My Thoughts On Tony Pulis

So, here we are again. Once again at the beginning of another Sheffield Wednesday managerial reign. This time it's the turn of the much experienced Tony Pulis to take charge of the Hillsborough hot seat. In this blog I want to give my thoughts on it and how it could play out at S6.

The End of Monk

Firstly I want to start off by saying that It's a shame it didn't work out for Garry Monk. For me he lost the fans during that awful week with defeats to Luton, Rotherham and Wycombe leaving us, at the time on -4 points. Obviously the decision by the interdependent commission on appeal to reduce the 12 point penalty to 6 took Wednesday to 5 points after beating AFC Bournemouth the night before before adding another point against Millwall the following weekend. To me though, as I think people will agree with the decision was made before that Bournemouth game. It's a shame it didn't work out for Monk and I do feel he can point to certain things going against him but overall it was the right decision.

Who did I want?

Personally after looking at some of the names being linked with the job, I wanted David Wagner, however realistic that was I don't know but ultimately we have gone down the route of experienced and I'm fairly happy with it. Tony Pulis fits what Sheffield Wednesday need now, someone who plays to his teams strengths, puts round pegs in round holes and makes his teams hard to beat. Like it or not, all those things are we need. It's all very well saying you want pretty football but to get that and combine it with the battling qualities we need to stay in the Championship, you aren't going to get it.

Style of Play

To be completely honest, I've never much cared about how Wednesday play as long as they win. Don't get me wrong we all want to be entertained but for me when it comes to my own team I want to win, enjoyment comes from winning when it's Wednesday. It's also unfair to say Pulis' style is always negative or boring. Stoke weren't boring, neither were his Palace team. West Brom were solid and while yes I accept it didn't go well at Middlesbrough they were still hard to beat for most of his time there. Someone who can make Wednesday hard to beat, be organised and tough to play against is something we need. We've been to easy to play against more often than not since the 2017 Play Offs. That must change.

Bannan and Westwood

There has been a lot of talk since Pulis was first linked to the job about Bannan and Westwood. On Bannan, the comments he made in a 2019 interview with Open Goal's Si Ferry were nowhere near as controversial as made out. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since Pulis told Bannan he wasn't required at Crystal Palace, back then Bannan was a squad player in his early 20's, now at 30 and club captain I highly doubt Pulis will not want to utilise Bannan. He's said as much in his first press conference, I could maybe seeing him moving Bannan more to the left a bit like how Carlos Carvalhal utilised him in 2015/16.

As for Westwood, I think it's fair to say he will be involved. While I'm not so sure on this decision it has lifted the fans. I think it's unrealistic to expect the Keiren Westwood of three years ago to be back between the sticks. He lost his place last year based on form, nothing else. While you could argue Dawson and Wildsmith maybe haven't done enough to earn the number one slot outright (I'd disagree personally) Westwood hasn't played for a year, he was already on the decline. If he does however come back into the team I hope he proves me wrong. Nothing would please me more I can assure you.

Expectations

For me it's very simple, this season is, and always has been about survival. Being a Championship club at 5PM on the 8^th of May. That's where we need to be, hopefully we'll be well safe by then. But it would be remiss of us to just forget that, it would still be a big achievement to stay up. We have the quality to do it. Pulis has never been relegated, that is his bread and butter. He's a firefighter and that was what we needed. Fingers crossed he can get off to a good start and keep us in the division.

Thanks for reading

Tom

WAWAW

Minus 7, It's getting warmer at Hillsborough.

So, the first international break is behind us and once again we turn focus on the Championship. Wednesday for me have made a steady start to a difficult challenge of season 20/21. Lets take a more in depth look.

Minus 7

We sit now on -7 points after a win, two draws and a defeat as well as a third round exit in the League Cup. Personally I think we've done well, nobody would have had Wednesday winning down at Cardiff on opening day and to come away with a win and a clean sheet was massively pleasing. Following that up with the Watford draw it was a great start. Bristol City while disappointing in result still had positives. We've been the better side in most of the first halfs since lockdown and it's been capitalising on that that has been the issue. QPR again while a frustrating finish was a decent performance. We're still developing, only today we've added two faces in the forms of Aden Flint and Jack Marriott who join Callum Paterson in arriving after the season started. All three for me add quality, experience in in the case of Paterson a promotion winner from this division.

There's been a bit of debate around the formation over the international break, for me I like the way we line up. It suits the players we have and with the depth we have at centre back we can rotate well as well as up front with the recent additions. Again it has to be said that any player who chooses to come here must have something about them, that is the kind of character we need at Hillsborough.

Also it must be said, it's great to see Dominic Iorfa and Barry Bannan both stay despite reported interest elsewhere. Both will be key in Wednesday's battle against the drop. Bannan in my opinion is our best player, we'd already be in League One if it wasn't for his creativity and he's clearly a leader and popular in the dressing room. For me getting him to sign a new deal has to be something of an off the field priority.

The Next Five Games

For me, if we're being 100% realistic and honest with ourselves the next five games will tell us a lot about how this season will pan out. With all due respect to the clubs involved, there is only really Brentford who worry me. All the other games, as with a lot of the games in this division are winnable. Birmingham, Brentford, Luton, Rotherham and Wycombe offer the chance for Wednesday to really get to work on making sure they are into positive equity before the end of the month. For me if we do that then we are on track to stay in this division.

Thanks for reading

Tom

WAWAW

Sheffield Wednesday 2020/21: Season Preview

 

A challenge like no other in a season like no other. That sounds a very Sheffield Wednesday thing doesn't it? Here were are then, a day or so out from the first competitive game of season 2020/21. It is, as like a lot of things still at the moment, a bit odd. It's strange to be sitting here in early September without having played a competitive game yet and only having had one friendly but given the the events of last six months lets be grateful we are at least starting again.

Points deduction

Obviously anyone reading this will know the situation. We don't need to go over ground which has been done to death over the last few months. We start on minus 12 points, it's not ideal and the reasons why will be debated for years to come I'm sure. I want to focus mainly on the pitch in this blog, debates over FFP and Stadium sales can be for another corner of the internet.

Personally looking at the current Wednesday squad and the division as a whole even with a minus 12 start Wednesday should (and I stress that word) remain in the Championship. Yeah the 2^nd half of 2019/20 was terrible, we don't need reminding of that fact. But based on the ability in that squad of players it's still good enough to accumulate enough points to stay up. That's not to say it won't be a challenge and there won't be tough periods, there will. I think whenever you're in this kind of situation you have to accept that and the quicker that is done the easier it will be.

Monk

As someone who has backed Garry Monk during that tough 2^nd half of last season it was pleased to see him finally allowed to bring in his own coaching staff. That isn't the say there was necessarily issues with the old guard but sometimes you need to freshen things up, have your own people in who know how you work and what you want from the players and know how best to implement that information. Clearly Monk has a long standing relationship with James Beattie and Daryl Flahavan from their days at Southampton and have worked together at numerous different football clubs. Andy Hughes has moved across from a year managing Sheffield United's U23's to a first team role at Wednesday and personally I really enjoyed all three giving their thoughts to the club's YouTube channel, some really interesting points made about players earning their right to play. Sounds simple but how often has it felt there hasn't been that at times over the last few years?

It's a big challenge for Monk this, he needs to start well. There is pressure on him of that there is no doubt and he's not helped by things not in his control. He's inherited a situation not of his own making and trying to get results while changing the culture of a club is never easy. We have to back him though in my opinion. The club really doesn't need another managerial change, I like Monk and a lot of the things he says and if we start well there is no reason why we can't make this a relatively enjoyable season.

Siege Mentality: Wednesday Against The World

Stick with me on this one. I think there is potential for this points deduction to be a good thing for the club. Wednesday fans for a while have needed something to get behind, something to unify the supporters and this might be that. In the coming days and weeks all the predictions will come out and I guarantee you most will have Wednesday to go down. Not necessarily because we're one of the worst sides but because it's easy. We're starting on -12 points and had a rubbish 2^nd half of last season. It's easy content for the lazy pundits out there. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we're going to make them all look stupid but it is something to stick on the wall, make it known that the rest of the football world has written Wednesday off. Wednesday in my time supporting them have always been a side that have coped better being the under the radar team than the established favourite. It just seems to suit us, I don't know why that is or when it may have started but it's the case from what I've seen, heard and read over the years.

I defiantly think over the last few years we as a fan base have cared too much about what other clubs and fans think. I've seen it over the last few weeks with everything that has gone on with FFP and the rest, other clubs fans wading in for their say. Who cares? Most of them don't even know why Wednesday were even charged. Some think we're in administration, if they can't be bothered to do the research why should we give a toss what they think? It makes no sense to worry about that. Forget other clubs, they aren't our issue, we're here for this one.

Summer business and the Squad

At the time of writing Wednesday have signed five players this summer after releasing a number of players at the end of 19/20. Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Chey Dunkley, Izzy Brown, Elias Kachunga and Josh Windass have all put pen to paper on deals with Wendesday. Windass is of course no stranger to us and apart from young Fis, they all arrive with a degree of Championship experience. All have played against Wednesday, Brown and Kachunga no doubt have fond memories of Hillsborough from their time at Huddesfield Town, we won't talk about that though eh lads.

They add much needed bodies to a squad that needed reshaping. We still lack in forwards, I think that is clear. Only Jordan Rhodes and Charles Hagan are out and out strikers. The Rhodes debate will rumble on, personally I still feel you give the bloke the service he'll score you goals but for one reason or another that hasn't happened. I know it's something that splits opinion and probably something that will go down in Owls fandom debate forever, for me. He's here and he's our best source of regular goals, use him. Allow others to do the off the ball stuff and keep him in the box. Provide service for him to thrive on, you don't just stop being the best striker outside of the Premier League, which Rhodes undoubtedly was. There has to be more too it than that.

As for the rest of the pitch, Barry Bannan has taken the captains armband from Tom Lees. This caused a bit of debate on social media when it was announced. Personally I wouldn't have handed Lees the armband in the first place, not because I don't rate him or have anything against him but he never struck me as a natural captain. Bannan is probably the obvious choice of the players at the club. He's our best player, he has a good relationship with the supporters and his team mates and he's the heartbeat of the side. As Monk has said it may bring the best out of him and I personally think not having the armband will bring out the best in Tom Lees. Allowing him to focus on his own game, especially in the less familiar back three.

There are still parts of the squad that could do with work, a left back I think is needed but less of a priority if we do stick with the 3 at the back. Matt Penney is back after a year in Germany, I won't shy away from the fact that I don't feel as convinced by Penney as others. That's not to say I don't think he has qualities, I do. But I think we need to see more consistency from him. You'd say it's between him and Harris for that LWB slot. An interesting battle give both probably have a point to prove.

Keeper will once again be an interesting selection choice for Monk, both did well against Leicester and both made a decent save a piece. Wildsmith ended the season fairly well, I'd probably expect him to get the nod to be honest. Dawson I don't feel deserved anywhere near the criticism he got last season, I do feel he gets a harder ride with the fans for things that aren't really his fault. Being seen as “Jos'” man still seems to be an issue in my opinion. That isn't to say he hasn't made mistakes, all those who have played in goal did last season. That's kind of the issue, there is no standout number one.

The midfield has been a topic of debate for a while now. Personally I like the idea of a fully fit Massimo Luongo alongside Bannan in the middle with Brown just ahead of them. It gives us a nice balance, we've lacked someone like Brown who can take some of the responsibility away from Bannan for the last couple of years. It will be interesting to see how much game time Alex Hunt gets this season.

A Good Start Is Key

We tend to say every year that a good start is important but this year it is even more so. We haven't been given the easiest of starts in terms of fixtures. Cardiff away, Watford at home and Bristol City away in September. None of them are games I would have chosen to have so early on. October is key for me. If we're still on minus points by the end of October then it'll be a tough ask to stay up. That's not being defeatist or negative, it's just realism. We have QPR, Brentford and Luton at home and Birmingham, Rotherham and Wycombe away. We'll have played nine league games by the end of October. It'd be hard to see us being able to reel too many sides in if we weren't back in positive equity by then.

Having said all that, this is the Championship and pandemic or no pandemic, points deduction or no points deduction this division is always mental. There will be twists and turns, managerial casualties, moments of brilliance and moments of madness. There isn't another division quite like this one.

Fans

Obviously as I've mentioned throughout this piece, this is a season like no other. Fans may be allowed back into grounds in October providing test events go as smoothly as possible. I do think to a certain extent football is being given a rough ride in this regard from those in charge when other things seem to be able to go ahead without too much fuss. That isn't a debate for now and it's not me saying football fans should definitely be allowed back in. Any sensible person appreciates the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nobody is suggesting it's more important to get people into grounds than it is to keep people safe but football is a massive part of people's lives. Club's are huge parts of communities.

In terms of this season, it'd be nice to think maybe there could be a bit more togetherness in the fanbase. It's been very mixed on social media this summer, I've seen some very good points made and some very upbeat comments and I've seen the opposite. Like I've always said, winning football matches makes things look a lot better regardless of how bad they actually are. It'll be a tough season, I'm not denying that and there might be times where it looks bleak but I think we might just be OK.

Predictions

In terms of a position it's very hard to say, the best way I can sum my own feels up are to answer these questions.

Do I think Wednesday will stay in the Championship? Yes

Do I think Wednesday will finish in the top half? Probably Not

Do I think Wednesday have any chance of the Play Offs? No

Put is this way, if Wednesday finish 21^st by a goal scored in the last second away at Derby on the 8^th of May then I'd take it. I hope it won't come down to a final day decider.

Anyway that's enough rambling, lets hope for a good start away at Walsall in the Cup.

Thanks for reading,

Tom

WAWAW

Sheffield Wednesday Season 19/20: A review (of sorts)

Well well well, here we are. At the end of what I think was the weirdest season I've ever seen as a Sheffield Wednesday supporter. Obviously the last few months have been very strange for everyone and when something like a global pandemic happens football is put into perspective. However football does play a massive part in many people's lives. I'll attempt to give some kind of review here of a season that was, well just a bit mental from the off really.

Bruce Bounces and Monk Moves In

For me, and people may well disagree. A lot of Sheffield Wednesday's issues for this season lay with Steve Bruce deciding to leave for Newcastle United in pre season. The last thing Sheffield Wednesday needed in the summer of 2019 was another managerial change. So for it to come about the way it did left a bitter taste in the mouth. I've heard a few people over the time since it happened say, “well just go and get someone else like him” if that manager was available they would have been appointed back in September wouldn't they? It's far from as simple as people seem to have made it out to be. That isn't a slight on Garry Monk, I have a lot of sympathy for Monk and I'll come to why later, he just isn't as good a manager as Steve Bruce, that's just a fact.

Of course anyone reading this will undoubtedly know the story of the season. At Christmas we sat third in the league with hopes of at least staying around the play off positions. We sit here now at the end of the campaign after finishing 16^th. It doesn't take a genius to work out something went majorly wrong in the 2^nd half of the season. We went from being a team that was in every game even if they weren't playing particularly well to a team that was conceding an average of two goals per game. That's a frightening decline and if it wasn't for Hull's shocking loss of form it would probably be a bigger story wider than the local media.

Monk In or Monk Out?

It's probably an unpopular opinion but I think you have to back Monk, you have to understand what he's had to work with. A squad that's needed reshaping for two years, unable to have his own backroom staff with him, unable to spend the money previous managers have had. He's had to deal with the off the pitch drama of the EFL charge which again was nothing to do with him. Yes people will point to the drop off in the 2^nd half of the season but you also have to take the whole season into account. You also have to take into account what's happened in the past. Has changing manager after manager really worked? Not really. Do Wednesday need to back a plan and actually give a manager some time to build a squad of his own making and implement his own ideas? Yes. Monk has had 10 months to asses what he needs and where we need to strengthen. If you bring someone else in they won't have that knowledge, changing for changes sake hasn't worked before and I don't see it working now. Unless you went out and got a top top manager who can work wonders at once what's the point? That kind of manager isn't going to come here with the club in the position it is. We have to accept where we are, you can talk all day about history and how big a club we are and potential. We aren't as an attractive proposition as other clubs in my opinion.

So what next? How do Wednesday kick on from here?

For me, the key things Wednesday need to do are as follows;

• Employ a Director Of Football/Sporting Director
• Employ a Commercial Director
• Implement a plan for both recruitment and across the rest of the footballing side of the club
• Lower ticket prices, try and get some sort of POTG crowd back./Encourage younger fans and families

Don't get me wrong, I do think some of these things are already there in principal, the recruitment I think in the last 18 months has been decent. Iorfa, Luongo, Borner, Harris all good additions as well as the loan signing of Murphy. We need more of those types of signings where they have some form of resale value or we are getting them where they can perform at a certain level for 40 odd games a season.

I do think the arrival of a Commercial Director that could communicate with the fans would be a big help. That's not to say the people already at the club don't do a good job, but this is something different. There is a gap between the club and it's supporters, I think that's kind of obvious. Trying to close that gap with off field matters would at least build a bit of trust within the fan base. You can never guarantee results but if you're winning small battles off the pitch that can go a long way in my opinion.

EFL Charge and hopes for Next Season

At the time of writing there has still been no decision made by the Independent Commission on the case involving Wednesday and the EFL. Obviously the outcome of that has a fairly big impact on the planning for next season. We don't know if we will still be in the Championship which as we all know is just ridiculous. Of course regardless of the decision there will be an appeal from the losing side meaning more than likely it will only drag on for even longer. For me any punishment should we lose should apply to next season, it would have done anyway as far as I am aware as the trial was originally scheduled for July. The idea that we could be relegated based because of a decision made after the season has been concluded is completely unfair of the club. It will no doubt have a major impact on how much the club can do in the summer. A summer already shortened by the Covid-19 situation.

For me, regardless of Wednesday's outcome the EFL needs a reform. It needs independent people from outside football governing it. Rules that are there to not punish ambition and stringent tests in place to stop situations like Bury and Wigan from happening. I love football but I find myself increasingly less enthusiastic at times when so much discussion is that of off the field matters. End of the day most football fans aren't legal experts of people with great interests in balance sheets or profit margins. They want their team to do well and are interested in goals and assists stats and what flavour pie is available.

So that's all for now, I'll probably be back with another blog in the next few weeks. Been a while since I've written anything to do with Wednesday.

Thanks for reading,

Tom

WAWAW (Oh yeah we won that, that was good wasn't it.)

Sheffield Wednesday 2019/20: February Review Part Two

Well, another few games down and once again a lot of talking points regarding Sheffield Wednesday. Another three games in February and some very up and down emotions.

The Matches

Birmingham City

We travelled to Birmingham on the back of the Reading defeat with not a lot of expectation, personally I'd have taken a point before the game. What we got was an odd game with some good positives and some negatives. Conceding early on wasn't idea and you had to admit you were expecting a bit of a capitulation, what you got was a decent response and Barry Bannan managed to get a goal that he'll have thoroughly enjoyed given his Villa connections. Once again we shot ourselves in the foot by allowing Birmingham back into it through poor defending. A penalty however got us back level at 2-2, from there Wednesday probably should have won the game. We deserved to be in front at 3-2 and while Birmingham had their chances Wednesday looked the better side and should have finished off through Murphy only for Scott Hogan to do what Scott Hogan does and finish chances presented to him. Overall I was fairly pleased with the point and felt it was something to build on.

Charlton Athletic

After the Birmingham game we were back at Hillsborough for a chilly Wednesday night under the lights against Lee Bowyer's Charlton. Before the game it had the feel of a big one, arguably the biggest of the season given the run of form and we needed a win and a performance and in fairness we got both. While it's fair to say Charlton aren't a great side they still have quality within their ranks and as ever when a side comes and sits deep it can be difficult. I thought we played well and deserved the three points. Fletcher coming on gave us a different outlet and immediately gave us a different impetus. We created some really good chances and it should have been more than 1-0. The goal coming when it did sparked some great scenes. Celebrating goals, especially winners is what football is all about. It was a fantastic moment, when you haven't scored since the 29^th of December I think you're entitled to enjoy a last minute winner, I really didn't understand the criticism we got for it.

Derby County

Following the positive of the Charlton win there was a bit more optimism around for the arrival of Derby County. That was dashed within half an hour after Derby found themselves 3-0 up. It was a very poor first 45 minutes, a complete disaster really. The worst part of it for me was that Derby didn't have to play well. We gave them so much space, so much freedom. The biggest concern I have with the form since Christmas was that win, lose or draw we were in games and were competing in them from minute 1 to 90+. We aren't doing that enough, Birmingham and Charlton both had good sides to them and the 2^nd half against Derby was alright but when you're already 3-0 it's little comfort. Josh Windass and Dominic Iorfa made a huge difference and both I feel should start down at Brentford. It was a poor afternoon and once again questions were raised about a number of different things. It want to tough on some of them in a moment. What I will say is whatever your opinion on the players, Chansiri, Monk or whoever, Hillsborough is not a nice place a the moment. Toxic is the word being banded around, it's hard to find a better one to be honest.

Connor Wickham

One player who is splitting opinion at the moment is the on loan Palace striker Connor Wickham, for me personally some of the criticism has been very unfair. While he's yet to find the back of the net in his third spell here he's still shown glimpses of real quality. He's not 100% match sharp and that is obvious but that won't come without having time on the pitch. Regardless of your opinion on him that is just fact, it's the same with Fletcher, looked way off it fitness wise at Birmingham, better at Charlton and off it again against Derby, it takes time. Wickham will score goals if given the service and time on the pitch. There were some good links with Forestieri and Fletcher against Charlton and also with Windass against Derby. We have t stick with the lad. Slating him won't do any good.

Monk

Once again following the defeat to Derby there were a lot of calls for Garry Monk to leave the club, once again I feel that sacking Monk wouldn't change much going on at Hillsborough. The time to judge Monk in reality is probably the end of next season, regardless of where that may or may not be. Obviously circumstances in football change quickly but at some point Wednesday need to actually back something for a sustained period of time. Changing for changes sake doesn't work. All these calls for certain ex managers or people like Sam Allardyce are just not going to happen. It feels like the desperation within the fan base is so great that they'll say anything in the hope it happens.

Manchester City

Tomorrow night, Manchester City are in town. Now while I expect little from the game in terms of a result I'll still be going, with hope and will get behind the team. A lot of people aren't going and that's a shame, I understand it to an extent, the prices aren't as cheap as maybe you'd have hope and while I don't think they're too bad I do feel the club had missed a bit of an opportunity to really give something back to the fans here. I've seen a few people saying, play the youngsters, I don't agree with that at all, can you imagine if they were thrashed heavily? That wouldn't do any of them any good. Personally I'd just give it a go, treat it as a free hit. We have nothing to lose. Expect nothing but have some hope, that's all you can treat it as really.

Overall it's been a tough month, we need to see some signs of change at the club for me, regardless of how the EFL's investigation and subsequent points deduction goes we have to have some kind of plan in place or the club won't move forward.

Thanks for reading,

Tom

Sheffield Wednesday 2019/20: February Review Part 1

Well, what a few weeks that's been eh? As there are a total of seven games in February and a whole lot of things to talk about off the pitch I've decided to split it into two blogs this month. As per usual it'll be more a ramble than any sort of structured piece. No real insight just the opinions of a fan.

The Matches

Millwall

We started the months with a visit from Millwall, it was a game that we needed to see a reaction to after the disappointing result and performance at Wigan. That might become a theme over the next few games. Millwall to be fair to them are a decent side under Gary Rowett and I don't think a point against them is the worst result ever. It was a fairly uneventful game with a large lack of quality but there were a couple of sparks, Alessio De Cruz made his debut off the bench while there was a return to the squad for Fernando Forestieri. Both offered something different and while it was 0-0 there was a slight sign of progress.

Barnsley

Following the Millwall game we made the short trip to Barnsley who aren't having the best of seasons. New signings Connor Wickham and Josh Windass made their debuts from the start and Alessio De Cruz made his first start and Fernando Forestieri also started, I was pleased with the line up as Barnsley defensively have been lacking and Wednesday looked on paper to be going for it. It started fairly well with a debut goal for Windass but after than Barnsley were the better side and deserved to win the game. Yes there was an error from Cameron Dawson and while it was an error that cost us the criticism for me was over the top. Dawson actually made a couple of very good saves to keep us level. It was a poor display and worrying that we'd gone out to attack and done very little of it. I felt for the front players as there wasn't a lot being created for them. Wickham's best chance was created pretty much all by himself. We need to do more in the middle of the pitch and give the forwards something to work with.

Luton

Following the disappointing displayed at Oakwell, Luton represented a chance for Wednesday to get a result on the board. No disrespect to the Bedfordshire side but they were bottom of the league having not kept a clean sheet at home all season. Were we actually that surprised with what was served up? I can't say I was, I try to be as positive as possible and if it was a one off I'd be a lot less worried by it but it isn't it's too often now that these players have let the fans down. We were hopeless, no ideas, not a great deal of effort from some. Yes the formation change probably didn't help but in fairness to Monk at least he's trying to find something, his players aren't helping him out much. From the moment Luton kicked off they caught us cold and won a penalty after 15 seconds, it sums the recent run up. We've become easy to play against, no confidence, easy to break down. It was a really bad night for Wednesday.

Reading

So now we come to Saturday's game against Reading, Reading not in great form themselves turned up and I must admit I didn't feel confidant at all, I'll touch on this more in a bit but the mood around the club is awful. The game itself probably wasn't as bad as Luton, conditions were awful, swirling wind and rain. Reading deserved to win no doubt, there was some effort and commitment and I will point out one positive was seeing Liam Palmer as captain, a player who's come through the ranks and does give everything he has. We actually did OK in the first half but switched off to allow Reading in for their first. The 2^nd goal killed the game really and after that it was an inevitable slide towards the third. A bad day but one that was expected, people are staying away and it's hard to fine much to be positive around the club at the moment.

Garry Monk

I'll start this bit by saying that I'm no fan of sacking managers and I don't think we should sack Garry Monk. He's inherited a bad situation for me, this squad needs gutting and rebuilding. Monk deserves the chance to do that in the summer. We can't keep lurching from one thing to the next, as much as the situation is bad it really would just be ignoring the wider issues at the football club. Yeah we're on a bad run and Monk has to take some responsibility for that but is it not maybe better to stick with a manager for a while rather than constantly changing, it hasn't worked for a long time now has it? Is that all on the managers?

What needs to change?

Firstly I think it's important to acknowledge that I respect Mr Chansiri and the investment he's put into our club, I get that some people will not agree with that but for me it's worth respecting. In terms of what he can do to try and move the club forward I have a few thoughts on it. I'm by no means an expert on how to run a football club but I do feel as though there are some obvious areas we need to improve.

Firstly a director of football or a sporting director, whatever the title bring someone into the club who understands football and the different nuances that come with it. It isn't like any other business, it's constantly changing and we seem to lack that football person within the club who might just made a small difference in a number of ways. We also need a commercial director, personally I don't think the club has moved with the times enough over recent years and the only period I thought we did was when Katrien Meire was here, people might disagree with that but at least she seemed to understand what fans wanted from the club off the pitch. Both these I'm sure aren't too hard to find.

As for the overall club, we need a plan. What is our recruitment policy at the moment? Nobody seems to know and I think that's down to the fact we haven't had one for a while. Admittedly the recruitment has been better over the last year or so. Iorfa, Borner, Harris all good examples of this. The profile of the players at least now seems to be right so credit must go to the club for doing that but that still doesn't mean we don't need a long term strategy. If we do come out and tell us, I think part of the reason Chansiri doesn't communicate as much as the fans would maybe like is that he feels that the reaction won't be good. I actually think he'd gain a lot from telling the fans the plan and to communicate with us more. I disagree that there is apathy around the fans at the moment, I think they want to support they just aren't sure what it is they're supposed to be seeing.

I'm not saying we have to be a Brentford who are probably 'too good' at it or Barnsley who stick too much to one plan that has cost them but we need to know the vast majority of our signings are of a certain type. Regardless of what happens this season or with the EFL we have to put a plan in place. Spending big and gambling didn't work and we have to lay that one to rest and build back up again. It might be a process that takes a few seasons but I think most fans would be willing to get behind that if they knew what the eventual end goal was.

Another thing that need addressing is the pricing and facilities at Hillsborough, for me the prices have always been to expensive since they were raised in the summer of 2015, we all know that the reasoning behind this was to increase the amount we could spend on the playing staff. While this kind of made sense and he could back it up with two decent seasons it'll be difficult to see people willing to pay those prices much longer, especially if the worst happened and the club dropped into League One.

I'll say again, I like Chansiri and respect him I just feel as though he put too much stall on promotion to the Premier League and not enough attention to the wider aspects of the club. Yeah we all want to be in the top flight and it's hard not to look up the road and see what's gone on at Bramall Lane and think where they were not so long ago. But as galling as that is it does represent what having a plan and backing a manager can do.

Obviously there is no guaranteed way to get success, it is down to Chansiri for me to come out and tell the fans what the plan is. Give them something to get behind, try and build something long term.

Thanks for reading

Tom

Sheffield Wednesday 2019/20: January Review

Well with January coming to a close here we are again to look through the first month of 2020. It's been a busy one to say the least.

The Matches

Hull City

2020 started with a home game against Hull City, we hadn't beaten the tigers since 2007 on home turf so it would have been nice to end that run. Lets pull no punches here, it was rubbish. It was a poor game that lacked quality and a less than inspiring start to the new year. Hull won it 1-0 with the only real moment in the game where Jarrod Bowen popped up with the winner. There's a lot that's gone on since this game and to be honest I could have a rant in a few of them but these kinds of games are the problem for me, at home, against a side that isn't great where we have to set the tempo and we don't do it. Yes you could argue it was just a few days after Cardiff but that's no excuse really. All round a disappointing display.

Brighton

The FA Cup started with a long trip to Brighton, I have to say with the weird way football is that I fancied us to do something. A changed Wednesday team went down there and did very well and fully deserved the 1-0 win. Brighton also made changes but there were still some very good players on show and in fairness to Wednesday were still probably favourites. Obviously the inclusion of Osaze Urhoghide in the first team was a talking point. We played well and didn't look out of place in the side. His post match interview of course has caught the eye and brought about some much needed good publicity for the club. Overall a good performance and result and for a team that hasn't done much in the FA Cup for a long time now it would be nice to have a real run in it.

Leeds

After that good win at Brighton another big trip to Leeds United. Obviously whenever we go to Elland Road it's a big game. This year seemed slightly bigger given both clubs were in a decent position and have spent time in the top six. Leeds started the brighter as you'd expect but a lack of finishing cost them as despite having a number of chances they failed to penetrate Wednesday's defence. In the 2^nd half Wednesday grew more into it and had chances through Sam Winnall who just couldn't find the target before Jacob Murphy late on managed to find the back of the net from a tight angle. Atdhe Nuhiu rounded off the win late on after a wonderful cross from Adam Reach. Both moves for the goals were excellent and showed exactly what this team can do when on it. Also I saw a number of people criticising Leeds' keeper for not saving Murphy's shot, while I get what they're saying you still have to give Murphy credit for the finish. A fantastic result for Wednesday away at Leeds who I still think will end up in those top two personally.

Blackburn

Ah yes, Blackburn. I think if there's one game in this month's review that people might look for straight away it's this one. Lets make it clear a 5-0 defeat at home is unacceptable. Everybody has said it and we all know it anyway. It was a very flat, uninspiring performance and Blackburn were better in all departments. If you let players who can play play then you run the risk of them battering you and that is exactly what they did. Downing, Armstrong, Holtby, Nyambe. We let them all just do what they want and while they might not be household names they are still good players who we allowed to have the freedom of Hillsborough. Gallagher as well up front was a menace. Obviously the red card had an impact but for me we'd still have lost that game. The response to going 1-0 down wasn't good enough. We'll get into that in a bit more detail later on but it's a massive concern. Fans were leaving before half time, fans that did stay had given up. It was a snapshot of the feeling within the fanbase at the moment and sadly it's not good.

QPR

On the flipside of Blackburn we did see something of a response the following Friday with a trip down to QPR in the FA Cup. Both sides made changes but it was Wednesday who for me at least looked more likely to progress. Goals from Morgan Fox and Sam Winnall in a 2-1 win gave Wednesday a place in the 5^th round. While the stats tell the story that QPR were better it was really only a 10 minute period in the second half where they had the majority of their chances. Wednesday managed to halt that particular storm and take advantage late on through Winnall and for me it was another good away performance. Cameron Dawson received a bit of stick for his mistake late on that lead to QPR's goal. Personally I think it's incredibly unfair to dig him out for that and especially since coming back into the team has barely put a foot wrong.

Wigan

The last game of the month saw Wednesday take a trip over to face Wigan. Now without wanting to sound disrespectful of Wigan they hadn't won at home since October and hadn't won at all since New Year's Day. If you have the expectation of the top 6 then you have to be going into these games and winning them. Especially if you're 1-0 up at half time. Which we were thanks to another goal from Jacob Murphy who I have to say is putting in some good performances after a shaky start to life at S6. The 2^nd half at the DW Stadium was unacceptable, lack of ideas, lack of drive and a comedy of errors defensively. It was very much like a number of other games we've had where either we need to set the tempo or lift it. At 1-1 in that game teams that finish in the top six would at the very least not lose it, we capitulate so easily. I really don't want to go to far in on the players because they are capable and we're still in a decent position and things can change but it wasn't good enough at Wigan.

What now?

These has been a lot of discussion about a lot of different things over the last few weeks, Season tickets, desire, players, manager, chairman, atmosphere. I think we can all sit there and talk about all those subjects for a while and we all have our own opinions on them. For me some things are easier to fix than others. Firstly it all comes back to expectation, for me I said we'd finish 9^th at the start of the season and I have seen little to change that opinion, don't get me wrong I like to be as positive as possible and feel that on our day we have the quality but we lack that consistency. January proved that and without an overhaul of the squad, which was never going to come in January. it is unlikely to change. I say overhaul, facelift would be a better word for me. The idea of ripping it up and starting again isn't really the way forward for me. Bringing in players in the positions we need while moving on players who aren't required any more. Looking for value in the market, I do think the recruitment since January 2018 has been quite good, the likes of Borner and Iorfa have been logical signings. Kadeem Harris another one. Others who might not have worked out still weren't as big a financial gamble as previous years. Ultimately the situation we find ourselves in with the EFL (which nobody knows what will happen come the end of that) is because we had no back up plan for not going up in 2016/17. That's two and a half years ago now and things I believe have moved on.

One thing I did also want to touch on was this thing about desire, do they players care and that kind of thing. We seem now after every game to get at least one or two people saying they didn't see effort and desire from the players. Personally I think it's an easy cop out to say that. They do care, I think the big issue here is that we have a very reactionary fanbase and also quite a reactionary squad of players. This leads me onto another point, the home atmosphere. Now this one has been done to death over the years, do the players have to give the fans something to shout about or do the fans create an atmosphere for the players? In reality it is both and while that sounds like a cop out answer it is true. What I will say is In my opinion there is no reason to try and create an atmosphere for one game and not the other twenty odd games a season. The Hillsborough atmosphere has to a large extent been non-existent this season baring the odd game here and there. Yes a lot of the games have been tight but that's where in my opinion the life from the fans has to come. It's probably a discussion for another day in all honesty but with four home games coming up in February it's vital we get back to winning ways at home after three straight defeats.

One thing I think can help all that is being a bit more positive from the get go, we don't seem to be able to set the tempo of a game at home as well as we should. Don't get me wrong this isn't a criticism of Garry Monk, he's doing the best he can with this squad. One thing that frustrated me against Hull was the amount of times there centre backs passed it around together with the other defenders only to not really go anywhere with it and we didn't get near enough to them. Same against Wigan away we didn't seem to close them down from the front as well as we could. All this might be down to the way Monk wants us to play which is fair enough but as a fan it's frustrating at times.

As I've already touched on before and Monk has come out and said this squad needs refreshing. He's taken a bit of stick in recent weeks and some even calling for his head after the Wigan game, for me that's ludicrous and another example of the desperation in the fan base for me. Garry Monk has arrived here six games into the season, not worked with any of the players before, only been able to bring one of his preferred staff members in, only signed two players one of which is an U23 player and the other we haven't seen play yet (Welcome to Hillsborough by the way Higaldo and Da Cruz). I do think it's time this club allowed a manager to build a squad and follow some kind of plan through and I'll say it again. Steve Bruce leaving the way he did at the time he did thoroughly screwed us over, it set us back and Monk has had to pick up the pieces. The squad mentally I don't think is good enough and that was set in long before Monk arrived. We've dropped 19 points from winning positions this season. That tells you a hell of a lot.

Anyway I've gone on enough for now. Lets hope a busy February will bring an upturn in the Owls' fortune.

Thanks for reading

Tom

WAWAW