Wolves Fans' Verdict v Brentford: An improved display and good point

John Lalley

Not performing somersaults or cartwheels, nor is this any defining moment or firm building block or any other optimistic cliché spouted to boost sagging spirits.

But it sure beats losing and given our descent into desperate straits, any morsel of comfort will be gratefully accepted. It’s some relief, not least in knowing that we still possess the capability of retrieving something from a game having fallen behind.

There’s a trace of reassurance that this performance indicates that a modicum of spirit and determination still exists in our ranks after much previous evidence to the contrary.

Many of the shortcomings that see us in the dire position that we find ourselves in are still bubbling uncomfortably in continuing abundance, but mercifully some competitive instinct was on display and about time too. And we will be needing a whole lot more of it if we are to get out of the self-inflicted mess we have mired ourselves in.

Any reward we take on the road right now is absolute gold-dust and given just how faint-hearted we have been on our travels of late, this surely in the short term is a good result. Plus the fact that despite being in no position to indulge ourselves with trivialities, it was once more satisfying to enjoy a spot of schadenfreude at the expense of the humbug expressed post-match by Thomas Frank.

The Brentford boss probably has a point bellyaching about Wolves not operating at breakneck speed, but hypocrisy is one of the less engaging of human traits and this guy sure has form. Any manager concurring with his goalkeeper leaving the field to change gloves really does have a brass neck.

His team gave us a masterclass in sloth, like garden slugs working to rule. Then he had the bare-faced effrontery last season when Wolves won at this stadium to complain about our tactics. And his selective amnesia clouded his judgement again on this occasion.

Whether one, both or neither club is clinging to this division by its fingertips come April when Brentford visit Molineux, put your money on Mr.Frank taking the art of timewasting to creatively outlandish dimensions! What really got up his nose one suspects was the classy Neves strike to tie the game.

Regardless of how long his association with Wolves is set to continue, you have to admire the guy. An exemplary professional who has served us superbly. Since Coady’s departure, Neves has been shouldering an even greater burden; he has taken the added responsibilities very much to heart and in a failing team, he has often appeared almost manic in his desire to set an example as team leader.

On occasions, the discipline wavers and falters as it inevitably did with Diego Costa. He certainly wasn’t recruited with reticence or discretion in mind, and he was hardly likely to indulge in any bouts of benign good nature. The odds are against him succeeding it must be conceded and his latest faux pas is as predictable as night following day, but he really is trying and when he is on your side, you can’t help but like him. We will miss his malevolence.

Clive Smith

Far from a classic game but there were signs of improvement. Following a half where the referee made a complete nuisance of himself we had been competitive and coped with Brentford’s width and long ball.

The second half saw the notable action. A costly corner saw us trailing early on but rather than deflating us it provided the momentum for an excellent 20 minutes. At the heart of it was a splendid move that brought us the equaliser and mayhem in the away end. So often we have had sweeping moves that fizzle out with no end product, so it was pleasing to see one ending with the net bulging.

The momentum certainly improved the mood and atmosphere with Jack Hayward and Steve Davis getting rare name-checks.

Semedo, Collins and Kilman all had their best game in a while and Bueno continues to impress although he sure looked knackered towards the end. Boubacar equally had his best game so far. He provides some bite in midfield but needs to improve his passing.

Still plenty of work to do, and a more depleted squad next time around, but there was a fight and spirit visible that has not always been obvious this season.

Rob Cartwright

This certainly wasn’t a game for the football connoisseur, with both teams looking short of confidence. Wolves were playing on egg shells, but with the backing of the vociferous away support were able to grind out an improved performance and even a bounce back from going a goal behind.

Steve Davis picked the best possible starting XI and I was fully supportive of including Boubacar Traore to add a little steel to the midfield. Little did we know that Nunes would be replaced by Moutinho, late in the first half, due to injury.

Chances were few and far between in the first half. Wolves were enjoying good possession which is not always a good omen with our scoring record this season. Podence was having a good game, but was unable to link with Costa in good positions.

I was frustrated that we were unable to get Adama on the ball as much as we needed. He still looks our most dangerous outlet to create action in the opponent’s box.

It was an explosive start to the second half. Brentford took the lead with a fierce volley from Mee. We all feared the worst, at this point, but Neves topped a true captain’s performance with another great goal to equalise almost immediately. This was another cracker to add to his collection, from outside the box.

There was little other action around either box. Brentford had most possession while Wolves had most (half) chances. Collins and Kilman looked good and kept Toney quiet.

Bueno had another good game; he’s doing well amongst all the doom.

This was a much more resilient performance by Wolves. Hope restored?

Costa needlessly saw the ‘red mist’ before seeing red from the referee. He would have got away with this pre-VAR, but no hiding places exist these days. His first Premier League red card! I can’t say I’m that bothered about the three game ban. He hasn’t started in a blaze of glory for us, although I think he’s been playing fairly well. Hope this gives one of the young strikers a chance to impress.

With mixed results around us, it is vital we get points from Brighton and Arsenal before the break. Easier said than done!

Liam Kennedy

A goal scored and we didn’t lose, are the good times coming back?

Davis had a dream? No, but seriously, we are in big trouble this season.

The second half performance was much better and actually showed some promise, especially after conceding, but again relying on some Ruben Neves magic to get us something isn’t ideal, especially with two more games until Barcelona come and take him from us.

If Neves is to leave, just call the season off, there’s no point in continuing with football anymore, just start preparing for Hull away.

Congrats to Diego Costa for finally getting one on target, shame that target was Ben Mee’s face rather than the goal, but with how this season is going can’t be too picky can you. Biggest issue for Wolves now is before the World Cup they could really do with another win, and with the next two being Brighton and Arsenal, who are scoring goals for fun this season against a Wolves team that isn’t scoring and most definitely are not having fun.

It still baffles me that we’ve said we’re keeping Davis until 2023 when surely giving a new manager the World Cup break to work with the team would be beneficial for everyone. Onto Brighton next week where our European charge begins.

James Pugh

Much better Wolves, much better.

Neves came to the rescue and both himself, Kilman, Bueno, Sa and Collins were very composed, confident and did their jobs well.

Boubacar and Adama caused Brentford problems and were clearly a big part of our tactics, but the former still seems very raw. A few more games under his belt and he’ll be a solid option in that midfield three.

Disappointing night for Costa, as we all knew something like this would happen at some point. However we will now be going into the World Cup striker-less and it’s looking more and more likely that he’s going to be banned for more games than goals scored by the end of the year. I guess this gives Guedes some more time to break into the side to justify his price tag. You just can’t help but wonder what the result would’ve been if we had got a manager in.

However this result represents how far Woves have fallen and how we are still very much in trouble until we start picking up wins. We are celebrating draws now, as opposed to being distraught we didn’t get a win.

A mangerless Villa put four past these lot last week. Maybe it was the euphoria of scoring a goal? If you can’t pick up three points against mid-low table teams then relegation is looming. Six goals in 13 games is damning, but hopefully this is a step in the right direction, as the overall play was a lot better.

With the World Cup looming, this season is certainly going to be a season of two halves for a lot of teams. For Wolves, hopefully a fitter squad, a new manager and a few new players in January should be enough to sail us to safety.

We are six points from the top half of the table and the league can change quickly, but the teams we are battling against have started picking up points from teams we could’ve done with them losing to. Now is the time to turn this momentum into points, and hopefully a positive result against Brighton.

Chris Ward

One thing is for sure, this game will never be shown as an advertisement for Premier League football. A game marred by injuries, fouls and constant time wasting made it a hard and un-enjoyable watch. With the cost of football tickets at an all-time high yet the ball only being in play for around 40 of the 90 minutes is nothing short of disgraceful.

Our best performance for a while but still so much to improve on and all in all we can be happy with the point. There were certainly improvements but again plenty of missed chances and miss placed passes is what is costing us so dearly.

We have the quality to put these teams to bed, but the sheer lack of confidence and self-belief is clear to see but a couple of good results could really kick start our season. Collins and Kilman looked better, and Bueno really is a shining light in what has so far been nothing short of disastrous season. The left-back position belongs to him now and is no less than he deserves.

Adama is still our biggest threat going forward which still really frustrates me that Lage persisted with other options.

A moment of madness by Diego which now leaves us striker-less for three games tainted the point and was a crying shame as this was probably his best game by far in a Wolves shirt. This now opens the door however for Guedes and Hwang to really show their worth.

A final note on referee Madley, it was obvious to see he was nowhere near ready for Premier League officiating. He killed the game with his constant stop-starting and refused to let the game flow. Its beggars’ belief that the standard of refereeing in this country and the most lucrative watch league in world football is so bad.