HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Tuesday night’s game at Portman Road by delving into their forums.
"What the hell has happened to our club?”, "We are in deep, deep trouble now. Teams around us are starting to pick up points and we’re doing the opposite. Every game between now and the end of the season is huge. We are sleepwalking into League One”, "Plucky defeats at Reading don’t cut it.”
"Mick McCarthy will be licking his lips when he sees a DVD of this.” Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Reading was the West Midlanders’ fifth consecutive defeat in the league. It has left them one place and one point above the relegation zone, albeit with two games in hand over the three sides sitting beneath them.
"We’re going down. The squad is worse than the 2013 one and with an equally clueless manager”, "I wasn’t expecting much today at Reading but the table looks horrible. Two weeks ago, we were one of five teams in danger of being dragged into the bottom three. Now we are just one of two teams.”
"We are in free fall”, "How the hell are we in this mess? It seems every front has aligned to create a perfect storm. New owners come in and waste money, we have had three managers in one season, key positions on the field were not strengthened and key players have picked up long-term injuries.”
"We had all that optimism when new owners Fosun took over at the start of the season. How is it that we are relying on pretty much the same team that struggled so badly under Kenny Jackett last season?”, "We have spent £27 million and have nothing to show for it apart from a League One side.”
"This is a catastrophe even by Wolves’ standards”, "More misery with an extra helping of dashed hope”, "Only Wolves could get an owner with the wealth they possess and screw it up”, "Losing five on the bounce and dropping like a stone”, "And along comes Mick to put another nail in our coffin.”
"I have no faith whatsoever in Lambert to get us out of this”, "This was a ridiculously lazy managerial appointment”, "You don’t have to be good in this league, just organised and that comes down to the manager”, "I will say it now, Lambert is the worst manager we have had in 20 years. He is clueless.”
The 47-year-old former Norwich boss has been castigated for picking favoured journeymen instead of more talented and in-form players, for failing to sign a striker in the January window and for reducing the side to a primitive style of direct football which has often bypassed the midfield.
"Lambert is stubborn to the point of pig-headedness. His team selections in the last six weeks are the direct cause of the mire we now find ourselves in”, "He is tactically clueless, team selections are clueless and the football style is clueless”, "Overconfidence and arrogance are a fatal combination.”
"He is in a rut and appears totally lost”, "He is deluded in his pre-match planning and his absence of a game plan”, "He’s a puffed-up bluffer”, "His tactics are awful, play it on the bloody floor”, "Bringing on a full-back while 2-1 down at Reading and with a minute left to play pretty much sums him up.”
"This team needs to be dismantled in the summer. How come good players can come in and be reduced to the standard of League One dross?”, "Our strikers don’t score. The midfield is flat and lacks creativity and the central defence is up and down”, "We don’t look a threat at the moment.”
"We are hoofing our way into League One”, "Please stop bypassing the midfield and select some players who can keep the ball”, "The only tactic we employ is hoofing the ball into the channels”, "The passing, control, skill and movement you would attribute to a good football team isn’t there.”
"What the hell is that?”, "It’s a bloody odd selection”, "That just smacks of desperation.” Lambert has kept a shape of three midfielders and one striker in recent games but he made eight alterations, two of them positional, for Saturday’s team (above) at Reading from the side which lost to Birmingham.
The Birmingham line-up (above) for the game eight days earlier had a completely different back four and just two outfield players in identical positions. Of these two, Helder Costa is widely seen as the most creative player in the side whereas Dave Edwards is widely seen as the biggest problem.
Mike Williamson and Kortney Hause are seen as the strongest centre-back pairing. Danny Batth and former Blues loanee Richard Stearman have been criticised at times for their errors and erratic distribution, although one of the pair will have to start in place of the suspended Williamson at Portman Road.
Fans have been perplexed by Lambert starting central midfielders George Saville and Conor Coady as full-backs but the lack of midfield creativity dominates debates. "I ask you, Jack Price, George Saville and Dave Edwards”, "Edwards and his ilk are the problem”, "It’s just the easy pass all the time.”
"God I hate our midfield”, "Central midfield has been our key problem for so long. It is League One standard at best”, "Midfield is where the issue lies in this side. There is just nothing centrally of any quality which makes defending the wide areas so easy, as you know that will be the only threat.”
Helder Costa has the pace and technique to hurt opponents but lacks a decent foil on the left flank, with Ivan Cavaleiro injured and Andreas Weimann ineffective. Up front, Wolves have relied on Jon Bodvarsson who is not a finisher while Nouha Dicko is building sharpness after a hamstring injury.
"Our lack of striking options is shameful”, "We are an awfully limited attacking threat, minimal”, "It might be nice to have a striker with some threat about them”, "I wish we had an outlet up top”, "We are absolutely woeful in front of goal. We have no goalscorer, we are relegated, simple.”
"Ever since Mick left, we have missed the type of player prepared to take things by the scruff of the neck, shake things up a bit and bawl at other players to pull their damn fingers out”, "A team of nice lads who are limited footballers.” A lack of confidence and leadership on the pitch is also an issue.
"The whole place is a bag of nerves, no composure and panic stations from the word go”, "A weak-minded squad with no balls”, "Lazy, timid, clueless cowards”, "The defence don’t trust the midfield to create and the midfield doesn’t trust the forwards to finish or make chances, hence hoofball.”
"The crisis is very much real”, "We are going to Shrewsbury, again”, "Despite all the dominance in the second half, Wolves find themselves a goal down”, "Being not quite good enough seems to be a habit now”, "We sounded very unlucky rather than woeful which I guess is an improvement.”
"The first half was a dreary non-event.” Reading broke the deadlock three minutes after the interval when Yann Kermorgant deflected a Liam Moore shot home. Wolves hit back two minutes later when Ben Marshall met Dicko’s good cross but Paul McShane headed in Reading’s winner on 78 minutes.
Mike Williamson was dismissed five minutes from time after picking up a second caution but fans were more concerned with poor set piece defending which lost the game. "Once again, we fail to defend a set piece”, "Someone switches off again and it costs us a goal”, "We are going down boys.”
"I am just so unhappy”, "This is just pathetic, I haven’t been this angry for a while”, "Just about the right result on balance”, "Lambert got his tactics hopelessly wrong in the first half, trying to get in behind a Blues team playing 5-4-1”, "I’m at New Street Station. Home cannot come quickly enough.”
A blunder by keeper Carl Ikeme allowed Maikel Kieftenbeld to put City ahead on 28 minutes before David Davis curled in a second four minutes later. Paul Robinson’s dismissal on 53 minutes left the visitors with 10 men but Dicko’s goal 20 minutes later wasn’t enough to prevent a fourth straight loss.
The manner of this derby defeat shook the West Midlanders’ confidence as much as the loss itself. "Why we started against Birmingham with route one tactics from the start, with a centre-forward who can’t win headers and with a player of genuine pace and skill on one wing is just beyond me.”
"We got what we deserved, nothing. The goals were shaky but what was terrifying was the utter lack of creativity in the side. Up to now we have been one-dimensional, but we didn’t even seem to have that”, "Birmingham’s 10 men were all over us”, "Down to 10 and the Blues looked the better side.”
"I’m proud and gutted”, "No shame in losing to Chelsea today”, "It was a professional performance by Chelsea who did just enough to see us off”, "A full Molineux, a great atmosphere and a standing ovation at the end. I loved it”, "Molineux was absolutely rocking today. I love it when it’s like that.”
Goals from Pedro on 65 and Diego Costa one minute from time saw Chelsea cruise through to the quarter-finals. Fans were heartened by the performance and atmosphere at the game but felt that the result was inevitable as their team tired and started to drop deeper in the final half hour.
"We were out on our feet after the first 60 minutes. I can’t fault the effort. We needed to be a bit more composed in possession”, "Class told in the end but we put up a good fight”, "It does seriously bug me that we can’t turn up like that against Burton and Wigan”, "We have bigger battles ahead.”
"What a dire midfield.” The West Midlanders’ starting XI (above) held few surprises for home fans. Many wanted to see creative midfielder Romain Saiss feature against what was a strong Chelsea line-up. "On paper Chelsea’s team is frightening, but then again so is ours for different reasons.”
"It would be interesting to see Carl Ikeme’s save-to-goal ratio for the last seven games. I reckon he has conceded eight goals from maybe 12 shots on target.” The 30-year-old keeper and club stalwart "is a good shot stopper but his distribution his terrible. His kicking to the lone striker sets our tone.”
"Ikeme drops a cross to gift Birmingham a goal”, "I can’t remember the last time I saw a high-level keeper drop a ball that easy to catch”, "His kicking is poor and is slow off his line. He lacks urgency in most situations.”, "It annoys me how slow he is distributing the ball. He dictates our leaden tempo.”
"Matt Doherty summed up the team against Birmingham, he looked predictable and slow.” The 25-year-old former Bohemians and Wolves youth product "is decent, but is very predictable and one-paced going forward. We know there’s a good player in there but he can be too slow on the ball”.
"Doherty makes good blocks and some decent runs, but he allows our play down and for a full-back is very one-paced”, "He was willing against Chelsea and played Willian well, but his attacking nous lacked the quality to outfox them”, "He just stands there when his attacking efforts are snuffed out.”
"We have missed Dominic Iorfa. It was great to see him running down the wing again at Reading.” The 21-year-old right-back and youth product "had his best game of the season, defensively pretty sound and he got forward well and linked with Costa. He needs to give himself time when crossing”.
"If Iorfa is high up the pitch and we maintain possession, his runs are almost unstoppable”, "He’s a constant threat but his crossing could improve”, "He is a typical full-back once past the defensive line. He gets a nosebleed and wangs a cross in hard and low when there are players there waiting.”
"Mike Williamson will be a huge miss at Portman Road.” The 33-year-old ex-Newcastle centre-half "makes such a difference in the heart of the defence with his organising and his distribution is very good”, "He does everything so calmly and with an assurance that transmits itself to the rest of the defensive line.”
"Richard Stearman shanked more balls than a poor golfer against Birmingham.” The 29-year-old is on loan from Fulham and previously played for Mick McCarthy at Wolves and on loan for us. "He is absolutely woeful. We have plenty of bang-average centre-halves of our own
to play instead of him.”
"Kortney Hause is strong, quick and reads the game well. If he is fit, he simply has to play.” The 21-year-old former Wycombe centre-half "has looked far more composed and consistent lately than he has in previous games”, "Sheer athleticism becomes a trait in itself when it is used properly.”
"Kortney the colossal, he was magnificent against Chelsea, heading, tackling and blocking everything that came his way”, "A superb game, showing great power and strength to ease good players off the ball”, "Why the hell did Lambert drop him for Birmingham after the way he played against Chelsea?”
"We will always concede with this defence. God knows how many Batth has been responsible for this season alone”, "He is defensively shaky and woeful in possession”, "He literally has one ball down the channel and never finds a team-mate”, "He makes heavy weather of everything he does.”
The 26-year-old youth product "couldn’t attack a Wendy house. He is like a fainting goat and should not be anywhere near that shirt”, "It’s not Wolves without him switching off, sliding in aimlessly and waving his arms about blaming someone else”, "Slow and lumbering, he’s a League One defender.”
"It was good to see the Conor Coady of old in midfield at Reading, snapping into tackles, hounding down opponents and getting on the ball.” The 24-year-old former Huddersfield midfielder "is better at closing down but I lost count of how many times he gave the ball away”, "Some of his passes really let him down.”
"Coady has done a very basic job out of position at right-back but he offers very little in an attacking sense”, "Acres of room to attack but he doesn’t have the ability to put in anything with quality into the box”, "His crossing ability is nil and his clipping the ball into the final third is becoming tedious.”
"George Saville was a strange choice at left-back at Reading.” The 23-year-old former Chelsea youth player had a spell on loan at Brentford in 2013/14. "It made sense putting someone left-footed there but he’s not a left-back in a million years”, "He tried his best and wasn’t outclassed by their winger.”
"Saville was hardly in the Birmingham match”, "It was a nothing performance”, "Best I don’t comment in case I break my phone in frustration”, "An awful footballer who can’t play easy possession football in dangerous parts of the pitch”, "I wouldn’t have him on the bench after that.”
"Lee Evans lacks composure on the ball and looks to get rid of it as quickly as he can, everything was sideways.” The 22-year-old ex-Newport man was dropped after a poor display in a 1-0 home defeat to Wigan before the Chelsea game. "I have never seen a player fail to make so many simple passes.”
"Jack Price gets the ball and kicks it straight up in the air.” The 24-year-old youth product "should consider a career as an action figure. This football business isn’t working out for him”, "He is awful, too slow and far too negative. He sprays lovely safe passes sideways but he does very little else.”
"Be more adventurous Jack, your passing is too safe”, "He does well sitting in front of the back four breaking things up with lots of energy”, "His work-rate without the ball is immense. His ability to spot danger saves us a few times against Chelsea”, "I loved the way Price harried Diego Costa.”
"Romain Saiss wins a lot of headers, his distribution is good and he is calm on the ball. He bombs around when he needs to but doesn’t chase around like a fool.” Many fans are desperate for Lambert to keep the 26-year-old ex-Angers man and Morocco international in the starting XI.
"Saiss is the only central midfielder we have who can pick out passes forward”, "The difference between his passing and that of Coady and Edwards in the first half at Reading was embarrassing”, "He is streets ahead of the rest of our midfield technically, a strong tackler and is very composed.”
"What the hell is Edwards on the football pitch for?”, "The only thing that may save us is him getting injured.” The 31-year-old former Luton midfielder "is poor in and out of possession. The Birmingham game simply passed him by. He has no effect, too slow, doesn’t find space and does nothing with the ball.”
"Most teams have a technically gifted player as their number 10. We have Dave bloody Edwards”, "If he doesn’t pop up with a near post header, he offers nothing”, "He’s good at pointing”, "We need a player to dominate the game and attack teams, not someone incapable of keeping easy possession.”
"Ben Marshall looked a good deal fitter than expected and put a real shift in at Reading.” The 25-year-old January addition from Blackburn "was easy in possession and he can deliver a ball. He needs to stay out wide and not come inside”, "A odd pick, but he must have shaped up quickly in training.”
"Marshall was hardly in the Reading game at all, apart from his goal from close range, he looked completely lost out on the left”, "After 20 minutes or so he wasn’t really in the game but he grew into things and got forward to good effect”, "He was decent on the ball and scored a good goal.”
"Send Andreas Weimann back to Derby.” The 25-year-old January loan signing "rises like a tin of salmon”, "He crosses to a bloke in the South Bank”, "He appears to have won some sort of lottery where the winning ticket rewards you with a starting place in the team”, "Lightweight up front.”
"Weimann doesn’t look to beat his man, doesn’t cross the ball well and can’t tackle. He must be low in confidence, because if he isn’t, he’s just woeful”, "Lots of huff and puff with no decent final ball”, "Works hard but as much of a headless chicken as Dave Edwards”, "Anonymous and disappointing,”
"Where is our creativity apart from Costa?”, "We have no composure or creativity apart from him.” The 23-year-old ex-Benfica right winger joined permanently in January after arriving on loan last summer. "There is a lot sitting on his shoulders at the moment as he is our only creative outlet.”
"Costa is our only attacking outlet carrying any threat. All teams need to do is double up on him and we lose any potency we have. He needs Ivan Cavaleiro [who is sidelined with a knee injury] on the other wing”, "Teams close on him quickly because he’s out only threat but he makes things happen.”
"Costa has lots of neat touches and skill and always looking to attack, most of our positive play is through him and he does more than his fair share of tracking back too”, "He already looks like a Premier League player and a really good one as well”, "I doubt Costa will still be here in August.”
"If only Jón Böðvarsson could get a bloody goal for a change.” The 24-year-old summer arrival from Kaiserslautern "tries hard but has no end product”, "Yes, he works hard but at the end of the day his job is to score goals and he just doesn’t look like scoring. Play him in a front pairing or not at all.”
"Böðvarsson can’t jump. His feet don’t leave the ground. It makes awful viewing seeing us launch it long to him and him not winning anything”, "He is more effective coming short for the ball to his feet rather than duelling aerially”, "When you last scored in August it’s clear the killer instinct is missing.”
"Dicko looked isolated in the first half at Reading but did really well for his goal. There are signs that he’s getting back to his old self.” The 24-year-old ex-Strasbourg man and Mali international "put in a real shift with very little supply. He did superbly to get his equaliser”, "Costa to Dicko, just maybe…”
"Can Dicko at last wake up as a striker?”, "He completely changed our game in the final third when he came on against Birmingham. We switched to a 4-4-2 and he needed Bod around him”, "He scored, ran around and harried their defenders. It looks like he’s finally finding his form. I really hope so.”
"I can’t say I’m looking forward to Tuesday night’s game”, "We don't do well away to Ipswich. I can see another 1-2 defeat against a very average team”, "I can’t see us getting much out of Ipswich”, "Ipswich fans will love it on Tuesday night giving Lambert plenty of ‘Sacked in the morning’.”
"Ipswich 3 Wolves 0 and Lambert sacked.” Wolves supporters are gloomy about their prospects on Tuesday night, with half predicting a Town victory and many by a 3-0 margin or higher. Just over a quarter of West Midlanders think that they will win but most of these are forecasting a close game.
"The ultimate embarrassment will be if we are outplayed by Mick’s cloggers”, "I’m sure Mick will have a nice grin on his face”, "It’s the easiest game he will face for a while”, "Mick will twist the knife”, "Mick won't do us any favours and anyway it isn't favours we need. We need miracles.”
"Ipswich haven't won at home for nearly two months so we all know what will happen”, "Ipswich will win 2-0 and the nightmare continues”, "I can't see us keeping a clean sheet and think we'll be bullied out of it by Mick McCarthy’s lot”, "I can’t see us scoring many goals in this one.”
"Ipswich aren't big scorers so we've got to take it to them”, "It will either be 0-0 or 1-0 to them via a scrappy set piece. Either way, a classic it will not be”, "It will be 1-1, Berra with both goals”, "A draw is most likely. Judging by Mick's comments Ipswich were lucky to draw on Saturday, a 1-1 beckons.”
"My Ipswich-supporting mate said Ipswich were poor, that Brentford were a quick, passing side they struggled against and they dominated in most areas of the game. I checked the stats for the game and it was true. We all know stats mean nothing and hence my prediction Wolves will lose 3-1.”
"If any match suits Danny Batth it's got to be Ipswich away surely? Lots of heading practice and not much ball skill required”, "Maybe start Costa on the bench as Ipswich are a very physical team and will isolate him. Let's face it, we will be looking to bring the point home.”
Given their current predicament, many would take our manager back in a heartbeat. "I was never McCarthy’s biggest fan but he knew how to grind out results at this level after a poor run, very much back to basics and get a draw or snatch a win and go from there. Compare that to this approach.”
There are a number of active and well-informed Wolves’ forums. The busiest is the impressive and knowledgeable Molineux Mix.