Wolves Fans' Verdict v West Brom: Ugly scenes and an important win

All the headlines will be about the crowd trouble. It was truly a disgrace and not something we want to be associated with. However, had there not been any crowd trouble, the headlines might focus on how we escaped with a lucky 2-0 victory in a derby where West Brom created more chances than us and at times, outplayed us!

Bitterly disappointed that we didn’t take the game to them, although I can understand Gary’s approach to set out their stall not to lose. But we looked well off the pace, gave away the ball needlessly, and neutrals may have wondered who was the Premier League team!

Toti was MOTM and didn’t put a foot wrong. Neto was lucky he scored because he didn’t do much otherwise. Doyle was superb but sloppy when there was no need. Everyone else was relatively average, the occasion clearly affecting performances.

The frustration for me continues to remain on the lack of a striker. Without a focal point we struggle to penetrate and do not have a marksman in the box to get on the end of balls into dangerous areas.

Everyone talks about the way Brighton run the club. Rightly so, as they’ve done very well. But we may want to take notice that our next cup opponents have three out-and-out strikers who have featured regularly: Welbeck, Pedro, and Ferguson. Maybe that’s more of the blueprint we should pay attention to if we are going to really kick on.

Rob Cartwright

This was not the greatest advert for the Black Country, both on and off the pitch.

I think West Brom have a lot to answer for regarding the off pitch developments.

When you allow season ticket holders to buy an additional two tickets (in order to sell out) you are asking for problems. They can only use one for themselves and tickets were freely available to those willing to pay the price!

How else were there so many Wolves supporters in the home sections?

How did Wolves supporters get into the Albion players’ family and friends section?

However, it was a rousing game, if you were lucky enough to be in the stadium.

Albion had the better of the opening exchanges, with two weak headers causing Sa no concerns. Other than that, they found it impossible to get through the highly organised back five. Dawson enjoyed his day back at The Hawthorns. Kilman and Toti were excellent too.

Wolves were a little overrun in midfield but were moving the ball patiently waiting to release a wide man to form a break. Neto, Cunha and Bellegarde were moving into the right spaces and making dangerous runs. We are still missing Hwang in the centre, but the goals were to come from wide positions.

Neto provided the first with a superb break, from a Albion corner. Doherty collected on the edge of our box and played Neto in on the half way line. He took the ball down the right side and into the box. Albion had got plenty of defenders back and just as we thought the chance had gone, he pulled a left foot shot back into the bottom corner. A fine goal.

Wolves looked comfortable from this point, with Albion hardly making a mark.

The concern was that Wolves would merely hold onto this lead to progress to the next round.

Cunha sealed victory with another run down the right, cutting in to score through their keepers legs. Victory was assured and Cunha celebrated as such.

Just as we thought we could now relax or enjoy the final 12 minutes all hell let loose, first in the far left corner, then in the opposite corner to our right. Little did we know we would wait 38 minutes for players to return to finish the game. I was concerned we would end up with an abandonment.

I really don’t understand why it took so long to restore order. The were more stewards and police inside the ground than I have seen for a very long time!

Wolves finished the job. The game was over in reality. A fairly comfortable win where we didn’t really need to get out of second gear.

The disorder has taken away what was a good performance from Wolves. Individually but more importantly, as a team they are really pulling out all the stops for Gary O’Neil and the fans. It was great to see young players such as Toti and Doyle playing with such style and commitment to win the battles on the pitch.

It’s the goal celebrations that will last longest in my mind.

Robbie Meakin

January 28, 2024. Remember the date. The first time Wolverhampton Wanderers beat West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns since September 1996.

Iwan Roberts and Steve Bull were the heroes that day. This time, Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha wrote their names into old gold folklore.

All week, I was excited, confident and nervous. I remained quietly confident but the excitement and nerves kept outweighing each other as match day approached.

This was huge. The first Black Country derby in front of a crowd for 12 years. Wolves going into it considered outright favourites for possibly the first time in my lifetime.

After lethargic efforts on goal from Thomas-Asante and Jed Wallace and a couple of snatched attempts from Matheus Cunha, it looked like it might be another one of those games – like Brentford (A) – where it would be a moment of magic to break through.

Step forward, Pedro Neto. The winger latched on to ball and got the better of the baggies’ defence before finding the back of the net. Cue the limbs in the away end.

Going into half time 1-0 had everybody with old gold running through their veins in high spirits. Just over half an hour into the second half, things got better when Matheus Cunha put the ball through Josh Griffiths’ legs and into the back of the net at the near post. Again, cue the limbs in the away end. However, it also sparked unsavoury scenes in the far corner of the ground, when Wolves fans were outed in home seats.

The game was stopped for over half an hour, as stewards and police tried dealing with events. Fans spilling over onto the pitch and coins and bottles being thrown amongst violence. I understand the passion from fans but there’s a line. I don’t want to go into it too much so that’s all I’m going to say, other than sending my praise to West Midlands Police and everybody involved in controlling it.

After the restart, Wolves kept hold of their 0-2 lead and went into the hat for the fifth round of the FA Cup, being drawn against last Monday’s opponents Brighton. Maybe it will be Maidstone in the quarter finals.

I’d like to end on crediting the staff and players – especially Matheus Cunha – for understanding what it meant. For now, the Black Country is ours, because of them.

And, I need to say it because I don’t get the opportunity to say it much, but the officials had a good game. Credit to Thomas Bramall and his assistants.

Onto Manchester United on Thursday. Up the Wolves.

Adam Virgo

A historic win and one that will live in the memories of us Wolves fans for a very long time. Not a great performance and it didn’t need to be in the end. These types of games are all about winning, performance goes out of the window majority of the time.

Two really good finishes from Neto and Cunha and that’s what quality brings you in key moments. They had a couple of chances but nothing that really tested Jose Sa.

The Albion fans obviously had to embarrass themselves as well by trying to fight through police for whatever reason, running onto the pitch as well when there wasn’t any need for anything to get to that stage. Just shows they can’t take losing to us at all and judging by their reaction too, they’ve all brought the excuses out following the game.

When the game got suspended, all the Wolves fans singing and dancing in that away end whilst the Albion fans were fighting amongst themselves was a sight to behold too.

Gary O’Neil once again proving what a fantastic job he is doing and you can tell how much this win meant to him and the players after the game. Big week ahead now to the Premier League, something Albion can’t relate to I suppose but maybe one day we’ll play them again.

Clive Smith

We have a cup run and a home game to come. Very pleased with that. Solid rather than spectacular sums it up in a sentence.

Plenty of pre-match hype didn’t really translate to the pitch – football has changed – less 50-50 or 40-60 challenges to raise the hackles, more possession based controlled tempo.

The early knockings favoured the home side as they attacked down the flanks and were able to put high crosses into our box. Although Toti struggled initially Dawson and Kilman made sure there were no easy free headers to trouble Sa.

Wolves mixed things up more than usual, going long to Bellegarde and using Neto on the right as an outlet, but also building from the back and trying to use Doyle as the pass master.

Having wasted three of our own set pieces it was ironic that, just before the break, an Albion corner found Doherty and he broke and released Neto. From wide right, he cut in, looked to have wasted the chance before neatly putting the ball beyond the keeper. Bedlam and bodies falling over seats is my next recollection. Health and Safety having a day off.

Wolves had been marginally the better side but were not quite at their best. Neto was clearly the dangerous player but, like Cunha, receiving the ball in midfield facing our goal made it difficult to retain possession. High crosses into their box was not likely to work so passing the ball on the floor looked the game plan. It was Bellegarde who proved the best at getting on the ball and drawing fouls.

Albion also started the second half the better but we continued to be solid in defence. Playing with a five, plus Lemina and Doyle dropping deep, space in and around our box was well protected. Players covered for each other when required.

Bellegarde had a good effort that went wide – his reward, immediately subbed.

Not long after though the result was settled. A long Kilman ball played Cunha in and he finished from a tight angle. Not wishing to get on my soap box, but a quick glance at the linesman with no flag raised meant VAR was not going to spoil the moment.

The final 15 minutes were negotiated with little fuss and, what was potentially a difficult fixture, was won and managed comfortably.

Although Neto and Cunha provided the highlights the foundation was built by Kilman and Dawson, either could be MOTM, but also the energy and workrate of Lemina and Doyle.

The next two fixtures are likely to prove far more difficult. By then the transfer window will be closed and avoiding infringing FFP rules is obviously paramount but there is still a tinge of disappointment that a decent experienced forward has not been added to our ranks.

John Lalley

The pandemic necessitated that the last couple of fixtures between these two teams were played out without any spectators. Given the moronic, self-indulgent idiocy perpetrated at The Hawthorns on Sunday, maybe such a measure might be a propitious template for the future.

Ugly acrimonious turmoil filled with bile and with a contemptuous disregard for any remote idea of civilised conduct. The culprits entered a territory where mitigation does not exist; self-destructive, fatuous and utterly puerile. That said, the notion that because of the cretinous insanity on show the result is rendered irrelevant is preposterous. Who won or lost might be of no importance but finishing the game really did matter; caving in to this kind of nonsense really would be outrageous.

Ultimately, the nutcases were left bereft; palpably stupid, reprehensible and monumentally beneath contempt. This idiotic feud which simply never existed when I first attended this fixture many years ago is now frankly an embarrassment. How such ill-feeling has festered is bewildering; almost like a Black Country version of sectarianism and the whole wretched business stinks. B

oth sets of fans really would do well to reappraise and inject a measure of perspective. It’s a football pitch, not a battlefield.

As for the game, there was little on show to stiffen the sinews. Wolves broke this hoodoo, if that is what it ever was, without ever needing to approach any sustained momentum. In fact, it was a sketchy display; short on pace and drive, stilted and often careless in possession.

Wolves were uninspiring but never uncomfortable. But essentially, it was more than enough; Albion enjoyed a decent share of the ball but Jose Sa was no more troubled than he had been at Brighton last Monday. The first time Albion committed real numbers forward, Wolves broke rapidly leaving Neto to demonstrate the kind of quality finishing that was the demonstrable difference between the two teams.

Cunha repeated the scenario after the interval and a seeming cruise to the final whistle was only interrupted by avoidable outside influences. Wolves won because they are better than Albion and I’m happy about that but I’ve witnessed many a game when the opposite was the case. It was our time on this occasion and it’s a pleasant feeling but no need to dance a conga or enough to take a bath in euphoria. And even less so to resort to senseless animosity. What a foolish interlude.