Nick Woltemade

[HawK]

1 minute ago, Colos Short and Curlies said:

Our wingers also tend to either cross from before the 18 yard line or knock them in low when further forward.

 

I reckon we'd see more success with his head if we had a Gillespie type winger getting deep and flinging them in

 

i.e. switch Gordon to the right

[Rocker]

2 minutes ago, HawK said:

 

i.e. switch Gordon to the right

 

Just right of Ramsdale, hopefully. 

[LFEE]

2 hours ago, Erikse said:

 

Said it many times, but we allways looked kind of meh last season when Isak was injured, or even just out of form. His form coincided with our form. When he was not fit, we looked more like what we do this season.

 

 

 

 

Which In reality was the occasions when the team was playing without a centre forward. Which I feel is what is happening this season.

[Irish Paul]

On 20/01/2026 at 03:36, Zero said:

 

I just want to point out that he isn’t slow. This is a massive misunderstanding. If he is slow he can’t dribble like that.

 

Why is there always a bias towards tall players?

 

 

 

He's one of the slowest outfield players in the PL imo. You see it when he's in a race for possession.

He can sometimes beat players with brilliant, quick footwork and using his size but never with pace.

[Optimistic Nut]

1 hour ago, Colos Short and Curlies said:

Our wingers also tend to either cross from before the 18 yard line or knock them in low when further forward.

 

I reckon we'd see more success with his head if we had a Gillespie type winger getting deep and flinging them in

 

That's a fair point, actually. It's easy to say there should be someone there to tap in crosses, but if the team know Woltemade plays deeper and isn't always going to be there, it's on Eddie/the wingers to use a bit of sense and look for the cut back or even have a look first? It's only a dangerous ball if someone is in there, otherwise it's just giving the ball away. I put in the Wissa thread after the City game, 3 of his 19 goals last season were from right-wing crosses. He scored his goals a different way to Isak. Absolutely pointless Murphy whipping in those crosses in the same way if it's not suited to the centre-forwards. Woltemade by his nature isn't that type of striker, need to be a bit more clever. 

 

 

Edited January 21 by Optimistic Nut

[AyeDubbleYoo]

It's very easy for people like Murphy to cross early and say they've done their job. Maybe they have done their job if that's what the coaches are telling them. But it's a failure of the team/tactics overall if we're not putting the right kinds of moves to together to create chances for our forwards. I wouldn't say it's just the CF's job to play differently. 

 

Commentators are also terrible for praising 'great balls' that really have no chance in resulting in a goal. 

 

Hard to say since we don't know what they're being asked to do. 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 21 by AyeDubbleYoo

[TRon]

3 hours ago, ExiledGeordie said:

I like the lad, I think he’ll continue to improve as he gets used to the league. I’m still not convinced though that he works in a 433 though, he’s just not that type of player (at the moment anyway).

 

Agree with this. I don't know how Germany use him, but I don't really understand how he can be coming from deep and playing as a target man at the same time. It looks like Howe is trying to use him as a lone striker but he's more suited to being a number 10. 

[TheBrownBottle]

1 hour ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

It's very easy for people like Murphy to cross early and say they've done their job. Maybe they have done their job if that's what the coaches are telling them. But it's a failure of the team/tactics overall if we're not putting the right kinds of moves to together to create chances for our forwards. I wouldn't say it's just the CF's job to play differently. 

 

Commentators are also terrible for praising 'great balls' that really have no chance in resulting in a goal. 

 

Hard to say since we don't know what they're being asked to do. 

 

 

 

 

 

We can get a decent sense of it if they keep doing it, and never stop or get subbed regularly.

 

It is an instruction. 

[madras]

1 hour ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

It's very easy for people like Murphy to cross early and say they've done their job. Maybe they have done their job if that's what the coaches are telling them. But it's a failure of the team/tactics overall if we're not putting the right kinds of moves to together to create chances for our forwards. I wouldn't say it's just the CF's job to play differently. 

 

Commentators are also terrible for praising 'great balls' that really have no chance in resulting in a goal. 

 

Hard to say since we don't know what they're being asked to do. 

 

 

 

 

 

There's more to it than that. His early crosses need a head up first, hence why he does that less with Nick and much more with Wissa or Isak. He rarely plays it in blind and is often near or far post not just put in the middle and see what helappens.

 

 

Edited January 21 by madras

[AyeDubbleYoo]

1 minute ago, TheBrownBottle said:

We can get a decent sense of it if they keep doing it, and never stop or get subbed regularly.

 

It is an instruction. 

Yeah most likely. It’s also all that Murphy is capable of doing and clearly his biggest strength, so if he plays it kind of has to happen. 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

2 minutes ago, madras said:

There's more to it than that. His early crosses need a head up first, hence why he does that less with Nick and much more with Wissa or Isak. He rarely plays it in blind and is often near or far post not just put in the middle and see what helappens.

Aye you could be right, I can’t remember the details of all the crosses. I just think sometimes people who get credit who put in theoretically dangerous balls which aren’t actually dangerous in practice. 

 

 

Edited January 21 by AyeDubbleYoo

[TheBrownBottle]

Just now, AyeDubbleYoo said:

Aye you could be right, I can’t remember the details of all the crosses. I just think sometimes people who put in theoretically dangerous balls in which aren’t actually dangerous in practice. 

I agree 100%, the old ‘percentage’ ball - that sometime there’ll be ‘someone on the end of it’.  But we see it every match multiple times - it’s one of those ones where the coaching staff don’t cover themselves with glory either way: either they’re instructing it (and it isn’t coming off); or they think it’s a waste of time (and the players aren’t listening)

[madras]

33 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

I agree 100%, the old ‘percentage’ ball - that sometime there’ll be ‘someone on the end of it’.  But we see it every match multiple times - it’s one of those ones where the coaching staff don’t cover themselves with glory either way: either they’re instructing it (and it isn’t coming off); or they think it’s a waste of time (and the players aren’t listening)

You get much more of that ball from Gordon and Barnes than Murphy

[Smal]

Always think the most similar successful PL player to him is Berbatov when he first joined Man U. Berbatov didn’t get many goals then (9 & 12 in his first two seasons) but he linked play and enabled some lethal counter attacks.

 

All we need is some attackers on the level of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez to accompany him and score all the goals.

[Optimistic Nut]

46 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

Yeah most likely. It’s also all that Murphy is capable of doing and clearly his biggest strength, so if he plays it kind of has to happen. 

 

Used the "Isak was the iPhone but we kept the iPhone charger" analogy before but I'm witty as fuck so will use it again, we sold the iPhone, kept the iPhone charger but then bought a Google Pixel & Samsung Galaxy. 

[Holloway]

He would have benefitted from Obertan's cutbacks, some of those fuckers nearly reached the halfway line 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

28 minutes ago, madras said:

You get much more of that ball from Gordon and Barnes than Murphy

Think you’ve gone a bit far there. 

[madras]

20 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

Think you’ve gone a bit far there. 

I just mean the hopefully lifted ball in the mixer. Mutphys tend to be whipped in but its noticeable he does it far less with Nick in the team, leads you to think they are less just hopeful balls drilled in.

[Mattoon]

Definitely credence in this, not much point in whipping in a dangerous cross or a pinpoint accurate 18 yarder that lands on the penalty spot if you've just sprinted 40 yards and everyone else is behind the play, especially with how deep Wolt plays.

[Coffee_Johnny]

2 hours ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

It's very easy for people like Murphy to cross early and say they've done their job. Maybe they have done their job if that's what the coaches are telling them. But it's a failure of the team/tactics overall if we're not putting the right kinds of moves to together to create chances for our forwards. I wouldn't say it's just the CF's job to play differently. 

 

Commentators are also terrible for praising 'great balls' that really have no chance in resulting in a goal. 

 

Hard to say since we don't know what they're being asked to do. 

 

 

 

 

 

Good points. There have been a fair few comments recently praising dangerous crosses, indirectly criticising the forwards for not making the right run/being in the right place (often far post or close enough to six yard line). You’re right though, they are only good crosses (for us)  if that is what we have worke don or there’s a general  expectation that in the cut and thrust of live play we get bodies into dangerous areas and hope for the best.

They’re not good choices if we have worked on other patterns of play around the opponents box. I mean it is probably a bit of both to be realistic. Can’t plan for everything; a bit of Keegan-style getting out there and chucking a few grenades is always part of the game .

[nufcjmc]

I know its his game and other players can score goals etc  and at times give and go works to create an opening and cause chaos etc however it annoys me when he gets the ball in and around the box and he doesn't try the shot like we are playing with another striker. 

 

I get that mixing it up keeps defenders guessing but there are plenty of times moves break down as we look to give it to him to do "striker things" and instead he tries to pass it again and the move breaks down. 

[The College Dropout]

Murphy's crosses are great.

 

If your winger is wide and in a good position to cross, your strikers, other winger needs to crash the box. Nick is often nowhere to be seen. These were crosses Isak was tapping in weekly - so we know it works.

 

Murphy is our 3rd highest in terms of expected assits too - behind Bruno G and Gordon. So it's bad finishing that has him with only 1 league assist. There's loads of other crosses that wouldn't register any expected assist data at all because Nick is chilling at the D

 

 

Edited January 21 by The College Dropout

[nufc123]

2 hours ago, nufcjmc said:

it annoys me when he gets the ball in and around the box and he doesn't try the shot like we are playing with another striker. 

He has been here half a season now, and apart from the penalty shot against Forest Im not sure he can shoot. Its annoying, just shoot the bloody ball around the box.

[TRon]

3 hours ago, The College Dropout said:

Murphy's crosses are great.

 

If your winger is wide and in a good position to cross, your strikers, other winger needs to crash the box. Nick is often nowhere to be seen. These were crosses Isak was tapping in weekly - so we know it works.

 

Murphy is our 3rd highest in terms of expected assits too - behind Bruno G and Gordon. So it's bad finishing that has him with only 1 league assist. There's loads of other crosses that wouldn't register any expected assist data at all because Nick is chilling at the D

 

 

 

 

 

I'm usually not the biggest fan of Murphy because he can't carry the ball well, but he was crossing the ball brilliantly in his last outing and the one where Wissa had it teed up to him on a plate was perfect. That was the first time I really felt any pangs of missing Isak. 

[The Butcher]

1 goal in 13, I think. Not good enough atm.