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“If We Go Down Now, We Want Shooting” - Notes for the Sheffield Wednesday Game This Weekend.
Written by HarryfromBath on Thursday, 18th Apr 2013 11:07

HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Saturday's game by delving into their forums.

“It’s all getting too close for comfort now”

”You have to produce promotion form just to keep out to the bottom three”. The Owls are four points clear of the drop, and are battle-hardened after a tough season climbing out of the danger zone. “The feeling that we are going down is one of paranoia at the moment”.

“Needing a win on the final day would cause cardiac arrests, from memoirs of the Palace game three years ago”. “I've simplified it. Win one of our last three and we'll be safe, and if we can't beat one of Ipswich, Peterborough or Middlesbrough then we deserve to go down”.

“I hope we are bloody safe before Peterborough”. “I couldn’t stand needing a win against a Peterborough side which hasn’t lost for 10 games”. “What about the Blackburn and Millwall games where we got six points? Grow a pair of balls, mate! I’d hate to be in combat with you alongside me”. Some Owls are weary of all of this self-doubt.

“Who Keeps Putting Mogadon in the Half-Time Tea?”

”Thought we played well in the first half against Blackpool. Then the obligatory worrying second half drop in performance came”. “It seems that we sit back and invite opponents to attack the goal far too often”. “Our insistence on doing this always worries me”.

“I was disappointed against Leeds because it appeared tactical to come out and defend and sit deep from the start of the second half. It’s no surprise we got punished”. “We reverted to sitting back again and threw it away”. “We tired badly against Blackpool”.

“I don’t want to be a neggo, but it’s the same old story for me. Defend, Defend, Defend!”. “Same again, trying to sit back to defend a lead, something we can’t do”. “Keeping a last minute corner by the corner flag rather than smashing it in the box to 6’ 5” Steve Howard? Cowards”. “F*cking pathetic”.

Dave Jones

”Dave Jones is the best manager in this division. We can consider ourselves lucky to have him. Mandaric has been the perfect owner. He has brought financial realism to the club, and 95% of fans have understood and embraced it."

Jones has brought in loanees Stuart Holden from Bolton, Seji Olofinjana from Hull City and Steve Howard from Hartlepool, changing the emphasis to a less technical and more competitive style of play. Despite these tactics, Wednesday fans admire their manager for consolidating last season’s promotion.

The Tactical Overview in One Sentence

Owls worry about tiredness and a lack of ambition late in games, but would like most of all to move away from the more direct football which has rescued them in the second half of this season.

“Christ, What a Terrible Game”

“Do we even have a style of play, other than blasting the ball up to whichever poor f*cker is playing up front? Barring the odd decent passage of play, we are a terrible side to watch."

The simpler style of football has turned their fortunes around after a poor first half of the season. One Owl posted a table showing that Sheffield Wednesday are fourth in the Championship, with 38 points over the last 21 games (we were eighth with 31).

“Our style is currently more direct, but it’s more about points over style, and I will take that for now”. “We’ll revert back to DJ’s more preferred fluent style when we stay up”. “Folks are saying that it’s okay to play long ball and get points under Jones, but Megson was a footballing dinosaur for doing the same thing”.

“Jones tried to play a more considered passing type of style early in the season. The problem is that other teams were better at it than us”.

Defence

“Two lapses in concentration cost us really against Leeds”. “Get in a younger centre-back so that our defence doesn’t have an average age of thirty-three”. “We tired and faded against Blackpool as the game wore on”. Tired defending is linked by some Owls to their fading in games.

Former Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland “does have shaky moments in games. However, he has won us ten times the points he has lost and is still one of our most consistent and important players”. “He is a commanding keeper and makes really quality saves”. “He has a real weakness on crosses”.

Left back Reda Johnson “isn’t afraid to get forward and has scored crucial goals”. The former Plymouth man “is as likely to cost us a goal as he is to score one”.

Former Pompey and Stoke man Lewis Buxton “is our best player, He is the only one who has been consistent this season”. “Mr Reliable” is “one of the best right-backs in the league”.

“Miguel Llera is one of the most passionate and committed players I have ever seen. If you find a better centre-back technically on the ball and from set pieces, you have done a good job”. “He was brilliant as usual against Blackpool and kept Ince quiet”.

“He gives the ball away and was twice beaten in the air by Luke Varney”. “He can be rattled when he is up against a smaller quicker forward”. “Llera is better at getting to headers that are in front of him. However cross field balls or ones whipped in from wide can be is downfall.

“Every now and then he has a tendency to wait for these balls, similarly to ones on the floor. He needs to attack every ball because when he does he usually wins it. His starting position can also be poor hence he is caught out by balls behind him or he is sucked underneath”.

Former Spurs and Palace centre back Anthony Gardner “has great distribution, great distribution and reads the game intelligently”. “Gardner is one of the calmest defenders I've ever seen and I mean that in a good way. He's made a couple of errors lately in the air, but over the season he's been excellent”.

Midfield

Wednesday play 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 as a rule. The fact that their fans selected nine different central midfielders in their proposed line-ups for the Blackpool game suggests a lack of clarity here.

“He’s very raw and will develop into a very good player”. Left winger Jimmy Helan has been criticised “for not protecting Reda Johnson on his bombing raids. We have conceded more than a few goals from here this season. The 20-year-old Manchester City loanee has “blistering pace…. and nothing else”.

Playing out of position on the right side, former Oldham man Kieran Lee is a work in progress. “Lee is a steady player and only going to get better”. “I don't think Jones even earmarked him for the first team this season but he has come in and done everything anybody could have expected of him.”

“We've benefited from Holden's steady approach, not losing the ball in the games he's played”. Bolton loanee Stuart Holden - a one-time Town trialist - has just joined to get game time until the end of the season. The American international has come in primarily as cover for Michail Antonio. “Holden would walk into most Premiership sides when fit and firing”.

Nigerian Seji Olofinjana has been out with a knee injury but is due back for Saturday. The midfielder, on loan from Hull, “looks to be one of our missing ingredients. He can both break play up and play a bit. He is a good destructive midfielder”.

“I really like Coke, he is going to get better and be better with better players”. “Coke is a good player and has bags of ability”. “(Former Motherwell player) Coke and (ex-Forest and Leeds player) David Prutton were brought in from the cold out of necessity because our young midfielders lack experience”.

“Prutton is good at kicking the ball twenty feet in the air for no apparent reason. Maybe that is what DJ sees in him”. “He’s the one doing the shouting in there and getting the midfield to push up, as they drift further back”. “People underestimate what Prutton brings to the team. The introductions of Prutton and Coke saved our season”.

A Tale of three Different Strikers

Jermaine Johnson

“We have no other player with the same capability and talent to change a game”. Jamaican international Jermaine Johnson “has stepped up to the plate since Michail Antonio was injured in March”. “No-one in our side and most sides in the league has his flair and ability. He can turn a game with a burst of pace”.

“JJ lacked the discipline to see the game through. Blackpool committed many niggly fouls against him. He got frustrated, picked up a booking and it looked like a red card was coming. After a last ref’s warning, he pleaded with the bench to bring him off and that was that”.

“JJ is fantastic, but only for half a game, because of his hamstrings”. “JJ looked f*cked at half time against Leeds”. “Once he went off we had no attacking threat at all”. “Losing JJ was the reason for the second half collapse”. “As soon as JJ went off, we couldn’t get up the pitch. It was attack vs defence (against Blackpool)”.

Steve Howard

“Howard up front is never suited to a passing game, more a hoofball kind of match”. The 36-year-old target man came in on loan from Hartlepool in January. “He is like a mobile obstacle”. “We are more substance size over style”.

Some Owls hate what they are watching. ”Yeah! Let’s build our team around Steve Howard! Not slating him as he’s done a good job, but I don’t think I can take another year of hoofing. We’re the only team that does it and our budget is mid-table”.

“Considering that, we are we not playing some football? I’m all for spirit and strength, but my God, what do they do all week? The least you should do is practice pass and move as it is the basis of the game. The one thing that has stood out this season is our complete lack of movement”.

“There is no creativity in the side. JJ was the only threat against Leeds, and bringing on Howard just meant we’d be relying on hoofball, unable to hold the ball and calm the game down”.

Leroy Lita

“Having Lita at our club is like having a 10” dong that you can’t get hard. Total waste, because the supply ain’t there”. Leroy Lita has struggled since joining the Owls in the last transfer window. “He looked a yard off the pace” against Leeds, and “is offering the square toot of FA”.

”Lita does what he can with the sh*t fired up to him at times, but it gifts the opposition the ball back without them having to work for it”. “The only thing I have a gripe with Kirkland is his hoofing up to Lita all the time when Lita is four foot two”.

Wednesday Fans' Views on ITFC and the Game

“I have just had a look at Ipswich’s away form. Saturday is going to be horrible”. This comment followed a listing of our recent 1-0 and 0-0 scores.

“Ipswich will not be an easy game. They might be all but safe, but McCarthy won’t let them settle on their laurels. I expect a tight fought game this weekend and owt more than a point will be a bonus”. “They are similar to ourselves and hard to beat. It will be a hard fought game”.

“Saturday absolutely is NOT must-win. It IS, however, must-not-lose”. “Hopefully we won’t gift them three goals like Palace”. “We won’t. We don’t do that anymore”. I will update the forum on Saturday with their more immediate thoughts.

Dingle Mick

“Beat Dingle Mick’s lot on Saturday and we’ll be okay”. Barnsley are locally known as the Dingles, and McCarthy is mocked for this connection. “Dingle Mick’s side will be horrible and awkward. It’s up to the players to play at the right tempo. It is up to the fans to create the atmosphere and drive us on”.

Some Owls believe he got Frank Simek sent off in a Wolves game in 2007, by flying into a rage with the referee. “It was a yellow card tackle until he started doing f*cking Riverdance in front of the ref”. “I particularly enjoyed the rendition of 'Mick McCarthy is a tail tugger' for the rest of the game”.

He has his admirers: “I think he's brilliant. Always honest and open with his interviews and comes across as a down to earth guy. Hearing him on the BBC World Cup commentary was hilarious a few years ago too”.

“Apart from when he lost it over Simek’s tackle I've got a lot of time for McCarthy. He's always good value to speak his mind and calls a spade a shovel unlike all the other bland crap we get from most”.

“He's done a fantastic job at Ipswich. They looked like going down before he took over. I bet Wolves fans wish they'd still had him as manager”.

“Ipswich will stay up. Say what you must about Mad Mick. He’s a bit of a cock, but he’s a good manager at this level. Not sure anyone would argue with that?” This comment was made in November, and looks to have won the poster a wager with a fellow Owl.

“One of the Worst Managers We’ve Ever Had”

”Paul Jewell takes the biscuit because the man thinks he’s actually a managerial God when he’s really flipping terrible”. Although not their worst manager in a recent forum poll (he was ninth out of 12), there is little affection at Hillsborough for Mick’s predecessor. “He likes to play the big one at a little club”.

“Step forward Agent Jewell. League Two beckons”. He was a popular recent choice with Owls to replace Danny Wilson at Sheffield United. “There’d be shoes off in the car park!” “There’s carnage in the SUFC car park – there are shoes everywhere!” Shoe waving seems to be a mark of protest in this part of South Yorkshire.

Websites

There are three good Owls websites. The biggest is owlstalk.co.uk, while both owlsonline.com and new-606.co.uk are chatty and informative. The posters on new-606 have an odd habit of occasionally throwing pictures of topless women into their prediction threads to keep each other entertained. It doesn’t help.




Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.

irishtim added 12:18 - Apr 18
Great read as always, glad we have MM as manager. Honest & Blunt. Always liked him as irish manager. Put judas Keane in his place. Hopefully he will lead us to greater things and rub keane's nose in it even more. Will miss your match blogs in the summer. Keep up the good work mate.
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pazelle added 12:36 - Apr 18
0-0
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TonythePony added 14:59 - Apr 18
Great blog as usual. Thanks to your notes Town fans will be the best informed fans in the League. Keep up the good work.
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gazzmac4 added 15:16 - Apr 18
I will be there on Saturday but reading the above should i be concerned about the very real chance of a 0-0!? Haha. Regardless i think we can nick the 3 points in a classic 0-1 style! COYB's!
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HarryfromBath added 16:50 - Apr 18
pazelle and gazzmac: I had our 0-0 draws at Huddersfield and Peterborough in my head before researching this game, and certainly nothing changed afterwards.

It would be quite unwise for the Owls to sit back an conserve a narrow lead or draw whatever the reason, tiredness or otherwise. Under Jewell, I used to dread the last 10 minutes, whereas under Mick, I look forward to them.

irishtim and tony: Thanks for you kind comments. Mick is a complete hero, head and shoulders above Keane and Jewell. We are lucky to have him.
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JCBLUE added 23:03 - Apr 18
Another fabulous blog Harry, thank you. MM, sign up Harry - really hope he reads them!
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Walk_the_Wark added 23:25 - Apr 18
Belt it up to who evers up front...We play just like them! Be a league 2 style 0-0. Joy!
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NoCanariesAllowed added 12:22 - Apr 19
I'll have to remember that Leroy Lita analogy... It'd be a right 'c0ckup' if we let him score! ;)
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DutchTownFan added 18:42 - Apr 19
Thanks Harry!!

Sheff Wed last 10:
Wins: 4
Draws: 2
Defeats: 4
Scored: 11
Conceded: 12

Ipswich last 10:
Wins: 5
Draws: 3
Defeats: 2
Scored: 10
Conceded: 3

0-0 or 0-1 looking at goals scored and conceded. Recent results make it 0-1 and a championship status for us COYB!!!
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HarryfromBath added 19:27 - Apr 19
Cheers, JCBlue and DutchTownFan for the kind feedback. I completely agree with you, Walk the Wark and Pazelle in thinking that it will be a tight low scoring game.

Our goals conceded figure in the last 10 game is unbelievable, given the chaos Mick witnessed when he arrived. I think we have gone from conceding 3 in 15 minutes at Palace to 3 in 900+ minutes in less than six months.

NoCanariesAllowed, I loved the Lita comment when I spotted it as well! Supporters can be hilarious when criticising their own players, and that one was right up there. :-)
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