ideal shooting opportunities. Neto was happy to have a go but Cunha and Hwang were reluctant.

The main area of concern however was midfield. I've waited until game nine to say it but we really missed Neves. Time and time again we had a player taking too long controlling the ball and not quick enough finding a colleague with an accurate pass. An unfair comparison of course but our inability to do these things well enough meant we wasted possession too often, while not attacking quickly enough.

Thankfully there was a marked improvement in the second half. GON brought Tommy Doyle on and we looked better for it. Almost at once his through ball led to our equaliser.

Then, within 10 minutes, a red card, and opportunity knocked.

Bournemouth's ambition changed while we continued to dominate possession in their half. There were few clear cut opening but one spell of play, near the corner flag, involved numerous touches by Hwang and Ait-Nouri and saw over a dozen passes ending with a cross that Neto put over the bar. Had it gone in it would have been a goal we'd remember for a long time.

As time was running out our persistence finally paid off and a chance came for Kalajdzic to calmly clinch the points. His fitness must still be a big issue because following the sending off this was an idea time to play him up top so we had someone better placed to get a head on our crosses.

When we looked uncomfortable in the first half it was MOTM Dawson and Kilman who helped calm things down and steady the ship. Again Neto played a leading role and Doyle certainly helped turn the game our way.

All was well in the end and the league table looks healthier along with the knowledge that there is still opportunities to improve.

James Pugh

Gazball in full swing, we love to see it. On what has been a rather depressing Saturday for English sport, Wolves have successfully managed to put a smile on my face. Usually, Wolves fans would feel more comfortable going up against a top six team rather than a team at the bottom of the league with no wins (looking at you, Huddersfield). However, Gary and the boys managed to grab an incredibly satisfying victory that puts fans at ease that maybe this season won’t be as bad as previously feared.

That being said, that doesn’t mean the match isn’t without criticism. One could argue that we didn’t fully capitalise on their red card, relying on their goalkeeper having a moment of madness to get the goal. However, while Gary’s in-game management has been criticised in the past (by both Wolves and Bournemouth fans), he got it spot on today. Doyle came on to regain control in midfield and Sasa came on to get the goal, and both of them did just that. It will be interesting to see how Bellegarde gets back into this squad, as both Traore and Doyle really made a good account of themselves. Other individual shout outs go to Doherty, Torti, Cuhna (what a finish son) and of course the Neto/Hwang partnership.

A well deserved three points. Next up, Newcastle.