Sheffield Wednesday 2018/19: December Review

Another month of games goes by and another blog, December has certainly been a busy one. Not only the traditional Christmas fixture list but a heated fans forum and fall out from plus a managerial departure. It's been quite a month.

The Forum

Normally I head straight into the games in these blogs but due to what went on just before Christmas I think it's important this is addressed straight away. The whole fans forum idea certainly split opinion, by the EFL rules you have to go a certain amount of them a season which might be a debate for another day. For me the format of them doesn't seem to work as well as other things such as steering group meetings. While the idea of getting to ask the chairman whatever you like is obviously a good one it can often descend into a bit of a mismanaged evening often with the chairman being either misquoted or people taking what he says out of context. The big headline of the night was obviously Chansiri saying he was to put the club up for sale. Now again there has been a lot of discussion as to whether this was a genuine statement or not. For me it doesn't really matter for the moment. If there is a buyer waiting in the wings and it's a deal that suits Chansiri fair enough, if Chansiri changes his mind, or it wasn't a serious threat, Again fair enough. Football is football, nothing surprises me. The FFP question was asked and again there didn't seem to be a solid plan of what to do going forward that would guarantee avoiding any sanctions against the club in the summer. Again I think that's another blog in itself about what may or may not happen. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on FFP/P&S but it's hard to see without selling players how the club can avoid punishment.

 

Jos no longer the boss

Obviously the other big off the field decision was to remove Jos Luhukay of his position as manager. A lot of questions were raised when Chansiri made the claim that changing managers doesn't always work, personally and this is just my opinion Chansiri didn't quite realise the distain for Luhukay prior to the forum and he changed his mind. I could be wrong on that and if so fair enough. It was overdue, for me as someone who does like to see managers given time it was hard to go to games thinking the manager shouldn't be in the dugout. I personally wouldn't sing for a manager to lose his job but I could understand why those fans at Blackburn and Swansea and against Rotherham at home did. The team was not performing, the players heads were down, the fans had turned and it was toxic at Hillsborough. Some might say he should have gone a lot earlier than he did, maybe so. He still has my sympathy with the fact he never really got a proper transfer window, the fact he never got a chance to work with the likes of Lee and Hooper but ultimately that was not enough to excuse some of the results and performances. Ultimately Jos failed and had to leave. I wish him well, I think he's a decent enough bloke probably wasn't aware of just how big a job it was when he took over in January.

 

The Matches

Blackburn Rovers
 

Following on from the win over Bolton at the end of November, we travelled over to face another side from Lancashire in Blackburn Rovers. While Blackburn have a very good home record it's fair to say we had a chance of getting something. Sadly it was another afternoon to forget for Wednesday and the first of the games where the fans chanted for Jos Luhukay to lose his job. We gifted Blackburn three points, made it far too easy for the likes of Bradley Dack and Danny Graham to punish us. The team looked bereft of ideas and organisation. While a manager's tenure can never be truly decided on one game this felt like the end. As much as goals from Joao and Bannan showed a bit of fightback they really masked what was a drab afternoon in the Blackburn rain.

 

Rotherham United

 

A week later Wednesday were at home to face Paul Warne's  Rotherham United, the Millers arrived at Hillsborough having not won a Championship away game since April 2016 but this felt like their best chance. I hate to say that and sound negative but that's genuinely how I was feeling in the build up to the game. After a tepid first 45 minutes that man Joao again put Wednesday ahead on the stroke of half time after a great ball from Adam Reach. While it may have been undeserved I was shocked at the booing as the players came off. OK the situation wasn't great but to boo a team who were winning? Really? The 2nd half was more entertaining, Rotherham equalised quickly through Michael Smith who we didn't deal with all game before Richie Towell put Wednesday in front. That goal for me summed Wednesday under Jos up, it was clear what Towell was going to do and we did nothing to stop it. Maybe Dawson should have saved it but the truth is it should never have got to him. Wednesday equalised through Joao again from a Daniel Pudil cross who'd come on as a half time substitute. It finished level and while it was probably fair if I was a Miller I'd have been disappointed with the full time score.

Swansea City

 

 Another week passed by and a trip down to South Wales to face Swansea. While they still have some of the names from the Premier League the Swans aren't quite at the level of some of the other sides in this division. They still have quality players however and it wouldn't be an easy trip. We actually played fairly well. Similar to the Derby County game at home where we probably edged it but ultimately lost. We were the better side and took the lead through Marco Matias only for a collapse that lead to a 2-1 defeat. Defensive errors again. For a defensive coach we sat with the worst defence in the division and no sign on things improving. It was yet another defeat on the road for Jos and another chorus of calling for the Dutchman's head. The post match interview with BBC Radio Sheffield was ended prematurely by Jos not being too happy with being asked about his future. That was the last we heard from him. Although he wasn't officially gone by the pre match presser for Preston, he was by the time the game came around.

 

Preston North End
 

 So after the departure of Jos Luhukay there was a game of football to be played. The final home game of 2018 saw Alex Neil's Preston visit Hillsborough. The team news was certainly interesting reading with Westwood back in goal for the first time in a competitive game for over a year. Sam Hutchinson and George Boyd back on the bench having not played since August. It was a much improved performance, I've heard a few people say it was a negative display and Wednesday were lucky. I'm really not sure what game those people were watching. OK so Preston went down to 10 men, but lets not pretend Wednesday weren't in control of that football match. A 2nd half goal from Michael Hector, who looked back to his best as did centre back partner Tom Lees, saw Wednesday take a crucial three points.

Middlesbrough
 

 So onto the traditional Doxing Day fixture, Wednesday's record on Boxing Day since returning to the Championship in 2012 is outstanding. Six wins and a draw, it's fair to say Christmas comes late for Wednesday supporters. Following the win over Preston I think it's fair to say Wednesday fans were slightly more confidant heading into the clash at the Riverside. The travelling fans were rewarded with a hard fought 1-0 win. Adam Reach getting on the end of Barry Bannan's pass. It was a lovely move witch deserved to end up the back of the net. A 2nd win in as many games meant it had been a good couple of days for club legend Lee Bullen. Thrown in at the deep end in caretaker charge he'd reinvigorated the players and the fans, there were quite a few calls for him to be given the job permanently following the reports that Steve Bruce is likely to take over.

 

West Brom

 

So the final game of 2018 took the Owls to the West Midlands to take on Darren Moore's West Brom. For me the squad assembled at the Hawthorns is one of the best I can remember in Championship history. Packed with attacking talent and we'd seen ourselves back in October how quickly they could turn it on. That 2-2 draw at Hillsborough was probably a bit of a turning point in Jos' time here as the last five minutes over shadowed the previous 85. This game saw the return to the bench of Sam Winnall who hadn't played football at all since February and hadn't played for Wednesday since August 2017. It also saw the return of last seasons less than popular away kit as the third kit for this season. Common practice among football clubs to be fair but still something the club was getting a little bit of stick for before the game. Onto the football and Atdhe Nuhiu gave the Owls the lead after just five minutes and Wednesday once again were the better side for large spells of the contest. However deep into added time a corner from Matt Phillips was deflected into the Owls goal by David Jones, however Chris Brunt was claiming it and I'd rather he had got it that Jones. Just on Brunt I saw a few (and I do mean a few) people having a go at him for celebrating the goal in the way he did. Now I get the idea that people don't like to see former players celebrate their goals against us but lets look at a couple of fans. Chris Brunt signed for West Brom from Wednesday 11 years ago. He's played way more games for them then he did for us and he also didn't celebrate when he scored against us back in 2009/10 at Hillsborough. I don't get what there is to be annoyed about there. As for the result yeah the manner of it was frustrating but I'd have taken a point before a ball was kicked and had West Brom have been on it like they were a few weeks ago against our neighbours in S2 it could have been very different.

 

So all in all a busy and action packed month for Sheffield Wednesday. Would we have it any other way? Onto January.

 

Thanks for reading

 

Tom

 

WAWAW





Sheffield Wednesday 2018/19: November Review

Well here we are again, it doesn't seem that long since I was writing the review of October and once again there is plenty to talk about regarding Sheffield Wednesday's season so far. This is the review of November.

Matches

 

Norwich City

 

We started the month with a visit from the form side in the Championship, Norwich. The Canaries had not won at Hillsborough since 2001 and hadn't won an away league game in November for 10 years. Both those records were rectified from their point of view by the end of the game. I will say that Norwich were excellent in the 2nd half, all four goals were scored in the 2nd 45 minutes and they took us apart with ease. It could have been six very easily. It was difficult to find anything positive heading into the derby at Bramall Lane. We looked so easy to beat, it looked like some of the players had given up. There were a lot of chants during the game for the likes of Keiren Westwood and Sam Hutchinson, they don't help. It's not even like either were on the bench.

 

Sheffield United

 

 

There has already been quite a bit of analysis and opinion on the derby clash at Bramall Lane. My take on it was firmly that having lost four on the spin and having been as poor as we were against Norwich going to Bramall Lane, playing the way we did and getting a point was a good result. There has been this thing going about of "this is how you play a derby game" and some have gone as far to say that they would rather have lost 3-0 having a go than doing what we did and getting a 0-0. I'm sorry but I don't believe that, would you really want to thrashed by our biggest rivals all for the sake of a 'better' performance? I doubt it. While I thoroughly accept its a sad example of how far we have fallen it was still the right thing to do and it was a great point for us. A first clean sheet of the season in the league and another penalty save for Cameron Dawson who I felt really shut a few people up after that. Ultimately we got a point very few thought we would and that's a positive. The biggest irony of all of it is I actually feel had we controlled the ball a bit better in the middle, we could have won it.

 

 

Derby County

 

 

After the international break we hosted Frank Lampard's Derby. It was another game where the pre match feeling was one of how many Derby would get. We started really well, created a couple of good chances and took the lead through Adam Reach. However we allowed Derby, who lets be honest are a good side with lots of talented individuals in their squad back into the game with a poor piece of defending where 4/5 players all made mistakes. The 2nd goal wasn't much better, initially Wednesday were attacking a corner and an uncharacteristic mistake from Michael Hector lead to Jack Marriott doubling the lead for the Rams. After that while it was hardly vintage Wednesday it was a decent enough performance and had we have had a fully match fit Fernando Forestieri we probably would have equalised. You only need to take a look at the picture of Scott Carson's face after it goes wide. That tells you everything you need to know. While we didn't win I felt there were a lot of positives from the performance. Some decent link up play between Forestieri, Joao and Matias. The one big negative of the day was the sarcastic cheers when Morgan Fox was substituted. Now I think 90% of people reading this will probably accept that Morgan Fox hasn't put in the level of performance over his time here expected of a Championship full back and I'd agree with that but he is a player who puts 100% in. He actually did ok against Derby. He didn't deserve those sarcastic cheers, no player who puts his all in deserves that. I felt sorry for him. I dread to think what that feeling must be like. I get that some people might say it's a wider point like the previous chants for Westwood and Hutchinson but I completely disagree and think it was an embarrassing thing for people to do. It lacked class and it was so far from what I think support is. I very much hope it was a one off.

 

 

Bolton Wanderers

 

 

Onto the last game of the month and a visit from Bolton Wanderers. Bolton were ahead of the game on the longest run of anyone without a win in the division which made it a real opportunity for Wednesday to get a much needed victory of their own. There has been an awful lot of negativity from both sets of fans following the game and in fairness I can understand a lot of it. The first half was among the worst I've seen. Both sides struggling to put a pass together let alone a coherent move. It was a frustrating 45 minutes. After the break however I think we actually played fairly well. By no means was it vintage but it wasn't bad. Forestieri again providing the spark after being brought on at half time. I thought Thorniley was outstanding, for me he must stay in the side. Him, Hector and Lees all seem to play well together whether it's a three or a four at the back. Marco Matias again put a good shift in, worked hard and put in an excellent recovery tackle. While it can be said Bolton were poor you can only beat what is in front of you. Wednesday got the job done, hopefully it can be the win we need to kickstart a decent run in a very busy festive period.

 

 

 Jos avoiding the loss prevents a new boss?

 

 

OK it's a slightly stolen title but it does fit in nicely. Did the win over Bolton keep Jos Luhukay in his job? I genuinely don't know, I think there's a good chance it might have done but I can't say for sure. The one thing I keep coming back to in the Jos In/Out debate is that I don't see a quick fix. People talk about Steve Bruce or Slaviša Jokanović but neither would be able to come in and immediately turn things around. Neither would have the huge budgets they did in previous jobs. In the case of Jokanović at Fulham he didn't have instant success there, it took a while to get the slick football and wins that got them promoted last season. For me if we did make a change someone like a Paul Heckingbottom would fit the bill better. Done well on a shoestring budget at Barnsley as well as losing his best players and assistant manager, as well as a CEO departing. This isn't me saying we should sack Jos more an observation if we did. Whoever the manager is going forward it's going to be a struggle. FFP/P&S restrictions, likely player sales, a young crop of players coming through who need guidance and a fanbase that lets be honest is disillusioned with the club. On Tuesday night the atmosphere at Hillsborough was non-existent. The prices clearly make it an easy decision for some to stay away and it's really hurting the atmosphere which in turn in my opinion does affect performance. It's a difficult place to play when things aren't going well, you can feel the frustration around the ground.

 

A busy month to come, six games over the festive period in December before the New Year. Hopefully Santa can bring Wednesdayites some much needed cheer.

 

Thanks for reading

 

Tom

 

WAWAW

Steel City Derby Preview: My Take On Friday's Game.

Here we go again, derby week. I hate them, I hate derby games. Don't get me wrong, winning them gives you the highest of highs but losing the lowest of lows. The nerves, the tension and the fact that a at times quite vibrant city like this one tends to come to standstill. It all adds up to a very nervy day/night. It's everything in Sheffield when it comes to football, you're red or you're blue. You're an Owl or you're a Blade. I think what makes the game that bit more special at the moment at least is that there haven't been loads of meetings recently. If you take my lifetime for example, at 23 (born September 95) Friday's game will only be the 20th meeting in that time. When you consider some one of the same age in say Manchester or Liverpool will have double that are someone in Glasgow will have many more. It makes you realise, often the good times have coincided with the other side having a downward period.

 

It's obviously not been the best few weeks for Wednesday. We're coming into this game off the back of four straight defeats. The mood of the fans at the moment is pretty low. The atmosphere on Saturday was awful. People walking out as early as 56 minutes. People shouting at Chansiri to sack Jos or shouting at Jos to walk. People not even being bothered enough to shout at the players. It was a pretty crap afternoon to be honest. When you need a lift some will have differing views on whether this is the best game to have next and I can see both sides of it but I'm going to choose to agree with Owls defender Daniel Pudil who say's it's a great game to have to try and put things right. If you think about it, what other game can give the fans a life like winning at Bramall Lane can? Nothing. It's a fantastic opportunity for Jos and his players to for a week or two at least to win some credit and give the fans something to smile about again.

 

United

From afar it's difficult not to look at Sheffield United and praise them for the way they have gone about things over the last few years. After years in the doldrums and a string of managers failing to get the blades up Chris Wilder did just that and last year proved that you don't need to spend loads of money to get a team performing well in this division. I hate saying all that, I hate praising them but it's not like we didn't see it first hand at Hillsborough last season. This season I thought they recruited quite well, John Egan, Connor Washington, David McGoldrick. All decent Championship players with experience and knowhow. Then came the jewel in the crown with the arrival of Ollie Norward from Brighton. A fantastic player at this level and the player United had been missing for a while. Again I hate doing it but fair play they signed a top player there.

 

While they have started well sitting 3rd in the division. Are they the third best team in the league? Not for me. I've seen enough of United this season to give a bit of an opinion on them and I don't see them finishing in the top six. I still think Wilder isn't tactically good enough and hasn't learned from last season where they would often throw points away with gung-ho football and taking key players off in games. The same is still happening and while they have a better squad I still don't think they will be in the automatic or play off picture come May.

 

But all that is largely irrelevant as come Friday it's all about that game and nothing else. The main threats will be fairly obvious. Billy Sharp will more than likely lead the line, blades fan, blades captain. Made it known he doesn't particularly like Wednesday (you did nearly sign for us though Billy). He's the obvious goal threat and it would be foolish for us to not take him seriously. Leon Clarke may well not start but the enigma that is Leon will always be a thorn in the side of Wednesday. Once an Owl who's time at Hillsborough was frustrating and inconsistent he's found a home at Bramall Lane and of course we all know what he did last season. Mark Duffy, another of least season's scorers at Hillsborough will be a threat if he plays alongside his midfield compatriots, John Fleck, Ollie Norwood and possibly Paul Coutts depending on how United line up.

 

 

 

Tactics Talk: How to Wednesday win this game?

 

Now, I'll level with you here. If I had a proper answer to this I'd probably be on the phone to Jos but I'll try my best. Wednesday I think it's fair to say are very unlikely to be able to go to Bramall Lane and do what they did last season. Sit back, defend, counter attack when we could. While we will at some stage have to dig in I can't see United being as wasteful in the final third as they were last year and again both sides have changed a bit since then. For me the one thing that might help Wednesday is United tend to play the same way against most teams. 3-5-2 and try and attack as much as possible. The two wide centre backs often find themselves way up the pitch, 'false number 5's' I believe one Sky pundit called them. This might be Wednesday's way in. The wing backs as well like to get up the pitch leaving space at the back and if Wednesday can get into those areas they might have a decent chance. It could be a game for Lucas Joao to use his pace to get into those positions. Steven Fletcher might be able to do similar things, his last couple of performances have been decent and have shown that kind of quality to move defenders around. I don't rate United's keeper Dean Henderson. A few of the goals United have conceded this season I feel he should have saved. Obviously I don't watch them every week but how he's judged to be better than Simon Moore is beyond me.

 

Obviously Wednesday come into this game leaking goals for fun, I'm not going to go into the keeper debate here as it's a dull debate and it's not really relevant. We've been told Westwood won't play and that's it. As for the defence, despite my doubts about three at the back back in August I do feel we need to revert back to it at the moment. It seems to be the best way to keep our better defenders on the pitch. It could be a tough night of sitting back and being patient. Wednesday cannot afford to keep allowing teams to take games away from them as easily as some have been doing.

 

As much as it is a cliché, anything can happen in a derby. It would be easy to sit here and say that Wednesday who can't defend go to United who score a lot and it will have to be a goal fest for Wednesday to win but sometimes a derby can throw up those strange score lines. It's certainly got all the narrative hasn't it? Wednesday without a clean sheet and have lost the last four go to Bramall Lane and win 1-0. Would be nice eh? We will need players like Bannan and Reach to be on top form. The likes of Tom Lees and Michael Hector will need to be right at it. The fans will be right behind them whatever happens, they always are in a derby. I saw a few people saying the wind might be taken out of the Wednesday fans given the form but in truth it doesn't matter what form either team is in both sets of fans will be up for it. I'm sure United will have some kind of thing prepared when the players come out like last season's change of pre match music. I'm sure Wilder will have them up for it.

 

Jos

I don't want this blog to be a Jos in or Jos out debate as that's been kind of done to death over the last few days. For me Friday night might well be Jos' date with destiny as far as his Sheffield Wednesday managerial career goes. If he wins he might get a bit of a reprieve with the fans for a few weeks at least. If he loses, particularly if he loses badly then it could well be the end for him. It certainly would make his already fairly non-existent relationship with the fans even worse and probably would be irreparable from there. He's going to need his players to give him everything. If he hasn't lost the dressing room then that will need to be on full show on Friday night. If he has then it will end up being on show no matter what. It's a big chance for him to get some much needed pride back. I like Jos, I think there are some things he's done than have gone unnoticed, that isn't to say i don't have questions and don't agree with everything he's done but this is a tough job. It's not been easy for him.

 

 

Prediction

Predicting a derby game is a bit of a dangerous game. They tend to throw up things you'd never imagine happening. Early goals, early cards, new mangers, new players on debut, first touch scorers. This fixture down the years has had it all. For me I'd be lying if I said I expected anything. Yeah we're going into it clear underdogs but United don't deal well with pressure. 2012 they were outstanding favourites and blew it big time. This January they bottled it, 2010 even though ultimately Wednesday went down United failed to beat us in the run in after claims of "we'll put the final nail in the coffin". For me I'm not going to write this and not predict a Wednesday win, I've seen and heard a lot of people saying they'd take a point and while I'd probably agree with that I think we might just nick it. I think if Wednesday are to win it they have to make it a high scoring affair. I can't see us getting a 1-0 or even a 2-1 so I'll say 3-2 to Wednesday. Hopefully we can see another Tudgay-esque moment or another Madine style equaliser late on.

 

Thanks for reading

 

Tom

 

WAWAW



Sheffield Wednesday 2018/19: October Review

So once again it's nearing the end of another month and time to assess the last few weeks. It hasn't been the easiest of months for Wednesday. On a more serious note it has been a very bleak few days for the football world with the firstly the news about Glenn Hoddle and then the tragic events in Leicester on Saturday evening. It's things like that that do make you take a step back and realise that football is really much less important that we all make it out to be.

Matches 

 

West Brom

 

The Owls started the month with a Wednesday night game in front of the Sky cameras as Darren Moore's baggies rolled into town. Before the game I'd have snacked your hand off for a point, they have s squad packed with quality, the bench alone was worth a hefty sum of money and I was fearful of a beating. For 85 minutes however Wednesday were brilliant, outstanding in fact. It was a performance that reminded me a lot of how we set about in 2015/16. Fearless, taking the game to the opposition and ripping them apart. We took the lead through an Adam Reach thunderbolt of a strike. His 2nd in as many games and much deserved based on how Wednesday had started. Another one to add to his growing collection. Fernando Forestieri doubled the lead on 41 minutes and could have had a 2nd and Wednesday's 3rd soon after the break. Ultimately however West Brom showed in 5 minutes why for me they will still finish easily top 6. A cross from the right hand side lead to an unfortunate Joey Pelupessy who had to dive in otherwise Harvey Barnes would have tapped it in anyway. It was Barnes who ultimately secured a point for Albion when he burst through the midfield and defence to slot home for 2-2. A frustrating end but still a lot to be taken from a good performance.

 

Bristol City

Next up was a Sunday trip down to Bristol City. Again it wasn't a game I was particularly confidant for. It just seems to be a ground we struggle at. However football did that funny thing of providing a completely different outcome to what was expected. An interesting team selection but once again Jos proved his doubters wrong as Wednesday came away with a 2-1 win. After a first half which the Robins shaded Wednesday broke the deadlock through 1st half sub Lucas Joao. Joao then added a 2nd late on before a penalty to Bristol City made it a slightly more tense finish than the 2nd half performance merited. It was a pleasing win and a good way to head into the October international break. Also the win had taken us into the top 6 and although still early days it was nice to be in there.

 

 

Middlesbrough

After the break we returned to Hillsborough to face Tony Pulis' Middlesbrough team once again on Sky. Before the start of the season I tipped Boro to win the title and I saw nothing from the game to change that view. They may not be the prettiest team to watch but they are a well drilled, organised and functional side. They came to Hillsborough with a clear plan and exploited it well. As for Wednesday it was for me a nervy performance. Players such as Thorniley and Penney who have been so impressive and so calm and collected looked panicked. Tom Lees made an error which ultimately decided the game, misplaced passes from a number of players. As good as Boro were we made it easy for them. A late fight back and another great goal for Adam Reach. We should have had a penalty for a handball and then a push on Tom Lees, the officiating throughout the game was poor. It was the third of fourth time I've seen Peter Bankes referee at Hillsborough and every time he has made a blatant error. He isn't a brave official and allows himself to be dictated to by big personalities on the pitch. That doesn't however change the fact that it was a disappointing night for Wednesday.

 

 

QPR

The following Tuesday we made the trip down to the capital to take on QPR at Loftus Road. Another ground where history isn't on Wednesday's side. One win since 2000 suggests it's something of a bogey ground for us and while things like that is largely meaningless it doesn't help when you're trying to build a positive pre match feeling. What also doesn't help is we have never beaten a team managed by Steve McClaren who I'll be honest, I can't stand. It was another poor night, despite the fact we started the game fairly well. In control of it for the first half an hour we had a couple of half chances, Bannan and Reach both rushing chances and striking from long range when more time was available. We let our guard down towards the end of the first half and ultimately it took the game away from us. In the 2nd half again we started well, missed a decent chance at 1-0 and with a few minutes were 2-0 down. After that Daniel Pudil gets a horrific kick to the head resulting in a huge gash in below his eye and immediately replaced and no penalty given. I don't think I need to go much further on that disgrace of a decision. The game ended 3-0 and while it flattered QPR I felt it still reflected that something wasn't right. A lot of criticism was thrown at the likes of Atdhe Nuhiu and Lucas Joao, I'm a self confessed fan of both and while I'll accept neither played well it's hard when we don't play to either of their strengths. Not enough balls into the box for either to do anything with. No crosses were going into them, no real service. It's difficult to be too critical of players trying to do their jobs when they don't get the support from the rest of the team.

 

Birmingham

 Following on from a dismal Tuesday night we travelled to the West Midlands to take on a Birmingham side who were unbeaten in 10 under former Owls loanee Garry Monk. Despite all that I was strangely optimistic ahead of the game and it looked like we might have ended our troubles when Steven Fletcher fired home from a Morgan Fox header. It was a deserved goal from a decent start. We could have been 2 or 3 up with two chances from Liam Palmer. I'm not going to criticize him for either miss. The first one he needed more help from his teammates, the 2nd one OK if he was a striker fair enough but he's a right back. It was unfortunate and sadly that combined with Connor Mahoney's goal near the whistle allowed Birmingham back into the contest. A 2nd half where Wednesday dominated many of the stats but the blues dominated the scoreline. It finished 3-1 to Birmingham and once again the doom and gloom descended on the fan base. For me it was another example of a lack of leadership on the pitch. We don't have enough players who will for want of a better phrase give someone a bollocking with the exception of Cam Dawson. There isn't enough bravery to do certain things. Following shots in, throwing yourself in front of things. We badly missed Daniel Pudil at St Andrews because at the very least he actually does put himself on the line for the team.

 

 

Jos In or Jos Out 

So after the last week or so it's fairly inevitable that combined with the general mood around the club for the last 18 months that calls for the manager were going to happen. I said in the summer that for me Jos Luhukay inherited a car crash of a situation. He inherited and injury hit squad that was unbalanced and while talented lacked the direction needed to challenge for the top 6. While I maintain that with everyone fit and at 100% this team could challenge that isn't going to happen (the likes of Hooper and Lee won't be available until at least January for example) so it becomes a consolidation season. Without being 'in the know' all I can do is speculate but I think it's quite clear that the club's plan from here on in is to be more frugal and develop the youth players and concentrate on bringing in value in the market when the window opens. Jos himself has already said that players between 18-23 were who we would look at. That transition from the previous plan of spending big on the ready made players takes time, it's going to have weeks like we've just had. Young players like Penney and Thorniley will have off games. For me Jos had carte blanche to do what he likes this season providing we didn't go down and I maintain that. I'm not saying I agree 100% with everything he does but if you look at the circumstances he's working under it's tough to argue with a lot of it. People moan about changes but quite frankly he's needed to make changes because some players can't play three games in a week. He's needed to rotate some players because they've been awful at times. The idea that a Mick McCarthy or a Steve Bruce would come in and massively change what is going on is a backward view. For the first time in years the club has a philosophy that might actually work long term. Jos has implemented that, whether it was by accident or design is irrelevant. We know some of the big earners will leave in the next 6-8 months and while it's disappointing it's what's needed to properly start to recover from the mess of the P&S situation.

 

 

Keepers and Clean Sheets

The goalkeeping situation at Hillsborough has been a hot topic of debate for a long time now. Straight off the bat I'll say that I don't think any blame can be attached to Cameron Dawson for the lack of clean sheets this season. I think he's been fantastic and especially in the games we have won he has kept us in them at times. He's made the most saves in the division, that to me suggests it's the people in front of him that's the issue not Cam himself. Lets also not forget that if hadn't been for a wonder goal at Villa he'd have kept one, a penalty against Bristol City and a fairly decent strike from the Leeds player Klich he may well have gone one from that game as well. It's unfair the levels of criticism he's getting. While some of the calls to put Wildsmith in are fair I still feel as I did at the end of last season that Dawson was ahead of Joe. He's more commanding and more vocal with his back line. While Joe was excellent when he stepped in last season his performances did drop a level. Not to be too critical of him as a young keeper who had started so well in his time here it was perhaps always going to drop slightly. As for Keiren Westwood I think it's fairly clear that he won't play for Sheffield Wednesday again while Jos Luhukay is the manager. Whether that's Jos' decision or not (personally feel it is) it is the situation. I've no doubt we tried to sell Westwood in the summer, I've no doubt we'll try again in January. It will be best for all concerned in my opinion. Westwood has been a fantastic servant to Wednesday. He could easily have left on numerous occasions before and he's stayed. It's sad that in all likelihood he wont get a proper goodbye. Ultimately however for Keiren himself as much as anyone it'll be best to move on. Dawson and Wildsmith fit the age profile of players we're looking to have at the club and Westwood doesn't. Add to that he'll be one of the club's biggest earners it leaves the club little option.

 

Thanks for reading

 

Tom



Sheffield Wednesday 2018/19: September Review

So here we are again, new month, new post. As Autumn really kicks in and the night's begin the draw in Football rolls on. Here is the review of September for Sheffield Wednesday.

 

The Matches

 

Reading

Wednesday started the month with a trip down to Berkshire to take on a Reading side in need of a win to kick start their own season. It feels a long time ago now but Wednesday came away with three points through a first half Adam Reach strike and a super start to the 2nd half in which Lucas Joao scored after 14 seconds to more or less seal the points. Our record isn't great at the Madejeski so it was pleasing to see it out after a goal from Reading's Liam Moore. A third league win on the bounce and a first away win in the league. We headed into the international break in good form and good mood.

 

Stoke City

Following the international break Wednesday were back at home for a Saturday afternoon meeting with Stoke City. It was the first in a seven game run against teams I personally had in the top half at the start of the season. Stoke arrived with the pressure of their own poor start weighing on their shoulders but with a squad of players more than capable of being a force in this division. The talk before the game was could Wednesday keep up the impressive form against a team that had so much quality and more than likely will click into gear at some point. After 20 minutes Wednesday fans could be forgiven for thinking it was more a case of keeping it respectable as twice former Owl's loanee Benik Afobe punished Wednesday with two goals. In that 20 minutes Stoke were fantastic, although it was against us I couldn't help but admire how well they played in that period. Quick, high tempo, fabulous understanding it was like watching a Premier League team which in fairness is where the likes of Joe Allen, Ryan Woods and Benik Afobe among others should be. After that though Wednesday came alive, a fabulous ball from Barry Bannan which found Steven Fletcher who chested it into the path of Marco Matias and we were back in the game at 1-2 and another Bannan piece of brilliance as he curled a free kick in from close range to level it up at 2-2. I must say at this point that even at 0-2 down the fans stuck with it. Frustrated, yes but not defeated and that was a massive plus for me because that wasn't happening last season. We'd have lost that game last season, probably quite badly so for me a good point. Yes Stoke haven't started well but they still have quality players. They can still bring on Champions League winner Darren Fletcher and former England striker Peter Crouch and have England keeper Jack Butland in goal.

 

 

Nottingham Forest

 

The following Wednesday we made the trip to the City Ground to take on a new look Nottingham Forest. I must admit this game worried me slightly. We've had such a good record against Forest over the last few seasons which the local media seemed keen to point out and it had to come to an end at some point. We made quite a few changes which despite some people not liking it were expected. We didn't play well and we deserved to lose. Forest are another side who've spent big in order to have a crack at getting into the Premier League and they have signed some decent players. But we made it too easy for them, allowing them time on the ball, poor decision making and a lack of pressure high up the pitch. It was a poor night and it raised questions about certain aspects of the tactics within the fan base. My personal take on it was that it was more the application of the tactic that was wrong rather than Jos' setting up. While some of us can say that playing Lucas Joao on the left and Adam Reach in the middle isn't where they are best suited it has worked in other games. Sometimes you don't play well, sometimes you are off it. There was a huge wave of negativity after the game on social media and on BBC Radio Sheffield's Football Heaven, who incidentally secured a deal with the club to return to covering the matches which I think we can all agree is a positive move.

 

I also want to touch quickly on the news that broke after the game regarding Hayley Kalinins, wife of Wednesday's fitness coach Andy Kalinins. I'm sure everyone reading this will be aware of Hayley's battle with Cancer and seen many of the things done to raise money for her treatment. Sadly she lost her battle and the news broke not too long after the Forest game. It made the result and football in general pale into insignificance and I'm sure everyone's thoughts were with Andy and his family. I'd seen Hayley at several games throughout the last few years and she was always smiling. Took what life had thrown at her in her stride, She is to be greatly admired. RIP Hayley.

 

Aston Villa

Following on from Wednesday evening we made another away trip to face Aston Villa. After Wednesday night the mood within the fan base was low. Quite a few people almost moaning about the fact they had bought tickets to go and expecting a thrashing. I have to say I felt quite positive about it, mostly based purely on the fact you can never predict this division and that we had won their the last season. Once again a change in the team and a system change. I was listening to BBC Radio Sheffield and I have to say I thought the pre game analysis was as bad as I've ever heard it. I have a lot of time for Brian Laws but he decided to pull Jos down on just about everything without a great deal of reason. For example he claimed that changing back to a three at the back meant Jos didn't know his best team. Surely a manager who has more than one way of playing is better than one who doesn't? Again I don't want to slate Brian for his opinion, he's entitled to it but it was in my opinion was short of what was actually going on. Michael Hector was given a first start in a back three alongside Daniel Pudil who was in for the injured Jordan Thorniley and Tom Lees. It worked well and allowed us to play with a bit more of that freedom. Ash Baker who had probably his worst game for us against Forest was back to normal. Matt Penney continued his good start to his Wednesday career with another excellent display. Adam Reach was back to his best as well. It was also a good day for the scorers in our 2-1 win as Marco Mattias got another goal and Steven Fletcher who had scored in the week at the City ground capped off a good week for him with a goal from a beautiful ball from Joey Pelupessy. These goals were either side of a thunderous strike from Villa's John McGinn. Now when you concede a goal like that it's very difficult to be critical. For me it's not even one you can be too annoyed about. It was a great goal, no denying it. Fair play to McGinn, I'm sure he'll look back on it in years to come and be delighted with it. We'll take the three points. It was a fabulous result and a good reward for the travelling supporters. A response is always key in this division and it was important to get it given the game we had coming up next.

 

Leeds United

So the last game of September was a Yorkshire derby at home to Leeds United. Leeds have had a very good start but had been beaten by Birmingham the week before. It was one of those games that you would probably have taken a point from it before and that's what we got. Overall I'd say it was a fair result. We edged a tight first half and took the lead through a superb goal from Adam Reach. I've seen a few people saying it was a 'fluke' or 'lucky'. Not a chance. It was a well executed finish, just like Villa away last season or the one at Forest on boxing day. The one thing that impressed me most about the first half was the intensity we played at. This wasn't continued in the 2nd half which in fairness was to be expected and Leeds capitalised on it. While they dominated the 2nd half it wasn't one where I ever felt out of the game and could have nicked it ourselves had it not been for a good save to deny Matt Penney or if Lucas Joao had played his man in instead of shooting late on. Overall a derby game isn't one you can analysis too much. They ebb and flow. We'll take the point and build on it.

 

 

Where do we stand?



It's been an interesting month on and off the pitch, from viewing the fan reaction to most of the games on social media, forums and the radio phone in as well as speaking to people it's mixed, really mixed. For some we're already overachieving and are very pleased with what they are seeing. Others are more disappointed and feel we are underachieving and some are bang in the middle. Please but feel there may be more in the tank. From my point of view i think we are about where we should be. 10 games in 15 points on the board. Not bad, especially given that West Brom sit top on 20 points. It's not like the division is already forming. It's as tight this year than it's ever been and the way the division likes to twist and turn it's difficult to say with any certainty what will happen from week to week. I mentioned at the end of the last post that I think we'd have a good idea of what we were capable of after the Leeds game and personally i think we are a in that play off mix. Not a favourite as such but more than capable of giving it a go. I think those that are more critical are maybe forgetting the season we had last year. We're still recovering from the horrendous injury crisis, we're still a team that maybe lacks confidence when things aren't going so well. We're still a team that can be punished by switching off. The quicker those kind of things are ironed out the better chance we have. This isn't me saying I expect us to finish in the top six but it is me saying we are capable. We as a fan base need to realise we're still in the early days of Jos Luhukay's management here given the situation he had to deal with when he arrived and then the embargo in the summer. I still feel very little of the things we hear about when people complain are down to him.

 

A final point I'd like to make is the discussion about Cameron Dawson, for me he's been fantastic. Given that he's still a young keeper learning his trade I think he's done very well for us this season. The obvious criticism is that we haven't kept a clean sheet yet, however lets bring in the fact that no keeper would have kept out McGinn's strike and not many would keep out Klich's either. He could have had two but it not for those two individually brilliant goals. I hear a lot of this "he doesn't command his area", in my opinion that's untrue and unfair. I do feel a lot of the criticism is people looking for something to blame instead of maybe accepting the fact sometimes there doesn't need to be a scapegoat. The sarcastic cheers against Leeds were unnecessary and to be quite frank a bit embarrassing. I fully understand some of the frustrations and I fully understand the idea of you pay your money so you're entitled to your opinion but for me it's a poor showing of support to basically mock a young lad who is one of our own. Hopefully that clean sheet is just around the corner and will shut a few people up.

 

 

Thanks for reading

 

 

Tom

Sheffield Wednesday 2018/19: August Review

Welcome to the first of what will be a monthly review of Sheffield Wednesday's 2018/19 season. Ideally this would have included the last game before the international break but the calendar doesn't quite fall nicely enough this year. It's been a bit of an up and down month or so for Wednesday, some of it off the pitch and some of it on the pitch. It's been one of the more interesting opening months for a number of different reasons.

 

Matches

Wigan Athletic

So we'll begin with a round up of all the games played so far. The opening day saw us make the trip to newly promoted Wigan Athletic and I must admit it was a game that worried me. Not to suggest we shouldn't be going there and winning but a newly promoted team at home in with a group of players that know each other and have a style of play they've been used to for twelve months? It was always going to be tough. That's not to say we shouldn't have done better, we should. It was a disappointing performance. Defensively we were all over the place, we conceded three goals and at least two were fairly preventable. Going forward we actually did ok, scored two and the 2nd scored by Fernando Forestieri was a lovely move and finish. A glimpse of what this side is still capable of producing. A frustrating day certainly but not as disastrous as maybe it could have been.

 

Hull City

After that a week later we opened the home campaign with a 1-1 draw against Hull City. Hull started better, could have been 2-0 up in the first 10 minutes. We grew into the game and deserved to equalise, we could have gone on and won it. Steven Fletcher had at least three good chances to finish it off. Overall it's those fine margins that are so vital at this level. However though i thought still 1-1 was a fair result. It was a game we'd probably have lost last season.

 

Sunderland

A Thursday night trip up to Sunderland was next on the agenda in the League Cup. Another potential banana skin but Wednesday despite another slow start came out 2-0 winners up at the Stadium of Light. It was a decent showing from some of the younger lads. It's interesting to see so many of the names mentioned over the last few years coming into the team. Something Wednesday haven't done enough off in the last few years is bring players through from the academy into the first team. I was pleased to see Marco Matias get on the scoresheet. A player who I have backed a lot after a lot of criticism in the last few years.

Brentford



A first win under the belt meant Wednesday went down to Brentford with a bit more confidence the following Sunday. However it was a very disappointing weekend in the capital. Wednesday were beaten 2-0 and it was a comprehensive defeat. Despite not looking too bad until Brentford were given a penalty and Neal Maupay converted it, it was a uphill task from then on. Overall it was a bit of a wake up call. The after match social media was in my opinion slightly over the top. Sometimes you have days like that, sometimes you just have to accept a better side have beaten you. I do feel that the travelling and Thursday/Sunday turnover did have a slight impact as some of the sharpness we have seen in the players in the opening three games was not there.

 

Millwall

It was there however the following Wednesday evening as Wednesday were back at Hillsborough for the visit of Millwall. Millwall for me a fantastic example of what believing in a manager and his players can do. They don't have a load of superstar players but they have a good group of players who work hard and are tough to beat. Wednesday went 2-0 in front through goals from Barry Bannan and Tom Lees and put in an excellent performance. Millwall pulled one back through Ryan Tunnicliffe but Wednesday held on for a vital first league win. Jos had switched his formation from a 343 to a 4231 and it worked. While I don't believe three at the back is quite gone I would persist with the four. We have players who seem comfortable in in and it allows other players in the side to do their jobs better. Joey Pelupessy has benefited from the change as it allows him to focus on what he does best. Tom Lees just looks so much more comfortable in a four. The game also saw two new inclusions, Matt Penny who'd come off the bench at Sunderland and Fraser Preston. Both were excellent and looked as though they'd been part of the team for years. Overall a good night at Hillsborough.

 

Ipswich

A few days later and another home game as Handsworth's own Paul Hurst brought his new Ipswich team up to Hillsborough. Ipswich similarly to Hull seem to have the edge over us at Hillsborough before Saturday we hadn't beaten the Suffolk side since 2007 at S6. A 2nd 2-1 of the week meant that record ended. A brace from Lucas Joao who'd extended his contract before the Millwall game ensured Wednesday won a tight game. It was interesting watching as Wednesday who in my opinion have struggled with set pieces for a while won a game against a side who for years had been so effective at stopping them. While it wasn't quite the performance of the previous Wednesday evening it was a battling victory and hard fought. We haven't won enough of those games over the last 18 months or so. If we are to achieve anything this season it will be down to results like that.

 

Wolves

Finally to round off the games in August we played host to Premier League Wolves in the 2nd Round of the League Cup. It was a bit of a free hit for Wednesday and with Jos making 11 changes it was an chance for some of the players to show what they had to offer. We did ok, despite a fair amount of quality in the Wolves team they found it difficult to break down Wednesday who gave starts to the likes of Freddie Nielsen and Jack Lee as well as emerging Right Back Ash Baker and another start for Fraser Preston who both were excellent. Wolves ran out 2-0 winners and in the end it came down to one or two moments of quality. We were in the game for large spells and on another night might have got something.

 

Off the pitch

I'm sure the majority of Wednesday fans reading this will have some idea of what has gone on over the last month off the pitch. The Owls announced they were under a transfer embargo and had been under it since April. The news didn't exactly shock or surprise Wednesday fans as no business had been done in terms of incomings in the summer. However the reaction to the news was mixed. Some were annoyed the club hadn't announced it as soon as they knew they were under it. I can see why some fans would want to know that but at the same time I can see the club's point of view. I must stress at this point that anything said here in this next sentence or so is my own opinion. I'm certainly not fortunate enough to be 'In the know'. In my opinion the club probably thought they'd be out of the embargo earlier than they were and had deals lined up. We know they were looking at Jack Baldwin at Peterborough who went to Sunderland and Sunderland's own George Honeyman was also linked to the Owls. Frederico Venancio was also heavily linked with a Hillsborough return but even through it looked nailed on he ended up going elsewhere. The club came out of the embargo after the Sunderland game and it has allowed them to tie Lucas Joao and Barry Bannan to knew deals which is hugely encouraging news. Worst case scenario is that we get a fee for either of those players should offers come in. That's not to say I want to see either player leave, both have a huge part to play and Bannan in particular is arguably the most important player at the club. Just on Bannan, I've seen a lot of people questioning why he'd sign (yes I had already prepared this bit before he signed the new deal). Well look at Barry's career, came through at Villa but was never a regular there, was loaned out several times and despite being a decent talent was let go from Villa Park. He went to Crystal Palace who never really fancied him and again found himself out on loan. He arrived at Hillsborough in 2015 and dare I say it was a crossroads moment for him. He's been fantastic since arriving and has become a fans favourite. The fans love him, the other players love him, he seems to love playing here and if we cast our minds back to Wembley the only two songs I remember being sung were 'On our Way' and 'We've got Bannan'. That tells you something of the love the fans have for Bannan. He's found a club where he's one of the star men and he's appreciated. Somewhere where he'll more than likely play every week. Sometimes that is more important than a bit more on the wage packet or a Premier League badge on your arm.

 

Along with the news of the embargo there were several other things discussed at a fans forum and a steering group meeting. It's fair to say the fans are split still on Mr Chansiri but for me he's doing his best. There's no point in saying what should have happened here or then. The past is the past. What matters is what happens going forward. The EFL wouldn't have allowed Wednesday to come out of the embargo if Wednesday hadn't satisfied they could meet the criteria needed to pass the Profit and Sustainability regulations. I could do a whole blog on how I thing the system is broken but that will be another day. All I will say here is if anything thinks it's a level playing field when Aston Villa can bring in Yannick Bolasie on loan clearly has claret and blue glasses.

 

My overall opinion

Overall I'd say it's been a steady start. It wasn't quite the blazing out of the traps that we would have liked but I'd rather us iron out the mistakes early than start quick and fade. In my personal opinion we will be a inconsistent team. I think we'll know where this team will be by the time we play Leeds at the end of September. As in we'll know what kind of season we're likely to be in for. We'll have had a good number of games to asses who will be where in the division. Hopefully in a months time we'll be looking back on a positive September for Sheffield Wednesday.

 

Thanks for reading, until next time.

 

Tom

Sheffield Wednesday Season Preview: 2018/19

So after a summer of World Cup excitement and pre season, we're now only a few days away from the beginning of the 2018/19 Championship season. Wednesday's season last year was one to forget but will this year be one to remember for Owls fans?

 

Wednesday players exchange handshakes with Spanish side Villarreal

The Squad

If you look at the squad at Hillsborough on paper it ranks up there with the best in the league. At the time of writing only Jack Hunt and Jordan Rhodes have joined the released players in heading out of the door. The Hunt deal while at the time seemed an odd one makes more sense the more you look into it. Despite a good season last year he spent a lot of time on the side-lines and with one year left on his contract to get around £1.6M for him is good business. As for Jordan, I don't think I've ever wanted a player to succeed more here than him. It was all set up for him and unfortunately it just hasn't worked out. We can go into the details of why but that might be another blog. I wish him luck at Norwich and with it being a loan the door isn't completely closed on him at Sheffield Wednesday.

 

As for the players still here we have three top keepers in Keiren Westwood, Joe Wildsmith and Cameron Dawson. All of which I think would have the fans backing if they started, several options at centre back. Despite the disappointment of missing out on signing Frederico Venancio in the summer we still have several players capable of playing in a back three. Lees, Pudil, Thornily, Van Aken, Nielsen, Fox, Jack Lee, Connor O'Grady and Sam Hutchinson have all played at centre back. While some of course are youngsters and will need time it's not quite the crisis that has been painted. In the wing back role we maybe don't have the depth we do at centre back but I still feel we have the players to play that system. Liam Palmer gets a lot of stick however his performances over the last couple of seasons have been good. He'll benefit from more regular football following the departure of Hunt and that's a good thing. Wednesday fans have to accept that he will likely play the majority of the games and need to get behind him. It's clear that in some games the stick from the crowd has got to him which is massively disappointing. Ash Baker will also be hoping for a shot at playing more regularly, a very impressive debut against Norwich on the final day of 2017/18 including a wonderful recovery tackle gave a glimpse of the promise he has. At left wing back Adam Reach will likely occupy that position. George Boyd has played a lot there under Jos and in fairness to him has actually done well there. His versatility could be important, his performance there against Villarreal at the weekend was impressive, good link up play with Fernando Forestieri in particular was pleasing to see. Also Matt Penny who's name has been around for a while will look to break into the team. Another versatile player who can play all along the left gives Jos another option. 

 

Cam Dawson will hope to build on 2017/18

Liam Palmer. Mainstay of Wednesday.

In midfield we have number of options depending on what system we play. Going off pre season and the back end of last season a 352 is the likely starting formation. Towards the back end of last season Barry Bannan and Joey Pelupessy struck up a good partnership in the middle. They will more than likely start at Wigan. Sam Hutchinson who also started against Villarreal will be an asset. We all know Sam's history with injury and nobody will expect 46 games out of him but if managed correctly we know what he can bring to this side. He provides an energy in midfield and an enthusiasm for playing that goes down well with supporters. Despite looking like he won't be fit for a while yet Kieran Lee's return will be a huge positive. Possibly the biggest goal threat off those already mentioned. Youngsters Connor Kirby and Alex Hunt will hope to get game time as will the likes of Jack Stobbs and Fraser Preston. David Jones and Almen Abdi are still here and capable Championship players. While Jones has played a bit on pre season it's difficult to see him in this system as a starter. While he's not a fans favourite (he was booed by someone behind me on Saturday before he even got on the pitch) I think he is a useful player to have. You don't get four promotions from this division for no reason.

Joey Pelupessy celebrates his goal against Millwall

 

Up front we have a number of strikers/wingers/attacking midfielders that if given the service will score goals. Lucas Joao, Atdhe Nuhiu, Steven Fletcher, Gary Hooper, Fernando Forestieri, Marco Matias and Sam Winnall. Baring Matias who I'll come onto later. All have a relative amount of goals to there name. Joao and Nuhiu should and most likely will start at Wigan on Saturday. They deserve to, they saved us from a very difficult situation last season and not only that did more than there fair share of lifting the other players. I've been a massive fan of Nuhiu ever since he arrived and I was delighted he got the rewards for his hard work at the back end of the season. Joao potentially could play in the Premier League. He does things on a football pitch that make you think 'wow'. Fernando Forestieri is a wonderful footballer, he can turn games in the blink of an eye and his performances upon his return to the team last season proved just how much we had missed him. We must keep him if we want to challenge at the top end of this division. Fletcher while I've been very open and honest about not being his biggest fan does still have some qualities that hopefully Jos will be able to get the best out of. A lack of match sharpness was all that denied him a goal against Villarreal. Gary Hooper when he returns will be like a new signing. His ability to read situations and pounce on them is to be admired and if we are to say that Atdhe's 14 goals last year saved us then we must credit Gary with his 14 in the first half of the season. Sam Winnall returns from his year at Derby with a question mark of his head and an ACL injury. If it had not been for that injury I think he'd have already left Wednesday but in all likelihood he'll still be here come the deadline on Thursday the 9th. If he can get fit then he could be a really good addition to this squad. His goal record cannot be denied and under a new manager he might well find himself back playing at Hillsborough. Now we come to Marco Matias, I fully appreciate that a lot of fans will have given up with Marco Matias and feel it's a waste of time talking about him but hear me out on this one. Under Jos he's been involved in every match day squad in which he has been fit for. He's played him when he could have played others. He's also from the outside looking in a well liked member of the squad. He has had bad luck with injuries and I know some people will read that and roll there eyes but it's fact. He has. He's also been unlucky in that the system under Carlos Carvalhal changed and he had to play in different positions when he did play. Under Jos he's had an impact in games. I genuinely feel he could be a really good player for Sheffield Wednesday if given the time.

So Close. Fletcher's first appearance at Hillsborough since December nearly had a goal to mark it.

 

Expectations

From my point of view a clubs expectations should be judged on a variety of different factors. From our point of view factoring in the disappointment of last season, the previous two years with a similar group of players and the other teams in the division I see no reason why Wednesday can't be around that bunch challenging for the top six. Two things often that are never spoken about with predictions are confidence and momentum. Two things Wednesday didn't have last season baring the last 9 games. Winning breads both and when you have high expectations as we rightly did this time last year it can lead to a difficult situation as we found out last season. We have a squad that on it's day can beat anyone in this division. Last year's Championship I felt was a poor year and that isn't me saying that as a bitter Wednesday fan because we didn't do well, it's my genuine opinion. Credit those teams that went up but it wasn't a great standard of division. A lot of underperforming sides, we at one point went on a run of 2 wins in 21 games yet didn't spend anytime in the bottom three. I don't see that happening again this year. If any side has a run like they will drop into it. For me if we challenge for the play offs, I'll be fairly content. We need to get off to a good start and build some momentum going. Wigan away is a tough start, they have the momentum and confidence as well as a good manager and are my tip for a dark hoarse this season.

 

 

Transfers

So we come to the murky world of transfers. We all know the situation or at least we all know that Wednesday haven't made a signing so far. If we are completely honest did we expect much? We all know we are close to the line regarding FFP (now called Profit and Sustainability). Weather we are or aren't under a transfer embargo the most important thing for me is keeping hold of our better players. To turn it on it's head, maybe nobody coming in is a good thing. Giving Jos a chance to actually coach the players, in the long run we need to be a club that can make players better weather they arrive here from another club or come through the academy. For anyone who hasn't listened to it and wants to know more about the whole FFP situation I suggest listening to this. http://www.thewednesdayweek.co.uk/twwoa-ffp-special-3/ Good insight from The Wednesday Week podcast and the Owls Americast.

 

Social Media and General Negativity

 

Now this is a can of worms I'm still not sure I want to open. First of all I really really really want to stress that this isn't a case of me coming out and saying anyone who disagrees with me is 'negative'. Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course they are. Too often I think sometimes the lines between disagreement and actual negativity are blurred and I accept I've been guilty of this in the past. What I do find irritating is the major overeating to certain things. Pre Season results being one of them. For example of Saturday the team that finished 5th in La Liga beat us 3-1 at Hillsborough. Now if we did a direct comparison with the Premier League that would be Chelsea. Would we be complaining if Chelsea beat us 3-1? No I don't think so. I saw a comment the other day saying La Liga football is equivalent to mid table Championship football and that comment is utter nonsense. I've seen people going mental because we lost to Mansfield, yet said nothing when we beat Lincoln (who finished above Mansfield last season by the way). Surely if we are going to have these major overreactions they need to be both positive and negative? We've got to the point where any defeat or negative headline and there has to be a meltdown. That's not healthy, and despite what some people think it does transpire occasionally into the stands. A nonsense rumour spreads like wildfire on twitter and can find it's way to places it shouldn't. All I'm saying is can we not have a little bit more perspective? Can we not think before hitting send? If a player has a bad game tweeting them or sending them a message on Instagram giving them abuse won't do any good. Footballers are human beings as well.

Wednesday fans in full voice on the kop

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Tom

World Cup 2018: The Best World Cup Ever?

So there we have it, the World Cup has come to an end. I must say I have really enjoyed it. The goals, the moments of magic and madness and even the VAR. It's been a real spectacle and I have to say Russia 2018 might be my favourite World Cup. It's been the World Cup of penalties, set pieces and the rebirth of England's love affair with the beautiful game. As with most of my posts/blogs/rambles/whatever you want to call them. There's no great deal of structure or professionalism. Just the ramblings of someone who thinks he knows what he's talking about.

 

 

Russia 2018: How I saw it

I think like most people I before the tournament was fairly certain that we'd see a tournament of little surprises. Obviously there's always one or two that surprise you but I felt most of the established teams were strong enough to deal with the threats of the other nations simmering under the surface. Then Germany go out, Argentina make hard work of the group before being knocked out in the last 16, Spain and Portugal make like difficult for themselves from the off and both crash out at the same stage. Even the likes of Poland who maybe aren't the super power that the others are didn't do anything. It was fast becoming the tournament of the new blood. I imagine most people reading this will be aware of how the tournament panned out so I wont go over too much detail but I want to pick out a few matches that really stood out for me. Firstly Portugal 3 Spain 3, an electrifying draw on the banks of the black sea in Sochi. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat trick and Spain at times played some beautiful tiki taka football that had us all thinking it was 2010 again. It was a game to really ignite the World Cup and make everyone sit up and take notice. Germany 2 Sweden 1 (again in Sochi) gave us a stand out moment when Toni Kroos curled his free kick beautifully into the goal to keep the Germans alive. It was a moment that although meant nothing in the grand scheme of things was something to savour. Into the last 16 and France 4 Argentina 3 might be the best game I have seen in a long time. It was as good a football match as you will ever see and is one of those games where I can imagine a child watching and falling in love with football. It's the kind of game you'd want to run out and re create in the back garden or the park. Breath-taking goals and another stand out performance from Kylian Mbappe who in my opinion will go on to be the best player in the World. France have a gem of a player there and PSG must keep him from their point of view however I don't see them doing that beyond next summer. Overall I felt it was a fabulous display of football, even the games that didn't have a lot of goals still had a lot of talking points. VAR has been a major talking point and as someone who is a big fan of the idea I was interested to see how it would go. While there were always going to be slight problems I feel it has been a success. There will always be an element of human error (it's humans controlling the technology) the only way you eliminate that is by tightening up the rules so much and the powers that be aren't going to do that. Take the Neymar penalty against Costa Rica that was overturned, that was exactly what VAR was brought into clear up. CLEAR AND OBVOIUS ERRORS. Yeah there have been some that haven't been so clear and some that might appear clear that didn't go to a full review but I think more that they got more right than not and for a first tournament that is a success. It will get better, the fact of the matter is VAR is needed in the game but that's a debate for another blog. As for the rest of the tournament I think we ended up with the two best teams in the final. France to some maybe didn't quite entertain as much as expected but they won 6 of their 7 games and blew teams away in quick bursts. Pragmatic and deadly lead by Mbappe and Griezmann with the midfield shield of Kante and Pogba who in my opinion gets as much unfair stick as England's Raheem Sterling. While Croatia were the best team of the Group Stage and passed most test they faced, they just simply didn't have enough to deal with that kind of quality for 90 minutes. They were worthy runners up though, Gary Lineker used the phrase "Europe's version of Uruguay" and he was spot on. Overachievers for the size of country. I hope they kick on personally, although some in that team may be coming to the back end of their careers, they will have inspired a nation. France on the other hand will be hard to stop, the talent that didn't even go to Russia will be eager to join this bunch and earn their own recognition.

 

England

As someone who in all honesty doesn't care a great deal for the England team this World Cup has been interesting. I've seen the country lifted by football, England flags for a short time at least seen as a sign of pride rather than some sinister protest. Prior to the tournament it was 12 years since England had won a knockout game, they'd won 2 in 28 years since the Semi Final appearance of 1990 and had never won a penalty shootout. It was unrealistic to see England progressing as far as they did and all involved deserve immense credit. Gareth Southgate was seen as a 'yes man' appointment following the departure of Sam Allardyce. He's changed that image to a bright coach who's shaped a young England team playing to their strengths. They are far from the finished article but they have progressed further in a major competition than the teams of 02,04,06 and 10. Where plenty of world class talent was among the England team. Did the draw open up for them? Yes but you can only play who you are scheduled to. Could they have done things differently against Croatia in the Semi final? Yes but it's hard to be critical of them when most thought they'd be coming home much earlier. They got through the group with ease before a strange situation against Belgium where it was effectively a reserve game. Colombia offered a good test and the penalty curse was lifted. Southgate's celebrations after to me showed a man who'd exorcized his own personal penalty demon. Sweden was comfortable, never has an England knockout game looked and felt quite like that. Croatia were the best team England had faced at that point, Luka Modric is arguably the best football in the World at the moment. His 2nd half performance changed the balance and England found themselves out. A 4th place finish is great progression two years on from Iceland where I have to be honest in the aftermath of that game I doubted our capability to even reach this World Cup. I also doubted it 14 months ago after we snuck a draw against Scotland. Fair play England, onto Euro 2020.

 

Coverage

The final thing I'd like to touch upon is the coverage of this year's tournament. The BBC and ITV were once again the two who would transmit all 64 games between them across the UK and both I feel did a great job. I appreciate that to some this isn't important and as long as they can see the game it doesn't matter what channel it's on or who's offering an opinion. A good selection of pundits for both including impressive debuts for Cesc Fabregas, Didier Drogba and Pablo Zabaletta on the BBC. It was so good for Cesc he even came back after he'd officially finished. On ITV they'd added Gary Neville to their usual international team as well as the likes of Patrice Evra and Henrick Larson. Martin O'Neil as well added his usual wit and knowledge. One thing that has been in the news has been the addition of more female pundits and commentators. Why this is a debate in 2018 baffles me but I'll give my thoughts on it. You could have a trained monkey commentating on a game, if they know their stuff and can allow the view to enjoy the game then they are doing their job. I thought Vicki Sparks did well as the first woman to commentate on a game at the World Cup live and I hope more follow. As for the pundits, Eni Aluko was excellent on ITV, good research, well thought out opinions. She was one of the best on their. Put certain others to shame at times. On the BBC Alex Scott was in my opinion the best pundit for most of the games she covered. Again good research and informed opinions. As opposed to Phil Neville's "Shaqiri was a disgrace for Stoke last season" which was based on precisely sod all and lead many Stoke fans to rush to Twitter to defend their Swiss winger and call out Neville for his lazy punditry. We live in a world now where pundits can't just turn up and spout whatever. Phil Neville, Matt Upson and the grandmaster of boring, negative nonsense Mark Lawrenson, Along with Patrice Evra on ITV weren't good enough. It's a phrase often overused but I genuinely believe it, I could have done a better job than these mentioned. Long gone are the days of a pundit being able to spout whatever nonsense without being pulled up on it.

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Tom