23 Jul 2026 09:55:52
I know I've probably got post World Cup blues after watching England commit their usual screw up plus all the other well publicised goings on there, but after watching Wolverhampton Wanderers play a friendly against Maidenhead, is my 60 plus year connection/obsession with the club finally starting to diminish?
I know some will tell me it was a longstanding promise to them, just a friendly, or an opportunity for CP to check out a few youngsters. Whoever was on the pitch, it was a 1-0 victory over a National League South side. Is this really our starting point?
Frankly, we looked distinctly average throughout and apart from a couple of decent moves, certainly didn't dominate the game, pitch or no pitch.

Maybe I'm just concerned that the progressive dumbing down of the club by the owners over the last few years is showing no signs of abating if this is the best we can achieve, even at this stage of the season? 
Sorry to sound negative. No, deflated would be a more accurate description as, so far, I can see nothing to get excited about. I remember us playing Leicester in a friendly the season after they won the title, we won that 1-0 and genuinely felt greater things were ahead and so it transpired, now it's just the opposite feeling. Thanks Fosun.

1.) 23 Jul 2026
23 Jul 2026 11:02:43
It's the Racing Santander when Wolves can truly be judged. Possibly the Port Vale game due to players returning late from the World Cup, and (hopefully) new signings coming in.

When Wolves beat Leicester 1-0, that was the final pre season game.

That was Wolves treating that game as a proper match.

I saw a few things that concerned me yesterday, but I'm hoping that by the Blackburn game, Wolves will be in much better shape.

2.) 23 Jul 2026
23 Jul 2026 11:09:53
Comparing our 1-0 victory away to non-league Maidenhead with West Ham's 5-0 win at (League One) Stevenage is a depressing comparison even for a friendly. Well, it's at least an improvement on last year's start.

3.) 23 Jul 2026
23 Jul 2026 11:21:45
To be honest, I think there was a lot of trial and error testing going on last night, finding the moves and positioning.
The boring back and forth at the start seemed purely to get touches on the ball. Trips was directing a lot, and on one occasion must have busted his gut down the wing, only for, Rodrigo, I think, to play it inside. Trips gave him some words of wisdom after.


I'm not reading too much into that game, a lot of youngsters finding their way, and not representative of the full first XI that'll be.
Wrexham beat Man U 1-0 at Manchester, do we read into that that the Reds will have no chance this year?
It's game by game, different personnel coming in, and CP moulding them into a unit.

4.) 23 Jul 2026
23 Jul 2026 11:54:06
Never read too much into a friendly. Especially the first one. Too many changes and experiments, of which not all will pay off. Players not wanting to risk injury, so being more cautious. Players being rusty after a break, and needing minutes back in their legs, and building fitness and match sharpness.

I don't think anything can be judged fairly until at least 5 games into the season.

If something is wrong by then, it's too late. But new manager, relegation hangover, needing to move players on. It's not an easy situation, and this season won't be great. I don't think the club have ever been relegated from the top flight and bounced straight back the following season. This year is unlikely to be any different, but it won't be because we only won 1-0 in a friendly.

5.) 23 Jul 2026
23 Jul 2026 12:20:15
I understand all the points made, but why would you play a friendly against a non-league side when surely you need sterner tests even if it is the first one of four. That would not have happened 7 years ago, when the Club still had ambition, but I'll keep my powder dry until we've played all of them or even the first 2/3 in the league.

6.) 23 Jul 2026
23 Jul 2026 12:29:51
Long, I think you have a case of post-World Cup blues about the overall state that football is in, as demonstrated by the antics of Argentina, the disruption to the flow by appalling waste of time on so-called entertainment, all to satisfy the money lust of the mob at UEFA.

I sympathise, and so would many others. However, don't let this colour your long support of Wolves. One friendly is not an indication of what is to come. We are all nervous knowing Fosun as we do, but keep the faith, and hope like hell!

7.) 23 Jul 2026
23 Jul 2026 13:08:22
Long, we were playing the friendly against Maidenhead, as it was something contractual connected to buying Max Kilman from them. Considering that we stropped up West Ham for 40 mil approx in getting rid of him, we did very well. Maidenhead got a sell-on percentage.

8.) 23 Jul 2026
23 Jul 2026 14:55:34
I think Maidenhead wavered something to enable the transfer for us, and we pledged to give them this game. It must have been a big event for them, and brought in a few quid in bar/food program and turnstile, given we took over 1000 fans, plus I dare say they got a cut of TV monies. They made about £4million out of the Kilman deal, apparently.

9.) 23 Jul 2026
23 Jul 2026 16:08:22
Maidenhead got short-changed to a certain extent, as they contracted to play the then Premier League Wolves team. Cunha and co have left. It's almost like switch-selling!