📅 Saturday 23rd September 2023
KO 3.30 pm
🏟 Kenilworth Road
Live @ https://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewLiveArticle/457629
One match ban enabled
Yes fear not, the match thread is here folks and its an important one!
As weird as it feels to be writing about this as a Premier League fixture, have to say congratulations to Rob Edwards and his team for the job they've done in completing the club's journey back from Conference to Premier League.
One of my earliest memories was watching Star Soccer one Sunday Lunchtime back in the seventies with Wolves playing unusually in white at Kenilworth Road. Cant recall what the result was that day but of course we all know what it was the last time we went there. Stale Solbakken's hastily assembled post relegation squad had shown brief sign's of gelling in to something resembling a team but by the time they got to Luton in January they were going through the motions and unable to avoid the ultimate humiliation of a defeat to a 5th tier team.
Parallels are quite easily drawn with our current situation, a pre-season change of manager, a need to offload players that were heading in a different direction to the club and an end of window trolley dash to spend money on players with potential. Of those Jean Ricner Bellegarde had an impressive debut (then so did Tongo Doumbia as I recall) against Liverpool, and the attacking flair demonstrated for the first 60 minutes or so of that game should, if replicated tomorrow, be too much for Luton. Conversely of course they will look at this fixture as their opportunity to get points on the board and I expect it will be tough, tight and attritional especially if we dont get an early goal. Just 6 points were gained last season from matches against the promoted sides, that has to change this season if we have a chance of avoiding a relegation fight.
Attitude will be key to this one I think and if we underestimate Luton, a repeat of ten years ago could be on the cards. That said ...
Goldis prediction - Luton 0 - 1 Wolves
Luton Town v Wolves Match Thread
posted on 24/9/23
No idea why he started Hwang on the left and Neto on the right either. GON must be the only person who watches Neto's performance against Liverpool on thw left, sees Hwang score from the right and then thinks, I'll switch them flanks next week.
posted on 24/9/23
Nice to see us transition to a more improved, dynamic and attacking midfield though, instead of the one dimensional and slow Neves sitting in front of the back four spraying hopeful diagonal passes to the channels.
posted on 24/9/23
Newcastle battering Sheffield so at least we're still well clear of the relegation zone. Something to build on..😀
posted on 24/9/23
comment by Oldgoldilox (U17303)
posted 8 minutes ago
Newcastle battering Sheffield so at least we're still well clear of the relegation zone. Something to build on..😀
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We got our second best result of the season too yesterday. A lot to be positive about.
posted on 24/9/23
Eight different scorers for Newcastle in one game. We'll be lucky to see eight different scorers in the Premier League this season.
posted on 25/9/23
I know we fielded the same team Tammy boy, but we switched from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 and isolated Cunha up front. He's not an out and out CF.
DJ got the formation right and had Cunha in the 3 behind either Sasa or Fabio, which is where he's better suited. If you're going with one up front, for gawd sake play someone who's suited in that position.
posted on 25/9/23
Cunha was alone up front in the 433 though. Its just a variation on the same formation, you're just moving numbers around.
I agree that Cunha is better behind another striker. He has played up front on his own in both the games you have reference though and we have played the same team.
posted on 25/9/23
I think there’s a fundamental difference between someone suited to being a central striker and a forward more suited to playing wide of or behind the main striker.
To me a central striker should be good at getting on the end of crosses and be good at receiving the ball back to goal. Other forwards are better with the ball in front of them and running at the opposition.
Cunha, Neto, Hwang are all players better with the ball in front of them. Sasa and Fabio can receive the ball back to goal and are threats from crosses.
I understood O’Neil’s selection against Liverpool where generally we were going to get less of the ball and attack from deep with all three forwards pressing, and running at, the Liverpool defence. But surely against Luton our aim should have been to dictate the ball more and have far more possession in their half. In that scenario you need a different style of player in the attack that’s going to act as the focal point at the head of the attack and for the those who like to run with the ball to link with and feed off and to supply through balls and crosses to, ie someone that likes to be positioned ahead of the ball
posted on 25/9/23
comment by WeekendOffender (U22920)
posted a day ago
Nice to see us transition to a more improved, dynamic and attacking midfield though, instead of the one dimensional and slow Neves sitting in front of the back four spraying hopeful diagonal passes to the channels.
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Brings back bad memories.
posted on 25/9/23
comment by The Project is Dead. (U16263)
posted 5 minutes ago
comment by WeekendOffender (U22920)
posted a day ago
Nice to see us transition to a more improved, dynamic and attacking midfield though, instead of the one dimensional and slow Neves sitting in front of the back four spraying hopeful diagonal passes to the channels.
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Brings back bad memories.
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Akin to Deja Vu?