Let's Röhl With It

 

On Friday, Danny Röhl became the thirty-eighth man to take charge of Sheffield Wednesday. It’s an intriguing and potentially exciting appointment and one that seems to, in the main, have brought some much needed togetherness within the fan base.

What Do We Think?

Considering Röhl hasn’t been a manager before, there is a genuine sense of optimism in the fan base. After a nightmare spell under the previous manager, there does seem to have been a really warm reception to the appointment of the thirty-four year old German.
From a personal point of view, I agree. I think it’s a really progressive move and one Sheffield Wednesday haven’t done enough of over the years. Lets get the main things out of the way first. Yeah, it doesn’t change the fact we need wins, it doesn’t change the ongoing situation with the owner, it doesn’t change the fact we’re not in a great place as a club. What it does do though, is show that maybe there is some sort of long term thinking going on at Hillsborough.

While I, and many other fans, thought maybe a more experienced firefighting manager was the more sensible choice on paper, there is a lot of logic to taking on someone like Röhl who has worked under some big names and at some stellar clubs. We need someone who can get the best out of this squad, that is a coach, someone who can actually instil a playing style on this group of players, it’s very unlikely the squad will change too much between now and the end of the January window, so making the most of what he has will be a key feature I’d imagine.

Speaking Well and Different Röhls.

I was really impressed with Danny’s opening interview. I know I said that about Xisco, and to be honest that was about as good as Xisco’s interviews got, but with Danny I got a real sense of someone who has a genuine belief in what he’s setting out to do.
He’s worked at different clubs with different jobs involved on that journey and that adaptability is something that I think could be a real asset to us. His video analysis background will help in terms of helping players improve, also working with the analysts here to improve training, in match situations and potentially recruitment. Being a younger coach as well might make the initial integration period easier for him as well.

I think it’s important he already has some experience of English football, he isn’t coming in totally to a new culture and from what Southampton fans have said, it all sounds very positive. After his spell as a Saint, he went onto to assist Niko Kovač and then Hansi Flick as German giants Bayern Munich won the treble in 2019/20. That winning mentality can only be a good thing.

Key Details

I think there are some really positive signs from Danny Röhl. First of all, the fact he wanted the job in the summer and that interested didn’t die down after missing out to Xisco. That wanting of the job for me, is massive. I always think it’s better to have someone who says yes straight away rather than have to try and convince someone. The desire to work here is worth something at the very least.
It’s also an excellent sign that the off the field events of the last few months haven’t put him off. That shows a strength of character and a belief in the squad he has inherited. I think some managers would look at what has gone on at Sheffield Wednesday since promotion and run a mile. It tells you something about Röhl’s character that he seemed to run the other way. He wants to be here.
Another big thing he did in his initial interviews, he mentioned last season’s incredible Play Off comeback and win at Wembley. While yes, that doesn’t have any impact on this season, it does create a certain bond between the fans and manager. Understanding the football club you have walked into is a massive thing and sadly, one I think the previous manager failed to grasp. Understanding the way that the majority of the squad got into this division is important. It wasn’t just a great comeback, it was a defining moment in the recent history of the club. That Peterborough second leg will go down in history as one of the greatest nights in Sheffield Wednesday history. Whoever is in the dugout needs to understand that.

It’s also a good sign that he got stuck in straight away with attending the Under 21’s game at Hillsborough against Sheffield United. It would have been easy after a long day to head back to a hotel and chill out, I’d imagine but attending the game and watching the entertaining 2-2 draw in person is a good sign. Will any of the young lads have caught the eye? Maybe. I think it’s a key area we need to get better at, not just producing players but knowing when to put them in and when maybe to take them out. I’d like to think a conversation has already been had or will be had in the next few days between Neil Thompson and Danny Röhl, even if only brief, about who is where in the set up.

Fixtures Present An Opportunity

I think the first three games of Röhl’s time in charge do give him a chance of a good start. Watford aren’t in great form, Plymouth have hit a sticky patch and Rotherham don’t tend to travel well. Now, I’m fully aware that we could lose all three of those games. That wouldn’t surprise me, but the point remains, it’s a chance of Danny to maybe get an early win under his belt. He, and just as importantly, we all need that win. We’re in a difficult situation, I know some people have already written us off. I don’t think you can do that with thirty-five games of football left to play. So much can change between now and May. If we can go to Sunderland on the final day of the season with a chance, then I’d take it. I genuinely think this squad has more gears to go. The previous manager didn’t get anywhere near enough out of this squad.

Lets Give It Some Time

I don’t think this will be a quick fix. It’d be amazing if there is an instant impact and we could suddenly be winning more than we lose. I think it’ll be a process and we need to understand that and stick with it. A big reason why it unravelled so quickly under the last manager was his poor communication in interviews, refusing to answer questions and a lack of a tactical plan. If Röhl can avoid those pitfalls then he’ll get the time from me. His initial interviews and write ups have been good. I’m fascinated to see how this all plays out. There will be tough moments, he’s a young manager, starting his career and in a different country. Lets give him the time he needs.

Sometimes Patience And Perspective Is Needed

One thing I did notice during the last week since the initial report of Röhl being interviewed was the amount of people who after a few days just gave up on the idea of Röhl and thought it had to be finished because he hadn’t been announced.

If you’re appointing a manager or signing a player from Europe then there is going to be red tape, especially one who has just left the role of Assistant Manager of the German National Team. Add to that the fact he’s bringing in a number of coaches from Germany and the other logistical factors that come with moving countries. It’s just one of those things, the process takes as long as it takes. I think it’s a sad sign of how the club has handled a lot of situations that naturally, people expect the worst. ‘This exciting, progressive, young coach can’t possibly be coming here because of X, Y, Z’, that kind of thing. Always best to wait and see. Always go with trusted sources rather than what ‘some guy’ has said on social media.

So, there we go. Those are my thoughts on the appointment of Danny Röhl. I really really hope it works out for him and for us all. It’s been a tough time after the joy of promotion. It is time to look forward now.

We’ll see how it goes. Willkommen in Hillsborough, Danny.

Thanks for reading,

Tom

WAWAW

Sheffield Wednesday Season Preview 2023/24

 

Well, here we are. Another season is upon us and one in which The Owls return to the Championship. So much for a quiet summer after the fun and games of the Play Offs. A new manager, press conferences and statements, prices debates, rumours of protests. It’s never dull, is it?

This is my first blog in a year. You might ask why I didn’t do one after last season’s preview? Or why I didn’t do one after the Play Off miracle or why not one after Wembley? Well, to tell you the truth, I enjoyed last season probably more than any other season and a lot of what I’d want to say and document had already been said and documented.

I wanted to write one after Peterborough but even now I still can’t quite comprehend what happened that night. I still find myself thinking “did that actually happen?” It was the most surreal night I’ve ever had following this club, for so many reasons.

Wembley is easier. Again, another amazing moment with Windass’ 120+3 winner. But it was Play Off Final. You know the stakes, the significance. It was an amazing day and I loved it and whenever I turned my attention to the idea of doing a blog, I’d just see something that summed it up better. Be it in articles or on social media.

But now to this season. Darren Moore has gone, Xisco Muñoz has arrived. We’ll get to that later. It’s yet another new era at Hillsborough. Let’s take a closer look.

How are we looking?

While a new manager has arrived, the majority of the players are still the same. The same team that achieved 96 points, that won a record amount of away games, that went on the longest unbeaten run in the club’s history and that smashed the clean sheet record. All that can’t be forgotten. Personally I’d say a lot of this squad have something to prove at this level. There are plenty like Josh Windass and Will Vaulks who will feel that they were maybe playing below a more natural standard to get Wednesday promoted. Others maybe have that tag of “Great for League One, not good enough for the Championship”. I think ultimately time will tell on that one.

Pre season has brought about it’s usual mix of inconsistent starting elevens, games against local sides where intensity is lacking, trips abroad where it’s too hot and social media overreacting to anything and everything. I take everything with a pinch of salt personally. You can only ever tell so much from a friendly, good or bad. What I have found interesting is the use of a back four instead of the back three we’ve been used to over the last eighteen months. We’ve played it out more from the back and it’s been clear that it’s something the younger lads seem slightly more comfortable with than the older lads. But again, it’s pre season.

Have we overplayed too much at times? I don’t think so personally. I thought against Luton last weekend we played well. Certainly in the first half an hour. Again, any momentum in the game was stopped by the nature of pre season, the changes that were made gradually. You can see something is coming together. It’s going to take time.

Transfers

After a slow start to the summer in terms of signings, things have heated up since then. Personally I think even if we hadn’t have had the managerial change, we’d have still be one of the clubs doing business in the middle and towards the end of the window. Adding that change in clearly had a big impact and one set of targets changed to another. I don’t want to go into the whole list debate in this blog because I think it’s part of a wider conversation about the owner.

As things stand, Reece James, Juan Delgado, Ashley Fletcher, Pol Valentin, Di’Shon Bernard, Bambo Diaby and Anthony Musaba have all checked in through the door.

James, we all know. I think it was a good deal to get done. He’s useful and can play in a number of different positions. When you look his career he’s one of those who has struggled to hold down a regular place in Championship sides. At Wednesday though he’s certainly found a fanbase that has taken to him and he to them and the club. I have no worries there.

Delgado looked good in his first home 45 minutes against Luton. He looks the type of player who can excite and drive us forward up the pitch which we need if we are going to be playing the way it seems we are.

Ashley Fletcher is an interesting one. Highly talented as a youngster, he excelled in a loan spell at Barnsley that earned him a move to West Ham. A year later he went up to Middlesbrough and had a mixed spell in terms of goalscoring. While his record isn’t amazing overall, that doesn’t take into account the fact that he’s probably not played in the right team or under the right managers to get the best out of him. Xisco signed him at Watford when a lot looked at that move and thought it was an odd one. Clearly Xisco feels he can get something out of him. If he can repeat for us in this loan spell what he did for Middlesbrough in 19/20 (11 in 40) then he’ll have done alright. Sometimes it’s the right club, the right time and the right manager. Take another former Manchester United youngster and ex Owl, Will Keane. Keane didn’t hit double figures for goals until he was 27 (same age as Fletcher is now), season after that he scores 26 in a title winning Wigan team and 12 last season in the Championship. My point here is that late developers still happen in football. I still think Fletcher can be one of them.

Valentin and Musaba, I don’t know much about and won’t pretend to either. Both look interesting signings though and both at good ages as well. We certainly need to sign more players of that profile, early to mid 20’s with the room to develop.

Di’Shon Bernard and Bambo Diaby will add some much needed depth at the back. I think both look to be again, that good profile of age and development. Diaby is no stranger to South Yorkshire having played for Barnsley. Bernard has played at the level before with Hull. I wouldn’t expect either to come in immediately but you never know.

Who Still Needs To Come In?

You could argue we still need a striker and it’s one I’d probably agree with. I think if you’re fully honest about the situation none of Smith, Paterson, Gregory, Windass and Fletcher are likely to be a 20 goal striker for us this season. Not that that is a requirement, if they can all chip in and we can get a good output from the rest of the team then it starts to look a lot more positive. My worry is if we are going with one up front, how many chances will we create and while last season we were excellent and very clinical at times. There were games where we were profligate. You can’t really afford that at the level above.

Another winger would add some much needed depth. We don’t know exactly where Delgado and Valentin will play long term. They could be answers to that particular question.

Another central midfielder would be another sensible addition. Injuries have been an issue in the past in that area of the pitch. Can we rely on Byers over a 46 game season? I’d like to think so but the reality is we do need to add some depth. Liam Palmer’s switch in position in the 2^nd leg of the Play Offs and the final do offer a possible solution here but long term I don’t know if Palmer will play there under Xisco.

The New Manager

After several names did the rounds, Xisco Muñoz, was the man that took the reigns from Darren Moore. A recent promotion winning manager from this division. Not many expected one of those to be heading through the door. Now, don’t get me wrong, that certainly shouldn’t be what he’s judged on here. There are a few things I think you have to acknowledge about Xisco. First of all, like Moore, he’s a young manager. He’s not going to get it all right. He’ll make mistakes, like we all do. Every interview he has done he has been positive and clearly wants to look forward rather than in the past. The fact he knows the division and has had some success in it is key for me.

Some Watford fans have said he’s more of a “vibes” manager than a tactician. I don’t think you can win as many games as he did with them without being alright in the tactics department. Yes I’m aware of the squad they had that season and I know we’re not at that level. But actually being able to motivate players and get the best out of them is something we’ve lacked at this level for a while now. You also have to remember that he’s still a young manager and he was only in his first full year when he took the job at Watford. Everyone is better for three years more experience, aren’t they?

It’s clear he wants his players to have more than one string to their bow. I like that, it’s become a bit of a theme at Wednesday in recent years that players will play out of their natural positions. Famewo at left back on Saturday being the perfect example of this. If you can solve problems on the pitch with the players that are already on there then that suggests a good level of tactical knowledge and coaching ability.

We need stability. Like any manager, I hope Xisco is here a long time. Because it means he’s done a good job. He seems to be a very likeable bloke and I hope the fans take to him. Results, of course, will dictate that in the main.

Expectations

I’ve learned over the years that regardless of what has gone on at Sheffield Wednesday over the summer, some peoples expectations never changed. They’re either eternally optimistic, think we’ll do really well and should be up there or down in the dumps, won’t get out the bottom three all season and will struggle to win many games. You get those who, regardless of who the manager is and what players we have, think we should be right at the top of this league.

I don’t think you can look at this season and not think that survival should be the main aim. It’s a strong Championship on paper. We’ve had a summer of upheaval and there is a general mood around the fan base that suggests it’s had enough for some of the off the field nonsense clouding the club. I’ll probably do another blog about that because I do think the two things are separate. On the pitch I’m more positive but we saw in 20/21 that chaos off the pitch can have a massive effect.

My Prediction

It think it’s fair to say that Sheffield Wednesday are one of the favourites for relegation. I can’t argue against that point. We came up through the Play Offs, we’ve changed manager, we’re gambling on a lot of the signings and there is the previously mention off the field woes.

However, this is still mostly a group of players that achieved 96 points last season. Turned round a 4-0 defect to get to Wembley. Won at Wembley with a last minute winner. Only lost twice at home in all competitions last season. I wouldn’t back against a team that had done all that to go and achieve what needs to be achieved.

It’ll be tough, we will have some tough Saturday afternoons and midweek evenings. It might go all the way to that final day up at Sunderland. But if it does and we come out of it 21^st or above. I’ll be delighted and the aim for the season will have been achieved. I’m sure we’d all love for it to be a much smoother ride than that. I can see it being similar to the last time we came up in 2012/13 where we had a pretty poor first half of the season and a much stronger second half of the season when the team was more settled.

I’ll put a position out there. If we do have a decent start and can maybe avoid too long a settling in process then I think we’ll be fine. I’ll say 20^th. I think we’ll do it. Like I say, I think it’ll be tough. But we didn’t do everything we did in that miracle back in May to chuck it away at the first attempt.

End of the day, nobody really knows. We just have to get behind the lads. They’ll need us this season, of that I have no doubt.

Thanks for reading,

Tom

WAWAW

Sheffield Wednesday Season Preview 2022/23

 
Well we're here again, another season is upon us. Slightly earlier than normal due to a certain event in the middle east. Does that feel that weird? After the madness of the pandemic, not really in my opinion. Anyway onto the preview

Logical Signings

Wednesday have made in my opinion some very logical signings following on from last season's Play Off defeat. The main issue from last year in my personal opinion was injuries, too often we were missing players for too long, too often unable to call on the best eleven or players that would be game changers, I'll come onto that a bit more later but sticking with the players who have come in you have to say being available for selection was certainly something Darren Moore and the recruitment team have looked at.

 
David Stockdale was first through the door, experienced, knows the division, has got out of the division before and the one above. While I haven't been his biggest fan when he's played for other clubs he ticks a lot of boxes and I can understand why Moore has gone down the route of older and experienced rather than a younger keeper like last season. I imagine he'll start the season, I don't think he signs the contract if he doesn't have some guarantee of first team football. It'll be up to Cam Dawson to try and win that spot from him.

Michael Ihiekwe and Michael Smith both arrived from Rotherham, if you'd have told me we'd pick up a Team Of The Year defender and Striker from last season for nothing I'd have said you were mad, they're both excellent additions. Again, played lots of games, know the division, Smith has been fantastic against us for the Millers. They've taken a bit of a risk to come here given the could have stayed at Rotherham and played at the level above, it does show that pulling power is still there. Again both logical with the positions they play, I'd imagine both would fancy their chances of starting on Saturday.

Ben Heneghan is another defender who arrived from AFC Wimbledon, his defensive stats last season were mightily impressive for a player in a side who went down, he's already a bit of a fans favourite. He's miles better on the ball that I thought we would be and I think before the friendly last week against Rayo Vallecano I'd probably have said he would be one who wouldn't start but now I'd say he probably does. Again played a lot of games and knows the league.

Akin Famewo was a bit of an old school signing, when I say that I mean he was linked about an hour or so before he arrived, which was pleasing. I like that, I don't enjoy the long drawn out process that seems to happen with signings these days. Famewo again look another good addition, coming in from Norwich after a spell at Charlton last season he again knows the league, at a good age and crucially is a natural left footer on the left of that back three. Another good one on paper.

Reece James arrived on loan from Blackpool, played under Moore at Doncaster Rovers and whenever I saw him was pretty good for them, we were linked with him last year and it probably makes more sense now than it did then. Can play in a variety of positions, I think he'll add good competition on that left hand side for Marvin Johnson. Again another player who has played a lot at this level and has been promoted from it.

Will Vaulks arrived on a free from Cardiff and similar to Smith and Ihiekwe I didn't think too much to the link when it first came about as I simply didn't think It'd happen. I'm delighted it has thought as he's an excellent addition to Wednesday's midfield. I liked him when he played for Rotherham and he's played a lot of the level above for Cardiff. He's exactly the kind of player you need at this level and especially after the departure of Massimo Luongo. I think he could easily be a fans favourite.

Tyreeq Bakinson was the last player through the door at the time of writing this and I think this one is another good one potentially. There has been a lot of talk about attitude and to be honest I think you can only ever judge a player really on what you see with your own eyes and what they do for you. We don't see what goes on behind closed doors. I don't think Darren Moore signs a 23 year old if he doesn't think he can work with him and develop him into something. He stood out when we played Bristol City in 20/21, scoring a good goal against us and did OK for Ipswich last season. He adds to an already busy midfield. We do however have a lot of games and I think all will get game time.

Pre Season

Pre season is always an odd time because you always get some overreaction to things, be it we win a game and people think we'll walk it or we lose and it's the end of the world. In reality results in pre season mean nothing, Josh Windass literally said exactly that out in Portugal. I think in the two games I've watched, Rayo Vallecano and Wigan we've played quite well in parts, especially moving the ball forward. I think there is still work to be done defensively, more so in the understanding that comes with playing games together. Do I worry that won't come together? No because I think the quality and experience there is too good not to.

I think going forward we look decent, while we've maybe not scored the goals out play has deserved the quick passing and ability to get forward in different ways is pleasing. We didn't need a major overhaul from last season, just tweaks here and there. Michael Smith adds something we didn't have last season, you could see that when he came on against Wigan, to be able to go a bit more direct and give the opposition something different is pleasing and something we lacked last season and the year before.

“He'll be like a new signing him”

The cliché that always comes when a player comes back from injury, but it is true isn't it? If we can get the likes of Dominic Iorfa, Josh Windass and Dennis Adeniran on the pitch for 40+ games this season we're far better for it. Not having them cost us, Iorfa has split opinion over pre season, I think some of the criticism is a bit harsh, I think he's looked good, fit and strong. He started last year so well, it was a shame we didn't see much of him in the 2^nd half of the campaign. Windass was a huge miss last season, having him available gives us such a different dynamic. He averaged a goal or an assist every 60 minutes I believe last season, get anywhere near that over 46 games and he'll have had a stunning campaign. Another one who I think gets underrated due to missing a lot of football. Adeniran I think suffered last season from people forgetting he was probably our best player in the first 1/3 of the season, his injury sort of allowed Byres to come into the team and took his chance, both are good players. I think Dennis has real potential in him and against Rayo Vallecano he was excellent. Again having him for a whole season will make such a difference.

Tough Start

In my opinion we've been given a tough start to this campaign. July/August and September look tough months in terms of the games we have, Portsmouth, MK Dons, Charlton, Peterborough, Bolton, Barnsley, Plymouth, Ipswich and Wycombe I think will all fancy their chances of the top 6. We played them all before October. Having said that, come out of it with a decent haul of points and you could well be on course for where you want to be. My take away point on it would be, don't panic if the league table doesn't look pretty in September. The back end of last season I think the fixtures went for us to secure that play off spot, in that we didn't have many crunch games against the other sides around us sometimes they can work against you as well, Plymouth fell victim to that last season and missed out.

Promotion has to be the aim

It's fairly obvious that the tone of this blog has been centred around a belief that we can go up and that has to be the aim this season. I'm 100% certain it will be within the Wednesday camp. This time last year I thought we had no chance of even getting in the Play Offs, it's a big contrast to now where I do believe we can get automatic promotion, it'll be tough, there are no guarantees but given how we finished last season, the players we have added and the ones we've kept I see no reason why we can't be back in the Championship come May.

Darren Moore

Moore has split opinion in his time at Wednesday, some say he should have kept us up in 20/21, I think that's exceptionally harsh in the circumstances he was dealt. A lot say he should have taken us up last year, I think it's clear from this piece and others I have done that I don't agree with that either. The pressure is on this year though, he has the squad, I think we'll still likely add to it come the end of August, he's got another year under his belt in a fledgling managerial career. I don't like this idea that he has to be in a certain position by a certain point, football isn't an algorithm. You can't just take nuance out of it, but it is fair to say we can't have the start we did last season. We can't be waiting until early November to click into gear, I don't think that will happen because we'd retained the core of the team and added some key players. We're stronger than this time last year, without question.

 

Do I think we can do it?

Yeah I do, do I think it'll be easy? No. League One is getting tougher and tougher, as the Championship increases it's quality year on year that filters down to League One. I think it's slightly harder to predict the teams coming down this year, Barnsley are in transition and who knows how Derby will go on. Peterborough are the ones to watch for me, they have the experience of getting up and like them or not the Chairman and manager know what they're doing there.

For me it'll probably come down to how quickly the defence can gel, can we avoid injuries and how we cope with the first couple of months of the season. Pass all those tests and we should be OK. We haven't always been the best when it comes to expectations, a key component of the Chansiri era has really been a failure to live up to expectations. This season it needs to be different.
Thanks for reading

Tom

WAWAW

Post Regular Season And Pre Play Off Ramble

 

Well well well, another regular season done. How quickly has that gone? Amazing really when you consider what's been going on in the world over the last couple of years. It's been an interesting season for many reasons, I haven't done any blogs since the start of the season, mainly as when I've considered it a lot of what I've wanted to say has been said elsewhere. It's been interesting to watch the events of 21/22 play out and with the Play Offs now on the horizon it's now time to put some thoughts down on paper.

Changing The Culture

Darren Moore's job at the start of the season alongside the obvious was to finally change the culture of this football club. Back in May last year when we were relegated I don't think the gap between fans and club had been wider, true that isn't helped by 15 months without fans in the ground and it's hard to judge fully when you can't either speak to people face to face or go to the games and get a feel for the atmosphere.

At the start of the season, after a summer of bringing in virtually a whole new squad there were always going to be bumps in the road. As I said in my preview I thought we'd start slow and grow from there, the fact we were around the top six even with some inconsistent results was a good sign. We've had a terrible season with injuries, in the last few weeks I've seen a lot of fans saying you can't really use that as an excuse, but I'm sorry you can. Because while yes every club gets injuries I find it very hard to imagine many have had the amount we've had. It's also not just not having the players, it's had a much bigger impact. Having to move players into positions they aren't comfortable with, having to put round pegs in square holes to try and get results and in fairness, we have more often than not got something in those circumstances.

First half Thoughts

With all that to contend with the first half of the season was up and down. We had some good results, Wigan away, Rotherham away and Sunderland at home all stick out. Often fans would moan at underwhelming performances even during wins. There were some disappointing defeats like Morecambe and Plymouth as well as dispiriting draws at home to Shrewsbury and Lincoln. You won't win every game, that's obvious and credit to those sides as they've done their job. I always felt we looked better playing three at the back and was pleased when Moore changed it to suit the players he had rather than the previous system. It did feel a bit like we were trying to crowbar certain players in rather than play the best system for the players we had. I can understand that to an extent, you have to manage the squad, you have to make sure players are as ready as possible to come in if needed, and boy have they been needed. We had however managed to get ourselves on a decent run after losing to Oxford at home, just outside the top six before an enforced lay off due to Covid.

Plymouth turning point

After returning from said Covid break and losing 5-0 at Sunderland and 1-0 away at Shrewsbury it's fair to say the Wednesday fanbase was in a bit of state. My personal opinion were that both results and performances were heavily impacted by the lay off and injuries but as I've sometimes found after defeats like that you can't inject that kind of logic in the immediate aftermath. This player is a disgrace, the manager must go, fans must be refunded. All that stuff comes out, I'll talk more about that later.

When Plymouth visited Hillsborough in January I think it's fair to say the fans needed to see a reaction. A win was one thing but a win and a good performance is another. I do genuinely think had Wednesday lost that game then Darren Moore was in a tricky position. Would he have gone that night I'm not so sure but it would have made it very difficult for him. As it turned out we won the game 4-2, played well in a cracking advert for League One. From there on in other than the odd slip up here and there I think we've played really well. Despite losing the following weekend down at Oxford it felt like we'd turned a bit of a corner. We aren't, and will never be at this level, the finished article. You have to accept that you will have bad days, you will underperform at times. That's football.

Saturday a Glimpse of what can be

On Saturday against Portsmouth I think we saw what this club can be. Over 30,000 Wednesday fans there to roar the team over the line into the Play Offs. This team deserved that for their efforts this season, it's been an up and down campaign at times but overall I've never once thought we didn't see 100% commitment from the players on the pitch. After the last couple of seasons that's a welcome change. It does show you what this club could get on a more regular basis in a higher division with a sensible pricing structure. I'm not saying you get 30,000 every week in the Championship even with cheap tickets because I'm not sure you do but it makes you think.

The Top Eight Battle, Stand Out Stars and Play Offs

For me this season the standard of the teams at the top of League One has been as good as it has for a while. The fact Plymouth missed out on the Play Offs with 80 points is testament to that. All those teams at one point or another have looked nailed on and most have had some time outside of it as well. Oxford I was certain would end up in there for a long while, credit to Wigan and Rotherham for getting over the line automatically, MK Dons have been very good and all off the back of losing their manager on the eve of the season. Ourselves and Sunderland have found that consistency in the 2^nd half of the season to cement 4^th and 5^th and Wycombe do what Wycombe do, make it difficult, battle against the odds and more often than not see off better resourced sides.

It's really tough to call both semi finals. Normally you get a feeling about one team but this one is so even. I think from our point of view we'll know a lot more at around 10PM on Friday. If we can go up to the Stadium Of Light and get something to bring back to what I'm sure will be a raucous Hillsborough on Monday evening then I'd fancy us to get to Wembley. It's all about how we approach it, these kind of games are often nervy tight affairs. I'd love to think we could spring another MK Dons style away performance up there.

The Future

While I'd love us to go up and feel it's more than possible. I still think regardless we're going in the right direction, at least in terms of Darren Moore and his staff. They understand the club, they've begun that process of sorting out things that have been broken for years. I get some fans still aren't convinced, he's not perfect, no manager at this level is. I really do think we'd be making a big mistake to make a change in the summer if we don't go up. Some of the calls for him to go even if we did go up are nonsensical. What does that say to potential managers? That if you achieve the aim you might still get the chop anyway? You can maybe get away with that if you're Real Madrid, not if you're Sheffield Wednesday. I'm not saying Darren Moore can mastermind us up to the top flight or anything like that, but he deserves a crack at it next season regardless of if it's Championship or League One. Don't get me wrong, if it is the latter then the pressure will be on but from what I've seen personally I'd fancy us to have a real go at it if we didn't make it up through the Play Offs.

So there we have it, thanks for reading. I'll probably do another blog after the Play Offs, talk a bit more about the players and who I'd like to see us keep. Fingers crossed that piece will be in a few weeks rather than one.

WAWAW

Tom

My Thoughts Ahead Of Season 21/22

 

Well, here we are again. Another season is upon us and as ever with Sheffield Wednesday there's a hell of a lot to talk about. It's been an interesting off and pre season. Several talking points, positives and negatives. I'll aim to look over some of them ahead of the big kick off.

Ins and Outs

Regardless of your opinion on last season I think we can all agree there needed to be a culture change at Sheffield Wednesday, the likes of Lees, Westwood, Reach and Pelupessy moved on and along with others there aren't many who could make a case for being kept on, be it wages or a general drop in performances there weren't many fans who were disappointed with the retained list.

In terms of ins, I've been really impressed with the business we've done. The likes of the returning Jack Hunt, Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Dennis Adeniran, Marvin Johnson and Lee Gregory all could have moved to clubs in higher divisions but chose to come here, that suggests there is something here that players want. Darren Moore I believe is a massive reason behind it, well respected in the game, players want to play for the former West Brom defender. He speaks well as as was shown on the touchline at Derby in the rain back in May, he's shown that desire for Wednesday that we desperately needed to see from someone at the club.

Chansiri Changing?

I don't want to speak too much about the chairman, after relegation I said on twitter that we needed to see action. Words are all well and good but after the last few years Wednesday needed to see Chanrisi attempt to change the downward trajectory of the club. It appears in some aspects at least he has, a COO in Liam Dooley has been appointed, new kits, an acceptance that the manager should have control of who he wants to come into the club. It's all pointing towards Chansiri listening and taking that much needed step back. I've said before and I'll repeat that I don't believe Dejphon Chansiri wants anything other than the best for Sheffield Wednesday but it was clear that since the Play Off campaign of 2017 the club was heading backwards. I just hope that the low point has been reached, a long way to go and we won't really know how much has changed until this time next year I'd imagine.

Pre Season

I think pre season has been decent, we've signed 11 players as of writing with number 12 looking likely as well. It's hard to gel all that together in pre season, we played fairly well for 60 minutes against Celtic before good wins over Chester and Alfreton. Defeats against West Brom and Barnsley in behind closed doors games and a win over Port Vale rounded things up. Over all we're about where you'd expect, beating the teams you'd expect us to beat.

Obviously the season is already underway with last Sunday's game against Huddersfield, I'll come onto the overall occasion in a bit but as a game it was decent showing from Wednesday. You wouldn't know which of the two was a Championship or League One side if you didn't already know. Despite losing on penalties, much to the delight of Huddersfield's travelling fans (where have they found them from?). There were positives for Wednesday, Adeniran and Wing looked good in midfield alongside captain Barry Bannan who was also very good. Jack Hunt for me was the best player on the pitch, Jaden Brown did well after coming on for Olamide Shodipo. Bailey Peacock-Farrell made a couple of wonderful saves and fully looks to be the commanding presence we need in that position.

The main concern would have to be, where are the goals going to come from? Callum Paterson did well on limited service but never really carved out a decent chance for himself, new signings Florian Kamberi, Theo Corbeanu and Lee Gregory will be hoping for a few more chances that we created on Saturday, I'm sure we will given the quality in the club.

League One: My Predictions and How I See The Season Panning Out

I'm going to say this straight off the bat, this season isn't really about promotion for me, that isn't to say I don't think we're capable, I do. But after the last few years we've had, to just drop into League One and expect to come straight back up is naïve thinking. The club for me had never felt more away from the fans than it did back in May, I'll accept Covid played a part in that and from being at the game on Sunday there was a genuine good feeling around the place which was fantastic to feel and be part of.

For me I've predicted Wednesday to finish 12^th, is that a safe prediction? Yeah it absolutely is, it's me not wanting to put any expectation on it and just enjoy the ride, if we challenge for the Play Offs I'll be very pleased. Promotion? Well like everyone else I'll be delighted. The most important thing is the club having a long term future and a togetherness writhing the club and fanbase. Cliche I know but after the last four years it's been draining following this club.

I just think there are some clubs in the division that are better placed to challenge, Ipswich, Portsmouth, Sunderland to name a few. The first few games are tough, Charlton, Rotherham and Sunderland all in the first six games is a tough ask. Doncaster and Fleetwood at home will be no easy task either, we need to drop the big club attitude and respect the challenge that is there in front of us. Heading to the likes of Morecambe as well will be tough. They will want to beat Wednesday, make no mistake.

Fans Back

As I mentioned I was at Hillsborough on Sunday for the League Cup first round tie against Huddersfield Town. I've spent a lot of the last few weeks wondering what it'll be like going back since we knew there would be fans there. Would it feel unusual or strange, would it be different. Well it felt normal and that's the best compliment I can pay it, it was great to be back in the ground, great to hear Hi Ho Sheffield Wednesday in person for the first time in 17 months, it was great to see Darren Moore in person and welcome him to the club.

My hope is that if we do have a tricky start we stick by this manager and team, it's the most positive summer for a few years and I really hope that carries on into the season.

Bring on Charlton, lets hope the 3000 Wednesday fans going down will be treated to an opening day win.

Hope you've enjoyed my rambling,

Thanks for reading.

Tom

WAWAW

My Thoughts On Saturday's Final Day Decider

 Well here we are, the final game of the season. A season that for many reasons I think most will be glad to see the back of. It all comes down to Saturday, if Sheffield Wednesday are to remain in the Championship then they will need to do something they haven't done since 2006, win at Pride Park.

Déjà vu

Casting our minds back to 2010, Wednesday were in a similar situation. We needed to win on the final day against Crystal Palace at Hillsborough while the Eagles only needed a draw. Of course the difference this time is Wednesday will still need help from elsewhere whereas 2010 was a straight shoot-out between the Owls and Palace.

That day of course turned into a very disappointing one, a 2-2 draw meant Wednesday were relegated, of course another coincidence from 11 years ago was that Palace had been deducted 10 points for going into administration. This time of course it's Wednesday who had had to deal with a points deficit.

So it all sets up for an interesting day from the narrative point of view, do I think we can do it? Yeah I do, not because I think we're a great side or that we've been unjustly put in this position. It's because the Championship is mental, it's a division that gets crazier by the year and a final day dramatic win wouldn't be so out of the question.

Derby and Rotherham

Lets have a look at our two main relegation rivals. If there happens to be a Wycombe fan reading this, yes I'm well aware you can still survive. But realistically it's between Derby, Rotherham and Wednesday.

Now oddly enough of the three Wednesday actually go into this game as the form team, neither Derby or Rotherham have been able to capitalise on the chances to condemn the Owls to the third tier. Something to cling onto heading into Saturday. We could have gone on each of the last three occasions we've played and we're somehow still alive.

Derby have lost six in a row and while they have some dangerous players I don't think there is much to fear there, like Wednesday they look brittle, a goal against seems to knock the stuffing out of them. Interestingly they haven't won since Erik Alonso's proposed takeover of the Rams was announced. Another factor to add to the growing list.

As for Rotherham, they know a win at least sends down Wednesday. They're away at Cardiff, a decent side who I don't think will let off. If ever we needed a favour from Mick McCarthy it's now. Aden Flint winner? Would be nice wouldn't it? It'll mean little if we don't do our job of course and with Wednesday's away from this season you can't really put too much faith on that happening. But when there's a chance, you have to hope.

12:30, Pride Park, Saturday

Derby away hasn't been the scene of many great moments. Since returning to the Championship in 2012 Wednesday have never won at Pride Park, drawing four and losing four. With some awful luck in there as well. Richard Keogh's blatant handball off the line in 2016/17 standing out for me as the worst. If ever there was a time to end that horrible run then it's now.

Both teams will be nervous, I don't think it'll be a thriller. Derby can't really afford to play for a draw as a draw and a Rotherham win would send them down. Wednesday have to win, that's one advantage I think the Owls have, we must win the game where as Derby don't have to but that indecisiveness from what should be an advantage can sometimes come into play in these scenarios could be a stumbling block for the Rams.

Personally it's hard to pick a favourite, Wednesday are in slightly better form, but Derby had the points advantage, they're at home, and certain off the field issues that have come to light in the last few days regarding Wednesday it might just mean that Derby are slight favourites. However I'd say a draw is the most likely outcome. Obviously I hope I'm wrong on that score but if I was a neutral I'd actually predict a draw between Derby and Wednesday and probably a draw between Cardiff and Rotherham meaning the Owls and Millers would go down.

There's a lot to talk about with Wednesday on and off the pitch, I'll do a couple of these blogs over the summer to have a look at some of it. For now, lets just get behind the lads, one last game of this weirdest of seasons. Forget everything else, lets just hope we stay up and we'll go from there.

Hopefully we'll end that Pride Park run and remain a Championship club next season.

Thanks for reading,

Tom

WAWAW

My Thoughts On: Moore, The End Of Season Run In, The Future And What Needs To Happen.

 It's been a while since I wrote a blog, there has been so much going on at Sheffield Wednesday over the last few months it was hard to find the moment to sit down and take it all in. Since my last one we've appointed a new manager, played a different style of football, won some games, lost some games. I'll go through my thoughts on it all as well as a bit of a view to next season regardless of what division we will be in.

Darren Moore

After the disappointing collapse down at Luton, where Wednesday had lead 2-0 at half time and should have been 4-0 up they conspired to lose 3-2 and social media was, as you can imagine awash with Wednesday fans wanting answers to the questions that had been fired at Chansiri since Tony Pulis had left. Just on Neil Thompson, while it started fairly well under him, I think it was clear we needed some other voice in there. I like Thommo and from all accounts he's a great coach but I'm not sure how much of that came into effect, I don't think the enforced Covid break helped after the Exeter Cup tie. I think some of his team selections and game management was poor and unfortunately has probably played a big part in why we are, as things stand 23rd in the division. I'm not blaming Thompson as he was put in an unfair position.

After all that, Darren Moore was appointed, while his name had been mentioned it did come a bit from left field. Mostly as that it seemed clear prior to Luton that a new manager didn't seem to be on the horizon. I think personally that it potentially could be a very good appointment. He's a well respected figure in the game, has a good reputation for brining young players either into his club from higher divisions or through the club's academy. He's also played some decent football, in his first few games I think you could see a difference. We've been playing it out from the back more, while it splits opinion if done right it can be very effective.

It's an appointment that, if we're being honest may well have been made with League One in mind, a chance to bring someone in who knows the division we may well be heading into. A good knowledge of the players in that division and knowing how to get a team playing that style of play he wants in that division as he did at Doncaster.

The Moore Era So Far

Life at Sheffield Wednesday didn't exactly begin well for Moore in terms of results, a painful last minute goal won Rotherham the points in his first game before Reading took 10 man Wednesday apart down in Berkshire. I got a bit of stick on certain platforms for saying that while the result against Rotherham was obviously terrible the performance had it's positives. I thought we edged the first half and played OK in spells, if we don't make a mistake at the end, the game ends 1-1. 

Reading we started OK, Borner getting sent off and conceding the resulting penalty kills us. But even in defeat we again played OK. This isn't me saying it's acceptable or that I'm happy with the situation but this is where we are. Norwich were next at Hillsborough, again we started well, for 60 minutes the better team, but then Norwich did what Norwich so often do, turn on the quality and Pukki and Cantwell delivered the knockout blows. This Norwich team for me are up there with one of the best Championship teams ever so it was always going to be an uphill task.

A 1-1 draw with Huddersfield followed, while not the greatest game again I thought we edged it before heading to Barnsley where we got the better of this season's surprise package. We out played them, often we've gone to Oakwell and not delivered, this time we did and fully deserved the 2-1 we came away from. Moore deserves a lot of credit for the performance and set up.

The Easter period saw us face Watford and Cardiff. I actually was more optimistic about the Watford game than the Cardiff one. While we weren't amazing at Watford there again were some decent signs, again good passing and composure on the ball. It just seemed to lack that ball into the final third. Obviously this was the first game without Moore in the dugout as he was self isolating after testing positive for Covid. It goes without saying we all wish Darren well and hope he'll be feeling better soon. His team however certainly will have gone some way to improving his mood after Easter Monday's thumping 5-0 win over Cardiff City. It was a fantastic performance, five well worked goals, effort and desire from the first whistle, some body on the line defending at times. It's not very often a Mick McCarthy team gets five put past them and Wednesday fully deserved it.

The Run In

So, after all that. We are seven points from safety with seven games to play, baring in mind Rotherham who are in 22nd and just ahead of Wednesday on goal difference have three games in hand. Now I'll be honest, I don't think Sheffield Wednesday will get enough points to stay up. While I think we have a slight chance with some of the fixtures coming up It just feels, and has done for a while, that it's just too much of a gap to bridge. We do play a lot of sides who have little to play for, that could be a big positive, my main issue with this Wednesday team when it comes to looking at those kind of games is we always seem to suit being the underdog, that doesn't always work when you are the team that needs to win, there isn't that other side of it like there was on Easter Monday. I think Wednesday will win a few more games between now and the end of the season but I would firmly have one eye sadly on League One and hope the club are already working out a plan. By all means have one for the Championship but failure to prepare.. well you know the rest.

The Future, Chansiri And What Needs To Happen

So we come to probably the most important part of this blog. What needs to happen next? Regardless of whether we stay up or go down the needs to be changes at Sheffield Wednesday. Four years on from losing to Huddersfield in the Play Off Semi Final at Hillsborough the club has only gone backwards. I'll say again, I don't believe Dejphon Chansiri is a bad man, I don't believe he has ill intentions. I do however think he has been naive and stubborn. You can't afford to be either of those two things as the owner of a football club.

The lack of structure at the club is a persistent problem. No Director Of Football, No Commercial Director, No CEO. You can't run a football club like that. These things need to change if Wednesday are to progress. I don't think it's even a debate anymore.

The appointment of Moore will only be a good one if you allow him to do the job, let Moore identify the players he wants, let him work on a style of play and give him time. I don't believe if Wednesday go down that next season will be a promotion charge in League One. The club needs a reset, it probably, as painful as it is to say, a year of mid table mediocrity. That isn't to say we'd have no chance but clubs in the division are already well ahead of Wednesday off the pitch.

We also have to touch, once again on ticket prices. If all goes well and according to plan fans should be back inside Hillsborough for next season. Charging the prices we do for Championship football is bad enough, in League One It'll only be worse. I already think Covid may well have had a big impact on Wednesday's crowds. How many will be out of the habit? How many will have found other things to do? How many just won't be able to afford it?

For me, if I owned a football club I'd be doing everything I can to put an arm around the supporters who hadn't been inside the ground for what will be 16 months. I appreciate the club will need to make money but we've seen during this period of time, football without the fans is nothing. We're still owed money for last season, things like that, Chansiri has to understand what he owns, the potential ally he has with the fans. Like I've said before, talk to the fans, listen to them, we all want the same thing.

Whatever happens I'll return at the end of the season, or sooner if anything significant happens, for an end of season roundup. Fingers crossed, somehow we're still a Championship club.

Thanks for reading,

Tom

WAWAW