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 2nd 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 2nd 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 2nd 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 21st by a goal scored in the last second away at Derby on the 8th 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
