Sheffield Wednesday 2019/20: December Review

The last kick of a football for 2019 has been kicked and thus rounds up the year. It's been eventful to say the least and December has come with it's own mix of stories and drama.

The Matches

Brentford

We started December with a visit from Brentford, it was a decent test of where Wednesday were after the win over Charlton. The first half wasn't great, we didn't get anywhere near up to the standard required and Brentford played well, created a bit through some good moves but it was a set piece that gave them the lead. In the 2^nd half however Wednesday were much better, Jordan Rhodes came on at half time and that changed the game, his running and movement gave Brentford something to think about and Steven Fletcher scored twice to give Wednesday a 2-1 win. It was the first time Wednesday had come from behind to win a game since September 2017 (against Brentford funnily enough) and also the first time this season we had beaten a side that sat above us in the table. A pleasing afternoon and a very important result for Wednesday.

Derby

After Brentford it was a midweek trip to Derby County, Wednesday's record at Derby is dreadful. 2006 was the last time the Owls came away with all three points from there. Being honest I can't think off too many occasions where we have deserved a win there but this time we 100% did. While Derby were awful we were outstanding in the first half and once again Steven Fletcher gave us the lead after Barry Bannan capitalised on an awful pass across the goal from Derby's defence. In the 2^nd half Derby improved slightly and Wednesday couldn't quite find that 2^nd goal they deserved. A penalty which in my opinion was never a penalty was given late on and Derby equalised. A frustrating result after a good performance. After the game there were several complains over the subs in particular taking off Fletcher, given his injury record and his importance to the team and that fact he'd already had treatment during the game I think it was logical to take him off. While the performance deserved more however a point away is still no bad thing.

Nottingham Forest

A 2^nd trip to the East Midlands to round off the week, Wednesday's recent record against Forest is impressive, just one defeat in the last ten meeting between the two. Forest are having a decent season and had threats of their own but in similar fashion to Middlesbrough earlier in the campaign we didn't give them much of a chance of showing that. 4-0 up at half time, wonderful. Jordan Rhodes with a hat trick and Steven Fletcher rounding off a brilliant first half for Wednesday. I was so pleased for Rhodes, he deserved a day like that. A lot of people have had their opinion on him, I think a lot of the criticism is unfair, I've always felt that while ever he was here we should persist with him as he had a record that few can match. He showed that at Forest, getting into good positions and taking his chances, that's what he does. Colin Murray summed it up perfectly on Quest TV's highlights show, “Rhodes is only as good as the service you give him”, we haven't done that enough during his time with us. He and Steven Fletcher up front as a two was looking good in pre season and we went away from it but I feel it has legs, both seem to benefit from playing in a two. Back to the team, it was a terrific result which maybe took the division by a bit of a surprise but that's the Championship.

Bristol City

After the high of the Forest game came the last game before Christmas and a home game live on SKY against Bristol City. While it wasn't the most entertaining of games it was enjoyable as a contest. Wednesday could have fallen behind early on after Bristol City carved open a chance on 15 seconds but after that we controlled it. We had enough chances to be in front at half time. Second half I think Bristol City were more than happy with a point and we struggled to break them down but a daft foul by Tommy Rowe on Atdhe Nuhiu lead to a penalty. Now while I agree it was soft it was still a daft thing for him to do and Barry Bannan slotted home to lift Wednesday up to third. It was a deserved three points for me and while it was only half way through, it was nice to be third.

Stoke City

Boxing saw Wednesday back on the road and off to Stoke, the record on boxing day was very impressive. Won the last five, unbeaten in seven. Stoke came into the game in the bottom three, now while they have had a dreadful season and are in the drop zone I still don't think they'll be relegated. They have so much quality in that side. Having said that Wednesday were well below the level required. They fell behind early on after not dealing with Stoke's quality. While they did get back into the game in the 2^nd half and took the lead after goals from Morgan Fox and Tom Lees we chucked it away late on again. Poor defending lead to Stoke winning it with virtually the last kick of the game. A gutting way to lose and while I don't think we can have too many complaints if you have eyes on promotion you can't keep chucking games away like we have done.

Cardiff City

The last game of 2019 and the decade was at Hillsborough against Cardiff, another side we had a decent record against going into the game. Sadly the poor performance we saw at Stoke was repeated against Cardiff. 2-0 down within the first ten minutes made it a touch watch. While the performance did pick up and we got a goal back through Tom Lees we didn't do enough to get anything from the game, while I don't question the effort or commitment of our players we do lack ideas. We still haven't addressed the issue of taking responsibility. Without Steven Fletcher for the last few games we struggle. Atdhe did his best when he came on as did Sam Winnall and Jordan Rhodes but they all offer slightly different things. Rhodes as we said before is only as good as the service you give him and we didn't seem to create enough to give anyone a decent chance. You can't give teams two goal starts in this league. It's too good a standard to expect to do that and get away with it. One other thing to note from the game was the shocking decision to not send Junior Hoilett off for his tackle on Liam Palmer, I say tackle, assault would have been a better term. It was a shocking two footed lunge that on any other day would have seen red, Tim Robinson once again showing another glorious reason why he should not officiate games of football, horrific tackle that could have been much more serious. I hope Liam is OK.

25 Games in: Where do I see us?

If we look at the league in it's simplicity and ignore other things going on off the field if you'd have offered me 6^th after 25 games I'd have taken it. I think most sensible Wednesday fans would have taken it. I've seen a lot of criticism of Monk after the Cardiff game, really? He's had no pre season, he's not had a transfer window, he's working with a squad that does need refreshing and yet he's getting a tune out of it more often that not and has us in a decent position. Crazy really. I didn't expect a top six challenge, I think this was always going to be a year of rebuilding and hopefully progression after the last two seasons. If we can do anything in January to add to the squad then maybe we'll finish in there but if we don't it's not time to panic.

In terms of the off the field things, nobody really knows what will happen with the EFL and the Independent panel's decision regarding Wednesday's sale of Hillsborough. That is casting a cloud over the season, I've heard more than one person say they're losing interest due to it and to be honest it's hard to argue with it at times. There could realistically be a situation where we go from a top six challenger to a relegation fighter and while I'm sure the fans would still try and get behind the team for whatever was needed the psychological blow of losing those points could have a huge impact. From a personal point of view until we know what is happening you just have to get behind the team, a decision might not come before the end of the campaign meaning promotion could still realistically be on.

The 2010's

As it's the end of the decade I thought I'd quickly look back at some of the highs and lows of the 2010's. It started badly with relegation in 2010 and 2011 wasn't much better either with a 15^th placed finish in League One. Milan Mandaric saving the club was the standout moment of that season for me. 2012 brought the sweetest of promotions from the third tier at the expense of Sheffield United. 2013 and 14 were both years of struggling to adapt to life in the Championship after promotion, some decent players and moments in that period as well before a year of consolidation in 2015. Going close in both 2016 and 2017 brings some wonderful memories, that 15/16 season was fantastic and although it didn't have the ending we all wanted I'll still look back on it with fond memories. 2018 and 2019 have been full of incident and a number of different stories. While there have been some positives there have also been some negatives, ultimately it's been a roller-coaster of a decade.

Along with this there have been discussions about team of the decade. For me it was a fairly simple selection of players based on what went on and when. Here is the team.

Effectively it's the Wembley team that started the Play Off Final but with Antonio coming in and Bannan moving into the middle. I really can't justify putting anyone else in, that is in my opinion the best selection of players we've had in that time based on form, consistency, impact and level. All these players baring Antonio have done well with Wednesday at the top end of the division. Antonio's 9 goals in 2012/13 kept us up. Without him we'd have been relegated.

So there we have it, January approaches. We'll have to see where we are and what we might have done come the end of the month.

Here's to a better 2020.

Thanks for reading

Tom

WAWAW

Sheffield Wednesday 2019/20: November Review

Well the Christmas decorations are starting to go up, the days and nights are getting colder. It must be December. Another month has gone by and it's been one filled with talking points both on and off the pitch. I'll touch upon the off the field matters towards the end. For now I'll focus on the off the field matters regarding Sheffield Wednesday.

The Matches

Blackburn Rovers

We started the month with a trip over the Pennines to face Blackburn, last season Blackburn away was the real low point for me. No direction, no leadership, got beaten convincingly. This time it was less bad but still not great. We fell well below the standard we'd seen against the likes of Leeds in the previous game. That isn't to say there weren't positives there were. We didn't play well but found ourselves with 7 minutes to go leading 1-0 and heading towards three points. Sadly we didn't hang on, 2 late Blackburn goals both fairly preventable saw Blackburn run out 2-1 winners. The first one is poor defending and Westwood came off his line which he didn't need to do. Concerning to say the least. The 2^nd one again isn't great defending, Julian Borner could have dealt with it better however I do have slight sympathy with him given that it does take a deflection and beats Westwood. Overall a disappointing start to November.

Swansea

Swansea were next on the agenda, after the Blackburn result it was fair to say a win was needed to boost the mood. Overall it was actually a decent performance, we were the better side despite falling 1-0 behind to an Andre Ayew goal that should never have come about after a mix up between Morgan Fox and Keiren Westwood. Wednesday responded late into the game after Fernando Forestieiri finished off a good move started by Adam Reach, both had come off the bench before Morgan Fox scored to make it 2-1 not long after. I have to say the celebrations for that goal were up there with some of the best of the last few years. Sadly a sting in the tail was to come as Swansea equalised late on to make it 2-2. Another late goal conceded, it was becoming an issue.

West Brom

After Swansea and an international break Wednesday travelled to face top of the league West Brom, I think for me West Brom look as good a side as the league has to offer. Again we went to one of the top sides and actually did ok. I'd have taken a point before the game and to be fair we probably did enough to earn one. They took the lead through Hal Robson-Kanu before Wednesday equalised through a penalty after a foul on Kieran Lee. Fletcher converting to end a goal drought for the Scotsman. Again however another late moment of madness cost us. Liam Palmer and Dominic Irofa didn't react quick enough to a ball over the top and Keiren Westwood rushing off his line collided with West Brom's Grady Diangana to give away a penalty. Charlie Austin stepped up and converted to give the Baggies the points. A frustrating day and result that raised a lot of questions around the goalkeeping situation.

Birmingham City

After the disappointing result at the Hawthorns we were back at Hillsborough for Birmingham City. The game was given added spice after Garry Monk's comments about former assistant Pep Clotet. Now this has raised a lot of discussion, some think Monk was unprofessional, something it was nothing more than stating his side of the story. I personally fall on the 2^nd side of those. At the end of the day, we don't know what went on. The only people who do are Monk and Clotet. It's one of those where both could feel they are correct. Clearly Monk wasn't treated with the 'class' that Birmingham claimed he lacked after sacking him over text which in my opinion is a disgraceful way to deal with that situation. A text? Come on, we aren't 15 year olds in the school yard are we? As for the game, it lacked a bit in quality. Wednesday were fairly dominant but the old habit of missing chances and not having enough up front was evident again. Birmingham took the lead early in the 2^nd half. After that Wednesday had a number of chances, Fernando Forestieiri making a difference as a 2^nd half sub. It was Kadeem Harris who in the end broke the Blues defence with a goal not long after an effort that I can only describe as 'Jermanine Johnson-esque'. What I will say though is to miss one like that and then have the character to try again moments later says a lot about Kadeem who had taken a bit of stick for not having much end product. He's been a great signing and I was pleased for him to get the goal. As for the team, the last 10 miniutes proved we can put the ball in the box with quality, we need to do that on a more consistent basis.

Charlton Athletic

A trip down to London to face recently takenover Charlton. The addicks had a number of injuries to content with ahead of the game. Who do they think they are, 17/18 Wednesday? In all seriousness it was a game we had to be looking at winning and win we did with goals from Fletcher and Nuhiu. Both started and I think both firmly justified it, one thing that has been proven over the years is Nuhiu can get open up space for others and we saw in the first half with Forestieri alongside them that playing two up front causes problems. It allowed the likes of Harris and Bannan to cause problems both out wide and in the middle. Fox got forward well and his role in the first goal hasn't been shouted about enough for me. Bannan another quality ball in for Fletcher to nod home. The 2^nd goal came from the penalty spot after Jacob Murphy, another who's taken stick from the fans did well to win it. Good work from Adam Reach to find Nuhiu late on to wrap it up. As for their goal, as frustrating as it was, their left back who had a brilliant first half did well and it did take a deflection. Could we do better? Yes, did it cost us? No. Overall a very pleasing early afternoon for Wednesday

Going forward

So where do we go from here? Well a busy December period gives us six games. Brentford at home followed by trips to Derby and Nottingham Forest before Bristol City at home, boxing day away at Stoke before Cardiff on the 29^th. Busy to say the least. We all know that on our day we can give anyone a game. It can't go unnoticed however that our eight wins have come against the sides that occupy the bottom eight positions in the Championship. An anomaly to an extent but it does kind of show where we are. I have no doubt we will pick up points against the better side, he could have got a point at West Brom, we should have beaten Swansea, we should have beaten Leeds. We all know we need to be more ruthless, taking our chances seems to be an issue we haven't been able to address. One way to change that might be to play two up front more often. Adthe Nuhiu and Steven Fletcher prior to this season hadn't spent much time on the pitch together. Often one would replace the other. But they've shown this season that they can link up well. I'd argue they deserve a run at it together if you aren't going to use the likes of Sam Winnall and Jordan Rhodes.

In terms of the defence I'm fairly content with that. I do think Tom Lees has made a difference being back in the side. I'm not saying Borner and Iorfa haven't done well because they clearly have but Lees has a number of games at this level. Borner is clearly a talented defender but he's played 16 games in the Championship, Iorfa will have only played so many as a centre back. Lees' experience as well as quality will be needed. Goalkeeping has been a debate for a while. For me it's Dawson's shirt to loose, he's had the better start to the season and I feel had he have made the errors Westwood has this season he'd be getting loads of stick. Monk stated he'd play players based on form, on that basis I see no reason to drop Dawson when Westwood is fit again.

Off the pitch

This could be a long segment really. To be honest as someone who likes to take in as much media about Wednesday as possible the last few weeks have been filled with negative stories along with the usual rumours that they create. The club had obviously been charged with in relation to selling the ground to another company that is also owned by Chansiri. The club have at the time of writing responded with a claim that the charge was unjust and that the EFL have acted unlawfully.

My personal take on this has kind of altered as the days have gone on really, I don't think anyone was too surprised this charge came, whatever you think of the EFL or the club there has clearly been something brewing. However Wednesday have every right to defend themselves and if they feel they have a strong enough case for their defence should have every right to fight the charge. Chansiri has also been charged and according to the Telegraph newspaper could face a “Ban from football” whatever that means along with John Redgate and Katrien Meire. Again no knowledge either way if they are worthy charges or not. We as fans can only see what happens, we don't have any influence over it either way.

Whatever you think of Chansiri he has put his money in, he has tried to do his best. He's made mistakes and I think we're mostly paying now for the lack of a back up plan in 2017 after losing in the Play Offs to Huddersfield. The idea that always seems to rear it's head whenever anything negative is put out in the media is that he should 'go'. Well OK but who comes in and for what price? It's not as simple as a manager or player leaving. This is the owner of the football club, he's the one paying the bills, he's the one who's putting the money up. It's worrying how quick some fans want to chuck themselves at someone else. Red Bull has been mentioned, that sends a shiver down my spine personally. People were outraged (correctly) when Chansiri removed the stripes for two seasons, imagine playing in a completely different colour and effectively being a feeder club for others. No thanks.

The last point I want to make is as much as it might be a risk to take on the EFL, I do feel a little bit like they've had it coming. They aren't fit for purpose. We lost a wonderful historic club in Bury, we nearly lost another In Bolton. Macclesfield are in trouble, Coventry are playing their home games 22 miles away in Birmingham. We've had less than desirable people in charge of clubs before. All this under the EFL's stewardship. I'm not saying they have to be 100% perfect but they don't seem to have a grasp of the proper issues within their own competitions and are more bothered about punishing a club that while admittedly reliant on a single individual is at least paying the bills. Not at deaths door, the EFL need to take a look at themselves and their own rules. Clubs like Derby, Wednesday and others aren't the problem.

This is before we get into parachute payments which we could do a whole blog about, maybe I will soon.

Thanks for reading

Tom

WAWAW

My Thoughts On VAR

So, we've reached that point here on Denied By The Flag where we're going to have to touch on a controversial topic. Yep that's right we're going to have to talk about VAR...yay.

Now there are a couple of reasons why I've held my tongue, at least on here, about the controversial introduction of Video Assistant Referees to football. The first being that I don't support a club that plays in a league that it operates in, that in itself is something I'll touch upon. Also I think given the amount of different things that come under VAR's watchful eye it was only fair to take a step back and allow it time to try and get things right. Unfortunately that hasn't happened.

So what is wrong with it?

Now I'll start off by saying that I was initially in favour of introducing video technology to football. I still am to be fair to an extent, we all want correct decisions don't we? I think that's a given. However at what cost? Do we want correct decisions to the exact point that takes away from the flow of the game? No I don't think we do. That is where VAR for me falls down. Take Saturday's game at the New White Hart Lane, Sheffield United were denied a goal which by the letter of the law was correct but it took four minutes to decide this. It was a adjudged that United midfielder John Lundstram was offside when his cross went into the box that then lead to David McGoldrick slotting home. As a football fan that wants the best for the game that goal should stand. If you need four minutes to decide if someone is offside or not then the goal should be given. CLEAR AND OBVIOUS mistakes, that is what VAR was brought into football for. I appreciate that the clear and obvious phrase doesn't come into offside decisions but isn't that part of the problem? Yes there is a it is or it isn't factor but it still isn't what the system was brought in for. Tight calls have always been in football, it's an attacking game the aim is to attack the oppositions defence. You're going to get tights calls.

Another issue is timing generally, if you're having to stop the game 5 or 6 times in a 90 minute period that's going to do several things, one, it stops the flow of the game making it much more frustrating to watch. The great thing about football for me is that it was a quick game that was enjoyable to watch. The reason I could never enjoy something like Rugby was that it was too stop/start and ultimately not as enjoyable to watch. VAR stops that. Also from a fitness point of view if you're having to stop the game for a few minutes to check decisions surely there is a high risk of muscle injuries? I'm no expert but the idea of stopping and having to restart 4/5 minutes after doesn't sound ideal for quick athletes trying to avoid hamstring/groin/calf injuries.

Handball is another big issue, in the summer the rule was changed so that any goal that has been scored where the ball has touched any part of an attacking player's hand be it accidental or not will be ruled out. Now in theory that's fair enough only in the reality of football that's nonsense really. Even if you go with that rule why is it not the same for a defender? Why can a ball strike the arm of a defender and it not automatically be a penalty? How is an attacking player touching it accidentally worse than a defending player doing it? Take Sunday's game with Liverpool and Man City. Trent Alexander-Arnold clearly handballed it, whether you think he did it deliberately or not is largely irrelevant, my personal view is he did know what he was doing, his arm was still in an unnatural position. Yet rewind all the way back to the start of the season how can you rule out Wolves' goal at Leicester where the ball hit Willy Bolly on the back of the arm? He isn't even looking at it. The rule is broken and doesn't work. It was brought in to make it easier for VAR, surely VAR should have come in and worked with the rules that were already there in place? It's once again not using common sense.

As for the officials that are operating VAR, it's another worry that these are the same officials that were making blatant errors on the pitch. We have the likes of Neil Swabrick telling us how we're getting more decisions right than ever before yet failing to address the fact the Premier League have said there have been mistakes. Why have we have pitch side monitors which we all saw were a success at the 2018 World Cup yet we haven't used them? What is the point of the on field referee? You've got VAR calling the play back and reviewing it for incidents, surely it has to be the on field officials say? Help him yes but don't take over. This leads to another point, why call it VAR? Surely the VT for Video Technology or the OS for Officiating Screen would be better or at least more in tune with what it was supposed to be brought in to do?

Another big issue with VAR is that it's taking away from celebrating goals, that fans now aren't celebrating goals properly as they know it'll be checked by VAR, a defence of this has often been “well you can celebrate them twice then”, this in my opinion is the biggest load of nonsense I've ever heard. The euphoric feeling of your team scoring can't be split up and taken separately. The idea you'd celebrate confirmation of a goal being given as much as the actual moment is ridiculous. Again, it's another example of the theory behind VAR being fine but in reality it doesn't work. Also if a goal is ruled off after a few minutes of deliberation that also feel like you've been cheated and this is something I can talk about. Cast your mind back to May 2016, Friday 13^th Sheffield Wednesday V Brighton in the first leg of the Championship Play Off Semi Final. Wednesday score what looks at first glance to be a fairly legitimate goal through Fernando Forestieri and Hillsborough erupted. Never have I ever seen anything quite like it. It was glorious and as the players rush off to celebrate the replay is flashed up on the big screen where the linesman spots the that Gary Hooper might not have touched the ball thus making Fernando Forestieri offside thus the goal was ruled out. Now if you watch it back it's hard to tell now 3&1/2 years later thus it doesn't in my opinion fall into the clear and obvious section for me but the point I'm making is the decision was made off a replay and the goal was ruled off. Nothing was communicated to us in the stands obviously and like I said before, you feel cheated when something like that happens.

What should happen from here?

So what should happen from this point on? For me VAR in it's current guise doesn't work, it's proving to be more inconsistent than the referees were before. It doesn't take into account all the little nuances that come with football. We're now ruling goals off for kneecaps and a armpits being offside and that feels wrong. It doesn't feel like we've taken a step forward but a major one backwards. Football at the top level is being ruined by VAR not improved. I'm not saying the technology should be scrapped completely but in it's current format it doesn't work. It's fine to say well more decisions are right now than ever before, but what have we lost in doing that? It's all very well having a good ratio of correct decisions but if people aren't interested in what is going on, what is the point?

Again I'll make the point, I was thoroughly for VAR being introduced, I feel glad at least it's been tried but I was wrong and the people who said it wouldn't work were correct. Obviously they can't remove it from the Premier League at the moment as the integrity of the competition would come into question but they need to start letting the referees use the monitors, they need to be consistent on what they deem a foul/offside etc. In the summer I would get rid of it, as much as the referees need help and aren't up to the task I would rather human error than this. At least that feels natural, this doesn't.

So there we go, my thoughts on the controversial VAR. I can't see it going anywhere, too much has been invested in it and as we all know in football money seems to talk.

Thanks for reading

Tom

Sheffield Wednesday 2019/20: October Review

Well, the clocks have gone back, the winter balls are ready and the weather has taken a turn. Another month has passed and with it another five games. It's been an interesting month with several talking points from all the games.

The Matches

Hull City

We began the month with a trip to face Hull City at the KCOM, Hull are a bit of an odd side. They have some decent players but I don't think many are tipping them to do much this season. Overall it was a frustrating game, we created enough chances to win it and while we didn't play as well as previous games we more than deserved a point in my opinion. Hull did take their big chance and Tom Eaves who was brought on in the 2^nd half headed home. A big striker given a decent cross to head in, simple really. We probably should have defended it better but it wouldn't have been much of an issue if we'd have taken any of our chances. An irritating result but that can happen.

Wigan Athletic

After the Hull game we were back at home to face Paul Cook's Wigan Athletic at Hillsborough. I like Paul Cook and he was someone I wouldn't have minded us looking at in the summer after him from the North East went back up there. I think 99% of Wednesday fans who know anything about the Championship knew what was coming with this one. Wigan don't win many away and I think would have taken a point. They started well in fairness and should have taken the lead on 15 minutes through Gavin Massey after a great run from Josh Windass. Wednesday could have scored through Barry Bannan and Steven Fletcher but it wasn't exactly what you'd call an entertaining 45 minutes but after the break Wednesday took the lead through Massimo Luongo after Julian Borner's run from the back. It was a functional win, a win where you won't remember it come May but IF we are to achieve anything it's the kind of result we need to be picking up. I saw a few people online after the game saying things like “A good team would have scored 3 or 4” and “We have to be beating these by more to go up”, A few things on this, firstly you don't get more points for winning by more so that doesn't make sense (Yes I know goal difference is a thing but that doesn't look too shabby to be fair). Also let's not forget Bannan had two good shots that on another day would have gone in and Fletcher had a goal incorrectly ruled out for offside. Sometimes things go against you in that regard.

Cardiff City

After the international break Wednesday were back in action down in South Wales. It was also the 2^nd international break in a row where Wednesday were back on Sky. Obviously Cardiff are managed by our old friend Mr Neil Warnock. We knew he'd love to beat Wednesday and we know we certainly like to get one over on him. Obviously a lot has been said and written already about this game. Wednesday were in my opinion excellent. The first half Cardiff didn't lay a glove on us and deservedly took the lead through Julian Borner after deflecting Kadeem Harris' ball into the net. I've heard a few people suggesting he didn't mean to do it, he 100% did. In Germany Borner has a decent goal return for a defender and that finish was deliberate. Already a firm fans favourite that will have done nothing but add to that affection. Alongside Dominic Iorfa he was outstanding down in South Wales. Now we'll come onto the 2^nd half, I've seen a lot of people saying we sat off Cardiff. I'm not sure we did, I think we were playing well enough and creating enough to finish the game off but referee Keith Stroud who was in charge decided to fall for every trick in the book. Fouls that weren't fouls, booking Wednesday player's for nothing, blatant cheating. The obvious incident that lead to Cardiff's equaliser is a disgrace. I actually have more of an issue for the non foul given rather than Aden Flint and his star jumps. As much as that is irritating if it had been one of our players doing it we'd have been all over it. Doesn't excuse it but for me the foul given was the worst thing. Add to that the fact Lee Tomlin, who's dive conned the referee, should have been sent off for a blatant strike out at Borner earlier in the game. Very frustrating result, echoed of Norwich away at the end of last season. Also I saw a lot of people slating Dawson for his positioning for the free kick. Obviously Flint being stood where he was makes it impossible for Dawson to stand where he wants to. Overall Dawson was brilliant, made a crucial save to stop Cardiff doing a real smash and grab. All that after coming in at the last minute to replace Keiren Westwood.

Stoke City

Following on from the Cardiff game, we were back at home to face Stoke City. Stoke have had a tough start to the season and had won just two games, they happened to have been the two prior to this one. I must admit this game worried me more than the Cardiff or Leeds one in this three game week. A couple of reasons for this, firstly the squad they have is more than capable. They have recruited players who should be right at the top of this division. Also as mentioned before the recent form of beating then top of the league Swansea and pre season favourites Fulham in the last two. It was another tight game where quality wasn't as on show as maybe we'd like. I thought Stoke passed it around nicely but lacked a cutting edge. We did what we had too and once again Massimo Luongo broke the deadlock after pouncing on an error by Liam Lindsay and slotting the ball past Adam Federici in the Stoke goal. It was a functional win and one we deserved. Stoke could maybe say they were unlucky at having to use two subs in the first half for injury but hey after the last two seasons I don't think many teams can have as many injury gripes as we've had to put up with. Another good performance for Dawson who retained his place in the side and made a good 2^nd half save from Lee Gregory It was good to see praise after the game for Morgan Fox who had yet another good game. I can't actually think of a bad game he's had for a long time. Fox didn't deserve the stick he got at points last season and he'd done excellently to not allow the boo boys to get to him. Also I have seen and heard a few people (mainly blades fans to be fair) talking about the chants towards Mark Duffy. Now take it from me who was at the match. If anything Mark Duffy enjoyed it, he had a big beaming smile on his face as that particular song was sung at him. He loved it. Take it as a compliment, some ex blades don't get that. Scott Hogan was on the same pitch, nothing. Cameron Carter Vickers (who played in THAT game) nothing. Lee Gregory,hasn't played for them but we know he's a known blade, nothing. Stop being offended by nothing.

Leeds United

So we come to the final game of the month, the big one. Leeds United. Going into the game it was 2^nd V 3^rd and a chance for the winner to go top. I have to say it was probably the wettest day in a long long time. Constant rain coming down, it wasn't great. The conditions definitely played a part in the game, you could see players attempt passes that would easily have come off on a dry pitch but this was anything but dry. 5 years ago it wouldn't have survived and would have been postponed or abandoned. That investment in the pitch is one thing we can certainly thank Mr Chansiri for. Once again we had to cope with a drop out in the warm up, Julian Borner this time with an ankle injury meaning Sam Hutchinson moved back into the back four alongside Iorfa with Joey Pelupessy coming in. I thought we coped well, while I've been critical of Hutchinson a lot this season he was brilliant against Leeds. Alongside Iorfa who was my MOTM he made sure he didn't miss Borner as much as we thought we would. Pelupessy took quite a bit of stick during the game and while I don't think he had a great game I think you have to bear in mind coming in at the last minute isn't easy both physically and mentally. Think about it, he's probably known for a few days he isn't playing and then to be told with 20 mins or so to go that he is playing is a bit of an odd situation. It's not like Dawson where ultimately the game doesn't change too much, in midfield you're in the cut and thrust of everything. I like Joey and against Wigan he was superb and I have a feeling if we'd have won against Leeds nobody would have criticised him too much. We did miss Luongo who wasn't involved due to an injury picked up in the Stoke win. Overall it was a good game, some people don't buy into this idea you can have a good 0-0, you can and we did. Both sides had chances to win it. Leeds through Bamford, Phillips and Alioski. Wednesday through Fletcher, Nuihu and Palmer. Kiko Casilla and the returning Keiren Westwood both had claims to be Man of the Match. For me I'd have given it Iorfa, however Sky in their wisdom decided to give it to Brighton loanee Ben White, someone will have to explain that one to me. The third best centre half on the pitch gets Man of the Match, strange.

Verdict

So, 8 points from 15, not bad. I'd argue we should have got at least 1 at Hull and another 2 down at Cardiff. We could if we'd have taken our chances in both games be top of this division. Which feels odd to say, I think the general feeling around the fan base at the moment is that we're a bit surprised to be up there as we still have another gear or two to go and I think that's fair. I think it's a big testament to Garry Monk that 9 games into his reign Leeds United under Bielsa are bringing on another centre half to take a point. That's a good sign, while Monk wasn't my personal choice he's showing all the signs of someone we need. Someone who can get us organised and keep us like that. Someone who understands the division and knows the strengths and weaknesses of the other teams. This time last year we were watching the beginning of the end of Jos Luhukay's time at the club. We were watching a team that didn't have any idea what it was doing, a team that clearly did no work on the opposition. A team that you didn't know what the plan was. For me If I know what the plan is even if I don't agree it's right, is better than no plan at all. Monk has impressed me, he speaks well, he conducts himself well and he's getting it right more often than not tactically. Yes it's only nine games (and one of them was a free hit against Everton) but the basis is there. In a wide open Championship lets hope we can sustain the pace.

November will be interesting. Trips to Blackburn, West Brom and Charlton and home games with Swansea and Birmingham, two special ones for Monk no doubt. Like any set of fixtures there are many different tests in there. Surprise teams, skilful teams, powerful teams. The Championship, brilliantly unpredictable and entertaining but a massive stress on the nerves.

Thanks for reading

Tom

WAWAW

Sheffield Wednesday 2019/2020: September Review

Well, we're nearing the end of September and we're well into the swing of the 19/20 season. It's been an interesting month for Wednesday after the arrival of Garry Monk and some big games. Lets take a look back at the game and some other bits and bobs as well.

The Matches

Huddersfield

We started the months with a trip to face Yorkshire Rivals Huddersfield Town, now from a personal point of view I'd been looking forward to facing Huddersfield ever since the Play Offs in 2017. The revenge factor I suppose you could call it, that may sound a bit daft but that's what football is like. Both sides were under new managers, ourselves with Garry Monk and the Terriers employing the Cowley brothers from Lincoln. Now I won't hide the fact they were my personal choice for ourselves but like I said in my last blog, we all have to get behind Monk and the team. What we saw was fairly impressive. While it's fair to say Huddersfield haven't had the best start to the season I was still impressed with what we did. The defensive shape was fairly strong and despite plenty of pre match negativity on social media certain players stepped up. An early goal from Steven Fletcher helped to ease the nerves and from there on in Wednesday controlled the game. While Huddersfield had a few moments including a solo run from Terence Kongolo it always felt like it'd need something special for them to equalise. We doubled our lead in the 2^nd half after a lovely ball into the box from Barry Bannan found the almost forgotten man Sam Winnall to nod it in. It's been a long road back for Winnall after suffering that injury while at Derby on loan and to be fair to him he's earned his shot at it. That kind of goal was one he used to score regularly for Barnsley prior to coming here and you could see the delight on his face. A solid 2-0 away win in Monk's opening game. Not a bad Sunday afternoon.

Fulham

Monk's first home game in charge was against one of the pre season favourites for promotion, Fulham. Now while Fulham have a squad more than capable of finishing in the top two they haven't had the best start and came into the game below Wednesday in the table. It was a frustrating game really, not helped by the fact Geoff Eltringham decided to fall for every trick in the book that Fulham had, feigning injury, time wasting, niggly fouls. I'm sure we've all seen the decision to book Sam Hutchinson for being fouled by Harry Arter. Now don't get me wrong, Hutchinson has a reputation which doesn't help him but come on, that might be one of the worst decisions to have ever happened in professional football. Fulham took the lead against the run of play just before half time and after that in fairness controlled it from there. We didn't press them enough in the midfield. We seemed to lack a spark for much of the game. Despite some good play in the first half and creating decent opportunities we probably didn't deserved to get anything from the game. However Atdhe Nuhiu did what Atdhe Nuhiu does, came on, had a big impact and got us a point. Kadeem Harris made a good run which he has been doing all season and put a good ball in which deflected off a Fulham defender and Atdhe reacted quickest to nod home. Now over the last 4/5 seasons we've had some big goals scored at Hillsborough but I have to say that I haven't heard Hillsborough like that for a while. Even though a lot of fans had left the ground by then the eruption when it went in was wonderful. I personally don't think I've celebrated a goal quite like that since those days of the play offs (Lucas Joao's goal against Sheffield United aside but that memory is tarnished for very obvious reasons). That's why we go to football, for moments like that. Overall four points from two games was a good return for Garry Monk.

Everton

Next up was a home tie in the third round of the League Cup, now a lot of people have spoken about the team we played and the theory we (and many other Championship teams) didn't take it seriously. While I can understand that, it's a squad game. How many other opportunities will Monk have to assess some of those players in match situations? Not many. They needed minutes and in fairness we actually did OK. We started the game well and should have scored through Sam Winnall. Unfortunately and I made this point a number of times at the game, Everton played a very strong side. Someone said it was the reserves. Well eight of those who played against us played against Sheffield United in the league. Of those who came in to the side one is a World Cup winner, another is a regular for England's U21's and the other scored against Man City at the weekend as well as scoring the two that won this game. Despite the naive defending for the two goals we actually did alright. We showed some good energy in the midfield with Massimo Luongo and Joey Pelupessy. Atdhe Nuhiu and Sam Winnall worked hard up front. It could have been a different game if we'd taken our chances and that is the key point, the major difference between where we are and the level above is finishing. We need 5/6 chances to score 1, they took their two early ones and I can only think of two more they had throughout the game. Disappointing to be out of the cup, ah well there's always next year eh.

Middlesbrough

So the final game of the month saw us take a trip to the Riverside Stadium to take on Middlesbrough, now from the outside looking in it appears to be a bit of a transitional year for Middlesbrough. Gone is the pragmatic Tony Pulis and in is the local lad Jonnathan Woodgate. Of course the manager who inhabited the home dressing room at the Riverside before Pulis was our own Garry Monk who hadn't beaten Boro in three attempts since leaving. Well that was all put to bed after 34 minutes. Wednesday were 4-1 at half time through an Adam Clayton own goal, Dominic Iorfa, Adam Reach and Steven Fletcher. It's not very often you get a half of football like that and it was very pleasing. We exploited Boro's lack of ability in the air and deserved what we got. It's the first time since Bournemouth away in 2014 we've scored 4 in one half away from home. The last time we did it at all was Preston at home under Jos. While Monk was measured in his post match interview I'm sure inside he was delighted with what he'd seen and beating a club that lets be honest treated him badly. It was also very funny to hear the Wednesday fans singing at the Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson after the recent off field ongoings. Maybe instead of looking for other clubs to blame he should maybe focus on arresting the slide his club seems to have been on since relegation. But enough of them, it was our day and a great way to cap off a good month for Wednesday.

Looking ahead

It's been a good start for Garry Monk, while there were questions over his appointment we've taken 7 points from 9 and with there not being any outstanding teams in the league this year we currently sit 7^th, 1 point outside the Play Offs, 3 points off top. Now while early it's fair to say that a good couple of results in the next few and we could be right up there. I don't want to get too carried away as it's early days and we were actually in a similar position this time last year. The next two will take us into the 2^nd international break of the season.

Hull away kicks off October while Wigan at home provides the last home game for a few weeks. After that a trip to Cardiff which is always tough before games on the TV against Stoke and Leeds. Both very interesting for different reasons. It'll be interesting to see where we are come the end of October, if we have maintained this kind of form then in my opinion we'll have a decent shot of those Play Offs personally.

While there's not too much expectation from us at this stage I think we all recognise we have a decent squad of players and if the perform to the levels more often than not we'll have a chance. To get out of this division you need a plan, players that buy into that plan and a manager who can make big decisions and get the best out of his squad. Early signs are promising. Like I said, October is a big months and offers some really interesting games against different sets of teams.

So there we have it, another month played. The table is taking shape and the nights are drawing in. Yep the football well and truly is back.

Thanks for reading

Tom

WAWAW

Wednesday Get The Monk On: My Thoughts On The New Manager

So, Sheffield Wednesday have ended speculation over the next manager today by appointing Garry Monk as the latest incumbent of the Owls hot seat. It's fair to say it's split opinion and in fairness I have mixed thoughts on it as well. Here I'll go through my own pros and cons of the decision.

Cons

We'll start with the negatives of it. Firstly I do find it worrying that a man who only took his first job in February 2014 is now onto his 5th club. Swansea, Leeds, Middlesbrough and Birmingham all proceed Wednesday on Monk's managerial CV. Having said that management isn't known for being a long term job these days. It's not Monk's fault either that certain chairmen might have panicked and pushed the button too early (Boro) but it's still something that slightly concerns me. As someone who isn't a big fan of changing managers every few seasons it would be nice to think this one would stick around a while.

A lack of a promotion of his CV again isn't necessarily grounds to not give someone a job. Only three teams can go up from this division in any season, it's not easy to get sides out of this division. As for Monk's record, it shows a manager who can get a team moving. Leeds were a mid table side before he arrived that he took to the brink of the play offs only to fall away at the death. Middlesbrough were moving along at a steady pace but as mentioned before Steve Gibson panicked in the hope Tony Pulis would get them over the line. At Birmingham he dealt with a difficult financial situation and in doing so built a solid side that were knocking on the door of the play offs.

Pros

Monk does arrived with plenty of experience at this level as well as well as some time in the league above. He'll know the players at Hillsborough already having come up against them with Leeds, Boro and Birmingham. He'll not need time to get to know them from that point of view. Of course smaller more intricate stuff will need to be worked on but from a wider point of view he won't need telling who's who.

As mentioned before Monk dealt well with the restrictions at Birmingham. He built a solid team based around the strike partners up top of Che Adams and Lukas Jutkiewicz with a solid core of Championship players. He won't be fazed by not being able to spend millions on players. There's a decent core of players at Hillsborough and I'd expect Monk to be able to build a solid side from them.

Having been a player here, all be it briefly during the disastrous 2002/03 season which resulted in relegation from the 2^nd tier. Monk will know what this club is all about, he won't need telling like other managers of the past might have. He'll understand the kind of fan base we have. Being active on twitter as well suggests he's open to the modern way of social media and he'll no doubt have one eye on it.

Lets just get behind him

While he wasn't my choice personally all we can do is get behind him. People wanted a manager and we've got one, people wanted someone who knew the division, they've got him. People wanted someone who would be his own man and wouldn't pick favourites. I feel Monk is that kind of man. He'll get my full support and I'm looking forward to seeing what team he picks at Huddersfield on the 15^th. Good luck Garry. Welcome to the madhouse that is Sheffield Wednesday.

Thanks for reading

Tom

WAWAW

Sheffield Wednesday 2019/20: August Review

Well isn't it nice to have the football back, it's been another interesting month in Sheffield Wednesday history. The start of a new season, still without a manager and several things to discuss.

The Matches

Reading

The Owls started the 2019/20 campaign with a trip down to Berkshire to face Reading. Over the last 10 years or so Reading hasn't exactly been the home of many wins for Wednesday just two at the Madejski Stadium since the Royals moved there. The 2^nd of those however was last season and Wednesday made it back to back wins there with a 3-1 success. Overall I thought it was a decent performance. We showed glimpses of what we were capable of. New signing Kadeem Harris scoring on debut before being pegged back at 1-1. The reaction to that set back though was good and Wednesday were back in front through Sam Hutchinson only for Lucas Joao to sign off his Wednesday career with a goal against Reading who he'd join a few days later. Have to say it was a cracking finish. We'll talk more about Joao later. Overall after a couple of years of bad opening days it was nice to get a win on opening day and briefly top the division.

Barnsley

Following the win down at Reading we had the first South Yorkshire derby of the season with the visit of newly promoted Barnsley. These always seem to be interesting games and this was no exception. Wednesday going in front early through new loan signing Jacob Murphy followed later on in the game by Steven Fletcher. Again Wednesday played well, pressing Barnsley and capitalising on their attempts to play out from the back. It could have been 3 or 4-0 very easily, we always for the first time a while looked like we had more in the tank at the end. A sign of the good fitness work done in the summer. Overall it was a pleasing first home game of the campaign.

Bury

Next up we played Bury in the first round of the League cup....oh no we didn't. I'll probably do a separate blog on Bury and the way football is run in the country at the moment. I have quite a few things to say about the EFL and very little of it is positive. Sheffield Wednesday V Bury never happened and Bury sadly are no longer in the football league. A disgrace in my opinion and something that should not be brushed under the carpet.

Millwall

Following the enforced free week Wednesday took the long trip down to Millwall. Millwall away does seem to be a game that worries me. I think the same feeling was going through the minds of the coaching staff given the team selection. I'll be honest I didn't agree with replacing Odubajo for Iorfa mainly because I didn't feel we needed to make a change there. I appreciate the idea that Iorfa adds more of a physical presence at the back but to make a change after two wins seemed a bit odd to me. We lost 1-0 through a goal from Matt Smith and despite an OK performance it did raise a few questions. A lack of a plan b being one of them. Having said that we had out chances and on another day there's certainly an argument we could have got a point. All in all though the toughest test so far not passed.

Luton

After the defeat at The Den we were back at Hillsborough for Luton Town, of course having played them twice last season in the FA Cup it wasn't a completely alien experience for us. First of all I will say Luton are a decent side, they were last season and I think they'll be OK this season. As for the game, the first half from Wednesday's point of view wasn't great. We never really got going, not through a lack of effort or anything like that but the ball wasn't sticking up front and a number of the players just didn't look at it. Luton were probably a little bit unlucky that they didn't take the lead. In the 2^nd half we came out much the better and Kadeem Harris tapped in his 2^nd of the campaign to give the Owls a third win from four and for the third time ended a matchday on top of the division all be it for 24 hours.

Preston

After the Luton win a trip to Preston was next up, Preston away has never been a happy hunting ground for Wednesday and it was, like Millwall a game that worried me. Again I do think that that played on the mind of Lee Bullen. The performance while not great wasn't awful but as with a lot of games at this level if you make individual mistakes you often get punished. Moses Odubajo had a day to forget giving away both penalties. Personally the 2^nd one was 100% a penalty and while the first one probably was a penalty it is one of those you see often not given. No excuses though Wednesday weren't good enough and even though the last 20 minutes were decent including a goal from Steven Fletcher we didn't deserve anything out of it. Once again a tough test on the road not passed.

Rotherham

After the defeat at Preston there was a good opportunity to bounce back at local rivals Rotherham in the 2^nd round of the League Cup. It did feel a bit odd having not really earned the right to play in round two but that wasn't anything we could help of course. It was an interesting team, several changes and run outs for the likes of Cameron Dawson, Joey Pelupessy and Massimo Luongo and a debut for David Bates. Also starts for the much talked about three of Adthe Nuhiu, Jordan Rhodes and Sam Winnall. Have to say it wasn't the best performance, it improved with the additions of Kadeem Harris and Barry Bannan. A late winner scored by Adthe Nuhiu sent us through to round three setting up a third round tie at home to Everton. A lot has been made of Jordan Rhodes' reaction to the goal and to be honest I can see both sides of it but I do think it has been over done a bit. I can fully understand why he might have been a tad annoyed at effectively being shoved out of the way by Adthe Nuhiu but it was a split second reaction. It's also worth noting he went over to congratulate Kadeem Harris on the assist before joining the rest of the celebrations. Sometimes it's worth watching the full video and not just part of it. As for the game, while not the best performance cup football is about results. We needed to bounce back from defeat at Preston and personally I felt that one or two might have got a run out against QPR.

QPR

So we come onto the final game of the month. QPR at home. Let's not sugar coat it, it was a poor performance and there were many different things we would go into. Firstly I didn't really agree with the team, yes it was good to see Fernando Forestieri back in the side but just off Steven Fletcher doesn't tend to work, it hasn't really worked since Fletcher came to the club. The midfield didn't include Kieran Lee, yes he's had injuries and needs to be managed but to not sure him at all was odd for me. The substitutions in general didn't work at all. Luongo came on and did well but should have probably started, taking Palmer and Reach off seemed odd as well. Yes we were going to try and win the game but it left a number of players out there with little idea of where they were supposed to be. We didn't get to grips with QPR in the 2^nd half after a relatively even first half where Wednesday for me deserved to take the lead. Having watched it back I don't think the penalty was a penalty but I still felt we created enough in that first half for us to edge it. The 2^nd however we seemed to switch off completely, as soon as QPR equalised you could feel the energy out out of the crowd, the players looked lost. It felt a bigger game that it should and that for me was down to most of the fans knowing it was probably Bullen's last chance of the job. 12 points from 18 looks decent with some decent performances. 9 from 18 with back to back defeats doesn't look so good. It isn't as simple as that of course and I'll come onto my own thoughts on it.

Who should take over?

At the beginning of the season I said if we were to challenge for the top six we needed to pick up 12 points from the first 18 available. Now to have got 9 isn't a disaster, it's certainly not as bad as some of the more fancied sides have got and it's also worth noting where the likes of Norwich were this time last year. But we can't escape some glaring errors over the last few games that have lead to big questions over the team. I don't think Lee Bullen has done enough to get the job, he's done some good things but I still think tactically we don't have a plan b. We don't seem to know what to do when behind. As good as the Barnsley game was for example they didn't change the way they played. That for me all comes from the manager, a big issue with Jos Luhukay for example was his lack of ability to change games, if the opposition went in front, they'd win baring two occasions. It feels the same now. Obviously players have to take some responsibility for some of this as well but the main bulk of it comes from who's in the dugout.

For me from the names that have done the rounds very few actually appeal which is probably why someone isn't already in the dugout. Chris Hughton was an early favourite, apparently turned it down in favour of waiting for a Preamier League job, in fairness not exactly a bad reason. He probably will get one. Tony Pulis has been mentioned, as much as he'd bring a solidity and you know what you'd be getting I feel his best days are behind us. He didn't do well at Middlesbrough, his style of football wouldn't suit the group of players he'd have to work with at Hillsborough. Alex Neil is a name that has cropped up more recently. Wouldn't be a terrible choice for me, done well at Preston and has a promotion on his CV with Norwich. He knows the division and his stock appears to be pretty high. Gary Rowett now a well worn name in the Championship again wouldn't be terrible, did well at Burton and Birmingham, OK at Derby. Stoke appeared to be a tougher situation that we all thought it would be, he'd probably have something to prove and while he wouldn't be my choice he'd not be the worst name we could go for. Garry Monk while clearly has ability as a manager it would worry me why he's had 4 clubs in 4 years. Swansea, Leeds, Middlesbrough and Birmingham City have all moved Monk on and while some of them maybe haven't been the best run clubs it does make you wonder. It'd be a no from me. Nigel Pearson NO, just no. Ian Holloway not the worst name I've heard. At the very least he'd have an understanding of what Wednesday is about with the advantage of not having being here before. The worry with people who had been involved with the club before is that there's a certain worry for me of being sentimental and also a fear of doing things against what the fans might want. I'm not saying that's what's happening with Bullen but it might be one reason my results haven't flown.

For me the names that have interested me the most happen to be the ones who have been heavily linked with it at the time of writing this. Danny and Nicky Cowley the managerial duo who have revolutionised Lincoln City and masterminded their ascent up the leagues have been rumoured to be in talks with Wednesday after turning down the change to join recently relegated Huddersfield Town. As someone who likes to watch as much football as they can, the Cowley's have caught the eye, it's not every day you see a proper management duo. Danny may be the 'manager' but they come as a pair, the 2017 FA Cup run which saw them catch the headlines after making the Quarter Finals was only part of the their success. They won the National League title and then finished 7^th in League Two the year after losing to Exeter City in the Play Offs before winning the title in 2018/19. Add to that the 2018 Football League Trophy and a good start to this currant campaign. I think it's safe to say they are a pair on the rise.

Of course there would be risks, they have never managed at this level and would have to learn on the job as well as only able to work with the players available. Free agents are available of course but if there were many realistic options out there in the free market. Would they not have been singed already? At the end of the day, any appointment is a risk. It would make a refreshing change to got and get people who seem to be on the rise. People with something to prove and people who seem to have a record of staying somewhere for a period of time. They'd be my choice personally.

September

Regardless of what happens with the managerial situation. We still need to see improvement on the pitch. If Bullen is still in charge when we go to Huddersfield on Sunday the 15^th then we have to back him. Huddersfield have had a shocking start and we really need to be going there and winning if we have any hopes of challenging that top six in my opinion. Fulham at home will be tough but Middlesbrough away as well doesn't strike me as the tricky fixture of the past. Throw in the cup tie against Everton and it has a lot of potential this month.

Thanks for reading,

Tom

WAWAW (that's gone quiet again hasn't it?)

Sheffield Wednesday Season Preview: 2019/20

Well, that was boring uneventful summer wasn't it?

OK, maybe a hint of sarcasm there. It's been yet another summer full of talking points regarding Sheffield Wednesday. A second soft embargo, a retained list of key players, three signings that we all knew about ages before they were announced and... oh yeah the manager left. Let's get into it all.

Steve Bruce

I don't want to spend too much time talking about Steve Bruce, what's done is done and I'm sure everyone reading this will know all the facts anyway. For me the way it was handled by Bruce was poor and left a bitter taste in the mouth. Departing the way he did after Wednesday had been good to him, I feel massively for the chairman who after sacking Jos Luhukay back in December listened to the fans and appointed a manager who the fans wanted only for that manager to engineer a way out of the club. I have no issue with him wanting the Newcastle job but to resign to force our hand regarding the compensation of him and his staff meant Bruce went down in my estimations.

It does of course leave us with the dilemma of appointing a new manager, at the time of writing this no manager has been appointed and we already know Lee Bullen will lead the team down at Reading. For me the longer it goes on the better chance Bullen has of getting the job full time. While he wouldn't necessarily be my choice there are positives to him, he gets the club, he understands the fan base, he knows the players inside out and also knows the division inside out. Yes a lack of experience is a drawback but everyone has to start somewhere. Like I say, he's in the best possible position to get the job as it stands.

The one positive of all of this was the way the fans got behind the chairman. I saw people online who had been very critical of Chansiri over the last few years backing him over this and that was good to see. I think he's actually won quite a few people round because of it and that's very pleasing.

On the pitch

While all the chaos was going on off the pitch this summer, on the pitch has been fairly steady and there are a number of positives from the pre season schedule. A good ten days training out in Portugal before a training game against Shrewsbury was followed by a two friendly games in one day as the squads split, one to Lincoln and one to Stocksbridge where both ran out winners. Northampton away followed with some nice football played and good goals scored before heading out to Germany. Wednesday lost at VfB Lubeck before coming from two goals down to beat Holstein Kiel 3-2. Again some good football on display. Fletcher and Rhodes linking up well up front was a particular highlight. Finally the only home fixture of the campaign saw Wednesday host Espanyol in a friendly. For a friendly it was quite a decent game, we kept the ball really well and dominated the first twenty minutes or so and took the lead through Steven Fletcher's header after Barry Bannan's sumptuous cross, if you haven't seen that by the way, check it out. Tom Lees' ball to Bannan wasn't bad either. Their equaliser from Javier Diaz was wonderful, arguably the best goal scored against us for a while. Fernando Forestieri scored a 2^nd half penalty before Wu Lei made it 2-2 with not long left. It was a good work out which Wednesday edged. Other positives included the comfort on the ball from most of the players, Hutchinson, Lees and Borner keeping possession nicely throughout the first half. Kadeem Harris looked fantastic and looks to be a really clever addition and Moses Odbubajo also impressed on his first showing as a Wednesday player at Hillsborough.

Looking ahead

Looking ahead to the upcoming season, this Championship doesn't look as daunting as in previous years. That isn't to say it won't be as competitive as ever but I feel it's a more even division than before. Predicting it is even tougher. It's been an interesting summer, it's clear many clubs in the division are close to that EFL line so spending has been a lot lower this season with the exceptions of Bristol City and Brentford nobody is really splashing the cash. We ourselves have been under a soft embargo. While it's obviously not a good thing I do think it's been slightly overplayed by the media. Reasonable sources suggest it was only there because of the late accounts submission which seems to be in line with the EFL's Profit and Sustainability rules.

If I'm 100% honest I don't really know what to expect from this season from Wednesday. I don't think we'll finish in the top six, I don't think we'll be near the bottom six either. We have a squad that is capable and if we can avoid the injuries that have dogged us over the last two seasons and find some consistency then we might have a decent chance. The squad has underperformed for large spells over the last two or three years but the 2^nd half of last season did show that they can put a run together. It's worth remembering that since Jos left we've only lost 5 times. One to Chelsea in the FA Cup, one to Leeds who finished third, once to Villa who went up, once to Hull who were at the time the form team in Europe and the other was to QPR on the final day of the season when it didn't matter much anyway. At the end of the day we became a team that was organised and difficult to beat. Yes a lot of that was down to Bruce but if whoever gets the job can continue that pathway then hopefully we can be successful.

Who will be the key men?

Obviously when you look for the key players in this team it's difficult not to start with Barry Bannan, the Scotsman who begins his fifth season at Wednesday will be eager to have another crack at promotion. He's taken on the role of playmaker in the side and is probably first name on the teamsheet. His passing, his reading of situations, his leadership which has grown over the last couple of seasons all make him such a key player for us and his popularity with the fans is only increasing. He's my tip for our Player Of The Year award.

Keiren Westwood will always be on any list like this, there were rumours he wouldn't remain a Sheffield Wednesday player this season but the Irishman has signed a new 2 year deal and like Bannan is vastly popular. The confidence he gives to the back four is key and he's probably been worth a good number of points for Wednesday over the last few years. Keeping him fit and healthy will be key.

Keiran Lee is back fit and while it is a cliché will be like a new signing for us. We don't have another player like him, his ability to ghost through that midfield and end up on the end of something could be crucial. It was great to see him back on a football pitch at the end of last season and it's even better to see him now fully fit and ready to start this campaign.

Jordan Rhodes is back from a loan spell at Norwich and while the 'what shall we do with him' debate rumbles on I think it would be daft to move him on now after playing him throughout pre season. I still maintain if you have a fully fit and confidant Jordan Rhodes up front and give him the service he'll score goals. I've seen nothing to change my mind on that. It's also worth remembering that during Wednesday's four years or so under Chansiri trying to get promoted Rhodes has won promotion twice with Middlesbrough and Norwich in that time. Having that recent promotion experience might be an important weapon on the arsenal.

Kadeem Harris looks a real find, he has pace which I think we all can accept we've lacked over the last few years and he knows how to cross a ball. There's nothing like a good winger running with the ball and putting it into a dangerous area. I can foresee him being a popular player for Wednesday.

Fernando Forestieri for me will always make a list like this. Now at time of writing news has broken in the last hour or so that Fernando has been banned for six matches following the incident at Mansfield last year. It's already been announced he'll appeal that and I think that's all we can say on that for the moment. On the pitch he's still probably our best player, a player who can pull something out of nothing. I know the last few years have been disrupted by injury and I know there are still sections of fans who think he's not worth the fuss but I challenge you to find a better player who wouldn't cost us an arm and a leg to sign. We have to stick with him and unlock that potential in him again for me.

Adam Reach of course always catches the eye. The once thing you'd say about Adam is that he needs to score more tap ins to add to his collection of fabulous goals. This could be a big year for Reach, he's had a couple of years of being one of the key men in an under performing team. Now is a good chance to be that in a team that is challenging.

A good start could be key

Again it's another cliché but a good start could be massive for us. The main reason I say this is Wednesday have a habit of slow starts. Last season I think most fans would say the start was average to middling. The facts showed it was our best return in terms of points to a 2^nd tier season since 1990. We know slow starts have cost us in previous years. 15/16 is a good example of that, the form post September was pretty good but the first month really did for us. 16/17 the same. We've been given a start which on paper isn't as tough as maybe it could have been. While I think it's harder than some people have given it credit for it's still fair to say Wednesday should be looking at winning the majority of those games. Home games with Barnsley, Luton and QPR shouldn't provide as big a test as some of the other teams in the division. Away games at Reading, Millwall and Preston do provide a bit of test. We have to be looking at least 12 points from those first six games if we have serious ambitions of the top six in my opinion.

Prediction

So here we are, time to lay my neck on the line. I'll say we'll finish 9^th. It's a position I've had in my head for a while. I just don't quite think we have enough to finish in the top six and I can't see that changing massively between now and the end of the window. I'd love to be proved wrong on that one.

Player Of The Year: I'll got for Barry Bannan, I think this might be the year where he actually gets some proper recognition from the rest of the footballing world.

Top scorer: I'll say Jordan Rhodes, yes he has his critics and doubters. I'd love it if he shut them up, I'd love it if he fired us into the play offs or better. He'd deserve it.

Most assists: It's hard not to say Bannan on this one but I do think Harris might run him close. Adam Reach as well is a shout.

Surprise player: This is a bit of an odd one as I don't even really know what I mean. I suppose what I'm getting at is someone who people wouldn't be expecting anything from. Julian Borner might well be that man, people have spent a lot of the summer telling the club to sign Michael Hector and while that would no doubt be a good move we may have already replaced him with Borner. He's looked composed on the ball and also looks a fairly strong player. It will be interesting to see how he gets on.

So there we have it, a preview and prediction ahead of the 2019/20 season. Lets hope it's a good season, we as fans can't do much other than support the lads. We've got a nice new kit as well which appeals to what fans have been asking for for a while. We've had a decent pre season on the pitch. Let's got and attack this division. You never know, look at the crap that went up last year (not you Norwich and Villa)

Thanks for reading

Tom

WAWAW (We're still allowed to do that as far as I know)

My Top 5 Sheffield Wednesday Home Kits

My Top 5 Sheffield Wednesday Home Kits

 

During a week of talk of embargos, trademarks and non signings it would be easy to write a blog full of hearsay (not the band) and rumour speculating on all that. Instead lets lighten the mood slightly with a look back at some of the kits we've had over the years. This is my top five kits we've had during my time supporting the club.

Number 5 2011/12

Now I have to be honest, when this kit was first revealed in that odd joint sponsorship deal with Sheffield United I can't say I was much of a fan. It was a diversion away from what we'd had with a collar and a smaller stripe either side of the usual thicker stripe. However after purchasing the shirt it became a favourite. Of course it helped that the season was so memorable as Wednesday secured promotion to the Championship from League One with 93 points finishing 2^nd just ahead of...oh yeah Sheffield United. It was a memorable season with so many key points but who could forget the 1-0 over the blades at Hillsborough. This kit will be synonymous with that Chris O'Grady goal and fan favourite Jose Semedo's iconic celebration. The 2^nd of four Puma kits we had between 2009/10 and 2013/14 it also gave a nod to the previous shirt's partnership with the Sheffield Children's hospital with the bear logo on the back of the shirt. A nice touch. It was also interesting as it was the first kit we'd had since 1997 so have blue shorts which made a change from the usual black.

Number 4 2015/16

Ah yes, the Wembley kit. This one also wasn't one I was massively keen on when it first emerged. Again no real strong reason why. Once bought however I liked it. It had the look and feel of a proper Wednesday shirt. It was also the last shirt with that particular badge which I know wasn't popular with a section of the fans but I liked it. Again this shirt went with a collar and it suited it. A classy looking kit that accompanied a great season. Games like Arsenal in the league cup, Cardiff to secure the play offs and the first leg at Hillsborough against Brighton means this kit holds special memories among the fans.

Number 3 2003/04-2004/05

 

Again a kit that accompanies a great season in 2004/05 but this kit also accompanies our worst season since relegation from the Premier League. 2003/04 was a disaster lets face it. Several players who needed shifting on and a manager out of his depth but the kit was nice and it was retained for the 2004/05 season in which Wednesday secured promotion to the Championship via the play offs at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. A thicker striped kit that the previous version it was Diadora's 2^nd of three kits made for Wednesday. Mostly blue but with the only white being the stripes, name and number on the back. As time goes on for me it becomes ever more an iconic kit, that image of Lee Bullen lifting the trophy is as iconic as they come and so is the one later on in the dressing room with the cans.

Number 2 1999/00

We'll get the negative bit out of the way first. Yeah we go relegated, we had a dreadful season. It was a pretty bad time to be a Wednesday fan. We looked good doing though. Although you could argue it's basically the 2005 kit with a different badge and sponsor that isn't necessarily a bad thing in my opinion. Again lots of blue and black shorts with a blue trim. I quite like socks that have the badge on and this has that which I think looks good. It's a shame the team didn't perform to the levels the kit set.

Number 1 2018/19

 

So we come to the number one kit, it happens to be the one we've just spent the last 10 months or so watching. I accept that there is an element of it being fresh in the mind so it stands out and that is true but there are a couple of things that really make it stand out to me. First of all, we had two years away from the traditional stripes and I don't really want to open up the stripes argument but to me a Sheffield Wednesday shirt without stripes isn't right. So it was nice to see them return. Also it combined the only standout positive of the last two kits for me which was the solid back. Again I know a lot of people don't like the solid blue back but I think it looks better. The name and numbers of the players stand out and it looks classy. The black accompanying it looks good as does the gold lettering of the sponsor. The shorts and socks look nice adding to a smashing kit overall.

So there we have it, my top five kits of what I suppose you could call the modern era. What are your favourites? Were there any I missed out or are there any in here that you think are shockers?

All the pictures are from http://www.historicalkits.co.uk, check them out. You can spend hours browsing the different kits of all teams across England and Scotland.

Copyright Historical Football Kits and reproduced by kind permission.

Thanks for reading

Tom

WAWAW (We're still doing that right?)