Wolves fans made their frustration known after their side were held to a 1-1 draw against Sunderland. After falling behind following a dire start, they were handed a leg up when Dan Ballard was sent off. They did get back in the game through Santi Bueno and had spells in the second half. But fans were unhappy with manager Rob Edwards and some of his changes. Here are a few talking points to come from the game.
Pre-season feel
The first half was flat, feeling like a game that takes place in July before the new campaign. It was an end-of-season feeling mixed with a pre-season game, which was highly surprising because of the little bit of pressure that seems to be on Edwards at the moment. It was different in the second half and Wolves rallied, but it was not great at all. With the empty seats, it was almost a case of the fans having had enough, and they cannot be blamed for that.
Shackled for too long
Wolves were terrible in the first half. Sunderland were not brilliant, but Wolves were so far off it in terms of what they needed to do to win the game. In the second half they had a bit of a go, but it still felt like a handbrake mentality, and it is hard to see why. Maybe if Sunderland had eleven men and were battering Wolves you could understand, but they were not. It was Wolves’ game to go on and win in the second half. But it was like they had dipped their toe in the water rather than diving in head first. It needed more, and that is why fans were frustrated.
The hair debate
It is ridiculous, is it not? Dan Ballard was sent off for pulling Tolu Arokodare’s hair. What is going on with football, where is this craze coming from? Why not just give him a yellow? It is like the referees, the PGMOL, want negative headlines. It gave Wolves a leg up, but even their fans were annoyed again with VAR. It has to change because frankly it is pathetic and is making a bit of a mockery of the game. Players will start playing on it if this carries on.
A fan turning point
Pressure has ramped on Edwards from sections of the Wolves fans in recent weeks, and it went up a notch after this one. Boos and derogatory chants came from the South Bank towards Edwards, who exited straight down the tunnel rather than going to clap the fans. He said after that he did not want to add to things with the fans, but it is clear there is a growing divide there. Whether it can be healed remains to be seen, but it looked significant today. It is mad to think just a few months ago he had galvanised the whole club.
