Wolverhampton Wanderers have confirmed the departure of Vitor Pereira as head coach following their 2-0 away lose to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. Wolves currently sit bottom of the Premier League table without a win from their first eight games and look to be favourites for relegation. The club have acted fast in replacing Vitor Periera with unknown manager Josh McEwen taking the reigns must to the disappointment of Wolves fans who are concerned that an unknown manager with no experience has been handed the tough task of saving Wolves from relegation woth a number of supporters clubs already criticising the appointment. A statement from Wolves was released earlier this morning.
Wolverhampton Wanderers can confirm that Vitor Pereira has left his position as head coach by mutual consent. The club wishes to express its gratitude to Vitor for his dedication and hard work during his tenure at Molineux.
This decision comes after a period in which results have unfortunately fallen short of both the club’s and supporters’ expectations. After careful consideration, the club’s leadership felt that a change was necessary not only to address immediate challenges on the pitch, but also to lay a stronger foundation for the long-term progress and success of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In light of this, the club is pleased to announce the appointment of Josh McEwen, as Vitor’s successor. The club believes that Josh’s fresh approach and vision can help to turn the season around, instil renewed confidence in the squad, and set a positive course for the future. Wolverhampton Wanderers are committed to supporting Josh as he takes on this role and look forward to the next chapter under his leadership.
Josh added a brief statement saying “I am delighted to have been given this opportunity to manage Wolves, it is a club that belongs in the Premier league and our whole focus is on helping improve both performance and results on the pitch to ensure the club is still in the Premier League next season. I know concerns have been raised about myself being appointed but I urge our fans to get behind the players and give me the chance to show that I can turn this season around and keep this fantastic football club where they belong.”
Uuuuh, interesting with a bottom of the table start 8 games into the season. Glad to another CM story taking shape, going to look out for this one to see how it develops. Good luck mate, I'm going to look out for updates here from now on.
Josh McEwen “I think you saw in the first half an hour that the players were still trying to get used to what they have been asked to do. We played a system that I think is well suited to the team we obviously made some tweaks and if I’m being perfectly honest there are still some things we want to change in order to get the most out of our attacking players but we went a goal down we were under a lot of pressure and the team reacted perfectly and fought back for a valuable point.”
Scott Parker “I thought we were superb in the first half and I thought we could have been a couple of goals up at half time but in the second half we seemed to take our foot off the gas a little bit and invited Wolves back into the game and we’ve been punished for it. I think you could probably see in the later stages of the second half no team really wanted to lose the game and we cancelled each other out but we are disappointed because I felt we deserved more from the game.”
Josh McEwen “I thought the way we played today was admirable, we are obviously so disappointed to lose the game on penalties but to play a top team like Chelsea and probably over the course of 90 minutes have the best chances is disappointing to lose but we will dust ourselves off and focus now turns fully to the league. We disappointed with the red card obviously its a silly challenge to make when on a yellow card but I think it is a very harsh second yellow
Enzo Maresca “Cup games are about winning and finding a way to win and today we had to rely on penalties but we are into the next round. We didn’t play our best game but we go to the quarter finals, it is never easy to play away and I think Wolves were very organised defensively but I thought we controlled most of the game we just struggled to create that killer chance.”
The scoreline shows a 1-0 win against Burnley, but the text and scorers suggest that it was a 1-1 draw. Am I right? If so, decent start really. Shouldn't expect too much from Chelsea, and it's probably best to focus on survival in the Prem anyway...
It was a draw need to double check my graphics before uploading them lol I wanted to win but they battered me so a draw is a good result played much better against Chelsea
Marco Silva “I thought we deserved to win the game, the way we started was fantastic we put them straight on the back and deserved to be two goals up. Of course naturally they reacted to us scoring twice and they created some chances and scored a goal but after their goal and a couple of chances before half time in the second half I thought we managed the game well and maybe could have scored another but it is important for us to get these three points.”
Josh McEwen “I think it was probably a fair result in the way that the game went as a whole. They started brightly but that doesn’t excuse the poor errors that lead to their goals for us to lose the box from a centre back is criminal and those sorts of mistakes can’t happen because it will cost us too many points. We obviously created chances once we adapted to our new shape but again, we’ve lost a game of football and sit bottom heading into a very tough schedule. We need to find a way to pick up some wins and that is my responsibility to do.”
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Jorgensen, Gusto, Fofana, Hato, Cucurella, Lavia (Off 67), Caicedo, Buonanotte (Off 58), Gittens (Off 85), Palmer, Pedro
Subs: Sanchez, James, Fernandez (On 58), Guiu, Badiashile, Sterling (On 85), Neto, Santos (On 67), Chalobah
Subs: Johnstone, Lopez (On 80), Munetsi (On 67), Mosquera, Toti, R.Gomes (On 80), Tchatchoua (On 80), Hwang Hee Chan, Bellegarde
Enzo Maresca “We are of course not happy because we have to perform better in this game. We seemed to turn up and think that because Wolves are in a difficult situation that they would be an easy game and instead they came and they made things very difficult for us. Before half time to concede a goal because a deflected cross finds a striker in space is hard to take we know they don’t play nice football they play a lot of crosses to their tall strikers so to switch off and concede before half time isn’t great. They make the game scrappy and for me their football is like when Stoke were in the league maybe little bit they pay out from the back but their focus is on crosses into the box and we should have done more to stop it.”
Josh Mcewen “An amazing performance by my players there today and so unlucky not to come away with the three points, I thought we kept battling until the end and if anyone was going to score a winner on the balance of play I think most people would agree it looked likely to be us but to come to Stamford Bridge play like we did and get a point we would have taken it before the game just a little bitter that we didn’t get the three because I honestly feel we deserved it. I’ve said to the lads it was a step in the right direction performance wise but we need wins now and hopefully we can get that first win on the board and start pushing up the table.”
Josh McEwen “I can’t believe we haven’t won that game honestly we played so well today but a mistake from our keeper has given them their second goal and we did well to equalise but even at the end Larsen’s header skims the post. I thought Dean Henderson had a fantastic game for them in goal and without him we would be celebrating three points we were absolutely outstanding today but again we have failed to pick up the points we deserve and we remain bottom of the table. It is a position we have to accept and we have to keep working hard like we are and keep having faith that we will get the win that we deserve.
Olivier Glasner “We knew today would be a tough game and I think Wolves proved that to us with their fantastic performance but we maybe were a little bit to open defensively and we created a few problems for ourselves. We fought hard we went a goal down and responded well but then again seemed to take our foot of the gas and when we went 2-1 up we should have pushed on and won the game we had a chance at 2-2 to win it as well but I think a draw is a fair result because Dean had to make more saves then normal today so we will take a point.
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Onana, Tielemans, Malen, Sancho, Rogers, Watkins
Unai Emery “I don’t think we were at our best today, it is difficult after a European game to come into such a tough derby but that is no excuse we were second to every ball but we have one of the best goalkeepers in the world who made two or three great saves. We started well we had a massive chance at the start but after this we were very poor and we must react better after playing a European game to come into these tough matches at home and be able to perform better then we performed today.”
Josh McEwen “That’s a difficult one to take today, I’m not going to lie to you. We were so good from start to finish and on another day we probably win that game three or four nil. We’re unbeaten in three games that we should have won all three and if we had got the results we deserved we’d be level on points with Leeds instead we’re six points off and in desperate need of a win. Next month is a really tough month but we are going to try pick up as many points as we can and you know after that we’re into January and myself and the board are already working hard on trying to find a few players to come in and help the team out because we obviously need a bit of help especially on the wings.”
Draws are piling up at the moment. Certainly an improvement from losing most games before the appointment of McEwen, but you still need to win games to climb out of that mess you find yourself in at the moment. Fulham result was disappointing, I'm sure, but apart from that it's starting to clear up a bit. Now you just need to break down that door with a first win of the season.
Yeah to many draws piling up the issue is when we play well we draw and seems when we play bad we lose that form won't keep us in the Prem but at least the performances have improved now it is about turning them good performances into wins
Subs: Gunn, Cunha, Hutchinson, Kalimuendo, Zinchenko, Douglas Luiz, Igor Jesus, Ndoye, Boly
Josh McEwen “We’ve been working so hard for this result and to finally get the win after the last 3 or 4 performances we’ve put in it is about time we were rewarded with a win. Honestly, I think this is just the start for us. The way we have played has been superb they obviously hit the post but overall it was a very solid performance and we’re so happy that we could give the fans a victory because they have been so good to us. Since I came in they have really got behind us I think they can see what we’re trying to do and how we are implementing changes but there's still a long way to go but we can hold our heads high tonight and take this momentum into the next few games.”
Sean Dyche “Very disappointed with the result today I thought we deserved to get something out of the game. We knew that it would be a difficult game I know Wolves are bottom but they’ve caused a few teams problems lately I think they’re unbeaten in their last few games so we knew we had to battle but I thought we did and on another day we would have won the game. I think its really important now to bounce back and avoid being dragged into that relegation battle because its a tough battle to get out of when you put yourselves in it so its important we get a few results and get clear of that chasing pack but we aren’t worried about it at the moment we know our quality it just wasn’t our day.”
Manchester United (5-2-3): Lammens, Mazraoui, de Ligt, Martinez, Maguire, Malacia (Off 90), Fernandes, Mainoo (Off 90), Mbuemo, Sesko, Cunha
Subs: Bayinder, Dalot, Ugarte (On 90), Zirkzee, Yoro, Casemiro, Obi, Mount, Dorgu (On 90)
Josh McEwen “That’s the best we have played since I’ve been in charge we were physical and I also felt that we moved the ball well on the deck. We have had some comparisons to the old Stoke which to be honest it isn’t an insult because there a team that battled for a long time but we are a team that wants to play football but we aren’t afraid to be physical aswell and Arokodare showed how good he is both physically and technically today three shots three goals scoring with both feet and no headers so I think we showed a side to our game today of being able to compete in the right areas. Back to back wins and now we are looking up the table and thinking that we aren’t that far away from being out of the relegation zone.”
Ruben Amorim “I thought we controlled large periods of the game we dominated the ball but we didn’t create enough opportunities with all the possession that we have. I thought that Wolves were overly aggressive, we didn’t get enough protection from the referee but I thought a few of the players were intimidated by just how much they kicked us and when the referee isn’t giving yellow cards suddenly the fans are up and it becomes quite hostile and we didn’t handle that well. We can not say the referee should do this or do that we should have been braver and we should have punished them when we had the ball and we didn’t that is the main reason we lose this game.”
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya, Timber, Gabriel, Mosquera (Off 68), Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Zubimendi, Havertz (Off 52), Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard (Off 52)
Subs: Kepa, Calafiori, Eze, Jesus, Hincapie, Martinelli (On 52), Merino (On 52), Norgaard (On 68), Saliba
Mikel Arteta “I am so happy with our performance, Wolves are a physical team and today I said to the players if we match them physically we can create a lot of problems for them and we did that. We could have been three goals up at half time and obviously in the second half you think this Wolves team will fight and fight and we had to remain patient we controlled possession and on another day Viktor Gyokeres has a hat trick but Sa played great but we kept fighting and we are happy to win the game.”
Josh McEwen “Obviously a tough game for us today, we didn’t really seem ourselves in the attacking third but thats a testament to how good this Arsenal team is defensively. They created a lot of chances and Jose (Sa) has made some superb saves which is good for his confidence but the Emirates is a tough place to come and when your attacking phases aren’t really working out for you it is always going to be hard.”
Wolves (4-4-2): Sa, Hoever, Agbadou, Krejci, H.Bueno, Arias, Andre (Off 68), J.Gomes, Lopez, Larsen, Arokodare (Off 68)
Subs: Johnstone, S.Bueno, Munetsi, Mosquera, Wolfe, R.Gomes, Tchatchoua, Hwang Hee Chan (On 68), Bellegarde (On 68)
Brentford (4-2-3-1): Kelleher, van den Berg, Collins, Ajer, Henry (Off 85), Janelt, Yarmoliuk (Off 59), Peart-Harris (Off 81), Schade, Damsgaard, Igor Thiago
Subs: Valdimarsson, Lewis-Potter (On 85), Carvalho, Outtara (On 81), Pinnock, Henderson (On 59), Gustavo Nunes, Jensen, Kayode
Josh McEwen “I thought that was a really hard fought game between two committed teams, obviously they had their moments but I think for a majority of the match we were on top and could have scored a couple more goals but this was the perfect response to last weeks loss and again shows what we can do when we are at our best. We’ve got some really difficult games coming up now to end a busy month but at the start of the month we looked down and out and three wins in four I think we have shown that we are going to keep fighting and we’ve closed the gap on safety.”
Keith Andrews “Its a disappointing result to lose the match, it was a game where they took that key chance whereas when we got into them areas we just weren’t clinical enough or creative enough to find the breakthrough. It was more disappointing that we got ourselves into dangerous areas but didn’t really put that impact on them that we normally do and we’ve paid the price with a loss. We know what there about they like to get the ball wide and put crosses into the box and defensively they’re very aggressive and they pressed us hard and we didn’t take advantage and exploit the spaces they were leaving.”
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson, Frimpong, van Dijk, Konate, Kerkez, Gravenberch, MacAllister, Salah, Gakpo, Wirtz (Off 83), Isak
Subs: Mamardashvili, Robertson, Szoboszlai, Ekitike, Bradley, Jones (On 83), Chiesa, Endo, Gomez
Arne Slot “I’m really proud of the team’s performance today. We knew Wolves would be a tough opponent—they’ve been in great form and play with a lot of physicality, so we had to be at our best both technically and mentally. I thought we handled their press very well, moved the ball quickly, and created some excellent chances, especially in the first half. Scoring three goals against a side as organized as Wolves is never easy, but our composure in front of goal and our energy off the ball made the difference. The fans were incredible as always and gave us that extra push. Now it’s about maintaining this level in the matches ahead.”
Josh McEwen “It's a disappointing day at the office, I thought 3-0 slightly flatters them but to be honest we were second best today. Coming to Anfield you know it is going to be tough and when you're 2-0 down after twenty minutes you're fighting to ty and get back into the game and credit to Liverpool they never really gave us a sort of sign that we had a chance of getting back into it. I think to be honest I got it wrong we came here to try and get three points when maybe in reality we should have come and shut up shop and made things hard for them but I will always tell my team to go and try and win games of football maybe tactically I should have made some changes but this system has done us well and today we were against the reigning champions and they put us to the sword.”
Manchester United (5-2-3): Lammens, Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Yoro (Off 63), Dorgu (Off 73), Fernandes (Off 72), Mainoo, Mbeumo, Sesko, Cunha
Subs: Bayinder, Mazraoui (On 71), Amad, Zirkzee, Heaven, Mount (On 72), Obi, Casemiro, de Ligt (On 63)
Q: Ruben a dominate performance from your side today, how pleased are you to get revenge on Wolves after your defeat earlier this month?
Amorim “I am very happy because it was a tough game against a team that we knew would come and battle but I thought today was one of our best performances all season. Even before they went down a man we were creating chances and Mainoo is through on goal and he is fouled and then from there we controlled the game created a lot of chances made their keeper make some important saves and still in front of goal we scored five and could have scored more.”
Q: Josh a bitterly disappointing results how damaging was that red card to your team?
McEwen “It’s never easy playing against any team with ten men yet alone a team with the quality Manchester United possess and they deserved to beat us we were well beaten today. We looked tired today and I think heading into January you can see that we are in need of some reinforcements to try and help us. We aren’t going to panic on the back of one bad result though we have had so many positives in the last couple of months and it is now about us showing character and pushing ourselves to try and get out of the relegation battle we are in.
3 wins from 4 games, including one against Man United. What a way to introduce yourself and give fans a little hope in regards to surviving in this league. With 3 points out of the relegation zone now, it no longer looks unreasonable to expect that you'll make it out at the end of the day.
The Arokodare fellow had quite a couple of games there, with a brace to decide the Forest win and a hattrick next against Man United. Almost similar to my save with Chupete scoring all the goals at some point. However, it seems you've balanced your goals out across other players too since then, except for the games against the BIG 6, where you've struggled a bit lately. Easier fixtures should follow now, and I expect you're out of the relegation zone sooner rather than later.
The losses are a concern because they were so heavy however those aren't the types of games that we expect to win. Your right Arokodare is definitely our main threat he is such a big player both physically but also for the team when he didn't perform against the big teams the rest of the team struggled but the main thing is picking up our first win and we've managed to pick a 3 up and really closed that gap on the rest of the teams facing the threat of relegation hopefully we can add some quality to the team I'm having to play quite direct due to the types of players here but we don't have a blank check book so hopefully we can sign the right players
