In the second episode of the new 'Keen and Judah show' the boys give their top 5 nominations for Wolves Player of the Season.
It's coming to that time of the year where awards are starting to be discussed and thankfully for Wolves, there are a plethora of candidates.
But which players missed out on the top 5? Is there a difference of opinion and who ultimately was given the coveted number 1 spot?
Do you agree? Watch and find out!
It's coming to that time of the year where awards are starting to be discussed and thankfully for Wolves, there are a plethora of candidates.
But which players missed out on the top 5? Is there a difference of opinion and who ultimately was given the coveted number 1 spot?
Do you agree? Watch and find out!
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Alright.
00:01 Well, hello everybody. Welcome to episode two.
00:07 It is the Keane and Judah show.
00:09 I'm your host, Nathan Judah.
00:10 Delighted to be joined as ever facing me it is,
00:12 Wolverhampton reporters,
00:13 but the Express' star and Shropshire star,
00:16 Mr Liam Keane.
00:17 Liam, how's it going?
00:18 Bebe, are you feeling a little bit better?
00:21 Are we recovered a little bit?
00:22 International break, we're a week in.
00:25 Kind of forgetting about that stuff last Saturday.
00:28 I don't even remember what game it is that you're referencing.
00:30 Completely gone. Bang. Out of the mind.
00:32 Focusing on the Olympic coming up.
00:34 Nothing else is important.
00:35 Apart from the show.
00:37 Well, of course. And what a great show it is.
00:40 Of course, exclusively on...
00:43 Shots TV.
00:44 And Freeview Channel...
00:47 276.
00:48 Yeah!
00:49 Get in there. Got it right first time.
00:51 Come on!
00:53 So, last week we talked about injuries in depth.
00:55 Thoroughly enjoyed that chat.
00:57 Today, you're going to get a sneak peek
01:00 because you'll be watching this ahead of the written article
01:03 that will be coming out online and in the Express' star
01:07 later this week.
01:09 We'll be talking about Wolves' player of the season.
01:13 We are starting to wind down.
01:14 We are starting to close in to Game 38.
01:18 And I think it's fair enough now, Liam Keane,
01:21 to start talking about who you think,
01:24 who I think, is the Wolves' player of the season.
01:27 This year.
01:28 What I would say, and we're going to go through
01:31 what my top five in a little bit.
01:33 We'll discuss and we'll go back and forth.
01:35 But what I would say, Liam, is, first of all,
01:38 this was incredibly hard to do.
01:42 Not only finding the top five,
01:45 but realistically, I was thinking about this.
01:49 I would say that the top eight players this season,
01:53 including the eight person,
01:55 if they were playing to these levels
01:58 last season or the season before,
02:00 I would say they've got a pretty good chance of winning it
02:03 in 2022/3 or 2021/2022.
02:09 Such was the steadiness, I guess, of the season.
02:12 But in terms of this season, it's a stacked list.
02:16 So shall we delve in?
02:19 Shall we talk first about the players who just missed out
02:22 on the top five, the coveted top five?
02:24 Let's do it. Let's see how quickly I disagree with you
02:27 because you've lost some interesting hot takes.
02:29 So let's go.
02:30 We're two and a half minutes in.
02:32 So hot takes, I like that.
02:33 You're going very Americanised.
02:34 I like it. I'm rubbing off on you.
02:36 Right. Okay.
02:37 Number eight, who just missed out on this list.
02:41 Someone who you saw in person on Saturday at Wembley.
02:47 Someone who I think is a fan's favourite,
02:51 who hopefully will be with the Wolves for a long time to come,
02:53 but has had a rapid rise to fame and fortune, you would say.
02:59 And that is Brazilian now, international, full international,
03:03 Mr. João Gomes.
03:07 Has had, really got back into the side,
03:10 and I think it's been delivered some excellent performances.
03:12 Of course, started the season as well alongside Mario Lamina.
03:16 Had a little bit of a dip, I think it's fair to say,
03:19 and got taken out of the side.
03:22 And I think that's fair enough, especially when you've had your second season,
03:25 you come into your sophomore year,
03:27 and I think sometimes it's a little bit more difficult in the league,
03:29 but has recently, I feel, got back to those levels that we saw from him.
03:35 And just an excellent player.
03:37 And for me, you're picking, let's say, your very best XI,
03:41 João Gomes is in it, in that centre of the field alongside Mario Lamina.
03:45 But in this case, eighth is nothing to be ashamed about, but just misses out.
03:50 Well, it proves how good this list is when João Gomes is number eight.
03:54 And I'd probably agree to be honest, he's in and around that position.
03:57 He's not going to be top five for me,
03:59 because probably the biggest concern of him is maybe consistency at the moment.
04:03 That'll come down to his age and his relative inexperience
04:06 when it comes to the Premier League.
04:08 But we've seen maybe, what, five, six, seven,
04:10 maybe slightly more performances this season,
04:12 and that have been top, top draw.
04:14 And then we've seen a few, as you mentioned there, with the dip,
04:16 and I think it was around November time that he was dropped, wasn't he?
04:21 And given a little bit of a break, a relatively short break for the season,
04:25 but he needed it at the time.
04:27 And Gary Neal sort of acknowledged that he was a little bit out of sorts at the time.
04:32 But overall, I think a really talented player who is only going to get better.
04:36 So, yeah, it's been a really good season so far for him.
04:38 And hopefully, a couple of tweaks, improve that consistency,
04:41 and he'll be in our top five next season, perhaps.
04:44 Yes, I think he could very well be.
04:47 Hopefully he's still at the club, that's another question we're going to have to take.
04:50 Seventh, someone who I've been very impressed with this season,
04:55 still misses out on the top five,
04:56 but I think from a consistency point of view,
04:59 he's really stood up to the task this season well,
05:02 led the team well, and that is Mr Maximilian Kielmann-Liam.
05:06 We both had reservations, I think, when he was given the captaincy.
05:11 And to a certain extent, those reservations still stand for me slightly.
05:17 However, I must admit, and I've got to give props to him,
05:20 that I feel like he's definitely taken a step forward from a leadership point of view this year.
05:24 And actually, I think from a performance point of view as well.
05:28 I do feel in previous seasons, he's really needed Craig Dawson or Connor Cody to play alongside, to watch.
05:38 And I think he's used that experience well, he's used that knowledge.
05:41 And actually, I think he's grown into, just from a standout and from a personal point of view,
05:47 a very, very good Premier League central defender now,
05:51 who isn't reliant maybe on a more experienced head.
05:55 He's started to stand on his own two feet a bit more now, which I think is really important.
06:00 Yeah, I completely agree. I think from a talent perspective,
06:03 I've always felt Max Kilman has got the potential to be a typical or stereotypical top six defender.
06:12 But there was always a couple of things holding him back.
06:15 Maybe he's not the biggest of characters, that leadership concern.
06:19 But I think he's come into his own this season. He's never going to be the loudest player,
06:22 but he's led by example really well. And I think, yeah, I'd have to agree.
06:27 Not in my top five, but definitely up there. Really, really good performer.
06:30 One of Wolves' best defenders this season by far. And certainly from centre-halves,
06:36 I think probably from consistency point of view, probably number one, just ahead of Totti Gomez.
06:40 And yeah, really, really, really good player who I'm glad has taken another step forward.
06:44 And ironically, taken another step forward on the right-hand side of the vast majority,
06:49 rather than the left, similar to Bruno Lages' first season in '21/'22.
06:52 So yeah, really, really good player. And I'm glad that he's finding those levels consistently again.
06:58 Yeah. And this was the hardest decision for me. This was a difficult decision.
07:02 I actually agree. My turn. My turn is finally.
07:04 Who's six, who's five? But I'm interested to see what you've gone for.
07:09 There's going to be some people who aren't happy. There's going to be quite a few people who aren't happy.
07:13 However, I thought about this. I had it this way. I put it as a poll, actually, earlier on,
07:20 or late last week, actually, and my thoughts were confirmed.
07:27 And so I'm not changing my opinion. Sixth for Wolves play of the season.
07:33 And some people, by the way, and like I said, this is why how hard it is, would have had him one.
07:39 But he's six. It's Nelson Samedo. Right back, right wing back.
07:47 Now, Liam, if this was most improved play of the season, there's every chance Nelson Samedo could be one.
07:53 And by the way, on a rainy day, this could quite easily be most improved play of the season,
07:59 five to one in a couple of weeks time. But it's not. It's play of the season.
08:04 I think that Nelson Samedo, he has put together probably his best campaign in a Wolves shirt so far.
08:10 His performances have consistently been good to very good.
08:16 I wouldn't say excellent consistently. That's maybe why he's not in the top five.
08:20 But this is the kind of Nelson Samedo when he came from Barcelona that I think we've expected to see.
08:25 And we've seen glimpses. We saw it under Bruno Lage.
08:29 I think when Wolves were going for, well, they were in the mix for Champions League,
08:32 weren't they, going into December of the 21/22 season, I believe.
08:38 And he was putting together brilliant, brilliant performances then before he pulled his hamstring
08:45 and then hasn't really recovered. But I think this season under Gary O'Neill,
08:48 not only has he continued to develop, and I think he's a confident young player at this moment in time,
08:53 or confident middle-aged player. Well, what is it these days? Is it young or middle-aged?
08:57 I don't know. Everyone's young to me.
08:59 Well, everyone is young to you. No, I think he's certainly more of the experienced side.
09:04 20? What is he, 20?
09:06 He's probably pushing 30 now.
09:08 Is he 28? Let's have a look.
09:10 We're going to find out right now.
09:12 This is the top draw, this.
09:14 I know, exactly. I've got it running for me.
09:16 He's 30. Elder statesman. Elder statesman.
09:20 He's still young for you, though.
09:21 Very young for me. 13 years he's got on me.
09:24 And I think that he has defensively improved.
09:30 You know, there's very, sometimes I can remember, and we're always screamish, aren't we?
09:35 I think when he's turned and there's a winger in behind him
09:39 and you think he's liable to give a penalty away or a silly free kick or a silly foul.
09:43 He's cut that out of his game.
09:44 And I think he's had a very mature season.
09:47 And look, he's on big money and there's an interesting decision to have on his future.
09:52 But I definitely think from a consistency point of view,
09:55 he's had his best season, but still doesn't make my top five, Liam.
09:59 Well, I think our top five are going to be the same players,
10:03 but perhaps not the same order. So I agree.
10:05 Simeone just misses out on my top five as well.
10:08 And I completely agree with you. You've got them in, actually.
10:10 He'd been number six for me.
10:13 The reasons being that, so from a positive point of view, first of all,
10:16 that October to February period from 21/22 that you're talking about until he got injured,
10:22 he's basically had that same period but for the whole season so far, which is props to him.
10:28 It's been really, we talk about consistency being a key point for Giao Gomez and Max Killman.
10:33 In a positive point of view, it's been, he's been the essence,
10:37 the description of consistency for the whole season, really.
10:43 Nelson Simeone, and that's props to him. But I completely agree with your point.
10:47 And this is what holds him back slightly, is it's not been consistently excellent.
10:50 It's been consistently solid at times, good to very good.
10:53 It's not always been the, maybe the game-changing moments that he's had.
10:59 He's been better going forward, but you still feel like he needs to add more goals to his game,
11:03 or he should be adding more goals or assists to his game.
11:06 I understand from a wing-back slot, and I think maybe the wing-back definitely helped him.
11:10 I think he's better in a five than he is a four. I think he always will be for me.
11:13 But at the same time, you know, you still want a little bit more from him.
11:16 He definitely has got into better positions though this season.
11:19 Absolutely. But it's that final ball, our final pass,
11:22 just that moment that's going to make a difference to a scoreline for Wolves.
11:27 But defensively as well, just to sort of finish up on that, I think he's definitely improved.
11:30 I think he's a good one-on-one defender. He's quick. He's athletic.
11:35 I think he's got good positioning. His back post defending actually I think has improved.
11:39 That's been a real big issue for him in a Wolves shirt.
11:43 And I don't think it's by any means completely finished,
11:46 and the finished article, but it's definitely improved.
11:48 There's a player that he's done really well this year and hopefully will be here moving forward.
11:52 [MUSIC]
11:55 (upbeat music)