Sheffield Wednesday 2018/19: May and Season Review

Ah well, the season has come to a close. The final game has been and gone and we're left with thoughts of what we're going to do to occupy our time on Saturday afternoons. It's been a season with several talking points. Players, managers, tactics, fans forums, radio disputes and of course, cricket. Obviously some of that is tongue in cheek. Before I talk about the season as a whole I will address the final game of the season.

OPR

The 2018/19 campaign came to an end at home to Queens Park Rangers. There's no point beating around the bush, we didn't play very well. QPR to their credit did play some decent stuff and were better than I thought they would be. It had the feeling of a friendly or a testimonial and Steve Bruce reflected on that in his post match comments. The atmosphere was very flat at times, understandable to an extent. End of season games often have that feeling. A lot of players didn't really turn up, I will give credit to Keiren Westwood who put in a brilliant performance and made some excellent saves. Morgan Fox as well I thought played well. It was an odd game in truth, after they took the lead we had the chance in the 2nd half to get back into it through the penalty spot. Fernando Forestieri was adjudged to have been fouled by the QPR defender Toni Leistner. It wasn't a penalty, nobody in the ground thought it was and maybe justice was done as Fernando stepped up and missed it. After that QPR themselves had the chance to wrap up the game from the spot after a soft foul was given against Tom Lees but Westwood spared his blushes with a save from Eberechi Eze. In an already odd game a third penalty being given for a foul on Marco Matias only added to the drama and this time centre half Michael Hector stepped up to fire the Owls level. It was an interesting moment with other more regular penalty takers being on the pitch but credit to Hector who executed it with the precision of a striker. QPR did run out winners after a last minute winner and it was probably fair. Fair play to them.

12th in the Championship

 

I'll be honest my first thought upon seeing the final league table was that I was a bit disappointed to see us in 12th. Having had the chance of finishing 9th it was a bit of a shame to see us rounding off the top half but comparing that to where I thought we'd finish if you'd have asked me in December I'd have snatched your hand off for 12th. In fact 12th probably would have felt like promotion. At the end of the day if you finish between 7th or 21st you've achieved the same thing, Championship football next season. For me, the minimum expectation I had after last season was gradual improvement. Win more, Lose less, score more, concede less. Last season we won 14, drew 15 and lost 17 finishing 15th with 57 points. Scoring 59 and conceding 60. This season we've won 16, drawn 16 and lost 14 Scoring 60 and conceding 62. With 64 points to show for it. Overall you can put the bad start down to the poor goal difference for me but ultimately we've ended up about where we should have based on performances. I watch a lot of football and we're better than a lot of the sides we've finished above but as it stands not much better many of than the ones above.

 

It's fairly obvious that Steve Bruce has come in and had a major impact, he's improved us in all areas really. Defensively obviously he's made us one of the best teams with regard to conceding goals since he came in and that is no coincidence. He deserves a lot of credit for the job he has done and he's answered a lot of those critics who were chirping in before his arrival. Overall the connection between manager and fans is stronger than it has been in a while. Jos Luhukay never had that, Carlos Carvalhal had it but then lost it. Bruce has endeared himself to the Wednesday fans, it's clear to me that he wasn't happy with how it ended at Villa and he wants another promotion and he believes here is the place to do it.

 

The retained list

 

We knew prior to the weekend that Wednesday had offered Keiren Westwood a new deal, at the time of writing he hasn't signed that deal yet. We learned after the game that Bruce wants to keep Kieran Lee at the football club after his comeback from a long injury layoff. Later in the day we learned that Marco Matias, George Boyd, David Jones, Almen Abdi and Gary Hooper joined Daniel Pudil in leaving Hillsborough. I don't think many of those struck us as surprising. Hooper was a player I would love to have kept but given the possible financial restrictions around the club it may have been a decision based more on wages than anything else. We do have a lot of strikers and the opportunity to create some space in the squad was needed and as much as I like Hooper I can appreciate the argument that he hasn't played enough football over the last few seasons.

Daniel Pudil has been a fantastic servant to Sheffield Wednesday, a solid player who gave everything, great guy as well of the pitch. At times when the chips were down he stood out. He was key in the Wembley season and I wish him well wherever he ends up.

David Jones and George Boyd both I think were on paper astute signings, In Jones' case he just hasn't played enough football and it wasn't a surprise to see him leave. Always a good talker and again good off the pitch, personally I thought he did OK for us. Key in the end of season run in in 2017 which saw us go close again. Boyd while he wasn't a fans favourite I think did have more impact that people gave him credit for, a couple of nice goals along the way. One of those who I wished we'd have a few years earlier. Good luck to them both.

Marco Matias is someone I'd have probably given another year to, I'll accept that during his time here his numbers don't look great but you have to factor in he's had injuries in that time and had a large spell not being selected under Carlos Carvalhal. This season I think we were starting to see the player that arrived here with such reputation. Again, a nice bloke off the pitch as well who has wanted to give something back to the city as well as the club. I wish him all the best.

Almen Abdi, well we could be here all day discussing this one couldn't we. All I will say is that I was so pleased we signed him, he was so good for Watford, we saw a fleeting glimpse of it at Forest in 2017 with that fabulous goal. But beyond that it really hasn't worked out. The reasons for that I don't know, I don't think anyone who isn't inside the club knows.

The Awards (There's not actually any prizes on offer)

So this is where I'll go through the different things that go on over the course of a season, player of the year, goal of the season. That kind of thing. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Some of these were hard to decide than others.

Player Of The Year: Michael Hector
Over the course of a season I think with any player of the season vote you have to look at the importance of the players to the team. Without Hector we could have been in a very different position. It's not just his own performances, he brings that confidence to the rest of the team. Particularly those at the back, Tom Lees looks a different player when Hector is alongside him. He's had a fantastic impact on the team and the club and the fans have warmed to him. Being in the away end at Chelsea, very active on social media. Small things go a long way with the fans and 'Big Hec' as he's known has embraced what Wednesday is all about. If we can get him back next season it'll be a major boost.

Goal Of The Season: Fernando Forestieri V Norwich
Massive apology to Adam Reach, who in any other season I think would have walked away with this one. I agree with the rest of the fan base with the vote that was conducted the other week that Fernando Forestieri's powerful drive against Norwich was the best of the season. The fact the chance had gone not once but twice and he still pulled it off was part of the reasoning for me. The other part was that it was an absolute belter of a strike. Against a good keeper in Tim Krul as well helps and it was great to see Fernando get a goal like that after a tough couple of years with injury.

Signing Of The Season: Dominic Iorfa
I could have put Michael Hector in for this one as well but I've gone with Iorfa for a couple of reasons. The fact we've got him for so little I still find remarkable, the impact he's had and the potential in him. I genuinely think he'll be a Premier League player in years to come. He's quick, he's athletic, he's strong, he speaks well. He's been an excellent addition and has already popped up with some important goals. He's one to watch.

Moment Of The Season: Steve Bruce being appointed
This might look very silly in a years time if things don't work out but Steve Bruce being appointed Sheffield Wednesday manager felt like a bit of a watershed moment for Sheffield Wednesday. Someone who knows how to get promoted. Someone who isn't afraid to make big decisions and someone who's been there and done it and tells it how it is. Ultimately Bruce after a tough year on and certainly off the pitch could have walked away from football, he didn't and that tells me everything. Steve Bruce doesn't need Sheffield Wednesday but Sheffield Wednesday does need Steve Bruce and from the way he spoke after the QPR game he means business, he wants that 5th promotion to the Premier League and he wants to be the man to finally get this club moving.

Moment Of The Season(On The Pitch): Preston at Home
There were a few candidates for this one. Cam Dawson's penalty save at Bramall Lane, Adam Reach's goal against Leeds. The win at Villa Park, the win at Middlesbrough, the Blackburn game at home but I've gone with Preston at home. For the simple reason that it was the first game in a long time where people turned up and got behind the team for 90 minutes. Keiren Westwood returned in goal and Sam Hutchinson returned to the bench and the gloom around the club seemed to be lifted. Wednesday won 1-0 and I was delighted for Lee Bullen who was in temporary charge to get that home win.

Match Of The Season: Blackburn at Home
As a stand alone game for me Blackburn had nearly everything. It's always nice to score four at home and to win the game. Blackburn played fairly well and made us work for it and overall I thought it was a fantastic advert for the Championship as a division.

Worst Moment Of The Season: Rotherham half time boos.
Never in my time supporting the club can I remember a team being booed off at half time after just taking the lead. I never really understand booing at half time but if you're 3-0 down then maybe you can understand it but at 1-0 up after just taking the lead? That is unusual and it summed up the mood around Hillsborough at the time. It was a very strange atmosphere that day and make no mistake based on the 90 minutes we didn't deserve the point we got really.

 

 

Overall it's been a strange season, from an OK start to a very bad middle resulting in a change of manager to what I'd consider to be a fairly strong end. We've seen some decent football in the 2nd half of the campaign and most importantly the good feeling that had been absent from Hillsborough in recent times has returned. We've run some of the sides that have finished in the top six close away from home, A win at Villa, draws at Norwich, Sheffield United, West Brom and Derby. The home form over the season has been decent, there are plenty of things to build on for Steve Bruce and his staff ahead of 2019/20.


Thanks for reading, here's to a positive 2019/20

Tom

WAWAW

Sheffield Wednesday 2018/19: April Review

Well Easter has been and gone, the World Snooker Championships are into the 2nd week and people are planning their holidays. It must be the end of April and with that we're almost at the end of the season. Once again it's been an interesting month for Sheffield Wednesday.

The Matches

Aston Villa

We began the month with a home game against Steve Bruce's former employers Aston Villa, Villa had found form after a run of one win in eight and arrived at Hillsborough with the play offs very much in their own hands. For us we knew a win over Villa would give us a big chance. A lot of the build up obviously focused on Steve Bruce and I have to say the Villa fans for me were much more bothered about it than we were. As for the game itself Wednesday played well and it was fantastic to see Gary Hooper get on the scoresheet after so long out. Overall we controlled the game and but sloppy defending for John McGinn's equaliser should have been in front at half time. The 2nd half once again we bossed and won a penalty after Tyrone Mings brought down Fletcher. Mings could have easily seen red earlier in the game as could former Owl Glenn Whelan after a cynical foul on Sam Hutchinson. Sadly Fletcher missed the penalty and Villa went on to win the game 3-1. Frustrating, we'd been the better side and come away with nothing but there were still positives to take from it and overall it was a huge sign of how far this team had come since Bruce's arrival.

Nottingham Forest

Following that we had another home game a few days later in the shape of Nottingham Forest, Forest who spent a lot of money in the summer were clinging on to faint play off hopes themselves and were yet to win on the road under Martin O'Neill. The first half of this game probably summed up both sides seasons, neither was really in control of it. They maybe shaded it and it looked like it would peter out for a draw. It looked like two sides that would finish mid table. The 2nd half however Wednesday decided to turn it on, there was an element of fortune about all three goals. The first from Marco Matias I don't even think he knew what he was doing but a fantastic strike the Portuguese winger and I was pleased for him. George Boyd cracked in a 2nd after Wednesday counter attacked from a Forest free kick. Boyd has taken a lot of stick this season but to be fair to him his performances have been decent recently and he deserved his goal. While he isn't the George Boyd that terrorised defences back in his Peterborough days he's a good footballer and in the right team can be an asset. Marco Matias rounded off the night with a third goal to make it a good night for Wednesday, fortune once again around it but you make your own luck in football. A pleasing night for Wednesday.

Leeds United

After the Forest win we travelled up to face Yorkshire rivals Leeds. I'll be honest this was an odd day. The results earlier in the day meant that a Leeds win would put them in pole position for automatic promotion ahead of Sheffield United, from my point of view I'd never want my team to lose but it did slightly take the normal feelings defeat brings away. Again I didn't want us to lose and before the game fancied Wednesday to get something. The performance however I think showed the job Steve Bruce has on his hands. We did OK in the first half and could even have gone in front through Gary Hooper but ultimately Leeds were in control. Keiren Westwood came to the rescue on a number of occasions and probably strengthened his negotiating position for a new contract even further. We lost 1-0 and if we're honest it flattered us in the end. Again though, this is a Leeds team that have beaten a lot of sides at Elland Road. At the time they had won every game they had gone in front in. That's a fantastic asset to have. If we can take lessons from what they do and implement it into ourselves for next season we should.

Norwich City

After the Leeds game we were back on the road for the Good Friday trip down to Norwich, Norwich are in my opinion the best side in the Championship. They have a vibrant young team that play some great football and have done it all after selling the two best players last season. They deserve to go up and despite a disappointing result last season they stuck with the plan and got their rewards. Again we need to learn from what they do and implement it here. As for the game itself I thought Wednesday were excellent, falling behind to an early goal after Keiren Westwood pulled out in the warm up wasn't an ideal start. Cameron Dawson has taken some stick over the course of the season and I have to say some of it has been ridiculously harsh. Coming in at literally the last minute is never easy and probably contributed to the goal going in. After that Wednesday grew into the game and Fernando Forestieri scored what can only be described as an absolute rocket of a goal. It looked as though the chance to score had gone before he rifled the shot in from distance beating Tim Krul and for me it is a deserved winner of the club's goal of the season competition, which by the way had some stunners in. We got some fortune with the 2nd goal when Steven Fletcher handballed it over the line in the 2nd half. What I will say is that the Norwich fans do have a right to be annoyed about it but the idea of being 'deliberate' is nonsense. His hand has ended up there because he's slid in at an angle, he hasn't reached out and hooked it in. After that it looked like Wednesday were on for their first win at Carrow Road since 2009 but a late free kick was given and Norwich did what Norwich do, score a late goal. Overall it was a pleasing performance but a gutting end. The free kick wasn't a foul and then the taken took it five yards from where it was given. It was a poor night for Goeff Eltringham and left both sets of fans frustrated with him.


Bristol City

After the Norwich result the faint hopes of the play offs were still there, we needed to beat Bristol City to have any chance and I have to say I thought Wednesday were excellent. Bristol City are a good side, they didn't really show that at Hillsborough on Easter Monday but they were still a danger. We coped well with them and took the lead through another good goal, this time from Barry Bannan and added a 2nd later in the first half from Lucas Joao who received some stick from some fans during the game. Joao is a player who does frustrate at times but he has so much quality as well. It does irritate me when people label him lazy, he isn't lazy. His body language at times lets him down but he hasn't scored the goals he has this season by accident. A 2nd half double save from Cameron Dawson saw the Owls keep another clean sheet and make sure of three points. Overall it was a very pleasing afternoon to round off a decent Easter period for Wednesday.

Preston North End

The final game of April saw us travel over to Preston knowing we had to win to keep any faint hopes of the play offs alive. I'll be honest for me it was never about play offs this season since Bruce came in. It was mostly about stabilizing the club after a very disappointing first half of the campaign. The fact we went into the 45th League game of the season still in with a chance is testament to the job Steve Bruce, Steve Agnew, Stephen Clemence and Lee Bullen have done. They must all take great credit for that as well as the players. As for the game, the first half wasn't great. 2-0 down at half time after two sloppy goals conceded. Steve Bruce said after the game that it was the first time he'd lost his temper since arriving and I have to say I wasn't surprised seeing the goals back. Both were avoidable, We got back into it through another great goal from Barry Bannan before Alan Browne who's been a thorn in our side before scored a third. Wednesday then began to play again, Fernando Forestieri latching onto Atdhe Nuhiu's cross before the big man himself nodded in the equaliser. Overall a crazy game in which both sides maybe feel they could have won it. The play off dream was over but the club can now look ahead to next season and a possible push.

So overall another interesting month in the Steve Bruce ear and with one more match to play we're closing in on the end of the season. I'll save my overall thoughts on the current situation for the next blog which will be a comprehensive review of the season as well as touching on the QPR game and whatever news may have come out of the club post match.

Thanks for reading

Tom

WAWAW

Sheffield Wednesday 2018/19: March Review

So here we are, the clocks have gone forward, Easter is on the horizon. The last International break(that will interrupt the season at least) has been and gone. It's now April and the run in is here. Lets take a look back at March for the Owls.

The Games

 

 

Sheffield United

 

We started the month with a nice friendly game against our friends from Sheffield 2...…, sorry we started the month with the nerve jangling, sleep depriving, feeling sick fest that is the Steel City Debry. While I hated the build up as always I actually really enjoyed the pre match atmosphere. The evening kick off made it a bit more atmospheric. As for the game while it lacked quality there were positives in it. Another valuable clean sheet for us, Aarons' pace caused problems for them and while we didn't create a load of chances the best one of the night did fall out way. Sam Hutchinson certainly would have been a very popular goalscorer. Overall the 2nd 0-0 between Wednesday and United of the season and third since their return to the Championship was a fair result. They had the best chance of the first half and didn't take it. We had the best chance of the 2nd and didn't take it. They settled for the point with their subs, we didn't quite have enough about us to win it. Fair result. There was obviously a lot of talk about the incident in which a Wednesday fan threw a bottle at Jack O'Connell and obviously it goes without saying that person is an idiot.

 

Derby County

 

Following the point against United we made the trip to Derby, it was a fair assumption that if we were to keep up the fight for the play offs we needed something from the trip to Pride Park, a ground in which we'd not won at since 2006. Overall we could well have won it with a decent performance. Bradley Johnson got his usual goal against Wednesday but big Dominic Iorfa equalised to give Wednesday a well deserved point. Sam Winnall's disallowed goal was a talking point and having seen it back a number of times I have to say I think the officials got it right. Winnall's return was a boost and gave us another option after Forestieri's half time substitution in the derby.

 

 

Bolton Wanderers

 

After Derby it was a trip to struggling Bolton. Bolton needed the points just as much as we did to keep their survival hopes alive. From out point of view the first 40 minutes were quite tepid. We didn't really keep the ball well enough and couldn't get into any proper rhythm. That said we were playing in tough conditions with the wind blowing strongly and as many crisp packets and sweet wrappers being blown onto the pitch as players. Steven Fletcher gave Wednesday the lead just before the break with a lovely dinked finish from Barry Bannan's pass. After that Rolando Aarons made it 2-0 not long after half time with his first goal for Wednesday. His growing popularity with the Owls fans was given another boost with that goal. Overall it was a pleasing result and if we do want to make the Play Offs those are the kinds of games that you need to win, not many will remember it as a classic but an important three points none the less.

 

Blackburn Rovers

 

After that win at Bolton the confidence was high around Hillsborough that we'd be able to back it up against Blackburn. I have to say that to have that bounce and belief around the club again in such a short space of time is great to see. Some cynics might put it down to the fickle nature of football fans but I genuinely think it down to the fact people believe in the manager and his ideology. This game was another example of the job Bruce and his coaching team have done. We took the lead again through in form Steven Fletcher not long after Sam Hutchinson had limped off injured. Not a bad way for Fletcher to celebrate his 100th appearance for Wednesday. Adthe Nuhiu scored a header to make it 2-0 after replacing Fletcher in the 2nd half. Blackburn to their credit played some decent football and were back in it when Craig Conway scored on 72. Dominic Iorfa again though proved to be a threat from a set piece making it 3-1 with a header before Marco Matias rounded off the afternoon with a fantastic pass from Nuhiu that he struck at Rovers' Keeper David Raya who fumbled it into his own net. They did pull one back but it was too little to late and Wednesday claimed the points. Again like Bolton, the conditions were tough, it was chucking it down at Hillsborough. They played some decent stuff and on another day it could have been a different result but too lose all your subs after just 56 minutes and win the game quite convincingly is to be applauded.

 

Stoke City

 

The final game of the month saw us travel to play Stoke City. Stoke have struggled this season but despite that they still have a very talented bunch of players there. The likes of Allen, Butland, Martins Indi, Shawcross are all top players and it was a game that worried me. Not in terms of thinking that we'd get thrashed but that of the games we have left a lot of fans were talking about this one as a banker of a win. A 0-0 draw sort of implies it was harder than people gave it credit for. Away from the result, It was fantastic to see Gary Hooper back on a team sheet for Sheffield Wednesday. It's been no secret that injuries have played a massive part in the fortunes of the club over the last 18 months or so, so to get such a key player back for the end of the season is a huge boost. Whether he will be here next season or not isn't clear but it'll be nice to see what he can do in the last month or so of the season. Hooper did play a part in the big talking point of the game which was George Boyd's disallowed goal. From watching it back I have to say I think the linesman maybe just got it right but even so a frustrating moment for Boyd who's taken quite a bit of stick recently. In fairness to him it's never easy to come in at the last minute like he did at Stoke when Rolando Aarons was injured in the warm up and he did OK. It wasn't vintage Wednesday from anyone.

 

So where does this leave us?

 

From my point of view, I'll keep saying what I said when Bruce came in. This is a long term project. I have full confidence in Bruce to keep improving us week by week. As for the play off push, I do think that last weekend was a key day in that race. Us dropping points and us winning does make it tough, having said that we still have to play a number of the teams in the race. Villa, Forest and Preston as well as Bristol City who in my opinion will finish in there anyway. It's still there, for me I'd just say enjoy the ride. Last time we were in the play offs the pressure was on us. If we somehow got in there we'd be playing with little pressure so from that point of view there is little to be too nervous about.

 

Some big games coming up, points to be won and lost all over the division. Hopefully whatever happens it can be a positive April.

 

Thanks for reading

 

Tom

 

WAWAW



Football Fans Conduct: Are we heading back to the bad old days?

I'll be honest, I didn't plan to write another blog until the end of the month. But the actions of some football 'fans' over the weekend have prompted me to write this. It won't be a greatly insightful piece I wouldn't imagine. More the ramblings of someone who isn't thick enough to run onto a football pitch.

The incident that has really prompted it is of course a Birmingham City fan running onto the pitch in Sunday's 2nd City Derby and assaulting Aston Villa's captain Jack Grealish. Now the first thing to say is that it was a shocking a horrible thing to see happen. It was the 2nd of three high profile incidents last weekend. Firstly a Hibernian fan confronting Rangers captain James Tavernier and an Arsenal fan running onto the pitch in Arsenal's 2-0 win over Manchester United and pushing Chris Smalling. Now we do see from time to time an idiot here and there run onto the pitch. That in itself while bad is nothing new. These incidents though seem to be slightly different. The Grealish one in particular for me stands out as a really bad sign. For starters the reaction to it, some (I must stress that word) Birmingham fans applauding off the moron who has been jailed and banned from all grounds for ten years. Now this isn't a criticism of Birmingham fans I'm sure most were disgusted by the actions of the moron but lets not pretend the applauding didn't happen or that there weren't songs about it going round afterwards. I have to say at this point Grealish's reaction was fantastic and he's conducted himself very well during and since the incident and he deserved to score the winner. My biggest concern about it is that many similar minded idiots from all around the country will see that and think "Oh well I fancy a bit of that" and we could well see other incidents blighting football. Another thing that I found odd was the cries of "We've never seen anything like this before". Let's rewind back to October 19th 2012. Sheffield Wednesday V Leeds United live on Sky. Chris Kirkland the then Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper was assaulted on the pitch by an invading Leeds United supporter after an equaliser. It was a shocking act to see and the reaction was similar although I do feel this incident with Grealish has got more coverage, why that is I don't know. Maybe it's just the speed of social media now being quicker than ever that it feels that way. I remember saying then that more needed to be done to stop people who want to do such stupid things. That season also saw crowd trouble between Millwall fans in the FA Cup semi final with a lot of people calling for points deductions and fines to try and stop these incidents.

For me I don't know how much a points deduction would realistically do, do these idiots who go to football matches to cause trouble really have the best interests of the club at heart? I don't know if they do to be honest. Lets say Wednesday got a points deduction for the idiot who threw the bottle at Jack O'Connell last Monday. Is that fair of the players, the Chairman or Steve Bruce? No I don't think it is. Bringing it back to Birmingham, would it be fair on the rest of the fans and the players and management at St Andrews if the were docked points for the moron who attacked Grealish? To me no but at the same time it's hard to think of many other possible punishments. Would a fine really do that much? OK maybe in the case of Birmingham who already face a possible points deduction for breaching FFP rules in the summer, it might have more impact at a club like that who need to watch the pennies but an Arsenal, are they going to do more to stop people running on the pitch if they got a fine? I'm not so sure.

Again I must stress this isn't me calling out Birmingham or Arsenal or Hibs for not controlling their fans. It's a football problem on the whole. It's also a society issue, is the uncertain future of the country having an impact on how people behave? In my opinion yes. Politics is something I tend to avoid talking too much about because you'll never find a discussion that doesn't end in arguments and people generally being daft but lets be honest. The country is a bit of a mess at the moment and peoples' behaviour is reflective of that. Football should be a fun and safe hobby for supporters but at the moment we're staring down the barrel of hooliganism becoming a massive issue like it was years ago. For me I'd rather we didn't see a return to those days, I'm sure 99% of people agree. We all enjoy the banter football rivalry can bring, we all I'm sure have a good laugh when rivals lose or don't achieve. We all have to take it on the chin when it doesn't go our way. What we shouldn't have to put up with is morons who want to spoil the game for the rest of us.

Thanks for reading,

Tom

Steel City Derby Preview: Will It Be A Manic Monday or A Magic Monday?

So here we are again, the nerves that have been in the background over the last few weeks have suddenly intensified, Twitter is awash with banter from both sides, ticket debates rumbling on, The Sheffield Star has about 50 articles a day about it. Yep, it's Derby week.

I've said before in these posts that I hate them, I hate the build up, I hate the nerves, I have very rarely enjoyed the actual football that takes place (even wins). I don't believe people who say they don't get nervous for this game on both sides of it. Wednesday's season has lets be honest been a bit rubbish but since the arrival of Steve Bruce and a recent upturn in form. It sets up for what could be a fantastic game of football on Monday night.

Sheffield United

OK, lets get the horrible bit out of the way first, Sheffield United come into this game ahead of the weekend's results 2nd in the Championship and it's hard to argue that they don't deserve to be there (though I'll have a damn good go). Any team who is 2nd in the division with 12 games to play has earned that right. While I don't think they are quite as good as the league position suggests it would be stupid to deny they've had an excellent season. They have a quite unique brand of football which does catch they eye. The most impressive thing I find with them is the way they deal with setbacks. This all goes back to the summer, the fact that the two co owners are in a legal battle over who will take full control of the club should and would at most other clubs have caused major issues but Wilder to his credit has not allowed that to be a distraction to his team and his supporters. It's fair to say over the years United haven't had a lot of patience with managers and with Kevin McCabe over certain things but at the moment you don't hear anything about him. Everyone there is pulling in the same direction something that until the last few weeks wasn't the case at S6.

 

In terms of how United will line up at Hillsborough it's hard not to see them reverting to type having had to make changes in recent weeks. The usual 352 formation with the overlapping centre backs will no doubt feature. Recently they have had to make changes due to injury but the likes of Jack O'Connell should be fit to play. It would be a surprise if Billy Sharp, United's leading marksman this season didn't start. Often this season he's started alongside former Owls loanee David McGoldrick. Both getting decent numbers this season. There is the possibility that another former Owl Gary Madine could start the game. Madine of course has scored in this fixture in the 2-2 draw back in October 2011. If I had to put money on it, I very much doubt Madine will start the game. I think Wilder would probably use him off the bench if need be. The midfield engine of Norwood, for me United's best player, Fleck and either Mark Duffy or Kieran Dowell will be key. If they turn up it's fair to say Wednesday will have to work hard to stop them. If they do drop a level though that could cost them dearly.

 

Right, enough of those Red and White so and so's. Onto the important part.

 

How do Wednesday Win This Game?

Steve Bruce will take to the touchline at Hillsborough for his first Sheffield Derby

A few weeks ago, I'd have probably called this section. How Can Wednesday Win this Game. However recent results have allowed Wednesday fans to think a little more optimistically. A Derby game does always throw up different things to the norm. Even if we'd lost seven in a row we'd still have a chance. Now it's actually a very good chance to win this game and not only keep our own slender (I do mean that) play off hopes alive but to take points of United in their battle to reach the Premier League.

 

As for on the pitch matters, Wednesday have reverted to a faster, high pressing brand of football in recent weeks. Chances are being created, the fact we've scored five goals in the last two games and maybe were disappointed to not have more shows how those games have gone. The other big change since the departure of Jos Luhukay is the clean sheets. 9 in 15 since the Dutchman left Hillsborough. That new found confidence in the defence makes the job of those further forward much easier. The other aspect of Wednesday's game which is pleasing the fans and is arguably more important than the other stuff is the fact we do the simple things well. When the ball needs to be cleared it gets cleared, when teams run at us we don't look scared to put in a tackle to stop them. We can keep hold of it in the midfield which we weren't doing so well in the first half of the season. A big issue we had at Bramall Lane is that whenever the ball did get cleared it came straight back. That shouldn't be the case this time if we turn up and carry on the form of the last few games.

 

Key men



Steven Fletcher in action against Millwall

The first key man for Wednesday will be striker Steven Fletcher, the last few weeks Fletcher's performances have been outstanding. He's lead the line fantastically well and has scored some fantastic goals. I have been one of his biggest critics since he arrived but if he continues this kind of form going forward he will be a real asset. He has big game experience as well which combined with his ability to move defenders around makes him a big threat against United. Last season he never really got into the game and United will be no doubt looking to do a similar job on him.

 

 

Barry Bannan will always for me be a massive threat to any team in this division. A great range of passing, he can potentially be the one who can unlock United's defence with a fantastic pass. Take some of the goal the other night against Brentford. Spotting Fletcher who he's linked up well with throughout their time at S6 and putting the perfect pass through for Fletcher to finish.

 

 

Fernando Forestieri will get his first taste of the Steel City Derby if he plays on Monday. A player who for me can win the game on his own. Bags of ability, even in a quiet game for him against Brentford he had an impact. It's the little things, the touches, the fake passes and shots. The burst of pace. If he's on that pitch on Monday, we have a chance.

 

Others of course will be under the spotlight, Rolando Aarons' performances have been good, several people have said they feel he can thrive on the derby atmosphere. Adam Reach of course will be hoping to add to his goal tally this season after netting twice against Swansea. Sam Hutchinson in the middle of the pitch in the form he's in is made for a game like this. Keiren Westwood between the sticks will be wanting to add a derby clean sheet to his collection and the likes of Lucas Joao if fit enough to play will have an impact.



Monday's referee Peter Bankes

 

Another factor to take into account is the man in the middle. No not Bannan or Hutchinson I'm on about Peter Bankes, the man given the responsibility of refereeing this game. Now please don't take what I'm about to say as anything other than a genuine opinion. It isn't me getting an excuse in early or slating a ref for the sake of it. I genuinely think Peter Bankes is one of the worst referees I have ever seen. He has several bad qualities, he lose control of games to easily, most games I have seen him referee in have had at least one confrontation between players, that to me says the players don't respect him. He also is inconsistent, pulling up for everything one minute then allowing everything the next. We actually benefited in the first half against Wigan in my opinion on his last trip to Hillsborough but that doesn't make it OK. I don't how he's got given such a big game. He shouldn't be refereeing professional football, he's woefully bad and as much as we'd all take a dodgy penalty win it would still take away from the win if it was decided by a poor decision. I've always said that I'd rather talk about tactics and good play than bad officiating. I don't think I'm alone in that view.

 

Another point that needs making is I think Wednesday have to use the crowd on Monday, it will be an electric atmosphere no doubt and that can be a massive advantage to Wednesday. Even though there will be more blades fans there this time than last year if Wednesday start well and get the crowd going not many teams can cope with that atmosphere. We've seen it before, Brighton, Newcastle, Cardiff, Arsenal have all faulted in recent years when the crowd gets going. Make it intimidating, make it hard for United's players. If they make a mistake, get on it, make them know they're in a game. That's the most unique thing about a derby for me, the vociferous nature of the crowd in reaction to normal everyday things you see.

 

Prediction

I'll start this part by saying that I don't believe you can ever be 100% confidant when trying to call a derby. So many different things will come into it. If both teams turn up it could be a cracking game. United are the favourites, while form does go out of the window. They are challenging for automatic promotion, they've been up there all year while we've struggled. They are favourites as much as some of their fans seem to want to play it down the pressure is on them. Not to say there isn't pressure on Wednesday but there will be less scrutiny on us. If we lose then I think most neutrals would say it was expected and focus more on the performance. From a fans point of view I think most sensible fans would say a draw would be a decent result but we actually have a very good chance of winning it. For me if Wednesday score first and keep the crowd on side then regardless of how good United are I think we would hold on. If United score first it would maybe play more into their hands. I'll say an optimistic 3-2 win for Wednesday. A thriller under the lights at Hillsborough.

 

 

Whatever the result, lets hope the game passes with as little incident away from the pitch as possible and Sheffield as a city does itself proud.

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Tom

 

WAWAW

Sheffield Wednesday 2018/19: February Review

So once again we've reached the end of the month and once again there's quite a bit to talk about regarding Wednesday.

The Matches

 

Ipswich Town
 

Steve Bruce's first game in charge of Wednesday was a trip down to face struggling Ipswich Town, the Tractor boys have had an awful season and in fairness Bruce probably couldn't have picked a better game to make his bow as Owls boss. Wednesday played well, creating a lot but without that cutting edge. Overall the 1-0 scoreline probably flattered Ipswich more than Wednesday. It was Lucas Joao who got the goal from a superb run from Adam Reach. Reach himself had missed a great chance earlier in the game as well as Fernando Forestieri but the key was the fact we'd won when a few weeks before we'd have probably lost it. We'd created plenty and it was clear the team had that energy you often see from a change in management. Overall a pleasing start to the Steve Bruce era.

 

 

Reading

 

Steve Bruce's first home game in charge of Wednesday was a visit from another side struggling at the bottom of the division in Reading. First of all I have to say I thought the reception he got when he came out of the tunnel was very pleasing, it showed a togetherness and a backing of a manager that hasn't been at S6 for a while. As for the game, the first half was very good. Wednesday created a lot and had it not been for former Owls loanee Emiliano Martinez it could have been 3 or 4 very easily. Reading looked like a team that would concede a few if the first one went in but credit to them they defended well and in the end got a point. It was frustrating but given some of the games we've had this season I'd rather create and not quite score than create next to nothing. Four points from a possible six was a decent start for Bruce.

 

 

Millwall
 

Millwall away on Tuesday night never exactly fills you with much excitement. I say that firmly accepting I have never been or intend to go to Millwall. I was one of those people who watched it on the red button. The first half was drab, it was quite simply a really boring half of football. Millwall edged it and probably should have scored, Wednesday started the 2nd half quite well. We started to run at Millwall and try to force an error. Sadly the goal didn't quite come and 0-0 was probably fair. It was a night where the critics were out in full force but it's worth noting that again a few weeks before we'd have lost it. On another night a chance might fall for us. There had been quite a bit of talk about possibly catching the play offs before Reading and Millwall but that appeared to be off the agenda after the results of these two games.

 

Rotherham United

 

Next up was a trip to local Rivals Rotherham United, it's always interesting when Wednesday play Rotherham. Something always seems to happen. Rotherham, another side struggling at the wrong end of the division needed points and Wednesday needed to respond after the two 0-0 draws. Bruce had got under the Rotherham fans skin earlier in the week with his pre match comments that it was their cup final. While I can kind of see why this would annoy some people he isn't exactly wrong is he? This game always sells out, this game's hospitality section at the New York Stadium actually sold out on the day the fixtures came out. It's fair to say it's the only one that did. Onto the football, Rotherham were the better side and deserved to win the game based on the chances they had. Although Wednesday started better and took the lead through Fernando Forestieri we surrendered it quickly after Jon Taylor equalised for Rotherham. The Millers then took the lead through Irishman Richie Towell, a goal not too dissimilar to the one he scored at Hillsborough. Wednesday equalised right at the death after debutant Dominic Iorfa, who'd had to be patient in getting an opportunity took it when Jordan Thorniley had to be replaced after a horrible clash that left him needing treatment. Iorfa scored the goal to make it 2-2 with what appeared to be his third touch. Not quite Lloyd Owusu all those years ago or more appropriately Kieran Lee in 2015 but scenes none the less in the away end. After that the real controversy happened, Fernando Forestieri sent off for..well I still don't know. Initially on the radio they said he'd gone into the crowd, at the time I thought fair enough. You can't do that so by the letter of the law it's a red but there is no evidence he did. I've heard about 15 different accounts and they all say something different. From the footage available it's hard to see what he's received his 2nd yellow card for. Overall it was a day to forget for referee Darren England who fail to send Michael Ihiekwe for a horrendous tackle of Forestieri. For Wednesday it was a point gained given the performance.

 

 

Swansea City

 

We went into the game at home to Swansea with a lot of people possibly thinking about next season more than this one. Swansea themselves marooned in mid table were the opponents and it was seen as a bit of a 'dead rubber'. After the disappointing display at Rotherham it was important I felt that a response was given and we got. A first half where Wednesday dominated and were 3-0 up at half time after two goals from Adam Reach who ended his own personal drought and an overhead kick from Steven Fletcher who kept up his own person 'How can I outdo the last goal I scored' competition. What I mean by that is if you look at Fletcher's goals this season a lot of them are goals you wouldn't expect him to score, Birmingham at home, Wigan at home, this one against Swansea. All very low percentage shots of actually going in, it's a good trait to have. After that Wednesday probably could be accused of sitting off Swansea a bit, they've got some good players and had a bad day at the office but the pleasing thing from a Wednesday point of view is we punished them for it. Quite a few teams have come here and played poorly but we've not punished many of them. Even in some of the wins we've been hanging on. To effectively have the game wrapped up at half time was pleasing. It was great to see the likes of Rolando Aarons on his first start and Achraf Lazaar on debut have such a good impact. It's been a long time since someone had as good a debut as Lazaar. A good day at the office.

 

Brentford

 

A 2nd of three consecutive home games saw Brentford visit Hillsborough. Brentford were in good form and with Wednesday winning it made for an interesting game. If Swansea was the best performance of the season, this maybe topped it. Mostly for me for the feeling of, we're not going to lose this from about 10 seconds in. The kicked off and Sam Hutchinson immediately won the ball. We played really well and deserved to take the lead through Steven Fletcher. A lead doubled by Fletcher in the 2nd half after Adam Reach should have scored himself. Brentford did have their chances but they were few and far between. They weren't helped by losing South African midfielder Kamohelo Mokotjo to injury in the warm up. A similar situation with what happened to Wednesday at Griffin Park when Adam Reach was injured in the warm up down there. Overall it was a really comfortable, professional display and it was pleasing to have so many players to praise. Tom Lees, Sam Hutchinson, Steven Fletcher, Liam Palmer and Adam Reach all came out with great plaudits. The only downside really was an injury to Achraf Lazaar in the first half. Liam Palmer did very well to step in to that position while Dominic Iorfa again came off the bench to play at right back. It seems we still can't shake the injury luck off at the moment. Steve Bruce said something interesting in his post match interview which I really agreed with. He spoke about the fans enjoying watching the team again and I really had. Even the Reading game there were plenty of things to be pleased with. It's been fun watching the team again after a difficult few months.

 

Off the pitch

During the month we saw the departure of CEO Katrien Meire, there has been a lot of debate and conversation on social media since she arrived January 2018 over he role and whether she was 'doing a good job'. For me the job role was misleading. She was a more a head of the commercial department. Which over the last twelve months has improved considerably. Everyone who's spoken to her has said she was a very competent, intelligent person who was doing a good job. I was surprised to see her go and while the reasons for her departure remain unknown it's tough to give a proper opinion on it and unfair to speculate. What I will say is the amount of "Thank god for that she ruined the club" and "I'm glad she's f*cking gone". Tweets I saw from people who claim to be Wednesday supporters was weird and disappointing. I very much doubt any of those people actually did any research into her role and just read what a few Charlton fans may have said. On that, with all due respect to Charlton fans the situation there and the situation here are completely different and you can't really compare the two.

 

Onto the future and it has the feel at the moment that Steve Bruce is making a lot of the decisions. Effectively we've gone back to the old school manager approach which a lot of fans wanted. Bruce making the decisions over who comes in and goes out is important and significant. Over the last few years the recruitment policy has been talked about a hell of a lot and all without knowing who really had the final say. Now it's in the hands of the experienced Bruce is surely the wisest and safest move.

 

That's about it for this month, my next blog will be a preview of Monday night's Steel City Derby.

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Tom

 

WAWAW

 



Sheffield Wednesday 2018/19: January Review

Well another month has past and once again it's been an eventful one. Sheffield Wednesday have in the past month had a 2nd caretaker and appointed a permanent manager. Never dull eh?

 

 

Steve Bruce

 

I'll start with arguably the most important moment of the month, Steve Bruce's appointment. Bruce, a four time promotion winner from this division has the CV, the experience and the desire to do the job here at Sheffield Wednesday. I mentioned in a previous blog that there was no perfect person for the job and I believe that. Steve Bruce does however tick a lot of the boxes people were demanding following the departure of Jos Luhukay. British, proven track record, knew the division, could handle full control of the transfers. He's got all that, he's been a manager for 21 years and I genuinely don't think you stay in the game that long if you don't have a lot about you. At Villa the perception is he had a load of money and failed. I'll hold my hands up that I was one naive enough to believe that without looking into it and in truth he didn't spend as much as people make out, he also didn't really fail, did he? OK they didn't go up but as with Wednesday in 2016, you need your players to turn up on the day and Villa despite the Snodgrass' and Terry's didn't. Enough of that, Wednesday took a lot of flack for Bruce' delayed start and my opinion in it is this, as long as Steve Bruce and Dejphon Chansiri were happy with that then nothing else matters. For me Wednesday allowing Bruce that time to honor his word to his family shows a rare value in football. We bang on about being a family and use the phrase WAWAW a lot, isn't that a good example of that? I wish Steve all the best in the job and I genuinely thing that given the right tools he can achieve the long term goal of promotion. It might not be next season, it might not be the year after that but we stand a much better chance with him in charge.

 

 

The Matches

 

Birmingham City

 

After all that we actually have some football to talk about. Birmingham City were the first opponents of the New Year and was to be Lee Bullen's final game in charge. It was widely reported Steve Bruce would be announced after the game. It was a decent performance, we took the lead through a decent finish from Steven Fletcher who seems to have made a habit of scoring goals from difficult positions. Wednesday created an awful lot and the experienced Lee Camp made two contenders for save of the season. and bar the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half were dominant. That 10 minutes however allowed ex blade Che Adams to nip in and equalise for the Blues. It wasn't the worst point in the world. Birmingham are having a decent season and have found some stability after a couple of very odd years. Garry Monk has done the best with what he's got, fair play to them. For Wednesday's caretaker Bullen it was two wins and two draws from his four games in charge. Something I'd have taken before hand.

 

 

Luton Town

 

Following the New Year football was the return of the greatest cup competition in the world. I know some people have lost their love of cup football but I still enjoy the FA Cup. It gives you a chance to dream and although in my lifetime it hasn't been very kind to Wednesday when you start out in it you never know. Wednesday were tasked with facing inform Luton from League One. First of all a comment on the atmosphere, I put at tweet out after the game praising the Luton fans as for start it's not exactly local and to bring over 4000 fans for a 12:30 Kick off that let's be honest didn't exactly catch everyone's imagination on both sides that is some effort. Add to that they did make some decent noise I'd say that deserves some recognition. As for our own atmosphere it doesn't help when one stand is closed, it was a big contrast to the Birmingham game where the atmosphere was very good. Of course the game didn't help, it was a tough watch. A 0-0 that could and should have been won in the first few minutes from a header by Steven Fletcher. An easier chance than the one he scored a few days before. Credit to Luton who defended very well against a strong Wednesday team and it was probably a fair result. It was the first chance for Steve Agnew and Stephen Clemence who had arrived in preparation for Steve Bruce to see the players in action under their instruction and while it was a dull game you could see little things that were different.

 

Hull City

 

After the Cup it was back to the Championship and a trip to the form team in the country in Hull City. The Tigers had been a terrific run of 9 unbeaten in League and Cup and going from the bottom three to the top half. While Wednesday were on a decent run it was always going to be a hard ask. That isn't to excuse the performance, we were 2nd best in every department and Hull City strolled to a 3-0. They, like Birmingham are an example though that time and patience are needed to get success in this division. Both like Wednesday have issues off the field to deal with but those two sides have found consistency in results. As for the game, while not being their myself and listening to it on the radio it sounded very reminiscent of some of the performances of the previous ear and the highlights showed just that. Going back to a point I made in the previous blog, it isn't just the manager and coaches, players have to take responsibility for themselves as well. This group needs freshening up in the summer and days like this show that.

 

Luton Town

 

So the replay against Luton Town, this time we knew what was on the line. A trip to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It was also a big chance to bounce back from the defeat at Hull with a moral boosting win. Again Wednesday went strong looking to make sure the tie was settled. It was won with a 2nd half goal from Atdhe Nuhiu and although it wasn't the prettiest goal he'll ever score it was one that earned Wednesday a very good tie in round four. I don't want to get to into the Nuhiu debate but some of the criticism on twitter after the game was ridiculous, he scores a goal that gives six thousand Wednesday fans one the best away days of the last few years and gets slagged off? Doesn't sit right with me that. Luton had their chances but Wednesday defended well, Nuhiu heading one off the line and a good save from Cameron Dawson. Wednesday almost had a slot on the next Rory McGrath DVD (is that still a thing?) when Tom Lees' back pass nearly trickled into his own net. Thankfully it didn't. Overall considering Luton were unbeaten at home for 13 months a good night's work.

 

Wigan Athletic

 

After the cup win it was back to Hillsborough for a league game against Paul Cook's Wigan. It was a game where I think most Wednesday fans were expecting to win. I thought for a mid/lower half table we were excellent. Dominated the game for the most part and bar one decent chance for Wigan they never really troubled the Wednesday goal. Their keeper pulled off a couple of decent saves but Steven Fletcher again decided to smash in a goal from an unrealistic position. After some lovely interplay from Barry Bannan and Adam Reach, Fletcher picked the ball up and ran with it, positioned himself and struck it beautifully into the back of the net. I must confess that a bloke behind me said shoot and I said "Oh no, don't shoot from there" I blame the angle personally. After that Wednesday could have added to it, probably the only criticism of the game was the fact we didn't kill it off but that comes with confidence. Overall a positive day at Hillsborough.

 

Chelsea

 

So then we went on for a little adventure in the Cup. Chelsea and Wednesday have history when it comes to cup football. This however his a very different Chelsea to the one we last player in the 1999/00 Season. Since then Wednesday have been in League One twice and face oblivion off the field, Chelsea have won 5 Premier League titles, 6 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, 3 Community Shields, A Europa League and in 2012 the Champions League. It's fair to say the two clubs have had different paths over the last 19 years. It was always going to be a tough ask, Wednesday went their with a game plan and for 20 minutes or so it was working. We thought we had a penalty after Andre Marriner gave us one only for VAR (which I am an advocate of) proved it to be the wrong decision. For me that knocked us off balance and Chelsea themselves were given a penalty a few moments later. After that it was an uphill struggle. 3-0 was probably fair but I felt for some of the players. They all but in 100%, the fans were excellent and made themselves heard. It was nice that although the result wasn't the right one but fans made an impact on the national media. Some of the criticism of the tactics used by Steve Agnew in his final game before handing over to Steve Bruce was unjust in my opinion. This idea of 'going for it', well for a start it actually isn't as easy to just go for it. You can plan to attack all you want but a quality team like Chelsea can stop you before you start. Look at someone like Rüdiger at the back for Chelsea, see how good he is on the ball as a centre back. It's not as easy to say "Go and attack them" this is FIFA or Football Manager, it's not like you can just press a button and you're more attacking. Maybe we could have made the substitutions earlier but ultimately that comes down to how fit certain players were and how realistic it was that we were going to get anything from the game anyway. I think if you were expecting a more attacking display from Wednesday then you haven't watched us a lot over the last 18 months. We're an average Championship team and Chelsea are a top 6 side in best league in the world.

 

Deadline Day

 

I can't say I'm a massive fan of deadline day, it can occasionally be exciting but often it's Sky basically glorifying bigger clubs holding smaller ones to ransom. Trying to build up excitement of a player going somewhere on loan or a deal falling through. Just feels a bit wrong to me. This year however Wednesday made moves to add three to the squad. Dominic Iorfa from Wolves on a permanent deal and Rolando Aarons and Achraf Lazaar both from Newcastle on loan. All three make sense from a positional point of view. Iorfa comes in to challenge Palmer and Baker you would imagine while with Matt Penney being out until April Lazaar comes in to offer competition for the rejuvenated Morgan Fox. Aarons offers pace out wide and as a winger gives us something we don't have enough of. It was surprising to see the deals done given the current FFP/P&S restrictions but we have to trust in the club and hopefully all three players come in and do well. Welcome aboard lads. As for outgoings, nobody left Hillsborough despite strong rumours of Sam Winnall departing. For one reason or another that didn't happen and now it's up to Winnall to earn a first team shirt. Work hard, take your chances. That's what you'd hope so.

 

 

Thanks for reading

 

Tom

 

WAWAW