In another big week for Yorkshire derbies, The YP’s football writers, Stuart Rayner and Leon Wobschall cast their eyes over how the games between Barnsley and Rotherham United and Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday ended up going the way they did.
They then take a look at Leeds United’s form going into the latest international break, plus that of Hull City who are struggling at the other end of the Championship table with pressure growing on manager Tim Walter and owner Acun Ilicali.
There is also time to consider Huddersfield Town’s progress in League, while host Mark Singleton asks them for their respective Team of the Week and Playter of the Week.
They then take a look at Leeds United’s form going into the latest international break, plus that of Hull City who are struggling at the other end of the Championship table with pressure growing on manager Tim Walter and owner Acun Ilicali.
There is also time to consider Huddersfield Town’s progress in League, while host Mark Singleton asks them for their respective Team of the Week and Playter of the Week.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Football Talk from the Yorkshire Post, where
00:15we will be discussing some of the latest talking points from the world of football with members
00:18of our football writing team. On this week's episode, we're joined by Chief Football
00:22Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Stuart Rayner, and Football Writer for the Yorkshire Post,
00:26discuss all of the latest developments affecting our local clubs. Don't forget you can keep
00:30up to date with all the football news across Yorkshire and beyond by logging on to our
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00:44Post Football or even Sheffield Sport on Facebook, you can find us there as well. And if you
00:49have any questions for our writers, you can get in touch using those various Twitter or
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00:56at yp.sport at nationalworld.com. YorkshirePost.co.uk.
01:02As mentioned earlier in the intro, this week we're joined by Chief Football Writer for
01:05the Yorkshire Post, Stuart Rayner, and Football Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Leon Wovshall.
01:09Good morning guys. Morning. Morning. Morning. Right, this week we saw Leeds United fall
01:14to a frustrating 1-0 defeat when they paid a visit to Millwall, and we'll be covering
01:18Leeds United more later on in the show. Middlesbrough claimed a dominant 5-1 win over Luton Town
01:25in League 1. Huddersfield Town shared the points in their 2-1 draw with Crawley Town,
01:30and in League 2, Doncaster Rovers had to settle for a point in their 1-1 draw with Notts County.
01:36Harrogate Town fell to an agonising 2-1 defeat at the hands of Morecambe, and Bradford City
01:41left their game with Fleetwood Town empty handed after suffering a 1-0 defeat.
01:47However, let's start this week's episode by analysing the Yorkshire clash between Barnsley
01:51and Rotherham United, which saw Barnsley claim the spoils with their 2-0 victory. This now
01:57sees Barnsley sitting comfortably in the play-off spaces. What did you make of the performances
02:03by the two teams, Leon?
02:04I'll have to get my apologies in early if I sound a little bit croaky this week. I've
02:09got a little bit of the lurgy, but we'll persevere. Yeah, it was, I mean, it's funny really. Stuart's
02:15done a few derbies so far this season, and I have really. The vast majority, probably
02:22apart from the Steel City derby, which we'll talk about later, was fairly tight. They've
02:29all been pretty one-sided, haven't they? There's been some big derbies as well. I mean, we've
02:32had the Huddersfield-Barnsley doubleheader early in October, big for both teams, and
02:42obviously Huddersfield got their season going again, didn't they? They had a rough time
02:49in September, and obviously the Leeds-Sheffield United game, Leeds were dominating that one.
02:55We've had one or two others, Leeds and Hull as well. Yeah, I mean, in terms of this particular
03:01one, it's strange really. The managers change and the personnel change, but it's one of
03:09those places, Oakwell, that just brings out the worst in Robham United and probably conversely
03:14with Barnsley. It seems to bring out the best in them. It was a dominant performance from
03:21Barnsley. We're talking about derbies. They obviously had their doubleheader with Huddersfield
03:29and the complete polar opposite in terms of emotions. You sort of wondered where their
03:34season was going really after losing both of those games. They were lacking in terms
03:38of identity and lacking in terms of connections. They obviously had the international break
03:44to try and have a look at things. One or two things have clicked into place. The balance
03:51looks better certainly in midfield. John Russell's come in for Barnsley, playing a little bit
03:56further forward in an eight-roll. Luke O'Connell's sitting back. Fair play to Daryl Clarke. He
04:05was obviously pretty low and there were questions being asked after those Huddersfield games.
04:09He had to find an answer and he has done. The form's been good, especially at home as
04:17well. We've spoken about Barnsley's home form. They'd only won once since the end of February.
04:25They needed to improve and you look at the fixtures coming up. They've got a little clump
04:29of home games and if they can get a few wins in those then they will really turn it around.
04:36This end to the year is going to be potentially very big for them. They've got Wrexham having
04:43their New Year's Day. They've got Birmingham. Everyone really needed that at Barnsley. I
04:51did the game on the first day of the season on Friday against Mansfield. There was a big
04:55crowd and Barnsley just got it edged out. Obviously on the television again. Clean sheet.
05:05I thought they were good at both ends of the pitch. There's connections in the midfield
05:10and up front as well. Keita Dunn matched Watters. A great goal from Humphreys when he came on
05:18and it's looking a lot better at Barnsley but completely the opposite for Rotherham.
05:23The season hasn't got going at all yet. They did bring in a lot of players in the summer
05:29but we talk about the connections. The midfield especially, they just got bypassed so many
05:35times I thought on Friday. There wasn't a great deal up front. They did have injuries
05:41to be fair. He's going to have to come up with answers. It's an unforgiving walk back
05:46to the dressing room at Oakwell when you've lost a derby in front of a big away following.
05:54They let rip, not just in the direction of Steve Edmonds but the players. There was a
05:59chant of, Barnsley got the second goal, there was a chant of sats in the morning, some Rotherham
06:03fans joined in. Then at the end, they made the feelings known and chants of you're not
06:09fit to wear the shirt. It's a huge part in Rotherham's season. Evans is speaking about
06:17getting to January, getting to the transfer market and addressing things but there's a
06:22lot of games until then. I think he has to take it on a bit of a week by week basis.
06:30They've got a huge game coming up at Crawley, haven't they? They've got a clear Saturday
06:38with the Bolton game getting called off. It's probably a good thing in some respects.
06:41They can work on some things in training, maybe get one or two players back. Huge game
06:47at Crawley. We'll see where the season is going at the minute. They started off OK in
06:55the first ten minutes but after that, I don't want you folks to know, it was a really poor
07:00performance. Barnsley just passed them to death really, didn't they? A dominant performance,
07:08outclassed them. Worrying signs for Rotherham, lost four out of five and it obviously came
07:13off the back of another really poor performance in the FA Cup against Cheltenham. The frustration
07:21and agitation of Tony Stewart was there to see for everyone in the stand. The chairman
07:28don't like being beaten derbies and they certainly don't like being beaten derbies in front of
07:32a national audience. A key time in the season for Rotherham United and potentially Steve
07:39Evans as well.
07:40I do think the geography of Oakwell is quite significant. I've been there and seen away
07:48teams wallow and away teams get great results. I was there the other week and Doncaster won
07:56there in the trophy and they had a big following. Because of where the away fans are, just by
08:02the tunnel, you've got no one beneath you, you've got no one on the other side. It's
08:06just you and you can really make your feelings known to the players as they come off. You
08:11could see, just watching on the TV, you could see Steve Evans trying to gather his players
08:15together so they could go together as one block and face the ire collectively. Quite
08:22rightly Rotherham fans, those that had stayed, were not happy. It was a really poor performance
08:28and it's been a worrying start to the season for them. I think if you look at Barnsley's
08:34last block of matches since the last international break, there's been a real shuffling around
08:44searching for answers. We talked a lot on this podcast about how many good midfielders
08:49Barnsley have got. While John Russell is a midfielder who can do things very well, he's
08:55very good passer of the ball and things like that, you probably wouldn't have him in your
08:59best three Barnsley central midfielders. But it's about the blend and it's working with
09:04him as one of the blend. They've hit on a combination that works. Rotherham just haven't
09:10found that at all yet. It didn't work and it hasn't seemed to be working for a long
09:16time. Steve Evans talks quite a lot about how many chances they're making and all this
09:20sort of thing. That's a valid point. But by the time it comes to November, you can't
09:27still be relying on that. That can't be an excuse. To me, they just don't seem to know
09:35where they're going. They look to me, certainly in the first half before they change things,
09:40they look like a team that... I like all teams to play with a bit of width, wherever you
09:45get it from. Rotherham's width in the formation they played early on and the formation they've
09:50played a lot has to come from the full-backs. They didn't really get enough there. We kind
09:54of switched it about a bit in the second half, but it didn't really make much difference.
09:59I think, certainly from my perspective, when I was looking at it in the summer, it just
10:05put a lot of faith and a lot of store in the fact that Steve Evans was coming back and
10:08we knew what Steve Evans could do. I think there was a lot of that with the Rotherham
10:13fans, but as Leon's said, it's starting to wear thin with some of them. He is under a
10:19bit of pressure because when you've been backed as comprehensively as he has been in terms
10:24of the number of players rather than as much as anything else, the minor finances by Tony
10:30Stewart, you have to deliver. You put yourself under a lot of pressure. There's all this
10:35talk about more signings in January, which is great and that's all well and good, but
10:43they need to be sure that by the time the January transfer window is open, they've got
10:48faith in the manager to be the one who makes those signings. It's no good making five Steve
10:55Evans signings, bombing out six players Steve Evans doesn't rate, and then come February
11:00you've got a different manager. We saw Huddersfield, to a lesser extent, do that last season. Evans
11:08needs to find a solution. He's been around the block long enough that he knows the score,
11:14he knows the pressures he's under and he'll get on with the job. But at the moment, for
11:18someone who has pretty much rebuilt this squad in his own image, there's a worrying lack
11:25of clarity, I would say, as to who his best players are. He's not been helped by injuries,
11:30that must be said, but all clubs in the league have injuries. It's how you deal with them.
11:37It doesn't seem like even at this stage of the season, he found his best combinations
11:43and his way forward, and that's the most worrying thing for Rotherham. It's not so
11:48much the performances, although they're worrying too, it's where is this going, really?
11:53I'd say Barnsley, by contrast, in this last block of games, won four, drawn one and lost
11:59one out of six. They do seem to have found their feet and found a way to go forward.
12:05They were really impressive on the night, albeit against poorer position. They're handily
12:11placed in the league now.
12:12Yeah, it's just getting to know his best side, really, isn't it? Yeah, they have had injuries.
12:18I mean, Rackert was a big side and he's been out. Rafferty was out for a spell earlier
12:22in the season. Clark Harris is out and Wilks as well, he was a big miss on last Friday.
12:33But they need more, don't they? They need more. In January, ideally, it's a time just
12:39for fine-tuning things, isn't it? You've got your basis of your side, bringing in one
12:46or two to add to it. But from the way Evans is talking, he's talking about something more
12:52major and that's not really... There's not many occasions when that happens and you're
12:57going to be in the promotion mix, really. Yeah, just a huge period for them. To be fair,
13:06in the past Evans has spoken about, in his first season when they were promoted from
13:11League 2 in 2012, 2013, they didn't start particularly well and they finished very strongly.
13:18One or two poor worn sides, I remember in that first season, 2017-18, I remember them
13:26losing it at Bristol Rovers at the start of December and he gave his players a real rollicking
13:32and I think there was something like 15th or 16th in the league, then they won at Blackpool
13:36and then they sort of set off. History has shown that Rotherham have been slow starters
13:43but this has been a particularly slow starter, hasn't it, really? You're struggling to think
13:47of the occasion when they played pretty well. I mean, I did the Huddersfield derby earlier
13:54in the season. I thought that might be a catalyst to a bit of a run but it's just been so inconsistent,
14:01hasn't it, in terms of selection, there's been injury issues and just in terms of form really
14:07and everyone knows about the away form as well and it just doesn't smell right at the minute and
14:13it's got to imprint pretty quickly. I mean, it's made worse by the fact that this squad
14:17has got his fingerprints all over it. It's not that he's inherited a group of players who he
14:22can't get a tune out of. He's made a tonne of signings and all the players that have been kept,
14:29you know, you very much get the feeling that he's had a big say in,
14:33no, I want this player to be part of things. So, you know, he can't sort of distance himself
14:38from the players and if he is going to change things around in January, it's going to be
14:43players he's brought in who are on the way out, you would think. So, that's concerning. I mean,
14:49there's always a need for patience and I say Barnsley are a case in point with their new
14:53manager but Rotherham very deliberately went down quite an impatient route this season. You know,
15:00you think back to March time and Liam Richardson was talking about this is going to be a long-term
15:05project, we're going to rebuild the club, we're going to do this, we're going to do that and
15:09once Richardson was sacked and Evans came in, it was made very clear, no, we brought him in to get
15:14promotion this season. You know, that was the whole ethos. We need to bounce straight back,
15:22there is no time for patience, that's why we've got this proven manager. So, that just adds to the
15:29pressure. You know, were it Darrell Clark in this position, for example, there'd be a bit more
15:35mitigation because, well, it's going to take time, it's a new manager but Rotherham, because they so
15:40explicitly said, no, there is no time, you know, we've got to do it this time. It's just up the
15:45stakes and up the expectation for the Rotherham fans, which I think, you know, under the circumstances
15:51is legitimate and they're quite right to be frustrated.
15:56A big worry quickly, set plays. I mean, look at Rotherham, historically, when they've done well
16:01at this level. I did a piece earlier this week, when they got promoted a few years ago under Paul
16:06Warren, there's got something like 25 set-piece goals. They've always been strong, their promoted
16:12teams have always been really strong, top of the league figures in terms of goals scored
16:18on set plays. They've only got four this season, which with Steve Evans' side as well,
16:23you know, he likes to pride himself on that aspect and, you know, it's not good enough and
16:29it was probably a bit of a microcosm of things at Oakville on Friday. Not particularly picking
16:37on one or two players there but it wasn't, you know, the set plays were lousy, weren't they?
16:41And when you're not playing particularly well and you haven't got a particular flow in your game,
16:46you can get away with it sometimes when your set plays are on point but that's another aspect that's
16:51been deficient this season. Like a lot of things, they've got to get on the training
16:57run and really nail things down and make sure something has changed, you know, by the time they
17:04get on the pitch. I mean, the Bradford game is probably going to be a big game as well, isn't
17:08it really? It's only in the trophy but I think the position Rotherham are in at the minute,
17:14every game is big but certainly that Crawley game, which is a huge game when they're starting
17:19the league again, they've got to find some sort of new way of doing things and
17:28a bit of a different way. It's a bit like what Clarke's done with Barnsley,
17:33you know, they're going to have to come up with something.
17:36Yeah, absolutely. It doesn't matter who they're playing or what competition they're playing,
17:40they've just got to get back into the rhythm of winning games and the confidence that comes
17:46with it. All credit to Barnsley, that's what they've managed to do after a bit of a sticky
17:51spell. We probably haven't spoken to them yet but they've done just that, they've shown the value of
17:59sticking at it and trying different things and Rotherham just have to follow that lead.
18:04Now, let's look at Leeds United who, as I mentioned at the top of the episode,
18:08fell to a frustrating 1-0 defeat when they faced Millwall. However, they bounced back to claim a
18:142-0 victory over QPR. What did you make of the two results, Stuart, and do you think that Daniel
18:19Farker can be pleased with the performances that he's seen before they head into the international
18:24break? I think he can, all things considered. I think if it had come at a different time,
18:29you might look at that week differently but I think you've just got to look at it.
18:33Last game in a block before the international break, people are getting mentally as well as
18:39physically tired. They went to Millwall, they made a stack of chances, they lost to a team in good
18:46form. It happens. There's two keys for a club like that. Don't get carried away with it, don't
18:56think the sky is about to fall in and react quickly. They did react quickly. They weren't
19:02amazing against QPR, to be honest with you. Again, they made a load of chances but they left you
19:08hanging on until I think it was the 95th minute, only 1-0 up. QPR probably only made about three
19:14or four chances all game but they were really, really good chances. You just thought a better
19:20team than QPR who were in horrendous form, the opposite of Millwall, bottom of the league,
19:26a team with a modicum of confidence probably would have put one of those chances away
19:30and then it would have been really squeaky bum time. But they didn't. Leeds got the job done
19:35and as I say, if that had been in the middle of this block of matches, you could pick a bit more
19:42but I think it was just one of those days to say, look, it's been a difficult end to the week.
19:47You know, they were thrown, self-inflicted, but they were thrown by Junior Firpo's suspension,
19:53I think, after they'd picked the team. You've just got to get through that game,
19:58get to the international break, recharge, have a bit of a rethink and go again.
20:04From their perspective, job done. There's definitely things to work on. They need to
20:09be more ruthless. I think whenever Leeds have bad results, that's normally the thing that you point
20:15to, the finishing and the lack of ruthlessness. But I think when you look at this group of matches
20:21and you consider how it started with the injuries to Ampadu and Groove just before the last
20:26international break, I think they've had a really good run, a run that shows the sort of toughness
20:33as well as the quality of football that you need to be at the top of the league and I think they
20:39can be really pleased with themselves and they just need to regather and pick that momentum up.
20:46Yeah, the numbers are looking good, aren't they? 15 games, 29 points, 42 points a game.
20:54Farke knows the division, he'd have taken that all day long, wouldn't he? They've won the last
20:58five at home, they've kept four clean sheets. There's a wonderful consistency about Leeds.
21:04It might not be particularly eye-catching every game and I think the QPR game was a
21:11casing point, although in fairness, those three game weeks, sometimes there is a little bit of a
21:19tail-off in the last one, isn't there? To be fair, they had a short turnaround as well. They had a
21:24Wednesday night in London, then coming back and playing less than 72 hours later. It's just about
21:32getting the job done and Leeds are showing that capacity. I'm liking the defensive resolve,
21:38they're building new partnerships in midfield and all things considered, when it had been a
21:46little bit sticky and a bit of noise after the first two games, they'd have taken this all day
21:54long. Yes, one or two of the games have been functional, but there's a substance and a
21:59backbone about Leeds which is particularly impressive given the disruption they've had
22:05and what Stuart alluded to with the Gruev injury and Ampadu. It's all credit to them and
22:14people are putting their hand up periodically across the pitch. Joe Peru, he's not been immune
22:21from criticism, he's got six goals this season. James the other week had a stormer against
22:28Plymouth and yet they look to be a really seasoned team. Unless something pretty disastrous
22:38happens, you don't expect them to be there when it matters in the run-ins. 29 points, 15 games,
22:46it's a really strong and resolute start. You're just not going to have 46 games a season playing
22:53like Brazil, it just doesn't happen. Not in this division, not in any division. Look at
22:58Man City struggling at the moment. The point is, you have as many of those days as you can
23:04and on the other days, you get the job done. That's why when Leon talks about the defensive
23:09record and about them being functional, it's those days where you need it to kick in and that's what
23:14they've got about Leeds. They're set up in such a way that their bad days are at a minimum and
23:23they're often not that bad. Losing 1-0 to Millwall with the form that Millwall were in,
23:31it's hardly the end of the world. Obviously, you get no more points if you lose 4-0 or 5-0 but
23:37it's about minimising the damage and reacting quickly. When you've got that solidity,
23:42as Leon says, it might be the most attractive to watch all the time but that's what you need
23:47to fall back on when you have the bad days so you don't get a walloping, you don't get into
23:52a cycle of defeats and there is that resilience about Leeds United which should serve them in
23:58really good stead. What did you make of the game and what do you think both managers can learn from
24:15their team's performances, Stuart? I think if you look at it, if you break it down department
24:25by department, Sheffield United weren't that much better than Sheffield Wednesday but they were a
24:31bit better at everything and it all adds together. Again, the same qualities we've been talking about
24:38with Leeds, there's a huge resilience and a mental toughness about the Sheffield United side. Leon
24:43saw them in their first Championship home game of the season against QPR, they lost a couple of
24:49sloppy goals, they haven't conceded a goal at home since. That is incredible to have that resilience
24:59and ultimately for them it was just decided by one really good bit of centre-forward finishing
25:06from Tyrese Campbell, his third goal in four games. I think probably the biggest thing Daddy
25:13Rowe would have been watching that game and thinking what I wouldn't give to have a finisher
25:20like that because they just don't have that quality of player and that's understandable
25:28really when you don't have parachute payments. It's really hard to get, I mean it's hard enough
25:33when you've got them because there's not that many knocking about and it's all right having the
25:36money, you've got to identify them. Campbell was a free transfer but still there's lots more than
25:42just the transfer fee comes into getting those players. I think Daddy Rowe would have looked at
25:48it and thought I really want to find a player like that. I think he perhaps hoped EK Ugbo was
25:55going to be that after the great start he had to his loan spell last season but the longer it's
26:02gone on the less he's looked like that. He hasn't scored a goal yet this season I don't think.
26:07When they were just a little bit deficient and I say it wasn't for lack of effort,
26:12it was just that little bit of extra quality that they didn't have. I asked him after the match
26:21because he talked about the difference between a middle of the table team and a top of the
26:25table team and I asked him how you bridge that gap. Do you need different personnel or can you
26:31coach it out of the players you've got? He paused a bit and said we're going to have the coach out
26:36of the players we've got. I don't think there's going to be a magic wand for them in January,
26:42it's as simple as that. It's not all doom and gloom for them because they weren't that much
26:47worse than Sheffield United who are a very good team but I think the biggest thing for them and
26:53the encouraging thing for them about Sunday was I think sometimes with Wednesday I worry about how
27:00they respond to results. I was looking and since August they've not had the same result two games
27:05running and you feel like sometimes when they get on the back foot in a game it can really spiral
27:11out of control. Watford, Ipswich, Huddersfield last season, they've taken some real heavy
27:16beatings. I think nine out of his 23 defeats have been by three goals or more so they've got to get
27:22tougher in that regard and the other thing is sometimes I wonder if they get a bit carried
27:26away with themselves when they win. But yeah they've just got to find a bit of consistency,
27:34a bit of that resilience that Sheffield United have got but from Sheffield United's perspective
27:38there's a really strong structure there, a really strong belief and you feel if you take any given
27:43player out, Kiefer Moore for example, really important player for Sheffield United play,
27:49even though he's had his critics, even though he's only got a couple of goals, still really
27:53important to the way they play. Take him out on that day, they carry on, they win the game.
27:58Oliver Arblaster goes off injured at half-time, New City pet comes on, they're able to carry on
28:04in the same way. That's the sign of a really well coached group and that's where I don't think it's
28:11a lack of the coaching with Sheffield Wednesday. I think they all understand what their jobs are
28:16and what they have to do regardless of what formation they play. I think it's just that
28:21toughness to strike the right tone and play in the right way at moments of matches and I say
28:27unfortunately that extra bit of quality which is difficult to buy. If you can bring it through the
28:34academy, great. If you can pluck a wonder signing from nowhere, brilliant. But other than that,
28:42they've got to show these other qualities to just, as I said about Leeds, just grit their
28:46ways through these days where it's not going quite right and just keep a level head when it's going
28:52well. Yeah, I think that's right. I just think when they come up against teams with just that
28:58bit more quality in the lock, I mean look at Sheffield Wednesday's game this season. Some
29:03of the teams that have beaten them, Leeds, Burtley, Sunderland, Sheffield United. It's
29:10no coincidence that they're all teams that are up there. In fairness, they have beaten Norwich but
29:16without sort of decrying what Wednesday did, it was a good time to play Norwich. They had
29:216-7 out and I think they beat West Brom as well. They played pretty well that day but I think
29:29Corberon got it wrong with what I saw with his midfield in the first half. It's just not quite
29:37there. They didn't have that sort of quality against the real top sides but there's plenty
29:45to say. I'm definitely going to say Glass is half full. They've won the previous two away games,
29:51haven't they really? You don't want to lose. They've won a huge game at Portsmouth. They've
29:57also had a tremendous late win at Coventry so they're doing a fair bit right but they're just
30:04not against the division's best. They're just not quite there and there's still a bit of work to
30:13do but looking at Sheffield Wednesday's picture coming up, you don't want to lose. Obviously,
30:18it's a huge football match on Sunday. It's painful losing a derby and obviously it's been a few years
30:27since we've seen this great occasion. For me, one of the best derbies in domestic football.
30:37Painful for the Wednesday eyes but look at the games coming up. They've got games against Cardiff,
30:42they've got Hull, they've got Derby, they've got Reston, Oxford, Stoke. They're the teams
30:49who Wednesday really need to gaze themselves against and then pick up points hopefully.
31:00Yeah, I think opportunity knocks in that regard. Just quickly on Sheffield United,
31:04I think probably the main takeaway for me is that not just because it was a derby win but
31:12everyone, Chris Wilder, the United, they've got Bramall Lane back haven't they? Everyone was
31:17speaking about, we've spoken several times on this podcast about the power it can harness at
31:23its best. It's one of the most atmospheric and raucous arenas in the Championship.
31:29Yeah, it's not so long ago isn't it? They were taking some brutal hidings there in the Premier
31:35League and it totally lost its mojo, hadn't it? Bramall Lane. They've got that back in a pretty
31:42short space of time. You look at some of the defensive figures and as Stuart said, they're
31:47remarkable. Conceding just two goals in that game against QPR and it's a fortress again,
31:55Bramall Lane. At its best it's an unforgiving citadel and it's butchered many a promotion
32:05campaign for Sheffield United and the signs are that it's going to do that again. From a
32:13footballing perspective that's good to see because when it's at full pelt and rocking it really
32:22provides a 12-man element for Sheffield United. Credit to Chris Wilder in getting that back in a
32:29short space of time and credit to the culture that he's built in a short space of time at
32:35Sheffield United. They've brought some talented players in in the summer but they've also brought
32:40some real leaders, haven't they? The Harry Suiters of this world.
32:48Even though he didn't play Kiefer Moore but the chemistry is good there at the minute.
32:52They're bringing in some young players as well and that would have been a terrific experience
32:56for them as well. Sampling not just a steel City derby but a winning dressing room so that would
33:03be great for their development. Fair play to Sheffield United.
33:10Even a couple of weeks ago we were saying they're great defensively, they just need to add that
33:14little bit of ruthlessness up front. If this three goals in four games from Tyrese Campbell
33:22is a sign of things to come that could be that extra element ticked off. It took him a long time
33:29to physically get ready to restart in games and he's had an extremely difficult summer. He lost
33:37his father and got released by Stoke City so it's no surprise that it's taken its time.
33:45As Leon always says, quite rightly, the job of rebuilding a football club always starts at the
33:52back. You've always got to get that right and then add the other bits later. Sheffield United
33:58is just a textbook example of that really. They've done exactly what's required. They've
34:03shut the door and now they're adding those extra little pieces. I can't get too carried
34:08away because it's only a few games but he showed that finishing skill that we were aware of when
34:17Campbell first broke through because of his dad and all that sort of thing. He sat up and took
34:24notice with some of his finishing early in his career and Wilder talked about him getting back
34:31to being that player that was talked about when he was young. If he does and if he becomes that
34:37player as a free transfer signing, you can add that to quite a long list of really impressive
34:42signings that Chris Wilder has made this season. Things are looking really good for them.
34:49For Wednesday, if they have a so-so season, realistically you'd probably take that when
34:57you look at the last couple of years. Then it's a case of build from there, isn't it?
35:03That's not to say that they definitely will. There's still lots to play for and if they can
35:08put together the sort of form they put together over the winter last year and into the spring,
35:14then more things are possible. They just look a little bit shorter quality to me.
35:21I think the only downside, just pulling a little bit away from football, the only downside for me
35:26just looking at the social media is one or two despicable incidents with the Sheffield
35:32Wednesday supporter with the message about a bulldog which was absolutely disgraceful,
35:40as was the spitting incident with the Sheffield United supporter. You could clearly see it.
35:48One or two instances outside with bottles, that was a little bit disappointing, wasn't it?
35:58In terms of Chris Wilder, he certainly celebrated.
36:01He probably mentioned that. It's not for everyone's cup of tea but I think what I would
36:08say is that he's been through a hell of a lot, hasn't he? He's been the head of the organisation
36:15almost with the tragic events surrounding George Bulldog. He's really done it tough.
36:23I wouldn't say it wasn't everyone's cup of tea as such but he did let off a bit of steam.
36:30In his post-match celebrations, I think the good side of social media is in terms of what I've
36:36noticed is a lot of the Wednesdayites are saying, yeah, that's fair enough. You're having your
36:43moments. If it was the other way around and Sheffield Wednesday had a manager who was a huge
36:48Wednesdayite, they'd lap it up if he was celebrating with the supporters.
36:55The only thing that I didn't particularly, I thought it crossed the line a little bit with
36:59the singing about Danny Roar. I don't think that was a little bit silly but
37:06I think in these colourless times a little bit, I wouldn't be too harsh on Wilder given what he's
37:13been through having his little bit of a celebration with the fans even though
37:18it wouldn't be for every manager. I think the thing is tens and tens of thousands of supporters
37:26for both those clubs supported it and enjoyed it in the right way. It's just a pity that a couple
37:33of pillocks on either side tar the rest of them because as I say, by and large, bearing in mind
37:42it was a remembrance Sunday derby, you're always a little bit nervous about one or two idiots
37:49ruining it. It was as a derby should be. There was hostility, there was gloating but it didn't
37:57overstep the line by and large. It's a shame that it's the nature of life that these one or two
38:05idiots stand out. They sort of tarnish the reputations of the wider fan base but by and large
38:14from what I saw certainly, it was a derby played in the right spirit. You want it to be tough,
38:20you want it to be aggressive, you want big tackles on the field, you want fans frankly taking the
38:26mickey out of each other when their side's on top so long as it doesn't go too far.
38:33Well I mean it's one thing, I think he set it up nicely for the return match at Hillsborough.
38:37Exactly.
38:39Should Wednesday square the ledger, they're going to get a bit back, that's for sure.
38:44Absolutely, yeah.
38:51And we now focus on Hull City who fell to an unfortunate 2-1 defeat when they hosted
38:56West Bromwich Albion. This now leaves the Tigers in a fairly precarious position.
39:02What has to be done in order for Tim Walter to turn his side's fortunes around, Leon?
39:08I've not seen too much of Hull but they look to me, they're not a bad side. Stuart's probably
39:13better qualified to comment than me. They're not a bad side between both boxers but I think if you
39:18look at it quite simply, they don't keep enough clean sheets. They've kept one in 15 and they
39:23don't score enough goals. It's probably as simple as that and there's the talk of
39:31philosophies and the way they're playing Walter Ball and everything but there comes
39:37a time in proceedings when numbers and statistics catch up with them and it's sort of teetering a
39:44little bit Hull's season, isn't it? They've got a huge game next up at Luton and well,
39:52both managers really. God, if there's a loser in that game and they'd be very interested in that
39:58game if it's 0-0 with about 15 minutes left, which team is going to go for it?
40:07For me, a couple of years ago, I don't know if you think the same, Stuart, when they had
40:14Valencia in, they need to sort of knuckle down and get some clean sheets and some
40:25dogged results really. I know it probably goes against the grain with Tim Walter but
40:31you look at all these games, they've probably got 10 or 11 games now between when they start again
40:36and the start of January and it's a time when league tables are really formed and crystallised
40:45and it is about results, isn't it? When you're in a situation that Hull are in and two or three
40:53really solid victories where they're keeping one or two clean sheets, that would go a long way with
41:04them because they've scored a few goals in that game against Cardiff but there doesn't look like
41:09to be a load of goals at the minute in that team so if they are going to win, they've lost a couple
41:16of the main creative forces as well on the wings for the season so it could be for Hull in their
41:23development. They're not going to be blowing away teams really, they're just going to have to
41:28dig in and try and get one or two one-nil wins, two-one wins, that sort of thing.
41:36Yeah, they've got to do it pretty quickly for all manner of reasons because it could descend
41:40into a relegation fight. They didn't play that badly I thought on Sunday but they were a little
41:50bit lucky with one goal then letting a really, really poor second goal, really poor and then
41:58they've got a goal back, they've missed a huge chance and it's just going against them at the
42:03minute and they're seven without a win now and every game that carries on without a win, they're
42:10just losing that bit more of confidence, aren't they? So yeah, and it's a huge football match on
42:17the resumption against Liverpool. I just worry, Dejan, if the will is there from the people that
42:24matter to do what you've said because you're absolutely right, that is the way to go about it
42:28but you know, you get the impression, what I think Ilhajali said in the past, he'd rather lose a
42:33game 4-3 than win 1-1-0 and Valter, you get slightly mixed messages from him. He was very
42:40defensive when he first came in saying, look, no, I do want to win matches but I want to entertain
42:44but you get the impression that knuckling down and rolling your sleeves up kind of goes against
42:49the grain for both of them and if Valter were to do that and then get sacked because let's be honest,
42:56Rossini got sacked for not playing entertaining enough football. It's risky but it is what's
43:02needed and I think it's what the Hull fans will want as well. You get a lot of talk, as Leon said,
43:08about philosophies and styles and all this malarkey but ultimately I think Yorkshire fans
43:14and probably most fans in the country just first and foremost want to see the team working hard
43:19and doing the necessary and then as you said about Sheffield United, add the fancy bits as you go
43:24along. Hull just haven't got to that point at all. It's quite worrying. From my perspective,
43:32I'll be honest with you, from the start I wasn't convinced that this was going to work so I've
43:38kind of come into this new manager from a different perspective to as I mentioned with Rotherham
43:43where he's kind of got less credit in the bank because Evans has achieved at this level and I
43:49had a bit of faith that he would do it but obviously the hierarchy did believe he could do it so
43:53he was always going to need a bit of patience. The transfer business was far
43:58too late to allow him to get a flying start. Leon's alluded to the two ACLs they've had to
44:05Miller and Bellumi but Bellumi had just really found some good form. Miller was a good player
44:11for them so that's a real... There was a doping ban as well wasn't there? A doping ban as well.
44:14I mean I'm less sympathetic towards that because they knew that was on the horizon, they took the
44:20risk but nevertheless it still sets you back so he certainly hasn't had much luck but as with all
44:30the other teams we get into the stage now where you kind of filter luck out of the equation and
44:36once you get this far down in the season you kind of are what you are in terms of results.
44:44I mean you look at the squad make-up, for me they're going to need those players who
44:50are a little bit more seasoned at Championship level, the likes of Louis Coyle, Casey Palmer,
44:57Alfie Jones, Regan Slater, they're going to really need to come to the fore I think in this
45:03period and sort of lead the way for the group. It could be a very difficult New Year for Hull.
45:10I think it's mainly a mindset thing as well, they've got good individual defenders but
45:16as a team they don't really protect them because they stretch the game so much and
45:21they play this positive way, it can really leave them exposed one-on-one and as Leon says they've
45:28just got to do the ugly things to get through this. It happens to every team nearly every time.
45:36Exactly, that resilience that we were talking about with Leeds United and Sheffield United,
45:41that's just not there with Hull City. So the default if you're missing chances,
45:46which they're doing a lot and the other team play well, is that things go badly. So they need to
45:54have a proper think about what they are and what they want to be over this international break.
46:02I 100% agree with Leon, they need to come out with just a different mentality at Luton Town
46:08because that is the archetypal, you know, horrible point of game and it's not going to lie.
46:19Now let's have a quick look at Huddersfield Town who faced Manchester United under-21s
46:24in Northern Group F of the EFL Trophy and played out a convincing 4-1 victory of their opponents.
46:30Now Stuart, you were in attendance so what did you think of the performance and what can Michael
46:35Duff take from this game? Well let's be honest, it's the EFL Trophy group game, nobody really
46:42takes it that seriously. I'm actually a big fan of the competition, I've covered four of the finals.
46:47I think once Wembley gets into sight it's quite a good competition but it's an absolute drag in
46:52the early stages when you're filtering out all of those things. But from Huddersfield's perspective
46:59it was a match of football and that was the end of it and they just had to show the right
47:04attitude and they've got a lot of making up to do with their supporters after Tamworth.
47:10I think the Crawley game, Michael Duff was very frustrated that they should have won the game
47:16but they at least showed the resilience to come back from behind twice and get a draw,
47:21that was a question mark about them. The Manchester United game, his sort of instant
47:26reaction after the game was, dreadful first half, excellent second half and he was pleased
47:34that he managed to get the reaction out of them at half time to get that better performance but
47:40very frustrated that he had to do that and he's obviously trying, he talks and talks. If you ever
47:49played a Michael Duff drinking game through a press conference and you had to take a drink
47:53every time he said culture, you'd be comatose before the end of the press conference. He's very,
47:58very big on that and that's the thing he's really trying to build and he wants a culture where he
48:05doesn't have to step in and make these demands of these players. He's another one who's been
48:14unfortunate but when all these managers are unfortunate you realise you can't complain
48:18about it but he's had a lot of leaders off the field in various games through injuries
48:23but nevertheless, as I say, all teams have injuries. They have to deal with it better
48:29and I think there's good signs there. You're reasonably comfortable with them on a good day.
48:37The worry is that the bad days are too bad for them as we talked about before with other clubs
48:41and they've just got to iron that out but again, I've said this with a few clubs,
48:47if we sort of look at them at the block between international breaks, it feels like they've made
48:51a step forward. With Tamworth, it was a shocker but you take that out and I think over the rest
48:57of the piece, they're a much better team mentally as much as anything else than they were in that
49:05break. He's been very clear but one thing you could not level against him is that he isn't
49:10honest and upfront, not just with his players but with the media. It's been very clear the
49:14last few weeks that his centre-forward places are up for grabs. Rhys Healy's got himself fit
49:19and scored two goals in two games. That's what you want. Like we were saying about Tyrese Campbell,
49:25hopefully down the line that can be a problem solved if they can keep him fit but he knows
49:31and he will keep working on the mindset. He needs to get that stronger and also, I think as a club,
49:38they need to get to the bottom of why they're having so many injuries but I do think they're
49:44further on and they're moving in the right direction as opposed to the last international
49:48break. Yeah, I totally agree with that. You're looking at the one-five home games now on the
49:53trot in all competitions and the Tugs are two really poor home games against Blackpool and
50:01Northampton so there's some really positive developments in that regard and they've
50:05arrested that. Like Stuart said, they've had a lot of disruption but hopefully one or two
50:11key players coming back. It's good to see Michael Healy get a start in the trophy game. Huge player
50:17for Huddersfield Town and certainly in terms of whether they're going to be successful this season
50:24for me. A psychological boost for Reece Healy. He's never really got going has he since he's
50:30arrived in January. He's had niggling injury issues that followed him around so it's certainly
50:37good for his confidence to get a couple of goals. Finally for this week, I will turn to Stuart for
50:43his team of the week before going to Leon for his player of the week. So Stuart, who has done
50:47enough to stand out as your team of the week? We've already talked about a few. A big win for
50:54Barnsley. I don't care whether Rotherham played badly or not. They needed that home win, they
51:01needed that performance as well so a lot of credit to them for getting the job done. Again, we've
51:08praised Sheffield United. Never easy to win a derby whether you're favourites or in four or
51:14anything like that. So well done to them. Leeds 1-1, lost one so they're a bit mixed. Huddersfield
51:22have their plusses and their minuses. Probably the same with Doncaster, really good second half
51:27against Notts County but undermined by the first half. The one that stands out for me,
51:33you know, since they got a bit of a beating at Coventry with the man sent off, for Middlesbrough
51:40to beat, yes, a poor QPR team 4-1 and yes, a Luton team who have not been in great form 5-1.
51:49Just brilliant. Again, like I said about Barnsley, I don't really care if the opposition
51:54was struggling. The criticism of Middlesbrough has been the ruthlessness of putting teams away
52:00and they've pounced on two vulnerable teams and really ripped them to shreds. So all credit to
52:07them. Good to see Latte Laff getting some goals. That's important for them going forward.
52:12Middlesbrough are my team of the week.
52:14And Leon, who has made your Player of the Week nomination?
52:19Yes, a few players for some of the clubs that Stuart's mentioned, quite a few candidates really.
52:26Yes, touching on Barnsley, I thought it was a big night for Georgie Genn. I got told off,
52:32I think I gave him a 7 on the night, I shouldn't have given him an 8 really and I did change it,
52:36to be fair. But he's had a bit of a stop-start time of it and he was great on Friday. He really
52:46gave Rotherham a lot of problems, powering forward and some good deliveries as well.
52:52Yes, Sheffield United, I keep mentioning his name, Harry Souter. I think he's a real lion
52:59heart at the back there and he's proven to be a real talent. He's made a great story with Tyrese
53:05Campbell as well, given what he's gone through. He's gone into the Derby folklore for Sheffield
53:14United. Tintin are quite a good game by all accounts for the Leeds and he just looks wonderfully
53:19consistent. The young lad Kelly for Doncaster Rovers, he's putting his hand up with some
53:28tidy contributions. Middlesbrough, quite a few really, yes. Fair play, they look good against
53:35Luton. I thought Aidan Morris, from what I've seen of him, you can certainly see that he's
53:42going to be John Johnnyhouse's long-term replacement. He was really governing the
53:47midfield for Borough from what I saw and he looks a top player. Fener Zazu's a really elegant
53:54footballer. I think he's scored two brilliant goals and assists also for the other three goals.
54:04Great player. Just worry about him a little bit with his pace, whether he can play at the top
54:09level but he's certainly a really nice footballer. I'm going to go for a Barnsley player. I'm going
54:13to go for Mark Roberts. He was great again at the back. Just in control, calm, unflustered,
54:22a leader in the heart of the defence. He's having a great season and he's contributed
54:29on the goal front as well. He's enjoying an Indian summer at his hometown club and
54:36a bit of a departure for Barnsley, going away from this policy of just bringing in
54:42data-driven young players for salon value but you need your senior heads as well.
54:49Roberts has been a big player for Barnsley and I'm sure he will be going forward.
54:53I'll go for Mark Roberts.
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