From my position on the goalline, it was clear the linesman was an idiot

Halsey was the only one in the entire stadium who thought Taylor’s foul on O’Hara a yard inside the box deserved a free kick not a penalty. To pretend the foul could have been outside was spineless. Then to disallow Doyle’s last gasp equaliser because the ball had apparently already gone out of play was ridiculous. I’ll put this one down to the *probably* (unproven – he may just have been stupid and lazy) linesman.

Let’s be clear before I say any more: Wolves deserved a point – or more – from this game , and would have got it but for the incompetence of the match officials. Let’s hope not to see them near our team until they’ve learned the basics.

However, while I’m happy to give Newcastle some credit (kind of me, I think), especially Gutierrez for the second – that we found ourselves 2-0 down was very much our own fault. Johnson lost his marker for the first; for the second O’Hara, and then – critically – Henry, mispassed the ball in midfield to the opposition. Gutierrez, picked it up with plenty to do, but easily passed Johnson and scored a good goal.

So, lazy passing and poor defending cost us as much as poor refereeing. Our attack – in patches, and especially after substitutions – was better than in last few games, but not yet good enough. From 25 shots, 12 on target, we managed 2 goals (I choose to allow the second). Again, credit to Newcastle for this, with keeper Krul pulling off some excellent saves, but a couple of times he should have been given no chance.

So, finally onto team selection, certainly second the most contentious issue around the ground (after refereeing, of course). One change from the Liverpool lineup saw Fletcher in for Edwards, and although they started brightly the team soon lapsed into apathy, losing key battles and making silly mistakes in midfield. This was no excuse for Henry to be jeered off the pitch (for my money he’d mainly put in a decent defensive display and, the even more careless O’Hara should have gone), but there’s no doubting that the injection of Guedioura and Hammil brought some much needed energy and creativity to the attack. They’re not perfect and misplaced a couple of crosses – no more than, say, Jarvis had, though – but neither were afraid of trying something different and running at the defence, and even stirred O’Hara into showing some of the attacking flair he seems to have been hiding too much this season.

The referee and the Toon keeper may have kept the points from us, but our attacking edge needs some sharpening. Guedioura for O’Hara, and Hammil for Hunt next game please.

In my dreams…

Newcastle were stronger than puny Monty Magpie

This was less a game of two halves, more a game of one referee.  Without wishing to distract from the inadequacies of Wolves performance today, this game was stifled by a referee who lost control within the first ten minutes.  Wolves were barely able to string three passes together all game, and the ref did nothing to encourage the flow of play.

There were two goals, but the most extraordinary statistic was that the referee, Stuart Atwell (overseer of the infamous imaginary goal for Reading against Watford, amongst other blunders) stopped the game for no fewer than 41 fouls, handing out in the process 12 yellow cards in a not unusually ill-natured game (seven to Wolves, four for fouls on Joey Barton! ).  Barton finally got his comeuppance as Atwell tried to redress the imbalance by booking three Toon players in the last three minutes – the last of whom was Barton. Characteristically of the game, when the ref blew for him to come over for a booking, Barton deliberately ignored the summons.  Instead of asserting his authority, Atwell walked half the length of the pitch to save Barton’s legs.  On one final referring point, the WorldWideWolfie nomination for stupidest card of the game was Doyle’s for…literally nothing.  Running with the ball??

A draw was, given the balance of play, a good result for Wolves, but a far from pleasing one.  That we went in ahead at half time was more a testament to Newcastle’s inadequacies in front of goal that any reflection of merit.  It was good for a change to be the b******* who got a thoroughly undeserved goal (fantastic from an otherwise anonymous Ebanks-Blake), but it never looked likely to last.  Andy Carroll added to his hatrick of last week for Newcastle with a decent header, and even after the much-needed (and, in my opinion, rather late) introduction of Zubar, Fletcher and Gueidoura, Wolves would have been very lucky to get another.  Wolves had played by far their best half of football this season with Fletcher on the field so it was disappointing seeing him sitting on the bench when so many Wolves players were failing to make their mark on the occasion.  This was particularly disappointing given that Newcastle looked extremely vulnerable defensively on the rare occasions we got anywhere near their goal.  I couldn’t see well enough from where I was whether Jarvis deserved a penalty when he was felled in the box in the box, but I do know that (1) if the defender got the ball it should have been a corner, rather than the goal kick awarded; and (2) a win would have been a very lucky result. (EDIT: having watched the replay, it WAS a penalty so we should have won!)

I assume that an injury to Van Damme was the reason for his substitution as, after a shakey start, he seemed the only player able to take the ball from Newcastle.  Poor old Foley looked a more likely candidate for substitution as he was consistently out-muscled by his opponents.  It is, perhaps, unfair however to single out Foley on a day that no one really impressed – least of all the referee.

Hoping for much better next time on all counts.

Makes me grateful Wolves haven’t yet trodden this particular path: The Mr Sizzle Molineux Palace, anyone?