HarryFromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Saturday’s game at Portman Road by delving into their forums.

“It’s the night before ‘Brucemas’”, “We don’t have the hopeless Dutch head coach around now and have only lost two of our last nine matches”, “This Championship is dire, it won’t take much of a run to get a feel-good factor back”, “Forwards and onwards, the new Brucie era and Ipswich to come!”

“Looking at that league table makes me feel ill.” The Owls head to Suffolk sitting 17th in the table and 11 points clear of third-bottom Reading. With the team exiting the FA Cup exit at Chelsea on Sunday, most fans expect newly-appointed boss Steve Bruce to use the remaining games to plan an overhaul.

“I can’t wait for the summer, we really need to rebuild. This lot have had their time and squandered it.” Owner Dejphon Chansiri invested heavily in a squad rebuild when taking over in 2015 but many Owls believe that it needs breaking up, despite the club operating under the threat of an embargo.

“I’m afraid we’re going to have to start again. We are poor and it’s disappointing, but we are where we are”, “The season is a write-off. As long as we don’t go down, next season will see a lot of changes. The squad isn’t good enough and the new manager isn’t yet in place. Things need time to improve.”

“A mid-table finish this season and then look to next year. We are desperate for some fresh faces and ideas”, “I get the strategy of buying players who have got promoted, but we have literally gone for the water carriers of these teams”, “We are so far behind where we want to be that it’s scary.”

“We were sixth before the start of the October international break. Something went a bit wrong, didn’t it?” A poor run of results led to Jos Luhukay’s dismissal just before Christmas. “We have been mismanaged this season and are beneath our true league position. This squad got to a play-off final.”

Steve Bruce

“I will start to feel a lot happier when Bruce properly takes over. February 1st cannot come quickly enough”, “We do seem to have been playing negative football under Agnew, so I’m really looking forward to Bruce coming in”, “He will have an absolutely massive job on his hands, that’s for sure.”

The club confirmed at the beginning of January that 58-year-old one-time Sheffield United manager would take over at the club at the start of February after he had recuperated from two operations and having been on a family holiday to the Caribbean, previously booked as he sought to take a break after his Aston Villa sacking in October and following the death of both his parents.

His two assistants Steve Agnew and Stephen Clemence took control until his first game this coming Saturday.

“I have never been a massive fan of Bruce. His teams can play quite laborious uninspiring defensive football normally but I will give him the benefit of the doubt”, “He won’t be using any cavalry-charge tactics for sure. We will have to be tight at the back and as heavy-handed as possible on the attack.”

“Fans need to reconcile themselves with the fact that we have to sell players to avoid an embargo to give Bruce the best chance to reshape the team”, “He will have his work cut out with this squad. It’s not the manager, it’s the squad he’s inheriting. He will have no money so a miracle will be required.”

Timid Football

“I must admit we are boring”, “We have scored more than one goal in a game twice since the start of October”, “We can defend pretty well but scoring goals and creating is entirely something else”, “Please somebody, inject some real pace into the squad and cut out the negative playing culture.”

“Stop passing it around the back and then launching it forward”, “We are just absolutely shocking in possession”, “When in possession our players simply have no idea how to offer their team-mates a passing option”, “We are really terrible on the ball and lack the passing skill to score enough goals.”

“We run out of ideas in the final third”, “Plenty of Championship teams have more pace, positivity and options than we have. We have little going forward”, “The lack of pace has been the same for so long. We either sit back and look toothless or go forward and look wide open. We lack that balance.”

“Pass three times sideways and then give it away”, “Every time we get possession the first thought is sideways and then backwards”, “It seems we are sticking with the same outdated methodology and having a big lump up front to make it stick”, “We’re just so slow, we lack pace and quick thinking.”

“Where’s our fighting spirit?”, “We need more bite in the side”, “I can’t remember the last time we dominated anyone and battered a team”, “Let’s be honest, we never really dominate anyone. We win by the odd goal and scrap along the way. It is our style and I’m not being negative saying this.”

The Owls have rotated players in their recent FA Cup games against Chelsea and Luton but they have kept the same starting XI (above) in their last two league games at home to Wigan and at Hull. Many expect this to form the core of the side to start Bruce’s first game in the dugout at Portman Road.

“We have stuck with the same back four in the league since Luhukay left and it has improved by not constantly chopping and changing it or asking players to be full-backs one week and wing-backs the next”, “We look so solid again it’s fantastic. It really baffles me what was going through Jos’s head.”

The restoration of keeper Keiren Westwood after Luhukay’s departure has helped bring stability to the Owls’ back four. Tom Lees is less comfortable on the ball than his centre-half partner Michael Hector, but they are more reliable than full-backs Liam Palmer and Morgan Fox who unnerve fans.

“I don’t think we’re struggling up front, the problem is our midfield. No crosses, creativity, width or pace means no chances for our forwards”, “We have no pace and power in midfield”, “We need a commanding powerhouse and a lightning quick winger. There’s never a threat in behind defences.”

Reconfiguring an unbalanced midfield will be an early task for Bruce. Sam Hutchinson is a natural tough-tackling holding midfielder but while partners Barry Bannan and Adam Reach are industrious, they both lack pace, physicality and tenacity to operate effectively in box-to-box or creative roles.

Many would like to see Reach in a wider role, as regular starters Marco Matias and George Boyd are respectively too lightweight and slow to break through defensive lines. Fernando Forestieri made a widely welcomed substitute appearance at Chelsea on the recovery road from a hamstring injury.

It’s worth having a look at the final XI for the Wigan game as it saw a switch to a front two which was also widely welcomed. Lucas Joao is the one player in the squad with real pace, and he is seen as the best natural strike partner either for line-leading Steven Fletcher or his regular replacement Atdhe Nuhiu.

“I don’t understand the tactic of playing Steven Fletcher totally isolated alone up top”, “Fletcher and Lucas Joao need to play together and give us some sort of spark up front”, “Goals are a problem and playing one striker will never work without a clever creator like Fernando Forestieri in the team.”

The January Transfer Window

Bruce has made late moves in the January transfer window to strengthen the squad in both full-back positions and on the left flank with three deadline-day signings. Two loan arrivals from Newcastle are Morocco international left-back Achraf Lazaar and Jamaica-born left winger Rolando Aarons.

Right-back and one-time Town loan signing Dominic Iorfa has also moved on a permanent deal to Hillsborough. All three will be available for selection on Saturday, but many Owls were more relieved that they managed to keep hold of their existing first-team players given their financial constraints.

Chelsea 3 — 0 Sheffield Wednesday (FA Cup Fourth Round)

“Out without fighting”, “I’m disappointed with the lack of ambition but not the effort. We looked scared to go forward at times. Fletcher was dropping into midfield to make it a block of six at times. We may as well have pitched tents in our own half, it was so feeble”, “What did we really expect?”

Willian opened the scoring for the hosts from the penalty spot on 26 minutes shortly after the Owls had their own spot-kick award overturned by VAR. Callum Hudson-Odoi added a second on 64 when he collected a high diagonal ball and rifled it home. Willian sealed victory with his second goal on 83.

“We didn’t even have a go. It was a massive anti-climax”, “Regardless of effort, our tactics from the start were way too negative. I know it was Chelsea, but it could have been very different”, “Chasing shadows and we barely completed a single pass, it shows the difference between the two leagues.”

The starting XI (above) saw the inclusion of highly-regarded centre-half Jordan Thorniley for Michael Hector who was unable to play against his parent club. Playing two sitting midfielders in Hutchinson and Joey Pelupessy was seen as too defensive and this contributed to the team sitting far too deep.

Sheffield Wednesday 1 - 0 Wigan

“Well done lads, another clean sheet for the defence. The lack of goals is a concern but three points will do nicely”, “It was a good win but 20 shots and eight on target should equal far more goals. We need to be more clinical”, “We played alright and won comfortably, but were just a bit toothless.”

“Is anything actually happening at this game?” Steven Fletcher won this match with a powerful strike from 20 yards out just after the hour. “It was a decent, solid professional performance. We totally dominated the second half. Wigan were the worst team I have seen at Hillsborough this season.”

Luton 0 — 1 Sheffield Wednesday (FA Cup Third Round Replay)

“Job done, a very real potential banana skin avoided”, “It could easily have gone wrong but it didn’t. Luton are a decent outfit and I wouldn’t bet against them going up. We were sloppy at times on the ball but luckily it didn’t cost us”, “I’m happy to win but we could get murdered at Stamford Bridge.”

“Skin of our teeth.” Atdhe Nuhiu beat Luton keeper James Shea from 10 yards a minute after the interval to win this cup tie for the Owls after strike partner Steven Fletcher brought the ball down inside the box. Wednesday had to weather a first-half battering from Luton before edging home.

“We are being overrun. Luton are running us ragged.” The Owls matched Luton’s midfield diamond in their starting XI (above) but Reach struggled with little space in which to operate while the quality of Hector’s passing was also criticised playing in an unfamiliar more advanced holding midfield role.

Hull 3 — 0 Sheffield Wednesday

“All over, that was dire”, “That was a really poor show today, we were never in the game”, “Simply put, we were awful, but take nothing away from Hull. They were fantastic and their work-rate for the full 90 minutes was outstanding”, “A spineless performance which told us nothing we didn’t know.”

Jarrod Bowen curled in the opener in first-half stoppage time and bagged his second on 51 from the penalty spot minute after Westwood had brought down Hull’s Chris Martin. Fraizer Campbell added a third on 76, racing through on goal and finishing well to confirm a sixth straight win for the hosts.

“Sat on the train waiting to leave and what a waste of a trip that was. We were abysmal throughout. No passion, fight, spirit or even the ability to pass the ball”, “It was such a disappointing game from an experienced team. We have no quality, pace or attacking intent and this is far from the first time.”

Goalkeepers and Defenders

“Keiren Westwood is a good organiser who gives confidence to those around him.” The 34-year-old former Sunderland man “is a commanding keeper who comes out and clears dangerous situations by taking control”, “He will save, clear or punch the ball away assertively to take control of situations.”

Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday)

“It’s not just about the saves Westwood makes. He barks orders all games and forces his defenders to keep looking and checking where their players are. He inspires such real confidence”, “Even if he’s injured, get him to stand behind the goal and organise the defence, it’s a guaranteed clean sheet.”

“Morgan Fox has been a solid defender in the last two months.” The 25-year-old former Charlton left-back and one-time Town academy schoolboy “is a steady player who adds height and strength at the back”, “He has had far more poor than good games. I get really frustrated with the number of silly mistakes and daft decisions he takes.”

“Fox has a great left foot but is suspect technically and positionally”, “He’s a good defender as long as the opposition don’t have a winger with any sort of pace. Then he’s in trouble as he’s very slow”, “He is full of effort but is nowhere near the quality we need to challenge at the top of the league.”

“There has been a noticeable improvement in the displays of Liam Palmer recently.” The 27-year-old youth product “is positionally sound at right-back and tries to get attacks going down his flank”, “He is better on the ball and seems able to judge when to close his winger down and when to stand off.”

“Palmer’s performance issues are mental and physical rather than technical. His game falls apart if he has to think about attacking, if he has a clear defensive job to do, he does this well”, “I have never felt he was a poor defender, but it’s really more about whether he has what it takes going forward.”

“I was at a cup match last season where Achraf Lazaar started. There wasn't a single thing about him that looked like a left-back. He looked like a winger that wasn't great at defending.” Newcastle fans expressed doubts about the 27-year-old ex-Parma left-back. “A questionable signing for the start.”

“Seems only recently that Dominic Iorfa was our brightest young thing. What on earth happened?” “He didn't really fit into Nuno Espirito Santo's plans as he isn't exactly a great passer of the ball. I still think he will make it one way or the other”, “I wish him good luck and hope that he makes it there.”

Dominic Iorfa v Sheffield United

“Iorfa is more of an athlete than a footballer.” Wolves fans felt that their club has progressed above the level of the U23 youth product who played on loan at Portman Road last season. “Yep, a great engine but not enough football talent. I thought he had good close control and could beat people easily.”

“Daniel Pudil does well as a left-centre-back, but I’m not confident about him at full-back at all.” The 33-year-old former Watford man “was great in his first season but his all-round mobility has dropped right off. It’s hard for him to offer anything going forward, while he is also a weak link defensively.”

“Jordan Thorniley was not overawed coming up against Gonzalo Higuain at Chelsea.” The 22-year-old former Everton youth player “has the defensive basics nailed down”, “The best left centre-back at the club. He has a good head on him and is willing to try and organise things across the back.”

“Thorniley is not the tallest or quickest but he’s a very good tackler and header of the ball. He reads the game well”, “He looks so composed with such limited experience. He’s aggressive when needed, he’s good in the air defensively. He’s a capable and no-nonsense tackler with very good composure.”

“As a stopper, Michael Hector is okay. As a ball-playing stopper no chance.” The 26-year-old Chelsea loan signing “makes some careless errors but is generally solid and comfortable”, “He can be far too nonchalant and overconfident. His passing is poor and someone has to ensure he’s concentrating.”

“Hector’s strengths are his tackling, intercepting and heading. His weaknesses are concentrating and agility. His distribution does need to improve although he could be less ambitious with his passing”, “He’s not afraid to bring the ball out. He’s a good mopper-upper who will make the odd mistake.”

Tom Lees

“Lees is perfectly competent for the level we’re at.” The 28-year-old former Leeds centre-half “is a quality defender when he concentrates on his own game”, “He’s twice the player when someone is doing the thinking for him”, “There’s no doubting his defensive abilities but he may lack confidence.”

Tom Lees

“Lees should stick to what he does best, heading and kicking the ball away”, “He’s a good player who needs the right partner. He’s not captain material and he has been lost without Glenn Loovens”, “He is a solid defender who will get rid of the ball as quickly as possible as he’s insecure in possession.”

Central Midfielders

“I’m not sure about playing Joel Pelupessy. He’s a totally ineffective player.” The 25-year-old ex-FC Twente holding midfielder “is a terrible footballer who struggles to make the simplest passes”, “He provide nothing. Opponents probably spend 25 minutes working out what he’s meant to be doing.”

“David Jones is probably not good enough now.” The 34-year-old former Burnley man “is too old and slow now. For 10 to 15 minutes at end of a game he could do a job, but that's it”, “I said it wouldn’t work signing old professionals who had been promoted and were deemed surplus to requirements.”

“Sam Hutchinson is easily in the most disciplined spell of his career with us.” The 29-year-old former Chelsea man “is playing with more discipline and controlling himself”, “We miss his when he doesn’t play but his rashness is not suitable in the modern games. He needs to win the ball by intercepting.”

Sam Hutchinson v Birmingham City

“We look so much better when Hutchinson is in the side. He makes the holding role look easy”, “He doesn’t fly into tackles or run about like a nutcase. His awareness is top level, he reads the game and organises everything”, “He let the occasion get the better of him by conceding a penalty at Chelsea.”

“Apart from the odd world-class strike, what does Adam Reach really offer?” The 25-year-old ex-Boro man “is a great runner who can get up and down the pitch, but he’s not a tough-tackling hard man”, “He should be out wide as he can cause trouble going forward where he can use the space.”

“The problem with Reach is that for all his talent you can find a flaw in his game wherever you play him. He lacks pace and trickery in attack, he lacks bite and a presence in midfield and his defending is suspect at left-back. He’s enigmatic”, “He lacks muscle, strength, determination and natural pace.”

Barry Bannan

“We haven’t found a way of being consistent with Bannan in the team.” The 29-year-old ex-Palace man “constantly feels he has to go back to our defence to pick up possession. We lose his influence further up the pitch where we need it far more. Dropping deep reduces his passing effectiveness.”

Myles Kenlock v Barry Bannan

“If Bannan doesn’t take on responsibility to drive us forward, he has no positive impact on the game. Teams know that everything goes through him and try to take him out of the game”, “He lacks pace and strength to play in our front line and isn’t strong enough to be a combative central midfielder.”

Wide Midfielders and Wingers

“Marco Matias plays with misplaced enthusiasm instead of intelligent decision-making.” The 29-year-old former Nacional man “is a talented player but too lightweight for me”, “He wanders in and out of games, and sometimes he’s hardly noticed. He makes clever runs but his final decisions are poor.”

“Matias flatters to deceive as he should be a player who can create and score from nothing”, “His pace and runs off the ball are helpful but he fails to make an impact”, “He pops up in good positions which can be dangerous at times, but he has never regularly hit the byline and put a good cross in.”

“Rolando Aarons, can you rediscover your random patch of great form when you first broke on to the scene please?” The 23-year-old Bristol City and Newcastle youth product’s “technique, touch and close control are unbelievable. I guess he will never make it for us but he’s a very talented player.”

George Boyd

“Boyd is a good player with a good engine but his legs have gone.” The 33-year-old former Burnley winger and one-time Town target “is half the player he was. He struggles to control a ball, run with it or play it simply. It’s such a shame but he’s one to move on”, “He gives us no pace on the counter and seems to tread water.”

Maxime Colin (Birmingham City) v George Boyd

“Boyd helps his full-back out. He is intelligent with his defending and he retains possession well. He can shuttle run and close down space all game”, “His body movement is so slow, almost robotic, but we all know his best days are behind him”, “He is well liked because he isn’t selfish and works hard.”

Strikers

“Sam Winnall has never been given a chance to shine here.” The 28-year-old former Barnsley striker “is a finisher who knows where the net is, but he’s not fast or strong enough and has an awful first touch”, “When he plays, he has the determination and urgency I want to see throughout the side.”

Sam Winnall (Derby loan)

“Winnall is a different type of striker to what we have. He’s nippy and quick of thought”, “Unlike our other strikers he can actually score goals”, “If we made 20 chances per game and were missing them all, then he would be an option, but we don’t create those chances”, “For all his flaws, he can finish.”

“Fernando Forestieri is probably only fit enough for 30 minutes given it has been a while since he has played a game.” The 29-year-old former Watford player “is still a game-changer and a match winner at this level when motivated”, “Managed and played correctly he is such a threat in this division.”

“Forestieri brings craft and creativity to the team, but he is becoming like a soft-top sports car. He is totally impractical and only at his best for four days a year, but you know you will miss him”, “He is a temperamental, injury prone, unreliable enigma who really symbolised our new dawn in 2014/15.”

“Atdhe Nuhiu is nothing more than the footballing equivalent of a speed hump.” The 29-year-old ex-Rapid Vienna target man “can create a chance for himself or others during his 15-minute cameos, but he more often bundles into opponents with his meandering pace like some pissed-up Great Dane.”

“Nuhiu is good to have on if opposition defences are handing out a kicking but he has been average in all his time here”, “I don’t understand the weird cult-hero status that some deluded fans big him up to be”, “He reminds me of Brexit actually, divisive among the population and very, very slow.”

Atdhe Nuhiu

“We look so much better with Lucas Joao on the pitch.” The 25-year-old ex-Nacional front man “will provide pace off Fletcher and he can beat a man or pick a pass”, “He looks after the ball so well and carries a goal threat from all over the pitch. He turns with the ball and runs, he frightens defenders.”

“When we play with two up top and Joao supporting Fletcher, we know how to attack”, “Playing as a withdrawn striker he can take and keep the ball, run at defenders or pass. He also finished with both feet”, “His pace is handy, but he can be defensively sloppy playing out wide and forget his full-back.”

Steven Fletcher

“Steven Fletcher battles for everything and runs his socks off.” The 31-year-old ex-Sunderland striker “is a proper footballer. He’s no mug and although he doesn’t get the goal return he’s capable of, his all-round game is high quality. I would love to see a small pacy striker operating in alongside him.”

Luke Chambers v Steven Fletcher (Sheffield Wednesday)

“Fletcher is a classy, intelligent footballer but he can’t score and it frustrates the hell out of me”, “He works well with the ball but he is limited because he has no pace and is poor in front of goal”, “Bruce will play a longer game than we have seen for a while. Then we will need Fletcher’s aerial ability.”

Owls’ Views on ITFC and the Game

“Are you going to Ipswich? That's only for Real Fans.” With the arrival of a new manager and three deadline day signings to discuss, Owls have been unusually quiet on the subject of Saturday’s game. That said, they expect to win. “We have a team quite capable of taking Ipswich apart on Saturday.”

“We start a new era under Bruce against Ipswich.” I expect that they will have more to say on the game over the course of the day. If there is sufficient insightful comment, I will post it on the forum and link this on my Twitter feed.

Websites

The busiest Owls message board is the very knowledgeable and often very funny OwlsTalk. Sheffield Wednesday highlights are available on the Multimedia menu as well as Ipswich Town and for the whole of the Championship and other EFL leagues.

@HarryFromBath

Photo: Action Images

OwainG1992 added 11:30 - Feb 1 Cheers as usual for the preview. Looking forward to this one and I feel a win here will get us believing we can stay up. It will likely be false hope but there we are!!!!
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blueoneness added 14:16 - Feb 1 Atdhe Nuhiu bundles into opponents with his meandering pace like some pissed-up Great Dane.” 😂
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Wonky added 15:02 - Feb 1 You give us hope Harry!. Sadly only seems to last till the game. Great as always.
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