READ DAVE'S ARTICLE FOR BBC SPORT
The Brentford draw felt like a snapshot of Wolves’ season. A slow start, a mountain to climb, then a late surge of belief.
The second-half response was everything you want from a side in trouble. Wolves were tenacious, confident, and played with conviction. The fightback did not feel like blind hope, it felt like intent. It showed there is spirit in this group, and it showed there is quality too.
That is why Jamie Carragher’s line on Monday Night Football has stuck with me:
“I’ve been saying this for a few weeks now, they are not the worst team in the Premier League, they are not.”
Watching that second half, it was hard to disagree.
But football is cruelly simple. Carragher is talking about what he sees. The table is talking about what we are. Mathematically, survival might still be technically possible, but with so few matches left it feels like an impossible dream.
That is what made the first half so painful. We were passive, loose in our shape, and second to too many second balls. Brentford’s first goal was a quality strike, the kind you almost have to applaud, but the bigger issue was what happened before it. We lost our man in the box and switched off for a split second. At this level, that is enough and before we know it we are 2-0 down.
This was not just a slow start in a single game. It is the story of the season. Wolves are starting to play with freedom and confidence when the stakes are at their highest and the time is at its shortest.
So what does it say about the psychology of the team? Do we start too cautious? Do we only play with freedom once there is nothing to lose? Either way, it is a pattern, and patterns define seasons.
The second half at Brentford yet again proved Wolves have fight. Now it feels just like the game, too late to save our season. But at least we have our pride back.
