Newsletter

Get your daily update and weekly newsletter by signing up today!

Opinion

3 Positives and 3 Negatives from Wolves 2 Newcastle 1 at Molineux

2 years ago
Share

Saturday afternoon ended Wolves 2 Newcastle 1.

Another Premier League match and yet another defeat, going into the international break with no wins this season so far, instead three draws and five defeats.

Ahead of each match we ask one of our regular / irregular writers to come up with 3 positives and 3 negatives following the game, this time it is Jack Watt.

POSITIVES

Allan Saint-Maximin

As always, it is all on him to do something, the other players clearly told by Steve Bruce, just give it to ASM and he will do something…hopefully.

I can’t think of anything good, even remotely good, that happened on Saturday, that didn’t involve the Frenchman.

Well, apart from the fact that it wasn’t him serving the pre-match pints before I reluctantly headed into the match.

It was ASM who slotted the ball behind the Wolves defence for Joelinton to ‘run’ onto, instead, by the time he got there the Brazilian collided with the keeper and thankfully no foul given, as eventually with home players wasting chances to clear, it eventually ended with hotshot Hendrick booting it into the empty net.

After the game though. Steve Bruce only wanted to blame Saint-Maximin for not scoring Newcastle’s only other chance in the game, the ball fortunately falling for him and despite a powerful shot from only six yards out the shot brought a brilliant reflex save out of the home keeper.

Imagine any other manager embarrassing himself by blaming his star player who fails to convert the only proper chance converted? This is what he does though, no matter how much the opposition dominate and how many chances they create, Steve Bruce will point to if only Newcastle had scored their chance, or if only the referee had / hadn’t given that decision. Every single manager could do the same in every single match because in 90+ minutes you always have at least one positive chance / opportunity…but they don’t go on like Bruce because it is just embarrassing.

How long ASM can put up with this kind of thing from Bruce is anybody’s guess, months not years is my guess!

Friendly locals

As I said, I enjoyed my pre-match refreshments.

A big part of that was the bars we found ourselves in before and after the game, had some canny locals in.

Very different to what you see a lot of on social media, real people who aren’t glory hunters and support their local club, are usually very genuine.

Great chat with them and whilst on Twitter and whatever you have ‘fans’ of other clubs slagging us off as delusional or even trying to claim Mike Ashley is doing a great job…proper fans like these Wolves ones had plenty of sympathy for where we are with Ashley and Brucey, because they have had their fair share of bad times and dodgy people at their club to deal with as well.

Dwight Gayle minutes

After no minutes in the first five Premier League games, it was seven minutes off the bench that Gayle got at Watford.

This time despite being the third and final NUFC sub, it was thirteen minutes for the striker.

Who knows, maybe if Callum Wilson is out injured until Christmas, Dwight Gayle might even get a start in the Premier League!

Crazy stuff, game after game desperate for goals and the only other striker isn’t on the pitch despite Wilson’s absence. Meanwhile Joelinton (six goals in 76 PL appearances now) is about as threatening to the opposition goal as….something very unthreatening.

NEGATIVES

Karl Darlow

A very difficult situation.

I thought it was way over the top the criticism Freddie Woodman got, I thought he did pretty well overall and the biggest problem Newcastle had was the feeble defensive efforts of the team in front of him. Plus in Woodman’s four games he had to face a penalty in three of them.

Yes he made a clear mistake for the opening goal at Old Trafford but then it all got a bit crazy as then people were even blaming him for the Fernandes goal, no defender bothering to close the midfielder down and he put it in the top corner from the edge of the box.

Karl Darlow has come in and like Woodman before him, has been left exposed by those in front of him. Nowhere more so than Watford last weekend when Sarr was left unmarked on a corner and scored from only six yards out.

However…I think arguably all of the three other goals had a question mark over Darlow.

Against Leeds, the ball was delivered from miles out on the left from the free-kick, giving him time to be in line with it and should have saved it when both attackers and defenders failed to connect with it.

On Saturday, Newcastle were cut open for both goals BUT Darlow should definitely have saved the first one from a narrow angle, a quite feeble effort to try and stop it, whilst the second wasn’t as bad but arguably a top keeper could / would have saved it.

Bottom line is that we are desperate to have Martin Dubravka back. One of the best in the Premier League.

Steve Bruce

I now simply look on each depressing game under this self-obsessed idiot as one match closer to him leaving.

Yes, it was / is that difficult to find any positives with what is happening at NUFC, including this latest non-event of a match.

Defence!

It is not just the players in the backline, although they do share plenty of the blame / responsibility.

It is of course the entire set up under the NUFC Head Coach, his game management and tactics, particularly when it comes to allowing the opposition to dictate the game and dominate Newcastle United.

On Saturday you had three 32 year olds in the back four and then when you let the opposition regularly pass through your midfield and pressure that backline, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that you are asking for trouble and very likely going to get it.

A lack of pace in the defence and Hwang and Jimenez took full advantage, though there again with the likes of Hayden, Hendrick and Longstaff, the midfield wasn’t exactly brimming with pace or mobility, nor indeed ability…

Stats from BBC Sport:

Wolves 2 Newcastle 1 – Saturday 2 October 3pm

Goals:

Wolves

Hwang Hee-Chan 20, 58

Newcastle:

Hendrick 41

(In brackets the first half stats)

Possession was Wolves 52% (56%) Newcastle 48% (44%)

Total shots were Wolves 7 (5)  Newcastle 8 (2)

Shots on target were Wolves 3 (2) Newcastle 2 (1)

Corners were Wolves 5 (0) Newcastle 4 (2)

Referee: Graham Scott

Newcastle United:

Darlow, Manquillo (Murphy 70), Fernandez, Clark, Ritchie, Sean Longstaff, Hayden, Almiron (Gayle 77), Willock (Hendrick 36), Saint-Maximin, Joelinton

Unused Subs:

Gillespie, Schar, Lewis, Krafth, Fraser, Anderson

(‘Unbelievable Jeff’ – What a week topped off by Wolves 2 Newcastle 1…Read HERE)

(Gary Lineker and Ian Wright speak the truth on Steve Bruce shambles – Read HERE)

(Steve Bruce shameless as usual with comments after losing at Wolves – Read HERE)

Steve Bruce has to go now – This clown is taking Newcastle United down – read HERE)

(Wolves 2 Newcastle 1 – Instant NUFC fan/writer reaction to Saturday’s defeat – Read HERE)

(Steve Bruce takes Newcastle United into relegation zone with clueless defeat at Wolves – Read HERE)

Share

If you would like to feature on The Mag, submit your article to contribute@themag.co.uk

Have your say

© 2024 The Mag. All Rights Reserved. Design & Build by Mediaworks