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
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