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Why Sheffield Wednesday cannot be charged over Hillsborough

David Conn — Wed, 15 May 2019 17:17:55 GMT

Wednesday’s then safety officer, Graham Mackrell, has been convicted over the disaster but the club, to the families’ despair, is immune to prosecution

Bereaved Hillsborough families’ last sight of accountability from the football establishment for the deaths of 96 people at an FA Cup semi-final was the then Sheffield Wednesday secretary and safety officer, Graham Mackrell, driving away in a taxi from Preston crown court on Monday having been fined £6,500. Mackrell was convicted of having criminally breached his safety duties when he allocated dangerously few turnstiles – seven – for all 10,100 people with standing tickets to support Kenny Dalglish’s brilliant Liverpool team against Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest in the sunshine of 15 April 1989.

Mackrell said in a statement after Monday’s sentencing hearing that the judge, Sir Peter Openshaw, had “recognised” that his negligence “did not cause or contribute to” people dying. Openshaw did say that while Mackrell’s criminal offence was not “a direct cause” of the deaths, it was a direct cause of the crush at the turnstiles, which “set the scene” for the deadly crush inside on the terrace’s central pens.

Norwich City 2-2 Sheffield Wednesday: Championship – as it happened

Ben Fisher — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 21:12:34 GMT

Mario Vrancic jumped off the bench to rescue Championship leaders Norwich a priceless point against Sheffield Wednesday at Carrow Road

10.12pm BST

Daniel Farke, the Norwich head coach, talks. “The lads are brilliant and this spirit and attitude is carrying us through the season,” he says. “Again, we had ridiculous decisions against us and to come away, 11 games unbeaten, it is outstanding. We have a really unique attitude. We have a world-class winning mentality. This team never knows when they have lost a game. We always fight against the odds and were able to find a answer.”

10.04pm BST

Read Paul Doyle’s dispatch from Carrow Road:

10.03pm BST

Steve Bruce speaks. “It’s cruel,” he says. “When you see the goal [the winner] again: ‘Is it a free-kick?’ I doubt it. The referee then played five-and-a-half minutes when there are five to play and he says he has allowed 30 seconds for a substitution. Where he gets this 30 extra seconds from ... we feel aggrieved today, because the referee didn’t do his job.” Of Forestieri, he adds: “For the first time in a while, he looks fit. He has had a few injury problems but, unfortunately, it is towards the end of the season that we are seeing the real Forestieri. We have practically nothing to play for, but we rolled up our sleeves and, for me, we deserved to win the match.”

9.52pm BST

That was another brilliant advert for the Championship. A sensational end to another seesawing, entertaining encounter. Plenty of positives for both teams, although avoiding defeat was massive for Norwich, who have drawn their past three matches and travel to Stoke City on Easter Monday. They could seal promotion there, depending on how Sheffield United and Leeds United fare at Hull and Brentford respectively. For Norwich, the 19-year-old Max Aarons was absolutely terrific again, while Wednesday will take encouragement from a hearty performance. And, anyone inside Carrow Road will not forget that thumping Fernando Forestieri strike any time soon; it was a beauty. Steve Bruce’s side take on Bristol City next, though a point simply leaves them with too much to do to break into the play-offs.

9.48pm BST

It is a draw that tastes like a victory for Norwich City. Mario Vrancic, who equalised in stoppage-time speaks. “I was sure I was going to sure, I practise for those moments and I am happy it went,” he says. “It is a very important point, we are five points ahead with three games to go but it is not done yet.” Fernando Forestieri, very eloquently, says: “I’m happy for Norwich, they deserve to win the league. They are likely to be champions.”

9.46pm BST

Norwich never know when they are beaten. They salvage what could prove a priceless point at the death. Sheffield Wednesday probably feel hard done by, but Steven Fletcher handled in the buildup to poking Steve Bruce’s side in front.

9.43pm BST

Make that eight goals in the 90th minute or later! Mario Vrancic bends a fine free-kick over the Wednesday wall and it zooms into the top corner. Dawson had no chance. Carrow Road erupts, but Farke is totally unmoved.

9.42pm BST

90+5 min: Norwich free-kick, right on the edge of the 18-yard box. Vrancic fishes for a foul and buys one out of Marco Matias. This will surely be the last kick of the game. Vrancic fancies it, too ...

9.41pm BST

90+4 min: Dawson smothers a high ball forward by Aarons.

9.40pm BST

90+3 min: Klose goes over in the box after collecting a Pukki pass, after a high ball forward, but it is an optimistic shout for a penalty. Norwich will take anything at this stage. And then Wednesday pour forward, with Lucas Joao making substantial progress in off the byline, with Godfrey eventually clearing. Wednesday could have added a third.

9.39pm BST

90+3 min: Wednesday defend superbly once more. And when Norwich recycle the ball, Srbeny and Klose sandwich Pelupessy.

9.38pm BST

90+2 min: Hernández is replaced by Timm Klose, and the giant defender’s first act will be to try and get on the end of a Norwich corner.

9.37pm BST

90+1 min: Onel Hernández darts in off the right flank and cannons a low ball across goal, but Wednesday clear. Norwich are chasing an equaliser!

9.36pm BST

90 min: There will be five minutes stoppage time. Norwich have scored seven goals in the 90th minute or later this season ...

9.35pm BST

88 min: Leitner hangs a high ball up for Stiepermann, but Cameron Dawson reads it like a book and calmly gathers out of the sky.

9.33pm BST

86 min: Barry Bannan and Steven Fletcher play a dreamy one-two, and the latter ends up swinging at the ball inside the box – but Norwich nip in to clear just as Fletcher went to pull the trigger. Wednesday flew forward, carving Norwich open but could not put the gloss on a slick move upfield.

9.31pm BST

84 min: Zimmermann makes a mess of a routine clearance. Maybe it is just not going to be Norwich’s night? Wednesday, who have stifled and stood firm when needed, are almost there.

9.30pm BST

83 min: Vrancic slips Pukki into the channel, but the striker gets his cross all wrong. Off goes Jamal Lewis, replaced by Srbeny.

9.29pm BST

82 min: Unable to call on Jordan Rhodes off the bench – the striker ineligible to face his parent club – Norwich are readying Dennis Srbeny.

9.28pm BST

81 min: Wednesday clear, and Mo Leitner loses a boot in the aftermath. Norwich are having a good go but Wednesday calmly hoover up another attack.

9.27pm BST

80 min: George Boyd plays the role of pantomime villain, picking up a booking after tugging at the shirt of Max Aarons, who has been absolutely relentless down the right flank again. At 19, Aarons has a huge future. Norwich have a free-kick from an acute angle, 20 yards from goal.

9.25pm BST

79 min: On comes Mario Vrancic, in place of Tom Trybull. Farke introduces a bit more attacking invention to the Norwich midfield.

9.24pm BST

77 min: Joao’s first act is to clear a routine Norwich corner. But the ball keeps coming back at Wednesday, who failed to truly clear their lines. Dominic Iorfa boxes clever, sweeping the ball away after Aarons sends an arcing ball towards the back post where Onel Hernández was lurking.

9.22pm BST

76 min: That’s Forestieri’s last contribution, with Lucas Joao summoned in his place. Forestieri’s right boot has proved a lethal weapon for Wednesday.

9.21pm BST

75 min: Forestieri has another go from distance, this time bending an effort goalwards although it warps away from goal. Another great hit.

9.20pm BST

72 min: Forestieri brings down Aarons on the very edge of the area with a clumsy challenge! Aarons petulantly wraps his arms around the referee Geoff Eltringham to inform him that he has made the wrong decision, though replays show the foul was indeed outside of the 18-yard box. But Norwich fail to make the most of it, with Stiepermann eventually running into Cameron Dawson after recycling the ball on the edge of the box.

9.17pm BST

71 min: Dawson blasts his goal-kick straight out for a Norwich throw. The home crowd enjoy it, Steve Bruce not so much.

9.17pm BST

70 min: Onel Hernández switches on the afterburners to jet beyond Iorfa but Lees does well to shut the door. Norwich continue to probe but then Leitner’s keenness is his downfall as he fouls Matias on the right flank.

9.15pm BST

68 min: Fletcher unleashes a rocket on the half-volley, but Krul is equal to it! It all stemmed from a free-kick, after Pukki was adjudged to have fouled Matias. Wednesday win a foul after their attempt to scamper forward was intercepted by the Norwich striker tracking back to do the hard yards.

9.14pm BST

67 min: Pelupessy has to dig deep to clear the ball as Norwich surge upfield again through Jamal Lewis down the left flank. Another corner is headed clear by Iorfa before Wednesday attempt to counter.

9.12pm BST

66 min: Lees tries to shepherd Onel Hernández away from the box before Matias nicks the ball away, but the referee pulls up the former for being a little overzealous in the challenge. Bannan replaces Onomah. Norwich waste the resulting free-kick, with Leitner’s cross poor.

9.11pm BST

65 min: Kenny McLean heads just wide for Norwich! Brilliant play down the right flank by Max Aarons, who gallops forward before cutting inside and delivering a flighted cross. McLean is there to meet it, beating Tom Lees to power at goal but it falls just wide of Cameron Dawson’s goal.

9.10pm BST

63 min: Norwich and Farke are still umm-ing and aah-ing over a change, while Steve Bruce is readying Barry Bannan.

9.09pm BST

62 min: Michael Hector slips in Onomah with a smart ball forward but Wednesday fail to make the most of having men up. Instead Norwich fly forward after turning over possession. Daniel Farke must be contemplating a change. They look unusually bereft of ideas in the final third.

9.07pm BST

61 min: Palmer clears with Pukki lurking. In fact, the Norwich striker had a swing at it as Stiepermann recycled the initial corner but Wednesday do well to hold firm. Forestieri then surges down the left and buys a foul out of the German, who ends up slamming the ball down in frustration.

9.06pm BST

60 min: Matias concedes a corner as Lewis surges forward to meet a lofted pass. Mo Leitner will swing it in once more ...

9.05pm BST

58 min: Sheffield Wednesday seem to be enjoying the role of party-poopers, with Onomah and Boyd gladly fizzing the ball around. Norwich, for the first time really, have gone a little flat. But surely not for long?

9.02pm BST

56 min: Steven Fletcher goes on a mazy run down the right flank. He is causing all sorts of problems – with his feet and his hands ...

9.01pm BST

54 min: Stiepermann angles a low effort just wide!

8.59pm BST

A twist in the promotion plot! A devious ball bounces in from the left and Fletcher manages to get his big toe on it to steer the cross goalwards. Tim Krul is livid because after making a super initial save, Fletcher appears to handle the ball, scooping it in with his left hand before the striker wheels away to celebrate. A contentious goal, and Krul earns a booking for his frustrations.

8.57pm BST

50 min: A big save from Tim Krul to deny Forestieri a second thumper! The Dutchman gets a strong left hand to another venomous Forestieri strike. Wednesday have not turned up to just roll over. They mean business.

8.57pm BST

49 min: Ben Godfrey glances just wide! George Boyd inadvertently flicks on Leitner’s corner at the front post and Godfrey arrives at the back post to head at goal, but he nods wide. It was a golden chance, almost such a good opportunity it appeared to take Godfrey by surprise.

8.55pm BST

48 min: Onel Hernández and Lewis play a neat one-two down the left flank. Lewis surges to the byline and wins a Norwich corner. They play it short and get another in quick succession. Leitner will swing it in once more ...

8.53pm BST

46 min: Onel Hernández does superbly, scooting forward – being tugged back all the time by Onomah – before Leitner takes over the baton, and he, too, is fouled. Norwich play a quick free-kick and Wednesday clear. Hernández has caused havoc with almost his every touch. No personnel changes at the interval, but George Boyd gets a helping hand with his bootlaces.

8.51pm BST

46 min: Wednesday’s Josh Onomah gets us back under way.

8.50pm BST

Here we go then, the teams are back out at Carrow Road.

8.46pm BST

Essential half-time reading:

8.37pm BST

A low Marco Stiepermann strike was cancelled out by a belting Fernando Forestieri equaliser. The Wednesday striker swivelled on the edge of the box before letting rip from a good 25 yards, with Forestieri filing a goal of the season contender. They will be queuing up at the end-of-season Sheffield Wednesday awards dinner for the goal of the season gong, with Adam Reach – absent with an achilles injury here – having registered a couple of beauties this campaign. Still, Norwich are very much on track to get the job done. They have been pegged back by a preposterous leveller.

8.35pm BST

45+2 min: Hector is adamant he has won a goal-kick after nabbing the ball away from Stiepermann but replays show a corner was the right decision. Leitner delivers, but it is emphatically cleared. And that’s that.

8.34pm BST

45+1 min: Wednesday smartly turnover possession, and proceed to switch from defence to attack before the move breaks down on halfway. Back come Norwich down the right, through Max Aarons but he cannot get a clean shot away. The teenage full-back seemed to be pulled back by Palmer inside the box after collecting a sublime back-heel by Onel Hernández. But, the referee is unmoved, and Norwich have to go again.

8.32pm BST

45+1 min: Leitner buys a corner out of Dominic Iorfa ...

8.31pm BST

45 min: There will be three added minutes.

8.30pm BST

42 min: Liam Palmer does superbly to prevent a corner by going shoulder-to-shoulder with Pukki and ushering the Norwich forward aside. Norwich end up with only a throw-in but nevertheless look to maintain the pressure. Onel Hernández ends up being fed inside the box by Pukki – who is clearly fouled after passing the ball on – but the former gets his legs in a tangle. No foul is given on Pukki after the advantage fades.

8.28pm BST

41 min: Stiepermann tries to feed Onel Hernández with a gorgeous through ball, but Lees reads it impeccably, sliding to cut it out with his legs. Norwich win the corner, but Dawson punches clear Leitner’s delivery.

8.26pm BST

39 min: Sheffield Wednesday try to play in Steven Fletcher – but Krul comes out at the crucial moment to intervene. That goal has breathed life back into Wednesday, who were far from done and dusted even at one-goal down.

8.24pm BST

37 min: Good news: Aarons is back up on his feet. That looked very painful for Aarons, the EFL young player of the year. He has had a fine season.

8.24pm BST

36 min: Max Aarons and Liam Palmer collide on the byline, and the latter ends up inadvertently trampling on the Norwich teenager. Aarons looks in pain and will require some treatment. Palmer seems fine to carry on.

8.21pm BST

34 min: Pelupessy is on for Hutchinson, who tried to battle on but clutched his hamstring after intercepting on halfway in the very buildup to that equaliser. Daniel Farke looks totally perplexed on the touchline, presumably stunned by the sheer magnificence of that Forestieri strike.

8.19pm BST

Crikey, a goal of the season contender! Fernando Forestieri wriggles into a yard of space 25-30 yards out and then just thumps an effort at goal. Once it leaves his right boot, there is only one destination, as the ball zooms beyond a hapless Tim Krul in goal. That is helluva goal – a beauty. And, suddenly, Sheffield Wednesday restore parity. A shock to the system for Norwich. Adam Reach has been partial to a pearling, piercing strike or two from distance but that was something else. A preposterous goal.

8.17pm BST

30 min: Sam Hutchinson appears to be struggling for Wednesday and Joey Pelupessy is stripped and ready if needed. Bruce is determined to give his midfielder a chance to fight on but it remains to be seen if he can.

8.16pm BST

29 min: Lewis dinks a ball over the top for Pukki to run on to – but Dawson reads it and surges out of goal to gather. Wednesday try to rebuild from the back. They have done a lot right, but it is Norwich who are in control.

8.15pm BST

28 min: Ben Godfrey charges forward with the ball, eating up about 30 yards before passing over the baton to Jamal Lewis. Eventually it drops in the box for Pukki, but his effort is dealt with by Dawson in the Wednesday goal. That goal has truly relaxed Norwich, who are beginning to flourish.

8.13pm BST

25 min: Michael Hector does brilliantly to sweep up on halfway – but his next move is not so finely executed as he passes the ball out of play. And then Norwich hit them at speed, with Boyd chopping down Pukki.

8.12pm BST

24 min: Jamal Lewis surges down the left flank but Iorfa keeps pace with the full-back to cut out Onel Hernández’s beautifully weighted pass. And Sheffield Wednesday earn a goal-kick to boot. Great defending by the former Ipswich defender.

8.10pm BST

22 min: Max Aarons marauds down the right, finding space on the overload and cuts the ball inside for Pukki but the striker is unable to trouble Dawson. Norwich are beginning to enjoy themselves. They’re dominating possession.

8.09pm BST

21 min: Sheffield Wednesday may feel a little hard done by given their positive and proactive approach to this game, but there is no doubting Norwich were slowly beginning to turn the screw. Carrow Road is rocking, safe in the knowledge they are well on the way to the six points they need to seal promotion.

8.06pm BST

Norwich edge a step closer to the Premier League. Marco Stiepermann plays a give-and-go with Onel Hernández and, when he picks it back up on the edge of the box, he hammers a first-time effort down the middle of goal with his left foot. It was not in the corner, but the power sent it flying beyond Dawson.

8.04pm BST

16 min: Lees plays Onel Hernández onside and Dawson makes a fantastic save with his right leg! The winger was slipped in, with Norwich suddenly two-on-one. He did everything right, but the Wednesday keeper did well to shut him out, with Pukki lurking for the rebound. Despite a couple of scares, Bruce will be relatively happy with this start. Norwich have not had it all their own way.

8.03pm BST

15 min: A half chance for the Argos-loving Onel Hernández, but Michael Hector is equal to it. But back come Norwich ...

8.02pm BST

14 min: Boyd has the ball in the net – but the Wednesday forward was a fraction offside. Dominic Iorfa surged forward, threaded Boyd through and he rolled it beyond Krul, but the linesman had his flag up.

8.01pm BST

13 min: Fletcher heads over for Wednesday! They zip the ball around, it’s a lovely move and it culminates with Fletcher to head over Palmer’s cross from the left. There were a couple of neat triangles outside the box and Matias, who was a substitute at Leeds last time out, has been influential early on.

8.00pm BST

12 min: Tom Lees, the Wednesday captain, attempts to kickstart a move forward, via Josh Onomah. Liam Palmer is played in down the left flank, putting Max Aarons in a pickle but Norwich clear their lines.

7.58pm BST

11 min: Forestieri has a crack from distance – all of 30 yards – and Tim Krul ends up nodding it away with his head, as it bounced up dangerously in front of him. Sheffield Wednesday have settled but Norwich remain in the ascendency.

7.57pm BST

9 min: Stiepermann bludgeons it towards goal, but it is hammered straight at Dawson, who gladly gathers the free-kick after his error.

7.56pm BST

7 min: Cameron Dawson handles the ball outside the box – and earns a yellow card for his misdemeanour! Dawson rushes out of goal to collect a high ball by Stiepermann and is penalised for deliberate handball. Just as well it is only a yellow for Wednesday, who have no goalkeeper on the bench at Carrow Road following an injury to Keiren Westwood in the warm-up. Dawson was promoted to the starting lineup at the last minute, and looked decidedly rusty there. Stiepermann shapes to shoot ...

7.54pm BST

6 min: Pukki jinks inside George Boyd and blasts over! Marvellous foot-work from the Finn, after Norwich countered at speed. Some pinball in the Norwich box gave Wednesday some promise, with Matias again lurking but the hosts did well to turn over possession and pour forward, following a daisy-cutter by Steven Fletcher.

7.52pm BST

4 min: Marco Matias shuffles into the box, but Leitner makes a timely interception. Moments earlier Trybull clattered Forestieri but Sheffield Wednesday failed to do anything with the initial free-kick. But they recycled possession and Matias weaved his way into the box unchallenged. As promising as Norwich’s start was, Sheffield Wednesday have not turned up to merely roll over. They, too, have shown some early intent.

7.49pm BST

2 min: Moritz Leitner, making his first start since December, wins the ball back in the engine room to kickstart another move. Norwich have missed Buendia – but Leitner’s return is a big plus.

7.48pm BST

1 min: Pukki wins the ball on halfway and immediately drives forward. But, unusually, was a little selfish and ran into trouble, with Stiepermann in space to his left. His backheel doesn’t come off and the move breaks down. There’s already a great party atmosphere inside the stadium.

7.46pm BST

Norwich get things started at Carrow Road.

7.43pm BST

A blow for Sheffield Wednesday on the brink of kick-off: Keiren Westwood has injured his knee and Cameron Dawson will replace him in goal. Westwood was absolutely phenomenal at Elland Road last weekend and has been superb since being recalled.

7.38pm BST

A sun-drenched Carrow Road is looking gorgeous. Kick-off will be on us in no time. A quick reminder that Mo Leitner is back in for Norwich, while Josh Onomah, the Tottenham loanee, makes his first Sheffield Wednesday appearance since February.

7.33pm BST

Teemu Pukki is closing on the Championship golden boot. The Finnish striker, a free transfer last summer, has netted 27 goals and counting this campaign. “It has been an unbelievable year,” Pukki said earlier this month, after picking up the EFL player of the year award. “We have played some quality football and we have some brilliant young guys coming through. It’s a pleasure to play in this team because I know I will get chances in every game. To go up as champions is a lot more than just going up. When I came we didn’t talk much about targets but you could see the potential.”

7.25pm BST

Daniel Farke speaks. “All the other results do not matter, we are just fully concentrated on our game,” the Norwich head coach says. “Sheffield Wednesday are a very good team and we have a difficult task. Moritz Leitner was crucial for many, months and we got the opportunity to bring him back in tonight. We can play full of self-confidence but under Steve Bruce they have had just two losses so they hard to beat. Each and every point is important.” Bruce adds: “It is a long, long time since I played here [1987] but it’s a great little club and I’m delighted they are where they are.”

7.19pm BST

Some pre-match reading to digest:

7.15pm BST

This Norwich team has been a breath of fresh air, a spine comprising of invaluable experience – Tim Krul, Marco Stiepermann, Mo Leitner, Teemu Pukki and co – and, beyond that, they possess a youthful exuberance. Max Aarons and Jamal Lewis (who were both picked up from Luton in their mid-teens) have been revelations at full-back, while the classy Ben Godfrey, who spent last season on loan at Shrewsbury, has excelled since coming into the defence in December. Then there’s Todd Cantwell.

6.49pm BST

Norwich City: Krul; Aarons, Zimmermann, Godfrey, Lewis; Trybull, Leitner; McLean, Stiepermann, Hernandez; Pukki

Subs: Oxborough, Vrancic, Klose, Tettey, Hanley, Srbeny, Cantwell

6.07pm BST

Having done the hard part, the rest is simple for Norwich City. Well, relatively: if they can turn over Sheffield Wednesday and beat Stoke City on Monday then they will seal not only promotion but also the Championship title. Win tonight and Daniel Farke’s side will move seven points clear of second-placed Sheffield United with only a remaining nine up for grabs. In short, Norwich are very nearly there, almost over the line. Victories at this stage of the season are not a given however: just ask Marcelo Bielsa. Steve Bruce was all but resigned to Wednesday’s season being over after defeat to Leeds last weekend and, if they are beaten at Carrow Road, then the play-offs will almost certainly be beyond them, even if not mathematically. In terms of team news, Emil Buendia serves the final game of a three-match suspension, while Jordan Rhodes is ineligible to face his parent club. Adam Reach is touch-and-go for Wednesday after picking up an achilles injury.

Kick-off: 7.45pm (BST)

Norwich five points clear after last-gasp free-kick denies Sheffield Wednesday

Paul Doyle at Carrow Road — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 20:58:34 GMT

This draw was greeted rapturously by the home fans at Carrow Road, but not by Norwich’s manager, Daniel Farke. The German said he was too angry to celebrate when Mario Vrancic struck a spectacular equaliser for his team in the seventh minute of stoppage time.

The point takes Norwich to within touching distance of a return to the Premier League – they will seal promotion on Monday if they win at Stoke and one of their closest pursuers, Sheffield United and Leeds United, slip up – but Farke is concerned that bad refereeing could cause more twists in the Championship run-in.

Jack Harrison’s flawless finish gives Leeds victory over Sheffield Wednesday

Ben Fisher at Elland Road — Sat, 13 Apr 2019 18:35:45 GMT

Leeds returned to second as the cat-and-mouse dynamic at the top of the Championship continues. Jack Harrison’s fourth goal of the season was enough to yield victory but on another day Marcelo Bielsa’s side – who racked up 28 shots but only six on target – could have steamrollered to victory over Sheffield Wednesday in a Yorkshire derby played at a frenetic pace from start to finish.

Leeds’ gusto simply blew Wednesday away, while a superb goalkeeping performance by Keiren Westwood kept a hungry home side at bay until midway through the second half, when Harrison applied a classy first-time finish. With four games to play, Leeds are back in the driving seat for the second automatic place, three points clear of Sheffield United though three behind the leaders, Norwich, who visit Wigan for their game in hand on Sunday.

Aston Villa’s Tammy Abraham rubs salt in Sheffield Wednesday’s wounds

Jamie Jackson at Hillsborough — Sat, 06 Apr 2019 16:40:44 GMT

Dean Smith’s late introduction of Albert Adomah proved inspired as the Aston Villa substitute put his side ahead three minutes into added time before Tammy Abraham’s 95th-minute goal confirmed they would move into fifth place.

They are three points clear of Derby, who remain a place outside the play-off positions, while for Sheffield Wednesday defeat was a sizeable blow, leaving them six points and places from sixth-placed Bristol City.

Sheffield Wednesday 0-0 Sheffield United: Championship – as it happened

Simon Burnton — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 22:02:40 GMT

Chris Wilder hailed ‘a bitty game, littered with fouls’ after his Sheffield United side were held by Wednesday in a blood-and-thunder derby

10.00pm GMT

Right then. I’ll be off. It’s been, well, entirely as many people expected. Until next time! Here’s a match report:

9.57pm GMT

Chris Wilder has a chat:

I think it’s a point gained. It was a very bitty game, littered with fouls, and really get going for both teams. We missed a really good chance first half, they missed a really good chance second half, so it’s honours even. If they play like they did against us, against the other teams, then I’m sure they’ll pick up points along the way. It was a local derby, a passionate crowd, players giving everything for the cause, not a lot of quality on show. We’ll take a point and move on.

9.45pm GMT

So United stay third, and their next away game is at Leeds on 16 March. Wednesday are 13th, but are the only team in the top 15 with negative goal difference (theirs is -7), which doesn’t help.

9.42pm GMT

John Egan sums up the game well enough: “I think it was a scrappy game. A typical derby game. We’ll take the clean sheet and get ready for the next one.”

9.41pm GMT

By the time United play against Rotherham at the weekend they will have gone an entire month without conceding a goal. This is impressive. Wednesday meanwhile have conceded one goal in their last six home games. This is the third successive Sheffield derby to end 0-0. So, in short, the scoreline isn’t an enormous surprise.

9.39pm GMT

90+3 mins: It’s over, and the spoils are shared!

9.38pm GMT

90+2 mins: Hector flicks on a long ball to Aarons, who floats a shot over the bar from 25 yards.

9.38pm GMT

90+1 mins: Wednesday swing a free kick into the area. It’s cleared to the half-way line, and back into the area it goes. Hector is now playing at being an attacking colossus.

9.36pm GMT

90+1 mins: There will be two minutes of stoppage time, or thereabouts.

9.36pm GMT

89 mins: Wednesday’s final change sees Fletcher go off and Atdhe Nuhiu come on.

9.34pm GMT

87 mins: Including stoppage time we have been averaging one shot on target per 45 minutes of play. Two minutes plus stoppages remain.

9.32pm GMT

85 mins: A long spell of United pressure ends with Aarons running away with the ball, leading a break. He runs and runs and runs until he runs into a group of defenders, and then suddenly they have the ball and he doesn’t.

9.30pm GMT

82 mins: United win a free kick on the right for no obvious reason, and the delivery provokes more penalty-area panic. Hector has morphed since half-time from a grappling, tussling, ill-disciplined free-kick-donation exercise into a defensive colossus.

9.27pm GMT

81 mins: United provoke a prolonged bout of penalty area ping-pong, but come out of it with no more than a corner, which is cleared.

9.26pm GMT

80 mins: Hector pickpockets Bannan, cuts in from the left and shoots from the edge of the area, but Hector is on the spot again.

9.25pm GMT

79 mins: Another substitution, as Wednesday take off Iorfa and bring on Morgan Fox.

9.24pm GMT

77 mins: The corner comes in, Westwood gets befuddled by the flight of the ball and in the end he desperately fingertips it away from danger as it drops behind him!

9.24pm GMT

76 mins: Hector fluffs a clearance, but Sharp can’t do anything with the ball. Then United lift the ball into the area, McGoldrick slides it across, and Hector gets this clearance right, and needs to!

9.22pm GMT

75 mins: As I type that, we get a prolonged spell of nothingmuchery.

9.18pm GMT

72 mins: This half has been a lot better than the first. It has just somehow been a crucial bit saner.

9.14pm GMT

68 mins: A second United substitution sees David McGoldrick come on and Gary Madine depart, to loud catcalls and whistles.

9.14pm GMT

67 mins: Another shot from Wednesday, though Palmer’s effort from range goes well over the bar.

9.12pm GMT

65 mins: A shot on target! And that is the best chance of the game, from Sheffield Wednesday. They break down the left, Aarons’ low cross is superb and Hutchinson, bang central and seven yards out, shoots straight down the middle and straight at Henderson!

9.08pm GMT

61 mins: Sheffield United make their first change, bringing Martin Cranie on and taking Kieran Dowell off.

9.05pm GMT

59 mins: Wednesday nearly think about maybe at some point having a shot potentially on target! By which I mean, they put in a couple of dangerous crosses.

9.04pm GMT

57 means: Nearly a chance for United! A long ball forward is nodded back towards Westwood but Sharp very nearly gets there first! He doesn’t, though, and gives away a free kick for his challenge on the Wednesday goalkeeper.

9.00pm GMT

53 mins: United go down the other end and win a corner, which from the moment it’s taken seems destined for O’Connell’s head. He does indeed reach it first, but he heads into Fletcher’s back.

8.58pm GMT

51 mins: Aarons buys a free-kick for Wednesday very near the left-hand corner flag. The referee delays the taking of it having spotted some holding in the penalty area (Hector inevitably involved), and Bannan’s set piece is easily cleared.

8.56pm GMT

49 mins: Basham pulls back to Norwood, whose shot from a yard or two outside the area is poor enough for Sharp to have a go at turning it in at the far post, but he doesn’t quite contort his body in time.

8.54pm GMT

47 mins: An overhead kick! An actual overhead kick! It’s Fletcher with it, but he never threatens to get his foot round the ball, and instead hoofs it well over the bar.

8.52pm GMT

46 mins: The second half is under way!

8.51pm GMT

So much for @MaliciousA’s prediction. Forestieri is off, and George Boyd is on.

Half time change for the Owls;

⬅️ Forestieri
➡️ Boyd#swfcLIVE

8.50pm GMT

Neil Clough, meanwhile, reckons this would work as Wednesday walk-out music. I’ll let you be the judge:

8.47pm GMT

I admire your optimism.

@Simon_Burnton I feel that Forestieri's thrilling heroics will shine through and nick a scrappy winner. As is right and proper.

8.46pm GMT

United had the only shot on target, a pretty decent one from the head of Madine in the seventh minute, and might have had a penalty for Hector’s corner-defending physicality, but at no other point has either team even hinted at possibly even vaguely threatening to score. Things can only get better.

8.37pm GMT

45+4 mins: And that’s half time! It has been a classic British derby, in that it has involved a lot of rushing about, people kicking and jumping into each other, a great deal of wild slashing at bouncing footballs, and not a lot of the cerebral stuff.

8.35pm GMT

45+2 mins: The ball goes down United’s right flank again and Madine falls over again, this time with Hector at his back. The referee gives the free kick, and this time Madine’s fall is less popular. It is one of Hector’s cleaner challenges of the evening, though most of his have been filthy.

8.34pm GMT

45+1 mins: Madine falls over on the slipper, sodden surface, and gets one of the night’s louder cheers for doing so.

8.32pm GMT

45+1 mins: Into stoppage time we fly, and there will be about three minutes of it.

8.32pm GMT

43 mins: United clear the ball, and Dowell and Hutchinson collide in trying to win it in midfield. Both physios come on for a while, but the players are fine.

8.29pm GMT

42 mins: Wednesday keep the ball in the final third for a while, with excitement mounting in the stands, but Bannan’s cross towards Fletcher is headed clear, and that’s the end of it.

8.26pm GMT

38 mins: United win a free kick on the right, but Reach gets the ball first and heads behind.

8.24pm GMT

37 mins: Approaching half-time, and United are leading 1-0 on the shots-on-target metric.

8.21pm GMT

33 mins: It is absolutely pouring in Sheffield. The weather and the occasion are combining to make this all puff and no precision.

8.17pm GMT

30 mins: Fletcher is eventually coaxed back to his feet, and play continues.

8.16pm GMT

27 mins: Fletcher wins the ball on the Wednesday’s right flank, about 10 yards outside the penalty area, gets up and then goes down again. That looks worrying, and the physios are on.

8.11pm GMT

24 mins: Another free kick ends in Wednesday’s first shot of the day, the ball being headed clear to Lees, whose miscued effort from the edge of the area squirms miles wide.

8.09pm GMT

21 mins: Wednesday attack down the left, where Aarons sends in a very nice left-footed cross. There are no team-mates anywhere near it when it drops, but a defender nevertheless feels forced to put it behind. The corner is cleared.

8.07pm GMT

19 mins: Both sides win free kicks, but nothing much comes of either of them. The game is yet to calm down.

8.04pm GMT

16 mins: The corner leads to another corner, which Westwood claims easily. Hector is then shown on TV hilariously wrestling with Madine off the ball as the first corner came in, and that is a penalty waiting to happen.

8.02pm GMT

14 mins: Madine wins the header and United break. Norwood crosses well again, and Lees heads it behind. Another corner kick, this at the other end.

8.01pm GMT

13 mins: A roar from the crowd as Forestieri wins a free kick, giving Wednesday a chance to get on the front foot. They choose to keep the ball rather than swing it immediately forward, and eventually play a fine pass down the right for Reach, whose cross finds Fletcher, whose header hits Basham and goes behind.

7.59pm GMT

10 mins: United get down the left, and Bannon deflects the cross behind for a corner. Fletcher wins the header, and the referee spots someone deliberately blocking Westood and gives a free kick.

7.56pm GMT

7 mins: Save! Norwood curls a cross towards the far post, Madine wins the header six yards out but Westwood blocks it!

7.55pm GMT

7 mins: Westwood’s big boot downfield is flicked on by Fletcher but won back by United, who boot upfield themselves and win another throw-in.

7.53pm GMT

6 mins: Play gets congested in Wednesday’s left-back area. At one point I count 12 players within about five yards of the ball, so it’s hardly surprising nobody managed to do very much with it. It ends with a United long throw that flies over the area and out the other side.

7.50pm GMT

3 mins: It has now calmed down a bit. Several players have taken a touch and on occasion even looked up before getting rid of the ball. Hector, though, has just smashed a 60-yard pass into touch.

7.49pm GMT

2 mins: A full minute played, and I don’t think anyone has controlled the ball yet. It’s just been walloped about.

7.48pm GMT

1 min: Peeeeep! Sheffield United get the game started!

That noise #swfcLIVE pic.twitter.com/Jj50S1THWj

7.47pm GMT

I’m a big fan of Simple Minds’ Waterfront as walk-out music. I once had the 12” and particularly liked the extended intro on the extended version, but I can’t seem to find it on YouTube. Anyway, I digress. A football match is about to start.

7.44pm GMT

And out they come!

7.44pm GMT

The teams are in the tunnel. Brace yourselves.

7.34pm GMT

Chris Wilder has a chat:

I’ve just made sure that we approach it in a balanced way. We’re playing well, since the turn of the year. We’ve had some great performances and we’ve got to continue that. It’s going to be frantic, passionate. I think we’ve got a good group that’s ready for it and up for it and we have to be because they will test us in every part of our game tonight. We’re in good nick, and we’ll see where that takes us.

7.23pm GMT

Bruce has won seven and lost just the one of nine matches in which he has managed teams against Sheffield United. That’s quite the record.

7.06pm GMT

Steve Bruce had a 55-game spell in charge of Sheffield United between July 1998 and May 1999, but there were no Sheffield derbies in that time, so this is a first for him. This is what he said about the game in his pre-match press conference:

It’s on the night, on the occasion, who handles it best, who handles the situation better and who doesn’t make the mistake. Will it be won by a flash of genius or a mistake? All of those things come into effect. Let’s look forward to it.

I always say, the whole of the country will be watching the game on Monday, let’s make it a spectacle. Yes, there is always going to be huge rivalry but just keep it at a huge rivalry. It’s all about one thing - getting a result.

6.53pm GMT

The starting XIs will look something like this:

Sheffield Wednesday: Westwood, Palmer, Fletcher, Bannan, Lees, Reach, Hutchinson, Iorfa, Hector, Aarons, Forestieri.
Sheffield United: Henderson, Stevens, Fleck, O’Connell, Basham, Dowell, Sharp, Egan, Madine, Norwood, Freeman.

Here's how we line-up in tonight's Steel City derby, in association with @Ladbrokes

⚪️ | #swfcLIVE pic.twitter.com/cwrS7D1goK

⚔️⚽️ CONFIRMED TEAM | Chris Wilder makes 3⃣ changes. O’Connell, Basham & Madine all start. It’s @swfc v @SUFC_tweets in the @SkyBetChamp, kick-off is 7.45pm#sufc #ForgedinSteel #twitterblades pic.twitter.com/XcSnOR8Jox

3.45pm GMT

If you thought derby weekend ended when the final whistle blew at Goodison Park yesterday you are gravely mistaken. Perhaps they saved the best until last, with a Steel City Derby of massive importance and extensive all-round interest. Sheffield United will go second if they win, and while Wednesday are a massive 17 points further back they are a side transformed under Steve Bruce, and share United’s record of having lost but a single league game in 2019 (and that was way back on 12 January; United’s defeat was a week later). If they win tonight they will go level on points with another of Bruce’s former clubs, Birmingham, in eighth (though unless it’s a real thrashing they will themselves be 11th, for goal-differential reasons) and the play-offs will start to look like a genuine possibility.

“The whole of the country will be watching the Sheffield game so let’s make it a spectacle,” roared Bruce.

Steve Bruce’s Sheffield Wednesday blunt Blades in Steel City stalemate

Press Association — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 22:00:26 GMT

Sheffield United missed the chance to return to the automatic promotion spots as they were held to a goalless draw at Hillsborough.

In the opening stages United’s Jack O’Connell appeared to be hit by objects thrown at him by the home crowd.

Championship roundup: Leeds miss chance to go top as QPR edge shock win

Press Association — Tue, 26 Feb 2019 22:40:25 GMT

• Marcelo Bielsa remains bullish after Luke Freeman’s winner
• ‘Magnificent’ Birmingham beat Bristol City; Hull sink Millwall

The Leeds manager, Marcelo Bielsa, insisted there is no prospect of his team running out of steam in the promotion race after they were beaten 1-0 at Queens Park Rangers.

Having dominated most of the first half, the visitors were undone three minutes into the second when Luke Freeman flicked the ball home after being set up by Massimo Luongo. A win would have taken Bielsa’s side top and, when asked if he feared Leeds might fade during the crucial final stage of the season, the coach said: “Your question does not have any basis because if you watch the game you can see that this team has much energy. What our team has shown in every game is that we have an excess of energy.

Steve Bruce: I can’t wait to get started with Sheffield Wednesday

Paul Wilson — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 22:30:33 GMT

• Bruce sets sights on Premier League return for club
• Manager says there is no budget for signings

Steve Bruce is back where he started in management but on the opposite side of the city’s divide, claiming his formative years at Sheffield United were too long ago to affect his new job with Wednesday.

“That was my first managerial job and this might be my last,” the former Sunderland and Birmingham manager said of his 10th club since retiring from playing. “Physically and emotionally I feel great. The club wanted me to start right away [a month ago, when the appointment was announced] but I explained the issues I had to the chairman and he understood.”

FA Cup fourth round: 10 talking points from the weekend action

Guardian sport — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 08:22:11 GMT

Ole Gunnar Solskjær is proving his tactical ability every week but Accrington’s manager could not see the magic of his Cup tie

It was a pity John Coleman saw fit to savage Jon Moss, stealing the headlines when his players’ tremendous performance against Derby deserved more attention. The referee did not get everything right but the Accrington manager was wrong to describe his decisions as horrendous, particularly as his supposedly worst call only led to the corner that resulted in the goal. Frank Lampard was on safer ground talking of the magic of the FA Cup. “We had 2,500 fans here and I thought it was great, it felt like a proper game,” the Derby manager said. “I’ve played in Cup ties like that for Chelsea, we won 1-0 at Scarborough a few years back and by no means were we the much better team. This was difficult, it was real football, and I’m glad my players experienced it. That’s the beauty of the FA Cup, it’s not just about winning the final, it’s about adapting to new challenges and different conditions. I enjoyed being a part of it.” Paul Wilson

• Scott Wagstaff, who scored twice for AFC Wimbledon against West Ham, had scored twice in his previous 44 appearances in all competitions.

Callum Hudson-Odoi on target as Chelsea ease past Sheffield Wednesday

David Hytner at Stamford Bridge — Sun, 27 Jan 2019 20:21:49 GMT

It had been quite a weekend already for Callum Hudson-Odoi, what with the emergence of the story that he wanted his much-discussed move to Bayern Munich so badly he had submitted a formal transfer request.

The noises around the 18-year-old Chelsea winger for much of January had been that he favoured leaving over staying. This felt like confirmation, the realisation of the worst fears of the club’s support.

Chelsea 3-0 Sheffield Wednesday: FA Cup fourth round – as it happened

John Brewin — Sun, 27 Jan 2019 20:17:35 GMT

Two goals from Willian, either side of a goal from Callum Hudson-Odoi, breezed Chelsea into the fifth round draw

Report: Hudson-Odoi strikes as Blues ease through

8.31pm GMT

Here is David Hytner’s report from Stamford Bridge:

8.17pm GMT

Some Chelsea reaction from the official organ.

Asked about the future of Callum Hudson-Odoi, Gianfranco Zola says we want him to stay, he has a contract and we are playing him in games. He says not many players at 18 are featuring as regularly as him. #CHESWE

Zola says it was very pleasing to see Ruben Lofus-Cheek return from injury and he felt the midfielder performed well when he came on. #CHESWE

Asked about the performance of Gonzalo Higuain, Zola says he made a couple of great movements into space and he will only get better. #CHESWE

8.14pm GMT

While the match report is being readied, have some transfer news. That 14-second delay didn’t work out for anyone, did it?

8.08pm GMT

Fuller quotes from Hudson-Odoi from that flash interview and on Bayern Munich.

I don’t know. I can’t say, but you know I will just keep working hard and you never know what happens. Chat with Bayern Munich? “I can’t say, I haven’t, I haven’t…(inaudible).

8.01pm GMT

Tracy Caton’s earlier email has set off some reactions.

First, Eduoard:

“May I second Tracy Caton ? I’m a perfectly calm and reasonable person who can discuss politics without showing much emotion. but VAR seriously triggers me. It will kill the passion and “magic moments” in the sport, which is what it boasted above all over other sports. It’s sad to think that moments like Manchester United winning in 1999 in the last minutes would probably be utterly ruined by VAR now. All that for decisions that are still controversial and showing that applying the rulebook draconianly isn’t all that. Finally, perhaps I’m biased as I’m Swiss, but I can’t help but remark that the the evil trifecta of VAR, inviting more nations to international tournaments, and European clubs pressuring for a super league all started after the demise of Sepp Blatter. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.”

Second, James Russell.

“Let’s leave out the swearing and concentrate on the logic She hasn’t watched it so doesn’t have a first-hand opinion on the decisions but criticises the system anyway.”

7.59pm GMT

Hudson-Odoi and Willian did a quick bit of post-match chat.

HO: “I am delighted, we did very well.”

W: “We deserved to go through. My second was a great combination with Olivier Giroud, and a great goal.”

HO: “We worked really hard in training. We pulled it back from the Arsenal game.”

W: “We have to continue in the same way, we can’t go up and down.”

HO (on his goal): “It think it’s definitely one of highlights. Andreas picked me out well. I learned it [the finish] from him [Willian].”

7.52pm GMT

Hudson-Odoi has just thrown his shirt into the crowd, where a grateful young fan is the recipient. Will that be the last time?

7.51pm GMT

And that’s the last of it. Chelsea just too good for Wednesday, whose players look exhausted with all the effort they put in.

7.50pm GMT

90+2 min: Willian really wants that hat-trick. He cuts in from the left, and hits a singeing shot wide of the opposite post. He has been outstanding.

7.49pm GMT

90 min: Merciful release for Wednesday in just two minutes being added on.

7.48pm GMT

89 min: Jorginho has been brought on to pass Sheff Wed to death. Hudson-Odoi clearly fancied another but is tackled as he attempts some showboating.

7.46pm GMT

87 min: Willian got a knock, and is limping a little, but clearly fancies a hat-trick. Chelsea are pushing on for more, and Giroud fancies a goal. Jorginho’s chip is superb, and then Giroud tries an aerial volley. It doesn’t go in, and all is smiles, but therein a reason he has scored just one Premier League goal and Chelsea have turned to Higuaín.

7.42pm GMT

85 min: Off comes Ross Barkley, who has been quiet, for Jorginho, who won’t get to link with Higuaín tonight.

7.41pm GMT

Willian starts the move himself, Giroud holds the ball up and his flick finds the Brazilian, whose finish is unerring.

7.39pm GMT

82 min: And that’s the end for Higuaín, as Giroud comes on. Giroud, who was last January’s answer to Chelsea’s striker problem.

7.38pm GMT

81 min: Bannan’s long ball is nowhere near Forestieri. Chelsea then pile on the pressure. Higuaín makes one last attempt to get into the penalty box but the ball never arrives from Hudson-Odoi.

7.37pm GMT

79 min: Willian tries to link up with Higuaín but the link-up play was not on the right wavelength. Similar is attempted with Kovacic, and with Olivier Giroud stripped and ready on the sidelines, the chances of a debut goal have ebbed into nothingness.

7.34pm GMT

77 min: Willian shows off his work-rate by chasing down some Sheffield Wednesday shadows when the game is surely won.

7.33pm GMT

75 min: The game has petered out somewhat. It looks as if Higuaín will be playing the full 90 minutes. Will he get his goal?

For Sheff Wed, off go George Boyd and Fletcher and on come Lucas Joao and Atdhe Nuhiu

7.31pm GMT

73 min: The Wednesday fans are filling the night sky with noise, as they often do. Usually a big away support. Theirs is, of course, a big club fallen on hard times.

7.29pm GMT

71 min: Tracy Caton emails in: “Not watching the game so no idea if the “decisions” were “right” or “wrong”. But I know that the Wednesday fans have it right: VAR is COMPLETE ******* **** Pochettino can see it - I ask myself why the media as a whole is complicit in the introduction of this needless unfair (potentially) extremely corrupt system which is going to seriously damage football.”

7.28pm GMT

70 min: Wednesday pushing on a bit now, but far too late, of course. Like England in the West Indies, as watched by Steve Bruce, they left themselves with far too much to do.

7.27pm GMT

69 min: Wednesday sub: Fernando Forestieri is on for Pelupessy.

7.26pm GMT

67 min: By the way, that assist for Hudson-Odoi came from a fine pass by Christensen. Such bright, youthful prospects at Chelsea, but how long they linger and how much chance they get is the question.

7.24pm GMT

66 min: The Agnew plan is in tatters, and Chelsea have made a sub. Ampadu comes off, and Loftus-Cheek gets a much-needed run-out.

7.23pm GMT

What a goal, and how much does the price-tag go up? Lovely pass to find him, a cut inside and a shot that Westwood might have done better with.

7.21pm GMT

63 min: Chance for Higuaín, as an Ampadu cross meets his ample forehead. He can’t, though, get enough power and direction on the ball.

7.20pm GMT

61 min: Chelsea content to play the ball around midfield. A change is going to come soon. If it’s Hudson-Odoi, then he seems likely to be eating frühstück rather than breakfast in the near future.

7.17pm GMT

60 min: Chelsea not exactly going for the throat. This game is now meandering. Adam Reach forces Wednesday’s first corner. Bannan’s corner, though, is as foul as his language has been.

7.15pm GMT

57 min: Steven Fletcher robs Kovacic, but is baulked on the edge of the Chelsea box. Chelsea break but meet the same fate on the edge of the Wednesday box. Barry Bannan is still complaining to the referee.

7.13pm GMT

55 min: Chelsea look the more likelier team by far. Wednesday’s efforts concentrated on officialdom. Adam Reach is telling his nearest linesman that Alonso has been diving.

7.11pm GMT

53 min: Chance for Chelsea! Lots of chances. Willian gets to the byline and both Kovacic and Higuaín cannot get close to the ball. Hudson-Odoi can only run the loose ball down a blind alley.

7.10pm GMT

52 min: Barry Bannan, voice of the fans, is having a real go at the referee. It was him who led the delegation during that flurry of penalty claims and counterclaims.

7.09pm GMT

51 min: Kovacic, Higuaín and Hudson-Odoi misread each other’s intentions, then Caballero makes a handling error at the other end. Wednesday make nothing of the territory that gains them.

7.07pm GMT

49 min: Wednesday have begun this half as passively as they did the first. The replay back at Hillsborough appears the plan and that will arrive via a late equaliser.

7.06pm GMT

47 min: Barkley is fouled by Pelupessy, and then has a nip back. The Chelsea player is lucky the free-kick stayed Chelsea’s. Marcos Alonso, charges up the flank, and fires in a cross that is missed by everyone, reason being that it was an absolute rocket.

7.03pm GMT

46 min: Higuaín, in gloves, gets the game back underway, after sharing a joke with ref Andre Marriner. Look away now, suspicious Owls fans.

7.02pm GMT

The players are back out and off we go.

6.57pm GMT

Spurs will not be the next round, after this happened, as seen by Dom Fifield.

6.51pm GMT

Joe Ludlam emails in: “Evening, biased opinion from a Wednesday fan here. The VAR decisions were both correct, but an uncontested drop-ball for the Chelsea keeper didn’t feel like a fair outcome for Wednesday as VAR clearly showed a corner should have been awarded. If VAR is to be accepted, that needs looking at. The fact Chelsea scored almost straight from it doesn’t help.”

6.50pm GMT

VAR has been the star, with Wednesday’s ‘penalty’ ruled out and Chelsea’s given the kite mark of safety. Boos for the referee and Willian from the away fans. Wednesday, aside from that penalty, have not been able to make much of an impression on a pedestrian Chelsea. Higuaín may not be at 100 percent sharpness.

6.47pm GMT

45+2 min: Chelsea happy to keep the ball moving. Then Hudson-Odoi and Azplicueta force a corner. Wednesday defenders get the ball clear.

6.46pm GMT

45 min: Two minutes added on to the half, which seems skinny, considering all the VAR-related delays.

6.45pm GMT

44 min: Referee Marriner made himself even more unpopular with the Owls when he waves on an advantage when Wednesday wanted a free-kick they launch players forward for. He will be booed from the field, no doubt about it.

6.43pm GMT

43 min: Higuaín does look, it has to be said, a little tired. He has done plenty of chasing, to be fair to him.

6.42pm GMT

42 min: A reversed pass from Kovacic is aimed at Higuaín, who just fails to get there. A semblance of understanding being struck up there? And just wait until the striker is reunited with Jorginho.

6.41pm GMT

41 min: Chelsea passing it around the back, with no semblance of a high press by Sheffield Wednesday attackers. That idea of keeping it tight until half-time is being acted on.

6.39pm GMT

39 min: Higuaín runs down the channel to the right of the Wednesday goal but nobody else is there to back him up. Chelsea have not exactly been dynamic in attack.

6.38pm GMT

38 min: Hutchinson - in a revenge attack? - flails into a tackle on Kovacic. He is lucky to escape a yellow card. Morgan Fox is not so lucky, as he is carded for his second hack at Hudson-Odoi.

6.36pm GMT

36 mins: Loud cheers as Sheff Wed win a foul as Kovacic knocks Hutchinson over. Irony rains down.

6.34pm GMT

34 mins: “VAR is ****ing ****,” according to the Wednesday fans. If you can’t beat a giant, best to have been done over by The Man and the Deep State.

6.34pm GMT

33 min: Hudson-Odoi, down the right, is fouled by Fox. The boos ring out from the Owls contingent as Willian takes it; is that because he scored the penalty?

6.32pm GMT

32 min: Sheffield Wednesday have a chance to break but Pelupessy and Reach are on different wavelengths and the ball was allowed to run off the touchline. A shame, really.

6.30pm GMT

30 min: Now, what precisely do the Owls do now? The sensible plan would be to keep it tight, and last until half-time. A replay shows that Higuaín wanted to take the penalty but Willian regretted to inform him that he was the penalty taker around here.

6.28pm GMT

28 min: Boos from the South Yorkshire contingent as Willian takes a corner. Neither Rudiger or Christensen could make anything of that.

6.27pm GMT

26 min: The Wednesday players are angry and plead injustice, but both questions were correct. The game might have been better if their penalty had been allowed to stand, but that’s as far as it goes. VAR saps such romance.

6.26pm GMT

A stutter step, and Westwood is sent the wrong way as Willian converts.

6.25pm GMT

Azpilicueta turns in the box and is fouled by Hutchinson. VAR is called for, but there can be no doubt. That was a cleaning out of the Chelsea captain.

6.24pm GMT

The decision is overturned. Ampadu got to the ball first and a drop-ball is given. Steve Agnew looks aghast. And Ampadu, who was beside himself, can breathe again.

6.22pm GMT

Pelupessy burst into the box and Ampadu came across him. Penalty given! VAR is called for by the crowd and Andre Marriner waits to hear news from the videodrome.

6.21pm GMT

20 min: Sheff Wed could do with pushing on a bit here, as the ball is coming straight back at them. They have defended well enough, but can’t last this out, surely.

6.20pm GMT

19 min: Close! Hudson-Odoi, who has been quiet, gets involved, then Kovacic bi-sects the defence with a great pass. Higuain’s touch is a tad laboured as he spins and Lees is able to block the ball.

6.18pm GMT

17 min: Higuaín concedes his first foul in English football, after leaving his elbow Hutchinson. No card; it was accidental.

6.16pm GMT

16 min: Amapadu, in Hutchinsonian style, wallops a shot from distance. It ends up in the Shed End.

6.15pm GMT

14 min: Sheffield Wednesday singing of Steve Bruce’s Barmy Army? Is that in reference to his trip to the West Indies?

6.14pm GMT

12 min: Sam Hutchison, against his old club, saw glory after the ball came to him after a move that was begun by Fletcher. He wanted it too much and his shot ended up somewhere in Brompton Cemetery.

6.11pm GMT

11 min: Westwood comes to the edge of his area to claim a headed back-pass. He was far quicker to that than Higuaín.

6.10pm GMT

10 min: Higuaín receive his first foul in English football as Lees clatters him. The resultant free-kick is caught by Westwood and with some comfort.

6.09pm GMT

9 min: Steven Fletcher, the Scottish Higuaín, has taken a bang to the head. He should be OK to continue, though.

6.08pm GMT

8 min: Christensen, with one Premier League start to his name, and almost certainly not the new JT, steps forward. A sighting of Higuaín, but Thorniley comes across twice to intercept the ball. The first touch eventually comes, with a tidy enough lay-off to Kovacic.

6.06pm GMT

6 min: Wednesday get the ball clear after Chelsea win their first corner. Higuaín is yet to see a sight of the ball. Perhaps he would struggle in the Championship. Wednesday are sat very deep.

6.05pm GMT

4 min: Ampadu looks likely to be enjoying plenty of possession. The teenager has played more for Wales than Chelsea until this fixture.

6.03pm GMT

3 min: The ball is shepherded back to Kieren Westwood, back in the team now that Jos Luhukay has left. The Irishmen is one of the best keepers in the EFL.

6.02pm GMT

1 min: Some good voice from the Sheff Wed contingent as Adam Reach, after some good pressing, gets a shot on goal. The ball took a slight deflection, such that Caballero had little problem in the Chelsea goal.

6.01pm GMT

And away we go. The referee has sounded his whistle.

6.00pm GMT

Steve Agnew speaks.

The lads have been in good spirits. I spoke to Steve [Bruce] and he was very excited. We will enjoy it and attack it with some determination. Steve trusts us, [Agnew and Stephen Clemence] to observe the players and pick the team and try and stay in the tie. You never know.

5.58pm GMT

Gianfranco Zola, who is handling media duties, has been talking about Gonzalo Higuaín.

You can see his ability and his desire to do well, we are looking forward to seeing that from him today. We want to see how he can integrate, we are expecting him to fit the system well.

On (Hudson-Odoi’s move to Bayern): I believe there is something, he has been training well. He deserves to play, and let’s see how it goes. For us he is an important player. He is playing and has been on the bench. Let’s see if we can come together with something.

5.46pm GMT

Fancy some red-hot transfer gossip?

5.43pm GMT

The fifth round draw will be made tomorrow night, ahead of Barnet’s game with Brentford, where this chap will almost certainly be present, barring an apocalypse.

5.41pm GMT

After booking their place at Wembley in the Carabao the other night, this FA looks an open run for Chelsea, if they can beat the Owls. No Arsenal, Liverpool and, it seems, no Spurs. Which leaves just the Manchester giants. And should two of those clubs pull each other, then it’s a free-ish ride to the final.

5.31pm GMT

Over in South London, a shock is in store.

5.26pm GMT

Sheffield Wednesday have made two changes. Young defender Jordan Thorniley comes into the defence, with Michael Hector ineligible to face the parent club he has never played a game before in three and a half years of their ownership of him. Marco Matias has been dropped in favour of Joey Pelupessy bolstering the midfield.

5.22pm GMT

Aside from Higuaín, that is an underpowered Chelsea XI, with eight changes from Thursday night’s League Cup semi with Spurs. Ruben Loftus-Cheek only on the bench, though, as he is recovering from injury. A trio of Ampadu, Barkley and Kovacic will man the midfield.

5.12pm GMT

Louise Taylor got the lowdown on life at Hillsborough from caretaker boss Steve Agnew. Steve Bruce was in the West Indies, for reasons Agnew explains.

5.07pm GMT

Will Higuaín be a success at Chelsea? There is no guarantee, you know.

5.06pm GMT

In analogue fashion, here’s the teams once more:

Chelsea: Caballero, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Christensen, Alonso, Ampadu, Barkley, Kovacic, Willian, Hudson-Odoi, Higuain

Sheffield Wednesday: Westwood, Palmer, Lees, Thorniley, Fox, Hutchinson, Bannan, Pelupessy, Reach, Boyd, Fletcher

5.04pm GMT

That’s Callum Hudson-Odoi starting despite that transfer request, and Higuain starting too. Be interesting to compare him to Steven Fletcher today....

5.02pm GMT

The Chels

@G_Higuain starts for the Blues!

In full, here's how we line up this evening... #CHESWE pic.twitter.com/MJRvHKdwRh

And here's how the Owls line-up at Stamford Bridge for this evening's @EmiratesFACup fourth round clash, in association with @Ladbrokes #swfcLIVE pic.twitter.com/fBYIxFgDkv

9.31am GMT

There was a time, not so long ago, that Chelsea and Sheffield Wednesday were running mates, and there used to be quite something of a rivalry between the two clubs. They didn’t used to like each other very much at all.

The pair came up from the old Second Division at the end of the 1983-4 season, and by the start of the Premier League era, Sheff Wed were looking down at Chelsea, among the poorer relations of the whole new ball game of the time. Later, while Chelsea had Gianfranco Zola and Gianluca Vialli, Wednesday had Benito Carbone and Paolo di Canio. But the start of the century is where the paths diverged. The Owls were relegated at the end of the 1999-2000 season, never to return since, and Chelsea were soon enough the richest club around.

When Antonio Conte was binned, in could come Mauricio Sarri, the brightest coach in Serie A. When Wednesday fired Jos Luhukay, they turned to Steve Bruce, though Brucie hasn’t actually turned up yet, as he has been watching England getting thumped in the West Indies. He is due to start work on February 1, just as the transfer window closes. Good thing too, as his new club don’t have a brass tanner to spend. Steve Agnew continues as caretaker; last time he was at Stamford Bridge was on the occasion of Middlesbrough’s relegation at the end of the 2016-17 season.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have Gonzalo Higuain on loan and this week reached the League Cup final. Time and football are such cruel mistresses.

Sheffield Wednesday steel for Chelsea with Steve Bruce refreshed and ready

Louise Taylor — Sat, 26 Jan 2019 20:59:15 GMT

Uncertainty engulfs a club aiming to welcome their incoming boss by dethroning the FA Cup holders at Stamford Bridge

Snow forced the closure of the trans-Pennine Snake Pass early last week but fell too soon to affect Steve Bruce’s commute across the Peak District. Rather than traversing the “roof of England” as he drove to work from his home in Cheshire, Sheffield Wednesday’s new manager was busy chatting to Moeen Ali and friends at the Kensington Oval, Barbados.

With the thermometer nudging 30C, Bruce donned shorts and shades to watch the England cricket team’s final net session before sitting through their first Test batting collapse against the West Indies.

Steve Bruce confirmed as manager of Sheffield Wednesday

Guardian sport — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 14:54:44 GMT

• Bruce, 58, will start at Wednesday on 1 February
• Wednesday 16th in Championship

Sheffield Wednesday have confirmed the appointment of Steve Bruce as their manager.

Bruce, who began his managerial career at Wednesday’s rivals, Sheffield United, in 1998, has been out of work since he was sacked by Aston Villa in early October and takes over a club 16th in the Championship. The 58-year-old will start on 1 February, before which long-time coaching associates Steve Agnew and Stephen Clemence will take charge of the team.

PREVIEW | Middlesbrough -v- Wednesday

Hugh — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 10:19:45 GMT

Why is Middlesbrough away always this time of year?

My personal fondest memory of this fixture is watching Stuani fly past Rhoys Wiggins and slam it home about 20 seconds into the game, where we proceeded to be garbage for 90 minutes and lose 1-0.

Hopefully fortunes will be better this time around!

Steve Bruce still looks extremely likely to be appointed at permanent manager on the 1^st January, which has gone down mostly well with Wednesdayites.

Maybe he’s just what we need.

Owls Team News

Bullen will still be in charge so it’s unlikely to be vastly different to the Preston lineup.

Hutchinson, Westwood, Jones, Abdi and Boyd are obviously all back in contention, but I’d be surprised if too many of them started.

Barry Bannan returns from suspension which is a big boost to the Owls.

There’s nobody back from injury, as there never is.

The Opponent’s Camp

Tony Pulis has been in charge for a year now, having replaced Garry Monk around the same time we sacked Carlos Carvalhal.

They’ve improved their fortunes massively since then, and being sat in 4^th means they’re likely to finish the season in the playoffs.

Automatics seems a little out of reach given the steamrolling consistency of Norwich and Leeds, but you never know.

It’ll be a tough test this.

Last Five Games

Wednesday

Wednesday 1 – 0 Bolton

Blackburn 4 – 2 Wednesday

Wednesday 2 – 2 Rotherham

Swansea 2 – 1 Wednesday

Wednesday 1 – 0 Preston

Boro

Boro 0 – 3 Villa

Boro 1 – 1 Blackburn

QPR 2 – 1 Boro

Boro 0 – 1 Burton

Reading 0 – 1 Boro

Head to Head

Wednesday wins: 46

Draws: 18

Boro wins: 46

Predicted Lineup

GK: Kieran Westwood

RB: Liam Palmer

CB: Tom Lees (C)

CB: Michael Hector

LB: Morgan Fox

CM: Sam Hutchinson

CM: Barry Bannan

RM: Marco Matias

CAM: Adam Reach

LM: Lucas Joao

ST: Atdhe Nuhiu

Matt’s prediction – Easy for Boro

We all remember Bullen’s second game last year.

Boro are a quality side and should take us to pieces.

2-0.

Scoreboard

Matt 11 – 8 Real Life

Matt

Owls Alive

Email: owlsalive@gmail.com

Twitter: @OwlsAlive and @MattRFez

Images: swfc.co.uk unless stated otherwise.

PREVIEW | Wednesday -v- Preston

Hugh — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 21:52:15 GMT

Well well well.

What a bizarre week for Wednesdayites.

After the hoo-hah around the fans forum, Chansiri announced without doubt that Luhukay would remain in charge and he was selling the club.

So days later, we go into this game with Luhukay no longer at the club, Steve Bruce looks certain to be the replacement.

This move seems extremely positive to be fair, so I and many others are very happy.

I thought it was suspicious when Bullen took the press conference…

Owls Team News

Bullen will take charge for this one.

I half think he’ll go for some of Luhukay’s non-favourites to distance himself from the Dutchman’s regime.

Jones, Hutchinson, Westwood?

The injury concerns largely look the same, no Forestieri, Winnall, etc etc etc.

Barry Bannan is still suspended.

The Opponent’s Camp

Preston seem to have had an appalling season but sit slightly above us in the table.

What a weird league!

With goals flying in at both ends for the Lilywhites, they’re having a similar season to us!

Josh Earl and Lewis Moult are both doubts as they look to secure their third win in a row.

Last Five Games

Wednesday

Wednesday 1 – 2 Derby

Wednesday 1 – 0 Bolton

Blackburn 4 – 2 Wednesday

Wednesday 2 – 2 Rotherham

Swansea 2 – 1 Wednesday

Preston

Preston 4 – 1 Blackburm

Preston 1 – 1 Middlesbrough

Birmingham 3 – 0 Preston

Forest 0 – 1 Preston

Preston 3 – 2 Millwall

Head to Head

Wednesday wins: 42

Draws: 24

Preston wins: 42

It’s always nice when they’re so even.

Predicted Lineup

Well I’ve no clue, will Bullen go with Luhukay’s methods, Carlos’ even?
This is complete guesswork.

GK: Joe Wildsmith

RB: Liam Palmer

CB: Tom Lees (C)

CB: Michael Hector

LB: Matt Penney

RM: Marco Matias

CM: Sam Hutchinson

CM: Josh Onomah

LM: Adam Reach

ST: Lucas Joao

ST: Steven Fletcher

Matt’s prediction – Bounce back

Every team wins after they sack the manager!

1-0.

Scoreboard

Matt 10 – 8 Real Life

Matt

Owls Alive

Email: owlsalive@gmail.com

Twitter: @OwlsAlive and @MattRFez

Images: swfc.co.uk unless stated otherwise.

Sheffield Wednesday sack Jos Luhukay with club drifting into relegation trouble

Press Association — Fri, 21 Dec 2018 20:12:32 GMT

• Wednesday manager leaves after one win in 10 games
• Lee Bullen steps up to take temporary charge

Sheffield Wednesday have parted company with Jos Luhukay after a run of one win from 10 games. The Dutchman leaves the club 18th in the Championship, five points above the relegation zone.

His departure comes two days after the Wednesday chairman, Dejphon Chansiri, said the club are for sale. Chansiri told swfc.co.uk: “Now is the right time for both parties to move on and I wish him all the very best for the future.”

Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri tells fans club is up for sale

Press Association — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 09:25:39 GMT

• Team 18th in league and fans have turned against manager
• Thai businessman bought club from Milan Mandaric in 2015

The Sheffield Wednesday owner, Dejphon Chansiri, has told fans he is putting the Championship club up for sale.

Speaking at a fans’ forum on Wednesday night, Chansiri said he believed there was plenty of interest in the club despite off-field problems that led to Wednesday being placed under a transfer embargo for much of the summer. “I will put this club on the market and I believe many people will want to buy,” he said.

RAMBLE | Swansea 2 – 1 Wednesday

Hugh — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 20:35:48 GMT

For some reason Swansea away was circled on the calendar as soon as the fixtures were released in that glorious summer of ’18 where Harry Maguire’s slab-head and co made us all believers again. It was the ‘silly away’ for the season. Every season, we try to do an away on the coach to some arse end of nowhere which to most people sounds like an idiotic way to spend your Saturday. But of course, those who know – know.

With that in mind, I sprang out of bed at 6am sharp, stubbed my toe on the corner of the bed, swore quietly to myself and, having got dressed in the dark (always risky), made my way out the front door and jumped in the car to go and pick Dad up.

We hopped on the coach and, with sleep in our eyes and my shirt on inside out; we were on the road to Wales.

We’d barely made it out of Sheffield before we were informed there’d be a DVD put in “to wake us all up”. Nothing could’ve prepared us for ‘Let it Rock’. We were treated to a trippy time capsule that started with Free, got weird with Ginger Baker’s Air Force and peaked with Deep Purple. Certainly not to everyone’s taste (“If ye paid more than a quid for that, ye were robbed!!”) but definitely served its purpose of waking us all up.

It was soon time for the Wednesdayite quiz, which tested even the sternest football minds (we got 48/55) followed by good old football bingo (we didn’t win).

As part of the trip down to Swansea, the Wednesdayite website promised a short stop in ‘historic Monmouth’. There may have been a slight overestimation in how long it would take us to get down because we parked up at just after 10am and weren’t due back on until 12.30. “Not to worry,” says Dad “there’s a castle we can try and find and look – there’s a bridge over there we can have a neb at.”

I should mention at this point that the weather seemed to have taken a turn for the worse and it was absolutely bouncing down. We weren’t exactly clamouring to get off the warm haven of the coach.

First stop on our historic tour of Monmouth was a trip to look at that bridge that Dad was so giddy about. To be fair, it was a very nice bridge and was the only one of it’s kind in Britain according to its fancy blue plaque. It continued to rain sideways and all ways as we made our way through the town centre in search of the castle passing a bloke holding a plane along the way that turned out to be Charles Rolls of Rolls-Royce fame. While studying a bronzed Rolls, it was at this point that I fell foul of a Monmouth puddle. It was like one of those comedy puddles that you step in thinking it’s a minor splash only to find you’ve stepped in a chuffin’ pot-hole of puddle and you’ve got icy water up your leg and in your shoes.

Not long after the puddle, we decided to halt our search for the castle and figured a big brekkie was in order to warm us up. There were quite a few options up and down the town but I was intrigued by the ‘Ultimate Breakfast’ offered up at the Happy Panda; a Chinese restaurant offering an all day English breakfast. You read that right – we were going for a traditional English breakfast in a Welsh Chinese Restaurant. As you can see from the pic, it was quite magnificent. Bacon, black pudding, mushrooms – the works. Sooooo-poyb.

With the last baked bean mopped up, we were back on the coach and on our way to sunny Swansea.

There was an odd request from the back of the bus for some motown and lo and behold we had an hour of the Supremes on DVD. To be fair, those gals had some tunes. Their verses generally sound the same until BAM that chorus hits and you’re dancing at a wedding. An hour later as the Welsh Middlesbrough of Port Talbot came into view, mercifully, the DVD stopped (‘in the name of love’).

The rather underwhelming Liberty Stadium was soon upon us and was met with much misery and despair as the team news seeped through. “Why aren’t we playing Hector?”… “No Penney again.” “Fox!!!” .

From the outside, the stadium reminded me of the set-up at another of the Ikea new-builds at Stoke – near nothing in particular and designed for the least amount of fan trouble. The rain and wind seemed to have picked up as we stepped off the bus and walked a couple of yards through to the turnstile. It was definitely a day for tucking yourself in.

We made our way to our seats to soak up the atmosphere and quickly realised we were just getting plain soaked. We were on Row X and you don’t need a Sesame Street alphabet education to realise that’s pretty far back in any football stadium. The swirling sideways rain had made it’s way into the stadium itself and was now subjecting us to a sea spray of Bridlington prom proportions. And it was cold. So very, very cold. Sod this, let’s go get a pint.

Brain’s Beer – a traditional Welsh beer don’t you know – was a lovely drop and warmed us up a treat while watching a lovely lady on Swans TV preview the match. Once the brain was satisfactorily saturated by the Brain’s, I momentarily contemplated a Welsh cake but having a no idea what one of those was, zipped up my coat and bravely ventured once more into the Welsh wilds.

It wasn’t a great view from where we were. It looked like a glitch on your telly.

THE MATCH

The game kicked off and took a while to get going as both sides struggled to get to grips with the conditions. The ball was skidding about, players were struggling to keep their feet and passes were being over-hit. But it was the home team that settled first as they kept possession and looked to draw us out of position.

“Why’s Joao playing left back, Dad?”

It’s fair to say we were a little unbalanced as a couple of minutes later we also spotted him at right back.

They fashioned a couple of chances with McBurnie just heading over and Dyer going close after turning the naïve but hardworking Baker inside out.

Out of nowhere we suddenly had a great chance after Joao was put through by Pelupessy. Followed closely by a Swansea defender, he only had the keeper to beat but coming in from the left hand side, he decided to try and get it on his right. We willed him to shoot but for some reason he wanted another touch and so the ball along with the chance frustratingly bobbled away from him.

There was a finally a bit of noise from our hearty souls after Swansea’s drummer put his stick in his pocket for a bit. Not exactly a rousing rendition of Hi Ho but a rendition nonetheless.

The rain continued to drive down sideways mainly into the stand where the dugouts were. That icy Monmouth puddle was coming back to haunt me as it teased me with every small movement between my toes.

But Wednesday were warming me up no end. That Joao chance seemed to perk them up and stall the Swans. We looked organised and had a good structure with only the disappointing Onomah and missing Adam Reach playing below average. Whisper it very quietly but Fox was having a great game, supporting the attack where he could and cutting things out at the back.

There was another bit of good play that started on the edge of our own box with a couple of 1-2’s. The ball found it’s way out to Reach and he delivered a great cross to the back post for Nuhui to knock back to Joao who twisted and turned only to see his shot drag narrowly wide.

They huffed and puffed a bit but we managed to contain them until half time. Lukewarm applause from our end…

HT: 0-0

We were doing alright. Dawson was largely untroubled, we were making tackles where it counted and were looking mildly threatening up top. We were actually having quite a nice time.

The second half continued in the same vein as the first. The wind and rain had died down a little now and there was a menacingly beautiful purple sky, which promised to serve as an ideal backdrop for what was about to unfold.

Swansea defenders dillied and dallied about with the ball at the back. Now you may recall that the famous Sheffield Wednesday are big fans of this questionable technique. The nippy Matias, on for Onomah at half time, capitalised on their dallying and after briefly fouling himself, he got back off the floor and smashed a great finish by the Swans keeper.
GET IN! 0-1

Cue “we’re winning away…. etc” from our lot. To be honest, it was nothing more than we deserved. We were good for it and for the next 5 minutes or so it looked like we could add to that goal. However, we were about to pull a ‘Wednesday’ and knacker things up all in the space of about 2 minutes.

Firstly, Joao somehow found himself at left back again which resulted in a through ball that went between him and Fox like a knife through a magnificent Chinese English Breakfast fried mushroom. A simple pull back and a neat finish from the sub Celina levelled up proceedings.

1-1

Their fans were suddenly awakened from the cold. It was the first time we heard anything from those at the side of us. We didn’t deserve to concede and suddenly that all too familiar scene started to play out before us. A ball was played over the top after we gave the ball away from the restart. It’s a foot race between Routledge and my man Fox from the first half and Routledge had a head start. Sadly you could almost see him melting into the Fox we all know and are comfortable with. He lost his battle and Routledge finished well.

2-1

It’d be extremely unfair to pin it all on Fox though. We still had 10+ minutes to get back into it but nothing really happened. Even in stoppage time, we had a succession of three corners and although we had one cleared off the line, from a Fletcher header there was no urgency to get the ball back and get the next one going.

The full time whistle was met with anger, despondency and an overwhelming sigh of resignation.

FT: 2-1

One big point of note is that half the players left the pitch having not come further than the halfway line to applaud us who travelled nearly 500 miles up and down the country. This was disappointing to say the least. Yeah you’re annoyed at losing a game you actually didn’t deserve to but you should still have the balls to come and show a bit of appreciation to us lot who’ve frozen our knackers off for 90 minutes and paid good money to get here. Without the fans, your job would be pointless.

Fair play to the likes of Pudil, Reach and Bullen though who did come forward with Pudil donating his shirt to a young fan.

It took till 85 minutes to hear “Jos Out” chants which is great indication as to how we played today. You felt that some supporters couldn’t wait to get the chant going. Most were just there to support the team, the players wearing our shirt. We’d all have our say after the game. Rumour was rife up and down the coach on the way home. One person claimed Jos had been left in Swansea as a mate had seen him in the car park. Another, whose source was apparently on the bus, stated Jos was on the bus but wasn’t talking to anyone while the best one I heard was that Thorniley had him in a headlock in the changing room and wouldn’t let him go until he resigned.

We watched that ‘All Wednesday’ film on the way home which passed the time wonderfully while reminding us while it’s bad now, it’s not as bad as it was and it will get better because that is just what happens in football.

His time is up. For me his time was officially up at the Bolton game, ironically a game we won. That was the first time I can honestly say the players genuinely didn’t look bothered and took no pride in the shirt. They played that first half as though they wanted to get him out of the club. I’m sure it’s the best job in the world playing for Sheffield Wednesday but we all know if you don’t have a good boss, whatever line of work you’re in; the job instantly becomes less fun and much more difficult.

It really pains me to say that I’ve never felt more disengaged from the club than I have this season. I’ll always be Wednesday and always love my club but the hangover of the huge let-down of the 150^th celebration season and the football cake, followed by the lack of transparency over players, Doyen, Hirst and transfer umbongo’s with an inept manager conducting at the front refusing to play our best players AND Chris Wilder REALLY pushes you to find the good in football.

I wouldn’t blame Chansiri for selling up. Maybe he’s been badly advised, maybe he just doesn’t get us or maybe his heart is in it but it’s all just gone a bit wrong and he’s out of his depth. Whatever the questions are, the answers have to be clear, once and for all.

Jos was rightly applauded at the start of the season for giving youth a chance but we’ve all had enough of his tactics, coaching and questionable statements like “the players are three years older”, “Kieran asked to play” and, most recently, “f**k off Andy Giddings”.

Dad and I enjoyed our away day as we always do and in the car on the way home from Hillsborough, we were already planning our next outing. And of course we’ll look forward to our next ‘silly away’ for next season whatever league we’re in.

However, Jos, I’d like that ‘silly away’ to at the very least be in the Championship and, with that in mind, thank you for your efforts last season but your tenure at S6 is done.

Tom

Owls Alive

Email: owlsalive@gmail.com

Twitter: @OwlsAlive and @tjchitt86

Images: swfc.co.uk unless stated otherwise

Sheffield United 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday – as it happened

Niall McVeigh — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 21:58:50 GMT

David McGoldrick missed a first-half penalty and Billy Sharp put a stoppage-time header wide as the hosts had to settle for a point despite relentless pressure

9.58pm GMT

David McGoldrick wasted a golden chance to take Sheffield United to the top of the Championship when he missed a first-half penalty but Cameron Dawson’s fine save, and the point it guaranteed, offered relief to Wednesday’s manager, Jos Luhukay.

Luhukay made four changes as Wednesday attempted to stop a run of four consecutive defeats. The first 30 minutes were played at a fierce tempo with United dominating possession, and this earned an early reward for the Blades with the penalty.

9.57pm GMT

That’s it for the live blog – but we will add a match report above imminently. Thanks for reading along, and enjoy your weekends.

9.47pm GMT

What that means for Sheffield United is that they’re back in the top two, sandwiched between Leeds and Norwich on goal difference. That will be the coldest of cold comfort this evening, I would imagine.

9.44pm GMT

Here’s Billy Sharp: “I thought we were the better team, but we just couldn’t break them down. I should have put that chance away, I thought I’d got enough on it, but it went wide. They defended well, to be fair.”

...and Wednesday keeper Cameron Dawson: “Luckily I guessed right and made the save. Our first clean sheet this season, but I’m sure the fans will take that.”

9.40pm GMT

Fleck and Norwood stand over it, Norwood strikes it... and Dawson turns it away from the top corner! Wednesday have got a point!

9.39pm GMT

93 mins: Clarke has his shirt pulled by Thorniley, 25 yards out – and United will have one more chance to win the derby...

9.39pm GMT

92 mins: What a chance! O’Connell wins a corner, Sharp meets it with a header – and it flashes wide of the far post! He can’t believe he’s missed it.

9.37pm GMT

91 mins: Duffy and Stevens link up again down the left, but Stevens’ loose touch allows Hector to send it sailing into the stands.

9.36pm GMT

90 mins: Matias gets his boot to an awkward rebound and hooks an effort on goal that will at least count as on target. Three added minutes...

9.35pm GMT

89 mins: United pack the penalty area but Norwood’s delivery, some 30 yards from goal, is all out of goose.

9.34pm GMT

88 mins: Clarke has struggled to get involved, but he turns Hector in midfield here. The centre-back hauls him over and takes the booking.

9.33pm GMT

86 mins: Matias finds Baker on the break, and Wednesday win another corner – which O’Connell clears. Does anyone fancy winning this?

9.32pm GMT

85 mins: The hosts get an advantage as Baker hauls Stevens down. Duffy moves forward and shoots from distance, but it’s easy enough for Dawson.

9.30pm GMT

84 mins: Bannan hares back to snuff out a potential United break. Have the hosts run out of steam here?

9.29pm GMT

82 mins: Sharp is dispossessed and Wednesday sweep forward, Matias winning a free kick as Stevens clips him in midfield. Bannan lofts the ball into the area, but Fox and Lees get in each other’s way.

9.27pm GMT

80 mins: From the corner, the away fans appeal for handball as Matias’ shot cannons off Basham. It hit him square in the face, then bounced off his arm. No pen. Fletcher tries to lift the ball back into danger, but Henderson races out to smother it.

9.25pm GMT

79 mins: First change for the visitors: Marco Matias replaces Penney in midfield.

9.25pm GMT

78 mins: Clarke gets involved, wriggling to the byline but struggling to find a team-mate. Wednesday break and Basham’s flick so nearly lands at the feet of Baker, charging forward from right-back!

9.22pm GMT

76 mins: A nice stat from our friends over at WhoScored – United have attempted 30 crosses, not including corners.

9.21pm GMT

75 mins: First change for the hosts – McGoldrick is replaced by Leon Clarke, who scored twice in the 4-2 win at Hillsborough last season.

9.21pm GMT

73 mins: United just keep coming, Stevens linking up with Sharp and forcing another last-ditch tackle. The corner bobbles off John Egan and lands in front of goal – but a Wednesday boot hoiks it clear.

9.18pm GMT

72 mins: It’s swung into the danger area in front of an expectant away end, but McGoldrick heads clear.

9.18pm GMT

71 mins: Wednesday’s defence stand firm again, and now they break downfield and get a corner of their own...

9.17pm GMT

70 mins: A first booking of the night, for Wednesday’s Barry Bannan. The referee played advantage, from which United have gleaned another corner.

9.16pm GMT

69 mins: A deflected cross almost loops to Freeman in the middle, but Tom Lees is there again to clear the danger.

9.15pm GMT

68 mins: This game could use a goal, particularly after I bigged it up so fervently earlier on.

9.13pm GMT

66 mins: The home side come again, but Basham’s cross lands on the roof of the net. In the crowd, former Blades Kyle Walker, Phil Jagielka and Harry Maguire have all been picked out by Sky’s roving cameras.

9.11pm GMT

64 mins: Norwood’s pass from deep is cut out, and Wednesday have a chance to attack. They pass it around, then back, all the way to Dawson. Cagey, to say the least.

9.09pm GMT

62 mins: 70% possession, 11 shots, nine corners, but the hosts still haven’t got that goal – and for all their pressure, Dawson has not had a big save to make since the penalty.

9.07pm GMT

60 mins: United keep up the pressure, Duffy standing the ball up toward the far post, where Dawson claims it. Fox had an armful of O’Connell’s shirt – he was lucky the assistant didn’t spot it.

9.05pm GMT

58 mins: Freeman crosses from the right, Lees clears, and United have another corner. It’s a poor one, lashed away at the near post by Adam Reach.

9.03pm GMT

57 mins: The visitors break, Bannan winning the ball well in midfield and playing in Baker down the right. His cross is towards Fletcher, but gathered by Henderson, who warms his gloves with the catch.

9.02pm GMT

56 mins: Norwood fires a low cross-shot that almost lands at Duffy’s feet, before Hector bloots it downfield...

9.01pm GMT

55 mins: The hosts have resumed their position deep in Wednesday territory, but can’t quick unpick their defence. Billy Sharp’s cross is pinged towards no-one in particular.

9.00pm GMT

53 mins: Adam Reach, who loves a long-ranger, finally gets a sight of goal from 25 yards – but balloons it over the bar. The resultant ‘waaaaheeeey’ from the home fans is one of relief.

8.59pm GMT

52 mins: Freeman and Norwood combine down the right, the latter’s clipped cross failing to pick out a striker. The rain’s really coming down out there.

8.58pm GMT

51 mins: United still enjoying most of the ball, but Wednesday are making it tougher for them to get upfield.

8.56pm GMT

49 mins: Pretty much all McGoldrick’s work here, as he picks up the ball, ambles forward, plays a one-two with Basham, twists towards goal and shoots. It’s well struck, but straight at Dawson.

8.54pm GMT

48 mins: The tireless Norwood gets back to nick the ball away from Fletcher, who was weighing his options in a promising position.

8.53pm GMT

47 mins: Here’s a stat – of the last 18 goals Wednesday have conceded, 16 have come in the second half.

8.52pm GMT

We’re back under way, the home fans indulging in a rousing sing-son as the second half starts.

8.44pm GMT

“Steel City Derby? I’m watching Bolton v Ipswich” fumes Adam Hirst. “What is the problem with stripes on the back anyway?”

I agree – the lack of more than a hint of red on the back of the United kit is very troubling.

8.38pm GMT

Barney Ronay on another northern derby game happening this weekend:

8.37pm GMT

Wednesday get to the interval on terms, despite relentless pressure from the hosts. United’s best chance came from the penalty spot, but Cameron Dawson pulled off a fine save to deny David McGoldrick. More soon.

8.35pm GMT

44 mins: Pelupessy gets tired of Duffy’s trickery and hacks him down in the middle of the Wednesday half. He escapes a booking. One minute of added time.

8.33pm GMT

43 mins: Fletcher thunks the first corner away, but John Egan, United’s non-attacking defender, climbs to meet the next one. Tom Lees gets their first, but Wednesday are incorrectly awarded a goal kick.

8.32pm GMT

41 mins: Wednesday have been able to ease the pressure in the last five minutes, but United find a pocket of space and work it around the edge of the area. McGoldrick plays Stevens in with a lovely flick, but his near-post cross is cleared.

8.29pm GMT

40 mins: Reach picks up the ball on the edge of the United area, but is quickly closed down.

8.29pm GMT

38 mins: Another booming cross from O’Connell, but this one is overhit. I have a lot of time for Chris Wilder’s overlapping defenders, particularly with two lads who look like your traditional centre-backs.

8.26pm GMT

36 mins: Wednesday enjoy a rare spell of possession in the opposition half, and are met with hearty whistles from the home crowd. Penney looks for a free-kick in a dangerous spot down the right, but doesn’t get it.

8.25pm GMT

35 mins: Fleck bends another testing cross in, but Dawson is able to collect, the strikers still not quite picking their runs.

8.23pm GMT

32 mins: Thorniley does well to deal with another dangerous low cross from O’Connell. The visitors are at least standing firm against this relentless pressure.

8.21pm GMT

31 mins: Stevens is flagged offside down the left flank. With Duffy switching sides and O’Connell pushing forward, poor Ash Baker is a busy man on the right for Wednesday.

8.19pm GMT

29 mins: Duffy drops his shoulder, motors into the box and curls an effort towards the far corner. May have been going wide, but Hector nods it behind, just to be on the safe side.

8.16pm GMT

26 mins: Norwood pings a superb diagonal ball to Basham, the other attacking centre-back. His cross is drilled towards Sharp, who doesn’t have time to steer an awkward header on target.

8.14pm GMT

25 mins: If United aren’t ahead by half-time, it’ll be a miracle.

8.14pm GMT

24 mins: Oliver Norwood, something of a promotion specialist after going up with Brighton and Fulham, takes a touch and steers a shot just beyond the top corner.

8.13pm GMT

23 mins: United ping the ball around before O’Connell, nominally a centre-back, overlaps down the left. His low ball is cleared nervously by Hector.

8.11pm GMT

20 mins: Mark Duffy cuts back to Stevens, who is closed down. The chances coming so often for the hosts just now, though. Wednesday belt the ball away and Steven Fletcher, canny as the day is long, draws some sting with a long wander upfield. He eventually crosses towards Penney, who goes down in a heap – but replays show O’Connell didn’t make contact.

8.09pm GMT

19 mins: United keep the pedal to the metal, the latest lightning move ending with Enda Stevens’ cross just failing to pick out Sharp.

8.08pm GMT

18 mins: Fleck barrels forward from midfield and shoots, but it drifts well wide.

8.07pm GMT

17 mins: United are trying their best not to let that miss affect them, still buzzing around midfield gamely.

8.05pm GMT

McGoldrick steps up and fires for the far corner - but Dawson gets down brilliantly to turn it around the post! Justice served – Duffy appeared to trip over his own feet.

8.04pm GMT

Oh dear – this looks pretty soft to me, Mark Duffy going down under Morgan Fox’s challenge in the box. But Andrew Madley points to the spot!

8.02pm GMT

12 mins: A spell of scrappy possession, not that it quiets the absolute din around Bramall Lane one decibel.

8.01pm GMT

More musical fan news:

@niallmcveigh ABC's Martin Fry is an Owls fan apparently pic.twitter.com/btKaSyAi01

8.00pm GMT

9 mins: ...and from the corner, the visitors really should score! The ball drops to Morgan Fox, charging in under pressure, but the full-back scoops the ball high over the bar!

7.59pm GMT

8 mins: Wednesday venture upfield and as Adam Reach toepokes a cross-shot across goal, Basham has to be alert to turn it behind...

7.56pm GMT

6 mins: It’s been an ominous start for the blue half of Sheffield – their team are sitting deep and hoping for the best so far.

7.54pm GMT

4 mins: Woof! What a hit from Fleck, 25 yards out – it bends ever closer to Dawson’s left-hand post, but the keeper gets across to tip it away. From the corner, Basham heads over.

7.53pm GMT

3 mins: United stay on the front foot, and Wednesday centre-back Tom Lees has to be alert to cut out a cross swept in towards Sharp.

7.51pm GMT

1 min: The hosts link up nicely, Mark Duffy finding space and finding Sharp, who can’t pick a pass to McGoldrick.

7.50pm GMT

Here we go, then.

7.47pm GMT

Before kick-off, the raucous volume around Bramall Lane drops for a Remembrance Day minute’s silence.

7.43pm GMT

“Paul Heaton is in the red corner? Are you sure?” asks Peter Oh. “I know he sang ‘Old Red Eyes is Back’ but I thought he only has eyes for Inter Milan.”

My sources (Wikipedia) tell me Heaton lived in Sheffield as a youngster, and supported United because his older brothers followed Wednesday. But I wouldn’t put money on it.

7.18pm GMT

United: Henderson; Basham, Egan, O’Connell; Freeman, Norwood, Fleck, Stevens, Duffy; McGoldrick, Sharp.
Subs: Baldock, Clarke, Coutts, Stearman, Johnson, Moore, Washington.

Wednesday: Dawso;, Lees, Fox, Thorniley; Hector, Baker, Pelupessy, Bannan, Penney; Reach, Fletcher.
Subs: Palmer, Onomah, Nuhiu, Lucas Joao, Marco Matias, Wildsmith, Pudil.

Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire)

7.06pm GMT

Like many outside South Yorkshire, the mention of this game takes me straight back to the 1993 FA Cup semi-final. Wednesday won 2-1 in extra time, and went on to lose the final to Arsenal, who won a derby of their own against Spurs in their semi-final. The same two sides met in that year’s League Cup final, with the same result. But never mind that! Just look at this footage. Old Wembley! Balloons! Chris Waddle! Brian Deane! Laver! Sanderson! The way the winning goal doesn’t even ripple the net! This is the good stuff.

6.53pm GMT

Tonight...
Hysteria? Different Class? Mistakes, misfits?
Erm...Pour some sugar on me? Maybe that last one doesn’t work.#sufc #swfc #SteelCityDerby pic.twitter.com/i98dmIfCO1

Sheffield is a famously musical city, but Wednesday definitely win in the band-fan stakes. Def Lep singer Joe Elliott joins Paul Heaton and, weirdly, Flea in the red corner. The blue corner can boast Jarvis Cocker, Richard Hawley, Arctic Monkeys, half of the Human League and one-fifth of the Jackson Five (Jermaine, who also has a soft spot for QPR).

5.52pm GMT

From Der Klassiker to the Superclásico via the Manchester derby, it’s a red-letter weekend for those of us fortunate enough to like football. It’s starting early too, thanks to a Friday night Sheffield derby under the lights at Bramall Lane. But does it meet the six-step Proper Derby Test?

1) Proximity Grounds less than five miles apart, in the same city. Next question.

2) History These two first faced off in 1890 and have been battling for city-wide supremacy ever since. This will be their 143rd meeting.

3) Competitiveness Second to none. United have won 49, Wednesday 48, with 45 draws. Both teams have bounced around the divisions but these games are almost always close. The last proper thrashing belonged to Wednesday in 1979, while United’s 4-2 win last season was the biggest by either side in a decade.

4) Colours Red and white, blue and white. Absolutely textbook.

5) High stakes In the 21st century, only United have played top flight – and that was just one, Carlos Tevez-blighted season. Wednesday had seemed closer to the promised land in recent seasons but as they have dropped, United have climbed. They’ll go top with a win and condemn Wednesday to a fifth straight loss. All of which means defeat for either side is an even grimmer prospect than usual.

6) The name Come on. The Steel City Derby. It sounds like a deleted scene from Mad Max. Who wants to miss that? Kick-off is at 7.45pm, GMT.

PREVIEW | United -v- Wednesday

Hugh — Thu, 08 Nov 2018 21:14:55 GMT

Derby day.

This is the game.

If you’re a Wednesday or United fan, don’t pretend to not look out for this fixture in the calendar when they’re released.

Until four games ago, it seemed likely both sides would be going into this on strong form, high in the table.

The outlook seems a little bleaker now.

Wednesday have lost four on the bounce, with pressure mounting on Jos Luhukay.

Surely a derby win can turn it around.

Owls Team News

The big news is Forestieri and Matias have both taken part in full training for the last week.

Both have been sorely missed, the lack of dynamism up front has been a huge issue for Wednesday over the last few games.

It’s very possible neither will start, but surely at least one will make the bench.

Luhukay also confirmed Westwood, Jones, Hooper, Lee and Winnall are all still missing through injury for a few more weeks at least (more likely months).

Another belter from Reach wouldn’t go amiss!

The Opponent’s Camp

United are flying high, up near the top of the table and proving any doubters wrong.

It pains me to say that Wilder is doing a cracking job with his team, they show a lot of the attributes the Wednesday fans are crying out for – which makes our own disappointments more painful.

Jealousy aside they’re a great footballing side, but obviously, we’re all praying they don’t continue the march to the playoffs with a win on Friday night.

Last Five Games

Wednesday

Bristol 1 – 2 Wednesday

Wednesday 1 – 2 Boro

QPR 3 – 0 Wednesday

Birmingham 3 -1 Wednesday

Wednesday 0 – 4 Norwich

United

United 1 – 0 Hull City

Derby 2 – 1 United

United 1 – 1 Stoke

United 4 – 2 Wigan

Forest 1 – 0 United

Fleck celebrates United’s opener last year

Head to Head

Wednesday wins: 48

Draws: 45

United wins: 49

It’d be nice to get this back level.

Predicted Lineup

I’ve no idea if this is possible, or accurate, but it’s what I’d pick.

GK: Cam Dawson

RWB: Liam Palmer

CB: Michael Hector

CB: Tom Lees (C)

CB: Jordan Thorniley

LWB: Matt Penney

CM: Joey Pelupessy

CM: Barry Bannan

RW: Adam Reach

ST: Steven Fletcher

LW: Fernando Forestieri

Matt’s prediction – draw…?

I can’t bring myself to predict a defeat to United, I just can’t.

Sorry.

0-0.

Scoreboard

Matt 9 – 8 Real Life

Matt

Owls Alive

Email: owlsalive@gmail.com

Twitter: @OwlsAlive and @MattRFez

Images: swfc.co.uk unless stated otherwise.

Sheffield derby gives diverging rivals a vital chance to test their mettle | Ben Fisher

Ben Fisher — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 09:50:07 GMT

A Dutchman in freefall faces a seismic showdown with a local hero on the up when United host Wednesday on Friday night

The age-old maxim goes that form counts for nothing when the stakes are so unbearably high, but there is no doubt that the 130th Steel City derby is a meeting between two teams ostensibly heading in different directions. In the red corner at Bramall Lane will be third-placed Sheffield United and in the blue, a disorderly and off-colour Sheffield Wednesday who will make the four-mile journey south after four successive defeats.

When Wednesday arrive on Friday evening, they will be entering Chris Wilder territory. The United manager was a boyhood Blade; ballboy, fan and then full-back before being offered his dream job in May 2016. Wilder’s first taste of the Sheffield derby was on the terraces in 1980 as a 12-year-old, but savours every one like it is his last.

PREVIEW | Wednesday-v- Norwich

Hugh — Sat, 03 Nov 2018 13:12:13 GMT

5 – 1.

We’ve beaten these 5 – 1 twice in a row now.

I’m sure plenty of Wednesdayites would kill for the same score line today.

It looks ludicrously unlikely, as Norwich are flying, while 3 consecutive defeats have instilled another negative atmosphere at S6.

Owls Team News

Winnall, Lee, Hooper have all suffered setbacks, again.

Forestieri and Matias edge closer, but it’ll still be another few weeks.

I’m told Van Aken is edging closer… yay.

The Opponent’s Camp

Daniel Farmer arrived at Norwich with the expectation he’d repeat David Wagner’s heroics with Huddersfield and guide the Canaries back to the Premier League.

It didn’t happen.

But they’ve stuck with him and now in season 2 they’re flying, up in 4th comfortably.

Helped along by the goals of on-loan Jordan Rhodes.

Lucky he can’t play today.

Last five Games

Wednesday

Wednesday 2 – 2 West Brom

Bristol 1 – 2 Wednesday

Wednesday 1 – 2 Boro

QPR 3 – 0 Wednesday

Birmingham 3 – 1 Wednesday

Norwich

Goal machine

Norwich 0 – 1 Stoke

Forest 1 – 2 Norwich

Norwich 2 – 1 Villa

Norwich 1 – 0 Brentford

Bournemouth 2 – 1 Norwich

Head to Head

Wednesday wins: 24

Draws: 15

Birmingham wins: 16

Predicted Lineup

I’ve no idea what the formation or lineup will be but this is what I’d have to pick.

GK: Cam Dawson

RWB: Liam Palmer

CB: Tom Lees (C)

CB: Michael Hector

CB: Jordan Thorniley

LWB: Matt Penney

CM: Josh Onomah

CM: Barry Bannan

RW: Adam Reach

LW: Lucas Joao

ST: Steven Fletcher

Matt’s prediction – Compounding loss

Oh well, it’ll be nice to go into the Sheffield derby on the back of 4 straight defeats.

2-0 Norwich

Scoreboard

Matt 8 – 8 Real Life

RAMBLE | Birmingham 3 – 1 Wednesday

Hugh — Sun, 28 Oct 2018 15:25:23 GMT

Another defeat from the jaws of victory.

Birmingham City away a different fixture for me. A visit to family and a chance for pre match drinks which is an all too infrequent with my commutes for home games.

So a Friday night jaunt down the M6 for this away game and an early start for Saturday awaited.

Pre match drinks in Birmingham city centre at Hennessey’s bar in Digbeth with the niece and nephew (Birmingham season ticket holders) and other Birmingham fans led to 4 main talking points:

The injury crisis
Our lack of clean sheet
Why the away allocation was a paltry 2,800 compared to previous seasons.
How confident they were of landing all three points this afternoon due to their unbeaten run.

A few drinks and a swift twenty minute walk down Digbeth Road saw me arriving in good time for kick off with at least ten minutes to spare.

The injury crisis continues

Team news showed another 3 changes for the Owls with the bench predominantly consisting of under 23 players. This highlights yet again our woeful injury situation which we all expected to improve this season.

THE MATCH

Wednesday started on the front foot with a high passing game. Something that was sadly not in any abundance on Tuesday night at QPR. An early chance saw Steven Fletcher take a pass from Bannan in midfield to clip the far post agonisingly with a good long range effort.

Our high pressing and tempo lead to a breakthrough on 19 minutes when, following a Bannan corner and a scramble in the penalty area, Fletcher struck the ball home from around 10 yards to give us the lead.

Five minutes later Liam Palmer had a gilt edged chance to increase our lead but missed the opportunity along with a second one – 3 -0 could, and should have been the lead by the half hour mark.

How many more chances do we need to close out a game? I feared that Birmingham would get back into the game before half time, and just before the break the same old defensive frailty reared its head as Tom Lees backtracked from Mahoney who struck a curling shot from the edge of the box to equalise.

All too familiar defensive mistakes that have blighted us this season were once again to lead to Birmingham getting a foot hold back in the game.

Missed opportunities and a half time 1- 1 when really Wednesday had chances to have the game wrapped up by the half hour mark.

Fletcher gives the Owls the lead

SECOND HALF

Birmingham now started the second half sensing that they would be the likely winners in this contest. Fletcher remained busy always searching for the right ball and opportunity.

Momentum started to swing Birmingham’s way and with the bizarre substitution of Fletcher with ten minutes remaining we capitulated in spectacular fashion yet again.

Joao is not the type of player up for a battle with 10 minute left on the clock.

Jos’ substitutions defy logic in my honest opinion in some matches this season.

After the game he stated Fletcher was not fresh – jeez was he watching Nuhiu?

Did he offer any threat in the ninety minutes?

If so, I must have blinked and missed that.

Jutkiewicz and Che Adams sealed the win for Birmingham to rub salts into the wound.

Last week prior to the fixtures we sat in sixth position in the table now one week and three defeats later we are sitting 15th with a poor goal difference.

That is the madness of the Championship.

Frustrating as it looks unlikely there will be a runaway team like Wolves this season. I’ve yet to see a stand-out side that looks the real deal .

Cameron Dawson cannot be blamed for any of the goals conceded yesterday his defence left him exposed for all three.

Waiting for the train back to Shirley I heard a Birmingham fan say: Even when we were losing I knew we were going to get back in the game and win.

When was the last time you could say that for us?

Not this season for me – Performances and points tally need to improve massively in the next few weeks. However a look at the forthcoming fixtures does not fill you with much optimism.

The hysterical reactions on social media predictably followed but Jos needs a quick improvement in results otherwise mid table will look out of our grasp in another month’s time.

Ah well back to Sheffield next week, at least Rhodes can’t play.

Glyn

Owls Alive

Email: owlsalive@gmail.com

Twitter: @OwlsAlive and @CRATESOFSOUL

Images: swfc.co.uk unless stated otherwise

PREVIEW | Birmingham -v- Wednesday

Hugh — Sat, 27 Oct 2018 12:46:34 GMT

It’s negative time again.

After spending a very brief period flirting with the edge of the playoffs, Wednesday have lost two games in a row, which means we’re now officially awful again.

The team is maddeningly inconsistent, which only serves to make the fans even more fickle as time goes by.

Expectations remain ludicrously high somehow, to the point where having lost at home to Boro (a team who are surely destined for promotion under the ever-efficient Tony Pulis), I heard several fans stating Jos simply had to go, to make way for someone who knows this league.

Steve Bruce failed at Villa having spent about £100m, so he’d obviously guide Wednesday to promotion on a shoe-string budget in the short term.

Owls Team News

Matias sees red at Hillsborough last year

The injury list remains massive, and is added to by Daniel Pudil’s kick to the face at Loftus Road (no penalty, obviously).

Thorniley will hopefully have shaken off his knock to be fit to replace him.

I think Wednesday fans everywhere will be praying Matias or Forestieri makes it back in time for the Sheffield derby, but neither will make the trip to the midlands.

The Opponent’s Camp

Garry Monk seems to be making a minor success of things at Birmingham, following his slightly harsh sacking by Boro last season.

Jutkiewicz and former blade Che Adams have fired the blues up into 12^th, with the possibility of flying as high as 7^th if they win against the Owls and other results go their way.

I struggle to see them finishing much above mid-table personally, but any team will fancy giving it a go in this mental league.

Last five Games

Wednesday

Wednesday 1 – 1 Leeds

Wednesday 2 – 2 West Brom

Bristol 1 – 2 Wednesday

Wednesday 1 – 2 Boro

QPR 3 – 0 Wednesday

Birmingham

Birmingham 2 -2 Ipswich

Brentford 1 – 1 Birmingham

Birmingham 3 – 1 Rotherham

Stoke 0 – 1 Birmingham

Birmingham 2 – 1 Reading

Head to Head

Wednesday wins: 34

Captain material?

Draws: 24

Birmingham wins: 37

Predicted Lineup

GK: Cam Dawson

RWB: Liam Palmer

CB: Tom Lees (C)

CB: Michael Hector

CB: Jordan Thorniley

LWB: Matt Penney

CM: Josh Onomah

CM: Barry Bannan

RW: Adam Reach

LW: Lucas Joao

ST: Steven Fletcher

Matt’s prediction – Defeat

Everyone’s being negative anyway so I might as well predict a defeat.

Maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised by a draw.

1-0 Birmingham

Scoreboard

Matt 7 – 8 Real Life

RAMBLE | QPR 3 – 0 Wednesday

Hugh — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 11:46:28 GMT

Watching the game on Friday night was hard work. Middlesbrough and their twelve men (the twelfth was the bloke in blue and white stripes who kept giving them the ball to them with such precision and regularity) were bigger than us, more organised than us and taught us a lesson. Yes we rallied towards the end and had a few decent chances in the first half, but they beat us without ever getting out of first gear. Hopefully this is served as much as a wakeup call for us as much as the Brentford debacle did in August. However, we move on to a trip to QPR.

I always look forward to my trips to Loftus Road. A tight ground, some decent boozers and one of my best mates is a QPR fan so it is a good chance to catch up with him. I have been to this ground many times but haven’t seen anything better than a draw. I missed the 2-1 win here a few years ago due to work commitments. Last year here was a disaster. Three gifted goals in eight minutes early in the first half and one of the most blatant penalties you will ever see gave the home side a four-goal lead. Cue horrific goal music again and again and again. Despite a late push, it was a pretty dire night and hopefully the players remember that this time around.

Don’t look!

One of the most hilarious photographs of all time took place in this ground. Picture the scene; Wednesday are two up and cruising on Easter Monday 2009. Our players are more or less on the beach. Cue the capitulation. QPR pull two goals back and throw the kitchen sink at us. A late corner comes in from the right and big Damion Stewart climbs high to head home past Lee Grant at the far post. Needless to say, we were not happy about this. As we trudged out of the ground, I was enraged how bad we played. Looking back at the post-match reports, a photographer caught the moment when Stewart headed home the winner. However, my eyes were drawn towards the top left-hand corner. Seriously, WTF????? I now look back at that game and think just of this ridiculous image and thankfully not the result.

On to the game. Just before I left from work, I got a call from Matt who said it’s probably best to meet in Shepherd’s Bush instead of central London. Remembering there’s no westbound train available at my stop, I jump on a bus to Chancery Lane and head towards deepest, darkest west London. I see another mate, Chris, emerging from the tube escalator. Behind him is Matt and his mate Matt (I guess like the Two Ronnies, but without the hysterical comedic chemistry) literally straight behind him. I greeted Chris and immediately introduced him to the two Matts. We waltzed on down to the Brewdog pub where I’d reserved a table.

Boozer

We started supping. In came Maurits, the Dutch Owl, who has a look of Joost Van Aken, as far as height and his blond barnet goes – in fairness, he’s probably fitter than his countryman although this this isn’t exactly hard. He’d been at Bristol to break his Wednesday winning virginity and was in good spirits. More beers flowed. And the odd buffalo chicken burger too. In came more Owls. Another Chris, Craig, Phil… Beastie arrived after a day of looking at paint splats in the Tate Modern with some fella I wasn’t introduced to and some other bloke with his young lad. It was a good laugh and we all got on royally. A third Matt couldn’t get in because he was wearing colours and vanished into the night, never to be seen again. In came the teamsheeet and there was a bit of discussion with the omissions of Matt Penney and Tom Lees. I, in fact, was delighted they were missing, both were diabolical against ‘Boro. I got laughed at for saying I’d rather have Fox and Pudil in but what can you do? I like how Jos will take out underperformers. But the manager should have dropped Joao too who was at his lethargic best on Friday. I’m not a huge Lees fan at the best of times – I find him a bit too meek while Penney was perhaps believing his own hype on Friday and he got found out big time. Hopefully the social media trolls and keyboard warriors would have egg on their faces. Won’t be the first time…

We leave the comfy surrounds of the pub and walked down the backstreets to get to the ground. In hindsight, we should have stayed put.

THE MATCH

We got in just after kick off. There wasn’t a great atmosphere in the Wednesday end and something I’ve noticed a lot since Luhukay’s arrival. We were situated right on the touchline, with a brilliant view of the pitch in this cosy ground.

Great view

First few minutes were pretty even with nothing to separate the sides but on 15 minutes, Bannan gave it away to Ebere Eze but Dawson saved comfortably. Things were starting to heat up, with both teams trying to turn the screw. Pudil made a great tackle on Tomer Hemed after 20 which could have resulted in the Brighton loanee giving the home side the lead.

Wednesday then had a great spell of possession where Baker had a chance to feed captain Bannan from the edge of the area but the Scot fired wide. A loose pass also found its way to Joao, who played it to Nuhiu but Lumley saved comfortably to his right.

Then things started to go stagnant. Bannan was running around in circles and his distribution seemed to get worse and worse. Mistakes in possession were creeping in again. Out of the blue on 35 minutes, Hector couldn’t clear, QPR got into the area and Pawel Wszolek fired towards goal. Dawson parries and Hemed has the easiest goal he will score who stooped low to head home. Cue annoying goal music. Cue Wednesday fans moaning about static defending. And damn right they do. A gift. With hindsight, Dawson could have dealt with the initial shot better but the way we gave it away in the build-up was criminal.

Shortly after, the QPR version of the much-mangled Wednesday band starts piping up. He’s there with his horns, his Moroccan flag and his sombrero hat giving the Owls fans everything. The fella started to chant about Middlesbrough and Derby while looking at the travelling fans with a sarcastic, sometimes smiley face. The bloke was an irritant despite meaning no harm. Fortunately for him, there’s a long way to go until he displaces Boris Johnson, Paul Hewson and Jeremy Clarkson on my punch list.

It was a poor first half with about five minutes of positives. Bannan was giving the ball away way too often, Joao wasn’t holding it up and I think I had more touches than Reach even by sitting in the upper tier. Let’s get a pee and a beer in the world’s most compact concourse. No pies were available. This left the towering Maurits hungry and a tad confused.

A slow start to the second half was brought into life ten minutes after the restart when Joao hit the outside of the post with a header – this was a turning point.

Soon after this near miss, a simple bit of slight pressure from QPR on 57 resulted in a pass to the right-hand side of the box, in came the cross from Wszolek and Luke Freeman, with the freedom of Loftus Road, headed back beyond Dawson into the top left-hand corner to give the hosts a 2-0 lead. Absolutely gifted, again. Sunday league defending, again. Yet more fucking annoying goal music, again.

No penalty?!

Wednesday had a reaction when the impressive Onomah played it across but Nuhiu was too slow to react – corner. Which came to squat.

Fans were getting frustrated. Rightly so. Some were even crying for someone called Neweh to win the ball, although I haven’t got a clue who said player is. In fairness, Nuhiu was having a poor game, as was his partner in crime Joao. One of the Two Matts and myself were calling Nuhiu ‘David’, as I am sure his mother only called him that when he was naughty, or disappointed her in some way.

Wednesday had a penalty shout as Pudil went down and there was blood streaming from his face but nothing was given. It looked like he was gearing up for Halloween. I don’t know if it was a pen or not to be honest. Jordan Thorniley came on for him. Not Tom Lees.

At 2-0 down, we sprung to life for a few brief minutes. Good work from Joao, finally on 67 minutes, gave the ball to Reach and with his first telling contribution of the game, he shot just wide. QPR responded with some good football and Dawson made a smart save.

Substitution time. Joao and Pelupessy left the field for Penney and Fletcher on 74. Lucas looked like he’d taken a knock. He didn’t exactly get a rapturous reception as he walked off the pitch via the scenic route along the touchline. Fletcher forced Lumley into a decent save low down to his right soon after his arrival but it was all academic.

QPR fans had a good night

As the game was drawing to a close and what little fight we had left had vanquished, after a series of disallowed fouls, Hector again was too elaborate, got easily dispossessed and Nahki Wells, on as a late sub, was there to fire confidently past Dawson for obviously his first goal in about 18 months. We left on 88. I’m sure all we missed was more misplaced passing and players not giving options off the ball. The movement throughout the game was best described as statuesque. I thought last season was bad. This was worse.

After the game we trudged back to White City in order to make our way back to central London. The discussion was trying to unpick what just happened. Was the manager at fault? Were the players at fault? At the end of the day, we were dire and everyone takes blame from the coaching staff to the players. According to my QPR mate, he said it’s the best they’ve played all season. I told him that you couldn’t play us every week, as much as he’d like to.

We venture to the Argyle Arms, a lovely boozer near Oxford Circus, to discuss the game and drink ourselves silly to forget about it. The Two Matts are there, as is Maurits, Craig, Chris as well as Beastie and his art-loving friend. After piecing apart the match, we talked about how we came to love this great club of ours. Stories of fathers talking a child to a game; how one found us after a stint of radio reporting, one reminiscing how they randomly went to a game during the snooker championships. We talked about our highs, lows and amusing moments. Screw the result, this club has brilliant folk who follow it and come together though all walks of life. This made me cheer up no end. The performance and result may not have been what we wanted, but the companionship was great and that’s all you need. A win for your football team is just an added bonus. Never forget that.

Andy

Owls Alive

Email: owlsalive@gmail.com

Twitter: @OwlsAlive and @andymcelwaine

Images: swfc.co.uk or personal unless stated otherwise

PREVIEW | QPR -v- Wednesday

Hugh — Tue, 23 Oct 2018 16:37:51 GMT

Thick and fast.

That’s how the games come this time of year.

With an international break and our first home defeat just behind us, now’s the time to back the boys.

You get the feeling this season’s playoff teams will mostly just be those that put a run together in the final months, so let’s hope we’re still vaguely in with a shout by then.

Owls Team News

Forestieri, Winnall, Matias, Van Aken, Abdi, Hooper, Lee, all out.

Did I miss anyone?

Probably.

And that’s with Westwood, Boyd, Jones seemingly tactically excluded.

A lot of players to be missing.

Luckily we’ve got about 100 players so we’ve still got some to cobble together a side.

The Opponent’s Camp

In contrast, QPR have a completely entirely fully fit squad.
I genuinely can’t remember the last time we said that about the Owls.

After a torrid start, they seem to have settled into their familiar stride towards lower-mid-table.

I imagine that’s where they’ll finish.

Last five Games

Always scoring against QPR!

Wednesday

Villa 1 – 2 Wednesday

Wednesday 1 – 1 Leeds

Wednesday 2 – 2 West Brom

Bristol 1 – 2 Wednesday

Wednesday 1 – 2 Boro

QPR

Blackpool 2 – 0 QPR

Swansea City 3 – 0 QPR

Reading 0 – 1 QPR

QPR 1 – 1 Derby

Ipswich 0 – 2 QPR

Head to Head

Wednesday wins: 30

Draws: 17

QPR wins: 22

Predicted Lineup

GK: Cam Dawson

No magic from this man tonight

RWB: Ash Baker

CB: Tom Lees (C)

CB: Michael Hector

CB: Jordan Thorniley

LWB: Matt Penney

CM: Joey Pelupessy

CM: Barry Bannan

RW: Adam Reach

LW: Lucas Joao

ST: Atdhe Fletcher

Matt’s prediction – Pointless draw

I can’t call this at all, so going to just go for a draw.

2-2?

Scoreboard

Matt 7 – 7 Real Life

RAMBLE | Wednesday 1 – 2 Middlesbrough

Hugh — Sun, 21 Oct 2018 17:53:23 GMT

Another match, another showing on Sky, and another game that Wednesday aren’t expected to get much out of. Middlesbrough had been knocked off their perch before the international break, replaced by our noisy neighbours, and they visited Hillsborough as favourites despite our impressive unbeaten home record this season. It was after this fixture last season that both managers lost their jobs. Carlos moving on quickly to take Swansea down and find himself out of work again; Monk finding the next Championship chairman prepared to blow his nut on an blind attempt to get to the Premier League.

The pre-match talk had mainly been spouted by our opposition’s manager, bemoaning the fact that he’d lost 11 players to international call ups whereas we’d only lost 1 (sic). Apparently the football league should take this in to consideration. Owls fans across the internet took out their worlds-smallest-violins to sympathise with Pulis. I’m not sure exactly what Tony was getting at or what he actually wanted. Another week off? Surely having 11 international players is an indication of the bounty of quality resources at his disposal. I’m sure Jos would swap places with him in an instant. He on the other hand benched the two players who had been away on international duty, opting to give a starting place to the enigmatic Joao – presumably hoping that his two goals off the bench at Bristol will provide a kick start to his season; one that despite his goal return has had more false starts than a primary school sports day. Luhukay took the midweek news that Forestieri was out for a couple of weeks in his stride and selected a side that looked every inch a 3-4-3 to me. However pundits on various media outlets lined us up as a 4-3-3 with Penney and Joao flanking Fletcher and Reach tucked in behind them.

As the teams took to their positions following the pre-match formalities it became clear that my hunch of a 3-4-3 was accurate with Penney and Palmer as wing backs. Wednesday made life difficult for themselves from the off, trying scooped hospital balls around the back four as Boro pressed us closer and closer to our own goal. It was reminiscent of the beginning of the second half against Leeds. Whereas not many teams can second guess how Wednesday will line up or the formation we’ll play these days, one thing they do know is that we insist on playing out from the back… and that we’re bad at it. Only the impressive on-loan Hector looks composed when playing out from the back, and even he seems to have a problem in consistently finding his man.

Penney was also having a dubious game, certainly not of the standard he’s produced recently. It’s at times like this that we have to remind ourselves of his age and experience, he’s bound to have off days and is far from the finished article. But what a finished article we could have on our hands there. Strong, athletic, tall, great with the ball at his feet and a sound footballing brain; it’s no surprise that there has been talk of tying him down to a new contract. Over on the other side of the pitch, Palmer wasn’t performing much better: back to his tardy best with the blind assumption that the game is going much more slowly than it is in reality, taking the unnecessary extra touch, allowing the unnecessary bounce.

Frustrating first half

Things didn’t seem to be going to plan. We were having the best of possession without doing anything with it. Boro however moved the ball forward much more quickly, putting us under pressure without really testing Dawson. Despite this it was Wednesday who went closest to taking the lead in the first half. Bannan with some great play, first anticipating a pass and making the interception before receiving the ball back and driving into the box. He refused the invitation for an early cross and cut inside instead, and moving into the box clipped a little ball right onto the head of Reach who from the centre of the area grazed the crossbar.

From memory, that’s all that really happened in the first half. A drab affair whose only talking points were surrounding just how lack lustre everyone looked. There was a point where I though Fletcher was going to be replaced, as he spent a good five minutes limping around and holding his back in a pose reminiscent of the Lords ‘Old father Time’ weather vane. However, the change never came and he made it through the 45 for a half time rub down.

The second half started in much the same vein as the first half did, with Boro pressing our hapless defence we pretended we were Barcelona. They soon got their reward. As another attempt to move the ball around the deep midfield area broke down. The ball far played down our right hand side with Hector still stranded in an advanced position. Thorniley showed some youthful naivety by allowing the ball to bounce and under a challenge didn’t get enough on the header. The stranded Hector attempted a tackle but the ball broke to Besic who bore down on goal. A twist and shift turned Lees inside out and the German drove a right footed strike into Dawson’s far post.

Besic makes it 1-0

When will we learn? When will stop arsing around with it?

Not yet clearly.

Within a five minutes Boro had doubled their lead, and where the last goal had shown up our defensive positioning and decision making, this goal put a frame around it and hung it up for all to see.

Tom Lees, the last man, sitting in a central position on the edge of the centre circle and the ball at his feet dallied too long. He looked for the short pass. Didn’t fancy it. He looked for the sideward pass. Nowt on. Assombalonga smelled blood. A startled Lees moved the ball on to his left, presumably so that he could loft the ball into the channel on his stronger foot. But no. Thinking he was Johan Cruyff he turned back towards his own goal and played the ball tamely and suicidally into no-mans-land.

Pelupessy clearly wasn’t expecting this, but his man Besic was and stole a 5 yard start on the Wednesday anchor man. Lees, presumably flabbergasted by his own ineptitude had a little jog back to goal as Assombalonga raced ahead of him. Dawson had the unenviable task of trying to keep out a two on 1 situation but couldn’t as the scorer of the first goal calmly squared to his on-rushing team mate to stroke into the net for two-nil.

No words.

There will be some who will lay the blame either directly or indirectly at the feet of the young keeper, who in all honesty could have done nothing about either goal. However, some will blindly argue that Westwood would have saved both of them… not only that but he’d have rolled it out to himself, taking on everyone in the Boro team, twice, before scoring from 40 yards and somersaulting into the crowd. Others may more reasonably argue that the defence lacks Westwood’s commanding shouts of organisation. Maybe true. But that chapter is over and the sooner we accept it, the better.

Enter Nuhiu to replace Joao… who was back to doing the square root of nothing. Back on the bench for him next game then?

Wednesday responded and pulled a goal back through Reach, this time idly tapping in a perfectly placed volley from outside the box on his weaker foot, watching the ball loop and drop to him following a deep Bannan free-kick. He didn’t celebrate, maybe because it was against his former team, maybe because there was a feeling of too-little-too-late. It has to be said, celebrations from the whole team were muted – possibly embarrassed at how they’d managed to fall two behind in such sloppy fashion at home.

There was just one more chance to talk of, an injury time scramble on the Boro goal line following a corner whipped in by Bannan. The balled flashed across goal, Fletcher getting a clip on it and Lees running in to bundle it home on the back post. However, Ayala (who it has to said was lucky to be on the pitch following a forearm smash on Fletcher) got his body, and possibly hands, in the way. Dropping onto the ball to stop it crossing the line and then getting piled upon by team mates in a desperate scrum. The ref gave the free-kick somewhat bafflingly to Boro… mainly because I don’t think he knew what else he could do in that situation. That was the chance, and it had gone. Wednesday pressed, spurred on by the possibility of doing a West Brom, but unfortunately it was too late. The Owls lose their first home game of the season and Boro go top.

Boro free kick?!

Not nice to watch, but that’s Wednesday this season. A work in progress. Maybe what we should accept during Jos’s first full season in charge, especially whilst under such tight financial control. When I got home I watched the game back and was surprised to see Carlos on the box as the expert. I have to admit a pang of… I don’t know what… regret maybe… hit me. Not regret that we replaced him when we did… that was completely the correct decision in my eyes. More that it was with Carlos that we started dreaming again. The nights against Arsenal, Brighton and Bristol City were special. The trip to Wembley. The goals. The flair. It was good for a while but it didn’t work out.

Jos has a plan. It may take too long to pan out, given our fan base’s impatience for results. There will be bumps along the way, like tonight. But I’m happy to stand by my man Luhukay.

Joe

Owls Alive

Email: owlsalive@gmail.com

Twitter: @OwlsAlive and @GrenoOwl

Images: swfc.co.uk unless stated otherwise

Mo Besic’s quality sinks Sheffield Wednesday and puts Middlesbrough top

Tim Knowles — Fri, 19 Oct 2018 21:31:35 GMT

• Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Middlesbrough
• Howler from Tom Lees hands visitors their second goal

Middlesbrough moved to the top of the Championship after a rare moment of quality and a calamitous error within six second-half minutes gave them the points at Hillsborough.

Mo Besic, on loan at the Riverside from Everton and the game’s outstanding performer, scored one and assisted the other, but Wednesday’s Tom Lees was the true source of what proved the decisive second goal.

Championship round-up: West Brom score twice in final five minutes for draw

Press Association — Wed, 03 Oct 2018 21:35:11 GMT

• Harvey Barnes equaliser maintains unbeaten run
• Sheffield United beat Blackburn 2-0 to stay third

West Brom scored twice in the last five minutes to earn a 2-2 draw in the Championship at Sheffield Wednesday.