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Semi final post match thoughts
Discussion started by an angry wolf , 07 April, 2019 19:40
Semi final post match thoughts
an angry wolf 07 April, 2019 19:40
I've semi retired from this board but just a few thoughts regarding today. Many on this board including me will probably be dead before we reach another FA cup final given the last one was in 1960, so how anyone can put a positive spin on losing a chance to get there with less than 30 seconds left on the clock I've no idea.

Regarding the substitutions, I've never understood why any manager makes them late on to " run the clock down" as the time always gets added on to the end anyway- often with interest. Cav is nowhere near the standard of footballer that Jota is who was man of the match today IMO, so you are effectively weakening the team late on- why , what purpose does it achieve? I have criticised Jota this season, but he was outstanding today so bringing him off was tantamount to madness other than to follow the daft routine many managers have of these last minute changes. It doesn't run the clock down, it just upsets the formation of a team that was defending well for no discernible reason other than it being the "done thing " everyone does.

Secondly, a manager has the duty to field the best possible team he can regardless of any perceived loyalty to a player. I like Ruddy , but Patricio is the better keeper and no club should have a fixed " cup keeper" to the detriment of the team. If playing Patricio gives us a 5% chance increase of winning the game ie the extra time goal is saved for eg then the clubs interests should outweigh the players. It may be harsh on Ruddy, but wolves getting to an FA cup final outweighs loyalty to a keeper. Ruddy is an employee of wolves and should be used when required on a good wage not out of obligation.

Re: Semi final post match thoughts
Lupy 07 April, 2019 20:42
I agree with the points that you have raised Angry, I too was baffled by the substitutions, each one left the team in poorer shape and suddenly they lost their cohesion and purpose. Apart from frantic forays forward any real understanding between the players was lost.
I was hoping that Rui would have been first choice and was disappointed to see Ruddy in the starting lineup.
Jota was outstanding, so tough and uncomplaining, bounces back up ready to go again every time he is cut down, his strength belies his stature and defenders do not know how to cope with him. Rauls goal was absolutely stunning, determination, guile and a finishing touch that should have been worthy of taking us to the final.
The way we play, soaking up pressure until we can break from the back has ultimately been our downfall. Surely we have the quality throughout the team to actually start taking the game to the opposition rather than hoping that we don’t concede a goal and get lucky when we do make a break.
Traore hasn’t been able to produce the goods since we bought him so to throw him on hoping for those stats to change was fanciful thinking at best, reckless at worst.

A Cup Final appearance that was ours for the taking was lost by the smallest margins but those margins could have been avoided.

Re: Semi final post match thoughts
Ian.PershoreWolf 07 April, 2019 20:46
Hi Angry

Totally agree re your point on subs.
Saiss was doing fine in defence so why move him ? Jota man of the match, so why take him off ? Traore should try a new sport like 100m or long jump,he's no footballer.
I just can't get making subs for the hell of it.

Re: Semi final post match thoughts
an angry wolf 07 April, 2019 20:55
As you say Lupine, fine margins often decide games and percentage wise our best chance of winning was keeping our best players on.


Evening Ian, I agree with your point on Traore but 1 game in every 3 he will at least do something and coupled with explosive pace can be a threat. What Cav is supposed to bring to the party replacing Jota , only Nuno knows. Of course once it went to extra time with our joint main goal scoring threat off, it was virtually inevitable Watford would win. It wouldnt be fair to completely blame Ruddy for the goal but think Patricio may have saved it.. fine lines and all that.


The only small consolation is its unlikely we would have beaten city in the final, but just getting there would have made me very proud.

Re: Semi final post match thoughts
irishwolf 08 April, 2019 01:14
I agree with the vast majority of your points Angry.
We should have played our first choice team and that includes the goalkeeper.
I thought Ruddy was caught out badly for the first goal, as for the peno - it was hit with great pace but not with much accuracy, and for the third goal- he was poor IMO.
Some folks on here have criticised Patricio recently and the expression, Mind What You Wish For, comes to mind.
I also think that we sat back after 75 mins and invited Watford unto us, which only made us nervous and gave Watford the inspiration to push up and give it a real go.
We led Man Utd 2-1 twice recently, and did we sit back? No - quite the opposite, we controlled both games in the last 20 mins or so. I know today was a semi final but you should play the game and not the occasion.
We gambled on closing up shop - and we lost.
Also the substitutions were poor choices IMO.
As for Traore, he is a headless chicken and apart from pace brings little to the table.
We messed up today, there is no other way to dress it up.
The thing i dont agree with you on Angry is that I think we could have given City a great game in the final. They were terrible yeasterday against Brighton and if we can go toe to toe with Liverpool, Man Utd, Spurs etc - then why couldnt we give City a game ?
It was a major chance gone a begging.

Re: Semi final post match thoughts
Rogero 08 April, 2019 08:39
If it is any consolation it was a great game for the neutral and a good advert for two less fashionable teams. It is hard to take but at least you got to the semis and hopefully this season is the start of a new era.

Good luck Wolves.

Re: Semi final post match thoughts
an angry wolf 08 April, 2019 11:22
Quote:
Rogero
If it is any consolation it was a good advert for two less fashionable teams.

Oh Ty, that makes it a less bitter pill to swallow

Re: Semi final post match thoughts
maiseytaw 08 April, 2019 12:31
Gutted. Great day until they scored their first, and at that point you could see the writing on the wall. Should have been able to hold onto a two goal lead and extremely disappointed we didn't but Deulofeu changed the game completely, and have to hold you hands up and admit that Watford deserved it on balance, putting up an amazing fightback. Hurts now but when you compare the situation we find ourselves in today with the Morgan years, I'd take this kind of hurt every time. We're on our way back!

Re: Semi final post match thoughts
an angry wolf 08 April, 2019 16:08
I must have been watching a diff game to some of you as I thought we had the better chances and in no way did Watford show they were the better team during 90 minutes. Docherty for eg had 2 glorious chances, one was maybe 8 yards out one on one with the keeper at 2-0 that would have killed the match. Watford had more possession but so what

Re: Semi final post match thoughts
wolfman1959 09 April, 2019 00:29
Similarly, I felt Watford were our equals for long periods of the first and second periods of both halves.
Once Wolves got a two goals lead, we appeared to drop back 5 to 10 metres in defence, then Deulofeu scored with a sublime chip.
Why then we replaced Neves and Jota only Nuno knows, was Neves injured? Saiss will never equal Neves for ability in midfield. Then to replace Jota with Cav proved to be a negative.
The penalty is another issue.
Would Deeney have collapsed in a heap elsewhere on the pitch? No – he bought the penalty!
Having replaced Neves, why Nuno replaced our other midfield king-pin Moutinho is a mystery, unless injured or exhausted – he didn’t appear to be!
Would Jota have scored given the chance offered to Cav we will never know!
Nuno hasn’t made many errors of judgement this season but this game he did get it wrong – sadly.
Given where we were two or three season ago, we would have snatched any premonition of where we are now with both hands in the face of with very long odds!
The hurt of our Watford loss will wane in time, the hurt is raw – Wolves are rising – We are coming back!

Re: Semi final post match thoughts
Ivybridge Wolf 09 April, 2019 10:22
Just about getting my thoughts together. I've been trying hard not to think about it such was my disbelief and devastation.

Watford were a decent side and should have scored before us on a couple of occassions. Nevertheless we started well and grew into the first half very nicely. Lovely goal from Doc and the second was taken so well from Jiminez. At that point I couldn't really see us losing, though always worried that 2 is never enough. That chance we had with Doc trying to square it instead of shooting? That would have been 3.

We were, however on the backfoot well before the Deulofeu goal - which was superb. I commented before that goal that we were defending the pressure reasonable well, however the goal changed everything - the mindset, the body language ... we somehow looked beaten at 2-1 up. Having said that, my god, 90 seconds from glory - heartbreaking. Shattering.

Some don't reckon it was a penalty. It doesn't matter how much Mr ex Walsall Deeney irritates, it was a penalty and a great thumping deflating equaliser.

The third was also a great finish, sadly, and I do not apportion blame on Ruddy, simply that Deulofeu escaped from Coady and it was a beautifully clean and simple finish. F**k it. His first was good enough (again for me no blame for Ruddy, could be argued Donk invited the curler the way he shaped his body when defending - look again if you didn't notice) but his second was the sucker punch. And when Cav rolled his foot over the ball in extra time to round the keeper ... agonising. I was right in front of him when he did that last season at Reading, but this year he fluffed his lines. Mind you, would we have won on penalties if he had scored? I wasn't feeling too positive at that stage.

I'll say that I thought the subs were weird. Not only did they invite pressure onto us but they also reduced the quality of the penalty takers - if it had come to that. Any way, they didn't work .... but we'd all be celebrating and relieved if that ONE challenge by Donk hadn't have happened when it did. At full time, I have never seen Nuno look so despondent.

I am truly gutted. 21 years since the past semi. It's the one trophy of note which I've been saying for years we have a chance in and at least this year Nuno went for it. I am upset we won't have our day on 18th May, I personally felt our name was on it this year, not to be, however I can't be over critical. Whilst there were errors by players and maybe the manager too, what they have provided this season and last is quite astonishing and whilst I can't foresee the future I cannot see it being another 21 years before we make the semi final again ... or better. We have the foundations.

UTW!! and onto Southampton - then Brighton ... I'll be there for that one!



https://i.pinimg.com/236x/74/97/b1/7497b1d1e231e8f83fc02db12bc473da--uk-football-sports-logos.jpg

Re: Semi final post match thoughts
Ivybridge Wolf 09 April, 2019 10:28
As an ironic and twisted footnote .....

To attract customers Bet365 (probably others) have this rule that if your selected team goes 2 goals ahead, you win the bet.

Naturally, I backed Wolves to beat Watford on sunday with Bet365 and on one of the most devastating Wolves matches in recent memory, they lost but I won. You couldn't make it up.



https://i.pinimg.com/236x/74/97/b1/7497b1d1e231e8f83fc02db12bc473da--uk-football-sports-logos.jpg

Re: Semi final post match thoughts
nottruesupporters 09 April, 2019 14:00
Hi all Ruskowolf here lost my password so got to use the above name that's why not posted on here a while but had to after the semi final that is 5@#$%&semi final days I have had in my life time don't think I could take many more had been out all day got home put the computer on we were winning 2-1 injury time and then on flash score see penalty come up I knew then what was going to happen and it did I think most of us agree about the substitutions is probably were we lost the game

Re: Semi final post match thoughts
Andy Fincher 09 April, 2019 21:12
On the one hand I think we began to defend too deeply. On the other hand, Watford were two goals down and were throwing the kitchen sink at us. Sometimes things just happen, they hadn't had a shot on target and then scored. Personally I don't think anyone was to blame for it and it swung the balance in their favour.
I would have preferred Neves and Jota to have stayed on but Watford had pulled a goal back so Nuno put Bennett on presumably to shore up the defence so I can see why he did it and that change had nothing to do with their equalizer.
I very much hope we don't have to wait another 21 years to get another chance as good as this one to reach the final because I very much doubt I will be around to see it.


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