In this week's FootballTalk podcast, Yorkshire Post football writers Stuart Rayner and Leon Wobschall discuss Sheffield United and Leeds United's battle at the top of the Championship, an abrupt halt to Sheffield Wednesday's form, the new manager at Hull City, and the form of Barnsley, Huddersfield and Rotherham United in League One.
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00:00Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Football Talk from the Yorkshire Post, where
00:20we'll be discussing some of the latest talking points from the world of football with members
00:23of our football writing team. On this week's episode, we're joined by Chief Football Writer
00:27for the Yorkshire Post, Stuart Rayner, and Football Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Björn
00:30Wopshall, to discuss all of the latest developments affecting our local clubs. Don't forget you
00:35can keep up to date with all the football news across Yorkshire and beyond by logging
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00:44feeds, the main one being at ypsport. If you search for Yorkshire Post Sport, Yorkshire
00:49Post Football or even Sheffield Sport on Facebook, you can find us there as well. And if you
00:53have any questions for our writers, you can get in touch using those various Twitter or
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01:01at yp.sport at nationalworld.com.
01:08As mentioned earlier in the intro, this week we're joined by Chief Football Writer for
01:11the Yorkshire Post, Stuart Rayner, and Football Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Björn Wopshall.
01:15Good morning guys.
01:16Morning.
01:17Morning.
01:18Morning.
01:19Right, this week we saw our Yorkshire sides fortunately avoid having their fixtures affected
01:24by the rough weather, with the exception of Rotherham United, and we're going to be
01:28looking at all of the teams this week and what they need to do over the course of the
01:34Christmas period. Let's start in the Championship and with Sheffield United, who have returned
01:40to the summit of the division following a 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion. What did
01:46you make of the game and what do you think Chris Wilder's side need to do over the December
01:50period to help them maintain these types of results, Stuart?
01:54Well, in terms of the game, it had its similarities with the summer game we talked about the other
02:02week in that for the first half hour or so, Sheffield United just didn't look at it.
02:09I mean, you know, as with every team who played at the weekend, really difficult conditions,
02:17West Brom are really difficult opponents, you know, 10 draws out of the last 11 now.
02:23But Sheffield United just weren't on it, just passing wasn't quite right, they were under
02:28a huge amount of pressure in the first half hour. And as I said, it's not the first time
02:34recently where they've dragged the result from there, which, you know, it's something
02:41you don't want to make a pattern of, because if you do, it makes you think there's, you
02:46know, a defeat or two coming around the corner. But if you can just do it once or twice, it's
02:51a huge tick in the box in terms of the character of the team. And that's the way Chris Wilder
02:58was looking at it, bounced into the press conference afterwards saying, yeah, he thought
03:02it was the second best result of the season. Obviously for him, beating Sheffield Wednesday
03:06is always going to be number one. But yeah, the way they came back into it, two low crosses
03:15in as many minutes from Harris and Burrows, two really good finishes and two good passes
03:19to pick Burrows out. It was just a really good performance when you think that both
03:24the centre-backs were suspended, or both the first-choice centre-backs were suspended,
03:29no Ali Arblaster, no Kiefer Moore. And then after he scored his sixth goal in eight games,
03:35Tyrese Campbell went off with a back problem. So, you know, it was one of those games. A
03:42lot of the things we were talking about with regards to them last week, a lot of those
03:44games, you've just got to get through and get a result from. I said in my report, given
03:52West Brom's results, you might not think drawing with West Brom has caused an open-top
03:58bus parade because everybody draws with West Brom. But on that specific day and under those
04:04circumstances, it felt like a really big deal. We were just talking off-air before we started
04:10about how both Leeds and Sheffield United in this title race at the moment are throwing
04:16down the gauntlet to the other one whenever they play. They're invariably not playing
04:19at the same time. And the other one's responding in kind. It's a really good race in that respect.
04:28They're both showing real mental fortitude and real quality at different times and at
04:33the right times. And yes, Sheffield United's win definitely fitted into that second box,
04:39which again, as we've said a lot recently, you really need those characteristics at this
04:44time of year especially.
04:45Yes, they seem to be getting the best out of each other, don't they? It's not the first
04:49time that I'm old enough to remember not just a few years back when Leeds and Sheffield
04:56United were bang at it. I remember at the end of the 1980s and the start of the 1990s
05:01in the Wilkinson and Bassett days. I think going forward that's no bad thing and it's
05:08something to be encouraged. I think Sheffield United, the way they've handled all sorts
05:15of adversity really, on and off the pitch, from the points deduction ahead of the season,
05:23the George Bordoff situation, you have to factor that in, injuries, this, that and the
05:29other. And yes, they're showing a strong jaw. This is another week, obviously, a long midweek
05:38trip to Millwall, where Leeds got turned over a few weeks ago. And then, less than
05:4672 hours before, they're back in action with a home game. I think we touched on it before,
05:53with the group of players that Sheffield United have got, they seem to have got that fortitude
05:57and character back. And yes, along with re-establishing the foundations of a defence, which badly
06:05needed doing, they've forged a togetherness and a unity which is admirable in the pretty
06:13short space of time. So, they've just got to carry on for the time being. I think, Wilder
06:20will be ticking them off one by one, then hopefully getting to January, getting those
06:25two or three quality reinforcements that they'll need at the business centre. And proper players
06:34as well, just to cement what they've got, which is quite a lot. I think it's, given
06:44where they were in the season that they had last season, when there was a lot of bruising
06:49and scar tissue, it's very admirable what Sheffield United have done. It's one of the
06:56stories of the season, but there's still some very key moments to carry on, and January
07:05I think will be very important for them. But yes, as Stuart said, they were missing a lot
07:09of players at West Brom, they were missing the two first-choice centre-halves. I know
07:13they haven't won a lot of games as such recently, but they were a really well-coached side who
07:20were very difficult to beat. Obviously, the adversity in losing Campbell as well, obviously
07:26Keith Amore wasn't playing either. So, they're having to dig deep and show a strong job.
07:33But I just think Wilder will need some, I think they'll carry on doing that over the
07:38busy period until the new year. I've no doubt about Sheffield United's quality or their
07:44character, but they'll need some help in January, I think.
07:47I think if we're honest about it, pretty much every team in the league can point to hard-luck
07:53stories like this. For example, you look at Rotherham and Bradford and the injuries they've
07:57had this season. But I think the thing is, I think once you've got a bit of positive
08:03momentum, it's that much easier to overcome that. As Sheffield United have done on this
08:10occasion, as Leeds did as we talked about earlier in the season when they lost that
08:14central midfield player. Once you've got that ball rolling and you've got that confidence
08:18and winning momentum, I think it's that much easier to deal with these things. You look
08:24at the back four of the Hawthorns, they have Femi Sariki in, who was nowhere on loan at
08:29Rotherham last season. They had Alfie Gilchrist, who's basically been signed as a right-back
08:34playing at centre-back. In other circumstances, in a losing team, those excuses were there
08:41and that would have been the reason they lost at West Brom. No disrespect to those
08:45guys. But because everybody's so confident and got so much belief in one another, those
08:55players have come in and really grown in those circumstances because everyone around them
08:59has trusted them. I just think that's really important about Sheffield United at the moment.
09:05It just looks in terms of both Leeds and Sheffield United, that they're both in this title race
09:10for the long haul. I think we are going to see another classic, as Leon's alluded to,
09:16like the one in the 80s into the 90s and the more recent one in 2019, where I think still
09:25come Easter time and beyond, we're probably going to be talking about these two teams
09:29and not much separating them.
09:33Next we turn to Leeds United, who bounced back from their 1-0 defeat against Blackburn
09:37Rovers with a 2-0 victory over Derby County, which was then followed up by a 3-1 victory
09:42when they welcomed Middlesbrough to Ellen Road, which saw them return to the summit
09:46of the championship. What were your thoughts on the recent results and based on the recent
09:52run of form for both Leeds and Middlesbrough, what do you think Leeds, well both teams will
10:01have to do over the course of the month, but focusing on Leeds this time, Leon?
10:05I think for Leeds, two different tests when you look at the teams that they've played.
10:13Derby have got their own priorities, obviously a big club in their own right, but they've
10:18just come up from League One and the name of the game there is consolidation in the
10:23championship isn't it, securing the status over the course of the next couple of years
10:27and then looking a bit different for Middlesbrough. You look at them and they really need to be
10:38pushing for the top six or beyond. Derby sort of sat in as a lot of teams have done at Ellen
10:45Road recently. Leeds solved the puzzle and were comfortable winners. It was a bit different
10:52for Middlesbrough. Middlesbrough sort of had a go belatedly in the first half of the second
10:58half and I think a lot of Leeds fans, I think in terms of a spectacle, to see an open game
11:05of football for one thing, that was something that they were happy about and they pushed
11:12aside but over the course of the piece, Leeds were worthy winners. They dominated in the
11:20first half, got in front. Middlesbrough, for me, they did create their own problems.
11:26When they get the passing game right, they were very pleasing on the good side to watch
11:30but they do sort of overdo it a little bit. To be fair to them, they had a good spell
11:36in the second half but Leeds got the second win at a huge moment in the game, I thought
11:41at 1-1. Terrific save from Helen Meslier to deny Ben Doe. Borough had their tails up and
11:48were looking good at that point. Leeds, as all good sides do, they dusted themselves
11:55down. I thought Farka made a, we're talking about strength on benches, he's got a lot
12:02to bring on there. The likes of Ramazani and Pirro and it was good to see Ampadu come back
12:10from injury as well at the end and that was significant. Pirro, I thought it was a really
12:15good cameo from Pirro who was involved in two of the goals. Some key contributions from
12:25Leeds and they look in a really good place. They were trying to get a fifth clean sheet
12:32in a row. OK, that didn't happen but they were pushed by Middlesbrough. It felt, in
12:38the second half at least, it felt a serious game. The sort that you'll probably get heading
12:43towards the business end. As I said, Borough had a go at them but Leeds had their answers
12:52and yeah, he was really pleased afterwards, Daniel Farka, so he should be. Their home
12:59form looks excellent. They tick all the boxes you'd sort of look at in terms of a top two
13:06title candidate. I think with Leeds, if you're going to be hypercritical, I think they probably
13:12could have a look at now as they're away from a little bit, isn't it? It's by no means
13:17disastrous but I think they've got three out of the next four away. They've got Preston
13:21on Saturday and a couple of games over Christmas. Farka being Farka, he'll sort of know that
13:31and he'll want a little bit more there. I'm sure it's on the to-do list but yeah, they're
13:41in a very good place at the minute. They got the test that perhaps the supporters,
13:48Farka, everyone thought wouldn't be a bad thing and they came through it.
13:54I think obviously, Ampadu being back is a real lift for them. It's getting to the time
14:00of year when we're all talking about how busy the Christmas fixture list is. In reality,
14:06it's not much busier than any other time of the year. It's kind of the narrative at
14:11this time of year and it can get in people's heads and sometimes if you constantly tell
14:15people you should be tired, they end up being tired as a result of that sort of thing. Having
14:21Ampadu on the bench against Derby was great to actually be able to bring him off the bench
14:26against Middlesbrough was great. It's going to cause a few problems because once he's
14:33fully fit, he definitely should be starting but as for whose place he should take, that's
14:39a difficult decision but nobody's going to be crying for Daniel Farka having to make
14:44that decision. That's exactly what he wants.
14:48I think from Middlesbrough's point of view, there's real quality there. You could see
14:55Middlesbrough doing serious damage to somebody's promotion hopes late in the season. I think
15:04they play Sheffield United and Sunderland in February so maybe a bit too early for that
15:09but one of those teams could really have an influence. They look like if they could get
15:14in the play-offs, they could be really dangerous. They just lack that extra little bit of resilience
15:20we're talking about with regards to the other two to put them in the title race. Too many
15:25daft defeats or draws in games they should win, that's really where they've got to get
15:33to in the second half of the season to change the narrative but certainly a dangerous opponent.
15:43I just agree with what Leon says with regards to Leeds home form, the ball just keeps rolling
15:48on. With regards to away form, again, they've got to make sure that it's not an issue because
15:57of what we just said about Sheffield United, they're not letting up.
16:01It's fire alarm, isn't it?
16:03It is, exactly. And of course Burnley as well in there and Sunderland, they're all keeping
16:08up a pretty ferocious pace so you can't afford to be too sloppy away from home. Most teams
16:15were killed for Leeds away form but when you're trying to keep up to that mark, as
16:20Leon says, it's fine margins.
16:22It certainly looked like Leeds and Middlesbrough, it looked like a side who were right in the
16:30top two title mix and then a side who look play-offs fifth, sixth, call it what you will.
16:40I think if you just looked at Middlesbrough over the course of the 90 minutes, you might
16:43say they were in it too but it's the bigger picture with Middlesbrough in the other days.
16:48I thought they badly missed, he's been out for a few weeks now, Aidan Morris, who for
16:54me was arguably their outstanding player in the first quarter of the season. A really
16:59good ball player, midfielder but a bit nuggety and a bit tough as well. Takes care of the
17:07ball, he's quite snappy in the tattle. I think they'll be hoping he's out at the minute with
17:14a knee injury, they'll be hoping that it'll not be too long with him because the one I've
17:20seen in Middlesbrough, he looks the one who makes them tick in the middle of the park.
17:25Sometimes it's just that game management, isn't it? They were a great side to watch
17:33on the day and when they get in a rhythm, as they did for a spell in the second half,
17:37but they also look a side that'll give you a chance for all the good things they've done
17:44going forward. They haven't had too many clean sheets, there was another moment for the goalkeeper
17:50as well after Semi Dien, he didn't cover himself in glory for the Leeds opener and he also
17:56got caught out in the game at Burnley, didn't he, with the first goal. I agree with Stuart,
18:03they look like a dangerous side potentially in the play-offs. They're very entertaining
18:08and a good watch and they'll have a go at anyone but they haven't quite got that balance
18:15that you'd want off a top two candidate. They should have a bit of fun, Stuart's highlighted
18:23the games there, they've got a lot of the teams around the top to play at home, haven't
18:27they? They've got Leeds to play, they've got Burnley, Norwich, Watford, Sunderland, teams
18:34around them. That's another thing they'll probably have to improve on as well, their
18:38home form, a very good win against Sheffield United but they've thrown a few sloppy results
18:44in as well. Work to do for Middlesbrough, a terrific side to watch on the day but I
18:52think carried deep down he'll be keeping his fingers crossed that Aidan Morris is
18:55going to be back sooner rather than later because I thought he was a big miss at Leeds
19:01on Tuesday night.
19:04And now our focus turns to Sheffield Wednesday who firstly had to settle for a point in their
19:081-0 draw with Preston North End, which was then followed by a 1-0 defeat when they welcomed
19:13Blackburn Rovers to Hillsborough. Now, with the Owls not that far off a place in the play-offs,
19:18what does Danny Rowe's side have to do this month to keep within touching distance and
19:23hopefully move into those play-off positions, Stuart?
19:27Quite simply, get better at home. Stuart highlighted the other week how they've got this run of
19:34four home games out of five and they really needed to make the most of it. They seem to
19:40have, having started the season good at home and poor away, they seem to have made great
19:44strides in terms of cracking their away form. But the home form has just slipped off and
19:51it just feels a bit limp, a bit meh there. I don't think the team are doing enough to
20:01lift the atmosphere at Hillsborough and make it the kind of place that teams don't want
20:05to come to and say, I'll put that all at the door of the players rather than the supporters.
20:10They're just not having things to feed off. They've maybe gotten to a slightly dangerous
20:17place. Part of the narrative with the away form was how good they were at responding
20:22to going 1-0 down. But it's not something you want to make a habit of. Again, they did it in
20:28both of the recent home games. They missed the penalty in the first game, therefore you could
20:35argue they could have won it. They weren't a million miles away in the second game, but
20:40just as Michael Duff always used to say, just being alright isn't alright when you're at home.
20:47They need more than that. They need to be setting the agenda at Hillsborough. They need to be really
20:53taking the game to teams. They're just treading water a little bit. In terms of the bigger
21:00picture, I don't want to put words in their mouth, but probably if you ask a lot of Wednesday fans,
21:09they'd actually take a bit of a nothing season this season after the relegation fights of recent
21:15years and that sort of thing, possibly. Maybe not, maybe not. I think the bigger concern is
21:23will the manager? They've got a highly rated manager who could have had a lot of top jobs
21:29last season. Is he going to hang around for a year of treading water? I think that's the
21:37issue with them. They just need to kick on another level. Danny Royal always says,
21:43and quite rightly says, you've got to put it in the context of where they were last season.
21:48They are making strides forward, but it's a club that demands a lot of itself and
21:54rightly so with its history and its fan base. At the moment, it's not terrible,
22:02but it's not where you'd want it to be either. Yeah, I'd agree with all that. I think historically,
22:08you look at Sheffield Wednesday at this level and they've had these periods where they've been
22:13wrestling with home form, haven't they? Not been able to get it right. I think there's probably
22:18a little bit of an element of, again, a little bit carried away. Not in a bad sense,
22:23in a good sense. Sheffield Wednesday are a huge football club. Talk about the playoffs,
22:29this, that and the other. I think that's a little premature at the moment. I understand why
22:36people were talking about it. I was just saying, with a club of that magnitude. They're sort of
22:42wrestling a bit with home form, 18th best in the division. They look a well-coached side who are
22:49good at setting up against teams away from home, but when the actual onus is on them to
22:56really take the game to the opposition at home, they remain a work in progress. I mean,
23:02look at some of the wins this season. I did the Norwich game and I think their possession was,
23:08I think it was about early thirties, something like that. So Norwich had a lot of the ball,
23:12but Wednesday was sort of clinical and got a good win in that regard. I just don't think
23:18they're at the stage at Hillsborough to be on top and really dominate teams with
23:25the ball at their feet. But you know, these are good problems to have. And as Stuart said,
23:29Rowles is a very, very sharp and technically excellent coach. It's something he's going to
23:39have to wrestle with and come up with some answers. But yeah, I think for their side,
23:45they could just do with a little bit of a settler at home before the new year. But yeah,
23:53and I agree with what Stuart said as well. I think all things considered,
23:57consider where they were last season. They're in an okay position, aren't they? And they've
24:02just got to try and incrementally build and like a lot of clubs, you know, January will come into
24:08focus and get some quality signings to add to what they've got, hopefully. Yeah. I mean,
24:13you know, we talk about Middlesbrough, we talk about Sheffield Wednesday. It's only really the
24:16parachute clubs that can take a shortcut and do things on fast forward. But it is really
24:21frustrating when you're a club like Middlesbrough. I think this is the longest they've been at this
24:26level or a club like Sheffield Wednesday, you know, this long wait to get back in the Premier
24:32League. They really should be at the very least, you know, challenging for automatic promotion
24:38when you're talking about history and fan base and these things. But that's not the reality of it.
24:44The reality of it is, unfortunately, the way things are set up at the moment,
24:48things are so skewed in terms of the parachute payment clubs that for the rest of them,
24:54it's not impossible to go up. But it's a slow, patient building process. And that's a tough
25:01thing to go through as a football fan. We're all impatient to see our teams do well. And Sheffield
25:09Wednesday just feel like they're going through a period that they just have to sort of
25:14get through as the next step towards where they want to be.
25:17We now look at Hull City, who are at the foot of the table, having not claimed a victory since
25:21the 1st of October. And with a new manager at the helm, what does the club have to do
25:25now that they have a man like Ruben Seles leading them, Stuart?
25:31Lots and lots of things is the reality. I mean, the first thing which they look like they have
25:35done is be honest about it. You know, there's lots of talk from Tim Bell throughout his time
25:40about we're not in a relegation battle. There's X number of games to play, X number of points.
25:45Well, there's no doubt they're in a relegation battle. They're at the bottom of the championship
25:49now. So, yeah, they've got to front up to that. But let's be honest, when you look at the jobs
25:58Ruben Seles has done in the past, and this is probably one of the reasons why they wanted him,
26:02this is an absolute doddle for him when you compare the mess that Southampton were in,
26:07in a football sense, and the mess that Reading were in, in absolutely every sense of the word,
26:14at least they're still in it. But yeah, I think he's got to really do well at the man management
26:21side of things. I was at his first press conference on the Tuesday night and we were talking about
26:29needing to sort of get to grips with the psychology of the players. It was really worrying
26:33when Mason Burstow scored against Middlesbrough recently to hear him coming out and talking about
26:39how poor Tim Valter was at man management. I remember in Valter's first press conference,
26:44all the shtick was about, oh, it's about human beings and about dealing with people on the human
26:49level. Ultimately, he didn't seem to be very good at that, at least with some of those players. So,
26:54Salas has got to be good at that. He's got a squad which is basically built for attacking football
27:00and doesn't score anywhere near enough goals. So, he's got to get to grips with that. I think in
27:07fairness, I think I'm right in saying the ninth or tenth in the table for chance is created.
27:13So, it's a case of being more ruthless rather than so much creating the chances, but he's got
27:19to do that. And then the other area, the area I worry about most with regards to Hull,
27:24is we all know when a team's bottom of the league, the first thing you've got to do is
27:27shut the back door. They've had one clean sheet this season. I was at that game against Millwall
27:32who parked the bus quite rightly because they conceded seven goals in the first two games of
27:37the season. So, getting a clean sheet that day, not a massive achievement. Did they miss a penalty?
27:43Can't remember. But anyway, that's the thing they've got to grips with, get to grips with
27:49most. And that's my biggest worry about Hull City. What they needed, we talked about this
27:54the other week, was a manager who could come in and just do the basics with them and address this
28:01with Ajanila Jhali at that press conference. He said, it's words where I don't care about
28:07relegation. He said, I don't fear relegation. If I had feared relegation, I'd have gone for
28:11one of those candidates because he had people like Alex Neil available. Whether Mark Robbins
28:16was keen, we're not too sure. But Slavica Ikanovic had been round the block in the
28:21championship. He said, no, because I don't care about that, I don't fear that. I was thinking
28:28more long-term. I was picking a manager that's the same sort of characteristics of a manager
28:33I'd have picked in the summer. Well, that's his opinion about how to do it. In my opinion,
28:38in those circumstances, you've just got to swallow your pride and you've just got to go for a
28:43firefighter and someone who will do the job. A Neil Warnock type, obviously not going to be
28:51specifically Neil Warnock, it's too early in the season for him. To me, they needed that type of
28:59character to just settle things down, to just get through this season and then go on from there.
29:04But that's not what they're doing. Ruben Telles was very clear, no compromises. We're going to
29:09go on the front foot. We're going to go things my way, do things my way. And if it comes off,
29:15great. It will benefit them in the longer term. It does feel like a bit of a gamble to my safety
29:23first, maybe over-cautious brain. As you know, Ila Jali is in a completely different mindset and
29:29fair enough, that's the way he's going. He's got a lot to do, hasn't he, Sal? You look at it
29:35on a basic level, Hull don't keep enough clean sheets. They don't score enough goals. The home
29:43form is really lousy. I think I did the Middlesbrough game recently. They're not hard enough
29:51to beat, if that sort of makes sense. So he's got all that to consider. But I think the main thing
29:59is he's got something about him to just bring everyone together there. Create a bit of a siege
30:06mentality almost. You look at the successful sides of Hull over the years. It's not on the edge of
30:16England or anything like that, but it's sort of a little bit of an outpost almost. The players
30:22coming together might not be from the sort of area and the successful times that they've had.
30:30It just seems to me they need a little bit of that, a little bit of defiance to get out of it,
30:36because they're not just going to do it by playing pretty football, are they? As Stuart said,
30:43he's certainly had a crash course in adversity, hasn't he, at Southampton and Reading. I think
30:50he'll have to draw on a little bit of that. But as you said, Stuart, it's a double compared
30:56to what he had there. But yeah, he's going to have to dig deep and find out about what's in
31:04the players' minds and what's in the dressing room and what's he got there going forward,
31:09because it's a critical period of the season. They're going to have to don the combat fatigues
31:16to get out of it because it looks like they're going to have a lot of six-pointers in the new
31:20year when the heat's on. The good thing about it is he's come to Hull City in December, so there
31:27will be a January transfer window that he can make use of. A lot of clubs, because of the nature of
31:34finances, you come in at this time of year and you're not sure if you get anything to spend in
31:39January. But Adrien Ilijali will look down the back of all his many sofas and find something
31:46for him. He was talking about a financial fair play being a three-year period, as in,
31:53I can lose a bit this season so long as I balance it out over the longer term. But when they get to
31:58that, they've got to be realistic, they've got to be honest about it. I was looking back at
32:04Ilijali's time and I make it that they've signed 53 different players and 31 of them were wingers,
32:12centre-forwards or number 10s. They do need to score more goals but that's not what they need.
32:17Seven of them have been defenders. They need defenders, they need to reinforce that side
32:22of it first. And I say just be honest about the situation they're in. Ilijali's comments were a
32:31little bit unsettling from my perspective. But the other side of it is, just the fact that he's
32:38a fresh face will count for something. As I was driving in, there was one of these electronic
32:42billboards and it just came up with a massive picture of Celis. And just the word Reuben,
32:48they're clearly trying to put a lot of faith in him. Different face, different voice. It should
32:54give the place a lift. He does know what he's doing even though he's not got championship
32:58experience. So hopefully that can set the ball rolling. But ultimately, it's about the ugly
33:04bits that I wonder if too often that club under Ilijali doesn't really want to do.
33:12And next on the list is Barnsley who played out a 2-1 defeat when they welcomed Birmingham City
33:18to Oakwell. Now with the Tykes having claimed five points from the last six games, how do you feel
33:24they should be looking at this very important time in the season, Leon?
33:29Yeah, it is an important time and I think the next sort of run of games, they've been a tough
33:36run of games. Barnsley have had Wrexham, Birmingham at home. They've got Peterborough, they've got
33:41Bolton. A long trip to Exeter this week and they've got a reverse fixture against Wrexham
33:47not far down the road. I think, I don't know what Stuart thinks, I think it'll, I know it's still
33:52relatively early, but the Speller games could decide whether they're going to be a team that
33:57has a go for fifth, sixth if you like. Or then maybe when it turns into a bit of a rebuild
34:07almost. It was such a frustrating game on Saturday. They played, I mean the conditions
34:14were lousy, but they played pretty well Barnsley almost for the first hour. To be fair to Birmingham,
34:20they were a little bit off colour, but yeah, they were the better side Barnsley. They got a
34:28decent goal. Stephen Numphies played really well up front and Bamboozle, the defender in his shot
34:35went in off the Birmingham midfielder and yeah, he showed a real amount of leadership. But yeah,
34:43the game management after that, I mean the old adage that you're never more vulnerable
34:48than when you've scored. So it proved, I mean it was a terrific goal from Stansfield, but
34:53as I said in my report, the ball shouldn't have got there early. There was some
34:59poor play in the midfield from Adam Phillips and Russell and yeah, and Birmingham had the tails
35:07up attacking the big away end and they got the winner and that was a really poor goal.
35:14Corners swung in, nobody attacked it. Gent left Stansfield at the far post and he was afterwards,
35:21Darrell Clarke was absolutely furious. He didn't single anyone out individually, but
35:28I suppose if you had a think, you could guess at one or two of the players, but
35:34slamming the mentality, calling the players nearly men, they haven't got the sort of
35:39mentality of winners. Yeah, and he was saying that he's got a few players in mind that he'll
35:47want to move on in January. He spoke about getting rid of players and none of them
35:53in the past in his managerial career, and none of them bite him on the backside. So he feels like
35:57he's a good judge of character. So yeah, he just seems precariously perched a little bit bars his
36:05form if they can get back on track, because they've actually been playing reasonably well.
36:10I don't think it's like early season where they didn't look to have much of an identity going
36:17forward. They're better in that regard, but it's just a bit of a soft mentality. You look at the
36:23amount of goals they've conceded in the second half of games, in the last sort of quarter of
36:30games, it's pretty lousy. Yeah, the home form as well. I think it's the 19th best in the division.
36:38Their away form is strong. It's still the third best, but that thing about home form and the
36:45concessions in the second half of games and at the end of games does point to a little bit of a
36:53mentality thing. I think there'll be some movement in the squad in January. One or two of the
37:03players haven't had much game time, the likes of Cotter and Sam Cosgrove, but I wonder if one or
37:08two of the other players who have served them probably well a few years ago, whether mentally
37:16it might be time for maybe one of them to move on. Yeah, I mean, Neely Men sounds absolutely
37:24bang on really. It feels a bit similar to when we're talking about Leeds and Middlesbrough.
37:29You've got a Birmingham team who've won the last five on the trot. Just find a way, like we're
37:34talking about the top champions. Find the numbers as well, isn't it? Yeah, exactly. And then you've
37:38got Barnsley who've not won in six, who find a way to not win sometimes when the quality's there.
37:46I don't think they've got the same sort of level of quality as Middlesbrough in that sense,
37:51but you do feel like they don't quite have just that mental attribute to just get the extra
37:56couple of percent. And of course, if you're Birmingham City and you can spend an obscene
38:03amount of money on a quality centre-forward, that's one of the things that turns those games
38:08for you. Barnsley obviously are not in that financial league and never will be, but I think
38:15there's a lot of onus on the Barnsley board in this next transfer window. We talk about them a
38:22lot. They play a big factor in how far Barnsley have come and how far they haven't come in the
38:28last couple of years. They really need to back Daryl Clarke. It seems like he's quite an abrasive
38:36character. It seems like he hasn't totally won over the squad or the players yet, but they need
38:46to make a decision and say, we believe in this guy's track record. We've seen some progress from
38:52him. We're going to get behind him. Or of course not. I don't think we're at that stage by any
38:58stretch of the imagination. But yeah, they need to put their money where their mouth is with him
39:04because they've just got that next step to take. There's quite a traffic jam of teams below the
39:12automatic places. For starters, one of Wycombe, Wrexham and Birmingham are going to be in the
39:19play-offs. But then below that, you've got more play-off teams than there are play-off places. So
39:26any team that stands still is going to get left behind and Barnsley just have to be careful that
39:31they're not one of them. Yeah, I mean, you look at the sort of issues in the squad as well.
39:39Josh Earle missed out. He's been pretty reliable since he's come to the club. He had a calf
39:44problem, so he didn't play against Birmingham. Mark Roberts as well, who's been a real rock at
39:50the back. He's the sort of player that, we spoke about one or two of these players before,
39:57that when he comes off, you think there's something will be wrong. You could see his
40:02frustration when he was obviously his former club as well. He looked distraught when he came off and
40:07the last thing Barnsley need, we've spoken about them being that flakiness and conceding a lot of
40:13goals in second half, game management home form. He's been a real leader for them. So he'll be
40:21desperately keeping the fingers crossed that it's not too bad with him. You look at the
40:27low knees as well. I mean, Matty Craig's not played for too much recently. You wonder if he
40:32might go back to Tottenham in the new year. Solihono the keeper, he's injured, finger injury,
40:38they're problematic injuries for goalkeepers, aren't they? You sort of think, will he go back
40:42sort of permanently to Chelsea in the new year? So, yeah, they look some potentially big decisions
40:50in the new year for Barnsley and in the meantime, they're desperately trying to get enough wins to
40:57keeping that sort of top six mix. So, yeah, critical period for them coming up.
41:04Yeah, and then sort of compounding that, Leon sees far more of Barnsley than me,
41:07but Adam Phillips doesn't seem to have hit the same height since he's come back from injury.
41:12Well on Saturday as well.
41:14Yeah, exactly. I mean, you know, you can't expect miracle levels of consistency from
41:21League One players, but it's just unfortunate timing. And, you know, as I mentioned earlier,
41:26every club, I mean, really it's something the authorities need to look at. The amount of
41:30injuries every club is getting is a real worry, but it does mean you need that real squad depth.
41:37And as I say, for a club with Barnsley's resources, it's difficult to keep pace with the Birmingham's
41:43of this world, but they need to give Clarke more options. And of course, if he's got options,
41:49he doesn't rent, then, you know, they're just dead weight in the squad. So they will need some
41:55additions in January.
41:56Even Huddersfield as well, you look at their squad, they've got a good squad depth in comparison to
42:02Barnsley, haven't they?
42:03Yeah, exactly.
42:04Even Rotherham as well, really. But yeah, they look a little bit short Barnsley in some areas,
42:08certainly.
42:09Yeah. And finally for this week, I turn to Leon for his Team of the Week before looking to Stuart
42:14for his Player of the Week nomination. So, Leon, who have you selected as your Team of the Week
42:19this week?
42:21Yeah, it's probably a little bit predictable. I've gone for Leeds United. I mean, two games at home
42:27at this time of year is never a bad thing, is it? But you've got to negotiate them. And that's what
42:33Leeds did, and obviously spoke about a different sort of test. You know, they will have been
42:38expected to beat Derby, who sat in against them and did that. But you know, they backed it up
42:46against a side who offered a lot different of a challenge in Middlesbrough, who in the second
42:53half certainly gave them a good test. And yeah, they're sort of really on message. I mean, they've
43:00had spells before at this time of year where they've sort of hit the foot on the accelerator
43:05a little bit. And yeah, the potential for them to do that is there for them now. But as I've
43:11touched on, they just need to sort of brush up a bit on that away form. But yeah, in a couple of
43:18big home games for Leeds, safely negotiated. So I'll go for Leeds.
43:27Yeah, and in terms of the Player of the Week, Mark, I mean, I say it's kind of that time of year
43:34of just sort of ritting it out and, you know, making the most of it. So people like Josh
43:41Karoma doing a job for Huddersfield at wing back and still scoring a goal. I mean, that's a big
43:47tick in the box. You know, James Beadle's been important in keeping Sheffield Wednesday in some
43:51of these games recently, even though they haven't won as many as they wanted. It's at times like
43:56that you need your goalkeeper to come to the fore. I've touched this week and in a few previous
44:01weeks on how impressed I've been with Femi Sariki, you know, to come into that Sheffield
44:06United back four and really take to it seamlessly. So they're all, you know, really big ticks. But
44:14again, it's hard to look past Leeds United at the moment. They're in such a good groove.
44:20You know, Tanaka continuing to just produce consistency and quality.
44:25Yeah, he was good again.
44:27Exactly. You know, I mean, that intervention later on to lay on the goal in the game against
44:34Middlesbrough quality. But Dan James just looks class apart to me at this level. You know, he
44:42is really one of those players, I think I've said this before, it shouldn't be at a championship
44:48level. But because of the way that parachute pams are set up, you don't have to immediately
44:54flog all your Premier League quality players. Leeds have been able to keep on to him and he's,
45:00you know, he really comes to the fore when Leeds United need them. He's not a leader in the
45:06Tony Adams sense of the word for those of us of that generation. But he just delivers whenever
45:12you need them to. And I think, yeah, I think he's my player of the week.
45:42Thanks for listening, look after yourselves, and bye for now.
46:12Transcribed by https://otter.ai