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Owls beat the Cobblers..

Brian Laws took the opportunity to change the team around a bit and made several changes from the side that drew with Hull at the weekend.
This time Simek started on the right with Buxton starting at left back with Beevers and Hinds forming the centre back partnership. Johnson, O’Connor, Boden and Gray made up the midfield with Jeffers and Sodje starting up front.

Wednesday started extremely well by taking the lead after just 2 minutes. Jermaine Johnson picked up the ball outside the area and ran straight at goal before firing a fierce shot into the top corner.

With the Owls taking the lead before many people had even sat down, the game then settled into a mediocre affair with neither side taking control of the game.
Wednesday did however add to the score line when Francis Jeffers got on the score sheet. Sodje and Jeffers combined well on the edge of the box before losing out but Gray was there to play Jeffers through before he fired his shot across goal.

At the other end Akinfenwa could have got the hosts back into the game when he was through on goal but he couldn’t do enough to get it past Granty.
Minutes later Northampton had another effort which no one would have complained about if it had gone in but McKay’s header fell just wide of the post.

Half Time – Sheff Weds 2-0 Northampton

The second half did not see too much action but most notably the Owls were awarded a penalty a few minutes into the second half. Jeffers played a neat ball through to O’Connor whose touch took him away from goal and into the ‘keeper before the ref pointed to the spot. Jeffers collected the ball and made it clear that he was having the spot kick. Jeffers hammered the ball straight down the middle which was comfortably saved by the Northampton ‘keeper.

As the game died down Wednesday made a triple change with Wood, Esajas and Tudgay all getting in on the action. Tudgay was lively but failed to make any chances count and Esasjas constantly threatened down the left hand side.

The last chance of the match fell to Jacobs for the home side but Grant easily palmed the effort away and out for a corner which failed to produce another threat.

Full Time – Sheff Weds 2-0 Northampton

Next up, Blackburn Rovers at home this coming Saturday which will be the final match of Wednesdays pre-season programme.

Hull game a dull game

Sheff Weds 0-0 Hull

Brian Laws’ team selection was forced upon him with injuries to new signings Darren Purse and Tommy Miller so he named a side that you might have seen towards the end of last season.
Buxton and Spurr played either side of Wood and Beevers in defence with McAllister, O’Connor, Esajas and technically new signing Darren Potter making up the midfield. Clarke and Tudgay got the nod to start up front.

The game began well with Wednesday seeing most of the ball but the match lacked the pace of a league match and fitness was a clear issue for both of the sides.

It was Clarke who had the best chances of the first half but he failed to hit the back of the net on two occasions. The first was when he raced through on goal but just as he pulled the trigger to shoot, the linesman raised the flag, a shot that was comfortably saved anyway.

O’Connor had a decent attempt when he turned and shot but his effort went harmlessly over the bar.

Just before the interval Clarke had a glorious chance to score from a Tudgay flick on but the Hull ‘keeper came out better off from a one on one encounter.

Half time – Sheff Weds 0-0 Hull

The second half was a dull encounter typical of a pre-season game with both sides taking the opportunity to experiment and try different players.
Hull changed their keeper as well as adding Geovanni and Barmby to the side in three of Hulls 10 changes of the afternoon.
Wednesdays first change of the match came when Simek replaced Spurr which saw Buxton switch to the left back position. Jeffers, Johnson, Sodje and Boden all got a run out before Hinds came on for the remaining 2 minutes of the match.

Wednesday started well enough and continued to see the most of the ball but they couldn’t break through the Premier League defence.

The best chances of the second half both came towards the end with Sodje having them both. The first effort was blocked on the line and the second missed the target from close range from a corner.

Full time – Sheff Wed 0-0 Hull

Next up, Wednesday Vs Northampton Town away on Tuesday night.

Owls win first trophy....

It may only be a mini - half-game tournament but the Owls picked up their first silverware of the season in a triangular tournament during their pre season trip to Malta.
In the first game Sean Mcallister scored the only goal of the game and it was a similar scoreline of 1-0 in the second game with Etienne Esajas smashing in the Owls goal.

Laws still looking to spend some brass.

After the Ryan France debacle last week, much has been said about the managers spending power. Today he has said there is still money to be spent.

Although it is supposedly an "emergency" fund to bring a player in, Laws said:
"There is a small portion left for an emergency and if it is needed we will need to use it carefully," he told the Star.

"My budget has increased from last season but we are still in the bottom half of the wage budget for this division.

"There is talk of investment before Christmas. There is a lot of activity and confidence that this will come through.

"I have to say I am flabbergasted that there are people out there not taking a gamble on a club like Sheffield Wednesday."

Investment by Christmas, we all hope so and this turbulent last week will then all become a thing of the past and we certainly would be looking up the table as opposed to some who think we will be looking over our shoulders this season.

Tudgay off to Burnley?

SO rumours resurface again about the future of the Owls number 7, is he staying, going, or what?

It has been widely rumoured on the net today in various places that Tudgay is travellign or has travelled to Burnley today to discuss a move to Turf Moor.
Claret's manager Owen Coyle has admitted that Tudgay is a player he admires and made no secret of the offer he made to Wednesday just a week ago, but when the club turned it down flat it seemed to be the end of the subject.

But this week it had been rumoured that as a consequence of this, the player would request a transfer away from S6 as soon as next week. Brian Laws has his hands tied currently when it comes to bringing new faces into Hillsborough so it could be that sacrificing Tudgay may do the side better int he long term.

If Tudgay does want to leave then we should let him, after all he could just sulk for the rest of his contract and the club would then get no fee on the expiration of his contract. The money would bring more chance of keeping the likes of Tommy Spurr and Richard Wood at the club, as well as allowing Laws to sign the likes of Luke Varney who was said to be offered to the club for around £1 million after his loan spell last season from Derby County.

No matter what things are a little strange at the club at the moment, with Ryan France thought to be in big demand after his performances in friendlies for the club with two other clubs said to be interested in him. But with what appears to be no more money for Laws how could we afford his wages?

As always if we hear anything here at Owlsonline we will let you know as soon as we can.

Win Carling Cup Final Tickets...

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY FANS INVITED TO PLAY THE CARLING CUP PREDICTOR CHALLENGE

To celebrate the new 2009/10 Carling Cup tournament and new official competition website www.carlingcup.com, Carling is inviting Sheffield Wednesday fans to take part in the Carling Cup Predictor Challenge, which lets fans show off their football knowledge for the chance to win Carling prizes and tickets to the Carling Cup Final.

To play the game, fans simply predict the score of the Carling Cup matches for each round. It’s free to play, and winners from each round will receive a case of Carling, a Carling sports bag and t-shirt.

The overall Carling Cup Predictor champion will receive 2 tickets to the Carling Cup Final at Wembley Stadium.

Fans can also set up a mini-league with their mates.

Rob Salmon, Marketing Communications Partner at Carling, said: “We wanted a fun way to give fans a chance to get involved in the Carling Cup and we hope the Carling Cup Predictor Challenge will do exactly that! It is up and running now on the official competition website so why not take a few minutes to pay a visit to www.carlingcup.com and demonstrate your skills at predicting football scores and results?”

The Predictor Challenge deadline for round one fixtures is Monday 10th August, so enter now to be in with a chance of winning.

The Carling.com website and the Carling Cup Predictor Challenge are only open to people over the legal drinking age.

To play The Carling Cup Predictor Challenge or find out more, visit [url=http://www.carlingcup.com]www.carlin gcup.com Terms and conditions apply.

Woody ISN't looking to leave

Despite the club issuing a statement today that Richard Wood and Tommy Spurr WILL have contract negotiations again nearer Christmas, a statement appeared on the BBC Sport website which said Woody had handed in a transfer request.

The story was in fact almost a year old, from when Woody had been in discussions with the previous administration over his contract issue.
In fact the Owls defender spoke out on the clubs [b/]OFFICIAL WEBSITE[/b] earlier, he said:
"This transfer request rumour is completely untrue and I would like to stress that I am happy with my situation at Sheffield Wednesday.

"Myself and the manager have a good understanding, I'm happy here and there is absolutely no truth whatsoever in this news."

Tudgay not going now?

ON, OFF, ON, OFF... Yes it's the saga of Marcus Tudgay and his tug of war again.
After what seems like forever there are rumours now that he will stay with the Owls.

THe contract is still on the table and it's rumoured that a clause is now in the contract which would allow Tudders to leave the club should a substantial bid is to come in.
This would free Burnley to make another move for the striker, but at our asking price rather than what they deem as acceptable. The thing is we won't know what that amount is, any new contract would of course break any deal attatched to the four year deal he signed on his arrival at S6.
So a sell on clause with Derby or any other "agreements" would be null and void.

We will see but after seeing his efforts in the friendly game at the weekend there can be no doubt he is committed to the cause while he is still with the club.

Tudgay STAYS at Hillsborough..

After weeks and weeks of on, off speculation Marcus Tudgay has committed himself to a new, improved four year contract with the Owls.

Tudgay's contract was due to expire next summer and Burnley knew this, making offers to gain the services of the striker which were believed to be in the region of £1.5M. This offer was deemed as "derisory" by Wednesday chairman Lee Strafford and the club also said that the Clarets had tried to unsettle the player.

It's been eerily quiet over the last week and the rumours changed frequently, with Tudgay said to be leaving and various players said to be coming in to replace him. But all that is a thing of the past now, with the ink now dry on the new deal which will see the Wednesday number 7 stay with the club until 2013.

Tudgay spoke to the [b/]clubs official website[/b] about the new deal and he is more than happy to continue at S6, he said:"My game has really developed in my time at Sheffield Wednesday and I am extremely pleased to sign my new contract. Following extensive talks with the manager and the chairman, I am convinced that this club has the capability to reach the Premier League within the next few years.

"There's a really positive environment throughout the club and you can see things are progressing. My focus now is building on what we achieved last season and helping us in our aim of reaching the play-offs."

No doubt when the Owls take to the field this weekend against Premier League Blackburn Rovers there will be a big cheer when Tudgay's name is announced on the teamsheet and Brian Laws can now sleep a little easier!!!

Big Sam and His Rovers visit S6

Its the final official pre season game today as the Owls host Premier League Blackburn Rovers at Hillsborough this afternoon.
This game was never particularly eagerly anticipated and now without the recently departed Roque Santa Cruz from the Rovers lineup, it may be a chance for Wednesday to take a Premier League scalp as a morale booster ahead of the season opener againt Barnsley next week.

After the victory against Northampton in midweek, Brian Laws is poised to make changes from the side that beat the Cobblers with newly appointed captain Darren Purse said to feature in his first Hillsborough appearance for the Owls.

Mark Beevers is thought to be the man who will step down as Laws may try out what many see as the first choice centre back partnership of Purse and Richard Wood.

In midfield, Tommy Miller, is still said to be struggling with an injury and won't be pushed ahead of the game against Barnsley next weekend. This would mean another chance for Sean McAllister and James O Connor to stake their claim to a central midfield birth alongside Darren Potter.
Miller is thought to be taking part in a behind closed doors game next week along with Purse to get some playing time ahead of the visit of the Dingles on the 8th August.

Up front it really is anyones guess as to who will start, with Marcus Tudgay and Leon Clarke both rested at Sixfields in midweek as goalscorer Francis Jeffers and fans favourite Akpo Sodje got their chance.

It would be good to see the team go into their league campaign on the back of a win, so let's hope we see it this afternoon.

Injury Curse still rife?

So far this pre-season the Owls have been without new signing Tommy Miller, the likeable Mackem has been sidelined for around a month with a hamstring injury, fellow new boy Darren Purse has also missed a chunk of the build up with an elbow injury but he made his S6 debut in yesterdays entertaining 2-2 with Blackburn.

The Owls would have been delighted with their comeback against Rovers, the Premier league side took an early 2 goal lead before Akpo Sodje reduced the arrears, it was to be a mixed day for the powerhouse forward, Rovers then missed a penalty before Marcus Tudgay completed the comeback. The Owls were dealt a major blow just after the break when Akpo Sodje went down unchallenged and you just knew he was \"done\", a groin strain that could see him ruled out for a couple months has been touted around the message board forums, Sodje a substitute himself, after replacing the injured Leon Clarke in the 8th minute, was replaced by Francis Jeffers.

Wednesday boss Brian Laws will now wait to discover the fate of his two strikers before deciding whether to enter the loan market to replenish his forward line.

Carling Cup Predictor Challenge Round One

Launched to celebrate the new 2009/10 Carling Cup tournament and new official competition website [b]www.carlingcup.com[/b], The Carling Cup Predictor Challenge lets fans show off their football knowledge for the chance to win Carling prizes and tickets to the Carling Cup final.

Enter before Monday 10th August to take part in the first round.

Play individually or set up a mini-league with your mates to be in with a chance to win Carling prizes each round, and the overall winner will receive tickets to the Carling Cup Final. To play the game, fans simply predict the score of the Carling Cup matches for each round. It’s free to play, and winners from each round will receive a case of Carling, a Carling sports bag and t-shirt.

The overall Carling Cup Predictor champion will receive 2 tickets to the Carling Cup Final at Wembley Stadium.

The Predictor Challenge deadline for round one fixtures is 3pm on Monday 10th August, so enter now to be in with a chance of winning.

The Carling.com website and the Carling Cup Predictor Challenge are only open to people over the legal drinking age.

To play The Carling Cup Predictor Challenge or find out more, visit [b]www.carlingcup.com[/b]. Terms and conditions apply.

Owlsonline is back in business

Hello all,

Welcome to the new look and permanent home for Owlsonline from now on.

No, the rug wasn't yanked from under our feet again, we moved to make sure that was an impossibility!

Firstly before we go any further, thanks to Moz for all his hard work over the past few weeks in sorting this out AND to the people who have helped so much with the BETA testing of the site before we got to this stage. If we could there would be an open bar for all of you!!!

Right, you will notice that things have changed a little, but there are the features you have become accustomed to over the past few weeks in our last forum. But obviously there are differences in layout/design but they are still there.
We have brought back the frontpage as you will have seen, and there will be the features of old, match previews and reports and hopefully, some blasts from the past as well.

The interviews will be back, with some different interviewees which normally you wouldn't get to hear from within the bowels of our club and competitions will be running throughout the season as well. This includes ChesterfieldOwl's Prediction League and the new competition just introduced this week by Epworth, The League Champions competition.

Rate the Players is back, and back to it's ratings out of ten format. So get involved again and you could be presenting our players of the year with their trophies come next May.

If you are a member of the forumotion version of Owlsonline you should have received an email to the address you registered on with your username and password for this place. This is a temporary password that will require you lot to change it asap via your own login.

For those of you who are new to the site, please take a look around, sign up and get comfy.. We won't bite... Honest!

The only thing we ask of you is PLEASE bear with us, there will no doubt be the odd glitch or two over the coming weeks as we get busier, so we have set up Moz's Helpdesk forum for you to let us know what you have noticed that needs sorting.
Also while you're in there you could leave us some suggestions on what you'd like to see on the new Owlsonline.

The site is what you folks make it so lets hope we can get this site to be THE fans forum on the net. Truly led by your ideas to keep it fresh and what you want.

Right, that's enough from us..

See you on the board

The Owlsonline Admin Team.

Beat the Bookie is BACK

Once again we bring you tips from the gamblers amongst you, and first up this season we have SuperRowlandBrowning to give us his tips for the season ahead.

If you fancy a flutter this season here is my accumulator

Sheffield Wednesday to finish above Peterboro at 5/6 with corals
Chelsea to win the Premier League at 9/4. They are the only top Premier team to keep all their assets.
I think WBA will win the championship and are available at 6/1 E.W a bet for nothing in my opinion.
I also think Crewe at 25/1 E.W with Ladbrokes are worth a punt to win Division Two.
Luton are available at 3/1 to win the Blue Square Premier. Surely this is the season their fortunes turnaround or will it be another promotion for AFC Wimbledon who are are available at 20/1

Michael Owen to be top English goalscorer at 11/2 with Betfair is huge, he is bound to give you a good run for your money .

My tip for the Championship top goalscorer is Leroy Lita at 20/1 available with most bookmakers.

My main bet this season though was Portsmouth to be relegated from the premier at 15/2 which I put on this website about 2 months ago. They are only available at 5/2 now but i still think that is a good price. They have no proven goalscorer and have sold most of their saleable assets.

This weeks coupon my 4 teams are

Mk Dons to beat Hartlepool
Norwich to beat Colchester
QPR to beat Blackpool
and Luton to beat AFC Wimbledon

for £10 it pays £106.10 with Bet365 maybe more with other bookmakers.

I will also be betting on Richard Wood and Mark Beevers at 40/1 to score first against Barnsley, they have got to score one day. Also the pessimist in me will make me have a bet on Jamal Campbell-Ryce at 18/1 with Bet365 he scores most games against us.

Good luck

David

Owls face Tykes first up

It’s back upon us, the roller coaster emotion that is Sheffield Wednesday FC and their season, we’ve had three months of tranquillity and now it all starts again, a big crowd is expected for the opening game with our visitors bringing their full allocation and ticket sales at this side touching 23k according to the chairman yesterday and more expected to POTG, so a white hot atmosphere is expected.

Owls News

Wednesday boss Brian Laws could be looking to get a loan striker in ahead of the opening day as Akpo Sodje and Leon Clarke both picked up knocks in the final pre-season friendly with Blackburn last weekend, Jay Simpson and Paul Gallagher are just two of the names being touted about.
The Owls new boys Darren Purse and Tommy Miller are both set to feature on Saturday, defender Purse is the new club captain and will be making his full home debut for the club, Miller could have to settle for a place on the bench after having a pre-season hampered by a hamstring strain.
It’s a case of any four from seven at the back with Frankie Simek raring to go after an injury hit two years, he, Richard Hinds and Mark Beevers will be looking to break into the starting line up this season.
In midfield Wednesday have options for the first time in a long while, Ettiene Esajas is back to full fitness, Darren Potter has signed permanently along with Michael Gray along with a re-juvenated James O’Connor, Sean McAllister will be hoping his end of season performances will keep him up the pecking order, whilst Jermaine Johnson has looked lively all pre-season.
Marcus Tudgay will get a start up front with either Franny Jeffers or Leon Clarke partnering him unless Brian manages to bring in that elusive loanee, top scorer from last season Tudgay delighted the Owls masses by agreeing a new deal this summer.

Team News

Team (possible) : Grant, Buxton, Purse, Wood, Spurr; Johnson, Potter, McAllister, Gray; Clarke, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Boden, Beevers, O’Connor, Simek, Jeffers, Miller, Esajas, Modest.

Barnsley News

The Reds visit Hillsborough hoping to repeat their win at S6 back in February, a Jamal Campbell-Ryce strike was enough to secure the Tykes first win over Wednesday on our turf in 26 years. Davey is looking to complete three signings ahead of the game with Adam Hamill, O’Neil Thompson and Emil Hallfredsson all set to move to Oakwell, whether they are available to face Wednesday is another matter, Andy Gray formerly with Leeds and Sheffield United has agreed terms to move back North but is awaiting a proposed takeover at his current club Charlton to go through beforehand. The Oakwell club could welcome back Iain Hume for the game, the Canadian has been out for 9 months with a fractured skull after being caught with a cowardly elbow by the thug known as Chris Morgan, this could be doubly good news for the Tykes supporters as Hume has a very good record against Wednesday with four careers goals, including two in his last two.

The Gaffer

Simon Davey is in his third full season as Barnsley boss after succeeding Andy Ritchie back in late 2006, the Welshman certainly splits the fans, he is the devil incarnate to some Tykes followers who find his lack of passion, tactics (their words) and ability the reason why the club has narrowly avoided relegation in the last two campaigns, some however feel the former Preston man has done a good job in difficult circumstances. I personally cannot stand the fat Welsh sod, he seems to let his mouth run off before actually thinking.

Key Players

Jamal Campbell-Ryce

The Jamaican international was linked with a move away from Yorkshire with Reading linked with the London born winger began his career at Charlton but made his league debut for Leyton Orient as a loanee, he played 19 times for the Brisbane Road club before returning south of the Thames, he broke into the Charlton as a sub during the back end of 2002/03 season, he struggled to break back into the Addicks side the following year and moved to MK Dons loan but injury curtailed his spell. At the start of the 2004/05 he moved to Saltergate to join Chesterfield on loan and he really came to prominence with a series of impressive performances. That spell saw Rotherham swoop to bring him North permanently in November 2004, in the latter half of the season he started 27 games for the Millers, however it wasn’t all sweetness and light, the Londoner complained of being home sick and protested to Rotherham, the Millers refused to let him go but Campbell-Ryce got his way and was loaned to Southend, he also spent time at Colchester before securing a tribunal set move back to Southend, he played the entire Championship season for the Shrimpers but couldn’t help them avoid relegation and decided against a lengthy spell in League One by joining the Tykes in September 2007, he’s made 83 appearances for the club and netted 14 times.
Squad Number 8

Darren Moore

Centre half Darren Moore has been around long enough to amass nearly 600 career appearances in professional football, the likeable defender began his career on the English Riveira with Torquay as an 18 year old. He made over 100 appearances in 3 seasons with the Plainmoor club netting 12 times but was moved onto Doncaster for the princely sum of £62,500, his two seasons with Rovers were successful from a personal point of view with him scoring 8 times in 84 games but the club itself was on the slide and fell out of the league amid some off the field controversies. He was allowed to leave the club following their demise and Bradford snapped him up, he was an integral part of the Bantams side that earned promotion to the top flight, he was an almost ever present in the 98/99 campaign and scored four goals. Bradford’s Premiership dream turned sour for Moore as he and boss Paul Jewell fell out over contract negotiation, he never made an appearance for the club in the top division and accepted a move to Portsmouth in November 1999 for £500k, nearly two years on the South coast proved another success and it wasn’t long before he was on the move, this time he moved to West Brom and closer to his Birmingham birthplace, he was part of the side that got albion back into the top flight in the 2001/02 season where they overhauled local rivals Wolves, he played 31 times the following year but couldn’t help Albion survive. Albion bounced back at the first attempt, thanks in no small part to Moore who was a rock at the heart of their defence, back in the big time Albion looked to bring in other players to cement their place in the top flight and Moore was on of the casualties, he was deemed more of a squad player than first teamer. After 100+ games for Albion he moved to Derby in January 2006, he helped Phil Brown’s men avoid the drop to League One in his first season and was a big part of the side that won promotion to the Premier League in 2007, he made 30 appearances in a season deemed the worst in top flight history as County were relegated, Moore was released following their drop and moved to Oakwell last summer, he has made 39 appearances for the Tykes.

Squad Number 4

Daniel Bogdanovic

Libyan Born Maltese international Daniel joined the club in January from Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Sofia, the 29 year old 6ft2 striker managed to make his mark for the Oakwell club with 5 goals in 16 appearances and that went someway to securing the Tykes position in this league. Prior to his spell in Bulgaria he was at two of the bigger Maltese clubs, he begun his career with Sliema Wanderers (who Owls fans will remember were one of the opposition in summer tour), he then had spells with Vasas FC, Naxxar Lions, Valetta and Cherno More on loan but it was a full time move to Marsaxxlokk where he made his name with 31 league goals in the 2006/07 which saw them pip his former club Sliema to the title. He was on the move to Cisco Roma the following year but struggled in the Italian League and was moved on to Lokomotiv after just one season.

Squad Number 10

Luke Steele

Custodian Luke Steele earned his place as Barnsley’s number 1 towards the latter part of last season, displacing fans favourite Heinz Muller who has since returned to his native Germany. Peterborough born Steele began his career with his home town club, he made just two starts for the club before Manchester United came calling and he moved to Old Trafford for a cool half a million. He never featured for United and was sent to Coventry (literally) for a loan spell during the 2004/05 season where he made 36 appearances, and earned some rave reviews. He left Manchester United in 2006 as part of the Tomasz Kusczczak deal with West Brom, who proposed to loan him back to Coventry but he was recalled before making an appearance, he did however make 5 appearances for the Sky Blues later in season as an emergency loan. Albion gave Steele one of his only two starts in December 2007. In February 2008 Barnsley applied to bring in Steele on loan ahead of their FA Cup tie at Anfield, the goalkeeper was arguably star of the show in the 5th round tie that Barnsley won and he helped them to the semi finals with a clean sheet against Chelsea in the next round, at the end of that campaign Steele made the move permanent. The return to fitness of Heinz Muller and some errors by Steele saw the shot shopper dropped from September til mid April, his return coincided with a four match unbeaten end to the 2008/09 season.

Squad Number 1

Team News

Anderson Da Silva and Hugo Colace look set to miss out on the game with slight knocks.

Team (possible) :Steele, Hassell, Foster, Moore, Kozluk; Devaney, Butterfield, Hallfredsson, Campbell-Ryce; Odejayi, Bogdanovic.

(subs from) Preece, Hume, Hamill, Coulson, Potter, Macken, El Haimour, Thompson.

Head to Head

Jamal Campbell-Ryce netted the game’s only goal back in February to end 11 straight defeats at S6 for the Tykes, prior to the the Owls had been dominant over the Tykes, in 2007-08 Akpo Sodje netted the games only goal whilst the season previously a wonder strike from Chris Brunt in the last minute denied ten man Barnsley a share of the spoils. The last time the two clubs met on the opening day was 30 years ago in the third tier, the Owls ran out 3-0 winners in a season that ultimately ended in promotion.

Overall at Hillsborough :

Owls: 22
Draw: 4
Barnsley: 7

Final thoughts

The first game of the season, and a local derby, what more could you actually want? Well sunshine would be nice but I am not greedy, Wednesday will be hoping to emulate their start of last year when they blew away Burnley 4-1, however the Clarets bounced back to earn promotion to the top flight. We are a happier club than 12 months ago off the pitch and we now need to give fans something to smile about on it.

The Barnsley lot speak their mind

Ahead of todays game with the lot from down the A61, we took the time to ask some questions to the editor of Barnsley Mad, Rob Miles, on what he thinks his side's prospects are for today and to see if he knows a little about us.

1. The opening day of the season is always an exciting time for supporters but how much more exciting is it for you that’s it’s a South Yorkshire derby, if it makes it more exciting at all?

We are notoriously bad on the opening day of the season and have lost the opening game in each of our three previous Championship seasons- and two were at home! I think we have won something like four in 11 years, but the last time we did we won promotion! I think with it being a South Yorkshire derby, it makes it even more important rather than exciting. Davey knows he's under massive pressure as most supporters didn’t want him to still be here. Lose this and it could be difficult for him. The most important thing though is we get points on the board early. Last year we lost six of our first seven games and never really recovered.

2. How has pre-season gone for the Reds? Has it filled you with confidence for the new season?

I think eight wins and a draw, with the draw being against Manchester City has to fill you with confidence. It’s our first unbeaten pre-season since the one before the 1996-1997 season when we won promotion to the Premier League! The results aren’t the be all and end all in friendlies but that showed what can happen when you get into a winning mentality. I agree with Davey though- I'd swap every pre-season win for three points today.

3. Obviously doing the double over Wednesday was something special for you lot. But out of all the other local rivals who do you hate the most and why?

Do you really need to ask? Your neighbours from across the City. Not sure if you can publish this next bit- but they are the most despicable team with the most arrogant manager and players I have ever come across. The whole way they have handled the Hume/Morgan affair when you consider how they bleated on about Tevez is nothing short of hypocritical! I used to respect United and hate Wednesday, but now Id rather see Wednesday be successful. Watching United cock up in the Play-Off Final meant just as much as us staying up last year.

4. First games of the season can be somewhat of a step into the unknown but what can we expect to see differently from Barnsley to last season's meetings?

Hopefully nothing as we secured a first double over Wednesday in 76 years and won at Hillsborough after 11 straight defeats. If I'd change something though it would be not to be so negative at Hillsborough. We sat back for virtually 90 minutes, scored a terrific goal on the counter and then for the rest of the game didn’t bother attacking. Davey has admitted this summer he's changing from worrying the opposition to letting the opposition worry about us. Saying that though Id still be ecstatic with a 1-0 win again

5. Any team news?

Our midfields in trouble. We won’t actually have ANY new players in the starting line-up- Sodje and Preece should be on the bench. Hugo Colace who is an excellent holding midfielder looks to be out whilst De Silva is a doubt. Jacob Butterfield- who was MOTM against Man City should start. His potential excites me a lot, but we will have to see if he can handle a derby. Iain Hume may be on the bench.

6. What do you think of Wednesday's Championship chances this season and who worries you most in the Owls line-up for tomorrow?

I think Wednesday are amongst a clutch of clubs who could make the top six if they can string a few results tomorrow. The league is so competitive and tight it’s really difficult to say whose going to finish where. I certainly see the Owls in the top ten. As for the game- Well if you have anybody with pace it will trouble us, I’m certainly glad to see Sodje's injured! Just keep lumping up to Moore and you'll be fine :)

7. Score Prediction?

Heart says 1-0 Barnsley, head says 1-1

So we say thanks to Rob, and as we have done the same thing for them we may see a few of them lot travelling over onto Owlsonline for some banter.

Visit them over there to give them some stick..[b]BARNSLEY MAD[/b].

The Owls have to settle for a single against the dingles

It's a new season but it's the same old story for Wednesday as they throw away a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Yorkshire rivals Barnsley.

An early goal for Jermaine Johnson and a headed Michael Gray goal gave Wednesday a 2-0 lead but Jacob Butterfield and Jon Macken got the goals for the visitors.

Brian Laws started with a pretty predictable team as certain players that may make the starting line up missed the game through injury.
That team was Grant in goal, Spurr, Wood, Purse ©, Buxton, Gray, O’Connor, Potter, Johnson and Tudgay and Jeffers up front.
New signing Tommy Miller was fit enough to take a place on the bench after missing most of pre-season with an injury.

Wednesday started the game brightly and went close with just 8 minutes on the clock. The ball broke on the edge of the box and James O’Connor fired a shot towards the top corner but Tykes ‘keeper Luke Steele got enough on it to push it away from goal.
Just one more minute had passed when the Owls did find the back of the net. Tudgay won a header and played Gray in down the right. The left footed winger switched the ball onto his right foot and produced a deep cross which Jermaine Johnson converted into the back of the net.

Michael Gray went close through a free kick from the edge of the area before Barnsley had a chance to get level. A long ball was cleared as far as Macken whose low shot was well saved by Lee Grant. The visitors went close 2 minutes later when Pikey De Silva put a header well wide from close range.
Macken had another chance just after but Richard Wood stepped in with a timely block.

Though Barnsley had had their chances it was Wednesday that kept possession and played some great stuff and they got their reward when they doubled their lead after 39 minutes.
Tommy Spurr’s long through was effective as it was knocked on by Tudgay to Gray who did well to head it into the back of the net. Gray somehow got injured in scoring the goal which meant a somewhat subdued celebration to the 2nd Owls goal. Eventually Gray got up and dusted himself down to huge cheers from an appreciative Wednesday crowd.

Half time – SWFC 2-0 BFC

Wednesday looked a little edgy at the start of the second half and Barnsley started to get back into the game.
Barnsley fired a warning of things to come when Macken had another chance but Grant came off best again.

It was just before the hour mark that the Tykes got their first goal.
A deep cross from the right somehow found its way past the entire Wednesday defence and fell to youngster Jacob Butterfield controlled before firing in to the back of the net in front of the travelling Tykes fans.

The goal sparked Barnsley into life and after the goal it was clear who was in the driving seat and it wasn’t Wednesday.

Just after the goal, Laws made the first of his slightly questionable changes with Esajas coming on to replace Jeffers which moved Johnson upfront.

The 76th minute saw the score line change again with Barnsley getting their second of the afternoon. A long ball was headed on by Odejayi which found Macken who this time fired the ball past Grant to make it 2-2.

The last 10 minutes could really have gone either way and Potter went close from long range but it wasn’t to be and the game ended 2-2.

With 2 minutes to go Laws made another strange change with centre back Beevers brought on for Johnson which made no effect on the game whatsoever.

So it’s a disappointing result in a game in which we could have won but a point is better than none and it is certainly good to get back into the swing of things.

Full time – SWFC 2-2 BFC

Next up for the Owls is a Carling Cup clash against Rochdale this Tuesday night.

Is it a first round hiccup or hurrah?

Rochdale are the vistors to Hillsborough tonight as Brian Laws looks for his team to get into round two of the competition the Owls won almost 20 years ago.

After the draw at the weekend Laws will be looking to his side to finish off a game and leave the opposition out of sight rather than letting them back into the game and make it feel like they have lost.

Owls News...

There will be changes amongst the Owls starting eleven tonight as Laws shakes the pack to give some of the fringe players in the squad the chance to gain a starting berth this weekend at London Road.
But with injuries to strikers Leon Clarke and Akpo Sodje, it is likely that the striking positions are the only ones that are certain to remain unchanged.

Defence is the area of the pitch that is almost certain to see most changes, with Richard Hinds, Mark Beevers and Frankie Simek all vying for the chance to show the gaffer what they can do. Some may argue Richard Wood and Darren Purse need more gametime to cement their defensive partnership but Laws will also be interested to see how the likes of Hinds and Beevers can bounce back from the disappointment of missing out of a starting position last weekend.

In midfield Tommy Miller is set to make his first start in an Owls shirt, the former Ipswich player could only make the bench at the weekend after struggling with a muscle problem in pre season. Sean Mcallister is also thought to be pressing for a start alongside Miller, this would leave James O Connor and Darren Potter to warm the bench.
The other permutation could be that Mcallister may take up a wide right place as Jermaine Johnson is thought to still be fatigued from a summer of football with Jamaica and hardly any time off during the summer.
Etienne Esajas is thought to be replacing Michael Gray out wide on the left.

Laws has drilled into the players the importance of the game tonight, and it is a game that he expects his side to put everything into.
'I am not going in thinking 'I will rest a few and take it easy'. I want to win and I expect us to win. We are at home against lower league opposition – although they always make it difficult.' Laws told the Yorkshire Post.
Obviously any cup run is good for morale but the financial implications are vital to the managers plans with the money from reaching the later rounds it could be vital to the league season as well as a decent cup run.

'The game is on a high agenda, we need to get through to the next round. Financially for the football club, it is important we progress, which would release finances for me to strengthen the team.

'If we do well, I get more money. If I get more money, I can bring in new players and that is the aim.'

Dale News...

Rochdale manager Keith Hill brings his side to Hillsborough this evening after an opening away day draw against Port Vale.
Hill had hoped for the boost of including striker Adam Le Fondre whose proposed move to our near neighbours Rotherham fell through at the weekend. It was believed that the deal didn't go through as personal terms couldn't be agreed with the frontman after both clubs had agreed a fee. But it has just broke that the deal has infact now gone through.

Former Owl Rory McArdle won't be making a playing return to the S6 turf as he is missing due to a shoulder injury which is set to keep him out of the first two months of the campaign.

Hill is to pick his strongest side available after what was an injury free draw at Vale Park at the weekend and will be looking for a giant killing and all the publicity that it brings, as well as the financial boost that Brian Laws and Wednesday are hoping for should we take the spoils.

Key Man...

One former Owl may take to the field tonight however. Striker Jon Shaw is back at the club that introduced him to the professional game some five years after leaving the club for Burton Albion.
Shaw made nine starts in all competitions and scored twice for Wednesday before Chris Turner let the former Owls trainee move to pastures new at Burton Albion.
He then moved to fellow non league side Halifax Town where he gained hero status in his short time with the Shaymen scoring 20 goals in just 36 league starts before being snapped up by The Dale in the summer of 2008. He struggled a little in his first season with Rochdale and saw himself loaned out to non League Crawley at the turn of the year. He hit five goals in 12 starts before the end of the season and he is back at Rochdale now looking to return to the form that saw him move to Spotland.

Head to Head

Wednesday and Rochdale have only met once previously and ironically it was at Hillsborough in the League Cup back in 2002. Wednesday took the spoils with a solitary goal from Gerald Sibon, it did seem like there was to be a cricket score when Sibon broke the deadlock after just two minutes but the 'Dale held firm onto a somewhat respectable scoreline.

Sheff Wed: Pressman, Hendon (Geary, 80), Bromby, Burrows, McLaren, Knight, Armstrong, Maddix, Quinn, Sibon ,Kuqi (Owusu, 50, (Hamshaw, 57)
Subs not used: Stringer, Soltvedt.

Rochdale: Edwards ,Evans (McCourt ,61 ) ,Jobson ,Griffiths ,Flitcroft ,Oliver ,Duffy ,Doughty ,Simpson ,Connor ,Platt (Townson ,83)
Subs not used Gilks,Hodges,Warner,

Owlsonline Opinion...

It should be an easy tie to win, on paper Rochdale have no chance, but in front of what will be a relatively small crowd at Hillsborough tonight it really does depend on which side of the bed the Owls team have got out of!
We seem to be able to get past the first hurdle before going out to higher opposition in this competition recently, but Laws and his men are looking for a morale boosting win as well as a financially boosting step into round two that could have implications on whether a new loan striker comes in or not.

However I do expect Wednesday to overpower their opponents by a couple of goals at least.

Don't forget to rate the players after the game right here on Owlsonline...

It’s a bad dale out for Rochdale.

Read the headline out loud. Hopefully that way it works

Brian Laws made 5 changes from the side that drew with the dingles at the weekend with Simek, Beevers, Esajas, McAllister and Miller all making the starting line-up. That made the line up as follows: Grant, Spurr, Beevers, Purse, Simek, Esajas, Potter, Miller, McAllister, Tudgay and Johnson.

Wednesday were in the driving seat from start to finish and went close early on when Tudgay went close from a Johnson through ball. Debutant Tommy Miller also went close with 12 minutes on the clock when his shot was well saved by the Dale ‘keeper.

When the goal came, I’m assured it was an excellent strike from Esajas (I was looking the other way). Apparently he turned and volleyed in spectacularly from around 25 yards.

Just 2 more minutes had passed when the Owls went 2-0 up. Johnson picked up the ball on the edge of the box and burst through a host of Rochdale defenders before smashing a shot into the back of the net.

The Owls kept hold of the ball well and were allowed to pass it around but it was the visitors that went close just before half time. They had the ball around the edge of the area before it fell to Dale number 9 Chris Dagnall who shot straight at Grant.

Half time – SWFC 2-0 RFC

5 minutes into the second half Wednesday emphasised their lead by making it 3-0. Beevers did well to fool the Dale attacker before supplying the ball to Potter who played a high ball towards Johnson. As the ‘keeper ran out, Johnson fired a cool lob into the back of the net for his second of the evening.

Johnson had a few chances to get his hat-trick but a couple of his attempts were deemed to be offside and he was later replaced by Gray. The change was effective immediately as it was his cross that set up another chance for Miller but like in the first half his effort was saved by the ‘keeper.
Gray was the provider again soon after when he played fellow substitute Francis Jeffers through but the striker allowed the defender to get back in time to make a challenge.

Full time – SWFC 3-0 RFC

Next up for the Owls is the first away game of the season away to Peterborough this Saturday.

Gaffer happy with performance..

Brian Laws is happy with the performance of his players last night as the Owls eased their way through to the 2nd round of the Carling Cup.
Goals from Etienne Esajas and a brace from Jermaine Johnson saw Rochdale put to the sword.

Laws told the Star it was vital to get over the first hurdle. He said:
'The important thing for us was to get through to the next round. If you look at the other results, there were some banana skins.
'We showed some good passing and movement on Saturday and this time we continued it for 90 minutes. We can play good football. It was a good, all-round performance, and I'm delighted.

'We now have a massive game coming up: Peterborough's first home game, and they have had a good win. It sets it up nicely.

'The good thing about my squad is that every member of it could play in the Championship in any team.

'I've got a (selection] problem on my hands. It gives me food for thought for Saturday. It also keeps everybody on their toes. Everybody is pushing for places.'

Mark Beevers impressed on his return to the side, with skipper Darren Purse at his side but the captain wasn't impressive with his distribution and had a distinctly average game by his own high standards.
Richard Wood was left on the bench and rested after Saturday and he is expected to come back in against Peterborough at the weekend.
With Frankie Simek making strides towards full fitness after his nightmareish last couple of years through injury replacing Lewis Buxton, who was left out of the squad altogether.

Tommy Miller was impressive in the middle of the park and should've got a debut goal but twice being denied by the Rochdale 'keeper.

So going into the weekend trip to Peterborough the manager has a tough decision or two to make as he will have to disappoint one or two of his squad.

As always here on Owlsonline we will bring you the latest news as we get it.

So in the second round...

Of the Carling Cup it's a trip to the Potteries as Wednesday's reward for beating Rochdale on Tuesday night is a trip to Port Vale.

Vale of course were the side that knocked out United in their game at Bramall Lane on Tuesday night, defeating the blunt Blades by two goals to one. With the winning goal coming from a horrendous blunder by home keeper Ian Bennett, who let a free kick through his hands and into the net.

So it's another game versus lower league opposition and a chance for the Owls to progress through to the third round for the first time since the 2001/02 season where Wednesday went all the way to the semi final, where they were beaten by Premier League Blackburn Rovers.

Our game will be played on the Tuesday 25th August, with a 7.45pm kick off.
Other second round ties will all be played in the week commencing 24th August, other ties for our other local that got through to the next round rivals are..

West Brom v Rotherham, Reading v Barnsley.

Arguably the most interesting tie of the second round other than our own of course, is West Ham V Millwall, this will no doubt provide a busy night for the Metropolitan Police in London with both sets of supporters notorious for some 'friendly banter' with each other!

Good luck to Brian and the lads for the next round from all us at Owlsonline.

Posh trip for Owls

Wednesday head to down the A1 this weekend to face a Peterborough side hoping to earn their first win in the second tier for 15 years.

Wednesday will face a tough task against the Posh who will be determined to show they can mix it in this league and aren’t here to make up the numbers, they will be looking to get off to a strong start at home in front of a capacity crowd.

Owls News

Owls boss Brian Laws was given a selection headache by his squad after their comfortable victory over Rochdale in the Carling Cup, the Owls boss has been working hard to secure the services of a striker with Premier League experience whether a deal is struck before the 5pm deadline on Friday remains to be seen.
Tommy Miller, Mark Beevers, Frank Simek, Sean McAllister and Ettiene Esajas’ who hit a wonder strike all performed reasonably well enough to give Brian Laws food for thought ahead of the trip to Peterborough, the day could be a double celebration for Sean McAllister, it could see him combine his 22nd birthday with an Owls victory.
Jermaine Johnson is the man of the moment for the Owls at present, the Jamaican winger has managed three goals in his last two games which matches his entire tally for last season, the erratic but pacey 29 year old has come back looking a new man with poise in front of goal and an end product.
Darren Potter has already shown his ability in the first two games and has gone some way to justifying Brian Laws faith in the talented Scouser, he has been calmness personified so far this season.

Team News

Team (possible) : Grant, Buxton, Purse, Wood, Spurr; Esajas, Potter, McAllister, Gray; Johnson, Tudgay.

(Subs from) O’Donnell, Boden, Beevers, O’Connor, Simek, Jeffers, Miller, Oliver, Modest, Hinds.

Peterborough News

Posh host the Owls on Saturday after successfully overcoming Wycombe 4-0 at Adams Park in the week, that result showed that last weekend’s defeat at Derby was just teething problems.
The club have enjoyed an impressive rise up the table under boss Darren Ferguson with back to back promotions and with the financial backing of Chairman Darragh MacAnthony, chairman of MRI Overseas Property they have an healthy future.
Peterborough will be enjoying only their 3rd season in 2nd tier of English football, the club were originally allowed into the league in 1960 and have spent the majority of their times fluctuating between the bottom two divisions apart from a brief spell in Division One (Championship) in the mid 1990’s.

The Ground

Peterborough’s London Road stadium has been in use longer than the football club, the club were founded in 1934, some 21 years after the ground was first used, it currently holds 15,460 in total but due to ground regulations the official capacity is just over 14,000.
The ground has two standing areas, behind each goal, Wednesdayites will be on the Moyes End which holds around 3,600 along with a further 800 seats in the North Stand to our right, the two seating areas of London Road are the newer South Stand which holds around 5,000 and the opposite North Stand which can seat 4,000.
The club are looking at building a new 25,000 all seater stadium if their rise up the table continues, but plans are still at an early stage as it stands.

The Gaffer

Darren Ferguson is following in his famous father’s footsteps, the Scotsman has proved a dab hand at this management lark with back to back promotions in his first two full seasons at Peterborough. Although a talented footballer he never lived up to expectations, he came through the ranks at his father’s club Manchester United, making his debut in 1990, he appeared just 30 times for United in four years and it was with no surprise that in 1994 he moved on, Wolves paid ¼ of a Million pounds for his services, over the next five years he notched up nearly 150 appearances for the Molineux club as well as spending time on loan at Sparta Rotterdam.
In September 1999 Ferguson was allowed to move on to pastures new and found himself at Wrexham, Between 1999 and 2007 he played made more than 300 appearances, scoring over 50 goals and helping them win promotion to Division Two in 2003, he was part of the Wrexham side that beat the Owls 3-2 in August 2003 at Hillsborough and the following season when the Owls crashed home 4 unanswered goals. Ferguson also lifted the LDV Vans trophy for Wrexham after scoring the second goal in a 2-0 win over Southend.
He took is first foray into management when he replaced Keith Alexander at Peterborough in January 2007, it was initially as player-manager but he never made an appearance on the pitch and carefully built a solid and exciting side, their back to back promotions have borne testament to the philosophy Ferguson is employing.

Key Players

George Boyd

Midfielder Boyd is a dangerous opponent for sides; the 23 year old has a strike rate of around 1 in four in League football. The Kent born central midfielder has scored 32 goals in 127 games since his move to Peterborough for £260k on New Year ’s Day 2007, shortly after netting twice for The Boro against Aldershot.
Boyd began his career at Charlton’s academy but struggled to make the grade and dropped into non league football with Stevenage, he made his debut as a 17 year old in a 3-1 defeat by Margate, me made no further appearances for The Boro that season and had to wait until February 2004 to earn another chance, he made his full debut in March of the same year and netted his first goal away at Northwich.
The following campaign he was part of the Stevenage side that lost out on League football after play-off heartache with Hereford, Boyd scored twice and received the only red card of his career. It was the 2005/06 season which propelled him to attention of League managers, he netted 12 times for The Boro in 47 appearances. Boyd racked up a further 25 games during the first half the 2006/07 season finding the net on 10 occasions before Posh got their man.
Boyd played for England ‘C’ whilst at Stevenage but recently earned his first cap at B level for Scotland.

Squad Number 10

Joe Lewis

England under 21 custodian Joe Lewis is one the rising stars at Posh, the former Norwich City goalkeeper has been scouted heavily by Premier League clubs following the rapid rise through the leagues of Peterborough.
Lewis was a trainee at Norwich as a youngster but injuries at key periods seemed to ruin his chance of making an impact for the Canaries it was at the back end of the 2006/07 season when he finally made his league debut but it was for Stockport County as a loanee, he played 5 games for the Hatters keeping 3 clean sheets.
To gain further experience Lewis was loaned to Morecambe at the beginning of the 2007/08 season for six months, he kept five clean sheets for the Lancashire club in 19 league starts and they were 8th in the table when Peterborough made a £400k offer, Lewis had impressed in a recent game between the two sides and Darren Ferguson decided that he was the man to help them get promoted, he helped then 6th place Posh to secure second in the league and move up to League One, he was named in the Team of the Season, something that was repeated last season as Posh earned promotion for the second consecutive season.
Lewis has earned England honours at U21 level which bizarrely included an appearance outfield in a recent game against Azerbaijan, he also was called up to the full squad last season to train.

Squad Number 1

Aaron McLean

Londoner McLean joined the club initially on loan from Grays Athletic in October 2006, this was the second chance at League football for 23 year old McLean, he’d begun his career in East London with Leyton Orient but from his debut in 1999 he was restricted to just six starts in four years, he made some thirty-odd substitute appearances during this period however, he only found the net on three occasions.
On deadline day 2003 McLean dropped out of League football to join re-emerging Aldershot, he spent nearly two years with club making 69 appearances, he helped the Shots to reach the Conference play-offs in his first full season and netted in the final against Shrews but it wasn’t enough as they missed out on penalties, part way through the 2004/05 season he left the Shots to join Grays and he helped the Conference South club up at the first attempt.
The 2005/06 saw McLean in the headlines on the pitch as his goals helped the Thurrock club to the brink of promotion but once again the play-offs dealt them a cruel hand as Halifax won the semi-final 5-4 on aggregate.
Determined to help the club bounce back McLean plundered 13 goals in the first 16 games of the following season but they were to be his last for the Essex club as Keith Alexander decided to chance his arm, he brought McLean in on loan to Peterborough, the step was made to look ridiculously easy by McLean who netted times in 12 games before Posh made the move permanent for £150k. In total for Posh he played 120 games in all competitions and has found the net 57 times.

Squad Number 9

Craig Mackail-Smith

Mackail-Smith was the final member of the “£15m” trio to the club when he moved from Dagenham and Redbridge in January 2007.
A product of the St Albans ranks, he struggled to make an impact with the Hertfordshire club and scored just twice in 45 appearances before being released in the summer of 2003. He moved to another non-league side Arlesey Town for the 2003-04 season, the Bedfordshire club had notable success in the FA Trophy during the campaign, the Ryman League division two side beat higher opposition in Hayes and Dagenham & Redbridge, the latter would return to purchase Mackail-Smith who had netted 17 times in 54 appearances for The Blues.
The move to Dagenham proved successful for Mackail-Smith, he netted twelve goals in his debut season as the Daggers finished 11th in the Conference. The following season saw more of the same as the Daggers finished a place higher in 10th but Mackail-Smith got a goal less.
The 2006/07 was a break through season for the highly talented forward, he notched 14 goals upto his move to Peterborough and he went on to score another 9 for the Posh before the season was out, the move helped the Daggers as well who went on to win the Conference title, they were 13th when Mackail-Smith left. He hit 19 goals in 42 appearances for Posh as they won promotion from League Two and scored 26 last season to help them earn promotion to Championship.

Squad Number 12

Tommy Rowe

Livewire winger Rowe joined the club in May from Stockport County, the 20 year old being sold off to ease the financial difficulties that were encompassing the Cheshire club.
He began his career with Manchester United as a boy but found himself unable to make the grade at his hometown club so he developed through the academy at nearby Stockport. His debut for County came as a substitute in an FA Cup defeat to Watford in January 2007, he went on to make four more appearances that season for the Hatters.
The following year he clocked up 30 appearances for the club in all competitions as County got themselves out of the bottom tier via the play-offs, he netted six times during that campaign including a hat-trick at Rotherham. The following year he played 50 times for the club and notched seven goals and was linked with several moves away but no-one took the chance until Peterborough stepped in last May, he netted his first Posh goal in the midweek win at Wycombe.

Squad Number 14

Team News

Posh have no new injury concerns ahead of the clash.

Team (possible): Lewis, Morgan, Zakuani, Williams; Lee, Boyd, Keates, Coutts, Rowe; Mackail-Smith, McLean.

(Subs from) Martin, McKeown, Pearce, Diagouraga, Batt, Frecklington, Day, Crook, Mills, Gaughran, Green.

Head to Head

The Owls earned a late point when the two clubs last met at London Road nearly 5 years ago when Lee Bullen powered home a header from the edge of the box wiping out Clive Platt’s disputed 1st half strike. Shefki Kuqi was the Owls match winner the season previously when he nodded the games only goal on a scorching hot August day. This will be only the seventh competitive game between the sides at London Road and the first one played outside the third tier of the English game, it’s 2 wins apiece so far with the hosts earning 2 points for a 2-0 win in August 1978, following on from a 2-1 victory in February of the same year which completed a league double. Wednesday’s win in 2003 was their first there in 27 years; they won 2-1 in November 1976 thanks to two Tommy Tynan strikes. The only other meeting was a 2-2 draw in March 1976.

Overall at Peterborough:

Owls: 2
Draw: 2
Posh: 2

Final thoughts

Ohhhh the away madness is back, and I for one cannot wait, I love my away days and with the weather set fair this could be an away to remember if the Owls can manage to snap up three points

It won;t happen again

Wednesday defender Richard Wood has spoken about last weekend's events against Barnsley which resulted in the Owls throwing away a two goal lead.

After Jermaine Johnson and Michael Gray had put Wednesday two nil up and apparently coasting at the break, the Tykes made a dramatic comeback that was somewhat helped by the Owls decision to sit a little deeper in the second period.

Wood has said that it's something that the team aren't going to repeat.
'We played really well in the first half last Saturday - we need to work on what went wrong in the second half,' He told the Star.

'We have spoken about it. I don't think that will happen again. We just need to make sure we are solid; we have enough experience to be able to do that'

Wood said that the team fully expected to carry on the performance of the first half into the second but admits, they did relax a little.

'The mood of the lads was that it was going to happen again in the second half. Barnsley got a rollicking at half-time and upped their game. I think we coasted. It shouldn't happen. It changed the game when Barnsley scored.'

With London Road a tough place to go and get a result, this weekend will be a good yardstick in which to measure if the team have learned from the experience of last weekend.

50 years of the League Cup... WIN FINAL TICKETS

The 50th year of The Football League Cup begins this week with clubs from the Championship, League 1 and League 2 kicking off this season's Carling Cup.

To celebrate the competition's Golden Anniversary, The Football League is asking fans to nominate their favourite League Cup moments, with 50 pairs of tickets up for grabs for this season's Carling Cup Final. The League will reveal the all-time Top 50 League Cup moments in the lead-up to the match at Wembley Stadium on February 28.

Whether its Ben Foster's iPod inspired penalty heroics in last season's final, Ronnie Whelan's glorious curling winner for Liverpool in 1983, Dennis Tueart's stunning overhead kick for Manchester City in 1976 or Division Three Swindon Town's famous win over Arsenal in the Don Rogers Final of 1969, The League wants to hear your views. Supporters can send their special moment to leaguecup@football-league.co.uk.

Football League Chairman Lord Mawhinney said: 'Fifty years is an important milestone for The Football League's showpiece Cup competition. We look forward to celebrating this special anniversary across the season.

'More than 78 million fans have watched matches in the League Cup since 1960. We want those supporters to tell us their favourite highlight from the last five decades. These will underline the excellent football and excitement which have been the bedrock of the competition.

'The League Cup is essential to the financial welfare of English professional football. Through television revenue and gate receipts it generates the income that sustains the most developed professional football pyramid in the world game.'

For more information, visit - http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/New s/CarlingCupNews/0,,10794~1749249,00.html

BRING IT ON - POSH

Once agin we bring back one of the old features from the original version of the site, so I asked Posh fan Conor King to BRING IT ON!!!

After the first game of the season, do you think you have anything to fear from the Championship?

The first twenty minutes at Derby was awful, whether it was just us adjusting to the Championship or whether it was just us being slightly overwhelmed by the occassion, i'm not entirely sure. Derby played us off the park and we just didn't look like stopping them. We changed things slightly, and we were what we've been for the last 2 seasons, a strong attacking side. I think Derby will be one of the better sides in the League this season, and we gave as good as we got minus the first twenty, and definately deserved atleast 1 point so i'm not in fear of anyone or anything.

What do you expect from the Championship this season, where do you think you'll finish?

I expect a tough season for sure. There's a lot of teams capable of pushing for promotion and the play-offs so there is no way to predict who's going to get them. I think we'll manage to get a top half finish but i'd be content with mid-table. I think we've got a team capable of being up and challenging for playoffs, but as i said, its too hard to predict right now.

Do you expect one of your side to be a real star in the division this year?

Definately. People look towards Craig Mackail-Smith, Aaron McLean & George Boyd, and there is no doubting that they have talent and will be stars in the division, and maybe higher but i think Paul Coutts is the one who will really shine this year. He's got to be one of the best passers of the ball in this division, incredibly good vision and is just a very good central midfielder, its hard to believe he's so young!

Is there anyone else we should look out for on Saturday?

George Boyd definately. You can mark him out of the game using 4 players (Takes about that many!) if you wish too, but as soon as some-one switches off, he produces a moment of magic that's just unbelievable and more often than not, it leads to a good chance. He'll have a big say in the game.

Is there any side in the Championship you REALLY want to beat?

I wouldn't really say so. Obviously Newcastle & Middlesbrough are 'big' clubs, especially compared to someone like us who are rarely this high up the football league so it'd be nice to get one over them. Ipswich would be another i guess, just so we can claim bragging rights on being the best in East Anglia.

What do you know about Wednesday?

Marcus Tudgay. I know he's a massive threat and our defence is going to have to be on form. I've heard a lot about Tommy Spurr aswell, and i know he's highly rated amongst Wednesday fans. I've also heard a bit about your away support, so hopefully there will be an overall good atmosphere!

Where do you think we will finish?

I think you'll be pushing for the playoffs if i'm truely honest. Your frontline is very talented and you have a solid defence. Obviously Tudgay & Johnson will be key to your season so keeping them fit will be key. You've certainly got enough in you and i rate Brian Laws as a manager so i'm sure he'll get you top half at the very least.

Any team news?

We're only missing Chris Whelpale, he's a big player but Tommy Rowe who we signed from Stockport has looked good on the right so if he carries on performing we may be OK without Whelps for a bit. We've got a dilemma about who to play in central midfield but its a good dilemma rather than a bad one for a change!

Finally a score prediction?

I don't often like predicting scores, as i'm usually wrong! Our home form is often strong and the 4-0 win over Wycombe midweek will have been a confidece boost. We're not too disheartened about our defeat to Derby as we performed well. Wednesday obviously got a midweek boost aswell with a win over Rochdale so it'll be a close game. I'll say we'll steal it 2-1, just because we've got the home advantage but i wouldn't be surprised if it ended in a draw!

Thanks to Conor for his answers and you can visit him and some more of the Posh lot over at [b][u/]The Posh Forum[/u][/b]

We already have a Gerodie lined up for his answers ahead of the game up at Sid James... sorry St James Park next week, so look out for the next installment of BRING IT ON, next Tuesday.

Bish bash Posh

Brian Laws made just one change from the side that drew with Barnsley in the league last weekend with Sean McAllister getting the nod on his birthday in place of Francis Jeffers who missed the match due to family issues.

The Wednesday fans celebrated the first away game of the season by being in full voice in the terraces of London Road but it was the home side that started off the brightest.

Front two Mclean and Mackail-Smith linked up well early on but Mclean failed to get his shot off before Mclean missed another effort when he chipped over.

With just over 20 minutes on the clock it was Wednesday that took the lead courtesy of James O’Connors first goal for the club.
Johnson, who was pushed up front in the absence of Jeffers, won the header which fell to Tudgay who crossed deep to O’Connor who did extremely well to fire the Owls into the lead.

The game settled into a midfield battle with the occasional corner for both sides. With a minute to go before half time Peterborough Number 6 Charlie Lee went close through a header but he couldn’t find the target.

SWFC 1-0 PUFC

The second half started with chances for both sides.
Firstly Mackail-Smith went close after running down the right and then it was Jermaine Johnsons chance for an attack. Johnson controlled the ball before turning and shooting but Joe Lewis pushed the shot wide.

Soon after the scores were level thanks to a Mackail-Smith goal. Williams shoved the Wednesday defender off the ball before running down the left and providing a deep cross to Mackail-Smith who headed in at the back post.

From then on the game could have gone either way and it was Peterborough that went closest when Purse got in the way of a Boyd long range effort.

As the game went on it was becoming clear that there wouldn’t be a winner and that is how it finished.

SWFC 1-1 PUFC

Next up for the Owls is a midweek clash with Newcastle at St James’ Park.

Des in the team of the week.

Wednesday midfielder James O Connor has had quite a productive weekend, after scoring his first goal in Owls colours since his move to Hillsborough just over a year ago, the diminutive midfielder has been named in the Championship Team of the Week.

O Connor features in the side as the first Wednesday player so far this season to gain the accolade, produced by the Press Association, the Team of the Week features the eleven top performing players from each division from this weekend's matches.

To take a look at this week's team, click.. [b]HERE[/b]

Well done James from all us at Owlsonline.

Loanee to come in sooner rather than later.

After the game at Peterborough last weekend Manager Brian Laws refused to be pushed into announcing which striker he was looking to loan from a Premier League club, but he did say there would be talks on Sunday.

With the news that Leon Clarke will be missing through injury for a couple more weeks it has accelerated the plan somewhat. Runours of Jay Simpson and David Ngog amongst others are rife and it is hoped that any loanee will be moving to Hillsborough before Wednesday's trip to Newcastle this week.

Francis Jeffers continued his hokey cokey style part squad on Saturday, as he mysteriously was left out of the matchday 18. Laws said after the game it was due to a knock he received in training on Friday, whether will he be in the squad on Wednesday night only he knows.

We will bring you news of any incoming players as and when we get it.

BRING IT ON - Newcastle

It's the turn of the Geordies to Bring it on and for this edition we talk to Ken Waugh From Talk of the Tyne.

1) After the first�win of the season, do you think you have anything to fear from the Championship?

Yes, there's plenty of decent teams, West Brom are one of them and we managed a draw, very good result for the first game of the season. Reading, didn't really trouble us, but did have a couple of spells where they kept the ball and played good� passing football, could have had a a couple but thankfully we came up with the goods.� Point being, there's better sides than Reading and if we had nothing to fear we'd have 6 points already - will be a tough season I'm sure.
�
2) What do you expect from the Championship this season, where do you�think you'll�finish?

I'd like to think that we'd be automatic promotion but I''m pretty certain that won't happen, play-offs would be a good bet, depending if we can keep a squad together before the transfer windows slams shut.
�
3) Do you expect one of your side to be a real star in the division this year?

No, but I do expect to see Nile Ranger at some point, and possibly Lua-lua will make a name for himself.
�
4) Is there anyone else we should look out for on Wedneasday that we may not know about?

Shola I suppose, never thought I'd say it but he'll want to repeat his goals from Saturday, Gutierrez will be a handful but he hasn't really got the end product.
�
5) Is there any side in the Championship you REALLY want to beat?

Cardiff, team to beat in my opinion.
�
6) What do you know about Wednesday?

It's after Tuesday and before Thursday? Actually I know a fair bit about Shef Wed, did you know Kevin Pressmans sending off for handling Ketsbaia's shot is still the fastest sending off in league footy, 13 seconds if I remember rightly, 1999, RIP Sir Bobby...
�
7) Where do you think we will finish?

Behind us, defense is worse than ours - I think!
�
8) Any team news?

Duff's gone, Barton should start after his foot injury isn't as bad as thought, unsure about our back four, Taylor and Colocinni both mooted to leave sharpish, if not, expect the same line up as the Reading game,

9) Finally a score prediction?

Sorry lad's going with 2-0 to us, hope you have a great night and well done on selling out, shame the trains decided that return times are fucked� up, anyone fancy a beer, get yourselves to The Gate and Bar Beyond, all welcome.
�

Thanks To Ken..you can visit him at http://Talkofthetyne.com

Mags up next for Owls

The Owls embark on their toughest test of the season to date when they face Newcastle United at St James’s Park on Wednesday.
Wednesday have 2 points from a possible six and are looking to get into that winning habit early in the campaign, Newcastle have picked up two more points than the Owls and expect to be in the mix come the end of the season with the quality of players they have.

Owls News

Brian Laws welcomes back Franny Jeffers to the squad after the former England man missed last weekend’s game at Peterborough with ankle trouble, the 1 cap wonder could be thrust straight back into the Wednesday line-up with Jermaine Johnson taking his natural place on the right side of midfield instead of Sean McAllister.
Darren Purse and Richard Wood look set to continue in central defence after an improved showing at Posh, Frankie Simek comes into contention at full back with Lewis Buxton looking most under threat although I wouldn’t rule out Tommy Spurr making way for this one.
Tommy Millers’ impressive stint as sub at weekend could see him brought in if the Owls adapt formations, either as support to Tudgay or to quell the threat of the midfield trio of Alan Smith, Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton.
James O’Connor and Darren Potter are expected to retain their places, Etienne Esajas will be chomping at the bit for a start as he provides a creative outlet for Wednesday.
Brian Laws search for that elusive front man is also dragging on and the Owls will be hoping to conclude a deal for the mystery man before the weekend but this is Wednesday and we’ve heard during an injury crisis for about the last three years or so.

Team News

Team (possible) : Grant, Simek, Purse, Wood, Spurr; Johnson, Potter, O’Connor, Gray; Jeffers, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Boden, Beevers, McAllister, Buxton, Hinds, Miller, Esajas, Modest.

Newcastle News

Shambles”, “comedy club”, “laughing stock” are just some of the adjectives being thrown in the direction of Newcastle United over the past 12 months or so, the club, one of the best supported in the country when things are going well, seem to be capitulating from within and that according to the Geordie masses is the fault of one man, owner Mike Ashley.
The businessman acquired his first shares in the club when snapped up Sir John Hall’s 41.6% in May 2007, he quickly followed this up by buying out Freddie Shepherd the following month leaving a total buy out in his grasp, £134m is the price Ashley paid to purchase Newcastle Football club, lock stock and barrel, as well as pay off some debts at a further cost to himself.
He was initially welcomed by the fans as they had grown tired of Freddie Shepherd and his contempt for the fans, and his popularity soared when he re-appointed Kevin Keegan as manager in January 2008 but this was quickly soured by the decision to also bring in Dennis Wise as Director of Football (chortle, chortle), Keegan himself felt undermined by Wise’s arrival and interference, and barely seven months into his return he resigned, the clubs transfer policies were the reason behind it, James Milner sold to Villa without Keegans’ knowledge and players brought in by Wise like Sebastien Bassong were cited as a part of the problem.
The fans protested against the “Cockney mafia” they felt were ruining the club, the likes of Wise, Ashley and Derek Llambias (Managing director) all came under fire and prompted Ashley to declare the club up for sale, the club remains in limbo to this day.

The Ground

St James’ Park is one of the best stadiums this country has to offer and is the third largest in England that hosts club games, with only the Emirates and Old Trafford surpassing the 52,387 capacity of the stadium.
The ground can trace its football roots back to 1880 but became Newcastle United’s home in 1892, when the now defunct Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End merged to form the new club.
The grounds four main stands are the Leazes End (officially named the Sir John Hall stand), the Milburn Stand, the East Stand which is the smallest of the four stands, and the Gallowgate End (officially the Newcastle Brown Ale stand). The Gallowgate End is famous in football circles and used to be stronghold for Toon Army back in the days of standing terraces.
Wednesdayites will be located in upper level of the Leazes End. This location has attracted criticism due to the poor view offered by being so far from the pitch due the height of the stand, and the 14 flights of stairs to reach the upper level, we have been given around 2,800 tickets for the clash although from reading some forums a few of our lot will be in the home end.

The Gaffer

Chris Hughton is currently taking charge of team affairs at St James’ Park, the London born former Irish International made a name for himself as a full back for Tottenham, from 1977 he clocked up over 300 appearances for the White Hart Lane club in 13 years, he then spent two years with West Ham and one with Brentford before retiring through injury at just 34.
Hughton was a full Republic of Ireland international clocking up over 50 caps, he was the first black player to represent to the country when he made his debut in 1979, Hughton missed on the Irish’s great run in the 1990 world cup when former Owl Chris Morris got the nod ahead of him.
In 1993 he was invited onto the Spurs coaching staff, he fulfilled various roles over the next 14 years including twice being caretaker manager, he was sacked along with likeable Dutchman Martin Jol after a UEFA Cup defeat to Getafe.
In February 2008 Dennis Wise part of the “cockney mafia” said to be ruining Newcastle appointed Hughton as first team coach, he was then appointed caretaker manager in September 2008 following Keegans resignation a role he fulfilled again in February this year when temporary manager Joe Kinnear was taken ill, he had six games in charge but that yielded just one win leaving no choice but to appoint Geordie “messiah” Alan Shearer to save the Magpies from the drop, unfortunately he couldn’t do so and the Mags are playing second tier football for the first time in 16 years. Hughton was re-appointed caretaker manager over the summer following a decision to sell the club by Ashley, he guided them to a 3-0 win over Reading at weekend.

Key Players

Steven Taylor

Defensive lynchpin Taylor is one the few remaining heroes of St James’ Park, the London born centre half moved to the North East as a youngster and is revered as a home grown player.
He was just 17 when he made his full debut whilst on loan at Wycombe, and over the next month racked up six games for the club, He was a very popular player at Wycombe, having a large influence despite his youth and limited number of appearances.
In March 2004 he made his debut for Newcastle as a substitute in a 3-0 UEFA cup win away at RCD Mallorca, he went on to make his full debut the following game away at Bolton but that was his final action in a Newcastle shirt until late 2004 mainly due to injury. Taylor achieved cult status with the home fans in April 2005 when he blocked a shot with his hand on the line and promptly rolled around holding his chest like he’d been shot, thankfully the referee had seen the incident and Taylor was dismissed and Villa awarded a penalty, his histrionics weren’t the highlight of that game though, that was left to Bowyer and Dyer who had an on pitch battle with each other.
Over the last four seasons Taylor has found himself integral to the Newcastle rearguard and has amassed over 120 appearances for the club netting nine goals, he has also been capped at both U21 and B level for England.

Squad Number 27

Kevin Nolan

Former England U21 international Nolan left Bolton last January to join the Geordies in a £4m deal, that ended his 10 years at the Reebok Stadium.
Liverpool born Nolan was signed as a 16 year old and made his debut in the 1999-00 season for the club by Sam Allardyce, he went on to make 35 appearances for the Trotters the following season as they won promotion back to the Premier League via the play-offs.
Kevin was a virtual ever-present for the Trotters during the last 8 seasons and weighed in with a fair few goals from midfield netting 47 times in over 300 appearances for the club, including a winner at Old Trafford, his goals helped catapult Wanderers into Europe on two occasions and saw Nolan on the verge of an England cap at full level to add to his u21 appearances.
Squad Number 4

Shola Ameobi

Striker Ameobi has been with the club for 14 years as man and boy, his family settled in the North-East following a move from Nigeria when Shola was just five years old and in 1995 he was signed up to the Newcastle United junior ranks.
His first team debut came in September 2000 at home to Chelsea as a 19 year old, he netted his first goal in January the following year against Coventry and followed it up a week later in a 3-1 win against Leeds. The 2001/02 season saw Shola make 22 appearances, mainly as a substitute and netted 5 goals but none of them were in the league, 3 of them were in European competition, the other two came in the League Cup. The next four seasons saw Ameobi make 94 starts and 62 substitute appearances for the Magpies and in that spell he netted 34 goals.
A long standing hip injury curtailed the 2006/07 season for the striker with just 13 appearances and five goals to show for his early season efforts, he even made the last three games of that campaign following successful surgery. The appointment of Sam Allardyce did Shola no favours and in the 2007/08 season he made just 4 starts and 4 substitute appearances for the Magpies, he failed to find the net. On March 27th he moved to Stoke on loan but looked short of fitness and hunger, he was sent back after a month with 3 starts and a further 3 subsitute appearances, again he failed to net.
Last season was frustrating for the striker, he managed just 22 appearances and scored four times for the Magpies as they slid towards the drop, this season he has found the net three times, with a hat-trick against Reading secure the Mags first win of the season.

Squad Number 23

Steve Harper

Goalkeeper Harper has spent almost all his career at St James’ Park but it is only now at the age of 34 that he is the full time recognised number 1, he got his chance when Shay Given was sold to Man City las January. Easington born Harper joined the Toon in 1993 but it wasn’t until the 1998/99 season that he made his debut for the Geordies and capped that campaign with an appearance in the FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United.
Shay Given was the reason that Harper had his first team appearances restricted and over the last ten years Harper has amassed just 117 appearances for the Geordies, the majority of which have come in the last 3 years, his best appearances record to date comes from the 2006/07 season when he made 25 starts for the club.
Harper has spent time out on loan to Hartlepool, Bradford and Huddersfield earlier in his career.

Squad Number 1

Team News
New loanee Danny Simpson looks set for his debut but whether he starts will depend on the apparent sale of Coloccini with Espanyol leading the chase.
Team (possible): Harper, R Taylor, S Taylor, Coloccini, Enrique; Smith, Barton, Nolan, Gutierrez; Ameobi, Carroll.

(subs from) Krul, Geremi, Xisco, Simpson. LuaLua, Ranger, Donaldson, Kadar.

Head to Head

Wednesday were thoroughly destroyed the last time they played at St James Park nearly 10 years ago as Alan Shearer ran riot with 5 goals in a 8-0 thrashing of the hapless Owls, that game should have seen the end of Danny Wilson’s reign but unfortunately didn’t. You have to go back to 1996 for the last Wednesday win at St James’s Park when Peter Atherton and Guy Whittingham netted for Owsl who came from a goal down (Shearer, who else) to secure a 2-1 win and secure Wednesdays position as league leaders.
The last meeting between the clubs at this level ended up being a home win for the Geordies thanks to a fortuitous Kevin Brock goal in April 1991, just four days before our trip to Wembley. Our last win at this level against the Magpies came back in 1984 as Gary Shelton’s overhead kick won it for the Yellows.

Overall at Newcastle:

Owls: 13
Draw: 9
Toon: 40

Final thoughts

A return to St James’ Park for the first time in a decade is not the most appealing of trips to yours truly, I was there last time and the scars are still visible, however this represents a good chance for the Owls to get something from the game as the Mags are still in some sort of turmoil and uncertainty with players still not sure on their futures.

Varney to come back to S6?

Once again we suffered through not having a striker in the defeat to Newcastle, it has been said a loanee would be in before last night. Everyone who was at the game last night will say we desperately need a striker, for a start Marcus Tudgay needs some help!

Well the player linked with a move to Wednesday is Luke Varney, the Derby striker who spent a month on loan at the end of last season is being tipped to move back to Hillsborough according to the Derby Telegraph.
Varney finds himself still down the pecking order at Pride Park, Rob Hulse, Kris Commons and Steve Davies are all thought to be infront of Varney despite the latter two not being orthodox strikers.

It is suggested by the Telegraph that Varney will join inicially on a months loan, which suggests it could become a permenant deal or at least a extended lengthy loan spell at S6 for the former Charlton striker who has only started 10 games for the Rams since former gaffer, Paul Jewell, brought the striker from the Valley.

It is expected that Brian Laws will make a decision on a triallist that has been training with the Owls this week, the striker is thought to be a Premier League player who has lost his way in recent years and is looking to revitalise his career. But he is also said to be interesting at least one other Championship club.
As always any news will be brought to you as we get it.

Varney is BACK

Luke Varney has penned a loan deal that sees him rejoin the Owls on loan until January 1st 2010.
The Derby striker has been out of favour at Pride Park since he joined the club from Charlton in November 2008, along with some untimely injuries his chances have been limited.

So with Wednesday's striking options very short at the moment Brian Laws swooped to sign the 26 year old until next year.

Of course we had him last season where he featured in four games during the run in and scored twice, Varney is to be thrown straight into the matchday squad for tomorrow's game against Scunthorpe at Hillsborough. Also to boost Laws' options Akpo Sodje is also thought to be fit enough to be named in the squad to face the Iron.

Speaking to the club's official website manager Brian Laws was overjoyed at the chance to re sign Varney, he said:
'I am delighted that Luke Varney has agreed to join us on loan for the rest of the calendar year. He showed our supporters last season that he is a very capable player at this level who can create opportunities and score goals.
'Luke's energy and endeavour was something that really impressed me last season. He never stops running and will certainly give opposition defenders plenty to worry about in the Championship.'

With a win high on the agenda this weekend, we may just see a bit more goal threat from the Owls as we look to avenge our defeat to the Iron the last time they visited S6 a couple of seasons back as they took all three points back to Glanford Park.

Good luck during your time with the Owls Luke, let's hope you get off to a flying start this weekend.

Iron task for Owls

Wednesday’s second home league fixture of the season sees Nigel Adkins bring his Scunthorpe side along the M180 in a game that will mean a lot to many Scunthorpe fans, some are still upset that current Owls boss Brian Laws ended his ten year association with the club to replace Paul Sturrock.
United are set to bring an above average following to S6 with around 1,500 tickets sold in advance of the game and a few hundred more expecting to pay on the gate for this category B game, the prices for visitors are £18 adult and £10 concessions/OAP.

Owls News
The Owls search for the elusive loan striker was concluded ahead of the weekend with the news that Luke Varney had agreed a half season loan with the club and he comes straight into contention.
Brian Laws has been given a timely boost with the news that Akpo Sodje is also available for the first time this campaign although the powerhouse striker may have to settle with a place on the bench for the visit of the Iron.
Brian Laws has been fairly positive about his sides performances so far this season so he may be loathed to make too many changes, I do expect Jermaine Johnson to revert back to his natural role on the wing with Luke Varney partnering Tudgay up front, Sean McAllister maybe the one to give way.
Defensively I don’t see the Owls changing things too much but both Frankie Simek and Mark Beevers will be champing at the bit to make their first league starts of the campaign.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Buxton, Purse, Wood, Spurr; Johnson, Potter, O’Connor, Gray; Varney, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Boden, Beevers, McAllister, Simek, Hinds, Miller, Esajas, Sodje, Jeffers.

Scunthorpe News

Scunny made a triumphant return to the Championship at the first attempt by beating Millwall 3-2 May’s play-off final.
The club were formed 1899 but weren’t elected to the Football League until 1950 when the league expanded, they spent six seasons in the 2nd tier of English football from 1958 to 1964, that was to be their only time outside the bottom two divisions until their promotion back to the second tier in 2007.
The Iron notched up their first league win of the season last Saturday when they beat Derby County 3-2 at Glanford Park but they were brought back down to earth in midweek when Middlesbrough won 2-0, the Iron also lost their only away game of the season on the opening day when they were hammered 4-0 in the first ever league fixture at the new Cardiff City stadium.

The Gaffer

Nigel Adkins stepped into the managers role at Glanford Park in November 2006 following current Owls’ boss Brian Laws’ decision to accept the Wednesday job, he was previously physio at the club, he was appointed as caretaker but this was made permanent a month later after an impressive start.
Adkins continued Brian Laws’ work at the Lincolnshire club and gained the Iron promotion to the second tier for the first time since 1964, despite a brave effort the Iron were ultimately relegated back to League One, by a strange quirk of fate it was Wednesday who relegated them, a fine volley from Tommy Spurr late on at Hillsborough gave the Owls a point that moved them out of the grasp of Scunny.
Adkins worked hard over last season and found the perfect replacement for departed top scorer Martin Paterson when he brought in Gary Hooper from Southend, who’s goals helped fire the Iron into the top six, they couldn’t beat MK Dons over two legs of the play-off semi final in normal play and needed the brilliance of Joe Murphy in the shoot-out to see them through to final, it was their second visit to Wembley that season as they had lost to Luton in the Johnstone Paints Trophy.
As a player Adkins had a fairly undistinguished career, he made over 200 appearances for Wigan and Tranmere during the 80’s and early 90’s, he is arguably the most successful former goalkeeper managing in the English game at the moment.
Key Players

Gary Hooper

Striker Gary Hooper joined the club from Southend in the summer of 2008 for a reputed £125k fee.
Hooper began his career with then Isthmian Premier side Grays Athletic, in the 2003–04 season, being named as an unused substitute in an Essex Senior Cup clash against Braintree Town whilst he was still 15 years old. His debut was the following season when Grays were promoted into the newly formed Conference South, helping them to win the league scoring 12 goals in his 29 league appearances. The following 2005–06 season in the Conference National, Hooper scored 8 times in 40 league appearances.
In the summer of 2006 he went on trial with Southend United, he impressed Steve Tilson enough to earn a 1 year deal, he mainly appeared for the Shrimpers as a substitute during the 2006/07 season, but managed to net twice in a league cup win at Leeds, he spent the back end of the season at Leyton Orient on loan, scoring twice in four appearances.
The following season again saw Hooper struggle to make the breakthrough with Southend but a loan spell at Hereford showed his capabilities, he helped the Bulls to promotion by firing 11 goals in just 19 games for the Edgar Street club, this alerted Nigel Adkins to his talents and he brought him to club last summer, he scored 30 goals in all competitions last year for the Iron and has two in four this season.
Squad Number 10

Martyn Woolford

Woolford was the Iron hero during the play-off final when he netted an 85th minute winner to cap an impressive first season in League football for the Pontefract born midfielder.
Woolford began his career with Glasshoughton Welfare before moving onto Frickley Athletic in 2005, he had been rejected by Barnsley, Bradford and Doncaster as a youngster, he scored 14 goals in his first season for Frickley.
In the summer of 2006 he had an unsuccessful trial with Stockport County before he made a move to York City on the 31st of August 2006, he played 45 times for the Minsterman in his first season netting eight goals, the following year he notched 57 appearances during which he scored 17 times earning him his England ‘C’ debut.
He joined Scunthorpe for a reputed six figure sum in August 2008, he contributed to the Irons success with seven goals in 52 appearances, he has played every game this season and netted the winner against Derby to secure Scunny’s first three points of the season.
Squad Number 16

Rob Jones

Centre half Jones is a colossus of a man, he stands at 6ft7 tall, he recently joined the club for an undisclosed club record fee.
Stockton born Jones began his career with Gateshead but finally made a break into league football at the age of 23 when he signed for Stockport for £5,000, he made his full debut on the opening day of the 2003/04 season he made 19 appearances for the club netting twice, he also had a injury hit loan spell at Macclesfield where he made a solitary appearance.
In the summer of 2004 he joined Grimsby Town on a free transfer, his first season at Blundell Park was not a success for Jones he made just 20 starts for the Mariners and two sub appearances however the following season was a stark contrast as he amassed 48 appearances including the play-off final which Grimsby lost to Cheltenham.
His performances during the 05/06 season alerted Hibernian and he moved north of the border in the summer of 2006, over the next three years Jones notched up 116 appearances for the Easter Road club and captained the club to their first silverware in 16 years when they won the 2007 Scottish League Cup, he also found the net on 14 occasions during his time at Hibs.

Squad Number 12

Joe Murphy

Goalkeeper Murphy is in his fourth season at Glanford Park, he was brought to the club by current Owls boss Brian Laws following his release from Sunderland
Irish international Murphy began his career at Tranmere but found the imposing figure of Dutchman John Achterberg in his way as he sought to earn the number 1 spot, Murphy did rack up 75 appearances for the Birkenhead club over three seasons but ultimately the battle was won by Achterberg when Murphy joined West Brom in 2002.
Unfortunately for Murphy he struggled to make a break through with Albion and made just 4 starts and 2 sub appearances for the Baggies in three seasons, he was loaned out to nearby Walsall during the 2004/05 campaign where he made 27 appearances for the Saddlers. He left Albion in the summer of 2005 to join Sunderland, another move that didn’t work for Murphy, he left the club after just one season without a single appearance to his name, he did however get first team action out on loan at Walsall during the 2005/06 season.
Murphy has notched over 150 games for the Iron during the last three years and is highly rated amongst his peers.
Squad Number 1

Team News
Micheal O’Connor could miss out with injury, Josh Wright is likely to fill the gap, trialist Simon Walton may get offered a short term at Scunthorpe and could come into the reckoning for the game.

Team (possible): Murphy, Byrne, Williams, Spence, Jones; McCann, Sparrow, Woolford, Wright; Hayes, Hooper.

(subs from) Morris, Forte, Thompson. Togwell, Canavan, Lillis, Mirfin, May, Walton, O’Connor

Head to Head

Wednesday have only met the Iron twice in league competition at S6, the first back in 1959, goals from Jim McAnearney and Derek Wilkinson secured the points for the Owls who ended that season as champions. The last meeting was less than two years ago, Deon Burton’s penalty had put the Owls in front but a quickfire response from Martin Paterson levelled things before the prolific Paterson netted a second to earn the Iron all three points.
There has been four other meetings between the two clubs at S6 over the years, Scunny won twice in the FA Cup, once in 1970 2-1 and on penalties in 2003 after a goalless draw. Wednesday avenged that 1970 defeat by knocking out the Iron in 1978, Ian Nimmo netting the winner. The only other game came in 2004 as two goals apiece from Mark Robins and Adam Proudlock booked Wednesday’s place In the LDV Vans trophy final (North).

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 3
Draw: 1
Irons: 2

Final thoughts

A game that on paper should be straight forward but football is played on grass not paper and the Iron will be as tough as any other league we have faced this season, Nigel Adkins brings his well drilled and dangerous side to S6 hoping to repeat the victory of two years ago, Wednesday must come out of the traps flying and earn a vital first 3 points of the season.

BRING IT ON - SCUNTHORPE

For this edition of Bring it on we speak to John from Iron-Bru.net about Scunthorpe United and their chances this season and for tomorrows game at Hillsborough..

Now the season is underway, do you think you have anything to fear from the Championship, or do you think you will hold your own?

Think we may just hold our own this time round , better squad then last time although the defence looks a bit weak still and we could do with another right back and left back

What do you expect this season? Where do you think you will finish come next May?

I expect to see some good games and so far I'm not dissappointed !! Anywhere above 21st please , realistically about where we are now 15th if we can win at home and pick a few points up on our travels , wouldnt mind doing a Burnley though !!!

Is there one of your squad who you think will really shine in this division?

One ? i think a few can , Hooper & Hayes obviously , O'Conner looks good and probaly can also Mirfin & Murphy if he sorts his kicking out

Who are the others in your squad who we should look out for tomorrow?

All the above , doubt if Mirfin will play he's been injured and O'Conner took a knock on Tuesday so he's a doubt , Josh Wright looks good , he'll be one to watch if he plays , Hooper he'll score at least one if he gets 10 chances

Which side in the Championship do you really want to beat above all others? Why is that?

Doncaster Rovers nearest to a local Derby oh and you lot !!!

What can you tell us about Wednesday other than Brian Laws and Richard Hinds?

Not much went a few times in the 80s when my brother was at Uni in Sheffield when the kop was an open stand , Imre Varadi seems to ring a bell also didnt he score a goal nearly every two games for Wednesday ? saw him a few times

How do you think we will do this season?

Not sure at present , if you have a couple of decent strikers you could finish in the play offs , if not just outside

Any team news from the Iron?

Mirfin probably wont play & O'connor doubtful , Spence (on loan from West Ham) will play right back

Finally a score prediction?

Owls 1 Utd 2 , I have to say that dont I!!

Thanks to John, you can get onto the Scunny lot if you CLICK HERE and pay a visit to Iron-Bru.net.

The Iron suffer a deficiency as the Owls secure their first win of the season.

Brian Laws made one change from the side that narrowly lost to Newcastle in mid-week with new on loan striker Luke Varney making his return to Hillsborough.
This allowed Johnson to revert to his favoured wing position.

The Owls were in charge from the first minute to the last and it took less than 5 minutes for them to take the lead.
Tommy Spurr headed back into the box from a deep corner which Richard Wood met first and the centre back headed it into the back of the net.
This was after Varney had already had 2 chances that went close and it was his effort that won the corner from which we scored.

With little over 10 minutes gone Wednesday doubled their lead when Johnson struck his 4th of the season. This came after more good work from Varney down the right wing before he pulled it back across the box which fell to Johnson to hammer it home.

Varney was again involved in which should have been the third goal of the afternoon but Owls captain Darren Purse shot wide from close range when he should have done better.

Luke Varney went close himself when he ran clean through but Murphy pulled off one of the afternoons many fine saves.

The chances kept on coming and Wood went close to getting his second but he was heroically blocked by Rob Jones. That was the end of the match for Jones who left the pitch on a stretcher with a neck brace on. Scunthorpes record signing was soon rushed to hospital and was apparently unresponsive even after he’d been put in the ambulance.

There were still more chances to come and O’Connor and Purse went close before Tudgay made it 3-0 from another corner.

Half Time – SWFC 3-0 SUFC

The Irons most notable chance was just after the restart when Matt Sparrow was blocked by captain Purse but their attacks left them open at the back which allowed Varney to break again but Murphy pulled off another save.

Just before the hour mark Wednesday scored their last goal of the game when Darren Potter smashed in a loose ball that fell after Tudgay had shot.

Before Varney was substituted he had another chance but once again Murphy came out on top.

Laws made all three changes in quick succession with Esajas, Miller and Jeffers coming on to replace Johnson, O’Connor and Varney.

As the clock ticked down Wednesday were allowed to keep hold of the ball and see out an easy 4-0 win.

Full Time SWFC 4-0 SUFC

(Wouldn’t we all like to see that written again this season)

Next up for the Owls is a Carling Cup clash against League 2 side Port Vale on Tuesday night.

Vale-d threat for Wednesday

Wednesday face a tough task in the second round of the League Cup tomorrow night when they take on League Two club Port Vale, the Owls travel to Staffordshire hoping to foil Vale’s attempt of a Sheffield “double”.
Wednesday fans will be hoping for a cup run at long last, we’ve only reached the 3rd Round once in the last seven seasons, the financial boost of such a run cannot be stressed enough for clubs like ourselves and Vale.
Owls News
Brian Laws will have been delighted with his teams performance at the weekend as they demolished a poor looking Scunthorpe, Luke Varney came in and did very well on debut but will be missing as he’s cup tied after appearing for Derby at Rotherham.
Tommy Miller, Mark Beevers, Frank Simek, Sean McAllister, Ettiene Esajas, Francis Jeffers and Akpo Sodje all look set to be given a run out for the 2nd round tie with Vale as Brian Laws shuffles his pack, it will a welcome return for Sodje who left Vale in August 2007 to join Wednesday and will be hoping his injury nightmare is behind him.

Team News

Team (possible) : Grant, Simek, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Esajas, Potter, McAllister, Miller; Sodje, Jeffers.

(Subs from) O’Donnell, Boden, Tudgay, Clarke, O’Connor, Buxton, Johnson, Oliver, Modest.

Port Vale News

Vale beat our cross city rivals United to set up this clash, winning 2-1 at the Sty thanks to a Marc Richards brace, it was a bittersweet moment for Vale boss Micky Adams.
The Burslem based club are currently mid-table in League 2, with 5 points from 4 games, they are unbeaten at home this season so far and beat Darlington 1-0 at the weekend.

The Ground

Vale Park has been home to the club since 1950 and is all seater, the current capacity is circa 19k. The Owls will be in the Phones4U Stand, where the view and facilities located on the concourse behind the stand are good. Even a relatively small number of away fans can really make some noise from this stand, as the acoustics are excellent. However, the slope is quite shallow, which might affect your view should a tall person be seated in front. Normally though, you could still move to another seat if necessary, the away stand holds 4,500 but around a 3rd of that are expected to travel.

The Gaffer

Sheffield-born Micky Adams is the current Vale boss, the self confessed Blade will be looking to get one over a side he has hated since being a young boy. Adams as a manger has been at a few clubs, he actually started with Fulham in 1996 and saved them from the drop out of the league before being unceremoniously dumped in favour of Kevin Keegan.
He then moved onto Swansea but 13 days and three games later he walked out citing financial issues as the reason for his decision to quit. He was then appointed Brentford’s boss replacing Eddie May but despite his best efforts couldn’t save the club from the drop and when the club was bought out Chairman Ron Noades replaced Adams with himself.
After a short break Adams joined up with Dave Bassett at Nottingham Forest, and he took charge for one game following Bassetts sacking.
In April 1999 he took over at Brighton, he guided the club to 11th in his first full season before helping them to win the league in his second.
The lure of Leicester proved too much for Adams and he again linked with Bassett in October 2001, he and Bassett struggled to keep the Foxes in the top flight and following their relegation Adams was promoted to the role of manager, he helped the Foxes back to the top flight in his first season as boss as they finished 2nd. The Foxes came straight back down and after a difficult start to the 2004/05 season Adams resigned.
In January 2005 he took over at Coventry and saved them from the drop during that season, they then went on to finish 8th the following campaign before a poor run of results in 2006/07 saw him leave the club.
He took the job at Vale in May 2009.

Key Players

Chris Martin

Goalkeeper Chris Martin is the current No1 at Vale Park following an injury to the more established Joe Anyon in March of this year.
Martin made his first team debut for the club in April 2008 in a 6-0 hammering at Swindon, he made 1 further appearance that season. He made three appearances last year as cover for Anyon before being given a chance following Anyon’s broken leg in the defeat away at Chesterfield.
Anyon’s slow recovery from the injury has seen Martin remain the clubs number 1 and he was described as “brilliant” in the win over Sheffield United in the previous round.

Squad Number 12

John McCombe

Wednesdayite John McCombe is in his second season with Vale following a move from Hereford in 2008, the Pontefract born centre half had begun his career with Huddersfield Town and made his debut in May 2003 as a substitute, he had to wait over a year for next appearance and really struggled to make it into the Terriers team, he left the club in 2007 after just 14 games.
He moved to Edgar Street to join Hereford United in the summer of 2007 and his performances helped the club to promotion, he made 23 league starts for the Bulls but after a high profile blunder late in the game with Chester he found himself frozen out of the first team picture, Graham Turner decided not to renew McCombes contract leaving the player searching for a club.
Lee Sinnott the then Vale boss had been a team mate of McCombe back in their days at Huddersfield and offered him a two year contract with Vale, he made 34 appearances for Vale last season netting twice and has played in every game this year.
His older brother Jamie plays in the Championship for Bristol City.

Squad Number 5

Marc Richards

Marc Richards came through the ranks at Blackburn Rovers but only made one appearance, in the League Cup, his footballing education came via the loan system, he had spells at Crewe, Oldham, Halifax and Swansea whilst under contract at Rovers, he netted 7 in 17 for the Swans and looked to be earning a permanent move but following his release from Ewood Park in 2003 his chosen destination was Northampton.
He struggled to initially make an impact with the Cobblers and it took 29 games for him to register his first league goal for the club, but he still managed 11 goals in all competitions as the Cobblers lost out to Mansfield in the play-offs. The 2004/05 season was one of frustration for Richards as a serious knee injury restricted him to just 19 appearances, including a 5 game loan spell at Rochdale.
He moved to Barnsley on a short term deal following his release from Northampton in the summer of 2005 and he helped the Tykes back into the second tier of English football after a four year absence with 12 league goals in 48 games, the dismissal of Tykes chief Andy Ritchie in late 2006 coincided with the end of Richards Oakwell career, new boss Simon Davey looked to offload him during the Janauary 2007 transfer window but Richards refused to initially move to Port Vale, he did join the Vale Park club in the summer of that year, he has appeared 71 for the Valiants netting 20 times.

Squad Number 9

Team News

Team (possible): Martin, Yates, Collins, McCombe, Owen; Loft, K Taylor, Fraser, R Taylor; Richards, Dodds.

(Subs from) Horsfield, Jorgensen, Lawrie, Stockley, Griffith, Lloyd-Weston, Thompson
Head to Head

The Owls secured a 2-0 victory the last time the clubs met back in December 2004, goals from JP McGovern and Kenwyne Jones secured the Owls their first win at Vale Park since 1955 and exacted some sort of revenge for the 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Vale the season previously.
Wednesday don’t have a great record against Vale with just 3 wins in 14 games, the hosts have won 8 and 3 others ended up level.
The clubs have never met in the League Cup before and have just 1 meeting in the FA Cup which the Owls won 2-0 in 1937.

Overall at Port Vale:

Owls: 3
Draw: 3
Vale: 8

Final thoughts

A potential banana skin for Wednesday against a Port Vale side determined to add to the scalp of our cross city rivals. Micky Adams will have side up for this tie and to earn the rewards of a “glamour tie” Wednesday will have to show the sort of respect they offered to Rochdale in the previous round.

Bring it On - Port Vale

So once again we speak to a fan of the opposition, who are of course Port Vale tonight in the second round of the Carling Cup.
The Valiants beat our neighbours in the first round of course, so they will be keen to knock us out as well.. With their gaffer being of the Blunt persuasion!

We spoke to Burt from Onevalefan.co.uk about Port Vale, tonight's game and of course, the mighty Owls.

1) After knocking our neighbours out of the competition, have you continued your form?

After the brilliant night at Brammall Lane we failed to score in the next two league games, both away - drawing 0-0 at Bradford (a creditable performance and result) and a poor 2-0 defeat away at Macclesfield, where Vale never really got going and were second best throughout with a Vale following of over 2,000. However, we won our first 3 points of the season with a 1-0 against Darlington, with an improved performance from Tuesday night at Macclesfield.

2) What do you think your club can achieve this season?

It's a building process really, hopefully Micky Adams will have the full backing of the board and he will continue to bring in useful players (given money who knows who he could bring in!). I think most Valiants would settle for a mid-table finish, some maybe expecting a little more. I think this time next year we could be more realistically be talking about promotion after seeing what squad Adams has assembled.

3) With your rivals in a different division, would they have been the ideal choice to draw in the cup?

Mixed response from Vale fans for this one. Personally I would have loved it, not having seen a local derby since supporting the club (01/02). Some feel to maintain our pride and good results against the Potters it would be better to wait until the two sides are more evenly matched;however, Stoke fans on the oatcake forum seemed to dread the idea, as they would have everything to lose, and would be expected to win.

4) Is there one player who we should look out for in your side?

Kris Taylor (number 26) has made an impression since joining, playing in the left wing-back role, but he can also operate as a playmaker in midfield. We finally look like having someone who knows how to pick out a cross. Marc Richards (number 9) stands out for obvious reasons, being our only goalscorer so far this season, netting 4 in 5 (including the 2 against the Blades last round).

5) Your manager will probably get some 'banter' from us tonight, what do you lot think of him?

Well, so far so good really. We can all see improvement in the players he's brought in, but the biggest change is that the fans have faith in him, which wasn't there when Glover was in charge. He has justified everything he's done, and the performances on the pitch have been a gradual but noticeable improvement, mainly in fitness levels and teamwork. If he's fully backed by the board, he's the man to get us out of this tough division.

6) What do you know about Sheffield Wednesday?

Personally? Not a great deal, to be honest...my recent memory reminds me of you getting relegated and me thinking you were far too big a club to be in league one (a la Leeds/Bradford/Forest), but most memories of playing you are positive, including a boxing day win and a 3-0 drubbing at home. Passionate, loud fans though, and it should be a good game with the players you have and we will certainly raise our game for the occasion and hopefully you'll have brought a few supporters to make a good atmosphere.

7) Finally, could we have your thoughts on the game tonight?

Like I've said, we'll raise our game and the players will be 100% up for it. Vale Park is a big pitch, so we'll have to limit the space your 'big names' get. Sodje will get a fantastic reception if he's playing. With our formation we'll be hard to break down, our 3 centre backs have been solid so far, and we've been lacking in ball retention and finishing in the final third so far. If you get an early goal, it could be game over, but if we get off to a flying start and put the pressure on it could be a very interesting game. My prediction would be 2-1 to Wednesday, with you scoring first and last. It will be my first game going in a box tonight, so I'm looking forward to it and hopefully there will be some good football played from both sides. Good luck!!

Our thanks again go to Burt, you can of course visit him and his Port Vale supporting mates by visiting him HERE..

Next up of course is a trip to Plymouth to visit King Paul and his men, so get ready for another edition of Bring it on ahead of the weekend.

Jeffers sees red as Owls deficiencies are unValed.

Wednesday were undone by a determined Port Vale side last night who bridged the two division gap between the sides.

Goals from Kris and Rob Taylor put paid to any ambitions of a decent League Cup run with two second half goals which only compounded the situation after Francis Jeffers had earlier seen red.

Brina Laws made seven changes to the side that humbled Scunthorpe United last weekend with Frank Simek, Mark Beevers and Richard Hinds returning to the defence, Tommy Miller, Etienne Esajas and Sean McAllister came into midfield. Francis Jeffers replaced Luke Varney who is ineligible to play in the competition.

It was a lethargic start from Wednesday who were finding it tough to come to terms with the home side's hustle and bustle style, Hinds in particular was being hassled constantly by top scorer Marc Richards who held the ball up well before being ably assisted by Rob Taylor down their left flank. Frank Simek gave little help to HInds as he found himself out of position on more than one occasion. Port Vale's style was irritating the Owls support as well as the players as some of the challenges were meaty, but not in the sense that cards should have been dished out, a free kick should have been given for some of them. Richards in particular was the biggest culprit, some would say he was using his size and stature to his advantage and the referee thought as much. Now this is no excuse, Vale had a game plan and stuck to it very well.

Sean Mcallister was probably the only one who went some way to being our equivalent of them, with some typical lung busting efforts to regain possession. But with him being employed as a wide right midfielder he often disappeared from the action. Darren Potter tried in vain to get some stranglehold on the game as Esajas seemed to want to play with his back to goal.

Vale should've opened the scoring around the 20 minute mark when a peach of a cross from the right eluded everyone and John McCombe headed over from about 8 yards, and then Lee Grant was next to deny Vale as he got down low to his left to deflect Louis Dodds' effort for a corner.

The moment that really swung the pendulum in the home side's favour was when Francis Jeffers was given a straight red card from referee Graham Salisbury. Jeffers, who had been involved in a few 'handbag' situations from the start took offense to Vale's Tommy Fraser and proceeded to grab the midfielder by the shirt before swinging a punch at him and then headbutting him. The incident was off the ball and had gone un-noticed by the man in the middle, the Wednesday fans who had seen the incident immediatly thought Jeffers would be sent from the field. As the ball went dead the fourth official signalled for the ref's attention and after speaking to him the referee had no alternative but to give Jeffers his marching orders.

This was just the push that Vale needed going into half time.

After the break Laws threw on former Vale favourite Akpo Sodje and Jermaine Johnson to try and regain some of the impetus, Johnson did have some impact with his pace, twice he ran round the outside of his man to get onto the end of through balls from Potter and Miller. But some excellent defending halted anyone getting on the end of the cross.

Grant then denied Rob Taylor with an absolutely superb piece of goalkeeping, a high cross was swung over from the right and it evaded everyone, Taylor directed the ball goalwards only to see Grant fling himself at the ball to deny the impressive Vale number three. But it was only to be a matter of time before the opener would come and what a goal it was.
Kris Taylor found himself in acres of space before stepping forward and unleashing a fantastic goal across and over Grant into the top right corner of his goal from around 25 yards. A goal good enough to win any game.

Vale's players responded to the boost of going in front like they had just drank 24 cans of Red Bull, they were everywhere and it was this alertness that brought the second goal. Confusion between Mark Beevers and Tommy Spurr led to them giving the ball to Vale out on the left flank and they duly exploited the space before putting in a ball for Rob Taylor to finally score past a despairing Lee Grant.

O Connor came on for Miller to add some bite to the mdfield and he did so, but it was too little and too late for Wednesday who were already resigned to the defeat. But this wasn't to take away anything from the home side who fully deserved to progress to the next round, their plan worked and they also played some good football as well. It's just a shame their manager is a Blade!

The players who came in last night would have been trying to stake a claim for a starting spot this weekend away at Plymouth, but I think most of them would have made Brian Laws selection headaches go away, expect the seven changes made to the starting eleven last night to be reversed on Saturday.

Port Vale: Martin ,McCombe ,Collins ,Owen ,Yates ,Fraser ,Dodds (Jorgensen ,81 ) ,Loft (Griffith ,77 ) ,Kris Taylor ,Richards (Horsfield ,86 ) ,Robert Taylor
Subs not used: Lloyd-Weston,Stockley,McCrory,

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Simek ,Beevers ,Hinds ,Spurr ,Esajas (Johnson ,46 ) ,Miller (O'Connor ,70 ) ,Potter ,McAllister (Sodje ,46 ) ,Jeffers (sent off 37),Tudgay
Subs not used O'Donnell,Purse,Buxton,Wood,

Referee: Graham Salisbury (Lancashire)

Attendance: 6667

Tudgay and Potter amongst the best.

According to the Press Association, Marcus Tudgay and Darren Potter are amongst the best in the CHampionship for their performances in the 4-0 hammering of Scunthorpe last weekend.

They are the second and third players respectively to be given the accolade of being in the select XI this season after James O Connor featured in the team recently.

Cardiff City's Michael Chopra made it seven goals in four league games and makes his second Team of the Week appearance of the season, making him Tudgay's partner in the team of the week

Darren Potter earns himself a place in the centre of midfield, after he netted his first goal of the season rounding off the scoring with the Owl's fourth goal against the Iron.

Partnering Potter in midfield is Robert Koren, one of two West Bromwich Albion players in this week's team, Koren scored the Baggies second as they beat Ipswich Town 2-0 in Saturday afternoon's late kick-off and he is joined by goalkeeper Scott Carson who made a string of saves, keeping a clean sheet and earning himself this week's number one spot.

You can see the full team of the week as selected by the Press Association by clicking.. HERE

Referees out to gain your vote..

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) have launched a new website www.refworld.com to bring football fans closer to the men in the middle. It has been developed to provide referee information to everyone involved in football; the supporters, the managers, the referees and of course the players themselves - at all levels of the game.

PGMOL are challenging fans to sign up to the site to play their Refworld Quiz game – can you make the correct decision at the crucial moment? A whole host of prizes are on offer, and players can set up mini-leagues to compete with their mates, and demonstrate their expert knowledge for bragging rights!

Visit the site, and sign up now to play at www.refworld.com/quiz

PGMOL General Manager, Keith Hackett said: “The website aims to provide an insight in to the world of refereeing, and give fans a look at what goes on behind the scenes to prepare for the all-important kick-offs. Playing the Refworld quiz will challenge even the most ardent supporter - the site is an essential resource for all those who are interested and involved in the beautiful game!”

As well as the latest news and features, including details of official appointments and professional verdicts, the site features profiles of all referees and provides detailed directives including the full written Laws of the Game.

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) was formed to provide match officials for all professional football matches played in England and they are tasked with the responsibility of developing excellence in officiating in the English game at the Professional Level.

Green Army awaits Wednesday

Wednesday make their longest trip of the season this bank holiday weekend when they face Plymouth Argyle in deepest darkest Devon, with 294 miles separating the two clubs this is a game for the hardcore Wednesday support and any ex-pats based on the English Riviera.

Owls News
Brian Laws will be making wholesale changes to the side that crashed out of the Carling Cup in midweek at Port Vale with only 4 of that side likely to start.
Defensively the Owls will be bringing back Richard Wood, Darren Purse and Lewis Buxton who were rested in midweek in place of Richard Hinds, Mark Beevers and Frank Simek, only Tommy Spurr and Lee Grant will escape the cull at the back.
In midfield I expect Jermaine Johnson, Michael Gray and James O’Connor to return to the fold with Sean McAllister, Tommy Miller and Etienne Esajas making way,
Luke Varney will come back in for the suspended Francis Jeffers who has now been transfer listed following his disgraceful red card in midweek, Varney will partner Marcus Tudgay hoping to carry on where they left off against Scunthorpe.

Team News
Luke Varney is available again after being cup-tied but Francis Jeffers is suspended and Leon Clarke still not fully recovered.
Team (possible): Grant, Buxton, Purse, Wood, Spurr; Johnson, Potter, O’Connor, Gray; Varney, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Modest, Oliver, Beevers, McAllister, Simek, Hinds, Miller, Esajas, Sodje.

Plymouth News
Plymouth have got off to a poor start this campaign with just two points from the opening four games and a 1st round Carling cup defeat to Gillingham, the lost their last outing away at Derby 2-1 with the hosts netting an injury time winner.
Paul Sturrock is beginning to feel the pressure from the stands despite his past heroics at Home Park, the Argyle are desperate for three points on Saturday against a side they hammered 4-0 last season, they have drawn and lost in their opening two home league games, a Kasper Gorkss own goal secured a point against QPR whilst Michael Chopra’s hat-trick won it for Cardiff, Alan Gow netted Plymouth’s reply.

Plymouth Argyle

Argyle are in their 6th consecutive season as a Championship club, they have never been in the top flight of English football in their 123 year history.
Argyle were formed way back in 1886 but went out of existence for three years in 1894 until Argyle Athletics club resurrected the club, they began life in the Southern League in 1903, they stayed there until their acceptance into the League in 1920 as founder members of the Third Division, they finished second in the 3rd Division for six consecutive years in the mid 20’s but missed out on promotion due to the complexity of the league set up.
Argyle’s closest brush with the top flight came way back in 1952/53 when they finished 4th in the second division, the club also narrowly missed out in the newly implemented play-off system in 1987 when they finished 7th in the Second division.
Argyle suffered their first ever relegation to the 4th tier in 1995 under the management of England legend Peter Shilton, he was sacked and replaced by lifelong Blade Neil Warnock who guided back at the first attempt but was sacked after a poor second season, his replacement Mick Jones undid all Warnocks hard work by getting Argyle relegated in 1998.
Paul Sturrock laid the foundations of the club upon his arrival in 2000 and the club have been on an upward spiral ever since with two promotions and consolidation in the second tier.
The Ground

Home Park has been hosting sporting events for over one hundred and fifteen years, it was originally home to Plymouth and Devon Albion rugby club but following a dispute they left the stadium and it remained unused for three years until Argyle Athletic club began to use it, an off shoot of the Athletics club was the reformed football club who used Home Park as their base when gaining election to the Southern League in 1903.
The ground itself had to be completely rebuilt twice, once as part of their acceptance into the football league, the other after World War II when Plymouth’s naval base received heavy bombing from the German Luftwaffe, in the 1950’s a new Grandstand was built along with floodlights, in the 60’s a roof was put on the Lyndhurst side of the stadium although safety reasons saw the Devonport End covering removed.
The ground remained largely the same from the mid 70’s onwards and Wednesday fans will remember the open terracing on which they celebrated Steve MacKenzie’s header in March 1991. During the late 90’s there was plans to redevelop Home Park and make the ground all seater, the redevelopment of the Devonport, Lyndhurst and Barn Park stands, was completed in February 2002 although the Grandstand is still way off being on a par with those stands it retains it old style values.
Wednesday fans will be in the Barn Park stand, there is room for upto 2,000 away fans if required but rarely does this happen due to the distance covered to visit Home Park, their closest rivals this season are Bristol City, a mere 116 miles away

The Gaffer
(Luggy’s opinion of Dave Allen?)
Does this man really need any introduction? Paul Sturrock was Wednesday manager for just over 2 years and masterminded the clubs elevation back out of League One in his first season after a 4-2 win at Cardiff in the play-off final against Hartlepool. In his second season at Hillsborough he kept the Owls in the Championship despite having one of the lowest wage bills in the division., however just twelve games into the 2006/07 season he was dismissed from the Owls job barely a fortnight after signing a 4 year contract following a poor start to the season culminating in a 4-0 thumping at Colchester.
The Hillsborough job was his third in English football and fifth overall, he began his career in management at St Johnstone way back in 1993 after four years coaching at Dundee United, he guided the Super J’s to the top flight in 1997, he left the club in September 1998 to return as manager at Dundee United, a place where he was revered as a player.
He led the club to a comfortable third in the table by December 1999 but the sale of Billy Dodds was the catalyst for a slump and just two games into the 2000/01 season he resigned from his post at Tannadice.
Following his decision to quit Dundee United he made a bold move by taking the reins at lowly Plymouth Argyle, a club arguably at it’s lowest ebb, in just over 18 months they were champions of the 4th tier breaking numerous records and that side then tore into League One and were unfortunate not to make the play-offs in the 2002/03 season but there was to be no denying them next year as they stormed to the top of the league, the only downside was the press Sturrock was receiving linking him with higher profile jobs.
March 2004 saw Sturrock leave his Argyle side top of the table to take over at Southampton, it proved to be his shortest managerial appointment to date despite winning 5 of his 13 games in charge he was dismissed in August 2004 amid boardroom and player unrest reports, he took over at Hillsborough around a month later.
Following his dismissal from Wednesday he took over from Dennis Wise at Swindon Town, he help the Robins secure promotion back to League One at the first attempt, he had a 50% win record at Swindon and it was no surprise when he was linked with a move away, the only shock was that he was invited back to Home Park in November 2007 after Ian Holloway moved to Leicester, he led Argyle to tenth in that first season but they were just outside the drop zone last season and his star is waning in the eyes of some Argyle fans.
As a player Sturrock was a one club man, he made his debut for Dundee United in 1974 and stayed at the club for 15 years as a player notching up 576 games and 171 goals making him the highest scorer in United’s history, he was capped 20 times by Scotland.

Key Players

Alan Gow

Alan joined the club earlier this month for an undisclosed fee from Scottish champions Glasgow Rangers, the 26 year old had spent 2 years at Ibrox but failed to make a single league appearance for his boyhood idols and in total he played just twice for the club, both in cup competitions.
He came through the ranks at Clydebank but after just seven appearances he moved to Airdrie United, in three years at New Broomfield he notched up a near century of appearances for the New Diamonds netting 33 goals.
In June 2005 he was signed by newly promoted Falkirk to help spearhead their move to the SPL, Gow performed wonderfully well in his two years with the Bairns, he helped them escape relegation in the 2005/06 season and his stylish displays the following season saw him attract attention from the Old Firm and sides South of the Border, he was eventually signed by boyhood idols Rangers on a Bosman after the two clubs failed to agree a fair price, he signed for Rangers in the summer of 2007.
Twelve months after signing for Rangers he was set to be part of the deal which brought Kyle Lafferty to Ibrox from Burnley but Gow stayed put although the deal for Lafferty still went ahead, in September 2008 he joined Blackpool on loan til the end of that year, the clubs had agreed a fee for a full transfer should the loan work out, he made 17 appearances for the Tangerines netting five times including a penalty against Wednesday.
Upon the cessation of his loan at Bloomfield Road it emerged that Wolves had agreed a deal to sign the Scotsman and a contract was there to sign but following a medical the deal was shelved with Wolves reportedly unhappy with the findings. In February he joined Norwich City on loan where he played 13 games in all but couldn’t help them beat the drop.

Squad Number 26

Carl Fletcher

Carl is a former Welsh international midfielder who joined the club permanently in the summer following his release from Crystal Palace, he had previously been on loan at Home Park following a falling out with Neil Warnock.
Fletcher made his debut as a 17 year old for Bournemouth in February 1998 as a substitute in a 2-1 defeat at Grimsby Town, Fletcher had to wait over a year for his next appearance this time he replaced Steve Lovell in a goalless home draw with Chesterfield.
The breakthrough season for Fletcher was the 1999/00 campaign when he finally broke into the side with some regularity, he broke into the side in late October and ended up making 26 appearances scoring three times.
For the next three seasons Fletcher was the heartbeat of the Cherries midfield and he amassed 137 appearances in all competitions and was the matchwinning skipper in the 2003 League Two play-off where he netted twice in a 5-2 win. Fletcher then helped the club establish itself in League One with a string of fine performances which brought him to the attention of West Ham, he joined the Hammers in September 2004 for £275,000, in his first season he helped the East London club back into the Premier League via the play-offs, he played 36 times for the Hammers that season in all competitions.
He struggled to make the grade with the club once they hit the top and was restricted to just 12 Premier League appearances and his final Hammers appearance was in the FA Cup final defeat to Liverpool, he also had a loan spell at Watford that season making 3 appearances.
He moved to Palace in the Summer of 2006 for £400k, he was Peter Taylor’s first signing and was made club captain he played 37 league games for Palace in his first season but following the dismissal of Peter Taylor in October 2007 he was stripped of the captaincy by new boss Neil Warnock and found his chances rather limited, he was used mainly as a substitute under Warnock. The 2008/09 season saw Fletcher transfer listed by the club and he moved to Nottm Forest in October on loan but a back injury saw that cut short. He joined Plymouth on an emergency loan in February 2009 and made 13 appearances to the end of that season.
Squad Number 4

Marcel Seip

Dutch centre half Marcel Seip is in his fourth season with club after initially signing a three month contract back in the summer of 2006 after an unsuccessful trial at Spartak Moscow.
He came through the ranks at BV Veendam and made his debut in the 99/00 season where he appeared on eight occasions for the club, the following season he made another 18 games for the club where he impressed enough to earn a move to SC Heerenveen as a development player.
He didn't feature for the club in his first year with them and had to wait until the 2002/03 campaign to make his bow where he made 6 appearances in the Dutch top flight.
It was the 2003/04 season where Seip began to establish himself as a key player for the club as he made 31 league appearances, the following year he made 30 appearances and in his final year with the club he notched a further 28 games under his belt, he was a teammate at Heerenveen of former Wednesday striker Gerald Sibon.
Ian Holloway was the manager at Argyle who persuaded the talented dutchman to come to Home Park and after impressing during his initial three month contract it was extended to 3 years.
In three years with the Pilgrims he has made over 120 appearances although his time at the club has not been without controversy as he was transfer listed in April 2008 after refusing to be on the bench away at Charlton. He apologised for his behaviour that pre season and has been a regular in the first team ever since, he signed a new three year contract in November 2008.

Squad Number 19

Romain Larrieu

French goalkeeper Romain has been at the club since December 2000 after initially signing on a short term deal, he has amassed over 250 appearances for the Pilgrims during that time.
Romain began his career with Montpellier but found French international Bruno Martini in his way and his chances were limited, he moved on to ASOA Valence in 1998, He spent 2 years with the French second division side until their relegation to the third division, for the next six months following his release he took a break from the game until he was invited to train with Plymouth following a recommendation to Paul Sturrock. He made his debut against Bristol City in the Football League Trophy in December 2000 and following injury to first choice Jon Sheffield in February he made 15 league appearances for the club, despite obvious rustiness he earned a longer term deal.
The start of the 2001-02 saw Larrieu as first choice at Home Park, he made 50 appearances in all competitions and had 27 clean sheets as the Pilgrims stormed to the 4th Division (League Two) title. The following season was another good one for the Frenchman as he helped the club to 8th in the third tier, playing 48 games.
A cruciate knee ligament injury saw the 2003-04 season curtailed after just seven games and the emergence of Luke McCormick saw Larrieu struggle to reclaim his first team spot straight away as he and McCormick shared 1st team duties during the 2004/05 season. In the 2005/06 season Larrieu regained the Number 1 spot playing in all bar one league game for the Pilgrims.
Luke McCormick resumed 1st team duties at the start of the 2006/07 leaving the Frenchman frustrated, he made just six starts for the Pilgrims and was allowed out on loan to Gillingham where he played 14 times. The next campaign barely faired better for Larrieu who suffered a bout of ill health just after the Xmas period which curtailed his season, he had made 7 starts on loan at Yeovil and a further 15 for Argyle.
Graham Stack was in his way at the start of 2008/09 campaign but Larrieu fought his way to the side in early September and was crowned player of the season by the Green Army after a string of impressive performances.
Squad Number 1

Team News
Cillian Sheridan may have recovered from injury sufficiently to earn a place on the bench at least offering Paul Sturrock more attacking options whilst Alan Gow may also be in line for a return to the starting XI.
Bradley Wright-Phillips is likely to miss the game which is a shame for him and the Argyle fans as he has a healthy goal record against Wednesday.

Team (possible): Larrieu, McNamee, Sawyer, Seip, Arnason; Paterson, Judge, Mackie, Fletcher; Gow, Fallon.

(subs from) Letheren, Johnson, Clarke, Summerfield, Duguid, MacLean, Barnes, Noone, Folly, Sheridan.

Head to Head

Wednesday will want to forget last seasons result at Home Park, a shocking 4-0 hammering which was memorable by yours truly for falling asleep halfway through the first half, that ended a 3 game unbeaten run for the Owls at Home Park which included back to back 2-1 wins. The first of those wins came when a strikerless Wednesday went to Home Park and came from a goal down to secure the points, Sean McAllister netted his first ever goal and Burton O’Brien clipped home the winner, something he repeated 14 months later as Wednesday again came from behind (both times the hosts had scored from the spot) with Akpo Sodje levelling for Wednesday with his first goal for the club.
The two clubs had drawn in their first meeting at this level for 14 years back in 2004 after Akos Buszaky’s og had given Wednesday the lead the hosts levelled from the spot (again!!) through Paul Wotton.
Wednesday have a fair record over the years at Home Park with 6 wins from 17 games going back to their first league meeting way back on Christmas Day 1937, the hosts have won 5 and there has been 6 draws.
Overall at Home Park:

Owls: 6
Draw: 6
Argyle: 5

Final thoughts

A very tough game awaits the Owls, Plymouth are a wounded animal and there’s nowt worse, we must match the highs of the performances against Scunthorpe and the second half at Newcastle if we are to win this one.
It’s a bank holiday weekend by the seaside and I for one cannot wait, there will be well over 1,000 Wednesdayites making the trip, I hope we win the game but I wish Paul Sturrock all the best after Saturdays match.

BRING IT ON - ARGYLE

Yes, it's 'Bring It On' time again, so ahead of our long trip to Plymouth this weekend we have spoken to , Sean Rapson, a member of Argyles Green Army, to get his opinion on all things Argyle.

1) Now we are a few games into the season, where do you think you will finish?
Well it hasn't been the greatest of starts for us, but we've had difficult games and we've played reasonably well in each of them. It's just a matter of time until things click and once they do, I predict a finish of about 12/13th

2) Who should we look out for at the weekend? Is there a star in your ranks?
I don't want to give too much away, but I would look out for a wee right winger who can run through peoples legs, and another who will chase a crisp packet on a windy day. Be wary of 'The Beast' in defense too, don't want your lads getting hurt... To much.

3) Is there anyone else we should look out for that we may not know about?
Cillian Sheridan. The loanee from Celtic has shown bags of potential and I'm sure he will do well for us. Only cameoed in two games so far, but it's fair to say this guy can play.

4) Rumours are about your manager is very close to getting the boot, what are your thoughts on that?
You can ask the fellow members of Pasoti that one. They all know my feelings on Luggy. He is a great man, a great manager and the only man to take us forward. I feel some of the fans are jumping on his back too quickly as we are in a 'transitional' period at the moment and these things take time. The last 'transitional' period saw us rocket up two leagues in three seasons.

5) What do you think of the former Owls in your squad, Messrs Folly and Maclean?
MacLean does have the potential to be a good player for us. But, unfortunately his attitude stinks and he certainly isn't a fans favourite here. Folly. Haven't seen to much of him, but by all accounts he doesn't cut it at this level and is looking for a move

6) What do you know about Wednesday?
I've heard you have a very able finisher in Jermaine Johnson and a strong defender in Mark Beevers. Sadly for us, Franny Jeffers won't be playing after his midweek antics but I'm sure it will be a good hard fought contest.

7) Where do you think we will finish?
I predict a similar league position as us Pilgrims and expect to see you guys mid table.

8) Any team news?
Sheridan should return from his injury and new signing Alan Gow could very well be starting as could Icelandic midfielder Kari Arnason.

9) Finally a score prediction?
2-1 to the Pilgrims. Jermaine Johnson to score first, Plymouth come from behind and snatch a 70th minute winner from Alan Gow.

Keep it Green!

Thanks to Sean for his answers and obviously we hope his prediction is off the mark.

Keane wants to bolster his defence with Wood

The transfer deadline is upon us again and Wednesday's former captain Richard Wood is at the centre of speculation that he is to move to Ipswich Town.

The Tractor Boys have been admirers of Wood for quite a while now and it was thought before Jim Magilton left the club they were looking to make a move for him. With Ipswich struggling so far in the Championship this season Keane is looking to bolster his defence with the addition of the Wednesday defender.

It's mooted in the press today that a 750k offer has been made and it's widely rumoured that a deal is close to being brokered. As things stand here at Owlsonline we understand no deal has been agreed and Woody should find himself in the squad to face Nottingham Forest after the international break.

If we find anything out obviously we will get the news to you as soon as we get it.

Owlsonline Player of the Month - August..

After collating the results of YOUR ratings from the Rate the Players threads, we have the first Owlsonline Player of the month results of the season, as compiled by our resident RTP compiler, Skampy.

With seven games played in the month of August and just five players have featured in all seven of the games, they are:

Lee Grant, Tommy Spurr, Darren Potter, Jermaine Johnson and Marcus Tudgay.

A total of nineteen (yes, nineteen) players have been 'rated' with fans being most enthusiastic to post in the Dingles game on the opening day of the season (nineteen different 'raters') with the debacle at Port Vale attracting just three 'raters' and , most surprising of all, the Plymouth thrashing attracting just two ratings.

Goal of the month

The goal by Etienne Esajas against Rochdale scored an amazing 9.33 out of 10 closely followed by Tudgay's second at Plymouth (9.25). One can only imagine what score Tudgay's goal at the Sty would have recorded then!

Game of the month

Plymouth away according to the two brave souls that ventured south rating the game 8.25/10 followed by Scunthorpe at home with 8.06/10.

Any guesses for the stinker of the month? No?

Port Vale away - 2.67/10

Player of the Month

Well it isn't FJ9 who managed to break all records with his performance at Port Vale with the lowest score in RTP history - 2.33/10 giving him an average of 4.48/10 - the lowest average score of the players in the month.

In a surprising turnaround from last season JJ seems to have had a good summer along with O'Connor as they both averaged 7.21/10 but this still wasn't quite good enough to claim the Player of the Month award for August which goes to our very own magician - Darren Potter with a score of 7.32/10.

Finally...

It's your opinion that counts, all scores in the Rate the Players goes towards deciding the Owlsonline Player of the season.

Every time you rate the players, your name goes into the hat, the more games you rate the more times your name goes into the hat, and the poster first drawn out gets the chance to walk out onto the hallowed Hillsborough pitch on the last home game of the season and present the award in person, have your picture taken with the winning player and get a chance to meet some of the other players and even the manager.

So don't forget to contribute to the Rate the Players threads which appear within a day or so of the match finishing, to give you time to think about your ratings. You can either go to the RTP Forum, or watch out for the links on the Bobby Bolder Internet Forum.

Thanks to Skamps for collating the info and getting it sorted so quickly, and congrats to Darren 'Harry' Potter for earning the accolade of Owlsonline Player of the Month for August.

Woody staying put

After all the intense speculation that Richard Wood would leave the club with Ipswich being the likely destination, nothing happened.
Even the press today were that sure that Woody was going to Portman Road that they said it was announced that he had joined as Roy Keane's third signing on deadline day in a £750k deal.

Obviously that didn't happen and neither has a loan deal been brokered with the Tractor Boys or any other club. We at Owlsonline understand that Woody has expressed his interest to stay with the club he joined as a schoolboy.

We have learned tonight that the young defender is hoping to sort out a new deal with the Owls.
'Richard wants the contract sorted, he wants to stay, the ball is in the clubs hands, do they want him or not ?' A source told us at Owlsonline earlier this evening.

With Wood free to discuss terms with any other club regarding a free transfer from January 2010, this is the clearest indication of what the player wants. All we need now is the club to step up their attempts to seal a deal with the former Owlsonline Young Player of the year.

After two goals in two games and a blossoming partnership with Darren Purse at the heart of the defence, some may say Wood has put himself in the best possible position to discuss a new deal. The club had previously announced that the contracts of Wood and Tommy Spurr would be looked at again in the next month or two, with the interest in Wood over the past week it surely would be in the clubs best interests to tie up the deals as soon as possible.

Keep your eyes on Owlsonline and if we get any more news we will get it to you as soon as possible.

Trip to the Tractor Boys on TV

It has been announced today that Wednesday's trip to Roy Keane's Ipswich Town scheduled for Saturday 21st November will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

The game was due to kick off at 3pm but now the game has been chosen to be screened the kick off is now 5.20pm on the same day.

This will be the third Owls game on TV in as many months with the away trip to Bramall Lane being shown on Friday September 18th, and the away day at Watford to be shown on Friday October 23rd both with 7.45 kick offs.

It makes a change for away games to be shown in recent times as we always seem to be featured at home,
Birmingham and United at home last season spring to mind.

Let's hope that in these live games we can show the football fans around the country just what they're missing.

Back in 1993....

4 o clock in the morning,....WHAT THE HELL IS THIS ABOUT?
My mum's shaking me to death trying to get me out of my slumber, I've only been in the house about 30 minutes. Head hurts like hell. What went off last night? Oh that was it, my 18th Birthday party in the local.. Wine, women and song and all that a decent party brings, oh well not the wine but plenty of ale and jack daniels, kindly supplied by friends and family and a certain lady I now call my wife!

Back to sleep I go, but it's shortlived, I hear someone screaming through the postbox at me to get up, it's my mate Ada, he's going ballistic as his dad is waiting in the car outside to set off to Wembley. I manage to get outta my slumber before dragging my arse downstairs and out of the door before falling into the back seat of his dad's brand new Sierra Sapphire.

We get onto the M1 and Ada passes me a can of Trophy which he managed to pilfer from his dad's stash before leaving the house. Hair of the dog and all that, it worked a treat, instantly pissed again!
Watching all the cars go by didn't help the dizzyness, so another can would obviously help.. Ada dropped it.. “YOU STUPID LITTLE... ” His dad went nuts, after a quiet spell of about 10 seconds the mood changed for the better. A bus full of Wednesdayites was overtaken, scarves adorning the bus on every window and plenty of joviality inside, that was it.. I couldn't hold it in any longer..Open the windows!!!

“HARK NOW HEAR THE WEDNESDAY SING!!”

Then from the front of the car...

“UNITED RAN AWAY..”

Ada was the same, we were giddy as fook... United at Wembley, we were going to absolutely annihilate em, but at the same time that nervous, sick feeling only a derby game can bring. His dad had said before we organised any transport he didn't mind driving to Wembley, but I think secretly inside he was wanting to take everything in like we were.

By this time the cans had been flowing, and well, to say my bladder is weak is an understatement... A service station piss stop is required... We had managed to get to Leicester Forest East before the first call of nature. Inside it seemed to be all Wednesday, and we hadn't seen many of the other half of Sheffield on the road either, it was strange with all of us heading down the same route.

By the time the next stop was needed at Newport Pagnell, we had continually drowned out the radio with a combination of singing and giddy, drunken chat. Driving into the car park, we saw more buses and I remember seeing at least one bus open it's door and a river of empty beer cans coming out, soon followed by hordes of Wednesdayites all heading to the toilet before stocking up on a Ginsters pasty for the rest of the journey. By this time I'm certain Dave driving the car was sick of 1, us being rowdy twats and C, having to stop AGAIN/. As it wasn't long before we would stop again... Toddington this time... Same scenario..

By the time we got to Wembley both me and Ada were bursting again, but we didn't care.. We're outside Wembley in the car park.. It's WEMBLEY AND WE'RE ABOUT TO PLAY UNITED HERE!!
Out came the penny floater and some pre game footy with the ball pinging off cars, this was before he pulled a couple of air horns out of the car boot that he had managed to infiltrate from work. That was it, lets piss everyone off in a red and white shirt by blasting them in the ears with the air horns, to say it worked a treat was an understatement.

The time just flew by, a combination of too much beer and being ever so slightly excited, me even more so as it was the first Owls trip to Wembley for me after being let down by a mate for the 1991 League Cup final, BASTARD... But I'll not go on about that..

After paying a fiver for a programme I think it was, we walked into the ground still blasting the air horns and still pissing people off with em. Well, I say into the ground, we were told at the turnstile that we couldn't take em inside, so we proceeded to blast every last bit of air out of them before dropping them outside. When I got inside to say I was underwhelmed was an understatement to be honest. This is our national stadium? I thought it was a shithole! We queue for a pre match nerve calming beer before quickly necking it, my perception of Wembley changed when we got inside, now this was more like it.

WE were up near the back of the stand back left of the tunnel, and the atmosphere was, well.. Unforgetable to say the least. The applause from the Wednesday fans for Mel Rees walking round the pitch pre game was poignant as well, yes us and them hate each other as far as the football is concerned, but I thought that was great.
When the game kicked off I was struggling to take it all in, kid in a sweet shop scenario, could it get any better? Well of course it could, the messiah, God, Sir Waddle, whatever you want to call him, what a start.. Yes it went dark, I ended up on the deck in a heap with everyone going nuts. I think that was the first time I truly felt like crying with happiness at football.

We all know how the game went after that, chance after chance and the United goal lived a charmed life and it seemed like it was going to be one of them days when the opposition take their chance and score... Alan feckin Cork with his dirty tramp beard, scruffy Wimbledon twat, and with half time arriving shortly after there was a slight nervousness about in the stand around us. Was that just the tonic they needed to get the upper hand in a game that they were never really in before the goal?

As the second half kicked off we put that notion straight to bed as we dominated again but for some excellent keeping our other hero, Hirsty, had the opportunities to kill them off, Alan Kelly had other ideas. I remember thinking if ever Hirsty should score in a game this was it, they had their number nine in Brian 'Donkey' Deane, but we all knew and I think secretly they knew our number nine was the real thing...When extra time was nearing again was it going to be our day? It should be for gods sake, I cant even remember them having a shot of note other than the goal!!

I really can't recall much of extra time other than the goal, my head was throbbing, my throat felt like it was lined with razor blades and my voice had left about 30 minutes into the game! But when Brighty scored I just remember the moment being in slow motion, it took ages to go into the net or so it seemed. Cue more darkness, we went absolutely ballistic, Me, Ada and Dave were bouncing like hell before I remember being on my knees after losing my footing!! The next thing I remember was the final whistle, I really did have tears in my eyes, but I did all I could to hide em, come on a 18 year old shouldn't be crying at football should he?
That was THE cup final for me, nothing would top it.

After every one of the Wednesday players had left the pitch we made our way out of the ground absolutely beaming, next thing I heard was someone shouting my name... “HIBBERD!!!! OY!!!”
I turned round and at that moment one of the lads who we went all over the country with that year watching the Owls jumped on me, how I didn't fall over for the umpteenth time that day I still don;t know.
“I told you we'd do it and I told you Waddle would score in the first few minutes with a free kick!”

He did, as the quarter final at the Baseball Ground ended in that titanic 3-3 draw, he said to me that we would win the replay and Waddle would score against United in the first 5 minutes with a free kick! If only we'd out money on it.. Then again I was surprised he'd said that as thinking back to that night at the Baseball Ground when we surrendered our lead and it looked all over, he was saying things like..
“Oh we have lost this, it's shit, fookin rubbish..”

After a bit of celebration in the car park queue we were soon heading back up the M1, the conversation was all of the return for the Final.. An Fa Cup Final with Wednesday in, it really was boyhood dreamland stuff, but we we absolutely drained so after some serious Blade baiting, a snooze was in order.. When I woke up we were back in Hoyland.
To this day that was one of the most memorable moments in my life and well there was only one thing to do end the day like it started.... Mines a pint of lager please barman!

Jeffers not out of the picture..

Brian Laws has revealed that it will take more than Francis Jeffers' wrong doing at Port Vale to take him out of his thinking when it comes to selecting his matchday squad.

Jeffers was fined two weeks wages, the maximum allowed under FA rules, for his headbutt and subsequent red card in the defeat to the Valiants at Vale Park in the Carling Cup. He was then put on the transfer list by Laws but the transfer deadline came and went without as much as a whisper of interest in the former England international. Laws said:

'He's been punished for his actions but I don't believe you isolate anybody in your football club, Francis is a Sheffield Wednesday player, paid by us and therefore he comes into consideration.

'We have to treat each player with respect and, while they are here, they will get that respect.
If they deserve punishment, they will get it. The lad knows it was wrong.'

It does seem though now that there is interest in Jeffers as Laws reveals that a loan opportunity for him could arise shortly.

'He knows exactly what the score is and when the transfer window re-opens for loan moves this week there is still an opportunity for him to go out on loan.'

The problem however is that Jeffers is still suspended for a further two games as he has only sat out one so far of this three game suspension for the red card at Vale Park, so the likelyhood of him going out on loan when the loan window opens this week is minimal. However, Jeffers will be eligable for selection once again after the home games against Nottingham Forest on Saturday and Middlesborough next Tuesday.

With Luke Varney in from Derby of course, Jeffers options seem limited so a loan move may revitalise his Owls career which has gone downhill since his terrible ankle injury sustained away at Stoke a couple of seasons ago.

Dogtowns gone all Europa!

As it's the international break, we have a break of our own as Dogtown takes us through his trip to Holland to watch a game over there...

Eindhoven seemed a pleasant city, I've visited a few different places in Holland, and like anywhere else in the world, some cities just have a nice feel and some don't. The city centre was modern and clean, and had a well-thought-out feel to it. We wandered out of the car park and straight into the main town square. Around the square there are numerous bars and restaurants with seating outside, spreading across the square. Kick-off was still 2 hours away, at 20:45 local time, and the bars and restaurants were busy with a mix of shirt-wearing PSV fans and locals, enjoying the warm weather. We settled down to drink some Jupiter beer and watch the world go by, a perfect spot to chill out before a game. Sadly, I couldn't help but comment that it was also the sort of place I could imagine being wrecked by hooligans during the European Championships a few years before.

My mate and I were busy people watching (well, women watching if I'm honest) and drinking beer, so much so that when we looked around it seemed all those in the red and white had sloped off. So we shot off in what we thought was the right direction, and quickly spotted some PSV fans going the other way, so followed them to the ground.

The stadium holds a little over 35,000, but from the outside seems far more imposing and impressive than many of the lego grounds we've all visited on our travels around the Championship. Various bars and clubs surround the stands, but we avoided those preferring to have a look in the club shop. Wanting to buy a souvenir of some sort, the shop didn't make happy viewing - red and white stripes everywhere! It was no more pleasant for my L**ds supporting mate, who also despises the bacon striped ones. Still, it was hard to not be impressed by the quality of the shop and the products on sale, it all felt very slick and professional.

We made our way into the ground and tried to buy a drink, only to be told we needed to use 'Blits' or something equally obscure. I turns out the snack bars don't take cash, you have to buy strips of these little square plastic tokens (blits) from another booth, then spend those. Trying to work out how many blits we needed for a Mars bar, some Lays crisps and some pop was proving tricky after a couple too many Jupiters. It was worse than working in Lira!! So we bought twenty euros worth and took them to the snack bar. We pointed and gesticulated at various things behind the counter until our hands were full of a sickly mix of melted chocolate, crisps and flat Coke-Light. We handed over our blits and walked off, having not a clue whether we'd short changed or left the season's biggest tip.

Walking out into the stand, it was difficult not to be even more impressed by the stadium from the inside. All four stands were very similar, two-level affairs, with all the corners filled in up to a massive height. The stands were very steep, I could imagine Health and Safety having kittens at the potential for falls. The seats didn't help, they were small for my ever-expanding backside and reminded me of infant school plastic chairs. They probably looked better before the sun had faded them too. But the view more than made up for the seats - because of the steepness, the people in front were only shin-high. There seemed to be exec boxes all the way round the middle of the stands, and back into the corners. It's modern yet still feels like a proper football ground.

Not wanting to spark a trans-European attendance debate here, but I'm going to risk it and say I was dissappointed with the turn out. I've tried to find the exact figure to no avail, but I'd guess there were no more than 10,000 there. I didn't expect many to make the trip from Tel-Aviv, and would guess there were around 25 of them in a high corner of the ground. But for PSV's part I was surprised to see the stadium sparsely populated for what was still a European game.

However, what they lacked in number they made up for in noise. Behind the goal nearest was the fullest part of the ground, and where all the noise came from. There must have only been a couple of thousand in there, but you'd be forgiven for thinking there were more. Maybe Philips had hand in the acoustic design of the ground? Incidentally, for those who don't know, their name translates to Philips Sports Union - Philips still being a large presence in the city. The locals don't say or chant Pee eSS Vee as we might, it comes out as PYES VEH, which sounds remarkably like the Wens-Day we all know and love. Much to my mate's annoyance, I spent the rest of the night ad-libbing the songs, ending every line with 'Wednesday'. To cap it all, they even bounce! I doubt they use the same words we do, but it still looks quality, even if the stripes are the wrong colour!

The only real dissappointment of the trip was the football on show. For large parts it felt like a friendly, both of us commenting that a decent Championship side would have been a match for PSV. They did create plenty of chances though, and could have won by 5 or 6 if they had been more accurate in front of goal. However, it turned out a lone first half penalty was to be the night's only goal. Yehuda didn't really show much until the last twenty minutes, when they came to life and pressed PSV back. But PSV hung on and progressed through to the group stages.

We left the ground and headed back to town, finding the square packed. Sadly, we had to skip the beer due to the potentially long and lost drive back and early start the next day. At least we still had Amsterdam to look forward to on Friday!!

On this day...

A feature inspired by Walkley's Birthday thread on the forum, we look at three of our results on this day in our recent history.

The most recent game played on the 9th September was back in 2006, where we made the long trip down to Roots Hall, Southend. The season hadn't started well with only one win before the trip to face The Shrimpers on their own turf, that being a 2-1 win away at Plymouth Argyle. We had also had the misfortune to see the Owls slump 4-1 to Wrexham in the League Cup and lost to a contencious penalty decision by referee Steve Bennett which saw us lose to Leeds United in front of the Sky TV cameras by a solitary goal at Hillsborough.
Southend weren't to be put to the sword on the 9th September 2006, but it did see the Owls get a point on the board in a drab 0-0 draw.

Southend: Flahavan ,Francis ,Peter Clarke ,Barrett ,Hammell ,Campbell-Ryce ,Maher ,Guttridge ,Gower ,Eastwood (Hooper ,83 ) ,Paynter (Harrold ,83)
Subs not used: Hunt,Cole,Collis,

Sheff Wed: Jones ,Simek ,Bougherra ,Coughlan ,Spurr ,Sam (Brunt ,60 ) ,Adams (Bullen ,60 ) ,Whelan ,O'Brien ,Burton ,Tudgay (Lunt ,86)
Subs not used Adamson,McAllister

If we go back a little further our fortunes on this day were very poor, the previous time Wednesday featured was in the clubs first season back in the Football League after relegation from the Premiership, 9th September 2000. A less than overwhelming start to the season at Wolves with Kevin Pressman's record breaking sending off after just 13 seconds of the game gone, the 1-1 draw thanks to Andy Booth's late equaliser at Molineaux was followed by a home defeat to Huddersfield Town 3-2. An away win at Blundell Park, Grimsby, offered some respite for the Wednesdayites with Michele Di Piedi hitting the winner. Blackburn Rovers gained a point at Hillsborough before The Owls faced Wimbledon on the 9th September 2000, The Dons were to inflict a crushing five-nil defeat on the Owls in front of a measly 15,856 fans at Hillsborough back in 2000.

Sheff Wed: Pressman ,Hinchcliffe ,Grayson ,Walker ,Quinn ,Sibon ,Booth ,O'Donnell (De Bilde ,63 ) ,Hamshaw ,Di Piedi ,Westwood
Subs not used: Stringer,Humphreys,Crane,Geary,

Wimbledon: Davis ,Ardley ,Hartson (Agyemang ,85 ) ,Euell ,Gayle ,Andersen ,Williams ,Jupp ,Willmott ,Francis ,Hawkins
Subs not used Feuer,Thomas,Gier,

It would be just two years prior to that when Wednesday had played on the 9th September, and it was in the Premier League against Derby County at the Baseball Ground.
The season in the top flight had started with two losses and a victory prior to the trip to Derbyshire, the season opened with a home defeat to West Ham which Wednesday bounced back from immediately with a three-nil win, goals from Peter Atherton, Paulo Di Canio and Andy Hinchcliffe sealed a memorable win at White Hart Lane. A home defeat followed, as Aston Villa came to S6 and took the points in a one-nil win, Julian Joachim the scorer.
So back to the 9th September 1998 and with the Baseball Ground the destination, the travelling Wednesdayites were hoping to get back onto the winning trail. But once again they were to be disappointed as the hosts won the game and it saw the Owls lose by a solitary goal scored by Dean Sturridge.

Derby: Hoult ,Schnoor ,Stimac ,Sturridge ,Delap ,Bohinen (Eranio ,70 ) ,Laursen ,Wanchope ,Prior ,Carsley ,Baiano (Powell ,70)
Subs not used: Poom,Burton,

Sheff Wed: Pressman ,Atherton ,Jonk ,Walker ,Whittingham (Briscoe ,76 ) ,Carbone ,Booth ,Cobian (Barrett ,89 ) ,Hinchcliffe ,Thome ,Rudi
Subs not used Hyde,Clarke,Sanetti,

BRING IT ON - FOREST

After a couple of weeks off it's a return to League action for the blue and white wizards, with the Tricky Trees of Nottingham making the relatively short trip up to Hillsborough from the City Ground. So ahead of the game we spoke to Forest Fan Craig North.

1) After a few games, how do you think this season is going to pan out for you?

I am very optimistic for the season ahead based on our performances so far (the Watford game being the exception). It is pleasing we have so many options in attack this season, and scoring goals won't be a problem, I am just worried we are very light at the back. Our frailties in the backline have been exposed too many times already this season - it doesn't help having to play one of our most influential midfielders at left back. As the current squad stands I think we will be floating around mid-table, and with one or two additions, namely in defence, we could perhaps make an outside push for the play-offs.

2) The Derby game was 'interesting' the other weekend, what's your take on the events?

Absolutely Fantastic! The first half was how all Derby games should be... the Reds giving the Sheep a lesson! I think in the second half, Derby were always going to throw everything they had at us but despite us scoring two own goals they couldn't muster up a half decent chance by themselves and we held on for a deserved win.

Everybody will have a different take on the events after the game, and alot of Forest fans and indeed the club themselves, feel the media coverage has harshly portrayed Tyson and Forest in the aftermath. I think the official line Forest's appeal will take is that Tyson was celebrating with the fans in the Upper Bridgeford (i.e. the Forest fans sat above the Derby Fans). However, whilst Tyson certainly wasn't aggressive in his celebrations I think it would be very naive to think that he wasn't trying to give them back some of what we had to suffer with Robbie Savage last year.

What is pleasing is that the FA have also charged Derby for failing to control their players. The difference between Savage acting like a (insert expletive in here) last season and Tyson's actions this season was the reaction of the opposition. If the Derby players hadn't reacted, Tyson would have continued his 'lap of honour', the Derby fans would have shouted abit of abuse at him and grumbled about it post-match and that would have been the end of it.

3) Nathan Tyson was once a target for the Owls, how do you lot rate him?

Well after last saturday, he is obviously a Legend! Personally, I always like to see him in the team, particularly away from home when playing on the break. I think his pace, movement and work rate are a vital asset.
The only grumble I could have with Tyson, as with alot of players at this level, is that his decision making and composure in front of goal can sometimes be questioned but we can't have everything, can we?

4) Is there a gem of a player which hasn't got on the radar of other clubs yet?

Well, I think he is on the radar now after his goal against Derby last week, but I would have to say Radoslaw Majewski. We signed him on loan in the summer with a view to a permanent move and I think we have got a bargain and want him signed up permanent ASAP. He is a creative midfield player and anybody watching Forest regularly this season would not have been suprised by his strike against Derby. I certainly wasn't suprised - I had him First Scorer and pocketed £180!

5) With our gaffer being a former Forest player, what do you lot think of him both as a player from his days with you and now as a manager? Would you have liked him back at your place as it was rumoured last season?

Brian Laws was playing for us around the time I started going to matches regularly with my Dad in the early Nineties. Due to my age, I don't remember too much about his performances, but whenever I speak to anybody it seems he was a Fans Favourite.

As a Manager, I would have liked him back last season, particularly when other options at the time seemed to be the usual names banded about of Aidy Boothroyd, Alan Pardew etc etc. He did a good job at Scunthorpe and seems to be steadily building a decent team at Wednesday. I was also impressed with how he turned things round in the season when you lost the first 6/7 league games, and thought he would be ideal in the relegation fight we found ourselves in last season.

However, I wouldn't take him over Billy Davies. He seems to have turned the club around since Christmas, and we definately are a club and team on the up with Billy at the helm.

6) Obviously beating Derby was important, but is there any other club in the Championship that you lot always want to beat and why?

Other than Derby, the usual suspects that most Forest fans would say are Leicester and Sheffield United. Leicester is an East Midlands derby, and I think the Sheff United thing stems from Warnock and the battles we've had against them, namely in the play-offs several years ago.

7) Your neighbours are making the headlines at the moment, does this bother you lot?

Despite the Magpies obvious hatred for us, I think the best way to describe our feeling towards them is one of apathy.
This is probably down to the jealousy they have of the 'bigger club' in Nottingham, whereas they've been in the doldrums for so long we just don't really care.

This new situation certainly makes things interesting and I really don't know what to make of it. I don't think they will get anywhere though signing a team of over-the-hill players looking for a last pay day. They need to continue their policy of signing quality players for the level they're at like they were doing with players like Karl Hawley, Lee Hughes etc.

8) So, tell us what you know about Sheffield Wednesday?

That you play at Hillsborough, you were formed in 1867 and that you were originally known as 'The Wednesday' due to your players only being able to play on a Wednesday.
I also know that Sheffield Wednesday were the opponents when I saw my favourite ever Forest performance when we beat you 7-1 at Hillsborough in 1995.

I also have a very minor claim to fame in that I went to your Goalkeeper's (Lee Grant) Wedding as I used to work with his Wife.

9) Any team news?

Hopefully we will have most of our short term injuries cleared up, and we'll probably put out the same team we did against Derby...then again Billy has been known to rotate things so maybe not!

10) Finally, score prediction please!

3-1 to Forest..sorry!

Many thanks once again to Craig, you can catch him and his other Forest mates over at LOST THAT LOVING FEELING to give them a bit of banter or to read about what the rest of them think about the game at the weekend.

Tommy Spurr signs on the dotted line..

Tommy Spurr has today signed a deal that will keep him with the Owls for the next four years. The popular defender's contract was due to expire at the end of June 2010 and would have been free to discuss a move away from the club by January.

The club have just announced though that Tommy will be going nowhere, as he penned the deal that keeps him contracted with Wednesday until 2013. Spurr has become one of the first names on the teamsheet since he burst onto the scene as a raw defender back in 2006, originally a centre back before converting into the left back we all know.
His early shortcomings as a left back were revealed when playing against established pacy wingers and he particularly seemed to struggle against Hull's Craig Fagan in particular.

He has scored five goals since making his debut and seems to have a habit of scoring specacular efforts, his highest profile goal of course was the opener in the first minute at Bramall Lane last season.

The contract talks have been somewhat protracted as it was thought that the situation would be revisited nearer Christmas so Tommy and the squad could concentrate on getting points on the board in the Championship. But todays news comes as a massive boost for the Wednesdayites and manager Brian Laws is just as happy, he said:
'I am really pleased that Tommy has signed a new contract with us at Sheffield Wednesday because he is one of our best players and is already respected around the League as a top young defender.' Laws told the clubs official website.

'Tommy is a great player to work with because of his enthusiasm and will to win as well as possessing genuine talent. While he has already played a lot of games for a young player, he has plenty of development ahead of him and it is quite exciting to think what kind of player Tommy can become in the coming years.'

So what of the player himself? Well Spurr is naturally pleased to have sorted out his future and particularly with staying at Hillsborough, he said:
'I have been a Sheffield Wednesday player for as long as I can remember and I am delighted to sign a new contract with the club. The squad is probably as strong as it has ever been during my time in the first team and there is a real feeling that we can achieve things as a squad now so there was never any doubt in my mind that I wanted to sign a new contract here.

'We have looked solid as a defence and I think we are still growing as a unit defensively. I am really just looking forward to getting back out there and playing for Sheffield Wednesday and hopefully secure the wins that will keep us at the top end of the table.'

So all we need next is RIchard Wood to put pen to paper as the future looks a little brighter for Wednesday tonight.

Owls hoping to extinguish Forest Fire

Sentiment goes out of the window this weekend for Owls boss Brian Laws as he faces his former club Nottingham Forest, the former Forest full back spent six years at the City Ground under the legendary Brian Clough.
Wednesday and their fans have been given a boost ahead of the game with the news that academy product Tommy Spurr has committed his future to the club for another four years.
Owls News
The Owls get back into the swing of things after a two week break for the World Cup qualifiers, the break can either help or hinder sides and the Owls will be hoping it’s the former ahead of the clash with Forest.
Wednesday boss Brian Laws will take a late check on Michael Gray who came off very early in the win at Plymouth with a back spasm but other than that the Owls have no new injury worries.
Leon Clarke comes back into contention following his hamstring injury but Francis Jeffers sits out the second of his three game ban.
The Owls are expected to name an unchanged side for the third straight league game with the back four looking a lot stronger of late but they will be wary of the pace offered by Forests forwards.
Two ex-Derby players Marcus Tudgay and Luke Varney look set to lead the line for the Owls ahead of the strong midfield quartet of Jermaine Johnson, Darren Potter, James O’Conner and Michael Gray.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Buxton, Purse, Wood, Spurr; Johnson, Potter, O’Connor, Gray; Varney, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Clarke, Beevers, McAllister, Simek, Hinds, Miller, Esajas, Sodje.

Nottingham Forest News
The Reds come into the game on the back of a 3-2 success over local rivals Derby County and are currently 17th in the table, although they are unbeaten on their travels this campaign.
Forest are in their second season back in the second after following the Wednesday way by giving League One a bit of glamour for a couple of years, they avoided the drop last season thanks to a late run of form with 12 points from their final six games.
Nottingham Forest
Forest are one of the sides in the division I have time a lot of time for, people say they harp on about their history, damn right they should, they have achieved things clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal dream about.
Forest like Wednesday have to go back too far for the really good days, it’s been nearly 15 years since Forest were an established Premier League side and their last trophy came just a year before ours when they beat Oldham 1-0 in the League Cup final.
Forest’s real heyday was back in the late 70’s when Brian Clough took over the reigns at the City Ground, he began his job as manager in January 1975 and within three years they had been promoted from the Second division and became League Champions, disposing perennial winner Liverpool from top spot. Clough and Forest then shocked the footballing world by guiding Forest to back-to-back European Cup success, a feat I believe rarely gets the credit it deserves nor will be repeated, they also went a staggering 42 games undefeated.
Nottingham Forest are one of the Country’s oldest clubs, they were founded way back in 1865 to provide an alternative to the City’s other club Notts County, they have won the FA Cup on two occasions, the league cup four times along with the European Cup and domestic title.

The Gaffer

Billy Davies followed the late great Brian Clough when he crossed the A52 divide to manage Forest, he’d previously been the boss of Derby County and guided the Rams into the Premiership in his first season as boss but was sacked in November 2007 following an horrific start to the season by Derby.
Davies began his managerial career with Motherwell after ending his playing career at the Fir Park club, he took the ‘Well to the brink of European qualification but a poor start to the 2001/02 season saw him dismissed as boss.
Davies was then appointed assistant manager at Preston North End in 2002 following Craig Brown move to Deepdale as boss, he succeeded Brown in August 2004 and guided North End to the play-off final in his first season only for West Ham to beat them in final.
Twelve months later he again guided the Lilywhites to the play-offs but after earning a vital draw away at Leeds in the first leg Davies’ arrogance got the better of him and in the second leg Leeds rammed his words down his throat with a 2-0 win.
He accepted the job at Derby County in June 2006 and spent 17 months at Pride Park where he transformed relegation haunted side into a Premiership football club only for it come undone in the top flight. After 14 months out of the game he took over at Nottingham Forest on January 1st this year.
Davies is not a man to shy away from controversy and his touchline antics have seen him land in hot water both with the FA and the opposition bench, he was famously chastised at Pride Park by Owls boss Brian Laws after acting like an arse.

Key Players

Nathan Tyson

Pacy striker Tyson has made the headlines recently with his flag waving antics in front of the Derby County fans after the Reds won a fiercely contested East Midlands derby by the odd goal in five, Tysons antics led to a melee between pretty much every player from both sides and has landed him and the clubs with FA Charges.
Tyson came through the ranks at home town Reading but struggled to make the grade, he was loaned out to Swansea, Cheltenham and Wycombe, it was at Adams Park where he was most successful netting three times in ten league games, that prompted manager Tony Adams to acquire his services permanently for a reputed £100k fee and a sell on clause in March 2004.
He spent two years (including his loan) with Wycombe and scored 44 times in 87 appearances making him the subject of attention from several clubs, Wednesday had a bid accepted in the October 2005 but “strangely” the deal fell through, for reasons that are best left out of this article, I don’t fancy a writ. He signed for Nottingham Forest in November barely a month after the deal to go to Hillsborough “broke down”.
He netted ten times for Forest up to the end of the 2005/06 season but disaster struck at the start of the following campaign when he suffered a serious knee injury leaving him sidelined til late November, he made 17 starts and netted on nine occasions for Colin Calderwoods men. He helped Forest to promotion the following season with 12 goals in a injury hit season, he started 31 times for the Reds that season, a figure he matched last season in the Championship where he found the net on eight occasions.

Squad Number 11

Radoslaw Majewski

Polish midfielder Radoslaw Majewski is on a season long loan at the City Ground from Polonia Warsaw and a fee has been agreed between the two sides should Forest wish to make the deal permanent.
Majewski is a Polish international who came through the ranks at Znicz Pruszk�w in 2004 but an impressive game against Dyskobolia Grodzisk (Groclin) saw him engineer a move to the top flight club, he played 42 times in the 2007/08 netting 4 four times.
During 2008 Groclin merged with struggling Polonia Warsaw who were in the second division, meaning that Majewski was now a Warsaw player, bizarrely though the Warsaw club took over Groclin’s top flight status whilst a new club was formed in the Polish fourth division for Dyskobolia. Majewski played 29 times for Warsaw last season.
Majewski has netted twice for the Reds so far this campaign including a thunderbolt against Derby last time out.
Squad Number 28

Lee Camp

Lifelong Forest fan and goalkeeper Lee Camp finally lived the dream when he signed for the club last summer, following a loan spell that had been very fruitful last campaign until the dismissal of Colin Calderwood as Forest boss.
Born in Derby he came through the ranks at the club but his league debut came under current County boss Nigel Clough who was managing Burton Albion, he spent a month on loan with the Brewers playing five times in early 2003. He returned to Derby to make his Rams debut in a 3-2 defeat at Walsall as a substitute, after that he found himself struggling to break into the side with current Owls custodian Lee Grant ahead of him in the pecking order, in March 2004 he moved to QPR on loan and was part of their promotion winning side that sealed Championship football with a 3-1 win at Hillsborough.
He started the 2004/05 season as Derby’s No1 and appeared in all bar two of their games that season as the Rams reached the play-offs but lost out to Preston in the semi-finals. He was again first choice the following and made 41 starts as the Rams narrowly avoided the drop. The 2006/07 season saw Camp start the season with Derby but end back at QPR with a loan spell at Norwich in between, he started the first three games with the Rams but after a 4-3 defeat to Colchester he was dropped for loanee Stephen Bywater, he moved to Norwich in late November 2006 where he played in three games and netted an OG v Wednesday. He signed on emergency loan for Rangers in February 2007 before completing a permanent deal a week later, he played 61 times for the Hoops before being transferred back north in the summer.
Squad Number 1

Team News
Forest will welcome back defenders Joel Lynch and Kelvin Wilson to the squad following their injuries whilst Guy Moussi may also be at Billy Davies’ disposal.
Team (possible): Camp, Cohen, Morgan, Chambers, Gunter; Majewski, McKenna, McGoldrick; Tyson, Blackstock, Garner.

(subs from) Smith, Adebola, Anderson, McCleary, Earnshaw. Mitchell, Davies, Wilson, Moussi, Wilson, Lynch.

Head to Head

There have been some ding dong battles with Forest over the years at S6 (and other grounds used by $Wednesday) with the two clubs meeting 65 times in 127 years, the majority of which were in the top flight.
The meeting last season was won by the Owls thanks to Ettiene Esajas’ deflected strike early in the second period, the other meetings between the two clubs in this division over the past nine years has seen the Owls win once and Forest twice, Wednesday won 2-0 on Boxing Day 2002 whilst Forest won by the same score line in April of the same year and 1-0 in September of 2000.
Going back a few years to when both sides were Premier League clubs who can forget the two Carbone goals in the 3-2 win over Forest in late 1998 whilst our opposing fans will point to a certain 7-1 hammering they inflicted on us on April 1st 1995, that was the highest ever away win in the Premier League until they themselves were on the wrong side of and 8-1 hammering by Manchester United.
You have to go way back to the late 60’s for the last league draw between the sides at S6.

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 34
Draw: 10
Forest: 21

Final thoughts

Another tricky task lies ahead for the Owls in front of what could be a bumper crowd with our visitors selling out the upper tier in advance of the fixture and requesting further seats in the lower section of the Leppings Lane. Wednesday know they need to keep up the positive form ahead of next week’s Sheffield derby whilst our visitors will still be on a high after their recent derby victory.

Visit our rivals
www.ltlf.co.uk

Beat the Bookie.... 10/09

Beat the Bookie returns after the international break with SuperRowlandBrowning giving you his tips for the weekends games. This week we go for a five game accumulator.

My footy tips for this weekend are

Crystal Palace 8/11 to beat Scunthorpe
Charlton Athletic 8/13 to beat Southampton
Leeds United Evens to beat Southend
Barnet 11/8 to beat Macclesfield
Hibernian Evens to beat Hamilton

For £10 it pays £255.1 with Bet365

Also i will betting on Wednesday skipper Darren Purse at 33/1 with Bet365 And Richard Wood 40/1 with William Hill to score first again. Come on Woody hatrick of first goals please :}

Good Luck

Superrowlandbrowning

Next week sees Emre make his debut on Beat the Bookie, if you fancy sharing your tips with the Owlsonline community, drop us an email admin@owlsonline.com

Wednesday v Boro preview

Wednesday hope to keep their recent unbeaten run going on Tuesday night when they face high flying Middlesbrough, the Teessiders come to Hillsborough in good spirits after making it 4 wins from six at the weekend.

Owls News
Wednesday boss Brian Laws will make a late check on James O’Connor who’s tight hamstring saw him miss the draw with Forest at the weekend, Tommy Miller made his full league debut for the club in the Irishmans place.
Richard Wood and Marcus Tudgay both went off early in the draw with Forest as a precaution, Wood suffered a groin problem whilst Tudgay had a stiff neck, Brian Laws expects both to be fit for tomorrow but if not the Owls have adequate replacements in their ranks.
With a local derby against the Blades on Friday Brian Laws could be tempted to make a couple changes to the 11 with Akpo Sodje and Leon Clarke both looking for their first league starts of the season whilst Wednesdayites will be hoping Lewis Buxton can shake off his dodgy performance on Saturday against what will be his toughest task to date, keeping a check on Boro’s Adam Johnson.
Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Buxton, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Johnson, Potter, Miller, Gray; Varney, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, O'Connor, McAllister, Simek, Hinds, Esajas, Sodje, Clarke, Wood.

Middlesbrough
Boro have made a reasonable start to the league campaign with 13 points from the opening six games of the campaign culminating in a 3-1 win over Ipswich at the weekend where Jeremie Aliadiere netted twice to seal a comfortable home win, the victory leaves Boro third in the table behind the other two relegated sides Newcastle and West Brom.
Boro are in their first season outside the top flight since 1998, this time though it could be different to their previous relegations with rumours of mounting debts and the sale of players during the transfer window all is not well in Teesside.
Club History

The club were formed 1876 in similar circumstances to Wednesday with the cricket club looking to keep their players together, they turned professional in 1889 but reverted back to amateur status three years later, they finally returned to that of a professional club in 1899 and were granted a place in the second tier of English football ahead of Blackpool.
The club moved to Ayresome Park in 1903 it was to be their home for 92 years before the move to one of the first modern stadium in English football, the Riverside.
The club have only ever spent two years outside the top two divisions of English football but have just one 3rd placed finish in the top flight and one League Cup (2004) triumph to show for their troubles, they like Wednesday also suffered the indignity of losing both cup finals in the same season, they repeated our feat of 1993 just four years later when they lost to Leicester in the League cup final replay at Hillsborough and to Chelsea at Wembley in the FA Cup final.
The club very nearly folded in 1986 and only the actions of local business Steve Gibson saved the club from extinction, the gates at Ayresome Park had been locked by bailiffs and the club had to resort to using Victoria Park, home of Hartlepool Utd, to play their league fixtures, the club bounced back from adversity under Gibson and enjoyed several spells in the top flight before making it a near permanent home in 1998.

The Gaffer

Gareth Southgate is in his first ever managerial role, the former England international took the reigns from Steve McLaren in 2006 following McLarens promotion to England boss after a poor showing at the World Cup.
He guided Boro to 12th in his first term in charge and had a notable win against Chelsea at the Riverside, the following season they slipped a place in the league to 13th but the cracks were showing in his managerial ability despite a final day hammering of Manchester City 8-1. Boro ended last season in 19th and were relegated along with West Brom and Newcastle.
As a player Southgate came through the ranks at Crystal Palace, initially as a central midfielder, he made his debut at the back end of the 1990/91 season, he spent a further four seasons with the club notching over 150 appearances for the Selhurst Park club.
He moved onto Villa in 1995 for a reputed £2.5m, at Villa he was converted into a centre half and that move was prominent in his call up to the England squad, he spent six seasons in the Midlands collected over 200 appearances and cemented his place in the England squad despite a missed penalty in Euro 96.
In 2001 he was Steve McLaren’s first signing as boss of Middlesbrough after falling out of favour with Villa boss John Gregory, he was captain of Boro as they won their first ever trophy, the League Cup in 2004. In total he made over 503 career appearances and a further 57 for his country.

Key Players
David Wheater

Centre half David Wheater was the subject of intense speculation during the transfer window with several clubs vying for the talented defenders signature but Boro managed to hang on to one of their prized assets til January at least.
Wheater made his Boro debut in they away defeat to Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Cup in March 2005, alongside Adam Johnson but had to wait another 10 months for his Premier League debut when he replaced Andrew Taylor with Boro 5 down at Arsenal, they restricted the score to seven. The following month he was loaned to Doncaster Rovers where he appeared seven times, netting once for the Belle Vue club, upon his return to Boro he was sub in the game at Portsmouth before making his full debut at home to West Ham, he kept his place for the final four games of the season.
With Boro bringing Jonathan Woodgate in Wheater’s development somewhat stagnated and in September 2006 he joined Wolves but he only made 1 appearance during his three month spell and was subsequently sent back to Teeside, at the start of 2007 he joined near neighbours Darlington on a 3 month loan and played 16 times netting twice.
An injury to Woodgate at the start of the 2007/08 season allowed Wheater to stake a claim for a 1st team place and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands starting 40 games in all competitions and netting 4 goals.
Last season Wheater appeared 38 times for the club netting twice and receiving his first ever red card which was to account for his only absence from the first team that season, he has been an ever present this campaign.
Wheater has been capped at every level for England barring full, it’s only a matter of time before this happens though as he has made several squads and been named on the bench by Mr Capello.

Squad Number 31

Adam Johnson

Adam Johnson is a left winger who has filled the void left by Stewart Downing’s move to Aston Villa in the summer.
Johnson is one of the long line of academy graduates produced by the Riverside club, he was part of the FA Youth Cup winning side of 2004, his senior debut came as a 17 year old in a UEFA cup defeat away to Sporting Lisbon in March 2005.
It was in September 2005 when he made his Premiership bow in a 2-1 win over Arsenal, he appeared a further 17 times for Boro that campaign in all competitions netting once in the draw with Bolton. The following season saw Adam loaned out to Leeds where he played five times without netting, he also turned out a further 16 times for Boro.
Adam played in 3 of Boro’s opening games of the 2007/08 season before being allowed out on loan to Watford where he made a real impression for Aidy Boothroyds men, he netted 5 times in 12 games during a 2 month spell in Hertfordshire with Johnson recalled early due to his impressive form, he turned out 21 times for Boro following his return scoring just once, on the seasons final day.
Last season he appeared 33 times for Boro, 19 from the bench, he netted twice, this season has seen Adam start every game and he’s scored five goals.

Squad Number 18

Leroy Lita

Livewire forward Leroy (not from fame) joined the club in the summer on a free transfer following his release from Reading after four years at the Madjeski Stadium.
Leroy was on the books of Chelsea as a youngster but he was spotted by Bristol City scout Roger Barton, he moved to Ashton Gate and made his debut in August 2002, he scored 4 goals in 18 appearances in his first season with City as they fell to Cardiff in the play-offs.
The following season saw Leroy appear 33 times for the Robins netting on five occasions as Danny Wilsons men made the League One play-off final only to be denied by QPR at the last, that led to the end of Wilson’s tenure at City and brought in Brian Tinnion’s who’s management had a profound effect on Lita, in the 2004/05 season he notched up 29 goals in all competitions but it still wasn’t enough to help the Robins into the 2nd tier of English football as they finished 7th.
Lita joined Reading in the summer of 2005 for a reputed £1m fee, he had a mixed first season with the Royals as he helped the club into the top flight for the first time in their history with 15 goals in all competitions but in early March he suffered a broken ankle.
He returned to the Reading side on the opening day of the Premier League season and netted the winning goal against Middlesbrough however his form dipped shortly after and he managed just three goals upto Boxing Day, all in the League Cup however the festive period kickstarted Lita’s season and he rattled in 10 goals in his next 12 games leaving him with 14 for the season as the Royals finished 7th.
A muscle injury restricted Leroy’s start to the 2007/08 season and his only goal for Reading upto Christmas was in the League Cup against Swansea, he scored 1 in 15 games for the Royals before being allowed on loan to Charlton, he found his scoring touch with the Addicks netting 3 times in eight games before signing of the season with a goal for the Royals in a 4-0 win at Derby which saw both clubs relegated.
Last season he spent 3 months on loan at Norwich where he scored seven goals including one at Hillsborough, he also netted once for Reading in a 4-0 win over Watford, it was his final goal for the club. This season he broke his Boro duck in the 2-0 win over Doncaster.
Squad Number 9

Team News
Boro boss Gareth Southgate hopes to land two of his loan targets ahead of the Hillsborough with Caleb Folan and Sean St Ledger amongst the names linked with a move to the Riverside. Jeremie Aliadiere’s brace could see him start in place of Leroy Lita.
Team (possible): Coyne; McMahon, Hines, Wheater, Grounds; O’Neil, Williams, Arca, A Johnson; Emnes, Aliadiere.

(subs from) Lita, Steele, Hoyte, Bennett, Walker, Franks, J Johnson, Yeates, Jones.

Head to Head
Well this is the first league meeting between the club in 10 years, last time out a Peter Atherton goal was enough to secure all three points for Danny Wilson’s struggling Wednesday side on Boxing Day 1999.
That was Wednesday’s third consecutive home win over the Teessiders who last tasted victory at S6 in October 1995 thanks to a Craig Hignett strike in front of the SKY cameras.
You have to go way back to 1991 to find the last meeting between the two sides in this division when the Owls on their way to promotion and a week away from a Wembley appearance won 2-0 with a brace of late goals from Paul Williams.
One game that Boro fans will want to forget was back in May 1989 when a Steve Whitton header consigned the club to relegation and sealed the Owls safety in the top fight, it completed a Ron Atkinson miracle escape.
The clubs first met way back in the 1894 at Olive Grove in the FA Cup with Wednesday winning 6-1, Boro recorded their first win at Hillsborough in 1907 with a 2-0 scoreline.
This will be the 50th competitive meeting between the two sides in Sheffield.
Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 33 (1 game at Olive Grove)
Draw: 5
Boro: 11

Final thoughts

A tough game for Wednesday against a Boro side brimming with confidence but we are on our patch and we need to maintain our recent unbeaten home record which goes back to early April, our record against the relegated Premier League sides at S6 last season was poor, 2 defeats and a draw so we need to remedy that this season.
Boro will be backed by around 2,000 fans which for a midweek fixture is a fair turnout and they will be looking to extend their early season form.
I’d like to welcome Tony McMahon back to Hillsborough, the Boro fullback spent 3 months on loan last season and was a credit to himself and the club.

Visit the Opposition
http://fansonline.net/middlesbrough/mb/in dex.php

Laws impressed by blossoming partnership.

When Wednesday manager Brian Laws appointed Darren Purse as captain of the Owls side few people disagreed as the experience of the former Cardiff City player was seen as invaluable.

There were some doubts over Purse's fitness as well in the summer as he struggled with an injury which restricted his appearance through pre season. But since Purse has knuckled down and gained match fitness and the rewards of his inclusion in the Wednesday team is now becoming more evident.

The early games alongside Richard Wood at the heart of the defence were a little shaky, or as it proved unfamiliarity with each others game. But now they look very comfortable at the side of each other and this is something that Laws recognises.

'We're as solid as we've ever been. The opposition aren't scoring a lot of goals against us.' Laws told The Star.

'I'm delighted with the work ethic and the communication I have seen on and off the pitch.'

Purse admits his lack of match practise did hinder his start with the club, he said:
'A couple of the goals we conceded were probably down to us not playing a lot together, we're slowly gelling as a back four, and it has shown in the last couple of games.

'There's plenty of confidence around the dressing room. It's a big week coming up for us.

'If we can keep up the form we have shown in the last two league games, it will be great for us.'

Three games coming up over six hectic days with tow of them against Brian Laws' former clubs before the trip to Bramall Lane the overall fitness of the squad will be tested. Nottingham Forest head to Sheffield on the back of a victory over their rivals Derby County they will be definately on a high, before Middlesborough make the trip down south to Hillsborough on Tuesday night. Then it's the return of the big one in front of the Sky cameras next Friday.

A point shared as the Owls get stuck in the Forest.

Wednesday remain undefeated at home after a draw with Nottingham Forest this weekend, Marcus Tudgay got the Owls goal after they came from behind after Dexter Blackstock had opened the scoring.

There was one change in the Wednesday side from the team that took to the field at Plymouth before the international break, with James O Connor missing through injury so it meant a first start for summer signing Tommy Miller.
Wednesday looked to start the game on the front foot but after losing possession in a seemingly unthreatening position Forest broke down the left flank with Paul Anderson, his ball found Joe Garner whose effort should have opened the scoring but Lee Grant had other ideas as he saved the goalbound shot.
But the reprive was shortlived as with the visitors next attack moments later they were to open the scoring. It was Anderson again who supplied a hanging cross into the danger area and a moment of indecision from the Owls defence had left Blackstock unmarked and the former QPR striker made no mistake, nodding the ball home in front of the Kop. Grant let both Darren Purse and Richard Wood know what he thought of their marking as Purse seemed to be asking why Grant hadn't claimed the cross.

It was a very stuttered start by Wednesday as Forest did their best to unsettle the home side, some robust challenges from the visitors clearly did their job as the Owls passing game wasn't as evident as it has been so far this season. Jermaine Johnson was doing his best to get into the game as well as Michael Gray down the left but the Forest rearguard action prevented any real goal threat.
It was a scrappy, untidy affair as both sides were cancelling each other out and at times it threatened to spill over as the referee didn't take charge of the early exchanges between the sides.

The visitors had a chance to more or less put the game out of sight when again Anderson broke free down the left and pulled the ball back from the byline across the six yard box only to see Blackstock slice the ball wide with the goal at his mercy. This miss gave Wednesday a lifeline and it kickstarted them into life as Gray and Tommy Spurr persistantly annoyed the Forest defence, but just as it seemed the goal wouldn't come, Tudgay found the net. A ball was played into the box and it was the visitors who couldn't clear the ball and the Owls number seven lashed a shot into the goal past Lee Camp.

Half Time
Owls 1 Forest 1

Wednesday started the second half much the brighter side, forcing the issue from the kick off but again the end product was missing as the visitors were to clear their lines. The Owls were the better side in the early period of the second half and if they would have put the abll in the net, Forest may have struggled to get back into the game at this point although Wednesday were far from dominant.

The main moment of the second half saw Richard Wood tangling with Wes Morgan in competing for a high ball in from the right, and as the ball squirmed from both of them the onrushing Owls couldn't get to the ball and Forest cleared for a corner.

This was much like when the visitors missed a golden chance in the first half, as the tide then turned a little. But by no means did Forest dominate, it just gave them a bit of a boost as Anderson who was the dangerman for the visitors forced Grant into a top drawer save. Former Liverpool trainee Anderson found himself in space some 20 yards out and he fired goalwards, and Grant with his outstretched left hand tipped the ball over for a corner. Around 4000 visiting Forest fans sensed a goal and when Dele Adebola was sent on to bolster the attack by Billy Davies they found their voice again.

Wednesday sent on Sodje for Tudgay who had taken a knock and was suffering with a neck problem, but neither him or Adebola could make a difference for either side.

The last action of note saw the Owls force a free kick on the edge of the area in front of the Kop, but Darren Potter's effort sailed over the bar and into the kop.

It's another point on the board for Wednesday and it just seemed like one of them days, the opposition did their job in stopping us playing our game. Next up on Tuesday night it's Gareth Southgate's high flying Middlesborough who visit Hillsborough.

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Purse ,Buxton ,Wood (Beevers ,75 ) ,Spurr ,Johnson ,Potter ,Gray ,Miller (McAllister ,69 ) ,Tudgay (Sodje ,68 ) ,Varney
Subs not used: Hinds,Clarke,Esajas,O'Donnell,

Nottm Forest: Camp ,Morgan ,Chambers ,Lynch ,Gunter ,Cohen ,Anderson ,McKenna ,Garner (McCleary ,46 ) ,Blackstock (McGugan ,89 ) ,McGoldrick (Adebola ,76)
Subs not used Smith,Wilson,Earnshaw,Moussi,

Bookings: Varney (Sheff Wed) Cohen ,Garner (Nottm Forest)

Attendance: 25270

Referee: Steve Tanner (Somerset)

BRING IT ON - MIDDLESBOROUGH

For this edition of Bring it on we speak to Paul from The Boro Forumabout his teams prospects for teh season and his thoughts on tonight's game at Hillsborough.

1) After a few games, how do you think this season is going to pan out for you?
The season has gone well so far. The defeat at Bristol City came at the end of a bed week for the club with the sales of Huth and Tuncay to Stoke and the knock to confidence that brought. I think the win against Ipswich has settled things a little though, and we sit in third and look strong

2) What did you expect from the Championship, do you expect promotion?
The season has gone well so far. The defeat at Bristol City came at the end of a bed week for the club with the sales of Huth and Tuncay to Stoke and the knock to confidence that brought. I think the win against Ipswich has settled things a little though, and we sit in third and look strong.

3) You played our neighbours on the opening day and we have them to come on Friday, what do you think of them?
The United game is always going to be a hard one, they are known for their physical approach and I haven't seen a great deal to change that opinion. They do what they do and they do it well on a consistent basis.

4) Is there a gem of a player which hasn't got on the radar of other clubs yet?
In terms of Boro - Adam Johnston is quality, but he has been spotted I think.

5) With our gaffer being a former Boro man, what do you lot think of him as a manager? Would you have liked him back at your place if Southgate had got the boot last season?
I have a lot of respect for Lawsy - he was a fantastic player who was so versatile and massively underrated. He was never a name that came up in connection with the Boro hot seat but to be honest we could and do have a lot worse.

6) Other than Newcastle, is there any other side in the Championship you REALLY want to beat?
Cardiff. Don't know why, I just never had a soft spot for them.

7)The barcodes are making the headlines at the moment and it seems the press think everyone is bothered about them, does this bother you lot?
Got to say I do get annoyed at the amount of coverage the geordies get. You would think they were the only team in the division however, they do look to have a first eleven that is better than most in this division. I hate saying that!.

8) So, tell us what you know about Sheffield Wednesday?
I know they are a massive club who could and should be gracing the premier league. I remeber when they were a top flight club, in fact you had a very good record against us on our own patch. I don't know too much about the current team but i am always surprised to see you not challenging for promotion. I have always had a soft spot for your lads but that will go out of the window on Tuesday.

9) Any team news?
I think the big decision will be whether to play Aliadiere, he is full of pace, comitment and quality, but he can't hit a cows backside with a banjo from two paces. Having scored a couple against the Tractor Boys it will be who out of Emnes, Liter or Ali - I think it will be Ali and Lita.

10) Finally, score prediction please!
Come on - even if I didn't think so I would say 2-1 to Boro.

So thanks to Paul, let's hope he's another opposition fan that gets his prediction wrong tonight...
If you want to catch up with the Boro lot, you could click here...

Look out for our next edition of Bring it On ahead of the game against the unclean ones..

Magic Johnson kills off the Owls

Wednesday were defeated last night by a high flying Middlesbrough side despite going in front through a Luke Varney thunderbolt, Boro got back into the game thanks to a Darren Purse own goal before Adam Johnson and Jeremie Aliadiare returned fire for Gareth Southgate's team which saw them leave with all three points.

Brian Laws had one forced change from the side that started the game againt Nottingham Forest at the weekend, with Richard Wood still struggling with a groin injury as well as picking up a virus, Mark Beevers replaced him.

Wednesday started the game like a house on fire, with Luke Varney bursting forward down the left flank before blasting the ball home off the underside of the bar and into the net. Laws' side continued their high tempo after that with an energetic opening spell from the midfield four and were easily a match for the visitors. But whenever the away side had possession they signalled their intent with some slick passing and movement along with the pace of Adam Johnson.
England Under 21 international, Johnson, tormented Tommy Spurr down the Owls left after being switched from the opposite side before putting a ball in which Darren Purse cleared. This began a concentrated spell of Middlesbrough pressure where the ball seemed to be sat in the Owls half and in possession of Boro. O Neil and Arca were orcastrating things in the engine room ably assisted by Rhys Williams and Johnson and it was the impressive Johnson who created the move which ended in an equaliser for the visitors.
It was a ball in from the right which was played into the box which Purse got his head on, but instead of clearing the ball to safety it nestled in the net.
Wednesday briefly rallied, but Boro then got back on the front foot and thought they had taken the lead again when Johnson netted only for it to be ruled out for offside.

Wednesday were to suffer an injury on the stroke of half time, with Mark Beevers clashing with an onrushing Lee Grant after he cleared from the feet of Jeremie Aliadiare. Both Grant and Beevers both instantly waved their arms in the air and their team-mates were also signalling for the physio to run onto the field. After around five minutes of treatment, Grant, returned to his feet but Beevers was not so lucky he had to be carried of the field on a stretcher and replaced by Richard Hinds.
The half time whistle brought somewhat of a rest from the onslaught but it certainly wasn't a case of the Owls being poor, the visitors were well drilled, very organised and certainly worthy of their lofty position in the Championship table on this performance.

Half Time
Owls 1 Middlesbrough 1

The second period began for the visitors much like the first had started for Wednesday with a quickfire goal. Dutchman Marvin Emnes found former Arsenal forward Aliadiare in space who in turn fired past a helpless Grant to put Boro in front. From the kickoff Boro threatened again but for a save by Grant they would have scored again.

Wednesday then got back into gear, with the midfield and defence getting the upper hand on their opponents. Forcing one corner after another in front of the Kop, after a bit of a pinball game the ball was cleared from the first out for the second corner which Purse missed an opportunity that he knew instantly he could've done better from. Whenever Wednesday had the ball the opponents were back into shape quickly, closing down the space but Darren Potter and Tommy Miller were finding little gaps but in the final third Boro got there in front of Varney and Tudgay who battled throughout.

Tony Mcmahon was substituted for the visitors and got a standing ovation from both sets of fans, and he duly obliged by applauding all four sides of the ground in return.
Miller was replaced by Sean McAllister and Michael Gray by Leon Clarke as Brian Laws looked to find a way past the stout Boro rearguard. McAllister immediately brought a little more urgency to the midfield and good work down the right flank provided another corner for the Owls, but it was claimed easily by a mostly untroubled Danny Coyne in the Boro goal.

Middlesbrough rubbed salt into the wounds with five minutes to go as Johnson capped off a fine performance by slotting home in front of the travelling fans after outfixing Lewis Buxton.

A disappointing result, but a better performance than the one witnessed last Saturday and certainly not the best morale booster going into THE game on Friday night. But certainly some positives from Brian Laws' point of view.

Final Score
Owls 1 Middlesbrough 3

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Purse ,Buxton ,Gray (Clarke ,72 ) ,Spurr ,Beevers (Hinds ,49 ) ,Johnson ,Potter ,Miller (McAllister ,71 ) ,Tudgay ,Varney
Subs not used: Simek,Sodje,Esajas,O'Donnell,

Middlesbro: Coyne ,McMahon (St. Ledger ,82 ) ,Wheater ,Hines ,Grounds ,Williams ,Adam Johnson ,Arca ,O'Neil (Hoyte ,89 ) ,Aliadiere ,Emnes (Lita ,71)
Subs not used Yeates,Bennett,Franks,Jones,

Its going to be a hot Friday night..

Kevin Blackwell has said that Wednesday will be sure to receive the full force of the United side when the Owls make the short hop across to S2 tomorrow night.

Speaking to the Star, he said:
'I shouldn't have any problems getting the lads up for this one. Everyone knows what it's all about and what's at stake.

'The one thing I can always count on getting from my lads is 100 per cent. That they'll give absolutely everything and leave nothing out there on the pitch.'

Well the players and the fans were up for it last season before Tommy Spurr fired Wednesday into that early lead, and even after Arturo Lupoli had equalised it seemed like Brian Laws' men had the measure of their rivals and Marcus Tudgay of course just topped it all of with his goal.
Blackwell may give his players the rocket beforehand but the question remains if he has the tactical nous to get one up on Laws, when they were the underdogs back in the nineties they made up for what they lacked in quality they made up in application. Some may say Blackwell has the strongest squad at his disposal but yet some fans of his club reckon he isn't the man for the job, Laws has a good record against the arch enemy and it's not a case of having to make up for the lack of quality despite many seeing the Owls as underdogs as last season proved.

Unbeaten in four derbies and winners of three, yet still outside the city we are seen as the underdogs.
How little do they know!

Owls blunt first half ends all hopes.

Two more goals at Bramall Lane for the Owls were too little too late as the home side won through after a first half capitulation from Wednesday that was abysmal to say the least.
Jamie Ward, Darius Henderson and a Lewis Buxton own goal saw the hosts go in at the break three up and the home support in dreamland, but after a rocket from Brian Laws at half time, Wednesday showed their true colours and hit back almost immediately after starting the second half through Marcus Tudgay. Etienne Esajas' exorcet of a free kick brought the Owls within one and dreaming of a historic comeback but it wasn't to be.

The Owls line up saw two changes from the side that was beaten by Middlesbrough last Tuesday night with Richard Wood returning alongside Darren Purse in defence.James O Connor also returned after missing the previous two games through injury.

Wednesday started brightly enough as the hosts were keen to start quickly and use their home advantage, and it looked decidely even as the first five minutes passed by relatively incident free before the game burst into life a minute later. Darius Henderson was being used as the spearhead for the United attack from the offset and it was his goalbound effort that was tipped over by Lee Grant that would bring the opener.
Keith Treacy swung over a deep corner in front of the Owls fans and it dropped on the unmarked Chris Morgan's head, his effort bounced off the Wednesday defence and fell to Jamie Ward who swivelled and shot to put the hosts one up from around 6 yards.

It was to get doubly worse for Wednesday within ten minutes as Henderson doubled the lead, Ched Evans found himself in acres of space in the box on the Wednesday left and his drilled effort was deflected goalwards by Henderson and past a helpless Lee Grant. At this point the Owls were fearing the worst as after just 15 minutes it was unbelievably 2-0 to the hosts. There was little to separate the sides in terms of possession but in the danger areas the home side made Wednesday pay.

Marcus Tudgay on a couple of occasions set off on runs not to dissimilar to the one he made for his goal last season in front of the home supporters, but the fary tale ending was missing. Luke Varney tested home keeper, Mark Bunn but it seemed to be a veiled threat as he was rarely stretched by the Wednesday attack.

Then what was to be the deciding goal came just before the break, sub Dave Cotterill looped over a deep cross and Lewis Buxton under pressure from Henderson, headed past his own keeper to make it three. It brought misbelief from the Wednesday supporters and Buxton himself who appeared to be gesturing that he believed he had been fouled, but in truth it was a half hearted appeal,

The half time whistle came as many Owls may have thought it could be better to go home than witness what the second half had to offer, it was a strange feeling as we hadn't been dominated but the score told a different story. Three balls into the box brought three goals, arguably of which only one of the three was no one's fault.

Half Time
Wednesday 0 The hosts 3

Brian Laws must have thrown everything at his side in the dressing room at half time, as when they returned for the second half their response was almost immediate. Laws brought on Etienne Esajas for the ineffective Jermaine Johnson and Esajas was involved in the move that brought a goal for Marcus Tudgay.

The ball had been swung in from the Wednesday right where Esajas found himself free at the far post and his effort bounced off a team-mate before being kicked up into the night sky, it then found itsway back across the box to Tudgay who volleyed low and hard past the depairing dive of Bunn and into the net in front of the Owls fans. Game on.

Within five minutes it almost was two, Esajas' free kick from the right found, Richard Wood at the back post and the ball flew across the box where Tudgay was waiting but his first time effort went over the bar rather than hitting the net. It really was a guilt edged chance that would have rocked the hosts to their core had it hit the net as they were certainly on the back foot.

Ten minutes later it was two for Wednesday, and what a second goal. After a foul in a central position some 25 yards or so from goal, Esajas smashed a low curling free kick round the wall and low into the bottom corner of the net and Wednesday could smell an equaliser. From the start of the second half to around 15 minutes or so of the game to go the Owls dominated and played in a fashion that maybe should've brought them the third goal they yearned so much.
The home supporters were counting down the clock and it was the Wednesday fan's who were in fantastic voice as around the home sections there seemed to fall a deadly silence as their nerves were clearly getting the better of them.

Leon Clarke and Tommy Miller were thrown on by Brian Laws to try and get the third as Esajas fired just wide from distance before Morgan and Evans were both denied by two fine saves from Owls keeper Lee Grant.

Referee Alan Wiley called a halt to proceedings after five minutes of injury time and the hosts won their first derby in five attempts. They may have the bragging rights when you see the score, but they certainly had to fight for it. It's an old footballing cliche that it's a game of two halves but there's never been a better phrase to describe this derby game, despite the score the Wednesday players and fans can stand proud.

Sheff Utd: Bunn ,Morgan ,Davies ,Taylor ,Walker ,Treacy (Quinn ,87 ) ,Montgomery ,Harper ,Ward (Cotterill ,33(France ,89 )) ,Evans ,Henderson
Subs not used: Bennett,Reid,Little,Stewart,

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Purse ,Buxton ,Wood ,Gray ,Spurr ,Johnson (Esajas ,46 ) ,Potter ,O'Connor (Miller ,78 ) ,Tudgay ,Varney (Clarke ,66)
Subs not used Simek,Sodje,McAllister,O'Donnell,

Owls hope to Steel Blades win

Wednesday make their shortest trip of the campaign with just the matter of 4 miles across the City to the slums of Heeley bottom to face Kevin Blackwell’s Blades in the 124th Sheffield Derby on Friday night.

Owls News

Wednesday have several selection worries ahead of the Steel City derby with James O’Connor (hamstring), Richard Wood (groin), Lee Grant (leg) and Mark Beevers (shin) all doubts for the televised clash.
Grant is the one most likely to start the game despite a clash with Mark Beevers in the defeat against Middlesbrough, the young defender and his goalkeeper ended up in a broken heap as both went to clear a loose ball, Beevers left the pitch on a stretcher but the initial diagnosis of a fractured leg looks to have been a false worry.

Richard Wood missed the game in midweek with a groin strain and a bout of sickness but is hoping to be fit to face the Blades as is James O’Connor who was absent for our last two matches with a tight hamstring, if neither are available the Owls could bring in Hinds in the centre and leave Miller alongside Darren Potter in midfield.

Luke Varney’s first goal since his return should ensure his start whilst Marcus Tudgays stunner at the Lane will hopefully be repeated this term.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Buxton, Purse, Wood, Spurr; Johnson, Potter, O’Connor, Gray; Varney, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, McAllister, Simek, Hinds, Miller, Esajas, Sodje, Jeffers, Clarke.

Sheff United News

The Blades come into the Steel City derby after suffering their first league defeat of the campaign, going down 3-2 at Coventry, the Blades matched the Owls exploits with comedy defending at the Ricoh and will be hoping that blip is eradicated on Friday.

Sheffield United

Our baby brother, the little irritating relative that follows you around, yup that’s Sheffield United, for the past 120 years we’ve had them on our shoulder, chirping in our ears about whatever they feel is relevant at the time.
The club was formed way back in 1889 as an alternative to The Wednesday and several other prominent Sheffield clubs, some would argue the Blades are still behind Wednesday, Sheffield FC and Hallam in the City’s footballing order.

The club were born out of the Sheffield United cricket club on the back of the demand for a football team to occupy the ground during the winter months, incidentally it was Wednesday’s president Sir Charles Clegg who instigated their inception giving more proof to the theory that they are our little brother, or bastard son depending on interpretation.

The Blades “glory year” came when Queen Victoria was ruling the country but if it’s any consolation we were at war in Afghanistan, that (1898) was the only time they were granted the title Champions of England. The Blades do however beat the Owls on two scores, one being that they have lifted the FA Cup on four occasions compared to our three, the last of the those being in 1925, and secondly they have lifted the rather glamorous 4th Division Title, a fact not lost on many Wednesday fans as we can safely say we have never ever been that low in the league pyramid.

The Blades are the only club from a major City to have not been involved in a Cup final since the war, unless we count the Yorkshire and Humberside Cup which they won.
Now the Blades fans will say they are the biggest club in Sheffield at present and there could be an ounce of truth in that fact, they are certainly the biggest bottlers, over the last 30 years or so the Blades have been feeble when it’s come to the “big games”.
Here’s just a little reminder of a few of those days

1981 Walsall – Home lost 0-1, Don Givens missed a pen, relegated to the 4th division

1993 Sheffield Wednesday – Wembley lost 1-2, battered all over the pitch by sheer class

1994 Chelsea – Away lost 2-3, Stein goal in the last minute to seal relegation

1997 Crystal Palace – Wembley lost 0-1, David Hopkins late winner in the play-off final

2003 Wolves – Millennium Stadium lost 0-3, 3 down at the break

2007 Wigan – Home lost 1-2, a ten point lead lost in the quest to stay up, ex Blade nets winner

2009 Burnley – Wembley lost 0-1, did they even turn up at the national stadium

The Ground

Bramall Lane has been hosting sporting events for over 150 years first as a cricket ground for Yorkshire CCC and then hosting Sheffield FC and The Wednesday for football, it could be argued that it stopped hosting football in 1889 when the “Cutlers” took up residence (born in a test tube) and have been there ever since, it’s like squatters rights for the Heeley folk.

For footballing purposes the ground first hosted games way back in 1862 and was home to the Wednesday from 1880 to 1887 when the club moved to nearby Olive Grove, from 1889 it has been home to Sheffield United FC.

The “Lane” was originally a three sided stadium up until the 1970’s when the cricket square was covered as Yorkshire CCC were asked to vacate the premises they’d been using for nigh on 120 years, the South Stand was put in place and Bramall Lane was finally a proper football ground.

The Ground is remarkably similar to Hillsborough with it’s old style feel to it, a covered Kop with pillars, an ageing stand (their South, our North), a new stand (their John St, our South) but in the last few years United have upgraded (bit of cladding) their away end, removing pillars and joining it on to the rest of the stadium.
The Blades have submitted plans to upgrade the Kop and South Stand increasing capacity to around 40,000 in the hope of getting the World Cup in 2018 and they deserve it because in the words of chaiman Sue McCabe “the rules of football were written a stones throw from Bramall Lane” what Sue fails to mention was the fact that United weren’t around then, however other more successful Sheffield clubs were.
Wednesday fans will no doubt be delighted to be located under the piss throwing scrubbers from S2 and once again dodging the coins and bottles will be fun in the Halliwell Stand located on Bramall Lane.

The Gaffer

(“what do you want me to say Seth?”)

You know when you have to write about something you dislike? That’s where I am now, at least Warnock had comedy value. Kevin Blackwell, “Blacky”, “The Blackster” etc is, in my most humble opinion, the most obnoxious, bitter little man managing a football club in England at present.

His managerial CV? Well lets dissect it, Leeds = failure, Luton = abject failure, Sheff United? Well time will tell but so far he’s copied Colin by losing a play-off final without turning up, he’s bettered any United boss since 1914 by losing a Sheffield derby twice in one season, and he’s also the manager of a druggy, life couldn’t get any better if you’re a Wednesdayite with Blackie in charge of them, well maybe Bryan Robson but you know what I mean.

Blackwell was only ever a good number 2 to Neil Warnock, his defection to Leeds ended that friendship, and arguably his chance of a crack in the top flight, lest we forget he was part of the managerial team that has relegated Leeds and Luton during his time at each club and for that he must be applauded.

Key Players

Ched Evans

Welsh international Ched joined the Blades in the summer from Manchester City for a reputed £3m, he was brought into fill the void left in January by the sale of James Beattie to Stoke City.

Rhyl born Evans came through the ranks at City after joining the club from Chester City’s youth football set-up following their relegation out of the league, he quickly made a name for himself bagging goals at both Academy and Reserve team level.

He made his first team bow in a Carling Cup tie against Norwich in September 2007, in November that year he joined the Norwich on loan initially until January but this was extended to the end of the season, he netted 10 times in 20 starts plus 8 sub appearances for the Canaries.

Last season he started five games for City and made a further 20 appearances in all competitions netting his solitary goal for the Citizens in a 6-0 rout of Pompey. Evans netted on his international debut in a 1-0 win over Wales and has now amassed 10 full caps and has two goals.

Since joining United he has netted twice times in seven games.

Squad Number 26

Matt Kilgallon

Leeds born centre half Matt Kilgallon is in his third year at Bramall Lane after leaving his home town club in January 2007 for a £1.75m fee.

Matt came through the ranks at Elland Road and made his debut as a substitute in a 4-1 away win in Tel Aviv in November 2002, he made his Premiership debut three months later in a home game against West Ham, again as a substitute.

At the start of the 2003/04 season he was allowed to join West Ham on loan where he made 3 appearances before being recalled by Leeds as the rot set in at the West Yorkshire club, he made his full debut for Leeds in the goalless draw with Aston Villa on Boxing Day 2003, he went onto make a further six starts for the club to the end of January before being dropped until late May when he played and scored in the 3-3 draw with Charlton, It was his second goal of the season.

Following Leeds relegation he became a more integral part of the first team, during their first season down from the Premiership he made 28 starts as the Whites struggled to adapt to the financial crisis impending on them, he picked up the first red card of his career in a 1-0 defeat to Brighton.
In the 2005/06 he helped a Blackwell managed Leeds reach the Championship play-off final playing 33 times for the club and netting one goal but it wasn’t enough as Watford strolled to 3-0 win in the Millenium Stadium.

That result saw Dennis Wise replace Blackwell as boss and he made Kilgallon a fixture in the Leeds starting XI with him playing all but a couple of games upto the turn of the year in the 2006/07 season as Leeds struggled against a second relegation in three years but with finances dictating he was sold to Sheffield United in the January 2007 window, he made his Premiership debut for the Blades in a 2-0 defeat at Bolton, he made a further five starts in the top flight but was powerless to stop the Blades succumbing to the drop.

Over the last two years at Bramall Lane he has been a near ever present missing just 13 league games in two and a bit seasons, three of which were for a ban after being red-carded in the Sheffield derby last October.

Kilgallon has been the subject of interest from Wigan and Birmingham in the top flight whilst Newcastle and Middlesbrough are monitoring the situation of the 25 year old who has less than 12 months left on his current deal.

Squad Number 4

Nick Montgomery

Wow, is there an uglier football around at present? he gives Luke Chadwick hope. Leeds born “Monty” came through the ranks at the Lane and made his debut as an 18 year old in October 2000 away at Norwich City. He went on to play a further 28 times for the Blades that first season including two Sheffield derbies.

Over the next few seasons he slowly worked his way into Neil Warnocks first choice 11 and made 94 starts and a further 45 substitute appearances in the four seasons following his debut year, taking him well over 150 1st team appearances, he also earned caps at under 21 level for Scotland.

Montgomery was an integral part of the Sheffield United side that won promotion to the Premier League in 2006, he made 34 starts that campaign, he then followed this up with 24 starts the following year as the Blades slid back out of the top flight in controversial circumstances.

He found himself out of favour when Kevin Blackwell took charge at the Lane in February 2008 after being an almost every present under previous Bryan Robson, he didn’t play for the Blades after the Sheffield derby in January 2008, due to injuries and a loss of form, until September later that year.

He fought his way back into the side last year and made 35 appearances in all competitions, he has just made his 300th appearance for the Blades in the defeat at Coventry, he has netted 9 career goals in 9 years.

Squad Number 4

Team News

Team (possible): Bunn, Walker, Morgan, Kilgallon, Taylor; Treacy, Montgomery, Harper, Ward; Evans, Henderson.

(subs from) Bennett, Cotterill, Little, Stewart, Reid, Quinn, France.

Head to Head

The Sheffield derby, one of the country’s oldest and most fiercely fought contests which dates way back to the 1890’s when the two clubs first met in a First Division fixture which ended 1 apiece.

This will be the 62nd meeting between the sides in competitive football at the Lane and United certainly have the upper hand but February’s win ended a 42 year hoo doo for the Wednesday as Tommy Spurr and Marcus
Tudgay helped the Owls to a 2-1 win and ended 95 years without a derby double for the Owls.

Since Wednesday’s relegation from the top flight in 2000 there have been six meetings between the clubs with the Blades winning twice, three draws and the Owls solitary success last year.

The 90’s rarely proved a happy hunting ground for Wednesday with David Hirst and Carlton Palmer both scoring to earn the Owls a point in the two Premier League games between the sides whilst United won the last ever 1st division game 2-0 with Shitehouse and Deane netting for the Blades.

The biggest game at the Lane in the last 30 years or so between the sides was on April 5th 1980, the Blades were desperate to avenge the Boxing Day massacre whilst Wednesday needed the points to aid promotion, over 45,000 crammed into the Lane and were treated to a wonder goal by Terry Curran who equalised late on for the Wednesday after the Blades had taken a first half lead.

Overall at Bramall Lane:

Owls: 13

Draw: 22

Blades: 26

Final thoughts

Come on Wednesday do the ambulance chasing, pissthrowing Shoreham gits.

The return of the Beever..

After missing last weekend's derby game at S2 through injury Mark Beevers is back in training ahead of this weekends game at Hillsborough against Cardiff City.

The former Owlsonline Young Player of the Year was fearing a lengthy lay off after colliding heavily with Lee Grant in the second half of the game against Middlesbrough last Tuesday night, where originally it was thought he may have done serious knee ligament damage or even broken his leg. The prognosis was relatively tame compared to what was first thought as he made his to return to training yesterday.

'He's delighted and so are we,' Brian Laws told the Star.

'There were fears that he might have suffered damage to his knee ligaments because of the impact, but the scan results were good. We're happy with that, and he should be okay for the weekend.'

But with Richard Wood now recovering from his bout of illness it seems that Beevers will only feature as part of the matchday 18 from on the bench. Richard Hinds is training again after his hamstring problem which ruled him out of last Friday's game and he could also take up a spot amongst the substitutes.

Beat the Bookie 18/09

This week it's EMRE who has his try at Beating the Bookie, so here's his accumulator for you all to have a go with if a flutter is your thing..

i've gone for

HULL v birmingham 5/4
CARDIFF v qpr 4/5
PRESTON v coventry 4/6
WALSALL v swindon 7/5
PORT VALE v bury 6/5

Accumalator £5 stake wins £178.20 prices are from William Hill

Obviously with it being THAT day here are a few selected odds for tonight from Boylesports...

Draw 5/2 Sheff Wed 7/2

First scorer...
Tudgay, Marcus 7/1
Sodje, Akpo 8/1
Clarke, Leon 9/1
Varney, Luke 9/1
Johnson, Jermaine 10/1
Purse, Darren 20/1
Mcalister, Sean 22/1
Wood, Richard 33/1
Gray, Michael 33/1
Buxton, Lewis 40/1
Beevers, Mark 40/1
Hinds, Richard 40/1
Spurr, Thomas 40/1

Other selected match odds... Half time/Full Time

Sheff Utd - Sheff Wed 33/1
Draw - Sheff Wed 9/1

Oh for someone to win big on a big win for the Owls...

Good luck

Bring it On - THEM..

Well we all know what's at stake tonight, bragging rights, pride, honour.. everything all rolled into 90 minutes plus injury time.
So we speak to one of the dark side, Tracey Broomhead, to see what she thinks about her side and about what's going to happen tonight..

1) How do you see your season panning out?

We will probably finish in top six although I would like us to go up automatic and not via playoffs.

2) Do you expect promotion and nothing less this season?

Most definitely.

3) Does the game against us mean more than promotion, just so you can try to get your own back?

No, not at all, its just another game. I would rather we are promoted.

4) Obviously you want to beat us more than anyone else in the Championship but who else do you like to see your team beat and why?

Probably Barnsley as they are local to us and Reading as they always seem to be our bogey side.

5) From you're squad, other than the players most people will recognize, is there a gem that is relatively unknown coming through?

For me personally, I think Kyle Reid is going to be a gem of a player.

6) What do you expect from Wednesday this time?

I think wednesday will go all out for a win they always seem to be up for it against the blades.

7) Who is your biggest threat in your opinion?

Probably Keith Treacy or David Cotterill

8) Any team news?

Its all been kept under wraps.

9)Finally, a score prediction?

Ah I dont do predictions but probably will be a typical boring derby draw.

Thanks to Tracey for her time and her answers, would we take a draw wouldn't we? NAH! Let's have all three again..

Football League announces charity partner.

The Football League has confirmed that 'Help for Heroes' will be its Official Charity Partner for the 2009/10 season. Founded in the summer of 2007, Help for Heroes raises funds for all members of the Armed Forces injured whilst serving their country.

Chosen following a vote on the official [i]Football League website[/i], the charity was picked by football fans from five shortlisted candidates.

The Bobby Moore Fund, Care of Police Survivors, Everyman, Marie Curie and Help for Heroes all went head-to-head in the week-long vote which saw a staggering 25,000 fans nominate their favoured organisation. The top two causes were then passed to the League Board who made the final decision to choose Help for Heroes.

'I am delighted to have Help for Heroes as our Official Charity Partner,' said Football League Chairman, Lord Mawhinney. 'The Football League is dedicated to helping good causes and the work done by Help for Heroes is hugely relevant to our lives today.

'The Football League's unprecedented reach across the UK will assist Help for Heroes to raise awareness, funds and provide Armed Forces with the opportunity to see live matches.

'Help for Heroes has always been an organisation that I and our clubs have supported in practice and I am thrilled that The Football League is working to help such a great cause.'

As the Official Charity Partner, Help for Heroes will have an unrivalled exposure across The Football League, where clubs already have countless initiatives in place supporting the Armed Forces.

The partnership will add to this passionate work currently underway that includes fund raising and the provision of matchday tickets for members of the Armed Forces and their families throughout England and Wales. The Armed Forces will also be honoured at the prestigious Coca-Cola Football League Play-Offs Finals at Wembley with more than 300 troops receiving VIP treatment, including a lap of honour and a stadium-wide standing ovation before kick-off.

Help for Heroes co-founder, Bryn Parry said: 'Thank you to everyone at The Football League. Your support will make a huge difference to some incredible Heroes. The Football League will help us provide direct and practical support for our injured service personnel. We may not be able to prevent our blokes from being wounded, but together we can help them get better.

'We wish you all the very best for the upcoming season and look forward to seeing you very soon. Thank you from all at Help for Heroes.'

The huge response from fans has encouraged the Board to take the unprecedented step of naming Marie Curie, runner up to Help for Heroes, as the Official Partner for the 2010/11 campaign.

Esajas looks to start on Saturday.

A strong Wednesday second string got one back for their first team counterparts last night with a win over the neighbours from the other side of the city with one of the goalscorers from Friday night, Etienne Esajas continuing his bid to regain a spot in Brian Laws' starting eleven.

The Dutch winger did his bit on Friday night to try and restore some parity for the Owls when he replaced the ineffective Jermaine Johnson at halftime and his second half display certainly showcased his talents with his free kick goal.

He has become somewhat of an enigma in his time with Wednesday ever since his arrival on a free transfer in August 2007 after being released by Vitesse Arnhem. Despite being blighted with injury problems the tricky wideman has shown glimpses of his potential, going back to his introduction in the game against Bristol City at home a couple of seasons ago where he tormented the Robins and the fans thought they certainly had a good player in the ranks.

But after that he has proven to be inconsistant, and found himself in and out of the side, he only seems to score impressive goals with his effort away at Wolves last season and this season's blinding effort against Rochdale in his scrapbook. Now however he is looking for a decent run in the side which may show the Owls faithful and Brian Laws what he is capable of on a consistant basis, speaking to the Star, Esajas said:

'I have been unhappy for a long time this season because I did not play and have been on the bench, except for the Cup games,

'I wanted to do well in my first away derby game; when I went on I was ready to do anything to try to change the game; I was pleased with what I did, and everybody in the team did really good. I wanted to go on and show that I deserve a chance.'

Esajas played 45 minutes for the reserves last night who defeated the visitors two-one thanks to goals from Akpo Sodje and Francis Jeffers, who both are looking to have a place at least on the bench for the visit of Cardiff City this weekend.

Two Owls up for PFA award.

Wednesday players featured highly in the PFA awards last season with Lee Grant and Marcus Tudgay in particular taking many of the plaudits including the PFA fans Player of the Year award. Well the first award of the season is about to be dished out for August and September and we have two players in the running.

Marcus Tudgay and Jermaine Johnson are in contention for the accolade along with Michael Chopra of Cardiff City and George Boyd of Peterborough.
You can get your votes in by visiting the voting page at givemefootball.com, to get there all you have to do is click HERE.... To cast your vote.

JJ was in sparkling form as the season began with goals for the Jamiacan international in the opening fixture against Barnsley and then he followed that up with a brace against Rochdale in the Carling Cup. Since then however he has suffered a little dip in form after netting a goal in the four-nil defeat of Scunthorpe.

Tudgay's fortunes have gone the other way, with a disappointing start for the Owls number seven after a summer filled with speculation. But since hitting the net against Scunthorpe he has since scored another four goals, two against Plymouth, one against Forest and of course the first against our neighbours last week.

So get your votes in for your player of the month and let's see if Tudgay or JJ can win the prize for the Owls.

Remember to cast your vote HERE....

Bluebirds test for Owls

Wednesday look to bounce back from a disappointing week on the pitch when they face Cardiff City at S6 on Saturday, the Owls picked up a measly 1 point from 9 and ended up on the wrong side of a thrilling five goal Sheffield derby.

Owls News

Wednesday boss Brian Laws has some tough choices to make ahead of the visit of Cardiff City after the Owls have netted just one point from the last nine available in the past week.
Etienne Esajas’ impressive cameo at Bramall Lane last week should see him given a starting birth, Jermaine Johnson could be the man to give way for the Dutch winger unless Brian Laws has a plan up his sleeve to incorporate both wingers and the effervescent Micky Gray along with puppet master Darren Potter in the midfield

Defensively the Owls may re-arrange things as well with Lewis Buxton coming under pressure after a difficult few games, Frankie Simek could find himself making his first league start of the season whilst Darren Purse will be looking forward to facing his former side. Mark Beevers and Richard Hinds face fitness tests ahead of the game to see whether they will take their place on the bench.

Up front for the Owls leading scorer Marcus Tudgay who’s netted five times in the last five games will partner Luke Varney but both Akpo Sodje and Leon Clarke will be pushing for a starting berth, Francis Jeffers also comes into the reckoning after completing his three match ban.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Buxton, Purse, Wood, Spurr; Gray, Potter, O’Connor, Esajas; Varney, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Clarke, Beevers, McAllister, Simek, Hinds, Miller, Johnson, Sodje, Jeffers.

Cardiff City News

The Bluebirds travel north in good heart after a battling but ultimately fruitless showing away at Aston Villa in the Carling Cup on Wednesday, they went down 1-0 making it three defeats in four in all competitions making their form about as good as Wednesday’s lately, but they will be eager to get back to winning ways and maintain their position in the play-offs.

Cardiff City

Cardiff City has been around in one form or another for well over a century, they were founded in 1899 originally as Riverside FC, again another football club born out of a cricket club. They began life playing friendlies at Sophia Gardens (now home of Glamorgan CC) and joined the Cardiff and District league at the turn of last century, 1905 they asked to change the name to Cardiff City FC but were deemed to not be playing at a sufficient level to represent the name however upon joining the South Wales amateur league in 1907 they were granted permission barely a year later.

They began life in the Southern League second division in 1910 following a move to Ninian Park and stayed there for 10 years (including war-time) until they were invited to join the Football League in 1920 and in the first year won promotion to the top flight by finishing runners up to Brimingham on goal average. The next eight years or so were the glory years for the Bluebirds with them finishing runners up for the League to the great Huddersfield side in 1924, again goal average denying them glory, they became the last side to ever lose a cup final to Sheffield United when they met in the 1925 FA Cup final but two years later they became the ONLY club to take the FA Cup outside the borders of England by beating Arsenal 1-0.

The Cup final win was the beginning of the slippery slope downwards as just four years later they were entertaining the likes of Thames in Division Three South, they spent 16 years (although the league was suspended in 1939) in the doldrums before finally winning the division in 1947 to return to Division 2.
Five years later the Bluebirds were back in the top flight where they stayed until 1957, they made a brief return in 1960 but their last top flight term came in 1962, the club remained in the second division for most of the next quarter of a century barring two relegations in 1975 and 1982 and subsequent promotions the following year of each.

From the mid 80’s to the turn of this century the club had been flirting with between the bottom two division and in 1996 they were 90th in the League with only Scarborough and Torquay below them, however their fortunes took an upturn when Sam Hamman took control of the club in August 2000, they quickly won promotion to the third tier and in 2003 won promotion to Division 1 (now Championship) where they have established themselves.

The Welsh club have won various national cups which have helped them appear in European competition which some people feel is a detriment to the English league system, the club also still fall under the jurisdiction of the Welsh FA and as such seem to get their fair share of appeals for red cards rescinded much to the annoyance of Swansea City fans.

The club ended 99 years at Ninian Park in the summer when they moved to the purpose built Cardiff City stadium across the road from their old stadium, the 28,000 all seater stadium is said to have not captured the soul of Ninian though as yet.

The Gaffer

Dave Jones is widely regarded in the English game as a solid dependable manager but he also had a good playing career before that. The native Liverpudlian turned out for Everton over 80 times in the league in a five year spell in the mid seventies as a defender before moving onto Coventry, he picked a serious knee injury but battled back to play for Seiko in Hong Kong before moving back home to play for Preston.
He first got into League management with Stockport County in 1995 and he helped the club into the second tier of English football as well as making them cup giant killers. In 1997 he replaced Graeme Souness at Southampton, his first season at the Dell saw the Saints finish in 12th but the following season saw Wednesday help the Saints beat the drop by winning at Charlton on the seasons final day leaving the Saints safe.

The summer of 1999 was torrid affair for Jones as fabricated stories of child abuse saw him arrested this had an adverse affect on the club and in January 2000 he was suspended on full pay by the club whilst he fought to clear his name and he was cleared in December 2000 by Crown Court in Liverpool. Following the turn of the year he was approached by Wolves to become boss and he did so, he guided them to 12th in 2001.

The following season is down in folklore in the Black Country as Wolves let slip a 12 point lead to West Brom and they missed out on promotion and then failed in the play-offs but the setback galvanised Jones and Wolves, just over 12 months later they were a Premier League club, beating Sheffield United 3-0 at Cardiff in the play-off final.

Wolves found the top flight tough going and were relegated 12 months later and after a tumultuous start to the 2004/05 season he parted company with the club in November 2004. He joined Cardiff in the summer of 2005 and guided the club to 11th in his first season, after a strong start they tailed off and finished 13th.
The 2007/08 season he led Cardiff to the final of the FA Cup but saw his side beaten by Portsmouth 1-0, the cup run coincided with a dip in their league form and they ended up in 12th place. Last season a poor end of season run of form which culminated in a 1-0 defeat at Hillsborough saw the Bluebirds finish outside the play-offs on goal difference.

Key Players

Michael Chopra

Goal getter Michael Chopra is a Geordie born former England U21 international who re-joined the Bluebirds in the summer for a reputed £3m after being frozen out at Sunderland.

He came through the ranks at boyhood idols Newcastle United and made his debut in 2002-03 season in a League Cup defeat to Everton, he went on to make a further appearances for the Toon with 1 league game and 2 Champions League ties under his belt, at the back end of the 2002-03 season he joined Watford on a months loan where he netted 5 times in six games including four in a 7-4 win away at Burnley, a result which was only bettered by Wednesday’s 7-2 win there a few weeks later.

The 2003/04 season was unsuccessful for Michael he made just six appearances for the Geordies without netting and a five game loan spell at Nottingham Forest saw him also fail to net. The following season saw Chopra loaned to Barnsley in League One, he spent nearly the whole season in South Yorkshire scoring 17 times in 41 games for the Tykes.

Chopra bagged his first goals for Newcastle in the 2005-06 campaign, he scored twice in the UEFA Cup before netting his first League goal in the 4-1 win away at Sunderland, he ended up with 3 goals in 17 appearances.
Cardiff signed him for £500k in the summer of 2006 and initially he looked to be the firepower needed to fire the Bluebirds to promotion as he helped them to 36 points from 17 games but a poor run of form saw the promotion fire burn out but Chopra still managed a healthy 22 goals in 44 games.

Roy Keane liked what he saw and spent £5m persuading Cardiff to part with Chopra who moved back to his native North East to join Sunderland, his start for the Black Cats couldn’t have been better with two goals in his first two games including the winner v Spurs but then the goals dried up and he only scored a further four goals in 31 games, he still ended up with 2nd place in the Sunderland goalscoring charts.

The 2008/09 saw him again start well with two goals in his first game in the win over Middlesbrough but after falling out of favour he returned to Cardiff in November last year, he scored five goals in his two month loan spell before returning back to Sunderland, Ricky Sbragia the Sunderland boss then allowed Chopra to rejoin Cardiff on deadline day last January but it wasn’t as successful as his earlier spell with just four goals in sixteen games, although it left him with a record of 11 goals in 30 appearances for the season.

Squad Number 8

Joe Ledley

Welsh international and Cardiff golden boy Ledley has been subject of some fervent speculation over the past couple of years after shining for the Bluebirds. The 22 year old full international made his break through as a 17 year old in 2004 when he made his debut in the league cup, he subsequently made a further 31 appearances for the club in that campaign in the Championship, scoring four times.

Over the next two campaigns he scored six times in 94 games as the Bluebirds bounced back from relegation fears in 2005-06 to topping the league for a large part of the 2006-07 season, a small squad with mounting injuries saw their Premier league hopes disappear, he also made his full debut for Wales during 2005.

The Bluebirds had a frustrating season in the 2007/08 season as the Bluebirds finished 12th but Ledley personally kicked on and netted 11 times in 48 appearances, this included the winner at Wembley against Barnsley in the FA Cup semi final, and is arguably his best year to date as a player.

During last season he was the subject of offers from Wolves and Everton both of whom were turned down by either Ledley or Cardiff, Stoke bid a reputed £6m for him which Cardiff again turned down and Ledley has remained at Ninian Park but the likelihood of him signing a new contract is diminishing as the days pass by, he appeared 46 times and scored 5 goals last season.

His form this season has seen some Cardiff natives question his commitment to the club but he is still a major threat.

Squad Number 16

David Marshall

David joined the club from relegated Norwich in the summer to keep his World Cup dreams alive (shame for Scotland eh?) as a replacement for the error prone Peter Enckleman and hoped to become the first settled custodian the Bluebirds have had since the departure of Neil Alexander in 2007.

David came through the ranks at Celtic but found first team appearances difficult to come by until he came on as a substitute in a UEFA cup tie with Barcelona in March 2004, he kept a clean sheet in 45 minutes he played in the first leg after Rab Douglas was dismissed, Celtic ran out 1-0 winners. In the second leg a fortnight later the 19 year old put in the display of his life as he repelled the Catalans attack time after time and the Bhoys won through.

He carried on as the Bhoys keeper to the end of that campaign. The following season saw the young keeper make a further 25 appearances for the club but in the summer of 2005 Celtic captured Polish number 1 Artur Boruc and Marshall was cast into the cold, after 18 months in the wilderness he moved to Norwich on loan but injury curtailed his spell until he signed the following July.

Marshall cost Norwich £1m to buy from Scottish giants in July 2007 following his loan spell. He was an ever present in the 2007/08 season in all competitions something he repeated last season, he was voted third in Norwich’s player of the year vote in 2007/08.

Squad Number 1

Team News

Cardiff are without long term injury victims Ross McCormack and Kevin McNaughton alongwith loanee Kelvin Etuhu who has been ruled out for at least six weeks, while former Leeds and Barnsley midfielder Stephen McPhail is suspended following a red card in the recent 1-0 win at Reading.

Team (possible): Marshall; Quinn, Gerrard, Hudson, Kennedy; Whittingham, Ledley, Taiwo, Burke; Chopra, Bothroyd.

(subs from) Enckleman, Gyepes, Comminges, Scimeca, Rae, Capaldi, Magennis, Wildig, Mathews.

Head to Head

Wednesday won the last meeting between the two sides thanks to a super Jermaine Johnson strike, whilst a Marcus Tudgay strike just before the break won it for the Owls the season before.

The 2006/07 season the two clubs ground out an entertaining goalless draw whilst in the 2005-06 season the Bluebirds gave Wednesday a footballing lesson in front of the Sky cameras goals from Jason Koumas and a Cameron Jerome brace fired the visitors into a 3-0 half time lead which Chris Eagles strike only slightly reduced the deficit.

Prior to that the last meeting was in December 1983 where goals from Imre Varadi (2), Gary Bannister, Mick Lyons and Gary Shelton helped Wednesday to a 5-2 win.

City won the first ever meeting between the clubs in 1920 with a 1-0 win at S6.

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 17

Draw: 6

Bluebirds: 5

Final thoughts

We need a result this weekend to get the disappointment of last week off our back but it won’t be easy and we must play at the best of our ability to beat a strong looking Cardiff side.

Visit our rivals

www.ccmb.co.uk

BRING IT ON - THE BLUEBIRDS

Cardiff make the trip up from Wales this weekend so we ask the questions to one Bluebird and the replies this week come from Lewis Clark who you will find on CCMB.CO.UK

1)Now the season is well underway, how do you see the season going for you?

I can see us making the play offs with some loan additions, especially needed in midfield, without these mid table.

2)Do you lot expect at the very least a playoff push?

No, as above.

3)You replaced Darren Purse with Mark Hudson, was that a good swap?

I don't think so but the jury is still out on Hudson. I think we have got rid of Purse who was good in the air but quite slow to replace him with a slower Hudson who isn't as commanding. Purse was likely to make a few glaring errors over the course of a season though.

4)Who should we look out for in your side this weekend?

Chris Burke is bang on form and has been ripping sides apart down that flank recently.

5)Swansea and Bristol City are obviously big rivals of yours, but who else do you really like to beat?

Bristol Rovers, Stoke and Sheffield United for me.

6)If Dave Jones doesn’t get you lot into the playoffs at least this season, is it time for a change?

No, I don't think we have backed Jones enough financially and when we have it has been at the expense of selling players to do so. When we start backing him and keeping the best of our current crop we will get to the promised land.

7)Tell us what you know about Sheffield Wednesday?

Their nickname, big old ground, old players(Bright, Waddle etc), sleeping giant who have suffered a bit of a slide. Still biggest club in Sheffield with decent away support.

8)How many fans do you expect to make the trip to Hillsborough?

I would hope for 1,000-1,500.

9)Any team news?

Long term injuries still out but expect us to take to the field as we did at Villa last night barring a few forced changes.

Thanks go to Lewis for his time and Walkers for firing the questions across to the Bluebirds forum, if you want to catch what they think ahead of the trip up to Hillsborough this weekend then get yourself over to www.ccmb.co.uk by CLICKING HERE

The Owls prey on the Bluebirds.

Its a return to winning ways for the Owls as Cardiff are sent packing back to South Wales with a resounding second half performance which left the Bluebirds wondering what might have been after a first half which saw two goals and two ruled out through marginal offside decisions.

Etienne Esajas was the star of the show, scoring his second free kick in as many appearances before supplying the balls for Luke Varney and Leon Clarke to finish off the visitors.

Esajas was the only change to the side that lost away at Bramall Lane last weekend, replacing Jermaine Johnson in midfield. It was a strange start to the game as many people were applauding in memory of Paul Shirtliff who passed away recently, but a mix up meant the officials appeared to be unaware of the intention to pay respects to the former Owl. Then the scoreboard went off, so when the kick off actually took place many in the ground hadn't realised the game had kicked off!!
Early goals have been somewhat of a regular occurance in the last couple of games and this was to be no different with the opener coming after just four minutes on the clock. A crude challenge by the Cardiff defence brought a free kick for Wednesday around 20 yards out in a central position, up stepped Esajas to curl the ball over the wall and past the despairing dive of David Marshall in the Bluebird's goal before it bounced off the inside of the post and in.

It was a start that wasn't undeserved, as within the next five minutes or so Luke Varney was to test the strength of the upright before Richard Wood saw a looping header drop agonisingly the wrong side of the crossbar. But from then on Cardiff started to get a foothold in the game, the midfield pairing of Gavin Rae and Joe Ledley were making their prescence felt and a warning shot was fired into the Kop by winger Chris Burke.

Moments later though the equaliser came, following a ball in from the left Michael Chopra was challenged by Lee Grant who was adjudged to have upended the striker by referee, Michael Oliver, who pointed to the spot.
Peter Whittingham despatched the penalty with consumate ease and immediately the visitors tails were up, and Wednesday's ability to keep possession seemed to have disappeared as midfield was bypassed when the ball was cleared from the threat of Jay Bothroyd up front for the visitors who was certainly a handful for Wood and Darren Purse at the heart of the Owls defence.
Bothroyd found himself in the referee's notebook however after an aerial challenge with Richard Wood, not for his misdemeanor but for arguing the point with Mr Oliver, who clearly pointed out that he wouldn't accept any more of his sturdy challenges.

Cardiff then thought they had gone in front as Chopra had a marginal offside decision go against him, and the home support was somewhat silenced as the inevitable seemed to be on the cards. Cardiff may have realised it wasn't to be their day just minutes before the half time break when Mark Kennedy rounded off a good move at the back post, but again the referee's assistant was to deny Dave Jones' men the lead.

Half Time Wednesday 1 Cardiff 1

Whatever Brian Laws gave his side in the dressing room at half time, it certainly worked as the second period started much like the first with an early goal. And again Esaja's was to be crucial, as his ball into the box from the left flank found an onrushing Varney who headed the ball past a helpless Marshall.
This time however Wednesday didn;t take their foot off the gas in regards to performance, Esajas stung the palms of Marshall before Marcus Tudgay had to be replaced with what is thought to be a slight neck injury with Leon Clarke his replacement.

Within ten minutes of Clarke's introduction the big striker amost extended the Owls lead, he burst forward onto a ball threaded through midfield and when it appeared the early shot may be the favourite, Clarke held onto the ball before then holding off his marker and rattling the right hand upright beating Marshall all ends up. But fortunately for Cardiff the ball bounced to safety.

Joe Ledley was then dismissed for a crude tackle on the effervescent Michael Gray who continues to belie his tender age of 35, it was the second yellow card for arguably the talisman of the Bluebirds side.

Wednesday were to make the visitors pay with a superb third goal, the ball was played from the back four and through midfield before finding Esajas out on the left flank whose cross was perfect for Clarke to slot home with a sidefoot volley.

Akpo Sodje and Jermaine Johnson came on to replace scorers Varney and Esajas respectively and Sodje almost got a fourth for Wednesday within minutes of his introdution. Richard Wood played a high ball from the back into Sodje who, in one movement controlled the ball on his chest before holding off the attentions of two defenders and strode towards goal. As he hared into the box Marshall came to close the angle but was not getting to Sodje's effort, but unfortunately for the Owls number 10 it wasn't to be as the ball hit the sidenetting after clipping the upright.

The referee brought the game to a close which in the end Cardiff would have been happy to see the end of, but had it not been for two waves of the assistants flag in the late stages of the first half it could have been very different. Credit however to Wednesday for sorting themselves out and making sure there was no way back for the visitors in the second half.

Next up a trip to Selhurst Park on Tuesday to face Neil Warnock's under pressure Crystal Palace side.

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Purse ,Buxton ,Wood ,Spurr ,Potter ,Gray ,O'Connor ,Esajas (Johnson ,83 ) ,Tudgay (Clarke ,51 ) ,Varney (Sodje ,82)
Subs not used: Simek,Miller,O'Donnell,Beevers,

Cardiff: Marshall ,Kennedy (Capaldi ,67 ) ,Gerrard ,Matthews ,Hudson ,Burke (Magennis ,76 ) ,Whittingham ,Ledley (sent off 73),Rae ,Chopra ,Bothroyd
Subs not used Scimeca,Quinn,Enckelman,Gyepes,Taiwo,&nbs p;

Can we fly higher than the Eagles?

The Owls face a difficult midweek trip to the capital tomorrow to face a resurgent Crystal Palace side who come into the game with back to back wins something the Owls have failed to do so far this campaign.

Owls News

Wednesday boss Brian Laws will check on the fitness of Marcus Tudgay ahead of the trip to Selhurst Park, the
Owls top scorer suffered a recurrence of his neck injury in the win over Cardiff on Saturday, he could be replaced by Leon Clarke who took over from Tudgay on Saturday and netted the Owls 3rd.

Etienne Esajas's impressive showing on Saturday means he will keep Jermaine Johnson out of the starting line up once more but the pacy Jamaican could be used as a effective substitute if the Owls can utilise his pace as the game wears on, Darren Potter, Micky Gray and James O'Connor will make up the quartet.

Defensively the Owls still look a little unsteady but Laws is expected to remain faithful to the back four of Buxton-Purse-Wood-Spurr who seemed to find things a little more comfortable as the game wore on but the threat offered by the pace of Victor Moses could cause Wednesday problems.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Buxton, Purse, Wood, Spurr; Gray, Potter, O'Connor, Esajas; Varney, Clarke.

(subs from) O'Donnell, Tudgay, Beevers, McAllister, Simek, Hinds, Miller, Johnson, Sodje, Jeffers.

Crystal Palace News

The Eagles come into the game on a high after their impressive win at West Brom on Saturday it was their second successive win and will be hoping to extend that record when they face the Owls.

Crystal Palace

As a football club Crystal Palace have been in existence for just over a century, they were formed by workers of The Crystal Palace way back in 1905, a year later they joined the second tier of the Southern League where they stayed until in 1920-21 when they entered the Third Division South of the Football League which they won to earn promotion to the Second Division.

After four years in the 2nd Division Palace were relegated to back to the 3rd Division of English football until the late 50's they even managed a one dark season in the bottom league in the early 60's for good measure but in 1969 they finished second in the 2nd division to gain promotion to the top flight for the first time.

Palace spent three years in the top flight but then suffered devastating back to back relegations in the mid 70's which saw them drop back to the third division but as quickly as they fell they bounced back with two promotions in three season (76/77 and 78/79) saw them back in the big time.

The early 80's saw Palace again slide out of the top flight and they would remain so until the Steve Coppell led them to promotion in 1989, they then went onto reach the FA Cup final in 1990 and finished the 90/91 season in third, their highest ever finish.

The 90's and beyond have seen Palace labelled as a yo-yo club with either promotion or relegation on seven occasions over the past twenty years, they have also suffered play-off heart-ache in the seasons 2005/06 and 2007/08 by crashing out at the semi final stage.

The Ground

Selhurst Park has been home to the Eagles since 1924, and their first ever fixture at the Stadium involved the Wednesday who spoiled their hosts day with a 1-0 win in front of 25,000 fans, Billy Marsden was the Owls scorer.

The current all seater capacity of Selhurst is 26,309 and the ground is the 31st largest in the country, the stands behind either goal offer a great unobstructed view of the game but visiting fans are housed in the old Arthur Wait stand and the view is interrupted by various pillars.
The ground has hosted various different sports over the years including boxing, cricket and the Olympics in 1948.

Prior to Selhurst Park the Eagles used the old famous Crystal Palace stadium which used to host FA Cup finals prior to the building of Wembley but following the war this was taken away from the club, the stadium that sits there now was built in 1964 and is one of the country's premier athletic venues. The club also used Herne Hill velodrome as their home following the loss of the Crystal Palace.

The Gaffer

So where do I start with 'Colin'? Well the man we love to hate has now almost had 2 years in charge of Palace but still falls foul of some Eagles fans despite having his hands tied by lack of finances.

Warnock began his career at non-league club Gainsborough Trinity nearly thirty years ago before moving onto Burton Albion but in 1986 he took the job at Scarborough FC and became the first man to win promotion to the Football League in 1987 following the abolition of the re-election system.

In 1989 he left the McCain Stadium to take over at Meadow Lane, he performed wonders with the Magpies and they won promotion to the top flight in 1991 for the first time since Jimmy Sirrel's miracle in 1980s when he'd guided the club from the fourth tier to the top level, unfortunately Warnock struggled in the top flight and they were relegated in 1992, Warnock himself was sacked 6 months later.

Barely two months later he took on the role of 'consultant' at Torquay United and saved them from relegation from the league. In the summer of 1993 he took over the reigns at Huddersfield Town and in his two years there he managed to get the club in the second tier of English football and got the Terriers into the Football League Trophy final, he quit just days after the club were promoted.

Following his surprise departure from Huddersfield he took over at basement club Plymouth and again his skill at getting clubs promoted were in evidence he took the Pilgrims back up a division, a poor 1996/97 season though did for Warnock and he left Home Park before having short spells in charge of Oldham and Bury.

In December 1999 he realised his boyhood dream when he was appointed manager of our nearest and dearest rivals, The Pigs, he along with chairman Kevin McCabe had a plan to get the Blades into the Premier League, their first attempt ended in some controversy and when they were pipped into 3rd spot by Leicester City in 2003, the Foxes had circumvented the rules on administration and kept their better players (this led to the rules now in force) however the Blades still had a chance but famously bottled the play-off final at Cardiff losing 3-0 to Wolves, it ended a exciting yet ultimately heartbreaking year for Warnock and the Blades who also missed out in the semi finals of BOTH cup competitions.

He finally got the Blades back into the top flight in 2006 when they finished runners up to Reading, his task to keep them in the Premiership again proved fruitless as they blew a 10 point gap and a Tevez inspired West Ham survived on the final day, Warnock was left bemoaning the fact that Tevez's registration was illegal, what he fails to remember is that they were TEN points clear and the players who goal ultimately relegated United (David Unsworth) had been released by himself.

Following the Blades demise he left his position after nearly 8 years in charge stating that a confrontation between 'actor' Sean Bean and Warnocks family sealed his decision to quit, he took over at Palace in October 2007 when they were 19th in the table, he led them into the play-offs after finishing 5th, last season Palace finished 15th.

Key Players

Freddie Sears

Striker Freddie joined Palace on a season long loan this summer from West Ham, he had been linked with a move to Hillsborough but he apparently turned it down when he realised his mothers apron strings didn't go that far past Watford Gap.

Freddie came through the famous Hammers academy and started his rise to stardom in the 2006/07 campaign when he started to net regularly for the U18's, the following year he slotted home 20 goals in 15 appearances for the Youth team, at the end of the campaign he was given his full Hammers debut and secured the win with a goal just minutes into his debut, that has been his only senior goal to date.

He made 22 appearances for the Hammers last season but couldn't add to his goal tally, in seven games for the Eagles this year he has yet to net but had a goal famously ruled out when the linesman didn't see the ball hit the stanchion before rebounding out in a recent game at Bristol City.

Squad Number 16

Darren Ambrose

Former England U21 international Darren moved across London in the summer when he joined Palace from their former tenants, Charlton, who had been relegated to League One in May.

Palace became the fourth club of Ambrose's 7 year professional career, he came through the ranks at Ipswich Town as a youngster and made his first team debut in April 2002 as Town slipped out of the top flight.

He started the following campaign in fine form for the Tractor Boys netting 10 times in thirty-odd appearances for the club but with finances tight at Portman Road it was with no surprise that Ambrose was sold, former Ipswich legend Sir Bobby Robson (RIP) splashed around �½�£1m to bring him to the North-East in March 2003.

His first season on Tyneside saw him make 37 appearances in various competitions netting on three occasions but things began to turn sour following the removal of Robson as boss, under Graeme Souness his chances became few and far between with just 12 Premier League appearances and six in other competitions, most of which were from the bench, the frustration at his lack of chances left him no choice but to move.

In the Summer of 2005 he joined Charlton in search of first team football and in his first season he appeared 33 times in all, netting four times, he played a further 30 times the following season but couldn't help the Addicks stay in the Premiership.

Ambrose most prolific season came in the 2007/08 campaign, he appeared 42 times for the Addicks and found the net on 9 occasions, last season was a weird one for Ambrose as he left Charlton to return to his former club Ipswich on loan despite the Addicks struggling at the foot of the table, he found the net just and that was for Charlton against Norwich in a cup replay.

Since joining Palace he has a new lease of life with 5 goals in ten games so far this season.

Squad Number 7

Paddy McCarthy
(Aaaddrrriiiaaannnn!!!!)

Centre back Patrick 'Paddy' McCarthy in his second season with the club following a move from nearby Charlton Athletic in the summer of 2008.

Dublin born Paddy came through the ranks at Manchester City but failed to make a single appearance in his four years with the Citizens, his football education came via loan spells at Notts County and Boston United.

In March 2005 he joined Leicester City for around �½�£100k on a three year deal, he made 13 appearances at the back end of the 2004/05 campaign and quickly became a fans favourite at Walkers Stadium. In his first full season with the Foxes he appeared 44 times and notched two goals, he also picked up 12 bookings and two red cards. He was named club captain for the 2006-07 and he was an almost ever present for the club with 33 appearances until injury ended his season, a dislocated shoulder in January meant he'd played his last game for the Foxes.

In the summer of 2007 he signed for newly relegated Charlton in a �½�£650k deal but he only spent 1 season with the Addicks making just 33 appearances and netting 3 times, he moved across London in the summer of 2008 and so far has clocked up 37 matches for the Eagles.

Squad Number 5

Team News

Team (possible): Speroni; McCarthy, Fonte, Butterfield, Hill; Ambrose, N'Daiye, Derry, Danns; Scannell, Moses.

(subs from) Flahavan, Hills, Ertl, Davis, Carle, Sears, Cardogan, Lee

Head to Head

A Leon Clarke strike helped Wednesday earn a draw last season with a contentious penalty grabbing the hosts a share of the spoils, a year earlier the Eagles snatched a late winner on a dark day for Wednesday who lost Frankie Simek to a serious injury early in the game.

The 2006/07 season saw Wednesday complete a league double over the Eagles, after a late winner in the game at S6 by Steve MacLean the Owls repeated the feat at Selhurst with Marcus Tudgay notching an 87th minute winner, that was the first league Wednesday win against Palace at Selhurst for 25 years, although there have been numerous victories over other inhabitants of the stadium during that period.

Overall at Palace:

Owls: 5

Draw: 9

Eagles: 11

Final thoughts

A win would do wonders for the club and would put our hopes of the play-offs firmly back on track with just one further game before another international break is forced upon us.

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Owls draw a blank in London

Wednesday made the difficult trip to Selhurst last night and earned a solid point after an uneventful goalless draw.

Brian Laws rested Marcus Tudgay for the game following his neck injury, Leon Clarke made his first star of the campaign, that was the only change from the side that beat Cardiff, the hosts made a change up front themselves with Alan Lee replacing Sean Scanell.

The game produced the fast booking of the season to date with Hills tackle Esajas inside ten seconds saw Mr Kettle flash the defender a yellow, it could easily have been red, it was crude to say the least.

The hosts began the brighter of the two sides and only wayward finishing by McCarthy, Ambrose and former Rotherham man Lee saw parity remain, the game was a niggly affair with Mr Kettle not allowing it to flow freely and the Owls style seemed to take a battering against a hard working but limited Palace side, the front two of Wednesday began to get into the game and only a dubious offside call denied Luke Varney a chance on goal.

Leon Clarke had the Owls first real effort when he outpaced Jose Fonte but with the angle tight he blazed it into the side netting to leave the scores goalless at the break.

The second period was a slightly better affair with Wednesday getting more of a foothold in the match and producing the slicker style of football but once again Clarkes rustiness in front of goal showed, twice he could have fired the Owls into the lead as he broke clear, only a great save by Speroni which was missed by the match official denied the powerful strike.

Just past the hour Brian Laws looked to switch things around and brought Tudgay and Sodje on for Varney and Clarke and the changes almost paid dividends when a free kick by Darren Potter came back to the midfielder his clever flick was nodded on to Tudgay and with just a stack of bodies to beat he tried to place the ball home only for Danny Butterfield to clear off the line.

In the dying stages the Owls were pressing hard but nearly fell for the sucker punch when a ball over the top caught Richard Wood out, he clashed with the forward and although to me it did not look like a foul the inconsistent Mr Kettle deemed it so, the decision should have led to a red card for Wood but the doubt in Mr Kettles mind meant just a yellow was shown.

All in all not a lively affair but a clean sheet and a point in South London is a good point and well done to the 1,000 plus Wednesdayites who made the horrific journey, a special mention to Darren Purse and Richard Wood, they were rock solid all night and gave the Palace forwards nothing.

The Divisions of Football

This is a new article that has been written by one of our forum users so thanks to Otleyowl (Pollhammer3) for his contribution and I hope you like it.

The last few weeks in English football have been full of more twists and turns than a dramatic novel. Just add factual inaccuracies and you have a bonafide Dan Brown bestseller. The Premiership is second to none when it comes to creating a furore.

Controversy in the Premiership, and generally, the higher echelons of the game, is encouraged rather than frowned upon. Incidents are pandered to and given unwarranted attention. If these dramas were ignored, they would disappear quicker than they occurred. But this would not be in the interests of football as a money making entity. The drama creates debate and attention, keeping this beautiful game at the forefront of the media, and therefore, the nations psyche.

The decision makers in football court, and enjoy, drama so much I am fully expecting photos of Michel Platini watching Eldorado to emerge. Protests to the contrary will always be made and the men in charge will point to directives about stamping out over zealous celebrations, and that there is no place for diving in the modern game.

The truth is that the directives brought in and the ways in which they are carried out only serve to bring these misdemeanours to the foreground on daily basis.

The knee jerk reaction to Eduardoand his dive followed by the humiliating about turn was an example of how Fifa kept the spotlight on what was a small incident in an effectively dead game. An incident that otherwise would have been forgotten about the next day became a running story for well over a week with Eduardo being cast as the pantomime villain.

The, now infamous, Manchester City versus Arsenal game highlighted some glaring contradictions from the FA. The punishment for the stamp by Emmanuel Adebayor on Robin Van Persie was entirely justifiable and some would say quite lenient. The punishment for Adebayors over enthusiastic and hilariously misjudged celebration was nonsensical. Firstly, it went against the FAs own rules.

The referee had seen the incident, dealt with it in the appropriate manner and carried on with the game. The FA have shirked from making many retrospective decisions by hiding behind the argument that if the referee saw the incident the FA cannot act.

Secondly Adebayor was accused of inciting a riot. A player, who has been on the receiving end of verbal abuse of varying degrees, answers back to the perpetrators with a knee slide. Hardly a weapon of mass destruction now, is it?

Where is the incitement to violence? Football supporters should be able to receive whatever they are prepared to give out and not hide behind the excuse that footballers should show responsibility as they are role models. Surely we should all show some responsibility disregarding whether we are on or off the pitch. The minute we start punishing players for celebrating in front of opposition supporters we will take away a big chunk of the games soul.

Another case of an individual incident becoming more important than the actual game being played was the controversy surrounding Michael Owens last gasp winner. It seems that time may have run over by a few seconds which, bearing in mind the desire not to end play during an attack does not seem too heinous a crime. There is always going to be a furore when United score late at home, especially in the context of the game and especially given Alan Wileys ill advised laugh and joke with Ferguson.

In amongst all the fury and indignation, it was left to new signing, Joleon Lescott to point out that City should have still defended the attack and Owen should not have been left unmarked in the penalty area, and that if either of these two things had happened, the fact the game carried on for several seconds over the allotted time would have been a moot point.

League One appears already to have become a two horse race. Such is the start the front runners have made it appears to be play offs at best for the rest of the division. Despite the season being three months shy of Christmas.
Two teams who may have a say in disproving this theory are my outside tips for promotion, Huddersfield and Norwich. They have both suffered recent downturns in form but both teams have squads capable of a sustained push. In Jordan Rhodes and ex Wednesday player, Grant Holt, respectively, both sides have strikers who will score plenty of goals at this level. With two home games this week, Norwich should see a quick return to form. In contrast, Huddersfield face two away trips this week starting at Walsall tonight. Although these are tricky games, I still expect to see both clubs well placed by the end of the weekend.
They will both almost certainly fall short of automatic promotion due to the aforementioned, dominant form of Leeds United and Charlton Athletic. It is only Norwichs superb, two goal comeback that keeps Charlton from sharing top spot with Leeds. The clash on Saturday between the two clubs will be a huge game in the context of the League One. A score draw is the most likely outcome but an early goal could see Leeds go on to achieve a convincing victory and deal the rest of the division a real blow.

League Two is still being dominated by goings on at Meadow Lane. Sol Campbell and his departure raises more questions about his own decision making than that of the Notts Countys project. It was clear Campbell would be playing well below his level in League Two, but all doubts he may have had about joining the Magpies should have been dealt with before he committed to joining the club. County have now been left with a gap in their defence with no way of plugging it prior to the January transfer window.

When the window re-opens, they will have their pick of the entire squad of another club who also don black and white stripes. Mickey Adams, yesterday, put his entire Port Vale squad on the transfer list. This seems, on the face of it, an impetuous decision as there can be no movement before January and this will surely have an adverse affect on team morale. It is hard to see how relations between the squad and the manager will be reconciled and given the amount of time the current players need to play under Adams, it is possible it will be Adams himself who will be the one to leave.

The timing of the decision also seems odd as Vale have had two respectable performances away at Championship side, Scunthorpe and, on Saturday at Notts County. After Carling Cup heroics against both Sheffield clubs, it does appear to be a mis-timed reaction following two games from which even the most die hard Vale fan will have expected little return.

Oxford United are leading the way in the fight to gain league status. The rest of the division look to be fighting it out for a play off berth. Not that this has made the Conference any less exciting as there are no fewer than ten clubs separated by only four points after thirteen games played. The possibility of AFC Wimbledon playing MK Dons is still possible, but it would take a large downturn in the form of the Milton Keynes club to make this probable.

Bring it On - Eagles.

It's a return for Bring it on just three days after our last game, with an eager Eagle stepping up to answer our questions ahead of the game at Selhurst Park tonight. David Smith is in the firing line for our questions as we ask him to BRING IT ON..

1) Needless to say your start to the season was been unspectacular until recently, what did you expect before the season began?

Very mixed views from the fans about what we expected this season. The home defeat to Scunthorpe and the away win at West Brom pretty much sum up our unpredictability. 30 years ago this week, we were top of the old First Division but, as with most Palace seasons, we rarely finish how we start so a mediocre start could mean we have a barnstorming finish.

2)After returning to some kind of form in the last two games, has the tide turned?

We have a lot of youngsters in the team and confidence must be very important. If we can put a run together now things could go very well, but too early to say for now.

3) Sean Derry, Claude Davis and Neil Warnock all ex Blades, what do you think of them all?

Derry's been with us so long that we consider him one of our own. Davis was very good at the end of last season and hopefully he can carry on that way. Neil Warnock was a pretty controversial appointment but he has won over many if not all of the doubters. Like many controversial characters, he's thought of very differently when he is your own manager. He has passion, honesty and a good record in the Championship. For now I think 90% of the supporters love him....and 10% still hate him.

4) Your chairman is obviously outspoken at times, is it time he spoke to the manager and got rid? If so, who would be the ideal replacement?

The Chairman and the Manager are good friends and both are passionate football people. We face an uncertain future with Simon Jordan wanting to sell the club if he can find a buyer so now would not be a good time to change the manager as well - I dont think anyone else could succeed any better anyway, in the circumstances. But if we had to find a replacement, then my own choice would be Ian Holloway. Mad as a box of frogs, but good entertainment value and again his track record in the Championship is very solid.

5) Who is the gem in your side that maybe hasn't got on the radar of other clubs yet?

We have a great crop of youngsters - possibly the best since we were the team of the 80s. The problem is keeping hold of them. Moses and Scannell have already attracted a lot of interest but the other player in that bracket is Nathaniel Clyne. Not played the last few games because of injury but he was a relevation when he broke into the team last season and brought back memories of Kenny Sansom for some of our older fans.

6) If you could sign one player to fit into your side who would it be?

We need a goalscorer more than anything. Since Clinton Morrison left, we have had no one who looks capable of 15-20 goals a season. Given the speed of Moses and Scannell, as well as the passing of Ambrose, the dream signing would have to be Torres. We can all dream!

7) Who would you happily see walk away from the squad?

Matt Lawrence is the current boo boy for the supporters. When he has played this season, he has made some pretty horrendous mistakes which suggest that age is taking its toll. Happy for him to carry on doing his newspaper column though.

8) What do you know about Sheffield Wednesday?

Plenty about their history and still in my view a 'big club'. I dont know much about the current squad but you look to be in a similar situation to us in terms of how your season could go. We have a decent record against you over the last couple of seasons though, so hope that will continue.

9) Team news ahead of the game?

Freddie Sears, our loan signing from West Ham, is still injured, as is Stern John and Clyne. Otherwise a fit squad so the same team that beat the Baggies is probably our starting line up.

10) Score prediction please..

If we had a decent goalscorer, I'd say 3-0 Palace. As we are, I'll happily take a scrappy 1-0.

Some cracking answers there, so do your thing and visit Dave and his mates at CPFC BBS

Esajas makes the team of the week.

After two goals and a couple of assists in a week, Eitienne Esajas has been named in this week's Coca Cola Championship Team of the week.

Esajas is the only player from the Owls squad to be named in the team this week after we had two players in it a week or so ago. Other notable mentions in the team go to Blackpool 'keeper Paul Rachubka who had a fine game in the Tangerine's victory against Peterborough, Sean St Ledger makes it into the side despite his Middleborough side drawing at the Ricoh Arena against Coventry and another player from that draw is Coventry's former Wednesday loanee Leon Best.
Newcastle United's hat trick hero last weekend Kevin Nolan is in there and Doncaster Rover's loan Blade, Billy Sharp.

For full details of the team of the week CLICK HERE

Keep it simple.

Etienne Esajas is firmly in the spotlight after his performances in front of the Sky cameras in the derby a couple of weeks ago and then his following performance in the game against Cardiff last weekend where he scored again and set up the other two goals in the three - one win.

But then he was brought back down to earth by Crystal Palace's full back Clint Hill on Tuesday night who took the dutch winger out with an 'agricultural' challenge within 60 seconds of the game starting. According to Brian Laws this is the type of treatment that Esajas could become familiar to if he doesn't keep it simple, something which the winger has took on board.

'He's told me: 'Don't showboat.' If you do that it upsets other players and they can kick you. It's better to get your crosses in.' Esajas told the Sheffield Telegraph.

'I've been wanting to do everything to play well. As the manager says, there has been anger in me.
'I want to get better at the things a winger needs to do. I love going one-on-one with defenders and after that everybody wants to see a cross. I want to show what I can do.

'Scoring is not the first thing for me. Providing goals is better.'

With less than a year left on his current deal with Wednesday the winger is keen to stay with the club that signed him from Vitesse Arnhem back in 2007, but doubts over his fitness and consistency over a prolonged period could spell the end of his time at the club. However, if he is to continue his current form all the doubts may be cast aside and a new deal could be offered.

Owls hoping to Ram home a victory

Wednesday make the short trip to Derby tomorrow hoping to make it a return of seven points from nine and keep themselves in touch with the rest of the promotion pack but know they face a tough task at one of their bogey clubs, the Rams have won four out of the last six meetings between the clubs with the other two being draws in the FA Cup and they even won the replay on penalties.

Owls News

Wednesday boss Brian Laws will be forced into at least one change with on-loan striker Luke Varney ineligible to face his parent club, Marcus Tudgay is most likely to return to the starting line to face his former club after resting his injured neck in midweek, Leon Clarke looks set to partner the Owls top scorer.
Brian Laws will be assessing his squad ahead of the trip to Pride Park and will run the rule over the players fatigue levels, with an international break coming up I can’t imagine many players wanting to go nearly three weeks between games and all will be pressing for a starting line up.

The back four that defended so strongly in midweek will retain their places in front of ex-Rams custodian Lee Grant, the former England U21 stopper will be looking to keep his first clean against his former club.

Etienne Esajas will hope to be back on song after a quiet game at Palace whilst Darren Potter, Micky Gray and James O’Connor will be hoping to dominate their counterparts which is likely to include ex-Pig Lee Hendrie and Robbie Savage.

Team News

Wednesday have no fresh injury worries ahead of the visit over the border with only Luke Varney ruled out due to the terms of his loan agreement.

Team (possible): Grant, Buxton, Purse, Wood, Spurr; Gray, Potter, O’Connor, Esajas; Clarke, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Clarke, Beevers, McAllister, Simek, Hinds, Miller, Johnson, Sodje, Jeffers.

Derby County News

County come in to the game after being mauled 6-1 by Cardiff in midweek in what was a defensive horror show for the Rams and their follows, they will be hoping for a reaction when they take on the Wednesday this week and their manager will be looking for back to back home wins.

Derby County

County have been around as a football club since 1884, they were found by William Morley to protect the interests of Derbyshire CC, they became founder members of the Football league in 1888.

Their early period was a case of being the bridesmaid rather than the bride with three losing FA Cup finals to their name and the runners up spot in the league in 1896. The club suffered it’s first relegation in 1906 and as such it’s first promotion five years later, another drop preceded the war but following the return to peace time the Rams were back in the top flight.

A relegation in 1921 followed by a promotion five years later then laid the foundations for some league stability with the club spending the next 27 years in the top division as well as winning their only FA cup in 1946 but they finally dropped down to the 2nd tier in 1953, two years later it got worse with another relegation to the third tier in 1955 but they quickly bounced back into 2nd division within a couple of years.

In 1967 the club made it’s best decision, it brought Brian Clough in from Hartlepool(s) to take over as manager under his and Peter Taylor’s control the club progressed from the struggles of the lower echelons of the 2nd division to the title of League Champions within 5 years, they beat Don Revies’ Leeds to the title, however a power struggle between the board and Clough saw the latter depart in 1973 and one of his signings Dave Mackay took over as boss, he won them their second and last title in 1975.

That was as good as it got for the Rams less than a decade later they were gracing the third tier once more but back to back promotions inspired by boss Arthur Cox saw the club back in the top division in 1987 however owner Robert Maxwells less than scrupulous business dealings were overshadowing the club and in 1991 they dropped back to the 2nd Division, it took the Rams five years (again) to regain their top flight status under Bald Eagle (and Wednesday fan) Jim Smith, they stayed in the top flight until 2002 and barring a ultimately disastrous campaign in 2007/08 where they broke the lowest ever Premier League total points record it’s been 2nd tier football all the way for the Rams.

The Ground

Pride Park has been home to Derby County FC since 1997 when they left their historical home of the Baseball Ground, the Stadium is similar to many of the other new builds that are springing up all over football and is yet another soulless reminder of how the game has changed, the ground’s first ever competitive match in 1997 ended rather abruptly when the floodlights failed.

Wednesday fans will be housed in the South Stand (although how you differentiate a stand in a bowl is beyond me) at Pride Park, we have an allocation of around 3k with tickets priced at £30 for adults.
The first home of Derby County was the Racecourse Ground which to this day still hosts Derbyshire CC matches each season, the Rams spent their first 11 years at the ground, which hosted the first ever non London FA Cup final, when Blackburn beat West Brom 2-0 in a replay, it has also hosted an England international in 1896.

They moved from the Racecourse to the Baseball Ground (yes we really did play rounders in the 19th century) in 1895, the move was due to the decline of Derby County Baseball club and allowed the Rams a home of their own, they spent the next 102 years at the old ground which at its pinnacle could hold 42k but over the years and with the changes in the regulations the final capacity of 18,300 was deemed inadequate for the Rams who harboured Premier League ambitions so in early 1996 Lionel Pickering unveiled plans which would see the Rams move to the new purpose built Pride Park which could eventually accommodate 44k. In 2003 the old Baseball Ground was demolished to make way for housing ending 113 years of sporting history at the famous old place which had hosted the likes of Juventus.

The Gaffer

Nigel Clough followed his famous father's footsteps in January when he agreed to join the Rams as boss, the 43 year old was just 5 when his father guided Derby County to the League Title, a minor miracle for a club staring the 3rd division in the face just 4 years earlier.

Nigel played for his dad's beloved Nottingham Forest for nearly a decade netting over 100 league goals before their relegation in 1993 saw him move to Liverpool for £2.75m, he netted a brace on his Anfield debut, against Wednesday but the emergence of Robbie Fowler saw starts becoming a fleeting occurrence, he joined Man City in 1996 but couldn't halt the Citizens slide out of the top flight, he returned to Forest on loan in 1997 and even had a brief spell at S6 on loan in October 1997.

12 months later after struggling to break back into the City side the 32 year old accepted the player-manager role at Burton Albion, he managed the Brewers into the Conference after winning the Northern Premier League
in 2002, and he left with the club set to earn Football League status with a healthy 13 points clear at the top of the league, during his time at the club he helped oversee the move from Eton Park to the newly built Pirelli Stadium in 2005.

He guided County to 18th last season in the Championship.

Key Players

James Vaughan

Striker James is currently on loan at the Rams from Everton where he has struggled to get a look in to the first team with Jo, Saha, Yakubu and Anichebe all ahead of him in the pecking order at Goodison.

James was born in Birmingham and only came to attention of the Everton scouts when he played in a match up at Preston, he quickly progressed through the youth teams at The Toffeemen and aged just 16 years and 271 days old he broke the record of being the youngest Premier League scorer when he netted against Crystal Palace in April 2005, he broke “veteran” James Milner’s record which the Leeds lad had held since Boxing Day 2002.

The following season he only made one appearance for the first team as he picked up a ligament injury was on international duty with England u18’s. In the 2006/07 he managed to rack up fourteen more first team appearances and gave the Glawdys Street faithful something to cheer about when he found the net on four occasions.

Injuries again put paid to his season after dislocation a shoulder in a pre-season friendly he only played 13 times in the 2007/08 and netted just twice. Last season he played 10 times for the club after another injury hit campaign and failed to find the goal touch, he signed for Derby on a three month loan last month and has turned out twice for the Rams however a dead leg at Palace meant he missed the game against Bristol City but was on the bench for the Cardiff debacle, he is still to get on the scoresheet, however his pace will be a major threat to Wednesday at the weekend.

Squad Number 31

Robbie Savage

Robbie Savage is a player opposition fans love to hate although it can be said some Derby fans felt the same way under Paul Jewell but Nigel Clough has given the former Welsh international a new lease of life.

Savage came through the ranks at Manchester United in the same team as Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Nicky Butt and David Beckham, however unlike his peers his career at Old Trafford never took off and left without making a single appearance. He moved to Crewe in 1994 and under tutelage of Dario Gradi his career began to blossom, he helped the club to the 2nd division play-offs in consecutive seasons but the Cheshire club missed out, at the third attempt in 1997 Alex finally won promotion but after 89 appearances Savage wanted to test himself at a higher level and jumped at the chance to join Premiership side Leicester for £400k.

His five years at Leicester were a great success he helped the club to two consecutive League Cup finals, the first ended in defeat but 12 months later the Foxes lifted the cup at Wembley, he was renowned as a tough tackling, industrious player who liked to rile the opposition, he made over 200 appearances for the Filbert Street club but was lured across the Midlands to newly promoted Birmingham City following Leicester's relegation.

He was quickly accepted by the St Andrews faithful who saw Savage's battling qualities as key to their survival, he had a healthy two and a half years at St Andrews but that all turned sour after 78 appearances when he submitted a transfer request citing travelling problems and his parents as the main reason but this was quickly refuted as Savage signed for Blackburn for £3m, Blackburn was further from his parents in Wrexham than Birmingham was, Savages move was simply to be re-united with his former Welsh manager Mark Hughes.

He was an almost ever present at Ewood Park in his first eighteen months in Lancashire but injuries began to take it's toll and after a broken leg in January 2007, the following season saw the injuries mount up and he only made a further 17 appearances before departing for Derby County. His mission at the Rams was simple, save our god awful season but despite his best efforts the Rams were consigned to being the worst side in Premier League history.

He fell out with Paul Jewell and was sent to Brighton on loan but an injury crisis and change of manager saw him back in favour at the Rams and he was an almost ever-present after his return. This season he has started in all eleven games.

Squad Number 8

Stephen Bywater

Bywater came to prominence when he was at West Ham. Oldham born Bywater began his career with Rochdale as a 17 year old but only played once before being snatched away to Upton Park by Harry Redknapp for an initial £250k fee, he graduated alongside Joe Cole and Michael Carrick in 1999 from the prestigious West Ham academy.

He sought first team football and experience and was allowed out on loan to both Wycombe and Hull, he finally made his debut for West Ham in February 2000 and played four times in the run in to that campaign, he only managed only one appearance the following season.

He found himself down the pecking order at the Boleyn with the arrival of David James and was loaned out to both Wolves and Cardiff in 2001 and 2003 respectively but he failed to make a single appearance. First team chances became more attainable following James move to Man City and Bywater made 23 appearances as the Hammers reached the Championship play off final.

The following campaign he played 39 times as the Hammers regained top flight status including a substitute appearance in the play-off final. Movement into the top flight saw the Hammers strengthen their squad and Bywater once again found himself out of the side, he left to join Coventry on loan in August 2005 and played 14 times for the Sky Blues including a 3-2 defeat at Hillsborough where he was beaten by a Chris Brunt wonder strike.

He signed for Derby in august 2006 initially on loan but this was made permanent quite quickly and he helped the Rams win promotion to the top flight. The disastrous 2007/08 season meant Derby swapped and changed their keepers quite often and in January 2008 Ipswich took Bywater on loan til the end of the season, he made 17 starts for the Tractor Boys.

Paul Jewell recalled Bywater to the side last season and he has retained the number 1 spot since.
Bywater describes his hero as Les Sealey, the former Man Utd and West Ham keeper mentored him whilst in his early days at Upton Park and he wears the No43 as tribute to his hero who passed away at that age.

Squad Number 43

Team News

The Rams have a injury crisis of Wednesday-esque proportions with around 10 players on the treatment table with Dean Leacock the latest added to the list at the Cardiff game, he joins Miles Addison, Steve Davies, Jake Buxton, Kris Commons, Giles Barnes, Paul Green, Chris Porter, and Stephen Pearson with Paul Connolly an outside bet to start.

Team (possible): Bywater; Moxey, Stoor, Barker, Connolly; Croft, Savage, Hendrie, Teale; Vaughan, Hulse.

(subs from) Deeney, Livermore, Pringle, Dickov, McEveley, Commons, Mendy, Buxton.

Head to Head

Wednesday were comprehensively beaten at Pride Park last season as the hosts romped home 3-0, that made it back to back league wins at the home of the Rams against the Owls as in January 2007 a late free kick from David Jones sealed a 1-0 win for the hosts.

The Owls have only tasted victory once at Pride Park that was back in 2006 when goals from Marcus Tudgay and Leon Best won it for Wednesday on the seasons final day, there have been a couple of entertaining draws with a 2-2 in 2003 with ex-Owls loanee Adam Bolder netting both Derby goals and a 3-3 in 2000 when the Owls blew a 3-1 lead in injury time.

Overall at Derby:

Owls: 12

Draw: 16

The Rams: 31

Final thoughts

A very tough game on paper regardless of the midweek result of the Rams, we can expect a backlash, we suffered a similar result at Reading and we bounced back enough to show it was a just freak result, we need to go into the international break with our unbeaten run intact and with the play-offs in touch.

Visit our rivals

http://forums.therams.co.uk/forum.jspa?fo rumID=168

BRING IT ON - DERBY COUNTY

Again we ask a fan of the opposition to BRING IT ON, so this week we speak to Jordan Glossop who resides normally on the Derby fansite, THE RAMS.CO.UK

1) As we enter the third month of the season, how do you see the season panning out for you?

That is incredibly difficult to predict in the Championship. I think our performances have been slightly better than our position suggests, but not the to extent that Clough seems to think judging by his post match interviews. I don't think we will go down, we have enough quality to go on a run at some point, but it wouldn't surprise me to see us flirting with relegation for most of the season.

2) At the start of the season what did you expect to achieve?

This season was a strange one really. We'd hired an unknown manager (unknown except his name), who had a great reputation at a lower level, and many of our signings had been the same. The wage bill had been cut with many outgoings, but with the exception of Martin Albrechtsen (who didn't seem to fit Clough's idea of a defender) I don't think any supporter would say the outgoings were detrimental to the strongest side. The fans expect the club to always aim for the Premier League, but I think this season most people would have accepted a modest improvement on last season (18th). Interestingly, the players volunteered to forego bonuses unless we reached the play-offs, which might indicate what they felt they were capable of.

3) Nigel Clough, will he get it right?

He still has my full support, but there are very mixed feelings across all Derby supporters. On the plus side, stories like volunteering the bonuses and Rob Hulse turning down Middlesbrough have endeared players to the fans, and the style of football is miles better than under the previous 3 managers. The naysayers argue that people are blinded out of romanticism with the Clough name, and with anyone else's Dad he wouldn't have got the job. In my head I still think a young, hungry and successful non-league manager was a wise choice after an experienced flop like Jewell, but I see Newcastle fans make ridiculous decisions based on sentimental support for Keegan and Shearer, and I can't be 100% sure that the same is not happening at Derby.

4) It's fair to say your game against the Florists was filled with controversy, what was your take on it?

For me the real antagonist was Billy Davies for celebrating towards the Derby fans. Nathan Tyson was immature and stupid but he is a reflection of the attitudes that his manager wants from his players. I was pleased with Clough's reaction to the game, as I was when he refused media interviews following our 3-2 win there last year. I was also pleased that our players approached Tyson, as us fans behind the goal were a bit powerless to defend the honour of our club.
Regardless of where the clubs finish this season, I'd rather have Clough as our manager than Davies.

5) So other than the Red half of Nottingham, who do you REALLY want to beat from a team AND personal perspective?

For me the 94 play-off final came at an impressionable age and I remember specific actions of Leicester fans in the car park and on the M1 as we had to drive through Leicester to get to Derby, so I guess they would be the next team I'd like us to beat. I'd like us to beat Newcastle and Sheff Utd, mainly because I don't want either of them to go up! For me though rivalries (especially Forest) are fun and add something to the game on the day but 3 points are 3 points and really I just want to see a Derby team worthy of the support it gets each week.

6) Is there an unearthed gem at Derby that we won't be aware of?

This is an interesting question. Non-league-Nigel bought a few and none of them have disappointed, really. The pick of the lower league signings so far has been Dean Moxey, who is the only one to have earned a first XI place when everyone is fit. He's cost us quite a few goals through not tracking players or losing position, but his general play has been excellent, maybe even the best of anyone so far this season. Aside from him, Ben Pringle came from as far down as Ilkeston Town and was playing Northern Premier last year, in pre-season friendlies he really stood out and has made a few sub appearances so far. He's a work in progress but some of his touches show glimpses of quality.

7) If you could sign one player from another championship club to improve your team who would it be and why?

I used to say Tyson as I felt Rob Hulse is the best target man in the Championship and by far the strongest player in our team, some pace alongside him would make our attack almost unplayable. I don't think I'd like to see Tyson here now though! We have James Vaughan on loan and a couple of pacy strikers in Barnes and Porter to come back from injury to fill that role. I guess the problem is in conceding goals yet I rate our centre backs as individuals so I tend to look at the midfield to provide more cover. Robbie Savage is fine on the ball but doesn't seem to make as many tackles as you'd expect so I'd like to see how well the team would perform with someone like Nicky Butt there, someone who knows the defensive-midfield position. Also Clough likes to get the ball wide yet our wingers are very hit-and-miss, a fast and tricky winger with a consistant cross, I'm thinking Wayne Routledge, would love playing in our team.

8) What do you know about Sheffield Wednesday?

Quite a lot, there seems to be a lot of links between the two clubs. I know many Wednesday fans and a lot live in Derby. There seem to be recent links with players and managers as well, I'm surprised to see Lee Grant still playing at this level and we'd all love to know what Luke Varney eats up there that he can't buy down here. Deon Burton is another lower-league player that you managed to get a few good performances out of. Most Derby fans are pleased to see Marcus Tudgay carve out a good career at a decent club. We could also probably share quite strong feelings about Paul Jewell and Mark Pembridge.

Wednesday have always been a favoured club of mine. After decades of never getting anything at Hillsborough the last 12 years or so have been really kind to Derby. It's an away trip I often make as it's a ground full of character and easy to get to. I remember our first Prem year, where you had started really well with players like Blinker and Di Canio, we sort of put an end to that with a great perfomance for a 0-0 draw in a game you'd have expected to win. The following year was a 5-2 win for us and that was the game that signalled the start of a great couple of year's football for us, players like Baiano, Wanchope and Eranio started to link up and we had a fairly solid defence too. The late 2-1 win, with 10 men, was pleasing as well.

9) Any team news?

Yeah, pretty much our entire team is injured. Clough, quite nobally, has always stated that he wants a small squad for more time to work with individual players. The problem is we seem to have a lot of injury prone-ness in our small squad. Centre-backs are especially hit, but then we seem to be conceding loads even when they are fit, so with our first choice wingers and forwards I guess we'll be just hoping to outscore you as usual.

10) Finally, score prediction please.

Due to recent poor results and a fragile confidence that seems to have stuck around ever since the Billy Davies Premiership year, I've got a bad feeling about this one. Purse and Simek can normally cope with balls in the air so I'm hoping Vaughan shows us his abilities in this match, I don't fancy Croft's and Teale's chances of getting to the byeline much, not past Spurr and Buxton. Tudgay is guaranteed to score, so that's you 1 up already.

If I had to put a score prediction down I'd say 0-2 Wednesday.

Many, many thanks to Jordan for what is one of the best Bring it on's in quite a while IMO.

If you want to go and visit him and his Derby mates, go to THE RAMS.CO.UK

Beat the Bookie 02/10/09

Right, this weekend we have wawaw as our resident tipster as he tries to Beat the Bookie

Lets hope these are winners this week then the beers are on me.. Winners are in capitals..

accumulator1 =20
bolton v TOTTENHAM @5-6
HULL v wigan @13-8
BRENTFORD v swindon @ 6-5
COLCHESTER v huddersfield @11-8
SOUTHAMPTON v gillingham @4-5
CHESTERFIELD v accrington @ 5-6
pays 81-1

accumulator2=20
BURNLEY v birmingham @11-10
reading v MIDDLESBOROUGH @ 6-5
STOCKPORT v southend @6-4
cheltenham v NOTTS COUNTY @23-20
torquay v BURY @11-8
pays 51-1

draws:=20
preston v west brom
palace v blackpool
leeds v charlton
crewe v rov'rum
pays 107-1

good luck and up the owls!
�

PFA award for Tudders...

After a slow start to the season a resurgeant Marcus Tudgay has reinstalled himself as a fans favorite in the Championship.

Tudgay has took the accolade today of becoming the PFA Fans player of the month for August -September after a spell which has seen him regain his goalscoring touch as well as his form after a slow start to the season. The Owls number seven is naturally pleased with the award,

He told the club's official website earlier: 'This is great news again. I would like to say thanks to the fans who voted for me. Every one of these means as much as the other, they show I`m doing the right things on the pitch.'

Tudgay is expected to return to the starting line up for the visit to his former club, Derby County tomorrow after taking a place on the bench for the midweek draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
We all know it's an unwritten rule of football that former players must score against their former club, so here's to that one goal start!

Another defeat at Pride Park..

Wednesday walk away from Pride Park tonight with no pride after a three nil defeat for the second year in a row.

A goal from Lee Croft in the first half after he was played in by Paul Dickov brought the only goal of the first half. Leon Clarke and Michael Gray were to miss good chances in the second half before the home side sealed the win through James Mceveley and then in the dying moments of the game, Lewis Buxton brought down Rob Hulse in the area.
The ultimate boo boy Robbie Savage stepped up to hit the third from the spot.

A full match report on the game will follow...

Through Blue & White Tinted Specs

Well, this is it, the first of what could be many opportunities for you to join me in my world (one part of it anyway)

Most Owls are feeling pretty pissed off right now, you can’t blame them just a few days after a spanking at Derby and what is generally considered to be poor performances by almost everyone in blue and white on the pitch.
Now come with me to Optimisticland. Please collect a pair of blue and white tinted specs from the box as you enter and clear your mind of all those negative thoughts, you’ll enjoy your experience all the more that way.

First up - The Result
3-0, doesn’t sound much to be positive about does there?
Now just cast your minds back a few weeks to the last time we were losing 3-0. That’s right it was half-time at Bumhole Lane and we all know what happened after that, we won the second half 2-0. I fully expect the team to respond in much the same way, they will come out of the blocks with something to prove when they take the field against Coventry on the 17th. October and a 2-0 victory is definitely on the cards.

The Performance
Very few of the players can have felt proud of the way they played on Saturday, indeed most will (at least they bloody better had) feel they let down themselves and the fans. They will be aware of the reactions of the fans. This time not just the usual morons that delight in anything that ‘proves’ their pessimistic approach to all thing SWFC was justified, but also some of the genuine, loyal fans that understand Rome wasn’t built in a day and this team really cares. They’ve now got 2 weeks to reflect on that reaction and work on what went wrong.
Some individuals (I suspect Captain Purse to be in that category) will undoubtedly pay the price and lose their starting place, whilst others will be given the opportunity to shine (step forward Beevs) JJ has had a rest and will be ready to prove himself again and Richard Hinds is a fan who will bust a gut if given the chance he wants to re-establish himself in the side. Frankie will be more to the fore in the gaffer’s mind and will hopefully be introduced gradually back into the side. Of course Luke Varney will also be back to continue his partnership with Tudders, who NEVER has two consecutive bad games (not in my world)
The team as a collective will be smarting, but there seems to be a genuinely good vibe between them, which will pull them through and the youthful exuberance of the ‘kids’ will soon have them looking forward to the next game.
Just in case, Mrs. Laws will have put a stop to Brian’s bedroom fun until we get our next victory, so he’ll have plates of chicken wings ready for anyone who doesn’t perform.

There is so much more to feel optimistic about, but for now, you’ve just dipped your toe into the land of optimism (no doubt a scary place for some of you) so I’ll introduce some of these things to you over the course of the season. Before you know it, you’ll be able to wear your own blue and white tinted specs without fear. If you feel able to continue wearing them, take some with you, for the rest of you, please replace them in the box as you exit, they‘ll be there when you come back. As you leave, just remember the next game is in a couple of weeks and we’re just 4 points of the play-offs.

See you all soon,

OptimisticOwl

Owlsonline Player of the Month -September.

Owlsonline Player of the Month for September 2009.

Members of Owlsonline are invited after each game to ‘Rate the Players’ and add comments for other members unable to go to the game to try and get a ‘fans’ perspective of the game, the players performance and the quality of goals. At the end of the season those members that have contributed to the markings get their names put into a hat with the lucky winner presenting the Owlsonline Player of the Year award to the player with the highest average score before the last home. The only requirement needed to make your opinion count is that you must have actually gone to the game

September

Wednesday played seventeen different players for the five games played in September, with just eight players playing in all five – being Grant, Buxton, Purse, Spurr, Potter, Gray, Tudgay, and Varney.

This leaves just Grant, Spurr, Potter and Tudgay to have played a part in all twelve league and cup games so far this season.

Goals

Wednesday scored seven goals in these five games, an average of 1.40 goals per game, which saw us get just five points from a potential fifteen.

Best goal in September according to those ‘rating’ the games – Luke Varney’s second minute goal in the 1-3 defeat to Middlesbrough with an average score of 8.33 / 10 closely followed by Etienne Esajas’ free-kick against the pigs 8.17 / 10

Season to date

Not wishing to give anything away for the moment, the player with the overall highest average score so far this season wasn’t the player of the month for August, nor is he the player of the month for September which clearly speaks volumes for his overall consistency on the pitch – I’ll leave you to make your own guesses as to who it is

Player of the Month

With two particular blistering performances in the month pushing his score up, one away from home at the Sty earning an average score of 7.75/ 10 followed up the following week at home to Cardiff scoring 8.33 / 10 the Owlsonline player of the month for September is our very own Flying Dutchman – Etienne Esajas (overall average in the month of 7.53 /10)

It’s your opinion that counts, the more you rate the players, the more times your name goes into the hat to make the end of season presentation, there is no right or wrong score – it’s your opinion we are interested in. So if you haven’t done so already, start rating from the next game you go to and who knows, it could be you walking out onto the pitch having your photo taken with your ‘hero’

Owlsonline Exclusive interview with Lee Grant (Part 1)

Lee Grant has now made over 100 appearances for the club and has been an ever present this season between the posts for Wednesday, but when he was first introduced to the Owls faithful he made somewhat of a hesitant start to his career with the club. Since then he is a different ‘keeper, full of confidence to go with the ability, upon his arrival at Hillsborough though the nerves did get to him a little.

'It’s always difficult when you come to a new club with new surroundings, and obviously when I first got the nod to start I would say the nerves did get to me a little in that game but from thereon I’ve been very happy with my progress up to and beyond that 100 games.'

Grant had a self confessed bad time towards the back end of his career with Derby County prior to joining Wednesday but when he found himself in and out of the team competing with Rob Burch for the goalkeepers jersey he never doubted that he would be the number one.

'I think I had a whole different feeling about coming to Sheffield Wednesday, I had a positive feeling and I think it went well in the first few seasons but I felt ready to play from the off. And looking back that’s probably one of the reasons why I have probably done well or should I say started more games than I did at Derby. I just feel comfortable at the club, with the surroundings and the people that are here really and the people that I work with, they’re a good, honest set of lads and I enjoy working with them.'

Amongst the fans some would recall a home game against Blackpool in front of the Kop as the turning point for Grant, there began an upward spiral which has seen him become arguably the most consistent performer for the club in the past few seasons. But for the ‘keeper there has been no turning point to speak of, it’s simply a case of taking the training onto the field and believing in yourself.

'From a personal point of view you have to be steadfast and think you are doing the right thing because you are working hard day in, day out and you have to have that positivity regardless of anyone else’s opinion really. So for me it’s been a continual thing where I’ve keep working hard and cracking on in training and then things will follow on in games. There was a time when things weren’t all going my way but like I say it’s a case of continuing trying to do the right things and then they will go for you.'

As a consequence of his continued success, comparisons are made about the last popular custodian between the sticks for Wednesday. Kevin Pressman, was possibly the last goalkeeper that the Owls fans took under their wing. A player who had amazing shot stopping abilities as well as a decent kick, something which Grant has in common. Pressman’s penalty taking antics will be remembered for many a year, so would Grant like to have the chance to do the same?
'I would love to take a penalty, I really would but do you know I just don’t think I will get the opportunity.
Would you put yourself forward in a penalty shootout?
'Yeah I would, but I’m not so sure how much faith the gaffer would have in me because he could end up having egg on his face if I didn’t score but personally I would absolutely love to have a crack at it. There are plenty of other players though at the club who would want to have a crack at it before me so I think I would end up being way down the order.
'To be honest I think I need to start saving more penalties before I start scoring them!' he added.
The two I saved before I came to Wednesday were both disallowed, retaken, and then scored! They were both exactly in the same corner but the ref said that I had encroached so, but I’ve never really had any luck when it comes to saving penalties. But there was one that I managed to get my hand to against QPR and we went on to get a clean sheet which was nice and one in pre season in front of the Kop but none so far this season.

Arguably in the early stages of his time with Wednesday, Grant seemed to struggle to command his penalty area and at times the fans would wince as he came for a cross, not anymore. He now commands his area and no one has any doubts, but he doesn’t seem a vocal ‘keeper but he says it’s not in his nature to be a aggressive player who is always shouting at his team mates.

I’m a pretty quiet lad anyway and there are times when you call for the ball and some where you don’t really and for me if I was ever caught out or not able to do my job because I wasn’t talking or wasn’t loud enough or vocal enough then I would say it was a problem.
'But if I’m able to my job and the players around me are aware and I’m communicating with them in a way that they understand then I’m happy and the gaffer is happy as long as we are doing our job’s right. There are keepers that shout continuously and wind the centre halves up and that’s how they do things and their manager likes it that way but my styles slightly different but I want to get the job done.'

Last weekend, doesn’t need dwelling on but Grant certainly made his feelings known as Derby opened the scoring where he could be clearly seen berating his defenders, which is something that is needed from time to time.

'Well like I say there are times when things have to be said, and as footballers there comes a time when things are said on the field and they have to be said in certain ways and that was one of them occasions, it’s just one of them things. I will probably be on the receiving end of something like that myself in the future; it’s just one of them things as I say.'

Certain players get singled out from time to time for some stick from the supporters and the man who is on the receiving end at the moment seems to be Club Captain, Darren Purse. But singling out one player is something that Grant says isn’t really justified.

'Well it’s got to be said we haven’t really defended as a unit as well as we should this season at certain stages and we aren’t going to hide from that. I’m a part of that unit so I shoulder some responsibility for it as well. But as far as saying any one player should be singled out it’s a little unfair really we are more than capable to defend as a team, so we expect the strikers to be doing their shift and protecting the midfield and likewise the midfield protecting the centre halves and the full backs.
'Obviously if that doesn’t happen then all eyes focus on the back four and the goalkeeper. There are occasions when we will concede goals but at the minute we are getting punished for every single little mistake we make and to single out one player is a little unfair.
'Darren has brought in something that’s different and something that was probably needed with his presence, his experience and he pulls people around vocally and if there’s any mistakes we take it on the chin as a back five rather than any individual.'

When you talk about conceding goals, we never seem to have a player on the posts when defending corners, is that something that the manager decides?

'It’s a bit of an open debate really, the manager puts his things to us and the way he likes us to work defending set pieces and we adhere to that but if we feel that something might need adjusting we put it to the floor and it may be adjust or it may not and we might be told to shut up and get on with it but as for not putting people on the posts if you look back over the last few years we haven’t conceded too many goals from corners. So it’s a case of if it’s not broken then we aren’t going to be in a rush to fix it.'

So how would he see as a better day for him and the team, would it be a 4-1 win or a 2-0 win?
'2-0. All day long'

Going back to being consistent, the crowd pick up on things and recently there has been the chants of being England’s number one. (Lee laughs)
Surprisingly Grant doesn't harbour ambitions to be an international goalkeeper, and doesn't really think about it. According to him there are other achievements that he is looking at rather than stepping up to the top level, he said:

'No, in all honesty. If you look at the depth there is at that level I can’t see me braking into that level, no disrespect to the championship you don’t see that many people being called up from the championship up to the full international squad in recent memory so I can’t see it happening. At my age as well I’m the wrong side of 25 so..'
But David James is what.. around 37, 38 now?
'Yeah I suppose if you look at things that way then I have got time on my side but it’s pretty much not on my agenda.'

Would he change his mind should Wednesday reach the top flight during his time with the club?

'No, it probably wouldn’t to be honest. I know that I wouldn’t change and it’s not something I really set my sights on really. I have some goals that I want to achieve before then so there’s plenty more I want to do before that. But if there ever was a situation where it fell into place then I’m obviously going to be excited by the prospect but it’s not something in my line of thinking at the minute.'

The constant disappointment and the modern football supporter

Sitting steaming like a Morphy Richards kettle in the queue to leave Pride Park after the Derby match I came to think of all the times that I’d felt let down after a football match – Hundreds probably and probably more to come unless I’m hit by a bus or, and here’s the important point, The Owls win every match.

When you think about it that’s what we all want. I’m not talking about expectation here. Expectation is tempered by reality and understanding of the situation your club is in. In expectation we know that a visit to Old Trafford for one of their famous 105 minute football matches will probably lead to a defeat. We’d probably be happy with a draw but what we WANT is a win, 5-0 would do with some breath taking play and stunning goals. The hope of this is what drives us to go to match after match expecting the odd pasting, expecting the mind numbing 0-0 draw but WANTING the perfect match and the perfect result.

If it happened we wouldn’t be happy, oh we’d certainly think that this situation would make us happy but it wouldn’t. What would be the point of going to the game knowing we were going to win? Knowing absolutely that it was just a matter of how many would be complete pants. It’s the defeats, the times that we are robbed by a diabolical refereeing decision or a flukey goal from an undeserving negative bunch of bastards that makes football what it is. Be careful what you wish for.

This leads us to expectations. Taking the football league there are 92 clubs, all with thousands of supporters. Four teams will win the four divisions, five teams will get into Europe. In the other divisions four more teams will be promoted (I think, is it top two Championship/league 1 and three from league two?, anyway I digress) . Twelve more will get into the playoffs. So round about 25 teams will have a ”successful” season. Nine of those will lose in the playoffs and so will be disappointed too.

That leaves us with 16 teams who have “won something” plus two cup winners but they usually come from the top six in the premiership anyway. That leaves the supporters of 76 league teams disappointed. Every year.

So as you can see the expectations of success which most clubs supporters have at the beginning of each season are usually dashed. This doesn’t seem to daunt us though.

We use our knowledge and experience to judge our expectations for each year. Supporters of a club that just stayed in league 2 last year may have expectations just to be two places above the drop, whereas the winners of the premiership may have expectations to win it again or do the double.

So where does that leave us as supporters of Sheffield Wednesday? Our expectations for this year have been formed around last seasons performances and the knowledge that the club has no money, so exactly what SHOULD they be?

Most people didn’t see us as relegation candidates, nor likely to be automatically promoted. I gauged the average view to be that we would be mid table to possible playoff contenders.

Money talks more than ever in modern football and we haven’t got any (well minus any to be precise) I believe that our current league performance is as good as it’s going to get at our current financial level and our expectations should reflect this. I think that if we can maintain our current status until good investment can be found that this will be the way forward.

We know what we want but we have to frame our expectations bearing in mind the realities of the situation, there will be disappointments on the way like Saturday’s calamity but if were patient and stick together I think there’s a chink of light at the end of the tunnel.

Laws may just drop his Purse.

After last weekends debacle at Pride Park which saw his side humbled by an understrength Derby County, Brian Laws left his players in no doubt as to what he thought of their performance stating that he would be assessing every single players contribution in the game.

Darren Purse has been singled out by the supporters as a potential weak link after a couple of games where mistakes by the new Owls captain have led to opposition goals, and Laws has admitted that his captain isn;t in the best of form.
'Experienced players know when they are playing well and when they are playing badly. Darren is disappointed in himself. He's admitted he's not where he should be.' The Owls manager told the Telegraph.

'I'm not hanging him out to dry. The point is that no-one is excluded from being possibly dropped.
'He'll have to lean on his experience, knowledge and character to get through it.

'Darren hasn't got to the standards we expect but I have a lot of faith in him. He's big enough to bounce back.'

WIth two games in a week after the international break it gives the manager the ideal opportunity to bring in some of the fringe players that haven't been able to dislodge the likes of Purse from the squad until now.
According to Laws, not one of the Wednesday side could stand up and be counted as being an effective contributor and it's basic errors that are bringing the poor results.

'We'll have to draw a line under it at some point but unfortunately we've got two weeks to dwell on that performance and two weeks of soul-searching. We had a team meeting on Monday and, I've got to be honest, there was no opportunity for the players to have input.

'That's because no-one could stand up and say they performed to their ability at Derby. It was a damned good opportunity to get points against a team fragile on confidence and I felt we didn't even need to play to our maximum.'

So when Coventry visit Hillsborough a week on Saturday the manager may make sweeping changes as he tries to shake the squad up a little in an effort to turn around the team's fortunes.

Youngster moves out on loan.

Former Academy keeper Aaron Jameson has left Wednesday today on loan, moving to Conference North side Harrogate Town.

The keeper moves to the club for a month until 4th November and should make his debut for them against Droylsden this weekend. Brian Laws has praised the 'keeper as he moves to gain some experience, he said:

'Arron continues to show a lot of promise and we are very pleased with his development.

'He did extremely well for Ilkeston last season and this loan move to Harrogate will give him the chance to get some more first team football under the belt.' Laws told the clubs official website earlier.

Jameson went last season to Gainsborough Trinity in the Conference North where he spent a loan spell to cover for a goalkeeping emergency at The Northolme, also he featured in Ilkeston Town's run to the playoffs.

Purse admit's his form has dipped.

Darren Purse has been speaking to the club's official website and admitted that he hasn't been in sparkling form and has held his hand up to the mistakes he made in the Derby defeat last weekend.

'When you make a mistake you get hammered for it, and it's been that when I've made a mistake I've been punished for it.' Purse admitted.

'We have two home games coming up now and if we win both of those then the Derby game will be forgotten,
'Whatever side the gaffer picks has to be good enough to go out and put in a performance.'

Speculation has been rife this week on the back of the loss at Pride Park with most of it centering around whether Purse will be left out when Coventry City make the trip up to Hillsborough next weekend.
If you were to listen to the fans it's Lewis Buxton that should be left out of the side along with Purse, but with there being lingering doubts over the fitness of Frankie Simek it would mean a resuffle with Richard Hinds coming in at right back and Mark Beevers in for Purse.

With the lack of match practise for both Hinds and Beevers it's a tough decision for Laws who needs to turn around the fortunes of the Owls quickly, not only for the morale of the players in the squad but for the supporters also.

As always leading up to the game next Saturday we will have a comprehensive preview along with the opinion from the other side in Bring it on.

Captain wants another chance to prove himself.

Darren Purse has spoken out about the possibility of being left out of the side this weekend when Coventry make the trip up to Hillsborough.
Purse has said he hopes to be given the opportunity to show that his form or lack of, is just a blip and he will show his worth to the fans and the team.

'I'm looking at the bigger picture. We're at a club that's going places - every single one of us, together.'
He told The Star.

'If you mistakes you have to take the stick for them.
'I came to the club when there were massive expectations; I haven't started the way I would have wanted.'

The defeat at Pride Park brought feelings to the fore from the fans perspective and yes, he did hear it.

'A lot of people are saying a lot of things about me. That's up to them.Hopefully I'll get a chance to prove them wrong. At Derby there were a few fans effing and blinding at me.

'My eight-year-old son was there and heard it. That hurts more than anything.

'I probably haven't played to my potential or the potential I have shown fully right through my career.'

But rather than dwelling on it Purse just wants to get things on track starting this weekend, IF selected.

'I know there's plenty more to come. I know I'm a better player than I've shown in the first 11 games. Hopefully I'll get an opportunity at the weekend. If not, I know I will be good enough when I am called upon.'

Owlsonline Exclusive Lee Grant Interview Part 2

You set yourself targets, well we know strikers have their hallowed target of 20 goals per season. Is yours 20 clean sheets?

Yeah, I do set targets like that. We had 13 clean sheets last season so the obvious target is to better that, I would like 15 so you’re talking say one in every three games hopefully but that’s the target for me personally but at the club we want progression. As a team we want to finish higher than we did last season so we all want some progression, especially when you improve the squad and the team.

Last season you got the player’s player of the year, and on the site we do a rating on a game by game basis and some weeks you may get a six and there’s no comment at the side of your name other than you hadn’t had anything to do. So obviously the defence have done their job when that happens, so you must be quite selfish as a goalkeeper?

I think as a goalkeeper you have to be selfish, an ideal example is like Paul Robinson for Blackburn against Arsenal, they conceded six but he was their best player, he can come away from that happy with himself and give himself a pat on the back. So in that way like I say you have to be selfish because he can be happy with his performance despite his side losing six-two.

Well you were man of the match away at Reading last season weren’t you?

I spoke with Billy Mercer about that on the training ground after the game and again you have to be quite selfish. If things aren’t going the team’s way but you’re still getting your job done then you have to say yes we might have got beat and not really defended well as a team and conceded a few goals but when I look back and break down individually my performance. You think,, did I come and get the ball when asked? Did I come and collect the crosses? Did I do this and that? And if the answer is yes, then I’ve done alright but it’s about not getting too downhearted when it doesn’t go the team’s way.
I really don’t mind if I get a rating of six and the teams won and I’ve had nothing to do, then they’re my favourite games, you know say we’ve defended well and I’ve only had a couple of touches then that’s fine. I’ll take them all day long.

At the Lane last season, we’re two-one up with four minutes to go or so and we’re all absolutely on edge and you just come out and catch the corner. Especially in that game, doesn’t it get to you?

That game in particular, well the derby matches it can get really heated and you can do things that you might not do on another day because of the occasion. But that’s when before the game you try and tell yourself and concentrate on trying to do the normal things and play you’re normal game despite there being almost 30,000 people baying for your blood.

In the Derby game at the Lane, you obviously get banter from behind the goal and some of it is bound to be offensive, but you must get some absolute crackers as well that make you laugh.

I don’t know what it is but I tend not to get too much to be honest, maybe it’s because I don’t go out of my way to wind people up. I don’t really get too much abuse, you do get some really horrible ones which probably are the funniest out of the lot because people are really wanting to upset you. But there’s not really been anything that’s made me think that was really funny to be honest.

We spoke about you’re previous understudy earlier, but the keeper behind you at the minute Richard O Donnell obviously hasn’t had much of a chance. But how much do you rate him and how good do you think he could be?

You know what, he’s got a really good chance has that lad. He’s a really good goalkeeper, and if you speak to anyone around here about him over the last year it would be a tale of two different goalkeepers. He’s still a young boy but looking at him now after has been training with the first team for the last two or three years, he’s stronger now, he kicks the ball better, and anyone that goes to watch the reserves play will be able to see he’s doing really well. As you say he’s not had much of a chance in the team but if he does then I’m sure he’ll be able to handle it, if I was the manager I would have absolutely no hesitation in putting him in the side. He’s a good goalkeeper and a good lad who’s desperate to make his debut, but hopefully I can drag it out a bit longer before he does!

Obviously we have spoken about the team from the other side of the city, but is there a team you personally would like to see us beat?

You know what it would have to be Derby, I’ve played against them five times now, conceded eleven goals and we haven’t looked like beating them to be fair. Other than the 45 minutes in the FA Cup at Pride Park the other year, but when you look at the whole 90 minutes we didn’t deserve it and it was the same in the replay when they came back here and beat us on penalties. I mean everyone likes to get one over on their old club and it’s not turned out that way for me so that would be nice. But obviously beating Sheffield United is on a par if not more so because it’s just a huge game for people in the city and it’s nice to give something back for the fans and they’ve been great with me.

Did you realise how big a game it was?

No, I didn’t really. You don’t really have an idea until you get here to be honest as you’re not in and around it, you see it on the television and that’s about it. It’s interesting to see how heated it gets in the stadium and it’s interesting for me to think about the people that have to back to work on a Monday and speak to their workmates about it whichever side they’re on. I find that interesting but they are the games I enjoy and they’re the big ones as well.

Do you get any choice or decision in what kit you wear?

No, none at all otherwise I would have something like bright pink or a nice all white number.

**LAUGHTER**
Our next question was about the Cardiff ‘keeper’s pink kit and whether you would wear it!
You know what, I would. Anyone who knows me will probably laugh at that but yes I would, I think I could pull it off and do it justice but yeah an all white number or something like that would be quite nice.
So if you think you could pull off wearing that kit, do you get stick from the lads here for your clobber?
Nah, they love it. They just don’t have as much foresight as me into the fashion world!

**LAUGHTER**

Right, so going back to Rob Burch proposing on television, did he get some stick for that?
We gave him all sorts of stick for that, the funny thing is he came and spoke to me and Billy Mercer about doing it and we said. ‘You know what Rob, that’s a great idea. It’ll get you on telly, you wanna go down there and make a day of it.’ So yeah, we talked him into it basically and he come out of it looking like a bit of a muppet!
It’s all fun and games but I still speak to Rob quite a lot and his wife Kerry and they’re a good couple.

So we tried to dig some dirt on you before the interview and nobody could really come up with anything other than something that relates to this next question…
What was it like winning an Olympic gold medal in Beijing?

Yeah, the lads do like getting on my back about looking like James DeGale, it’s obviously because he’s good at boxing and I like to do a bit as well that’s probably where it came from!!
D’you know what though the one thing that shocked me was one of the lads stuck a picture up in my locker and I was that shocked I honestly thought it was a picture of me!
I was thinking, I can’t remember anyone ever taking that picture?!?!
It’s a good likeness and I don’t mind it too much.

With the video flying round on the internet at the minute of Richard O Donnell and Mark Beevers singing, we just wondered how the lads are coping with their new found fame?
Well they love it, the funny thing is they’re like that round the place all the time. And anyone who has seen the video might find a few more on youtube in the not too distant future, I’ll try and keep em coming for the fans. I’ve had a few people subscribe to my page on there even though there is only one up there so far, but to be honest they can’t get enough of it. It’s good fun for them but really it’s a daily occurrence round here with them prancing around and singing.

Who’s the worst one for all the banter then?
Micky Gray has the best banter, he’s the funniest and he’s certainly the joker in the camp who keeps everyone laughing. He’s got party tricks, magic tricks, jokes, stories, he does voices, he does the lot. Then on the other side of it you’ve got Tommy Spurr who’s just an absolute nutter, he just runs around like a five year old on skittles. We’ve got allsorts but Micky is the King of the Banter.

So the stock silly question from day one for us has been who would win in a fight between a bear and a shark?
Who would win between a bear and a shark? . . . Where’s it taking place?
Well it has to be in water to give the shark a chance..
Right so if we say it’s taking place in a paddling pool!! Is it a great white or a hammer head?
You decide..
Right, a great white.. But I would say the bear would win.. With it’s bear hug. (Lee imitates a bear hug) Yeah that’s it.

Right finally a really daft one if that wasn’t daft enough!..
Would you rather be Pat Butcher or a Blade?
Well I’ve got to say Pat Butcher.. Yeah, Pat Butcher..

Thanks again to Lee for his time, and to Colin Wood at the club for organising it. Thanks to Skamp for his input on the day and of course to you lot for putting your questions forward no matter how silly they are!!

Look out for more Owlsonline interviews soon.

Cheers

Beevers is a potential star.

Brian Laws has commented today that Mark Beevers is still one for the future as he plans for the return of Championship football after the international break. With much of the pre game talk surrounding Darren Purse, little has been said about the player who is thought to replace him this weekend.

Mark Beevers was a revelation when he came onto the scene a couple of seasons back, thrust into the first team in the midst of a defensive injury crisis. Beevers, was to take the bull by the horns and gain many accolades for his performances, including the Owlsonline young player of the year award as well as the plaudits of the onlooking press pack.

Laws says that Beevers form did suffer somewhat last season, but rather than dwelling on it Beevers has stepped up his game and he will only get better.
'Mark is ready and up for it. He is a good player with fantastic attributes that I believe will take him to the Premier League.' Laws told the Telegraph.

'Mark did have a big dip last year. But he's played quite well this season and had done nothing wrong up until getting injured against Middlesbrough. In fact, he was outstanding in that match before coming off.'

The former Academy product is one player that the Owls fans hold in high regard after his first season in the side, and now with over 70 first team appearances under his belt we now all hope he regains his early form and marches on any beyond the 100 appearance mark for Wednesday.

Wednesday look for home comforts

The Owls take on Coventry City on Saturday hoping to make amends to their supporters following the abysmal showing at Pride Park last time out, a lack of effort and ability managed to upset the gaffer, the Chairman and the fans and the players were left knowing exactly what was expected of them after the capitulation.

Owls News

Brian Laws has spoken of making the changes following the Derby debacle a fortnight ago, Darren Purse could be the highest profile casualty of the changes with question marks hanging over the selection of James O’Connor, Lewis Buxton and Ettiene Esajas, Leon Clarke looks already to be out of the side now Luke Varney is again available.

Jermaine Johnson, Mark Beevers and Frank Simek are all chomping at the bit to get back into the first team and all will be under consideration for the game, one player who won’t however is Richard Hinds who misses out with a heel injury is.

Francis Jeffers’ second goal in consecutive games for the reserves may see him added to the matchday 18 as Wednesday look for the consistency to get them up towards the top reaches of the table rather than the lower echelons.

Team News (possible)

Team (possible): Grant, Buxton, Beevers, Wood, Spurr; Gray, Potter, O’Connor, Johnson; Varney, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Clarke, Purse, McAllister, Simek, Miller, Esajas, Sodje, Jeffers.

Coventry City News

The Sky Blues look to travel north hoping to continue their unbeaten run, they have not lost in three games and won impressively at Watford in their last away game, the will be without impressive midfielder Sammy Clingan who suffered a hamstring injury in the draw with Leicester.

Coventry City

Coventry were formed way back in 1883 originally as Singers FC (a Cycle company) and retained that name for the first 15 years of their existence before changing their name to Coventry City in 1898, a year later they moved to Highfield Road which would be their home for well over a century until their move to the Ricoh Arena in 2005.

City were originally nicknamed the Bantams until the early 60’s when Jimmy Hill switched the clubs colours to all light blue earning them the nickname Sky Blues, The Bantams nickname was born out of the clubs lightweight performances in the Southern League.

In 1919 they were elected to the Football League but almost were relegated out of the league in their first season, needing 3 points from their final two games (back in the days of 2 points for a win) against Bury, they managed this and consigned Lincoln to relegation, three years later it emerged that City and Bury had conspired to allow City to win, City chairman David Cooke was banned from football for life.

1925 was a bleak year for the club as they were relegated from the Second Division and spent the next 11 years in the Third Division South until winning the title in 1936 with a final day victory over Torquay United. The war disrupted the league programme but six years after it’s resumption the Sky Blues were relegated back to the Third Division when the Owls recorded a 2-0 win on their way to the title.

During the late 50's City’s 19th place finish in the table saw them banished to the newly formed 4th division, City quickly bounced back to the Third Division with a 2nd placed finish behind Port Vale barely 12 months later.

In 1961 Jimmy Hill took over as manager at Highfield Road and within 3 years he had taken club back to the second tier for the first time in 12 years and just three years later he took Coventry City to the top flight where they would spend the next 34 years, despite many relegation battles they were behind only Arsenal, Everton and Liverpool in consecutive seasons in the top flight in the modern era.

They were relegated from the Premier League a year after the Owls and have struggled to get back ever since, Roland Nilsson, Gary McAllister, Eric Black, Peter Reid, Mickey Adams and Iain Dowie have all failed to revive City’s fortunes.

City’s only major trophy came in 1987 when they won the FA Cup beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-2, their run included two visits to Hillsborough, beating the Owls in the Quarter finals and Dirty Leeds in the semi final, the clubs forum comes from the name of a famous incident from the final when Gary Mabbutt’s knee deflected home the winner in extra time.

The Gaffer

The City job has been Colemans since February 2008 when he replaced Iain Dowie following Ray Ransons take over at the club.

This is Coleman’s third managerial appointment, he cut his managerial teeth with Fulham after a car accident ended his playing career, he joined the coaching staff in October 2002 before replacing Jean Tigana as manager the following April, helping the Cottagers away from relegation danger.

In his first full campaign as boss he guided the West London club to 9th in the top flight but he could never quite repeat that success as players were sold from under him to ease the financial burden on owner Mohammed Al-Fayed, he was dismissed in April 2007 after a run of seven without a win.
In June of the same year he took over at Basque club Real Sociedad and had the club up to fifth placed in the Segunda division in hot pursuit of a promotion spot before he resigned citing unworkable differences with the clubs president.

He guided the Sky Blues to the safety of 21st in his first few months before a 17th placed finish last year.
As a player Coleman began his career with home-town club Swansea where he spent 5 years before moving on to Crystal Palace which encompassed the next four years of his career, a 2 year spell at Blackburn preceded a good four years at Fulham where he tasted promotion twice as the Cottagers made the step up to Premier League.

Coleman was also capped over 30 times by his country.

Key Players

Kieren Westwood

Manchester born stopper Kieren is in his second season with the Sky Blues after joining from Carlisle United in 2008 for an undisclosed fee and his impressive form has seen him linked with several moves away from the Ricoh to the Premier League, he was voted in the Championship team of the year last season.

Westwood began his career with home town club Manchester City but failed to make an appearance for the club with the likes of David James and Nicky Weaver ahead of him in the pecking order, he went to nearby
Oldham on loan in 2004 but again didn’t make a start for the club.

In 2004 he was released from City and joined the Cumbrians who were then in the conference, he was initially number two to Matt Glennon but an injury to the No1 saw Westwood gain his chance but he was quickly back out of the side following Glennons return from injury.

During the 2005/06 season Glennon left the club to be replaced by Anthony Williams and he took the number 1 spot ahead of Westwood but the stopper bided his time and he ended up making 35 league appearances in the 2006/07 season as the Cumbrians won the title.

In the 2007/08 campaign he was elected into the PFA team of the year as he helped Carlisle reach the play offs where they fell to Leeds, he played 153 times for the club in his four years before his move to Coventry.
He was selected to play for the Republic of Ireland and made his debut against Nigeria in May 2008.

Squad Number 1

Leon Best

Wednesday fans will know all about Leon, he had two spells on loan at the club in the 2005/06 and by a quirk of fate he scored the first and last goal of the season for Wednesday.

Leon began his career with Notts County as a youngster but was attracted to Premier League club Southampton as a youngster, he made his debut on his 18th birthday in a 2-1 defeat at home to Newcastle, over the next month he appeared four more times for the Saints, later that season he spent a month on loan at QPR without scoring for the Hoops.

At the start of the 2005/06 he joined Wednesday on loan and netted on his home debut in a 1-1 draw with but his joy was curtailed when he broke his foot in the same and he went back to the Saints after just five days at the club. Following his recuperation he appeared 3 times for the Saints before re-joining the Owls at the end of the January 2006 transfer window, he started 3 games and appeared from the bench 8 times for the Owls as they avoided the drop and scored in a 2-0 win at Derby on the final day.

The following season saw him loaned out to both Bournemouth and Yeovil, he played 17 times for the Cherries netting 3 times but it was a move to Huish Park that showed his goal scoring prowess, he hit the net 10 times in just 15 games for the Somerset club, after his three month spell was up he went back to the Saints at the back end of the 2006/07 season and his four goals in nine games helped the club in to the play-offs where they lost to Derby.

The summer of 2007 saw him move to Coventry City, for a tribunal decided fee of £650k, he scored 9 goals in 34 starts in his first season but injury in his second season saw him start just 19 games and he found the net on four occasions.

So far this season he has netted 6 goals in 11 games and is a major threat along with Clinton Morrison.

Squad Number 9

Aron Gunnarsson

Icelandic international Gunnarsson began his career with local side ��r Akureyri in 2005, before moving to the Netherlands with AZ Alkmaar in 2006. He made one full appearance for AZ in the 2007–08 season which ironically came after his international debut,

He moved to English side Coventry City in June 2008 at the age of 19 and he has quickly settled into the English game. He is renowned for his long throw, which is a remnant from his career as a youth playing handball.

Gunnarsson scored his first goal for Coventry on 14 February 2009, in an FA Cup match against Blackburn Rovers with a stunning volley from just outside the penalty area. At the end of the 2008–09 season, Gunnarsson was named Coventry City's Player of the Season.

Before the start of the current season, Gunnarsson changed his squad number from 12 to 17 in order to mirror the squad number of his brother who plays handball in Iceland.

Squad Number 17

Team News

City are without star midfielder Sammy Clingan, the Northern Irish international has been in stunning form this year and will be sadly missed by the Sky Blue faithful.

Team (possible): Westwood; Cranie, Ward, Wright, Van Aanholt; Cork, Osbourne, Gunnarsson, Eastwood; Best, Morrison.

(subs from) Cain, Grandison, Clarke, Walker, Konstantopolous, Jeffers, Turner, McIndoe, Cameron.

Head to Head

A solitary Clinton Morrison header was enough for the visitors last season in a drab affair in front of just over 16k at a cold Hillsborough in November 2008.

The season before Wednesday needed a late late Richard Wood header to snatch a point in a vital relegation “six-pointer”, the visitors had taken the lead with barely 8 minutes remaining following a mistake by Jermaine Johnson who was forced to fill in at right back, Zavon Hines took full advantage to lash home.

The 2006/07 season saw the Owls win 2-1 during a run of five straight wins, Marcus Tudgay fired Wednesday ahead before a stunning Michael Mifsud strike levelled but a clever strike from Steven MacLean sealed all three points.

A year earlier a Chris Brunt netted twice for the Owls including a 35 yard screamer as Wednesday edged a five goal thriller.

City won the first ever meeting between the two clubs at S6 when they ran out 2-1 winners in an FA Cup tie way back in 1911, top flight club Wednesday were humbled by Non-League City, Andrew Wilson netted for the Owls.

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 19

Draw: 13

Sky Blues: 8

Final thoughts

We need to get back to winning ways and a repeat performance of our last home game would be highly appreciated by the public but Coventry have been our bogey team for the last couple of seasons as they have gone four unbeaten against the Wednesday.

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Retro Game - Coventry City

Monday 4th December 1995 and Big Ron Atkinson was bringing his Coventry City side to Hillsborough where a crowd of 16,229 witnessed the best ever game between Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry City

Usually Coventry and Wednesday games are dour affairs but this one was different. Both clubs were in the lower mid table region of the premier league ( I think ) and there was expectation that we had to win the game to push away from the more familiar drop zone.

Wednesdays line up was :

Pressman, Nolan, Walker, Nicol, Briscoe, Whittingham, Atherton, Degryse, Waddle, Hirst, Bright.

Coventrys line up was :

Ogrizovic, Hall, Shaw, Williams, Pickering, Telfer, Rennie, Richardson, Solako, Ndlovu, Dublin.

Within minutes of the start, Pickering had picked up a booking for a foul on Waddle and Wednesday started creating some chances. Bright saw a header wide of the post and Hirst forced a good block from Shaw before Coventry took the lead in the 18th minute from a set piece. Poor defending allowed Dion Dublin to nod in the opening goal of the game which seemed to give Wednesday a big wake up call.

7 minutes later, regular scorer Guy Whittingham levelled things up with a fine finish to get Wednesday back into it. However Dion Dublin was becoming a handful for Walker n Nicol, and almost gave Coventry the lead but his header was well saved by Pressman. It wasn't too long before Dublin restored Coventrys lead with a nice finish.

But as soon as they were in front, they found themselves level as David Hirst fired in a beauty to make it 2-2. Both side had chances to go infront but Mike Reed blew the whistle for half time to stop a very entertaining first half.

The second half started like the first with both sides having chances to take the lead. However a foul on Salako by Whittingham gave Richardson a chance to whip the ball in and once again the head of Dion Dublin put Coventry back in front and the match ball was going home with him. 5 minutes later, again Wednesday were level with Marc Degryse getting infront of the defence to meet Waddles ball in for 3-3 after 60 minutes.

There was bound to be more goals as both sides were playing excellent attacking football, in fact it was almost Atkinsons Wednesday against Atkinsons Coventry, that's how entertaining it was. Dublin, Ndlovu had chances for Coventry, Hirst and Bright almost made it 4 for Wednesday.

In the 73rd minute the final goal came when Bright headed home a Waddle corner to give the owls a 4-3 lead and put them ahead for the first time during the game. A seize on the Wednesday net in the last 10 minutes came up blank for Coventry and The Owls heeld on to a 4-3 victory in a december where two games later, a certain insignificant shite side from West Yorkshire (without a band then) got trounced 6-2

Cheers to WansteadOwl for his recollections of this seven goal thriller nearly 14 years ago

Bring IT ON - Coventry City

SO our first game against a bit of a bogey side for Wednesday this season, Coventry City, so we ask the questions to a member of our sister site GMKOnline.com.
We welcome GMK member Chaucer to the site as we ask him to BRING IT ON!

1) What do you expect from the Championship this season, where do you think you'll finish?

Pre-season i expected to be fighting relegation, however if we can keep the injuries away i feel we can achieve a comfortable mid table position. 12th.

2) Do you expect one of your side to be a real star in the division come the end of the season?

Keiren Westwood is already known as one of our star players, aside from that i think Leon Best has matured into a good young player, and come the end of the season if he lets his contract run down i think a fair few premier league sides could be in for him.

3) Is there anyone else we should look out for on Saturday that we might not know about?

Jack Cork has come in on loan from Chelsea and has looked promising recently. Comfortable on the ball and is fine with sitting back as well as going forward.

4) Is there any side in the Championship you REALLY want to beat other than your nearest rivals geographically, and why?

West Brom, not because its a 'local derby' but my best mate is a baggies fan so it's always nice to have bragging rights!

5) What do you know about Wednesday?

I've always thought that they are a similar team to Coventry; great stadium, good heritage, loyal fans and perennial underachievers. It would be good to see you up in the Premier League again.

6) Where do you think we will finish?

I think with your chairman Lee Strafford, you stand every chance of progressing and spending your money wisely. I saw an article on him on football focus earlier this year and he seemed like exactly the sort of guy you want as your teams chairman. This year... 10th. Next year higher for certain.

7) Any team news?

We have Sammy Clingan (our best midfielder) out for another month, but Ben Turner and Michael McIndoe may return which is positive news

8) The games between our sides haven't been ones to write home about in recent years, do you expect this to be any different?

Not really, would love a classic 4-3 or something though! i'd take a 1-0 now.

To get more views ahead of the game go visit the Cov lot at GMKOnline.

Beat the Bookie 17/10

Right, if youre having a flutter this week you might do well following our tipster this weekend Supermario who has this to tempt you into taking a chance.

I'm usually shite though in recent weeks I was only undone by Man ure in a fixed match

Ill start with the home wins first....

Match Odds

Arsenal vs Birmingham 2-11
Man Utd vs Bolton 1-4
Blackpool vs Plymouth 11-13
Ipswich vs Swansea 5-4
Leicester vs Derby 18-19

Away Wins

Aston Villa vs Chelsea 5-6
Sunderland vs Liverpool 6-5
Notts Forest vs Newcastle Utd 6-4
Southend vs Bristol Rovers 19-10
QPR vs Preston NE 13-5

Draws

Stoke vs West Ham 23-10
Portsmouth vs Tottenham 5-2
Middlesborough vs Watford 3-1
Doncaster vs Barnsley 12-5
Leeds vs Norwich 5-2

Ill be doing an accumulator of all of these and three accumulators of home wins away wins and draws.
I cant do worse than the usual form on Owlsonline can I?

Coven-try but fail to beat the Owls

Brian Laws made 3 changes from the side that lost so miserably against Derby before the international break. The talk before the match had been about Darren Purse being replaced by Mark Beevers but due to an illness it was Richard Wood who didn’t make the squad. The other changes were Jermaine Johnson in for Etienne Esajas and Marcus Tudgay was replaced by Luke Varney who missed the last game due to ineligibility.

Wednesday started brightly and could have taken the lead in the first couple of minutes when Leon Clarke went close. Johnson raced down the right wing as he did for the rest of the afternoon before pulling the ball back to Clarke who couldn’t quite get there. Clarke then blamed the defender or the ball or the ground, presumably the later because it didn’t open up and swallow him.

The Owls fans didn’t have to wait long for the first goal of the game as Purse’s header came in the 5th minute. Darren Potter took a right footed corner in front of the Kop which found Purse in the 6 yard box who powered his header into the back of the net.

The game settled down into an even contest and then Wednesday doubled their lead just before the 20th minute. James O’Connor broke his way into the box before being fouled by one time potential Wednesday signing Elliot Ward. Leon Clarke stepped up and dispatched the ball into the top of the net with some force.

Wednesday kept hold of the ball well in midfield and limited the Sky Blues to minimal possession until just before half time.
Former Owl Leon Best got to a corner first but his header was saved by Grant though it may or may not have crossed the line.

Half time SWFC 2-0 CCFC

As you’d expect Coventry started the 2nd half the better of the sides but their progress was halted when they lost Aaron Gunnarsson to a tackle from behind by Clarke. This caused tension as Clarke and Michael Gray tried to pull him up to his feet but the injury was worst than suspected and Gunnarsson had to leave the field on a stretcher.

Coventrys best chance of the game fell to centre back Ward who went close with an overhead kick but Grant comfortably saved the effort.
Soon after the Sky Blues thought they’d got a penalty when the referee awarded one but after consulting with the linesman the decision was over turned and the ball was returned to Owls ‘keeper Lee Grant.

The rest of the game was played out without any major events as Wednesday sat back and allowed Coventry to keep the ball without causing too much trouble.
Clarke had a chance to double his tally but his shot fell wide and Isaac Osbourne also fired wide and so the game ended with the 2nd half producing no goals.

Full time SWFC 2-0 CCFC

Next up for the Owls is a Tuesday night encounter against Preston North End.

This game has been designated a Friends For A Fiver game so do what you can to boost the attendances and bring your mates down.

SWFC v PNE preview

Wednesday take on high flying North End tonight hoping to apply more pressure on the top six by making it maximum home points for the third consecutive game at S6 but will have to be wary against a side dismantled 4-0 at QPR at the weekend

Owls News

The Owls are likely to be without Richard Wood again tonight as his ankle knock rules him out for the second consecutive but Marcus Tudgay (neck) and Ettiene Esajas could be welcomed back to the first team squad after sitting out Saturday’s win.

Darren Purse’s first Wednesday goal set the tone for an impressive performance by the Owls skipper on Saturday which culminated in a clean sheet for the Owls, only their third of the campaign and they’ll be hoping to make it back to back clean sheet.

Brian Laws has stated that this could be a big week for Wednesday and will go a long way to showing their intent for the campaign, ahead of the game he is quoted as saying :
“The next two games are winnable,' he said.

'It's easy to say it, a lot harder to achieve it, but if we can achieve that it will put us in a strong position. We'll certainly be approaching these two games with optimism.'

Team News (possible)

Team (possible): Grant, Buxton, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Gray, Potter, O’Connor, Johnson; Varney, Clarke.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Clarke, Hinds, Tudgay, McAllister, Simek, Miller, Esajas, Sodje, Jeffers.

Preston North End News

The Lilywhites cross the Pennines hoping to provoke a backlash after their hammering at QPR on Saturday, it was their heaviest defeat of the campaign to day and shows just how tight this league can be and how any side can beat another.

Preston North End

The original “Invincibles” North End were the first club to go through a domestic campaign unbeaten when they did the double in the 1888/89 season, a feat only matched in the top flight by Arsenal in the 2003/04 campaign.

North End like many clubs of that era were born out of the cricket club and in 1878 they branched into football, they were also the first club to adopt “professionalism” when they brought players down from Scotland with the promises of match appearance fees and paid work, it proved to be a pivotal part of the FA’s decision to adopt professionalism.

Preston were founder members of the league and it’s first winners, a feat they repeated the following campaign but that was to be their last league title despite several second placed finished over the next decade.

The Lilywhites became a yo-yo club during the early part of the 20th century with three relegations and three promotions before the suspension of the League due to the Great War. Following the resumption of the league
in 1919 the club struggled to achieve its earlier successes, although they did appear in the final pre Wembley FA Cup final in 1922 where they lost to Huddersfield, in 1925 the tasted 2nd division football once again after being relegated, they spent 9 seasons in the second tier before finally returning in 1933/34, finishing second to Grimsby Town.

Their promotion saw an improvement in their fortunes with respectable league finishes and in 1938 they lifted their last major trophy when they beat Huddersfield in the FA Cup final 2-1. The Second World war denied the side the chance to gain further honours and denied the country of the talents of the great Tom Finney for seven long years.

North End ended the 40’s with a relegation but quickly bounced back to gain their top flight status and in 1952/53 went on the finish runners up to Arsenal in the league with a final day 3-2 win for the Gunners saw them pip the Lilywhites to the title by 0.1 of a goal, they went onto finish runners up in the FA Cup the following season, once again the nearly men.

The Lilywhites dropped out of the top flight in 1961 and as such have not returned since, in 1964 they lost out in the FA Cup final to a West Ham side packed with future World Cup winners, the slide down the league was beginning to gather pace and in 1970 they dropped to the third division for the first time in their history.

The next 15 years or so saw North End flirt between the 2nd and 3rd tiers until a disastrous 1985 campaign which saw them hit the bottom division for the first time ever, the following year was even worse as they finished 23rd and had to apply for re-election, which they earned. A change of fortunes saw them back in the 3rd division and they nearly got back to 2nd tier in 1989 only to miss out in the play-offs. John Beck took the club back down a notch in 1992 where they stayed to 1996 where they won the title of the third division.

In 2000 David Moyes guided the Lilywhites back to the second tier and a year later almost completed the fairy tale but Bolton won the play off final 3-0. Preston have subsequently missed out on top flight football in the play-offs on four further occasions including one final appearance in 2005.

The Gaffer

Alan Irvine is the current North End boss it is his first managerial appointment, he joined the club in November 2007 from Everton where he’d been assisting former Preston boss David Moyes, he replaced Paul Simpson in the Deepdale hot seat.

Irvine’s first task was to steer the Lancashire club away from the drop zone upon his appointment and he guided them from 21st in November to 15th by the end of the campaign, he improved their fortunes that much the following campaign that they finished inside the play-offs on goal difference over Cardiff, thanks to a 6-0 win over the Bluebirds in the run in and a Wednesday win over the Welsh club on the final day, unfortunately for North End the other side in Sheffield beat them over the two legs and they missed out on a trip to Wembley.

As a player Irvine plied his trade as a winger, he began at Queens Park before serving Everton, Crystal Palace, Dundee United and Blackburn Rovers with moderate success.

Key Players

Andy Lonergan

Preston born custodian Andy has been with the club his entire career and has appeared well over 150 times for the club since making his debut as a 16 year old in a cup tie away at Coventry, he made his league debut at the end of that season in 3-2 win over Preston.

He was loaned out to Darlington and Blackpool in late 2002 but appeared just twice for the Quakers and was not selected to play for local rivals Blackpool.

He was promoted to the first team squad in 2002/03 season as an understudy to Jonathan Gould and after an injury to Jonathan Gould he was back in the first team in February 2004 and he remained there for eight games until Gould returned.

He started the following season as number 1 and remained that way until early February when he suffered a serious cruciate knee ligament injury which ruled him out for six months, upon his return he found himself behind Carlo Nash in the pecking order and it took him two years to regain his first team place due to a combination of injuries and the good form of Nash and after spells at Wycombe and Swindon on loan he was back in the North End line up where he has remained ever since.

He has one goal to his name, back in September 2004 away at Leicester, his long clearance was misjudged by former Owls stalwart Kevin Pressman who allowed the ball to bounce over him and into the goal.

Squad Number 1

Neil Mellor

Neil is the son of former Wednesday striker Ian Mellor, he was born in Sheffield during his dad’s spell at Wednesday but is a lifelong Manchester City fan.

Neil began his career with Liverpool and made a name for himself at Anfield by netting regularly for the juniors and the reserves, he was finally rewarded with a debut in a league cup tie with Ipswich, he went on to play a further five games for the Reds that season and repeated the feat of his father by netting against the Blades in the first leg of the League Cup semi final at Bramall Lane.

He was loaned to West Ham for the 2003/04 season but a combination of injuries, a change of manager (twice) and being asked to play out of position saw it prove to be relatively fruitless he played 21 times and netted just twice.

In the 2004/05 campaign he made himself a hero of the Kop twice, firstly he netted a 91st minute winner against Arsenal with a stunning 25 yard strike and later in the same month he was sent on to help the Reds against Olympiakos, they were locked at 1-1 with ten minutes to go and the Reds needed to win by two clear goals to qualify for the next round of the Champions League, Mellor made it 2-1 within seconds of coming on before Steven Gerrard smashed home the third with four minutes to go, they ended up as European Champions, although Mellor was ruled out through surgery. He played 16 times that season, scoring 5 times.

Following his return from injury he was loaned to Wigan for latter part of the 2005/06 season and he netted on his debut in a 3-2 win at Boro but after just five games his knee problem re-surfaced and he missed the rest of the season.

In August 2006 he joined Preston on a 3 year deal (which was later extended) for an undisclosed fee but further injury problems curtailed his appearances for the Lilywhites, in his 3 and a bit years with the Deepdale club he has appeared 97 times netting on 29 occasions including six this season.

Squad Number 33

Callum Davidson

Club captain Callum has been at Deepdale for 5 years now after signing on a free transfer in 2004 following his release from Leicester.

Born in Stirling he came through the ranks at St Johnstone for whom he made over 50 appearances before he was the subject of a £1.75m bid from Blackburn Rovers, he moved South to Lancashire in February 1998 and over the next two years he appeared for club 78 times predominantly at left back, he netted just once for the club. Rovers were relegated in his first full season and Callum hung around to help the club regain their top flight status but after they failed at the first attempt he moved to Leicester City for £1.75m.

He spent over four years at the Foxes and suffered two relegations and one promotion with them, he notched up over 100 appearances but had a spell out injured with a fractured cheekbone when he was assaulted by the little scrote known by the name Dennis Wise (twat) after a game of cards got heated.

In his five or so seasons with Preston he has been sidelined with a knee injury but has still been a calming influence in either the left side of defence or in midfield,he is approaching 150 games for the Lilywhites and has netted 14 times, many of them from the spot.

Squad Number 3

Team News

Team (possible): Lonergan; Hart, Mawene, Collins, Jones; Chaplow, Sedgewick, Carter, Wallace; Mellor, Parkin.

(subs from) Henderson, Chilvers, Nolan, Elliott, Brown, Sumulikoski, Parry.

Head to Head

Last season saw the two sides share the points at S6 with Richard Chaplow’s late strike cancelling out Sean McAllisters first half finish in a game the Owls dominated for large periods. The season before the two clubs met on New Years Day in a relegation six pointer, Karl Hawley capitalised on a mistake by Lee Bullen to put the visitors ahead at the break but a major gaffe by North End keeper Andy Lonergan when he ran out of his area to clear a long ball which bounced over him and left Akpo Sodje with an empty net saw the Owls draw level before Francis Jeffers slotted home from the spot in the 82nd minute to win 3 valuable points for the hosts.

The game in the 2006/07 season saw the visitors come from behind to net three times and secure all three points, Deon Burton fired Wednesday into a fourth minute lead but two minutes later Brett Ormerod levelled before a brace by David Nugent took the game away from the Owls.

The Owls first season back in the Championship Wednesday grabbed a much needed three points when they beat North End 2-0 in mid March, Deon Burton put the Owls ahead in the first period before a deft finish from Burton O’Brien sealed the win in the second half.

The clubs first met way back in 1888 when the visitors on their way to reaching the FA Cup final beat the Owls 3-1, they also followed this up with a 5-0 win in the Owls first season in the top flight in the 1892/93 season.

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 27

Draw: 9

North End: 12

Final thoughts

Another difficult task for Wednesday and we need to break our midweek hoo-doo, we haven’t won game at S6 on a weekday night for nearly 12 months, in fact we have only 3 of our last 11 midweek games at “Fortress Hillsborough” and this needs to addressed.

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A Retro Game - PNE

As matches against Preston have been very dour or we've been very pathetic, i'll take a look back at the game in March 2006 when Billy the fuckin little scottish wanker Davies bought his high flying Preston North End to Hillsborough in a game which both sides needed a victory for different reasons. Wankers Preston were pushing for a guaranteed play off spot where Wednesday were fighting relegation.

The owls lined up as this - : Carson, Simek, Coughlan, Bischoff, Gilbert, Brunt, Folly, Whelan, O'Brien, Burton, Tudgay

Preston lined up as this - : Nash, Mears, Mawene, Davis, Alexander, Sedgwick, O'Neil, McKenna, Agyemang, Ormerod, Dichio

With David Nugent out injured, it was a good time to play Preston but in the first half there was very few chances. Wednesday created the first chance with a Tudgay shot that was deflected behind for a corner. It was until half an hour where Simek made a terrific block from Ormerods strike after a miskick by Bischoff. However the next chance came to the owls and a beautiful delivery from Brunts sweet left foot found Tudgay who flicked the ball on and Deon Burton was there to nod the ball away from Nash and the Preston defence to give the owls the lead. It could have been 2 soon after had Nash not made a terrific pin-point save from Deon after pushing away Whelans free kick. No more chances resulted in Wednesday going 1-0 up at the break

The second half started differently to the first and within minutes Wednesday could have been 2-0 up but once again Nash came to Prestons rescue with a good save from Tudgays strike. However it wasn't long before a quick Gilbert throw found Burton O Brien who ran towards the goal and chipped the ball beautifully over the despairing Nash to give The Owls a 2-0 lead. It was no more than Wednesday deserved for their hurrying of Preston and afterwards, both Burton and Tudgay came close to adding to the lead. Prestons only real chance of the second half was a Brian O Neil shot which went wide. The final whistle blew and The Owls thoroughly gained a deserved 3 points and eased their way upwards avoiding relegation comfortably. In some ways, this for me was Wednesdays best performance under Paul Sturrock although others will say it was Wolves away when we won 3-1

By the way, also that night - Dave, Southy, Walkley, myself, Mark, Steve and TruckerOwl went for a night out and Dave_Owl managed to pull a lass who's father was a member of the BBC. Many beers was drunk and the following day - a note was on owlsonline asking what the fuck happened from Southy as many of us did not remember much of the evening. Happy days

Bring it on - PNE

So, it's the original 'invincibles' as Walkers put it in his preview to visit Hillsborough tonight, so we speak to pneef from PNE-ONLINE.NET to get his thoughts on Preston, their season ahead and of course...What he knows about the Wednesday.

1) What were your expectations for your side before we kicked the season off?

To be challenging for the top 6

2) Have these expectations changed at all now we are well into things?

No, I'm sticking to my guns. We played some nice stuff early on and attacked very well as a team, recent performances have been very poor but you're always going to have peaks and troughs along the way. Tonight will hopefully be the start of another good run.

3) Is there a gem of a player at your club that hasn't been noticed yet?

if there is an un-noticed gem then I've not noticed him!!

4) Who is your main threat?

Tough to say really. In Brown, Parkin and Mellor we have three strikers who are all capable of scoring goals. If Parry & Wallace are running the wings they will hopefully cause a lot of problems switching sides all night and cutting inside

5) As a club that is widely respected around the world, how much do you want to get to the Prem and show Burnley how it's done?

You can always dream. It seems a long way off at the moment but a few wins on the bounce may get us all believing again.

6) Other than your geographical rivals, is there anyone else you lot REALLY like to beat and why?

For me it will always be the teams managed by Billy Davies and Kevin Blackwell.

7) Tell us what you know about Sheffield Wednesday?

You look to have an okay team. A few decent players and I think you'll definitely be in the top half by the end of the season, top 6 may be pushing it.That Esajas looks like a world beater one week and a conference player the next.

8) Any Team news ahead of the game?

Early season star performer Paul Parry and captain fantastic Callum Davidson both (hopefully) back in the team. Could make the difference.

9) Score prediction please?

Could really go either way. I'm thinking narrow win or heavy defeat for us but I'm going to be positive and go for a 2-1 PNE win. I think we'll be much improved going forward but I can't see us keeping a clean sheet

Thanks again to pneef and the people of PNE-ONLINE.NET for their time, so why not nip over there and join in the banter...

Owls Captain in Championship team of the week.

After a couple of weeks away from League football thanks to the international break, Wednesday came back with a great win last weekend. Much was said about Darren Purse's inclusion in the Owls side. well it appears his inclusion was justified as he has been named in the Championship team of the week.

The Owls skipper is included after his first goal for the club in front of the Kop on Saturday and his subsequent performance which saw Wednesday keep a clean sheet despite being under much pressure for the majority of the second half.

Purse was named in the side with Plymouth outcast Marcel Seip who had a sparkling game for Blackpool at the weekend, the defence is flanked by two Forest players, Chris Gunter and Chris Cohen.

Scunthorpe also have two players in the team of the week after their win over our neighbours at Glanford Park last weekend, striker Paul Hayes and Northern Ireland international Grant McCann make the team of the week.

For full details of the team of the week, click HERE to visit the Football League website.

Prestons smash and grab win hits the Owls like a ton of bricks

Brian Laws kept the same side that beat Coventry City at the weekend as Wood, Esajas and Tudgay were all still absent through an illness that has swept through the Wednesday camp.

Wednesday started the match brightly and went close very early on. First Lewis Buxton had a shot well saved by Andy Lonergan before Jermaine Johnson’s downwards header from a Tommy Spurr cross bounced over the bar.

Mark Beevers went close at the wrong end when for some reason he side footed an effort on target but Lee Grant was on hand to tip the effort over.

With the Owls shooting towards the Kop for the second game in a row, the first goal of the game came in front of the away end and hospital staff as Neil Mellor made it one nil to Preston.
Eddie Nolan went close to taking the ball out for a throw in before sliding the ball in to Mellor who slotted it in via a deflection from Wednesday skipper Darren Purse.

Wednesday kept up the pressure and their impressive first half display by going close twice in a few seconds, both chances however were denied by the post. Johnson raced down the left and cut inside before firing a fierce shot goalwards. The shot smashed against the far post and rebounded back into his path but his 2nd shot had the same outcome as it too smashed against the post.

Fortunately we did not have to wait much longer for the equalising goal. Leon Clarke was fouled on the edge of the area and Michael Gray fired the resulting free kick into the top corner of the net.

As the first half continued Wednesday kept hold of the ball well and went close once again when Purse’s effort was helped onto the bar by a defender.

Half time – SWFC 1-1 PNEFC

In typical Sheffield Wednesday style they failed to carry on the form of the first half into the second and were soon made to pay as the visitors took the lead.
Purse failed to deal with the player down the left which left him in enough space to provide a perfect ball to Sam Parkin who easily netted inside the area.

The game settled down as Wednesday stopped doing the things that they did so well in the first half like pressing forward and keeping hold of the ball.

On the 65th minute Clarke was taken off with a knock and he was replaced by Akpo Sodje who was disappointingly ineffective. Wednesday were the better side but they failed to make the chances pay and as a result they could not find a way back in to the match.

Full time – 1-2 PNEFC

Next up for the Owls is a trip to 12th place Watford this Friday night. The game is live on Sky Sports.

To find out other peoples views on the game, click here to visit the sites message boards.

Varney looks to end the week on a high.

Luke Varney has spoken to The Star about the midweek defeat to Preston and describes it as an 'absolute joke.'
The on loan striker was dumbfounded as to how Wednesday didn't win the game on Tuesday but is looking to the trip to Vicarage Road as a means to banish the demons.

'The performance against Preston was brilliant. We shouldn't have gone one down and we should have been well ahead by half time. But you also have to take your chances.' Varney said.

'We'll take the positives out of it and hopefully get a better result at Watford, though they've had a good results at Middlesbrough and Ipswich. We'll go there thinking we can win, and we really want to do that, especially after the disappointment of Tuesday.'

With the hosts on Friday in a good vein of form fafter good results against Middlesborough and Ipswich where they snatched an injury time equaliser, Varney says putting the chances away will be key at Vicarage Road.

'They're not going in at the moment; the Preston keeper made a good save, and the one he made from Leon Clarke's header was one of the best I've seen.

'We all know we should be putting some of our chances away. We also hit the woodwork three times. We have to rebound and be ready for Watford.'

The game is screened live on Sky Sports tomorrow night, so there will be a chance to rectify the problem and show the public what the Owls are all about.

Retro Game v Watford

Right, I apologise to all for having to bring this match up but this game was one of many in this decade that I could have broken every single neck of a Sheffield Wednesday player!

On the 18th March 2000, the premierships two bottom teams met for what was classed as the wooden spoon game considering that the sides were all but doomed to relegation. Graham Taylor expected his Watford team to finish bottom and was using this season as a building one considering their two consecutive promotions from the old second division whilst Danny Wilson still somehow the Wednesday manager was in the process of keeping his job for next season.

Watford lined up as follows - Chamberlain, Cox, Palmer, Page, Robinson, Kennedy, Johnson, Hyde, Smart, Helguson, Wooter.
Wednesday lined up with - Sirnicek, Atherton, Walker, Haslam, Hinchcliffe, Nolan, Quinn, Alexandersson, Jonk, Cresswell, De Bilde

To be fair, attendees could tell that both sides were doomed to relegation as the amount of chances fluffed was unbelivable. Nordin Wooter (signed from Ajax) missed an absolute sitter when he had the whole goal to shoot at but fired straight at Sirnicek. Sirnicek then made a comfortable save from Helguson before picking up an injury from making a save from Wooters effort. On came Pressman and made a very good save from a Cox effort when Atherton surprisingly failed to clear the ball from the area.
Wednesday had their moments in the first half as well with Cresswell looking a handful and his lay with Quinn set up De Bilde who fired well wide of the target and then a Niclas Alexandersson shot from 20 yards went just past the up-right with Chambermaid well beaten. The half time whistle came and with the score 0-0, it was hardly surprising. The punters probably had this game as a guaranteed 0-0 which I think my father had on his bet

Anyway the teams came out for the second half and Wednesday played some nice stuff in the first 10 minutes of the second half and setting up the best chance of the game. A lovely ball from Jonk to Alexandersson who skinned Robinson before his cross found Cresswell who somehow found the side netting when it was easier to score than miss. To be fair to the wednesday fans, they didn't shout and moan at Cresswell where as had that been De Bilde, Sibon or Booth, there would have been a guaranteed hasty response. Although Wednesday started to get on top, Watford had a good chance when another mistake from hopeless Atherton allowed Smart to get away but Walker managed to prevent any danger with a good tackle and then gave captain Atherton a few words which went down well with the Wednesday fans. Graham Taylor took off Helguson in the 69th minute and bought on a young Tommy Smith who caused Ian Nolan all sorts of problems on the wing. His trickery and teasing set up Smart who headed the ball over the bar with Pressman beaten in the 70th minute. From then, the game became scrappy and no sides really looked like scoring until the 88th minute where good play by Smith crossed the ball to set up Allan Smart who fired the ball past Pressman to give Watford the lead and the match. This caused Wilson to change things by taking off the bright Alan Quinn who worked his socks off, for Sibon whilst many wednesday fans were leaving. There was still time as there was about 3 minutes injury time to be played but Wednesday didn't create a single chance and really Wooter should have made it 2-0 where he fired wide from 8 yards.

Eventually Neale Barry blew the whistle and cue the away end belting out boos and not fit to wear the shirt chants as well as firery language at players like De Bilde, Atherton, Nolan and Jonk who were all extremely poor. For Watford, Taylor was pleased with the win as he hoped that this form would continue for next season when the rebuilding work takes place. As for Wilson, the departure of the biggest c**t in football resulted in Howard Culley taking over as chairman who fired Danny Wilson straight away, coming out that this should have been done after the Newcastle fiasco

I left the ground that day angry and embarrassed at being a Wednesday fan. You could tell Alexandersson was mega pissed off at being at the club, and we also thought that the likes of Haslam and Quinn would have their careers ruined at S6 due to the mentality of the experienced players. Des Walker looked as if he had enough in that game and resigned us to relegation, whilst Atherton, Nolan, De Bilde, Jonk and possibly Hinchcliffe should have been sent to prison for the crime of being a professional footballer. It was then did I think, I wonder if we'll beat Sheffield United next season

BRING IT ON - HORNETS

Right, once again it's time to ask a fan of the opposition to BRING IT ON, this time we speak to krisvad from www.wfcforums.com about our trip to Vicarage Road tomorrow night. He tells us about the Hornet's, their near neighbours Luton and someone called Brendan Todger!!!

1) After a decent run recently, do you expect it to continue?

No not really.

2) So what did you expect from Watford in the Championship this season, where are you looking to finish?

I expected the drop and I still see us as candidates. Much of our relative success so far has been down to loanees who may leave in January. If that happens we're up the creep but if they extend their stay for the season I feel we could achieve mid table.

3) Your near neighbours Luton have plummeted like a stone, would you like to see them regain League status?

Yes. I feel sorry for Luton Town fans. They don't deserve what's happened to their club. I still don't like Luton but I sympathise with fellow football fans.

4) Brendan Rodgers was seen by many as a quality manager, what did you think of him and what do you think of him now?

I thought he did well to steady a sinking ship. I thought he took a while to figure out we didn't have the players to play like Chelsea but once he did figure that out - we started doing okay. Now I feel that the change was probably more down to Malky than Todgers. The way he left has forever branded him a moronic canut in my book - integrity my ar5e.

5) Other than your nearest geographical rival, who else do you REALLY want to beat?

Blunts. Goes back to when Warnock were their manager, but also because the sold us Kabba and then proceeded to buy as many as our players as they could get their hands on.

6) Is there a player that so far hasn't attracted the attention of the media that we should look out for on Friday?

Lloyd Doyley - our right back turned left back. Has played 200+ matches for the mighty 'Orns and hasn't scored yet. He will on Friday!

7) What do you know about Sheffield Wednesday?

Not much for my part. Seems you still feel a big club despite it being a while since you were. Great history though, a real football club (I mean that as a compliment)

8) Team news?

Heidar and Cleverley will play. Demerit won't.

9) Score prediction please...

I think it'll be tight - 1-0 the Orns.

So if you want to get in touch with the Blade hating Hornets and give them some of our finest banter then click HERE to go over to WFCFORUMS.COM and join in.
Thanks to Krisvad and all the other 'Orns that have taken the time to answer our questions.

Owls hoping to stir up the Hornets nest

Wednesday face a Friday night trip south to face Watford in front of the TV cameras, after Tuesday night’s disappointing result, not performance, the Owls need to get back to winning ways if they want to avoid being dragged further south in the table.

Owls News

Brian Laws could welcome back recent absentees Richard Wood, Marcus Tudgay and Etienne Esajas back for the televised clash tomorrow night, the three have been missing from the Owls last two fixtures, Wood and Tudgay were particularly missed in midweek.

Luke Varney will be hoping to retain his place and the livewire forward was devastated at the manner of the Owls loss, the on loan Derby man will also be looking for his first goal away from Hillsborough, his four goals for the club so far have all come at home.

Jermaine Johnson will no doubt be looking for a change in fortunes, the pacy winger twice hammered the post in midweek along with putting a free header over the bar and having a clipped cross cleared from next to the goal line after evading the keeper, the Jamaican international will be one of the Owls main attacking threats tomorrow night.

Defensively the Owls conceded two sloppy goals in the week and this seems to be an alarming re-occurrence that needs addressing, the last thing we need is a repeat of our last away game tomorrow, Lee Grant, a lifelong Watford fan, will be wanting to keep a clean sheet in front of many friends and family.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Buxton, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Gray, Potter, O’Connor, Johnson; Varney, Clarke.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Clarke, Hinds, Tudgay, McAllister, Simek, Miller, Esajas, Sodje, Jeffers, Wood.

Watford News

The Hornets come into the game in a buoyant mood after a late goal by sub Nathan Ellington secured them a point away at Ipswich Town on Tuesday night, and will be hoping to move into the top eight with a win over Wednesday in front of the Sky cameras.

Watford

Watford as a club were first formed way back in 1881 originally as Watford Rovers before becoming West Hertfordshire in 1893, they joined the Southern League in 1896 and turned professional a year later, in 1898 they merged with Watford St Mary’s to become the entity they are today.

They were elected to the Football League in 1920 in the 3rd Division South where they remained until 1958 when another change in the League structure saw them put into the newly created Division 4, within two years they had won their first promotion under boss Ron Burgess but the club had to continually sell their best players, with players like Cliff Holton, Dave Underwood and Pat Jennings all sold to keep the club on a sound financial footing.

In 1969 they won the Third division title and tasted second tier football for the first time, they also reached the FA Cup semi final for the first time in 1970 but again the financially stability of the club was in question and after selling a trio of players to the Blades they were relegated back to the Third Division in 1972.

Elton John took over the club in the mid 70’s following it’s slide back to the 4th division in 1975, he made a clever decision to appoint Graham Taylor as boss ahead of the 1976/77 season, he guided them to seventh in his first season before lifting the title 12 months later.

Within 12 months the club were back in the second tier after a second placed finish in the Third Division, they also reached the League Cup semi final, he consolidated the club in the second tier thanks to the likes of Luther Blissett and Steve Sherwood but in 1982 and with the likes of John Barnes and Nigel Callaghan added to the squad they finished 2nd in the Second division to earn promotion to the top flight for the first time.

Not resting on the laurels the Hornets set the top flight alight finishing in 2nd place in their first season, the following year they reached the FA Cup final only to lose to Everton and played in the UEFA Cup for the only time in their history.

The next three seasons were all about consolidation for the club but in 1987 Taylor was lured away to Aston Villa and it left Watford in trouble, several key players and already left and Dave Bassett struggled to rebuild the side, they were relegated in 1988 and did not return to the top flight until 1999, they even had 2 seasons back in the third tier in that time.

In 1999 they beat Bolton in the play-off final to secure back to back promotions but after a bright start in the top flight finished bottom and were relegated alongside the Owls, they also suffered some financial difficulties following the drop and were forced to sell their stadium, it has since been bought back.

In 2006 Aidy Boothroyd guided the Hornets back into the top flight when they beat Leeds 3-0 in Cardiff, again it was a short stay and they haven’t been back in the top flight since 2007.

The Ground

Vicarage Road has been home of Watford FC since 1922, they began life at Cassiobury Park before moving to Vicarage Meadows and then the Rose and Crown pitch in Market Street, they moved to Cassio Road following the merger with Watford St Mary’s in 1898 and remained their until the move in 1922, the move to Vicarage Road had been earmarked since 1914 after Cassio Road owner Lady Essex asked the football club to vacate their site.

The ground is all seater and holders nearly 20,000 people in the four stands, The “main” home stand is called the Rookery Stand, it is the newest development of the ground and holds 6,590 when full, Wednesdayites will be housed in the stand bang across for the Rookery, the Vicarage Road end and will have an allocation of around 2,200 although with the game being televised I don’t expect the Owls to sell more than half of that allocation, the stand is split between home and away fans but only a couple of years ago it housed just away fans.

The stand to our right is the Rous Stand (named after Sir Stanley Rous) is a two tiered stand which allows the club to operate at level commercially to compete with other clubs.

The stand to our left is the Main Stand but parts of this have been shut due to safety aspects and until funding is in place to replace or regenerate the stand this is the one stand that lets the stadium down.

The Gaffer

Malky Mackay is a former Scottish international defender who took over as permanent boss at Vicarage Road this summer following the defection of Brendan Rodgers to Reading after just six months in charge of the club.

Mackay previously had a spell as caretaker boss of the club following the departure of Aidy Boothroyd, he won 2 of the 5 games he had in charge and was a fans favourite to take the role before Rodgers was appointed, he was therefore a natural appointment this time round, he has won four of his first 13 games in charge and the Hornets sit in 12th place.

Mackay began his playing career with Queens Park before joining the other club in Glasgow, Celtic in 1993 but he made just 46 appearances in his five years with the club and was allowed to join Norwich on loan in 1998, after just game the deal was made permanent for a fee in the region of £350k.

He stayed at Carrow Road for six years, making well over 200 appearances for the club and helped them back into the Premier League in 2004, the promotion actually cost Malky his chance at Norwich and he left to join West Ham, he turned out 22 times for the Hammers as they regained top flight status but once again promotion saw Malky miss out and he was released.

He joined Watford in August 2005 and tasted promotion once more, this time though he wasn’t released and he turned out 14 times in the top flight as the Hornets came straight back down, he also moved onto the coaching staff, his final appearance came in January 2008 in a cup tie with Wolves, he made 61 appearances in his time at Watford and overall played 430 times in club football and five internationals.

Key Players

Scott Loach

The England U21 custodian is now in his 3rd season as a professional at Watford, he actually signed forms with the club in 2006 after turning down Lincoln City, the Imps received £50k in compensation.

Nottingham born Loach was actually in the Ipswich Town academy as a youngster before joining Lincoln as a 15 year in 2003, he was then sent out to various local clubs to earn experience with Boston Town, Spalding United and Lincoln United amongst the clubs he helped out.

After moving to Vicarage Road he progressed through the reserve team and was tipped to join Leeds on loan in the summer of 2007 but a transfer embargo at the Elland Road club prevented this and he joined Stafford Rangers for a three month spell where he appeared 11 times, he followed this up with a short spell at

Morecambe where he notched up three games and ended the season with Bradford making a further 20 starts.
In August 2008 he was handed his first start for the Hornets in the League cup with Bristol Rovers and made his league debut a month later replacing Mart Poom as a substitute in the draw with Reading, when he conceded the phantom goal given by Stuart Atwell, he was an almost ever present after that notching up 36 appearances in all competitions. This season he has been an ever present for Watford in their League programme.

Loach received his first call up to the England U21’s in February 2009 and was in the squad that travelled to Sweden for the European U21 championships, he put in a match winning performance in the final to seal a 4-0 win, unfortunately it was for the Germans as Loach was highly culpable for at least two of the goals. He recently played for the under 21’s in their 6-3 win over Macedonia, again his performance was suspect.

Squad Number 1

Danny Graham

Striker Danny joined the club in the summer after leaving Carlisle under freedom of contract, a tribunal subsequently ruled that the Hornets had to pay the Cumbrian club £200k for the services of the forward.

A native North-Easterner he began his career with Chester-Le-Street but was quickly snapped up by Premiership club Middlesbrough as an 18 year old and rattled in goals for fun for the Boro youth teams.
In March 2004 he was loaned out to Darlington for the rest of the season, he netted twice for the Quakers in nine appearances.

The following season he finally made his Boro debut as a substitute in a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford, he went on to make a further nine appearances from the bench which saw him net his one and only goal for the club in a draw with Charlton before making his first start in a UEFA Cup defeat to Sporting Lisbon, he appeared 17 times in total that campaign for Boro.

He made one appearance for Boro as a sub against Arsenal the following season before being allowed to join Derby County on loan, he played 14 times for the Rams without netting, he followed this up with a 3 games spell at Leeds where he also failed to score, he ended the season making his first and only Premier League start for Boro in a 1-0 defeat at Fulham.

Danny began the 2006/07 on loan at Blackpool where he scored once for the club in four games before returning to Teeside, his final Boro appearance came ironically against Watford in November 2006. In January 2007 he signed for Carlisle on a 3 month loan spell which was completed either side of a leg injury, he scored seven times in 11 games for the Cumbrians.

In July 2007 he agreed a 2 year contract with Carlisle and over the last two seasons netted 33 times in 102 appearances in all competitions, he helped the club to the play-offs in 2008 with a 17 goal haul and scored 16 goals last season but did not net after January 24th for the club.

He has already netted on six occasions for the Hornets this season and looks a real danger, and a snip at the price paid.

Squad Number 10

Tom Cleverley

Tom is currently on loan at the club from Manchester United where he graduated through the academy, although he was born in Hampshire he was raised in Bradford and came through the youth development scheme there until he was taken on by United at the age of 15.

Cleverley is predominately a midfielder but can be equally at home in defence however the majority of his performances to date have been in the middle of the park.

He has yet to make a competitive first team start for United and was loaned out to Leicester City in January of this year to earn more experience, he helped the Foxes to the League One title with 2 goals in his fifteen outings but a shoulder injury curtailed his season, he was still presented with a medal in recognition of his contribution.

In August this year he was signed on a long term loan by Watford along with United team mate Craig Cathcart and in his eleven games in the league he has netted five times, including the winner at Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Tom has been capped at both U20 and U21 level by England so far and is tipped for further honours.

Squad Number 20

Team News

Team (possible): Loach; Mariappa, Doyley, Cathcart, Harley; Hodson, Cowie, Lansbury, Jenkins, Eustace; Graham.

(subs from) Bond, Bennett, Severin, Cleverley, Bryan, Hoskins, Henderson, Ellington, Helguson.

Head to Head

A late Francis Jeffers penalty spared Mark Beevers’ blushes last season, the Owls had taken the lead through a Marcus Tudgay header following a mistake by Scott Loach but a comical own goal by the Owls defender dragged the hosts level, his pass back to Lee Grant but the weight on it saw it evade the Owls custodian and into the empty net, Jobi McAnuff’s header after the break put the hosts ahead before Jon Harley’s needless trip on Jermaine Johnson gave Jeffers the chance to level in the 6th minute of stoppage time.

The previous two visits to Vicarage Road have seen the hosts run out 2-1 winners, in October 2007 early goals by Henderson and King put the hosts two up before Graham Kavanagh reduced the arrears and in November 2005 King was again on the scoresheet along with the arm of Clarke Carlisle to put the Hornets 2 up inside half an hour, Glenn Whelan snatched a late consolation.

Wednesday last tasted victory at Vicarage Road in November 2000 when they went to the league leaders and produced a shock 3-1 win, academy products Steve Haslam, Tony Crane and Alan Quinn were the Owls heroes, it came on the back of a nightmare journey for many supporters due to the flooding affecting the country.

The two clubs first met at Watford in a 2nd division match in 1971, the hosts won 3-0, they remained unbeaten at home against Wednesday until 1986 when the Owls won 1-0, the matched this up with another victory the following season with Lee Chapman, Nigel Pearson and Colin securing the Boxing Day points.

Overall at Watford:

Owls: 3

Draw: 4

Hornets: 11

Final thoughts

Lets put Tuesdays result out of our minds now and go to Watford and get something, a point would be nice, three would be great, it won’t be easy but if we repeat the football we played in the first 45 minutes against Preston then we could blow the hosts away unless the ghost of Andy Lonergan and his posts transfer themselves into Scott Loach and the Watford woodwork.

Visit our rivals

http://www.wfcforums.com

Laws urges fans to lay off Jeffers.

When Francis Jeffers was introduced to the field of play as a substitute in Tuesday night's defeat to Preston at Hillsborough, he was welcomed by a chorus of boo's from many of the Wednesdayites. The actions of these 'fans' has been castigated by Brian Laws today.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, Laws said it's something that counter productive and it is counter productive in respect of every player on the park,
'Nobody wants to hear booing for your own player when he is walking on the pitch – it doesn't just affect the player, it affects the whole team.'

Jeffers' reputation with the fans has dropped to an all time low after his sending off in the Carling Cup defeat to Port Vale in September, where the striker was sent from the field after appearing to take a swing at Valiant's midfielder Tommy Fraser before headbutting him.
Add this to Jeffers' less than impressive goalscoring record since he signed for the Owls and according to some it's more than enough reason to let the former England international what they think of him.

Laws says however that his number nine has the right attitude and can put the opinions of some to one side, but it sometimes can go too far.
'He is going to need broad shoulders if the fans are unhappy but I also think enough is enough.
'I am not saying Francis is a great lad in terms of what's happened so leave him alone, but I am saying enough is enough otherwise there is no point putting him on the bench and that would be a crying shame.'

The manager still has faith in the striker who could play an important part should the need for a late goal become apparent tonight at Vicarage Road, despite him being on the transfer list since the Vale Park incident.

'He is our player until things change and he goes somewhere else. It would be easy to isolate someone – but he's a good player and if we do that, we are a man down.

'When you are chasing a game, you want a player who is one of the better finishers at the club to come on and try and get a goal.'

Let's hope Jeffers can banish the demons and silence his doubters tonight in front of the sky cameras, as the Owls look to get back to winning ways which would see them leapfrog our neighbours and move into the top half of the table.

Tudgay says sorry...

After the debacle that was a supposed performance from the Owls on Friday night at Vicarage Road, Wednesday's goalscorer on the night, Marcus Tudgay, has issued an apology to the fans.

Tudgay's sixth goal of the season brought about a glimmer of hope for better things when he brought the side back to one goal down just before half time at the weekend. But the subsequent capitulation from the side was there for all to see in front of the sky viewing public as well as the hardy souls that made the journey to the game, with some of them not even seeing the majority of the first half.

'To the fans, we apologise. We showed them nothing. They spent money to go to the game and were robbed in a way.' Tudgay told the Star.

'It's crazy, we've played well before but then we put in a poor performance like that. It's certainly not a lack of togetherness; we're as a strong as ever in that respect. We just didn't turn up; we let ourselves down.

'We've let Sheffield Wednesday down and the fans; they come to cheer us on. What we now need to do is to give them a better day at Bristol City on Saturday.'

A visit to Ashton game was the penultimate game of last season where the Owls gained a late point thanks to an excellent free kick from Darren Potter in front of the travelling Wednesdayites. They will be hoping for a better display from Potter and his team-mates on Haloween and Brian Laws will be hoping not to fear the chop as pressure mounts on the Wednesday gaffer after 3 games in a week that started so promisingly against Coventry at Hillsborough and ended with howls of derision on Friday.

Veteran may miss out on Saturday.

Arguably Wednesday's player of the season so far, Michael Gray, looks set to lose his race for fitness ahead of the Haloween trip to Bristol City this weekend.

Gray picked up a hamstring injury in Friday night's defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road, leaving the field as a second half substitute, but there is some relief that the injury isn't as bad as first feared according to Brian Laws.

'We've had Michael scanned - there's no tear, which is good news; it's just a strain.' Laws told the Star.

'It might be a 10-day one. It would be a big loss to us, but it's not as bad as we thought it might be, and we know that Michael is someone who recovers quickly.'

Other doubts ahead of Saturday's trip to inform Bristol City are Leon Clarke, Darren Potter, James O Connor and Richard Wood. But all are expected to be fit to make the trip as well as playing some part in the game against a Robins side that have lost only one game at home this season, against Carlisle in the Carling Cup.

Look out for a comprehensive preview of our opponents in Walkley's preview which will be available in the next couple of days.

Woody leaving Hillsborough

It has been announced on local radio this morning that Richard Wood has been placed on the transfer list today. We at Owlsonline have just had it confirmed that it is true.

Wood is of course out of contract this summer and has been in prolonged talks with the club regarding a new deal, but talks have broken down and he is now available for transfer. Obviously no deal can be done until the transfer window re opens in January but Brian Laws has said that he may be sent out on loan until the time comes that a permanent transfer can happen.

A source has revealed to Owlsonline that Wood doesn't want to leave the club and has never wanted to leave the club. It has been said his wage demands are far out of reach for the club to afford and according to the chairman Lee Strafford a deal from a so far un-named club has raised Wood's demands at Hillsborough. We understand this isn't the case and his demands have stayed the same throughout negotiations and they are not as high as they appear.
No doubt the clubs who were previously interested in the former Owls captain will now be back in with bids for the defender, Coventry City last season and Ipswich Town this seaosn have previously made bids for the player which were both turned down by the club, and with QPR rumoured to be interested in taking him there is a wealth of options available.

There has been no comment from Richard Wood himself to date, but as soon as there is we will do our best to bring you the news fast and first.

BRING IT ON - ROBINS

RIght, so away from all the goings on at Hillsborough this week, we face the Robins from Bristol City this weekend so this week our questions have been put to members of the Bristol City Forum...OTIB.

We have a response from someone who will be heard by all who attend the game at Ashton Gate on Saturday. Tim Shires is Bristol City's Matchday DJ and Stadium Announcer.

1) So this season, what were you're expectations for the Robins?

I think most fans would agree that top 10 is a realistic expectation. After our first season in the Championship where we made the Play Off Final our expectations for last season was nothing other than promotion. But this season I think fans are looking at things in a much more realistic way. If we could sneak into the play offs then we would be a happy bunch!

2) Have those expectations changed now we are well into the season and you are unbeaten in five games?

I dont think so. We are currently in a pretty good position with about a quarter of the season gone and find ourselves in 6th place going into the games this weekend. If we can maintain our current form, which is reasonable, then we have every chance of staying in the top 6. At this stage I still think that top 2 is beyond us, but having said that the Championship this season seems more competitive than it ever has with anyone able to beat anyone - so anything can happen between now and May!

3) Gary Johnson, is he the man to take the club to the next level?

I believe so. Some fans are starting to wonder if he has taken the club as far as he can but I dont think this is the case and he has much more to offer as a manager. Every year as a club since he has been here we have made progress in one way or another and I think he is taking his time to build the club ready to take it to the next level. The majority of successful managers around today have had their success over a period of time after building things up and Gary Johnson is no different.

4) If you could sign one player (realistically) to be the final piece of the jigsaw who would it be?

I dont think there is one particular player who we could sign to make a difference but the position we seem to be lacking the most is wide midfield players - or more simply - a classic winger. At the moment with our formation with play through the middle but sometimes we need to mix the shape up a bit and when we do its quite clear we are lacking out wide.

5) Other than your nearest geographical rival, who else do you REALLY look to beat?

I think Cardiff is our biggest rival in general. Its not just that they are local (ish!) but its the whole England vs Wales rivalry that adds to the game and the atmosphere when we meet at Ashton Gate is always a cracking one! I think Crystal Palace in recent times have become a bit of a rival to us too, not so much on the pitch but we love to put one over Neil Warnock and Simon Jordan. There is something warmly satisfying about that!

6) Nicky Maynard is hitting the headlines for you at the moment, but is there someone that hasn't attracted the attention of the media yet?

For me personally I think that Paul Hartley has been massive for us this season. He has brought some great experience to midfield and quite a few players have said that off the pitch he has been a great mentor, especially for the younger players, pulling them to one side and trying to help them improve their game.

7) What do you know about Sheffield Wednesday?

Not much this season to be honest!! I think much of what you are doing, a bit like us, is slipping under the radar. The coverage on the Football League show is about all I get to see of other clubs. So if you were to ask me what Roy Keane had for breakfast then I could probably answer that and anything to do with Newcastle Utd and Leeds..... The Football League show is a whole other subject and I could probably rant on for hours about it!

8) Any memories of games against us?

Off the top of my head I cant remember too much about playing you! I remember a couple of seasons back we played you live on Sky and beat you 1-0 at Hillsbrough but thats about as far as my memory will allow this morning!

9) Any team news?

The only team news I can say is expect the unexpected! Gary Johnson is getting a bit unpredictable at the moment surprising both media and fans alike.

10) Score prediction please.

I think you will give us a good game and it will be close. Id be happy with a 2-1 win to us!

Massive thanks to Tim and everyone from OTIB that replied and answered our questions, a selection of more replies from over there will be posted on our messageboard.

So a quick reminder to go and visit the Robins ahead of Saturday click HERE to go to OTIB.CO.UK.

Bristol City v Owls - Preview

Off the field trouble has dogged the Owls ahead of the clash with the Robins, former club captain Richard Wood’s was transfer listed as contract negotiations between him and the club were terminated without agreement, it just about summed up the week from hell for the Owls who were trounced on their last trip away from S6.

Owls News

Wednesday boss Brian Laws is likely to be without the influential Michael Gray for the trip to Ashton Gate, the veteran midfielder pulled his hamstring in the 4-1 defeat at Watford last Friday, the injury was just another bad point of the night for the Owls and their beleaguered fans.

Brian Laws looks set to ring the changes following the Watford debacle and as many as six players could warrant a place in the team , Richard Hinds, Frankie Simek, Tommy Miller, Sean McAllister, Ettiene Esajas and Francis Jeffers all came through the reserves midweek win unscathed and could feature down at Ashton Gate.
Richard Wood’s transfer listing on Thursday implies that the Owls longest serving player could have already played his last game for the Owls despite the defensive woes that have dogged the Owls on the road this season.

The Owls will be hoping to stop the away day rot and give the fans that make the long trip to Bristol something to cheer about.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Hinds, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Tudgay, Potter, O’Connor, Johnson; Varney, Clarke.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Modest, Buxton, McAllister, Simek, Miller, Esajas, Sodje, Jeffers, N Wood.

Bristol City News

The Robins come into the game on the back of a five game unbeaten run and sit just inside the play-offs, a win Saturday come move the club onto level points with leaders Newcastle who play on Monday night.

Bristol City

Bristol City were first formed in 1897 when Bristol South End (formed in 1894) turned professional, they took the name Bristol City as a new sign of their professional status, three years later they merged with local rivals Bedminster FC but kept the name and began to use Bedminsters Ashton Gate ground to play matches. In 1901 they were elected to the Football League, within five years they had earned top flight status by winning the second division, they finished runners up to Newcastle in their first season in the 1st Division, until 1920 City were the only non-London club in the league based South of Birmingham.

City enjoyed five seasons in the top flight finishing 2nd, 10th, 8th, 16th and finally 19th in 1911 as they were relegated, they also reached the FA Cup final in 1909 where they lost out to Manchester United, that was to be their only final appearance in the greatest club competition in the world, City also would drop out of the top flight for well over half a century.

Following their relegation in 1911 the club struggled to regain it’s place at the top table and in 1922 they were relegated to the Third Division South, they bounced back in style winning the 3rd Division title twelve months later. A quick relegation followed and third division football was on offer for three seasons until they won the division in 1927, another five year stay in the second division was ended in 1932 as City won just 6 games from 42 to record a 23 point haul.

City’s fortunes finally turned around in the mid 50’s following the decision of Harry Dolman to take over as Chairman at the back end of the previous decade, they walked away with the Division Three South title, racking up 70 points from a possible 90, this led to a five year stay in the Second Division until a disastrous 1959/60 season.

In 1965 they returned back to the Second tier winning promotion over Mansfield on goal average, City remained in the 2nd division until 1976 when they finished 2nd to Sunderland to earn 1st division football for the first time since 1911, they spent 4 years back in the top division with a highest finish of 13th.

Relegation in 1980 hit the club hard and with mounting debts the playing side of the club began to struggle, they went straight through the divisions culminating in the club entering the 4th tier for the first time in 1982, the Robins were also declared bankrupt.

City survived thanks to the generosity of the players who agreed to reduced contracts to leave the club, this no doubt helped the rebuilding process, after two years in the doldrums City were promoted to the third tier where they would stay until 1990 when Joe Jordan helped them to second place in the Third Division and promotion, the only blot being that City’s hated rivals Bristol Rovers were the only club above them.

The first half of the 90’s were spent in the 2nd tier whilst the second was spent mainly in the third division with just a season back in 2nd division in the 1998/99 season, throughout the 00’s City seemed to be the bridesmaid and never the bride with play-off defeats featuring highly on their cv but this all changed in 2007 when Gary Johnson led the Robins to 2nd spot and they returned to the second tier.

In their first season back in the Championship the Robins reached the play-off final only to lose to Hull City, last season they finished 10th.

The Ground

Ashton Gate has been home to Bristol City since their merger with Bedminster in 1900, the club used to use St John’s Lane prior to the merger and was used by the “new” club until 1904, alternating with Ashton Gate.

The away end is currently located in the Wedlock Stand, this stand began life as a covered terrace way back in 1928 but was converted to seats in the early 90’s this stand was predominantly the home end until 1994 when it was changed after the building of the Atyeo Stand opposite. The Wedlock holds around 5,500 spectators and in recent times this has been given completely to the away club but since the 2007/08 season City fans have been moved onto the stand and segregation has limited to away following to 2,800 which is more than ample in this division, City’s “ultras” now sit in the Wedlock.

The Atyeo stand was built in 1994 to replace the uncovered terrace than stood there previously, any Wednesdayite that made the game down there on December 8th 1990 will remember the old terrace and how open it was to the snow, the current stand holds 4,249 seats and is named after City legend John Atyeo.

The stand to the left of the away end is the old Williams Stand which was built back in the late 50’s. This stand incorporates old wooden seating, new Premier Seating and the Director's Box. Ashton Gate's Press Box can also be found at the back of this stand. There are a few supporting pillars only affecting the upper part of the stand, which houses home fans only. Official capacity: 5,553.

Opposite the Williams Stand is the Dolman Stand, named after former chairman Harry Dolman, was built in 1970. To some, it appears a dominating sight over the other 3 stands in the stadium. At that time it was built it had a small, flat Family Enclosure in front of it, which was later built up and converted to seating. In the summer of 2007, the original wooden seats in the upper area were replaced by modern plastic seats.

In 2007 the club announced it’s decision to move to nearby Ashton Vale it will be less than 1 mile away from their current home, to a new purpose built 30,000 seater stadium with the capacity to increase this to 42k should England earn the right to host the World Cup, work was due to be complete by the start of the 2011/12 season, however not all planning permission has yet to be granted
(click here for new ground video)

The Gaffer

Gary Johnson has a wide and varied managerial cv which has seen some degrees of success, his managerial career began with Newmarket Town but he was quickly brought into league football by John Beck who made him his assistant at Cambridge United in 1990.

He spent 5 years at the Abbey Stadium, succeeding Beck in October 1992 and he held this position for nearly 3 years, they were relegated back to third tier during his first campaign and he helped them to 10th the following year, he was dismissed on April 1st 1995 with the U’s just above the drop zone to the fourth division.
Gary moved on to Kettering shortly after but wasn’t there too long, he was dismissed in the 1996/97 season, he quickly found work as youth team coach at Watford.

In 1999 he was approached by the Latvian FA to take over their national team and he spent two years over in the former Russian state, he took charge for 14 games, winning 4 and losing two, he resigned after a 1-1 draw with San Marino.

He took over at Yeovil upon his return to English football, his first season was a success with an FA Trophy win and a 3rd placed finish in the Conference, the following year it got even better as the Glovers won the Conference title ahead of Doncaster Rovers to taste league football for the first time.

He guided the Glovers to the League Two title in only their second season in the League, in the summer of 2005 he rebuffed attempts by Derby County to take their vacant managers job but in September of the same year he accepted the approach of Bristol City to takeover at Ashton Gate, despite a poor start he guided the Robins to 9th in his first season before promotion to the Championship in his second, they finished runners up to Scunthorpe.

His first season in the Championship was an success with just a Dean Windass volley denying them Premiership football, the veteran Hull striker decided the play-off final with a wonder goal, they finished 10th last term.

Key Players

Louis Carey

Mr Bristol City that has surely got to be the name for the Bristol born and life long City supporter Louis, he is currently up to third in the all time City appearances with only Trevor Tainton and the legendary John Atyeo ahead of him, the latter’s record of 645 appearances looks a little far off for 32 year old Carey to break but Tainton sits just 29 appearances ahead of him on 581.

Louis made his debut way back in October 1995 when City were back in the 3rd tier of English football and went onto make a further 24 appearances in his debut season as City struggled to mid-table mediocrity, he followed this up by turning out 91 times for the club over the next two seasons, helping them into the play-offs in his first full season and promotion back to the 2nd tier in his second full season.

He was an almost ever-present in City’s 1st division campaign in the 1998/99 season racking up 45 games in all competitions but couldn’t keep them up as they finished comfortably bottom of the division. Following their relegation Louis suffered an injury hit campaign as he played just 24 times as City limped to 9th in the table, 18 points off the play-off zone.

He was an ever present for the club in the 2000/01 season and netted his first ever goal in 2-2 draw with Swansea as City ended up in 9th place once more, he followed that up with another 65 appearances over the next two seasons as injuries took their toll, City finished 7th in the first of those seasons and lost out to Cardiff in the play-off semi finals in the second.

The 2003/04 season looked to be Louis’s last in a City shirt after helping the club into the play off final, where they lost to Brighton, he rejected a new contract and after a staggering 371 appearances in 9 years he left to move to Championship club Coventry.

He spent just over seven months at Highfield Road playing 27 times in all competitions before his contract was cancelled by the club, he was immediately re-signed by then City boss Brian Tinnion playing in the final 14 games of the season for the Robins.

He was appointed captain not long after his return and he helped City back into the 2nd tier in 2007 and was on the pitch the day the club were just 1 win away from the Premier League, injuries have slowed his appearance figures down during his second spell, as well as age but since rejoining the club in 2005 he has appeared 180 times in just over 4 and a half seasons.

Squad Number 6

Evander Sno

Dutch midfielder Evander is currently on loan at Ashton Gate from Dutch giants Ajax, he signed on deadline in August with the view to a permanent deal.

Evander came through the ranks at Ajax but left at the age of 18 to join Feyenoord however he failed to make a single appearance for Feyenoord and was loaned out to NAC Breda, his commanding performances for Breda alerted Celtic to his talents and in the summer of 2006 he moved to Parkhead.

Over the next seasons he appeared nearly 50 times for the Glasgow giants, mainly from the bench but he racked up appearances in the Nou Camp and the San Siro in the Champions League and won two league winners medals whilst at the club.

He returned to first club Ajax in August 2008 and despite a red card on his debut against Willem II, which was later rescinded, he went on to make 19 league appearances for the club netting four times but at the end of the season he was demoted to the reserve side, Jong Ajax (Young Ajax).

So far this season he has turned out 9 times for Robins, netting his first goal in the 3-2 win at Barnsley last weekend.

Squad Number 29

Nicky Maynard

Striker Nicky cost the club £2.25m when he signed from boyhood club Crewe in the summer of 2008, the livewire striker had spent all his formative years under the tutelage of Dario Gradi and has all the attributes to make it to the top.

He was born in Winsford in 1986 and joined nearby Crewe at the age of seven representing them at every age level, he turned professional in 2005 after netting 27 times for the u18’s. In his first season as a professional he was loaned out to Witton Albion where he flourished, he returned to the Alex and made his debut at the end of the 2005/06 season, scoring with his first touch in 4-2 win over Millwall.

Following Crewe’s relegation in 2006 he quickly settled into life in League One and netted 19 times in 36 games in all competitions and proved the perfect foil to current Owls loanee Luke Varney who found the net 25 times that campaign.

Varney departed to Charlton in the summer of 2007 leaving Nicky as the main striker at Gresty Road but his joy was short lived as he broke his fibula on the opening day of the season and was ruled out for 4 months, upon his return from injury he quickly found his shooting boots netting on his league return in a 3-2 defeat to Gillingham, he went on to net a further 14 times in 26 appearances to help the Alex avoid the drop.

He netted 11 times in 45 appearances last season with many of his early games coming from the bench, he has rattled in 9 goals in 14 games this season already.

Squad Number 10

Team News

Team (possible): Gerken; Orr, Carey, McCombe, Nyatanga, McAllister; Elliott, Sno, Johnson; Haynes, Maynard.

(subs from) Basso, Sproule, Hartley, Clarkson, Skuse, Williams, Saborio

Head to Head

A Darren Potter free kick in the 88th minute earned the Owls a point in the final away game of last campaign back in April, his curling effort cancelled out a 25th minute goal by Lee Johnson.

The previous season the Robins secured their first home win over Wednesday since 1981 as goals from Dele Adebola and Bradley firing the hosts into a two goal lead before Lee Bullen’s stunning volley in the 90th minute reduced the arrears.

Wednesday’s last win at Ashton Gate came in November 2004 in a League One clash, Adam Proudlock put Wednesday 1-0 up at the break and Danny Coles was sent off 5 minutes into the second half for an elbow to reduce the hosts to 10 men but an inspired substitution by player/boss Brian Tinnion (he brought himself on) helped the Robins level through Scott Murray but the joy was to be short lived as Chris Brunt fired Wednesday back in front just past the hour and Adam Proudlocks clever second less than 2 minutes later all but sealed the result all that was left was for Paddy Collins to tap home a fourth in the 84th minute to secure all three points.

Wednesday last beat the Robins at this level at Ashton Gate way back in 1972 as a Brian Joicey brace netted the Owls a 2-1 win.

The clubs first met at Ashton Gate way back in 1907 as Bristol City beat The Wednesday 2-0 but a year later the Owls got their revenge with goals from Andrew Wilson and Harry Chapman (brother of the great Herbert Chapman) helping Wednesday to a 2-0 win.

Overall at Bristol City:

Owls: 8

Draw: 6

Robins: 9

Final thoughts

Wow a horrible week for the Owls on and off the pitch and we need to get back to winning ways although I’d take a point right now, our away form is downright atrocious, we’ve won just four on the road in 2009 and we face a side that haven’t been beaten at home since last December, it has all the hallmarks of a home win, but this is Wednesday and owt can happen/

Visit our rivals

http://www.otib.co.uk

JJ extends his stay.

Jermaine Johnson has signed a new deal which will see him stay with Wednesday until the end of next season. The Jamaican wideman has arguably been in his most consistant form this season which has seen him hit the net on four occasions this season.

Johnson was signed from Bradford back in January of 2007 and since then he has appeared almost 100 times in an Owls shirt netting ten goals in total.
Brian Laws spoke to the club's official website earlier about the new deal for 'JJ' and he was naturally over the moon, he said:
'I am delighted that Jermaine Johnson has committed to a new contract at Sheffield Wednesday. JJ is one the most exciting players in the Championship on his day. Defenders in this league find him very difficult to deal with and we are always looking to utilise his energy and trickery.'

Wednesday's number 23 is also pleased to have sorted out the deal which sees him commit his future until the end of the 2010/11 season at least, he said:
'I have really enjoyed my time at Sheffield Wednesday so far. It is a great club and the supporters have really welcomed me so I am very pleased to extend my contract here.

'I hope that I can keep adding goals to my game and improving as a player for this club and I will be working hard to help achieve success for Sheffield Wednesday.'

Let's hope his goals create some success for the Owls this weekend as they make the long trip to Ashton Gate to face Bristol City.

Quarantine as the Owls are grounded.

According to reports Wednesday's Middlewood training ground has been subject to a club inposed quarantine after the flu bug outbreak which has recently ravaged through the squad.

Darren Purse, Mark Beevers, Etienne Esajas and Sean Macallister all missed the weekend draw against Bristol City due to suffering with the illness, while it's been revealed that Tommy Miller had to be withdrawn from the game after 65 minutes as he was too suffering the effects.

Add recent suffers, Darren Potter and James O Connor to the list and you have seven of the Owls first team squad that have been out of action with the bug, while Richard Wood was also thought to be feeling a little ill as well last weekend before the Watford game.

'Due to the situation late last week with several players showing symptoms of a viral infection ahead of the Bristol City match, the first team are not training together on Monday, ' said a club spokesman.

'This measure has been taken to prevent the possible further spread of infection and players are therefore working on their own fitness programmes ahead of returning to training on Tuesday.'

With no midweek game for the Owls this week, it is hoped that all the players suffering sickness will be back on their feet and fit for selection when in form, Queens Park Rangers visit Hillsborough this weekend.

Retro Game - Bristol City

In what was one of the more entertaining matches Wednesday had during this awful season, I look back at the 1-1 draw between both sides on the 25th October 2003.

Wednesdays season was slowly starting to fall apart and a trip to our ex managers place was not one I looked forward to. Bristol City as per usual were one of the fancied teams in this division to do well.

Wednesdays line up was David Lucas, Dean Smith, Graeme Lee, Leigh Bromby, Derek Geary, Robbie Mustoe, Paul McLaren, Richard Wood, Michael Reddy, Adam Proudlock, Lloyd Owusu.
The Robins line up was Phillips, Carey, Hill, Coles, Butler, Wilkshire, Doherty, Tinnion, Woodman, Peacock, Roberts

Moments after the kick off, the first booking was given to Richard Wood playing at left back. City then put the owls on a lot of pressure for the first 20 minutes and the dangerous Craig Woodman was giving Wednesday all sorts of problems. A lovely ball in from Matt Hill should have resulted in Peacock giving Bristol City the lead but instead he miskicked from 6 yards. Although later on, he was unlucky to see his strike rebound off the post with Lucas well beaten

Slowly the owls started getting into it and had chances themselves. McLaren nearly slotted the ball home but was denied by Phillips and Richard Wood forced Phillips into a good save before the rebound fell to Owusu who struck the rebound only to be denied by Matt Hill on the line. It was great defending but then later on, the owls scored one of the goals of the season. Some lovely slick one touch passing between Wood, Reddy and McLaren eventually found Proudlock who fired it past Steve Phillips to give the travelling 2,800 wednesday fans some joy.

Wednesday could have made it 2 had it not been for another good save from Phillips from Owusu's strike and had Proudlock nor Reddy collided into each other. The owls went in at half time 1-0 up and looked comfortable

As expected Bristol City came out all guns blazing and almost equalised on 52 minutes when Lee Peacocks volley flew past the post. However he wasn't to be denied the goal his performance deserved when a beautiful cross from former Middlesbrough player Luke Wilkshire found him who headed home from 3 yards out to give Bristol City the equaliser although there were complaints from Wednesday that Dean useless Smith was fouled by Lita during the build up

Both sides then pressed for the winner with Danny Coles thinking he won it for them but his header only found the side netting. Brian Tinnions free kick forced David Lucas into making a save and Wednesday almost won but Owusu fired straight at Phillips and Reddy fired wide from 20 yards.

A draw was a fair result in the end and that game was probably the last decent performance Lloyd Owusu put in wearing an owls shirt

The Robins are almost left red faced.

Compare this to the last away game and it was like light and shade, needing a big performance from his side Brian Laws rallied his troops to show what they are really madeof against a Bristol City side who have been in great form of late.
Luke Varney netted the Wednesday goal with around 15 minutes to go after the Robins top goalscorer Nicky Maynard had opened the scoring.

Brian Laws had a major selection headache before the game after Darren Purse and Mark Beevers both were struck down with the flu bug which is running through the squad at the moment, so in stepped Richard Hinds and Frankie Simek, who was to make his first league start of the season. Lewis Buxton moved inside to partner Hinds as Simek reverted to his famikliar right back role.
In the engine room Tommy Miller was recalled to the side alongside James O Connor and Darren Potter as the formation was a different one, with Jermaine Johnson as part of a three pronged attack with Marcus Tudgay and Luke Varney.
Another pleasing feature was the inclusion of three youngsters on the bench, Nick Wood, Max Wragg and Nathan Modest.

The game started quite brightly with Miller firing at Dean Gerken as the visitors tried to impose themselves on the hosts. But Marvin Elliott was then to test Lee Grant with a header but the Owls keeper was equal to it, shortly after as the Robins started to get into their stride, Nicky Maynard fired goalwards but it wasn't to trouble Grant who gathered.

Wednesday's attacking force then took their turn to show their hand, Johnson fired just wide before both his strike partners, Tudgay and Varney combined only to see the latter fire a weak effort straight at Gerken in the home goal. Shortly after Tudgay almost squirmed a chance through the home defence but he was crowded out before he was able to get a shot away.

HALF TIME

Robins 0 WEDNESDAY 0

As the second half began it was clear that Gary Johnson had changed his plans and matched Wednesday's formation by going 4-3-3 with former Celtic player Paul Hartley coming into midfield along with the manager's son, Lee Johnson as the hosts struggled to break down a stout Owls defence.

The move worked, with Hartley seeing his corner being cleared off the goal line by MIller before Maynard got his chance to open the scoring in the 59th minute.
After being denied by Grant in the first half MAYNARD wasn't to be denied a second time, the ball was played through midfield to the Robin's top goal scorer and he fended off two challenges before clipping the ball past an advancing Grant to put the hosts ahead.

City then attempted to turn the screw and build on their lead with former Ajax midfielder Evander Sno who made a bursting run forward before rasping a drive just over the crossbar. Brian Laws changed his attacking options with the introduction of Leon Clarke coming on for Miller and it almost reaped immediate reward, Darren Potter's free kick wasn't cleared and it fell to Clarke who thought he had got Wednesday back on terms only to see Gerken pull off a cracking save, low to his right.

Richard Hinds then appeared to be clattered from behind in the penalty area but despite Wednesday's claims, the referee waved away the protests. But the respite for the home side was to be short as the equaliser came form the next meaningful Wednesday attack.

O Connor strode into the Robins half and fed Tudgay who in turn found Varney haring towards Gerken's goal, VARNEY then smashed the ball low into the goal, giving Gerken no chance from just outside the area.

It was no more than Wednesday deserved and shortly after Varney was so close to making it a brace, but again it was the outstanding Gerken who denied the on loan Derby striker.

In a ding dong last ten minutes, Sno then was to be denied by Grant before Gerken pulled off a point saving stop to deny Clarke who thought his chip had eluded the grasp of the 'keeper only to see his fingertips deny the Owls taking all three points back to Hillsborough.

Final Score

Robins 1 WEDNESDAY 1

Bristol C: Gerken ,McCombe ,Nyatanga ,McAllister ,Carey (Saborio ,46 ) ,Elliott ,Skuse ,Johnson (Hartley ,46 ) ,Sno ,Maynard ,Haynes (Sproule ,80)
Subs not used: Clarkson,Williams,Basso,Ribiero,

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Hinds ,Buxton ,Simek ,Spurr ,Johnson ,Potter ,Miller (Clarke ,65 ) ,O'Connor ,Tudgay ,Varney
Subs not used Jeffers,Boden,O'Donnell,Modest,Wragg,Wood .

Simek looking to stay in the side.

After making his long awaited return to the starting eleven on Saturday, Frankie Simek is keen to keep his place for the visit of his former loan club, QPR this weekend.

Simek made five appearances for the Hoops whilst on loan at Loftus Road back when he was a youngster at Arsenal back in 2004 and he is keen to face his former club and preserve his starting place.

The American defender has seen many of the fans clammering for him to be recalled to the team after a not so confident start to the season by the Owls backline, but when he did return on Saturday he didn't do so at the expense of the regular right back Lewis Buxton. Buxton was moved inside to partner Richard Hinds in a new look defensive partenrship which worked very well, so it may be a surprise to see things change this weekend.

SImek was pleased with his performance but there were a couple of things which he feels he could've done better, he said:
'I thought I did all right. I thought I could have done better in a few situations, but overall I was happy.,
'I'd played in a couple of cup games but the league games are different; I'm just pleased to have got back in and to have helped the team get a good result.
'Obviously it's going to a take a few games to get top-level match fitness, but I wasn't out of legs; I was happy.' Simek told the Star.

The right back says he will do all he can to keep his starting spot,
'I've just got to keep my head down and work hard in training and see what happens; if the gaffer picks me I'll be pleased with that.,' he said.

'You can't take anything for granted in football; I certainly won't be doing that.

'I hope the gaffer picks me. I want to be in the team and helping us to get some points and get up the league. We're lower than we want to be, but a couple of wins and you're flying again.'

With Darren Purse and Mark Beevers thought to be available for selection this weekend, it seems the manager has a tough decision to make ahead of kick off this weekend.

Laws celebrates 3 years at S6

Brian Laws celebrates three years at the helm this weekend, he officially took over at S6 on November 6th 2006 and has notched up over 150 games as Wednesday boss, some excellent, some good, some bad, some indifferent and some down right shocking, reading some forums this week and we’ve seen the Laws should go thread is that the best way forward?

For once this club has had some stability in the managerial hot seat, only Trevor Francis has been charge of the club longer inside the past twenty years, it could have been so different just 10 months into the job though as Laws saw his Wednesday side beaten in their first six league games of the 2007/08 after leading the side to 9th the previous May, he held onto his job and staved off relegation to bounce back with a midtable finish last year and complete the derby double.

Lets make no bones about it Laws hasn’t had an easy ride in charge of Wednesday, he’s seen his better players sold from under him, Brunt and Whelan to name but two, players who make a difference to any side in this league and some in the one above, we’ve had legal action against fans, bitter in fighting etc etbloodycetera but he’s remained calm and sensible despite all this and maybe just maybe with the right backing he is the man to take this club forward.

This article isn’t mainly about Mr Laws though, I want to talk about the managerial merry go-round in general.

Look across the city at United, in the time we’ve had Laws they’ve had Warnock, Robson and Blackwell (who’s tenure is becoming increasing fragile), look around other local clubs, Barnsley, they’ve had Ritchie, Davey and now Mark Robins, so maybe stability is the key.

A quick glance at the PL and you see that Paul Hart’s job is on tenterhooks, Phil Brown is a dead man walking and Gary Megson cannot be far off the chop if Bolton’s results fail to improve not to mention Gianfranco Zola and West Ham.

Into our division, Nigel Cloughs tenure at Derby is becoming increasingly weak, if results don’t improve he’ll be out of a job, just 10-11 months into it, Roy Keanes Ipswich’s win at weekend over Derby probably secure his position for at least a couple of weeks, maybe Brian Laws will cost his old team-mate his job if we repeat his first ever Owls win, 2-0 at Portman Road. Darren Ferguson is apparently under pressure after back to back promotions, Paul Sturrock is another man feeling the heat, he’s removed his trusted pal Kevin Summerfield and brought in Paul Mariner.

Brendan Rogers at Reading has felt the fan base turn against him and only last weeks win at Coventry saved him if you believe reports in the press, Jim Magilton at QPR is only two results away from the sack with their trigger happy board.

Further down the leagues Ex-Pig Russell Slade was dismissed after just 8 months at Brighton, Martin Allen is on gardening leave at Cheltenham after accusations of racism by a night club bouncer (something Allen and many of his playing staff deny) .

Football is a results business, we all know that but sometimes I think chairmen should look at the bigger picture, sometimes the playing staff don’t play for the manager for whatever reason, surely that should be looked at first.

I never thought I'd still be here...

Wednesday manager Brian Laws has revealed that he never expected to be still here three years down the line after a spell of problems including broken promises and players being sold amongst other things.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, Laws said:

'I knew the difficulties involved when I took on this job and I knew that 10 other managers could not all have been wrong,'

He says that through the adversity it has had it's benefits,

'I was promised all sorts of things when I first took over but they never transpired and I also lost players that we should not have lost.

'I had to learn a new managerial skill and that was the art of pushing water up a hill with my bare hands!'

Laws was scathing of the former regime at Hillsborough but he says things have changed since Lee Strafford and Nick Parker have come into the club and things are running more like they should now although the tranfer kitty isn't as plentyful as he would like.

'There have been some plusses in our signings and some negatives that anyone can see,
'They are not all going to come off but when you look at the money that has been made available to me it has been a fraction of anybody else. You end up gambling, especially when a season is about to start, and you have to take bigger risks. Over the last two years, I have hardly spent anything.

'There has been a weakness in our scouting system,' he said. 'When I came in, it was weak and I had to bring in people that I had been using at Scunthorpe. That was cut back further to such a degree that it was embarrassing.

'My budget for scouting was laughable and it minimised our chances of scouring Europe,

'But that was something I strongly suggested to Lee (Strafford) that we had to change.
'It has improved massively but we have not had any finances to test it yet.'

With the January transfer window becoming ever closer and the hit and miss nature of the Owls form at the moment, arguably the need for that transfer pot to be topped up has never been greater.

Varney to stay with the Owls?

Wednesday's on loan striker Luke Varney could yet stay with the club for the rest of the season at least according to Brian Laws.

The latest news involving Wednesday and transfer activity has been the transfer listing of Richard Wood but little has been said about the expiration of Varney's deal after Christmas. But Laws has spoken out about the prospects of the Derby striker staying with the Owls longer than was first anticipated, but a full transfer seems out of the question, Laws said:

'Luke has said he'd love to stay here and we'd like him to,
'He still has a further two years on top of this one on contract at Derby, who want a large portion of their money back.

'We're not in that bracket, so the only possibility is to extend the loan.'

Varney has been a success so far in his second loan spell with the Owls hitting the net five times in total for the Owls, three times this season in eleven appearances, added to his two in three starts in his spell with the club in the latter part of last season.

Not quite Bring it on QPR...

Here's something a little different this week for Bring it On, we have a piece put together by Barry Hanlon of QPR forum, QPRReport.

Well View From was one of our sponsors in the not much money days so seems appropriate as so many of our fans still long for those far off bucket rattling days. Enough of that though. I remember one of your fans writing a tale of last season's Owls visit to Loftus Road, sadly and I apologise, I cannot recall his moniker but it was all the way from the set off on the train, alcohol, getting to the Bush, alcohol, in the ground, alcohol, after the game, alcohol and some stirring comments of the game seen through pickled eyes. It was hilarious and something I could relate to so well. Obviously, these days there are no buckets and the ground has been improved as you will see later in the season but I digress.

I've always had a preference for the blue and white Sheffield half having worked up there many years ago, Wednesday always seemed to be the football team whereas United always represented the steel. More recently of course, they have continued to employ Chris Morgan who is possibly my most hated man in football! I am however, old enough to remember Doc Martins sprayed gold or silver but that's another story of pain. Hallam was a particularly nice place I spent a deal of time in.

Enough of that though, some words about the Rs, it's amazing what a couple of months can do. Not that long ago, most fans bemoaned the choice of management and his assistant. Most were of the belief that all the hiring and firing had left us in a Russian roulette scenario and Magilton was the last bullet. Pre and early season did little to dispel these feelings. Some astute loans and a decent approach to how the game should be played and VOILA we suddenly had a football team!

We, somewhat fortunately, battered Barnsley 5-2 then could not stop scoring, four in three consecutive games saw us one of the form teams in the league and playing an open expansive type of football that blue and white hoop fans hadn't seen the like of in more the fifteen years. Being typical Rangers though, our latest two home games brought us back to earth with what is by now a very familiar and painful bump.

I have to say, I have not attended all the games this season nor have I dissected every single game we have played. I have seen most of our recent games though simply because the draw of seeing a hooped team passing, moving, running, using space, pace and skill was too much to pass up on through sheer cynicism and laziness.

Lesta and Alice came to Loftus Road with a way to stop us and in the main they did but you cannot always be great, we all know that. For me, our team looks more suited to away games. I look forward to the Wednesday game because they also try to play and being at home our style should help to exploit open areas on the counter.

An assessment of out team would go like this. We have a quality keeper, prone to the odd ricket on crosses but with reliable distribution (usually) who likes to play out and often starts good moves with his vision. In front of him though, this season, for some reason, we look dodgy. The fullbacks can be easily isolated and exposed thus making life difficult for any central pairing. Last season I think we had the second most miserly defence in the league. I wonder what happened to them.

In the middle it's perm any one from three, Faurlin is a quality young Argentinean who is gradually settling in, excellent first touch, good vision and a sweet left foot. This foot can sometimes be wayward but he does not hide. Watson is on loan from Wigan and should be relatively well known, we are yet to see the best of him as he decided it would be good to get sent off in two appearances. Then there is Mahon who again is well know. As far as I know, he is still an emergency loan from almost two years ago but I could be wrong. He has anchored our midfield in our best home and our best away wins. This is a problem for me as I never rated him!

In front of them we have players that would grace any Championship side and should now need no introduction. Buzsaky, the wearer of the famed ten shirt who has the ability to give him the right to wear it. Routledge is well known and didn't quite cut it in the Prem but is looking awesome, pace and skill to burn and starting to link up well with Taarabt,, on loan from Spurs, has tremendous skill but has an irritating tendency to be greedy. In our best recent wins he looked to be combining greed with vision but is always close to going back to the annoying bloke that old 'arry won't let near the team at White Fart Lane. Just a couple of miles from there we have O'Jay Simpson, on loan from the Arse, for his age a very strong lad with a lot of ability. Well he would as a Wenger Boy wouldn't he!

Off the bench at some point, probably with about 15 minutes to go will some Ephraim, Vine and Agyemang. Just when you thought you could relax a little.

Should be a cracking game but sadly, a family commitment keeps me away. I love Hillsborough and not just because we were promoted there but because it's a proper football ground, with a proper atmosphere and not far from pubs restaurants etc. However, personal experience tells me that one wrong bus takes you up into some very unforgiving hills.

Good luck to both sides, I think it should be a cracker.

Sheffield Wednesday 1 Queen's Park Rangers 3.

Sorry.

Barry Hanlon
CPR on QPR Report's site.

It's Madge's Hoops up next

Brian Laws and his squad welcome QPR to Hillsborough tomorrow, where the moneybags of the division and one of the form sides of the championship look to continue their impressive run of late. After a good result at Ashton Gate last weekend Laws has to make a decision regarding the defence with Darren Purse and Mark Beevers fit again for selection.

Owls News...

Club captain Darren Purse, Mark Beevers, Etienne Esajas, Sean McAllister and Akpo Sodje has all recovered from their respective bouts of flu to be fit and available for selection ahead of the visit of QPR, but after a resilient defensive performance last weekend the partnership of Richard Hinds and Lewis Buxton should arguably be first choice.

Tommy Miller also suffered with illness last week, so much so that he was believed to have been 'ill' during the half time break at Ashton Gate, but he is also back to full fitness and should keep his midfield spot alongside James O Connor. Again Laws has a tough decision to make, as it would mean a formation change from 4-3-3 back to a more familiar 4-4-2, but that would mean one of the midfield three from last week would miss out. Michael Gray won't feature after not recovering fully from a hamstring problem.

Owls from : Grant, Spurr, Purse, Buxton, Beevers, Hinds, McAllister, Potter, O Connor, Miller, Esajas, Johnson, Tudgay, Varney, Clarke, Esajas, Sodje.

The Visitors – QPR.

Former Owl, Jim Magilton brings his Rangers side to Hillsborough after a decent run of late which has thrust his side into the playoff spots in 6th place, they are however one of five sides to be on 24 points. But it is only by virtue of goal difference they sit top of that pile.

On the road so far this season they have won three times, lost twice and drawn twice, with notable away victories at Cardiff and an impressive performance in their televised away game at Pride Park a fewweeks back when they slammed in four goals. In fact during October they scored four goals in three consecutive games.

Rangers welcome back Damion Stewart into the squad along with midfielder Gavin Mahon who has recovered from groin trouble, but they will be without Matt Connelly at the back as he is suffering with glandular fever.

Team last time out V Crystal Palace..

QPR: Cerny ,Hall ,Borrowdale ,Gorkss ,Leigertwood ,Routledge ,Watson ,Buzsaky (Ephraim ,80 ) ,Taarabt (Vine ,74 ) ,Faurlin ,Simpson (Agyemang ,74)

Subs not used: Ramage,Ainsworth,Heaton,Alberti,

The Gaffer...

Jim Magilton will need no introduction to most Wednesdayites as he featured in the Owls squad for 18 months back in the Premiership era from 1997.

The Northern Ireland international started his career as an apprentice at Liverpool before making his first team debut with Oxford United who signed him for £100,000 back in October 1990. Magilton made over 150 appearances for the U's before he was snapped up by the Saints.

He signed for the Owls from Southampton for £1.6m after playing almost 150 games for the south coast club, he came with a tag of being a cool under pressure passer of the ball, something that had been missing from the Owls side till then, but it turned outhe was never really to get the chance to shine in his time at Hillsborough. He only featured in 17 games during his stay before he was sold to Ipswich Town for a fee believed to be around £600,000 after impressing firstly on loan at Portman Road. Magilton featured over 250 times for the Tractor Boys before hanging up his boots in the summer of 2007, by this time he was Ipswich player manager.

After almost three years at the helm of Ipswich he was relieved of his duties by the Ipswich board in April 2009, before taking on the hot seat at Loftus Road in May.

Key Players.

Akos Buszaky

The Hungarian midfielder started his career with Portuguese giants Porto back in 2004 before he was spotted by Plymouth Argyle who took him on a free transfer after his contract expired at the Estadia de Dragao. The relatively unknown midfielder became an instant hit at Home Park with his prowess from set pieces and creative ability, but a fall out with the management saw him surplus to requirements and he was made available for loan at the start of the 07/08 season.

He was snapped up by Rangers on loan and in his two months he netted an impressive six goals in eleven starts and was promptly snapped up on a permanent deal. He has since hit the net a further eleven times including six so far this season where he seems to have finally started to repay the faith shown in him by Magilton.

Squad Number 10

Radek Cerny

The Czech goalkeeper was one of the first players signed by the club soon after their well documented takeover by former F1 supremo Flavio Briatore. Cerny suffered from being understudy to Paul Robinson at Tottenham where he only got the opportunity to prove his worth in 15 games during a three year stint at White Hart Lane after initially joining Spurs on a loan deal from Slavia Prague.
Cerny moved to Loftus Road on a free transfer across London after his contract expired at Spurs and he has played 63 times since his move across the capital city.

Squad Number 24

Ben Watson

The ginger midfielder is on loan from Premiership Wigan Athletic where he struggled after his somewhat controversial £2 million move from Crystal Palace, he was mooted to be moving to the Riverside Stadium, Middlesborough but an eleventh hour deal was struck which saw the playmaker move to the DW Stadium instead.

Signed by Steve Bruce in the January 2009 transfer window he featured for the Latics in 11 games scoring twice, but since his former boss moved on to pastures new at Sunderland, he hasn't featured in the plans of current boss Roberto Martinez other than a solitary appearance in the Carling Cup defeat to Blackpool. So it was a loan move to QPR that has somewhat changed his fortunes and he has become a key member of the Ranger's squad. Scoring two goals in his seven appreances so far in the blue and white hoops.

Squad Number 15

Last time out at S6 against Rangers...

It took a solitary Leon Clarke goal to separate the sides last season where Wednesday suffered early injuries to two players in the opening 45 minutes of the game, Etienne Esajas and a returning Frankie Simek both had to be withdrawn. Brian Laws introduced on loan Bartosz Slusarski in a late bid to snatch the points and the impetus of the subsitution brought the solitary goal for the Owls as Clarke slotted home the winner minutes later.

At Hillsborough on 09-12-2008

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Simek (Watson ,38 ) ,Beevers ,Wood ,Spurr ,Tudgay ,McAllister ,O'Connor ,Esajas (Small ,28 ) ,Jeffers (Slusarski ,72 ) ,Clarke
Subs not used: O'Donnell,Smith,
QPR: Cerny ,Ramage ,Stewart ,Gorkss ,Delaney (Hall ,88 ) ,Agyemang ,Mahon (Di Carmine ,79 ) ,Leigertwood ,Rowlands ,Ephraim (Cook ,55 ) ,Helguson
Subs not used Cole,Tommasi,

Head to head...

Wednesday have the advantage with 27 wins to Rangers 18, 13 games have seen the points shared.

The last time the visitors tasted victory at Hillsborough was back in May 2004 when a rampant Rangers side won 3-1 with goals from Kevin Gallen, Paul Furlong and a Chris Carr O.G. Wednesday goal came from youngster Jon Shaw.

Owlsonline Opinion...

With Owls chairman Lee Strafford urging fans to make the trip to S6 after an improved performance at Bristol City last weekend, it could be a week where a there could be goals. We score goals and concede them in equal measure and a game against a decent footballing side in QPR could see a very entertaining game.
A win would go a long way to bringing back some of the fans that the chairman would like to see make the return to S6 for the next home game in three weeks.

Owls robbed by Rangers

Wednesday play well again but can’t do enough to get the win as a late goal brings another defeat.

Brian Laws kept the same side that drew away to Bristol City last weekend which saw Spurr retain the captaincy. Hinds, Buxton and Simek made up the rest of the back four.

The game got off to a nervy start with both sides failing to take a hold of the game.

With 10 minutes on the clock the game got its first goal when former Owls target Jay Simpson beat the Wednesday defence to make it 1-0 to QPR. The Arsenal loanee side stepped the offside trap before finishing with a smooth effort.

Minutes later they could have gone 2 up but the post denied Jim Magiltons men. Routledge raced goalwards but his chance was pushed onto the post my Lee Grant.

The miss proved costly as Wednesday went up the other end and levelled the score. Hard working midfielder Darren Potter dispossessed a QPR man before playing Jermaine Johnson in on goal. The right winger cut in from the left and fired his shot in off the far post.

Half Time – SWFC 1-1 QPRFC

Both sides had chances in the second half with Wednesday being the more threatening of the two and Potter hit the post but it was QPR who stole the points.

With the Owls in full swing Laws made a few changes that changed the fate of the game with Wood and McAllister replacing Simek and Miller before Leon Clarke replaced Johnson.

Soon after QPR got the goal that won them the game from a corner that replays have shown shouldn’t have been given. £3.5million signing Alejandro Faurlin took the corner which found Gorkss whos diving header found the back of the net.

Full Time – SWFC 1-2 QPRFC

The Owls go into the 2 week international break on the back of a disappointing defeat but next up for the Owls is a trip to struggling Ipswich, a game which will be in front of the Sky cameras.

A Premier League club will go under..

That's the revelation that Wednesday gaffer Brian Laws has been quoted as saying today.
Amidst all the financial goings on in his own back yard at Hillsborough, Laws says a club could get into a 'potential meltdown' just trying to stay in the top flight in this country.

With Hull recently attracting plenty of media attention for their aggressive transfer strategy last season which has seen them amass a £27m debt and a wage bill estimated to put them in a £40m defecit, the Owls boss is convinced a Premier club will fall by the wayside, he said:

'It's an inevitability that a top team is definitely going to fold at some stage because there's so much money at stake, the prize money to get into the Premier League is enormous, but to stay there it's even greater,' Laws told Wednesday's website.

'The strain on clubs to stay in the Premier League is so great that they're definitely spending money they haven't got and if they fail and come out of the Premier League, they're going to keep going and they'd be in such a mess it wouldn't surprise me if one of them folded.

'There are teams in the Premier League that are frighteningly close to that anyway. If they come out of the Premier League it could be meltdown because they really have overspent.'

Is Coventry the destination?

It has been revealed today in the Coventry Telegraph that Chris Coleman has made an official approach for Wednesday's transfer listed former captain Richard Wood.
Coleman has been tracking Wood for some time now and was said to have made a bid last season which included two players, which were believed to be Elliot Ward and Michael Mifsud but a deal could not be sorted out.

With the Sky Blues recently adding Leon Barnett on loan from West Brom last week it seemed Coleman had gone cold on a move for Wood, but it appears this is not the case. With the loan window about to slam shut in two weeks time it seems that Coleman is keen to broker the deal as soon as possible, initially on loan of course before a full transfer in January.

Brian Laws has continually stated that the contract offered to Wood is still on the table and available for him to sign, but the terms will not be re negotiated so said the Owls manager.

With QPR and Ipswich also rumoured to be in the hunt, there could be some competition for the Sky Blues to capture the signature of the former Academy graduate.

Captain wants his spot back

Recent flu victim Darren Purse has spoken about his absence from the first team line up recently and he is looking to earn back his spot in the centre of the defence.
Purse is looking to make a return to action in the Wednesday second string when they take on West Brom next week in a bit to regain 100% fitness and his spot in the starting line up. He admits that the flu bug hit him quite hard leaving him in bed for almost a week.

'I felt awful...I hardly got out of bed and never left the house for five or six days; I lost two to three kilograms as well,' Purse told the Star.

'I don't think I'm 100 per cent yet but I'll be ok by the end of the week - there's a reserve game away to West Brom on Monday and maybe I'll get a game in that.'

But the skipper is well aware that his return to Brian Laws' plans isn't a foregone conclusion after the performances of Richard Hinds and Lewis Buxton in the two games he has missed through illness.

'All I can do is get myself fit and make myself available, and then it's a question of what decision the manager makes. Hopefully I'll be able to get back in.'

'Hindsy has come in and done well; Lewis has moved from right back and settled in, and we've still got Richard Wood and Mark Beevers.'

If Purse is to make the line up for Wednesday's next Championship fixture the pressure will be on him to avoid a repeat of the performance the last time he was in the side when the Owls were demolished at Vicarage Road by hosts, Watford.
It would be good to see Wednesday put on a performance in front of the television audience as the last two occasions that they have featured have resulted in defeats.

Will Purse or Mark Beevers return or will it be Buxton and Hinds who keep their hands on the starting centre back spots?
A tough decision for Brian Laws, who would you choose?

Its a load of Cobblers

Ex Owlsonline sponsored left back Peter Gilbert has today signed for Northampton Town until the end of the season, the former Owl, Plymouth and Leicester defender will finish this season with the Cobblers after an unsuccessful spell with Oldham Athletic.

Gilbert saw his contract terminated by mutual consent at Boundary Park so he has been a free agent ever since. He was on trial at Coventry City earlier in the summer trying to secure a deal at the Ricoh which turned out to be unsuccessful, along with a spell on trial at Roots Hall, Southend and he had a spell training with Huddersfield Town before his move to Boundary Park materialised.

Speaking about his move from Wednesday at the end of last season, Gilbert bears no malice and says an unlucky injury break maybe cost him a new contract, he said:

“I played for Sheffield Wednesday early in the season and running up to Christmas,

“I knew my contract was up in the summer so I had something fixed up to move in January but unfortunately I took a heavy tackle in a game and got injured. January came and went and I lost my opportunity and my place in the team. So the back end of the season was just an uphill battle to try to get back into the team.”

A combination of good form between Lewis Buxton and Tommy Spurr saw the end of the Owls career for the player who was signed by former manager Paul Sturrock from Leicester City.

“There was good competition for places in the team and the lad who came in did well and took his chance, so the season sort of ran out for me and was really frustrating.'

Sodje goes to the Capital.

After this week Wednesday boss, Brian Laws said that Akpo Sodje may go out on loan to gain some fitness and match practise he has made his way out of S6 this morning.

Laws spoke of the deal which saw the striker join his brother, Sam, this morning, he said:

'Akpo has struggled to get into the side this season and part of that is because we have had very few injuries to our strike force in the early part of the 2009/10 campaign so competition has been very strong.

'We all know that Akpo can be a real threat when he is on top form and I think a loan move could get him back to his best. Akpo will be with Charlton until mid-December and then we will be able to review the situation ahead of the festive fixtures.'

Sodje has struggled with fitness and form since he returned from an injury that he picked up in pre season and with the recent performances of Marcus Tudgay and Luke Varney, Sodje finds himself way down the pecking order for a starting spot in the team.
He made his Charlton debut earlier this afternoon as they netted five goals in a win against Milton Keynes Dons, with his brother Sam and former Owls Deon Burton both netting for the home side.

With Sodje being out of contract come next summer it could be a crucial move in terms of him trying to gain a new deal with the Owls IF he proves his fitness and form with the London club and comes back into the Wednesday fold.

Our neighbours keen on Wood.

With all the furuore surrounding the protracted breakdown in contract talks with Richard Wood reaching a head a couple of weeks back, the rumours of his seemingly impending departure from Hillsborough are constant.

QPR, Ipswich, and Coventry are said to be the sides interested in signing the Owls number 16, and Barnsley are said to been rejected by the player but now our neighbours United are not ruling themselves out of the chase for the young defender.
Kevin Blackwell has refused to rule his side out of the running to capture the former Owls skipper as it seems they will soon have to look to a future without Matthew Kilgallon. Wood has been on the radar of the other side of the city since his heroic performance despite the 1-0 defeat at Bramall Lane back in 2005 when former Owl, Alan Quinn scored the only goal of the game for the hosts. Wood battled through the game with a badly cut head and was one of the stars of the day in a game which the solitary winning goal was contentious.

With Wood and Kilgallon using the same agent, former Owls goalscoring hero, Imre Varadi, the United management team won't struggle to contact Wood's representative. The loan window is about to slam shut and it remains to be seen if Wood will leave S6 sooner rather than later in a move away from the club which now seems to be more than inevitable.

Have we seen the back of Akpo?

With Charlton gaffer Phil Parkinson suggesting a longer term deal for loanee Akpo Sodje on the cards, some Wednesdayites already think we will have seen the last of the bustling centre forward. Now Sodje has spoken about his move to the capital city and it seems he has fit straight into things at the Valley.

'I'm just happy to be down here and playing for Charlton,' Sodje told the Star.

'I feel comfortable here; the boys have been really welcoming.'

Brian Laws hasn't confirmed that the deal would be any longer than the initial 28 day deal with the Addicks, but Sodje also seems keen.

'Charlton is my home-town club and, after living up North for so long, it feels good to be back. I'm going to enjoy every single minute of it while I'm here.
'I want to be playing. As soon as Charlton came in to say they wanted me on loan, it was an easy decision for me to make.'

'We'll see how things go, but at the moment I'm just looking forward to the chance to play for Charlton and getting a few goals to keep us in that promotion spot.

'Talking to Sam played a big part. He's enjoying it here and told me to come down. Deon was also an influence, as I played with him at Sheffield Wednesday.'

Sodje wants to help fire the Addicks back into the Championship and beyond, as he says they are a big club.

'Charlton are a big club; not just in League One but in England, because they played for so many years in the Premier League.

'If I can help them push for promotion I will do as I want my local club to be in as high a division as possible.

'We've got a good team here with some excellent players and this isn't a club that belongs in League One.'

It seems like the beginning of the end for the Owls number 10, but are we reading too much into the situation?
Only time will tell.

Woody leaves the building.

Richard Wood has today left the Owls for Coventry City on loan, with a view to a permanent deal when the transfer window re opens in January.
After 189 games for the first team the former Owlsonline young player of the year and academy graduate has signed on the dotted line for the midlands club. Chris Coleman has been a long time admirer of the former Owls skipper with a failed bid to capture his signature last season, but he obviously wasn't put off when they were rebuffed by Wednesday.

As we all know he rejected the terms offered to him recently by the club and then the club took the stance to put him on the transfer list as a result, following this there was much specualtion to his immediate transfer with Coventry immediately the favourite to gain his signature.

Ipswich Town were also in the queue to sign the 24 year old, but he has favoured a move to the Ricoh Arena rather than Portman Road.

Brian Laws has spoken on the clubs official website about Wood leaving the club, he said:

'I would like to thank Richard Wood for his long service to this football club. Richard is a very good defender at Championship level and it is no secret that we tried very hard to keep him here by offering a long-term contract. Unfortunately Richard did not want to accept the terms we offered him and therefore we wish him all the best for his future career.'

All of us at Owlsonline wish Richard all the best in his future career and thank him for all his efforts during his time with Wednesday.

Please bring an end to the TV hoodoo

Wednesday travel to Portman Road this weekend hoping to break the run of bad form in front of the live TV audience. So far this term viewers at home will have seen the Owls lose on two consecutive occasions, once at our arch enemy and the second more recently at Vicarage Road where we witnessed one of the worst Owls performances in a while.

Now Ipswich Town stand in the Owls way and midfielder Darren Potter says the squad are keen to banish the tv demons, he said:

'We have something to put right,' Potter told The Star.

'Losing those two games when they were on telly is not something we've got wrapped up in, but it would be nice to do well in front of the cameras.
'The Watford game was probably one of our worst performances of the season. It just wasn't like us.

'We'll be looking to put that right this weekend.'

But the former Liverpool midfielder says despite The Tractor Boys lowly position in the Championship, they won't be taking anything for granted on Saturday evening as they look to continue playing in a way that arguably should have brought a bigger points haul over the past few games.

'They've drawn a lot of games. That shows they're capable of staying in games. They've conceded a lot of late goals as well.

'We've been creating a bundle of chances. If you don't take them you're always going to be vulnerable; that was shown in the QPR game, when we conceded late, at a set piece.
'We'd have beaten them if we have take our opportunities, and it was the same against Preston; they should have been out of sight, but got back in the game.

'There have been some really good situations where you'd put money on our lads to score; they know that, as well.

'As long as we keep creating, I'm sure we'll start putting them away.'

Keep a look out for Walkley's in depth match preview ahead of the weekend trip, and Scamp who will be having a go at beating the bookie.

Owls Keane for win

Wednesday head to deepest Suffolk on Saturday afternoon to face Roy Keane’s Ipswich in front of the SKY cameras, it will be Wednesday’s third televised game of the season, all away and all a bloody nightmare for varying reasons.

Owls News

The Owls are back in action after a two week break due to the World Cup play-offs and Brian Laws has already cleared one headache, Richard Wood has left the building.

Wednesday boss Laws looks set to make at least one change with former Ipswich Town man Tommy Miller a major doubt with a hamstring strain, the midfielder has only just managed to cement his place in the starting so it will be a bitter blow for him, it does however open the door for Michael Gray to return after his injury, the likeable Mackem has been missed during his absence.

The loaning out of Wood and Akpo Sodje has freed up some finance for the Owls to bring in a loan player or two of their own ahead of next weeks deadline and Brian Laws will be hoping to get a deal concluded ahead of the trip to Suffolk with a goalscorer high on his list of priorities.

I imagine Wednesday will make just the one change for the game, Gray in for Miller, provided that Frankie Simek recovers sufficiently from the cramp that ended his game against QPR, that substitution cost the Owls the game as Richard Wood replaced the American international and it was his man who netted the winner.

So a 4-4-2 formation looks more likely unless Wednesday revert to the formation they used effectively at Bristol City, 4-3-3/4-5-1, I hope we pressurise the hosts early on as it could heavily in our favour and could help us grind out a good result.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Simek, Hinds, Buxton, Spurr; Johnson, Potter, O’Connor, Gray; Varney, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, N Wood, Clarke, Jeffers, Purse, Esajas, McAllister, Modest, Boden, Wragg.

Ipswich Town News

The hosts come into the game unbeaten in five and will be looking to continue where they left off at Portman Road, they won their previous home game over Derby 1-0 and will be hoping to make it six without defeat.

Ipswich Town

Ipswich Town can trace their roots way to back to 1878 where they were known as Ipswich AFC until merging with the Rugby club in 1888 to form Ipswich Town FC, the club remained amateur until 1936.

During their formative years they were in the Southern Amateur League from 1907 and won it 4 times during their 28 year stay before moving to the Eastern Counties league for a year until they turned professional and joined the Southern League ahead of election to the Football League in 1938, they finished 7th in their first ever campaign in the Football League, in the old Division 3 south.

Following resumption of the League following the War the club began to press for promotion and in the 1953/54 season they won the title and were promoted to Division 2, they quickly found themselves back in the Third tier following a poor 1954/55 campaign.

The legendary Sir Alf Ramsey took over from Scott Duncan in August 1955 after retiring from playing, the 35 year old took to management quickly, he had earned Ipswich promotion to Second Division as Champions inside two years and by 1961 he had the club into the top flight for the first time in their history as Second Division champions, the fairytale didn’t stop there for the Suffolk club as they won the 1st Division title at the first attempt displacing Tottenham as champions. Ipswich entered the European Cup in 1962 and after a comprehensive win over Floriana 14-1 on aggregate they were beaten by the mighty AC Milan.

In April 63 Ramsey was appointed manager of England and resigned his post at Ipswich to be replaced by Jackie Milburn, the former Newcastle strikers midas touch deserted him and the club were relegated in his first season, Bill McGarry took over as manager and in 1968 guided the club back into the top flight, he left to join Wolves leaving Bobby Robson to take the reigns in January 1969.

Robson presided over one of the most successful periods in the clubs history with several top five finishes including twice runners up, an FA Cup final win and a UEFA Cup win in 1981, the style of Ipswich play won many admirers none more so than in the FA where they sought to appoint a successor to Ron Greenwood, again Ipswich was their point of call and in 1982 the likeable North-Eastener took over as England boss.

Robson’s “defection” culminated in a slide in the fortunes of Ipswich and in 1986 they were relegated out of the top flight, where they be absent for six seasons until John Lyall won the Second division in 1992, they remained in the Premier League for 3 seasons but they were always up against it and still hold the record PL defeat, 9-0 at Man Utd. It took 5 years for the club to return back to the top flight when they beat Barnsley in the 2000 play-off final, an astonishing first season back saw the Tractor Boys finish 5th in the top flight and UEFA cup football was back on the agenda, maybe the extra games cost the side as they followed up 5th place with relegation in 2002, they haven’t been back since, the club also suffered administration following their drop but are now under the ownership of millionaire Marcus Evans.

The Ground

Portman Road has been home to the club for 125 years, after initially moving there in 1884, they previously played at Brooks Hill and Broom Hall following the clubs formation before switching to Portman Road, which they shared with the cricket club.

The current capacity at Portman Road is just over 30,000, a far cry from it’s early days when a temporary stand was erected to accommodate a crowd of 5,000 for a game against Aston Villa in 1898, the first stand was officially built in 1906 and was called the “Chicken Run” on the Portman Road side of the stadium, this remained at the ground until the early 1970’s when it was sold on to another local sporting set-up, the speedway team, over the years there have been various improvements which has made Portman Road a vintage yet impressive stadium.

The ground is all seater and Wednesdayites will be housed on the side, in the Cobbold Stand, this area offers around 1,500 seats to away fans but with the ridiculous prices and stupid kick off time I expect around a 1/3 of that to travel, which is far more than many would take in this division, Wednesday fans will pay £6 a seat more than their hosts on the same stand, it’s a robbery. The totally capacity of the stand is around 7,000

Opposite us is the Britannia Stand which holds 7,500 this stand dates back to 1952 when the supporters association raised £30,000 towards its building, it is a three tiered stand and was converted to all seating in 1990.

To our left is the impressive Greene King Stand is a two-tiered stand with a seating capacity of approximately 7,000. It also houses the players tunnel, which unusually is situated in the corner of the ground between the Greene King and Britannia stands.

To our right is the re-named Sir Bobby Robson stand, this two tiered area was completely rebuilt in the early part of this decade is home to the vociferous element of the Ipswich Town support

The Gaffer

Roy Keane took over at Ipswich last April following the dismissal of one time Owls midfielder Jim Magilton, he presided over two straight wins at the back end of last season and expectations were raised ahead of this campaign but despite spending a fair bit of cash he hasn’t had the desired results with one league win this season going into the weekend.

Roy’s previous managerial role was under former International team-mate Niall Quinn at Sunderland, whom he replaced as boss (Quinn had been in temporary charge whilst trying to secure Keane’s signature), he immediately set to work on strengthening his squad with six signings on deadline day in August 2006, his methods clearly worked as he not only guided the Mackems away from the Championship drop zone but they were promoted as Champions.

He continued to spend money whilst at Sunderland in order to establish the club in the Premier League and despite injury problems marring his clubs season he led the club to a respectable 15th place in the top flight, however he would not see out 2008 as boss at the club, on December 4th he resigned following a poor start to the campaign and the club were 18th, he later cited differences with the clubs owner Ellis Short and chairman Quinn.

As a player Keane was a combative tough tackling midfielder who was snapped up by Brian Clough who handed an 18 year old Keane his debut against Liverpool in 1990, over the next three years he appeared over 100 times for Forest netting 22 goals and scouts from other clubs were taking note, Forest relegation opened the door for a move and a £4m deal was agreed with Blackburn before Alex Ferguson persuaded him to join Manchester United for £3.75m, which infuriated Rovers boss Kenny Dalglish who thought he had his man.

Keane spent 12 years at Old Trafford winning 7 League titles, 4 FA Cups, 4 Charity shields, 1 World Club cup and 1 European Cup winners medal although Keane never played in the final in Barcelona it was his monumental efforts in the semi final with Juventus which secured Uniteds place in the final. He left United in December 2005 to join boyhood heroes Celtic where he would spend six months before retiring on medical advice.

Keane was never far from controversy during his career, be it screaming at officials, various red cards, slating his own team mates and fans, walking out on his national side ahead of a World Cup or waiting 4 years to exact revenge on Alf-Inge Haaland, the Norwegian international had called Keane a fake as he lay in pain with a cruciate ligament injury in a match between Leeds and Man Utd in 1997, Keane could Haaland 4 years later with a knee high tackle as retribution. His abrasive attitude can often see him fall out with people but he was one of the best players to have graced the Premier League.

Key Players

Alex Bruce

Club captain Alex is no stranger to Wednesday fans, he played his part in getting the Owls back into the Championship in 2005, playing in nine games towards the end of the season including the play-off final at Cardiff.

Alex came through the ranks at Manchester United where his dad had made a great impact as a player but was released at the age of 16, he was quickly snapped up by Blackburn Rovers and was part of their U19’s side which won the 2002-03 FA Premier Academy League.

He made his first debut whilst on loan at Oldham in 2004 as a substitute in a 2-1 defeat at Hartlepool, whilst on loan at the Latics he signed for Birmingham City on a free transfer from Blackburn, joining up with his dad Steve who was the Brum boss, he was allowed to complete his loan spell in which he amassed 16 appearances in all competitions.

He signed for a three month spell with Wednesday in mid March which would encompass the play-offs should the Owls make it, his spell was disrupted by a red card in a defeat at Huddersfield where he endured taunts about his father who had managed the Terriers, he missed three games through suspension.

In the 2005/06 season he was loaned out to Tranmere for the first half of the season, but in early October and after 12 games for the Birkenhead club his deal was terminated by mutual consent and he returned to Birmingham. He made his first team debut for the Blues in the FA Cup away at Torquay, before making his Premier League debut away at Liverpool where they drew 1-1, he ended up making 12 appearances for the Blues in all competitions, six times in the league but couldn’t stop the Blues from being relegated.

In the summer of 2006 he joined Ipswich Town on a free transfer and amassed 125 appearances in his three seasons with the club, he was appointed captain by Roy Keane in August 2009, his whole hearted displays have won over the Town fans and saw him capped by the Republic of Ireland and u21 and full level.

Squad Number 5

Carlos Edwards

Pacy winger Carlos signed for the club on September 1st from Sunderland for a reputed £1.35m, he had previously been signed by Keane during his tenure as boss of the Mackems.

Trinidad born, he first came to prominence with Wrexham after signing from Defence Force for a reputed £250k fee in 2000, he joined the Dragons along with fellow countrymen Dennis Lawrence and Hector Sam. He made 39 appearances in his debut season but injury restricted him to just ten starts the following year.

In the 2002/03 campaign he was a near ever-present as the Dragons won promotion to the 3rd tier of English football, Edwards played 49 times and netted 10 times winning him a place in the PFA team of the year. He helped the Dragons to mid table in their first back in the Second tier and scored his first goal of the season in a 3-2 win at Hillsborough, overall he netted 5 times in 45 games for the club.

The 2004/05 season was a tragedy for both Edwards and the club as a knee injury restricted him to just 21 appearances and he couldn’t help the Welsh side avoid relegation back to the basement division, the clubs financial problems saw them enter administration and lose 10 points which would ultimately seal their relegation, Edwards decided to leave at the end of his contract, Wednesday and Luton both offered him a deal but the uncertainty over which league the Owls would play led him to join the Hatters.

He spent 18 months with the Bedfordshire club, appearing 74 times for the club and netting 8 times, he helped the Hatters to 10th in their first season in the Championship, they were 19th when he sold to Sunderland for £1.4m on January 2nd 2007, he was sold to ease the impending financial problems at the Hatters which culminated in them being relegated due to the ineptness of then boss Kevin Blackwell.

His spell at Sunderland started brightly, he netted his first goal for the club in a 4-2 win at Hillsborough, he made 16 appearances for the club towards the end of the 2006/07 netting five times including the goal that ultimately sealed promotion.

The 2007/08 season was one to forget for Carlos, he suffered thigh problems early doors before fracturing his leg on his return, he was restricted to just 13 appearances as Sunderland survived the drop.

A spate of summer signings in 2008 saw Carlos fall further down the pecking order and in October 2008 he was allowed to join Wolves on loan but after six appearances he was recalled by Sunderland and he made 26 appearances for the club as they again retained their Premier League status.

Since signing for Ipswich in September he has made 10 appearances and is yet to score, with his record against the Owls would you back against him Saturday?

Squad Number 23

Jon Walters

Birkenhead born Jonathan is in his third full season at Portman Road after signing from lowly Chester in January 2007, he’d impressed then boss Jim Magilton in an FA Cup tie between the two clubs.

Jon began his career with Blackburn Rovers as a trainee but failed to make a single appearance for the Rovers first team despite being a prolific scorer for their youth side and moved on to Bolton Wanderers in search of first team football.

After starring for the Trotters reserves he was finally drafted into the first team squad at the beginning of the 2002/03 season and made his debut as a substitute in a 2-1 defeat to Charlton, he went on to appear in a further five appearances, all from the bench, over the course of the season for the club, he was however loaned out to Hull City in early March to gain more experience and he netted 5 times in eleven games including two on his debut.

He spent the 1st month of the following season on loan at Crewe but failed to make an appearance for the Railwaymen and went back to the Reebok, he later joined Barnsley for a two month spell in November, making his debut in a 1-0 defeat to Wednesday in the LDV Trophy, he went onto make 10 starts and 2 appearances from the bench without scoring for the Tykes. He re-signed for Hull on a full deal in February 2004 and was part of their side that won promotion to League One, making 16 appearances and scoring once, he was mainly used as a substitute.

With Hull in League One he was again restricted to mainly cameo appearances from the bench as the Tigers grabbed back to back promotions, he made 25 appearances in all competitions scoring twice and had a three game spell at Scunthorpe under Brian Laws, he was released following the Tigers promotion and joined Wrexham.

Walters spent just one season at the Racecourse Ground making 36 starts and 5 appearances from the bench, he netted 5 times for the Welsh club as they struggled to mid-table mediocrity, and he shocked the club by signing for near neighbours Chester ahead of the 2006/07.

His spell at Chester was a fruitful one for Jon personally as he found the net 10 times in 33 appearances and put him in the shop window to join Ipswich which he did seven months after signing for City, he made 11 starts and 5 sub appearances for the Tractor Boys scoring 4 goals.

In his first full season with the Tractor Boys he netted 13 goals in 41 games as they finished 8th and he followed this up with 7 in 35 starts last season, he has scored 4 in 18 games this campaign.

Squad Number 19

Team News

Team (possible): Begovic; Rosenior, Bruce, Delaney, D Wright; Edwards, Leadbitter, Quinn, Walters; Stead, Counago;

(subs from) Lee-Barrett, Colbeck, Healy, Brown, Wickham, Peters, McAuley, T Wright, Counago, Martin, Garvan;

Head to Head

A close range header from Pablo Counago grabbed the hosts a point in the meeting between the two sides, he cancelled out an earlier header from owls skipper Steve Watson.

The draw was a vast improvement on the Owls last visit to Portman Road, the opening day of the 2007/08 season was a horror show for the Owls who conceded a second minute penalty and were three down before the half hour mark, the game ended 4-1 to the Suffolk side.

Brian Laws first game in charge of Wednesday was a trip to Portman Road back in November 2006 and he masterminded a 2-0 win, the Owls first victory at Ipswich since October 1994, Marcus Tudgay nudged the Owls ahead in the 11th minute finishing off a sweeping end to end move before Madjid Bougherra’s header sealed the points in the 82nd minute.

The 90’s were a good time to support the Owls on their trips to Suffolk, August 1990 saw 6,000 Wednesdayites make the opening day trip and secured all three points with goals from Peter Shirtliff and Paul Williams. 3 years later David Hirst netted the only goal in a 1-0 win for the Owls in the inaugural Premier League. November 1993 saw Wednesday demolish their hosts 4-1, Nigel Jemson snatched two goals whilst Carlton Palmer and Mark Bright also netted, and the following season Hirst and Bright once again found the net to seal another three points in a 2-1.

The two clubs first met at Portman Road in August 1958, Gerry Young and Roy Shiner won it for the Owls who ended the season as Second Division champions, then their was the infamous game from December 1962 which the hosts won 2-0, the game was one three Owls players bet on themselves to lose, leading to bans for Tony Kay, Peter Swan and David Layne.

There have been 19 meetings between the clubs at Portman Road over the years with just two draws.

Overall at Ipswich Town:

Owls: 8

Draw: 2

Ipswich: 9

Final thoughts

So the last link to our promotion season has gone, see ya Woody thanks for everything and all that, enjoy Coventry, if you can, so now that sorry episode is over we can concentrate on the football, it’s been 3 months since our last away win and now is the ideal time to break that duck and end our recent Sky hoodoo, the players owe it to the fans to perform, over 500 Wednesdayites are loyally expected to travel, including Sam779, that’s his prison ID not his name, (he begged for a mention) and at £31 a pop they are owed a performance befitting that support, not a repeat of the Pigs or Watford debacle.

Visit our rivals

http://www.twtd.co.uk

Beat the Bookie - 21/11/09

Here's a novel idea, throw a betting novice at this feature.... Well with the track record of the gamblers amongst us in beating the bookie in recent weeks it may turn out to be a good call.

So Scamp has a go for us this week at BEAT THE BOOKIE...

Right, I am doing this under the illusion that I might actually understand how this betting lark works.

After spending ages and ages studying the form I finally decided to just follow my instincts but then was faced with trying to understand the odds.

Now, I'm not a betting man but I always thought that odds looked something like 3/1 or 7/2 but oh no, I access Ladbrokes.com and discover that we have gone all decimal!!

Anyway, based on this foreign concept of betting I have gone with the following

Hull v West Ham A not because I can't stand Hull either odds 2.50
Doncaster v QPR A 2.20
Carlisle v Swindon D 3.20
Southampton v Norwich D 3.2
Falkirk v Hamilton A 2.80

Now, if I understand how betting works and this is just a single bet then 2.5 x 2.2 x 3.2 x 3.2 x 2.8 = 157.7 so by my reckoning a £1 bet should win you £157.70 + your pound back.
Is this how it works?

Long shot
Pigs v Peterborough D 3.4; can't see the pigs failing to win again but you never know as well as live in hope, Peterborough to win for the more risk averse will return odds of 4.0

Remember to pay your tax on your stake (lol, yes I know) and don't forget which one of the two parties involved in the betting contract will be driving away in a Jag

I've stuck with Ladbrokes as I know you can chase individual odds but you can only place the bet at one bookie

Woody did want to stay..

Days after his move to the Ricoh Arena, Richard Wood has spoken about his move to the midlands and how he would have liked to stay with the Owls but of course it wasn't to be.

Plenty people have made their feelings known on the situation whilst Woody himself has been quiet about the move and what happened at Hillsborough, maintaining a somewhat professional silence on what must have been a tough time for the 24 year old.

He has spoken to the Coventry Telegraph about the move, and says he will still support the team he joined at the age of 11, he said:

“I am gutted to be leaving to be honest because it is a massive club and I have got great admiration for it,
“I have been there all my life and I supported the club throughout that time as well and I still will do.

'“I did want to stay. I had been in contract negotiations with them for a long time. Obviously they broke down and they wanted to get me out, which I understand.”

Naturally though he has to look forward now even though the surroundings are still a little strange at the moment.

“The first thing I looked at was when we play Wednesday again and I will look forward to that.”

“It is very strange and when I signed on Wednesday I didn’t know what to think and I was a bit nervous coming in to training for the first time, but all the lads have made me feel welcome and everything is fine.'

Woody will line up this weekend in the colours of the Sky Blues for the first time when they face Crystal Palace this weekend at the Ricoh Arena.
Once again we wish Richard all the best in his future career and thanks for all his efforts during his time with Wednesday.

Blast from the Past - Ipswich

Quote Of all the games between us and Ipswich Town, this is by far the best away day I have ever experienced at Portman Road.

On June 2nd 1990, I was given the unfortunate news that I suffered major kidney failure. As a 6 year old, I obviously didn't know much of it at the time but from doing research on it in future life - I owe an awful lot to Great Ormond Street Hospital otherwise I would definitely not be here today. I had 2 months of suffering in the hospital only helped that I was allowed to watch the world cup on the personal screen I had, and the old man was always with me at my side whenever a night game was on. Usually I would fall asleep during the first half of the night games unless England were on and i'd stay up. The nurses back then didn't mind as I had my own room under a personal request so I didn't disturb the any little uns during the world cup.
Although I managed to survive (after 3 long operations), it wasn't good news for the man that got me playing golf my grandad. He unfortunately lost his battle with cancer on the opening day of Italia 90. Our family were going through a tough time as it was sort of expected that Grandad Keith would go but there was concern that i'd join him. Having 2 family members on a death bed is not the nicest thing I would wish for any family, although I survived - I still to this day wished my grandad survived as well as I'd have loved to give him a proper game of golf

Well on the 9th August 1990, I was given the all clear and came out of Great Ormond Street Hospital and had a couple of weeks of rehabilitation at the home before my Uncle Terry rang my father up and asked if we'd be going to the opening day of the season. My Uncle Terry is a huge Ipswich fan and after what happened, this game has always been a definite yes for the fixture list. Unfortunately this'll be the first time we don't have a catch up before the game as my uncle is in physio and I refuse to pay £31-£34 for a championship match when I can go and watch West Ham United v Manchester City for less. Also, back in those days the season didn't kick off till the last weekend of August meaning that you could have planned your holidays to combine with school hols so that you didn't miss a game. Now a days if you don't book for June/July - you'll miss some games and could be blamed for shite attendances like Scunthorpe United this season. Anyway Dad and I caught the train from Liverpool Street to Ipswich and arrived at 10:14am to see floods of Sheffield Wednesday fans already here. What the, we both thought? Dad saw Keiron who had our tickets and we were informed there was over 6000 wednedsay fans coming down for this game. James was a year younger than me and was kitted in his wednesday gear whilst I wasn't allowed as Dad didn't want supporters knowing who we were to be on the safe side. If we had played Millwall this season, i would have told you why this was a good idea in the end. Anyway Dad, Keiron and my Uncle Terry were sipping through the beers whilst James, I and Piers (Terry's son) read through the programme (cost 80p back then) and discussing on what the season holds. Pete then managed to catch us and had a quick beer before we went to the ground early as Pete heard there'd be problems at the turnstiles due to the demand. He was right as there were plenty of ticketless wednesday fans trying to get into the away end. It got that out of hand for Ipswich that they had to open up home areas to put wednesday fans. It was almost like the 1970's where there was no segregated away end (not that I experienced it). Anyway we got to the third row and got ready for the first game of the season

Ipswich Town lined up as follows

Craig Forrest, Frank Yallop, Neil Thompson, Mick Stockwell, Brian Gayle, David Linighan, David Lowe, Tony Humes, Ian Redford, Chris Kiwomya, Romeo Zondervan

The Owls lined up as follows

Kevin Pressman, Roland Nilsson, Phil King, Carlton Palmer, Peter Shirtliff, Nigel Pearson, Danny Wilson, John Sheridan, David Hirst, Paul Williams, Nigel Worthington

There was around 17,000 at Portman Road and I would say nearly half were Wednesday fans. Soon as Big Ron came out, chants of Atkinsons barmy army were being belted throughout the ground. Ipswich had John Lyall as their manager and referee David Elleray blew the whistle and the match was underway

Well, if you want to see a one sided first half, this was it. We absolutely murdered Ipswich and could have been 3-0 up after only 10 minutes. Forrest made a good save from David Hirst, Nigel Pearson headed over from a set piece when he should have done better and John Sheridan whacked a 25 yarder just past the post. Ipswich barely threatened and the lively Chris Kiwomya was being marked out of the game by Peter Shirtliff. Well not for much longer, a lovely ball from Palmer found Wilson on the right who linked up well with Hirst and then fed a lovely ball into Paul Williams who finished well past Forrest and into the net, queue delirium from Wednesday fans.

The goal had been coming and it was to no surprise Paul Williams scored as he was giving the future piggy wanker Brian piggy Gayle a run for his money. After the goal, Wednesday continued to dominate and Sheridan, Hirst, Williams and Danny Wilson all came close to adding to the tally had it not been for some good goalkeeping and luck. However from Wilsons chance where Gayle deflected it wide, the resulting corner from Nigel Worthingtons sweet left foot drew the perfect header from Shirtliff who banged it into the net - take that ball, take that net, 2-0 Wednesday and the way we were playing game over!

You could see all corners of the ground where wednesday fans were jumping up and down, singing at the top of their voices, even BFR gave the crowd a wave because of the way they were helping the players. Ipswich had a chance near the end of the half where Kiwomya broke the offside trap but fired straight at a very young and thin (yes he was thin back then) Kevin Pressman. The half time whistle blew and Wednesday looked very comfortable going into the break 2-0 up

The second half, wednesday took the foot off the gas and were contempt with allowing Ipswich to come at them knowing we could hit them hard on the counter attack. Ipswich saw a lot of the ball but the back four looked very comfortable and rarely was Pressman troubled.

Zondervan nearly got them back in it with a shot that went just wide with Pressman beaten but Paul Williams had a couple of chances on the counter attack to finish the game off which he failed to take. Jason Dozzell was bought on for Mick Stockwell as Ipswich went on a more attack minded formation, trying to break down the rearguard of Wednesdays defence but unfortunately to no avail. Ipswich fans started leaving after 83 minutes as they knew the game was up, they knew the side couldn't get past Wednesdays back four.

In the end it was a relief when the final whistle went and Wednesday picked up their first 3 points of the season in comfortable fashion and looked forward to a visit from Hull City in the next match

ITFC 0-0 SWFC

Brian Laws made one change from the side that lost to QPR two weeks ago with Michael Gray coming in for the injured Tommy Miller.

The game, live on Sky started with the hosts in the driving seat. Tamas Priskin could have gone close early on before scuffing his shot. Carlos Edwards showed the same pace and skill that has caused the Wednesday defence problems before but Frank Simek made his intentions clear with a tough challenge. That got him a card to match the colour of his shirt. Richard Hinds also picked up a booking early on when he body checked the Ipswich man as he attempted to counter, a decision that the Sky Sports commentators agreed shouldn’t have been a free kick never mind a booking.

Wednesday got back into the game a little and Jermaine Johnson guided an effort goalwards before Lewis Buxton became the third of the back four to pick up a yellow card after a foul on Priskin.
Soon after Andy D’Urso gave Ipswich another decision by not awarding the Owls a penalty. Marcus Tudgay, out wide, cut inside and crossed towards LukeVarney whos flick on was handled by Ipswich captain Damien Delaney but the penalty was not given.

Before half time, each side saw chances and Wednesday were lucky not to be down to 10 men. First, former Man U player Lee Martin shot straight at Grant who made a comfortable acrobatic save before Tudgay had a chance palmed away. It was Buxton who could have been sent off when he once again fouled Priskin but this time the ref showed common sense and kept his cards in his pocket.

Half time – ITFC 0-0 SWFC

Wednesday settled in well in the second half and went close through Varney and Leadbitter went close for the home side.

With the game failing to see a goal, both teams made substitutions with former Owl and pig Alan Quinn plus Gareth McAuley coming on for the home team and Leon Clarke on for the visitors.

Soon after coming on, Quinn was put through but Grant pulled off a good safe. Grant also had to be alert from a corner when the wind swept the ball in directly from the kick. Another former pig went close in the form of Jonathan Stead but Grant stood firm and denied him. The home side did have the ball in the back of the net during the second half but it was ruled out for offside, a decision that was justified in the replays.

Full Time – ITFC 0-0 SWFC

Next up for the Owls is a home encounter against high flying West Bromwich Albion.

The bottom three is a worry.

Wednesday 'keeper Lee Grant has spoken out about how the bottom three of the Championship is a position that is too close and the players are desperately looking to pull away from the drop zone.

The point gained at Portman Road on Saturday evening pulled the Owls three points clear of Plymouth who currently occupy 22nd spot in the division, and with the next opponents for Wednesday being table topping West Brom, some may say they may be sat alongside Plymouth this weekend. Wednesday can't drop into the bottom three however, by virtue of goal difference but a win against ex Owl Chris Brunt and his team-mates would do more than just push them further away from the bottom of the table, it would restore valuable confidence in the players abilities.

Grant said:
'Even though we've come away with a good point, when you look at the table it's not an ideal situation.' He told the Star.

'We'd have been hoping to be further up the league: I'm sure the fans expect better. We expect better from ourselves.

'We'll be looking to put that right and concentrate on our home form and hopefully get a good result when we play West Brom on Saturday.'
Saturday's draw maintained a three-point gap between the Owls and the bottom three - but the division is so tight that Grant is confident of a place in the top 10.

'We aim to kick on from here. It's come to the time when we need to be picking up points consistently at home and away.

'Hopefully this can be the platform for us to kick on.'

Owls hope to Soare up the table.

Newspaper reports have today linked Wednesday with a move for Stoke City's out of favour midfielder Tom Soares in a two month loan deal.
The former Crystal Palace midfielder has only appeared three times for the Potters this season, with all the appearances coming in the Carling Cup.

Soares signed for Stoke on 1st September 2008 and was unveiled with Micheal Tonge from our neighbours as part of a multi million pound deal for two players who were seen to be a key part in the future of the club but he only made a total of 11 appearances (including subs) for the club.

Soares spent two months on loan at Charlton Athletic late last season where he featured 11 times and scoring one goal. According to the report in the Daily MIrror, Soares will sign in time to make his Owls debut against table topping West Brom this weekend at Hillsborough.

WIth the loan window closing this week, there is bound to be plenty of speculation of incomings to Hillsborough, so should we get any news we will do our best to bring it to you as soon as we can.

Football League launches new supporter survey.

The Football League is giving fans throughout the country the opportunity to help influence the future of professional football with the launch of its third online supporter consultation.

The Football League Supporters Survey 2010 lets fans have their say on a range of important football issues from the introduction of goal-line technology, sin-bins and salary caps to refereeing standards, football on television and diving.

Fans are also invited to give their views about the club they support with a range of topics up for discussion including ticketing, stewarding, communication with supporters and whether they feel valued by their club.

To take part in The Football League Supporters Survey, visit [url=http://www.sportswise.info/surveys/f ld/fld.htm]http://www.sportswise.info/sur veys/fld/fld.htm

The 2010 Survey follows on from previous supporter consultations in 2006 and 2008, both of which saw more than 40,000 fans contribute their views.

In launching The Football League Supporters Survey 2010 League Chairman, Lord Mawhinney, encouraged supporters to take part: 'This is the opportunity for fans to tell us their views on the football they watch.

'The opinions expressed by supporters in our two previous surveys contributed to our thinking as we developed our Regulations on Agents, our new Home Grown Players rule and our smoke-free policy at matches.

'They have also given clubs a better understanding of what their fans like and dislike about watching football, which has helped The League identify best practice at club level and improve the supporter experience.

'I hope fans to take this opportunity to make a difference, once again.'

Around 400,000 e-mails will be sent to registered supporters, asking them to contribute their views. Additionally, all other supporters will be able to participate online, via The Football League website - www.football-league.co.uk.

By completing the survey, which is being run in conjunction with sports research specialists SportsWise, supporters will have the opportunity to win a 'money can't buy' prize to see their team train and meet the players. There are also 100 Mitre Official Football League balls on offer to lucky winners.

The results of The Football League Supporters' Survey 2010 will be published in the New Year.

Example questions from The Football League Supporters Survey 2010:

- Would you like to see The Football League trial the use of sin-bins in one of its competitions?

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- When would you prefer to watch live Football league matches on television?

- Would you be willing to pay to join a subscription service that would enable you to watch your club's away matches on the internet?

Dj maybe to set Laws head spinning?

With the loan window closing tomorrow rumours are rife that a striker will be coming into Hillsborough as one of the two players mooted to be signing for Wednesday this week.
Tom Soares has been mentioned as an attacking option, but he isn't a striker, more of an attacking or creative midfielder. So who is the player that maybe brought in to hit the net?

Well if rumours in the MIdlands would have you believe that DJ Campbell is one option that Brian Laws has been looking at, but it seems he may be pipped at the post to sign the former Birmingham striker. Derby boss, Nigel Clough, is said to be close to tying up a deal with the striker who has struggled since making the move to the Walkers Stadium back in July 2007 for £1.6m. He joined Blackpool in January 2009 on loan and impressed for the Tangerines, netting nine times in 20 starts at Bloomfield Road.
This season however he has only appeared three times under the management of Nigel Pearson and finds himself down the pecking order for a starting birth.

Reports in the Sunday Mercury would have us believe that Campbell favours a move across the Midlands to Pride Park rather than a hour trip up the M1 to Hillsborough, but with no confirmed deals done as yet he could still become a loanee at Hillsborough,

As always we will do our best to bring you the latest loanee news as we get it.

Brunty has respect for his former club.

West Brom's former Owl, Chris Brunt, has today spoken about what he will do should he hit the net this weekend at Hillsborough. The Northern Ireland international needs no introduction to the Wednesdayites after a three year spell at S6 after Chris Turner brought him in from Middlesborough in March 2004.

Brunt made his mark immediately by scoring in only his second appearance for the Owls, he scored 21 League goals during his time with Wednesday in just over 100 league starts including notable strikes against Barnsley, Coventry and Leeds to name but a few of his spectacular goals.

Some may say Wednesday have been missing the set piece and crossing ability that Brunt brought to the side since he left for the Hawthorns in August of 2007 for £3m and I'd say they're right!

He bore the 'Brunt' of some pretty harsh abuse when he faced Wednesday for the first time after moving on, at the Hawthorns when Wednesday snatched a late equaliser through Steve Watson in November 2007 when the home side thought they had won all three points through a Kevin Phillips opener in the 77th minute.
At one point when collecting the ball infront of the travelling Wednesdayites before taking a corner he was subjected to unwarrented barracking from the Owls supporters and gestureed in a manner suggesting he didn't know what he'd done wrong.

The game was a tasty affair with Glenn Whelan and Brunt coming together in a few tough challenges but they were to exchange shirts at the end of the game.

Brunt, 25, has happy memories of his time as a Wednesday player and out of respect to the fans and the club, he told the Express and Star if he was to hit the net this weekend, he won't celebrate.

“The time I had at Sheffield Wednesday was a great time. I’ve got a lot of respect for the club and the fans and the management staff , so I would have to think twice about celebrating.

“But I will be trying to score because three points is what we’re going there for to keep us ticking along and hopefully get the bigger prize at the end of the season.

“The club was always good to me and I enjoyed my time there.'

Brunt added that due to the club giving him his first real chance in proessional football he owes Wednesday a lot for that opportunity also when he did make his first return to Hillsborough, albeit in the kit of the Baggies, the Wednesday fans gave him a decent reception.

“They were the club that gave me my foothold in football. I had four managers in three seasons there, which was not ideal, but it was a great experience.

“It’s a massive club and they’ve got some good people. Last season they did well after struggling the season before.

“At home they are always a decent side so it will be a tough game for us.

“I haven’t been back for a couple of seasons now so it will be nice to go back. I got a decent reception last time so hopefully it will be the same again this time.'

We at Owlsonline will certinaly give 'Brunty' the reception he deserves but obviously we don't wish his side the best for this weekend!

Gunners would have been Premier League loanees

With rumours of Tom Soares being the Premier League loanee that was to join Wednesday before today's loan deadline, it may have been rejection from Arsene Wenger that was infact where Brian Laws was turned down.

The Owls boss has revealed that he has spoken to the Gunners manager in regards to taking possibly more than one of their upcoming stars on loan this month, but it was the fledgling Gunners continued success in the Carling Cup that seems to have been the deciding factor, he said:

'We've tried to get hold of them but Arsene Wenger is going to play them in the Carling Cup,
'That was a disappointment.'

Since then it has emerged that Cardiff's out of favour Northern Ireland international forward, Warren Feeney, is the one that Laws is chasing ahead of todays deadline for loan deals.
Feeney, 28, has struggled since joining the Bluebirds from Luton Town in 2007 playing only 23 minutes for his parent club. He was sent to Scotland last season where he played for Dundee United, playing in 26 games and scoring six goals.

Any news as always we will bring you on Owlsonline as soon as we get it.

Northern Ireland international signs on loan...

Warren Feeney has just been confirmed as the Owls new loan signing, the Northen Ireland International has signed for the club until December 28th after the trip To Bloomfield Road, Blackpool.

Feeney, has seen his chances limited at Cardiff City since he joined from Luton Town in 2007 after doing well for the now non league side.

Brian Laws spoke of his delight at signing Feeney and thanked Cardiff boss, Dave Jones, for allowing him to join for a month, he told the clubs official website:

'Cardiff City have plenty of attacking options, having scored 33 goals in the Championship already this season so it has been difficult for Warren to force his way into the team regularly,
'I am really pleased that Dave Jones has allowed Warren to join us on loan because he is an attack-minded player with a lot to offer in the final third and he will give us a boost going into the festive fixtures.

'We have been creating plenty of opportunities in recent matches but we need to convert those into goals and hopefully Warren can bring something extra to the team in that respect.'

Laws also revealed there should be another loanee coming into the squad today before the loan window slams shut tonight, but has given nothing away as to who it may be, he said:

'I have been busy trying to secure new additions to the squad this week and I expect that we will have another loan signing in before the deadline later today.'

Feeney has been allocated the number 29 shirt and subject to international clearance he will feature in the squad to face Chris Brunt and West Brom at Hillsborough this Saturday.

Soares wings in,

As speculated earlier in the week, Stoke City midfielder Tom Soares has signed for the Owls today in a deal which will see the former Crystal Palace player stay at Hillsborough until December 28th where he will be eligable to face Blackpool on that day.

Soares, 21, has found it hard to gain a spot in the Potters side this season and only featured seven times for his parent club last season and spent much of the latter part of last season at Charlton Athletic on loan.

The attacking midfielder may be remembered by some Wednesdayites as the scorer of a cracking individual goal against the Owls when he was at Crystal Palace back in October 2006 where Wednesday went on to win 3-2 after Soares goal had put the visitors 2-1 in front.

Brian Laws spoke to the club's official website about the capture of the mdifelder, he said:

'Tom Soares is a player I have admired for some time and he is a midfielder with a great engine who can get forward and provide extra ammunition going forward.

'He played more than 150 games for Crystal Palace so has plenty of experience at Championship level as well as playing in the Premier League. Tom is also an athletic player and will bring more energy to our squad as we look ahead to a hectic festive fixture period with some key fixtures coming up.'

So it seems attack is the focus of Brian Laws' planning with the addition of Warren Feeney from Cardiff City earlier in the day, Soares will be eligable to face West Brom this weekend and he has been allocated squad number 30.

We at Owlsonline wish Tom and Warren all the best during their stay with the Owls.

SWFC v West Brom preview

High flying West Brom make the shortish trip up from the Midlands on Saturday in the hope of overhauling the Geordies at the top of the table whilst Wednesday will be looking to move away from the bottom end of the division.

Owls News

Wednesday boss Brian Laws swooped to bring in Stoke midfielder Tom Soares and Cardiff striker Warren Feeney ahead of the loan deadline, both will go straight into the squad for the visit of high flying Albion.

Soares could go straight into the Wednesday line up for the game on Saturday, the athletic midfielder has a wealth of experience at this level, he appeared over 150 for Palace prior to his move to the Potteries in August of last year, he struggled to adapt to the long ball tactics at Stoke, where they mainly miss the midfield out of a game but his performances when he did get a game was well received by the Stoke fans, he could slot in alongside Darren Potter, his style could deemed similar to Carlton Palmer.

Northern Irish international Feeney has played just 23 minutes this season and will most likely start from the bench on Saturday, the former Leeds trainee is trying to resurrect his injury hit career at Hillsborough, he scored 6 goals in 26 games for Dundee United last season.

Brian Laws is expected to name the same back five that kept a clean sheet down at Ipswich with Darren Purse set to miss out against his former club, the partnership of Lewis Buxton and Richard Hinds has looked healthy in its infancy and will be sorely tested against West Brom this weekend.

In the attacking half of the side the Owls have a plethora of options ahead of the clash with only Tommy Miller missing from the squad due to injury, Jermaine Johnson should be over his jet lag and his pace will be a threat to the Baggies this weekend, Leon Clarke’s impressive cameo at Ipswich could see him replace Luke Varney up front.

The Owls gaffer came under criticism of his sides lowly position during this weeks AGM but he remained defiant that the results would come if the team carried on playing the sort of football they have been doing in games against QPR, Bristol C and Preston.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Simek, Hinds, Buxton, Spurr; Johnson, Potter, Soares, Gray; Varney, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Beevers, Boden, McAllister, Purse, Esajas, Jeffers, Clarke, O’Connor, Feeney.

West Brom News

The visitors come in to the game second in the table following Newcastle’s Monday evening win over Preston, the Baggies though will be looking to leap frog back above the Geordies on Saturday. They beat Bristol City 4-1 in their last outing and are a dangerous attacking threat, they come into the game unbeaten in seven.

The Baggies have injury and sickness worries ahead of the game with Jerome Thomas, Teixiera and Robert Koren all missing training on Thursday with knocks, Shelton Martis also had to withdrawn from the reserve game with Walsall with flu like symptoms.

West Brom

Albion were formed way back in the late 1870’s as West Bromwich Strollers, which were a works team from George Salters Spring Works, renamed West Bromwich Albion in 1880, they turned professional in 1885, the move to professionalism saw them reach the FA Cup final for three consecutive years, losing the first two before winning the famous old trophy for the first time in 1888.

The club were one of the initiators of the Football League and in 1888 they were one of the original 12 clubs who took part in the League, Albion finished 5th in that first season, they stayed in the top flight until 1901 when they were relegated, they bounced back immediately.

Albion had a spell out of the top flight from 1904 to 1911 before the war postponed the league programme, upon it’s re-start the club won the League Title for the only time on their history, relegation followed in the mid 20’s before a return to the top flight at the start of 30’s however they ended the decade back in the second division.

The club returned to the top flight in 1949 and then spent 24 years in the top flight, the clubs highest finish during this period was 2nd in 1954, they won the FA Cup that season but a late loss of league form saw them miss out to rivals Wolves. The club was however gaining a reputation as a cup side and were FA Cup winners again in 1968 along with the League Cup in 1966.

Don Howe’s reign in the early 70’s saw the club edge back out of the top flight but player-manager Johnny Giles got the club back up in 1976, he resigned less than 2 years into his reign, he returned to Ireland to manage Shamrock Rovers whilst still controlling the Eire national team.

Ron Atkinson took over from Giles and guided an impressive Albion side to 3rd best in the country, he had players like Laurie Cunningham and Cyrille Regis banging in goals on regular basis, Big Ron left in the early 80’s and although his replacement Ron Allen guided the club to both domestic cup semi-finals in 1982 the decline began to set in culminating in relegation in 1986.

Albions’ fortunes didn’t change for the better following the drop and in 1991 they were relegated to the third tier for the first time in their history, they spent two years in the division before Ossie Ardiles guided them back to the 2nd Division via the play-offs.

The rest of the 1990’s were quiet for Albion with the club struggling to mount a promotion push and in 2000 the board appointed Gary Megson to change their fortunes, he got the club into the Premier League in 2002, they overhauled an 11 point lead from rivals Wolves to secure 2nd place and back into the top flight, the club then had a yo-yo spell between the top two divisions and have had two promotions and three relegations in the last seven years, they also had a play-off final loss to Derby sandwiched in that spell.

The Gaffer

Former Italian international Roberto Di Matteo is biss at the Hawthorns, he succeeded Tony Mowbray in the summer following his defection to Celtic.

This is only the second job of Di Matteo’s managerial career, he had spent the previous season at MK Dons replacing Paul Ince, the likeable Italian had guided Franchise FC to the League One play offs in his spell in charge but they were cruelly beaten by Scunthorpe.

As a player he began his career in Switzerland (the country of his birth) and spent time at Schaffhausen, FC Zurich and FC Aarau before joining Lazio in the summer of 1993 on a free transfer.

His time at Lazio was a success and saw him capped by Italy (the home country of his parents) and he was a lynchpin in the Rome club’s side until he fell out with the coach over a defensive error, that signaled the end of his career with Lazio and he joined Chelsea in the summer of 1996 for a near £5m.

Di Matteo quickly settled at Stamford Bridge and was getting a reputation as a goal scorer, he scored the fastest ever goal in an FA Cup final at the old Wembley when he beat Middlesbrough’s Ben Roberts from 30 yards after just 43 seconds. He went on to win the that trophy again 3 years later as well as the UEFA Cup winners Cup, the League Cup and the UEFA Super cup.

In 2000 he suffered a triple compound fracture and after nearly 18 months rehabilitation he was forced to call it a day at the age of just 31.

Key Players

Chris Brunt

Does this lad need any introduction? He spent 3 years at Hillsborough early in his career, tasted promotion and scored some downright ludicrous goals for the club during his spell, but finances and the ideals of the then Wednesday board saw him sold for £3m in August 2007.

A Northern Irish international he began his career on the books of Glasgow Rangers but moved to the highly rated Middlesbrough academy but failed to break into the first team unlike many of his contemporaries so he joined Wednesday on loan initially in March 2004.

His Hillsborough career began in spectacular fashion, he netted a stunning 25 yard free kick on his full home debut and he was eventually signed on a full term deal.

The following season Brunt was instrumental in getting the Owls out of League One, he grabbed 5 goals including a decisive second in the play off semi final at Brentford, he also made his international debut.

Brunt then topped the Owls scoring charts in the 2005/06 season with seven goals as the Owls stayed in the division, most of them were screamers, including 30 yarders against Coventry and Leicester, however he fell foul of Paul Sturrock who likened him to the Beckhams, one week he was David the next he was Victoria, this also saw him get unwarranted stick from some Wednesday “fans” who found his languid style to be deemed lazy, but the boy can pass a ball, he could hit a ball, he could cross a ball and he has the bit of summat that can change a game.

His final season with Wednesday saw him again contribute with goals and assists as the Owls finished 9th in the division, their highest finish since 2000, he scored one of the best goals I’ve seen from a Wednesday player, it came against Leeds too, how sweet, if you haven’t seen it or don’t remember it click this

Brunt appeared 147 times for the Owls and netted 22 times for the club before his departure, he hasn’t been replaced!

In his first season with the Baggies he helped the club to the title and promotion, netting the goal that sealed it in a win at QPR, he also shone for the club in the Premier League netting 9 times and was the subject of interest from several clubs following the Baggies relegation back to this level, he has already grabbed 5 goals this season.

Squad Number 11

Scott Carson

Another former Owl, Scott is the current Number 1 at the Hawthorns, and the current club captain.

Scott began his career with Leeds United but made just 3 appearances for the club before being sold in the Leeds fire sale of 2005, he joined Liverpool in a £750k deal, he made his debut for the club in March of the same year, he appeared a further four times that season and was also on the bench when Liverpool won the European Cup.

The 2005/06 season saw Scott appear 4 more times for the Reds, the last of which was a 5-3 FA Cup win over Luton, that turned out to be his final appearance for the club, although at the time he didn’t know it. In March 2006 he signed on loan for Wednesday and was instrumental in preserving the Owls championship status with a string of fine performances, he kept 5 clean sheets in 9 appearances for Wednesday.

Wednesday wanted to loan Scott for the 2006/07 season but the Reds wanted him to gain Premier League experience, he was loaned for the season to Charlton, he made 38 appearances for the Addicks but wasn’t able to help them survive the drop but his performances earned the Supporters player of the year award.

Aston Villa then took the England u21 goalkeeper on loan for the 2007/08 season and he kept 11 clean sheets in 35 league appearances and his form earned him a full cap for England in November 2007.

In 2008 he signed for West Brom for £3.25m as the Baggies prepared for life in the top flight, he suffered relegation with them in his first season, he has made over 50 appearances for the club.

Squad Number 19

Jonas Olsson

Swedish defender Jonas is in his second season with the club after signing for the club in August 2008 from Dutch side NEC Nijmegen for a fee worth up to £1.2m.

Jonas is either a left back or left sided centre half, he began his career with Landskrona BolS in 2003, he made over 50 appearances in his two seasons with club and earned caps for his country at under 21 level, his performances caught the eye of several foreign scouts and he moved to Nijmegen for 750,000 euros in 2005, he was renowned as a tough tackling defender in his native country.

His move to Dutch football appeared to improve his all round game, his regularity for bookings became a thing of the past and he impressed as he helped the club to two successive 10th place finishes, however a poor start to the 2007/08 season saw the club languishing in 17th at the turn of the year, the club then hit a spate of form and ended the season in 8th place, the club then won the Dutch play-offs for a UEFA Cup spot, Olsson appeared 91 times for the club netting 5 times.

His move to Albion has been a success, he made 29 appearances last season scoring three times, including a winner away at Middlebrough, injury restricted his appearances at the start of 2009 but he’s an ever present this term in the league, he’s scored 3 times in 17 appearances.

Squad Number 3

Team News

Team (possible): Carson; Zuiverloon, Meite, Olsson, Cech; Brunt, Jara, Dorrans, Thomas Cox, Moore;

(subs from) Mattock, Koren, Kiely, Mulumbu, Teixiera, Wood, Martis, Reid, Bednar.

Head to Head

A close range header from Kevin Phillips sank 10 man Wednesday when the two sides last met in March 2008, it was trademark Phillips and came in the final minute to end a 6 match winless run against the Owls for the Baggies and made up for the Owls late leveler in the reverse fixture in November.

The season before the Owls had taken the Baggies apart in arguably one of the best displays at S6 this side of the Millennium, 2 goals inside the first fifteen minutes won it for Brian Laws’ men, Glenn Whelan and Madjid Bougherra were the Owls scorers, Jason Koumas pulled one back for the Baggies in the 89th minute before Steven MacLean sealed the win with a 90th minute penalty.

You have to go back to August 2001 for the last draw, a Gerald Sibon thunderbolt free kick in the 5th minute was cancelled out by Danny Dichio 20 minutes later as Gary Megson’s side grabbed a valuable point which would prove decisive come the end of the season.

The clubs first met in the FA Cup way back in the 1890’s, the Baggies ran out 2-0 winners, the first ever meeting at S6 ended up 2-1 to the Owls in March 1901, Harry Davis and Harry Millar netted for Wednesday.

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 32

Draw: 8

Baggies: 16

Final thoughts

Wednesday face a tough task this weekend, Albion are arguably the best attacking side in the division and come to Hillsborough on a great high, Wednesdays poor run of form has seen them slide down the table and hover just 3 points above the bottom three, the club and manager need a win to get the feel good factor back at S6.

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Owls Magic sinks Baggies

Out of all the choices to look back on, for me this was by far the best performance i've seen the owls put in since the turn of the millenium. A top class side in West Brom came to Hillsborough and were played off the park. Never ever have I seen a top side come to Hillsborough and get turned over since the turn of the millenium, how we didn't win by more than 3 goals to 1 is something else

Wednesday had just come back from a decent 0-0 draw against top of the league Cardiff City where chances were limited although Wayne Andrews should have done better with his chance and the owls had to thank excellent defending by Bullen and great keeping by Crossley after a regular Bagheera fuck up to let Chopra in. Nevertheless a good result considering

Anyway on a cold Novembers night, The Owls came out and looked to get at WBA from the start. The midfield were breaking down possession quickly, the dangerman Koumas was getting done every time he had the ball and Wednesday fired their attack aimed at Russell Hoults goal. A Chris Brunt 25 yard free kick that just flew past the post gave the baggies a sign of things to come

On the 11th minute, a lovely bit of play by Kunt and John Hills fed Brunt down the left who put a beauty of a cross in, where Whelan timed his run perfectly to head past the hapless Russell Hoult to give Wednesday the lead. It was no more than the owls deserved from their opening play. This goal gave the owls the smell of the baggies blood and goals were doable, time to punish them they thought. Literally from the kick off, Whelan won the ball back straight away, played a lovely one two with Burton and attempted to chip the keeper which was not that far away at all. From Hoults goal kick, Lunt won the ball back off Greening and fed Burton who set up Andrews and Wayne was very unlucky to not get his first goal as his shot just went past the post. Well the owls didn't have to wait for long as from a foul on Tudgay, Kunt delivered a free kick where Bagheera timed his run perfectly to head home to give the owls a 2-0 lead after 15 minutes. Your only worry as an owl fan here was, could they keep this momentum going?

Unfortunately for Wednesday, they lost John Hills under a challenge from Diomensey Kamara so Thomas Spurr came on to replace him. The owl may have had a penalty but the ref waved away requests after Bagherra was bought down in the box, wednesdays hustling at the baggies restricted them to tame long range shots and the referee blew for the end of the first half with Wednesday thoroughly deserving the standing ovation they received from the fans

The second half started like the first, Wednesday dominating and had Paul McShane not deflected Burtons strike, it could have been 3-0 as Hoult looked beaten. More pressure from the owls saw Whelan just head wide, and Bagheera (having a great game) head over from Kunts set piece. But as expected, the yam yams started to get back into it and Kamara should have done better when he headed Phillips' cross wide from 6 yards. In the 72nd minute, lovely play from Jonathan Greening centred a beautiful ball to Phillips but Crossley rushed out and smothered any chance of Phillips firing into the net. A Darren Carter free kick also saw Crossley make two excellent saves, fisting away his strike and being alert to divert the ball away for a corner from Phillips' follow up. The Baggies did eventually get a goal back when Jason Koumas cut in and fired a beauty past the despairing hand of Crossley (who didn't deserve to concede on his performance). Never the less, up went the owls and a foul on Simek by Greening was waved away by the referee but silly Greening didn't amend his mistake and fouled substitute Maclean for a definite penalty. Macca in typical fashion, side footed the ball home sending Hoult the wrong way to give Wednesady a thoroughly deserved 3 points and a 3-1 victory over Tony Mowbrays West Brom

Owls line up - Crossley, Simek, Bullen, Bagheera, Hills, Andrews, Kunt, Whelan, Brunt, Burton, Tudgay
Subs - Adamson, Spurr, O Tossen, Coughlan, Maclean
WBA line up - Hoult, Albrechtsen, Davies, Perry, Robinson, Carter, Greening, Quashie, Koumas, Kamara, Phillips
Subs - Steele, Watson, Ellington, Gera, McShane

Attendance - 21,856

As i've said many times, I absolutely loved this game and by far this was the best performance i've seen the owls put in. On paper, West Brom had by far the better side and we played them off the park.

Another thing to note was the date - the 28th November 2006, also known as Chris Gibbons's last post on the wba message board (samba). With the recent floods in Cumbria (sure that's where he was from), I hope that his family are all ok and send my thoughts over to them knowing what happened this time 3 years ago. I hope all is ok up above for Mr Gibbons as well and hope that your side do not get anything out of tomorrows game on your 3 year anniversary.

BRING IT ON - BAGGIES

'After a week away from BRING IT ON due to some inhospitable, silent Tractor Boys who couldn't be bothered to respond to us, this week it's the Baggies who take their turn to answer our questions and this week the ansers come from WBA UNOFFICIAL and their poster Boingmundial.

1) Were your expectations for the season top 2 before a ball had been kicked?

In a word, yes.

2) Di Matteo, better than Mowbray? Yes/No? Why?

Mowbray's mentality was to play it pretty at all costs and trumpet victory in defeat. Conversely, Di Matteo's mentality appears to be win at all costs then preach temperance in victory. On the face of it, Di Matteo's methodology appears to be paying dividends; we're defending better as a unit, mixing up our play, breaking with purpose and scoring goals from all over the park. We've also shown a ruthless streak which one would attribute to the manager's mentality. Having said all this, Mowbray won us the Championship title two seasons ago before failing dismally in the Prem. The time for direct comparisons will be this time next year, if and when Di Matteo wins us promotion.

3) Chris Brunt, we all know what he's about and would love him back at Wednesday in our shirt, what do you think of him?

The archetypal enigmatic winger; he'll go missing for eighty-nine minutes then swing in a wicked assist or bang one in himself. He rarely tracks back and doesn't beat defenders for pace, so inevitably he'll get a bit of stick when things aren't going well, yet we miss his quality, and indeed his goals, when he's out of the side. To be fair to the bloke, his performances this season have been more consistent than last; but whether that's down to Di Matteo's playing methods, the quality of the opposition or simply the result of him maturing as a player it's difficult to say. Probably a combination of the three, in truth.

We'd make a tidy profit if we flogged him, that's for certain.

4) We all know of Bednar, Brunt, Miller et al but who is the unearthed gem at the Hawthorns?

Well, I think he's already been unearthed but Youssouf Mulumbu looks an absolute steal at £200K. Picture a young, raw Claude Makelele type. It's early days in his Albion career but he has the potential to become our engine room for years to come, assuming we can hang on to him of course.

It appears that we've also robbed somebody blind for Gonzalo Jara.

5) If you could sign one player (realistically) to finish your jigsaw who would it be?

There are doubts over the ability of any of our current strike force to hit twenty plus goals this season. Moore is the personification of disinterest, Cox shows promise but is still young and unproven at this level, Bednar is struggling for form and Miller only ever had one decent foot when he was fit. Therefore the general consensus is that we need a proven goalscorer without the proven price tag, so realistically we're talking either a Prem loan or a striker plucked from the European leagues. I can't think of names off the top of my head, but hopefully our scouts have a few to hand.

6) Other than your geographical rivals, who else do you REALLY want to beat?

First thought? That cheating twat Warnock at Palace. Also the Toon, for obvious reasons.

7) What do you know about ?Wednesday

I remember reading about a United fan who used to boycott the word Wednesday; each year he'd go through his calendar, cross out all the Wednesdays, and replace them with 'midweek' instead. Had to loff!

Joking apart, Wednesday are a proper football club in a proper football city. Same goes for United, to be fair.
I'll be interested to see which of the Sheffield stadiums gets the nod for our World Cup bid.

8) Any memorable moments against us?

You scoring about twenty minutes into injury time at the Hawthorns, then Phillips doing the same at Hillsborough. Most of the games I can recall between our two side have been pretty tight.

9) As your side is injury hit, what do you expect your starting line up to look like?
I think we'll probably go 4-4-2: Carson, Zuiverloon, Olsson, Meite, Cech, Dorrens, Mulumbu, Jara, Brunt, Cox, Moore.

10) Score Prediction please.
Another tight one. 1-1

Thanks to Walkers for throwing our questions onto their board and to boingmundial for his answers, plus all the other posters on WBA UNOFFICIAL whose answers will be posted on our messageboard for debate

Baggies dominate sorry Owls.

Wednesday went down to table topping West Brom this afternoon in what can only be described as a dire performance in front just over 20,000 fans at Hillsborough this afternoon.

Jerome Thomas was the main architect for the Baggies, creating havoc in a first half which saw Wednesday defending like amateurs in a twenty minute spell that ended any hopes of them getting anything out of the game.

Simox Cox netted twice in under ten minutes, before Thomas hit the third. Former Wednesday player, Chris Brunt, got the fourth and final goal of the game in the second period.

The Owlsonline match report will be up later tomorrow.

Jeffers on his way? WE can all dream.

Rumours have resurfaced regarding the future of the perennially injured Francis Jeffers this morning, with Sven Goran Ericsson's Notts County supposedly interested in signing the former Everton, Blackburn and Arsenal striker.

Jeffers was omitted from the squad last weekend to face West Brom and after another scoreless game for the Owls this prompted some fans to vent their frustration by asking why this was the case, and admittedly Jeffers did do ok in the reserve game in midweek against Derby.

But since he joined Wednesday back in August 2007, Jeffers has managed 32 starts and 18 sub appearances, scoring just 5 goals in the process. So that averages a goal every 10 games, which is poor at the best of times but when you consider that his longest spell in this side THIS season was in the games played in August, all five of them up to and including the Port Vale game where the headbutt incident happened that has seen him on the transfer list ever since. He has only featured ONCE since then as a sub, coming on for the last eight minutes of the Preston game in October.

With his contract due to expire in the summer, Wednesday would do well to make some cash from the League Two big spenders for the striker. But I suppose we can all dream!!!

Get yourself down to S6 this weekend.

Reading at Hillsborough this weekend is seen by many Wednesdayites to be a key fixture against a team who are perilously close to the dropzone and mores to the point below Wednesday.
A win this weekend would give the morale a much needed boost AND hoist WEdnesday away from the bottom three ahead of two tough away trips to Doncaster and Leicester respectively.

The Owls chairman Lee Strafford has taken steps to ensure that the most Wednesdayites possible can afford to go to the game and hopefully get the atmosphere back to something like it can be. To do this he has reduced ticket prices for the game, with it costing an adult just £10 for a ticket and a concession ticket will set you back just £5.

So if you know any Wednesday fan that has stayed away recently citing ticket prices etc as their reason for sitting at home watching Jeff Stelling on Sky Sports News rather than going to Hillsborough, then tell them about the offer, thell them its going to be a cracking game and drag them along.

Hopefully the players will put in the performance and the result will go our way as well.

Cool, calm and collected is the way.

Brian Laws has spoken out about how he is looking to turn the tide of recent results ahead of the big game against Reading on Saturday. Some may say it's way to early to quantify the game against the Royals as a 'big game' but with this weekends opponents sitting just below the Owls in the Championship table it could be easily called a pre Christmas six pointer.

Last weekends demoralising defeat and performance to table topping West Brom cannot be repeated and Laws is making sure the players are aware of what this weekend means by speaking to the players on an individual and collective basis.

'We've had meetings individually and collectively. The players know what's at stake and I'm not beating them with a stick.

'We knew West Brom would be tough and anything we got against them would be a bonus. So we always looked at the Reading game as the most important in terms of the teams around us. It's a huge game and everybody understands that.' Laws told the Telegraph.

Last weekend saw individual mistakes lose the game in the first half on Saturday and it's a combination of eradicating this and taking the chances when presented at the other end of the field that is key as the fall into the lower reaches of the division has become worrying, he said:

'We've been sucked into a place where we don't want to be. This is as important a game as any we've played against a team we've got to take points off. Doing that can change the picture.

'We're averaging 16 goal attempts per game. If it got to a point where we were not creating opportunities, that would be a concern. I'm expecting a better return for that but we must also stop conceding silly goals. Some of those last Saturday were absolutely pathetic.'

So with the possibility of a bumper crowd due to the lowered ticket prices and a Wednesday team who are keen to right the wrongs, it could be a rather interesting game this weekend.

Royal visit for Wednesday

Wednesday face a potential six pointer this weekend when Reading come to S6, the Royals have regressed this season following their play-off escapades last year and currently sit one place above the relegation zone.

Owls News

This is a massive game for the club and Brian Laws, the like able Owls boss has seen pressure mount over the week given the Owls embarrassing showing against West Brom last time out, it’s made it one win in seven for the club and the slide down the table has not gone unnoticed.

With so many players underperforming in the previous game against the Baggies it’s hard to predict what changes will be made ahead of the visit of Reading but no player barring probably Lee Grant is guaranteed a start this weekend.

In Thursdays press reports Brian Laws has hinted at changes in the front two, Marcus Tudgay has not scored for four games and as looked dispirited in recent games, he could be set to be re-united with Luke Varney who was dropped to the bench last weekend or new man Warren Feeney, both are in line to replace Leon Clarke.

In midfield I expect there to be a couple of changes to personnel, Tom Soares will have had a week training with the club and should make his full debut, he could replace James O’Connor and partner Darren Potter in central midfield, this area of the pitch will be key to Wednesday as the visitors look set to play 4-5-1 (4-3-3), you never know with Laws though he may even revert to the formation used to great effect at Bristol and try and match them in midfield but utilize the pace of both Jermaine Johnson and Luke Varney in wide roles.

Defensively, where to start? This defence as looked shocking this campaign at times, what ever the partnerships/quartets put out, Tommy Spurr and Frankie Simek were well below par last weekend and I expect one of them to miss out, with Frankie the favourite, Richard Hinds would be moved to right back leaving the door open for Mark Beevers or Darren Purse to come in alongside Lewis Buxton at centre back, lets be right though Reading will not be as good as West Brom, I doubt if anyone will be this term.

Francis Jeffers and Tommy Miller are the only absentees from the Owls squad, Miller has an hamstring injury whilst Francis Jeffers is suffering from Lazytwatitis.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Hinds, Beevers, Buxton, Spurr; Johnson, Potter, Soares, Gray; Varney, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Simek, Boden, McAllister, Purse, Esajas, Clarke, O’Connor, Feeney.

Reading News

The visitors come in to S6 sitting two places and one point below the Owls in the table, their recent unbeaten run came to end last weekend in a 2-1 defeat to Derby, the game also saw Brian Howard taken off with a fractured jaw and Shane Long sent off, both will be absent this weekend.

Their recent good form saw them end a 10 month run without a win at home when they beat Blackpool 2-1.

Reading FC

Reading were originally formed in 1871 and nicknamed the Biscuitmen after the main trade in the town, the club were founder members of the Southern League in 1894 and turned professional a year later.

The club did not enter the Football League until after the 1st World War following the restructuring and inclusion of the Third Division North and South, they won the division title in 1925/26 earning them promotion to the second where they stayed for five years before relegation sent them back to the third tier.

Reading several times finished in the 2nd in the division but were denied promotion due to the fact that only the champions were allowed up, a further restructuring of the league to non regionalise the 3rd division saw Reading kept in the 3rd tier thanks to their 5th place finish in the 1958/59 season.

The club remained in the 3rd tier in either format for nearly 40 years including the break for the 2nd World War before being relegated in 1970/71 to the bottom rung of English football, they remained there until the middle of the decade when they won promotion but it was short lived as the club lasted just season in the third tier, another promotion quickly followed and the club consolidated in the league until the 1982/83 season when they were relegated and almost sent out of existence, an unwanted merger with Oxford was also fought off.

Former Owl Ian Branfoot guided the Royals back to into the third division at the first attempt and consolidated their position in the 3rd tier, he guided the club to the 3rd division title within 2 seasons and they were back at the second level after a 55 year absence.

The club spent two years back in the 2nd division before relegation but had their best day out as a club to date, they won the Simod Cup at Wembley beating Luton Town.

After a change in ownership when John Majedski took over control at the club things began to brighten up for the club as the appointment of Mark McGhee brought them the 3rd tier title in 1994, despite him leaving mid way through the following campaign the Royals finished 2nd in the 2nd division, denied promotion by the reduction of the Premier League, they suffered play-off heart-ache as well when Bolton won the final 4-3 depsite the Royals being 2 up at one stage.

The club spent a further 3 years in the 2nd tier before being relegated in 1998, their stay in 3rd tier lasted until 2002 when Alan Pardew led the Royals to 2nd place in the 3rd division.

In 2005/06 the Royals walked the Championship, racking up a points and goal record for the league and for the first time in their history tasted top flight football, an impressive 8th place finish followed in their first season in the top flight before goal difference sent them down from the top flight in 2008, they lost out in the play-offs last season to Burnley.

The Gaffer

Irishman Brendan Rodgers took over at the Madejski in the summer, he replaced Steve Coppell who resigned from the club following play-off failure, Rodgers was just seven months into his role as manager of Watford, his first senior career managerial career.

Rodgers had been with Reading as a youngster but had to retire at the age of just 20 years old due to injury, the club however stood by the youngster, they offered him a role within the academy set up at the club, he spent nearly a decade as youth team manager at the club before taking a similar role at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, he was eventually promoted to reserve team manager in 2006. He held that role until taking over at Watford in November of last year.

At Watford he had a 40% win record in his short spell but has thus far failed to shine at Reading.

One little Owls related fact is that Brendan Rodgers is a Wednesdayite, he grew up supporting the club in the 80’s whilst cousin Nigel Worthington was helping the club to domestic silverware.

Key Players

Grzegorz Rasiak

Polish striker Gregorz is at his sixth English club after he joined Reading in the summer from recently relegated Southampton, following his former boss Brendan Rodgers who had taken over at the Madejski Stadium that summer,

Rasiak first came to prominence in this country with Derby in the 2004/05 season, he scored 16 in 38 games as he helped fire the Rams into the play-offs where they failed, he scored two goals in seven games the following season before he was sold for a reputed £3m fee to Tottenham to ease the financial pressures on Derby.

His spell at Spurs was a short lived and unhappy one for the Polish international, he made just nine appearances in six months and failed to net, he joined Southampton on loan in February 2006, he netted for the Saints in his third appearance, in a 3-0 win over Wednesday, he went on to score another three times in his next ten appearances.

Grzegorz signed for the Saints in the summer of 2006 for a reputed £2m fee and his 21 goals in 44 appearances helped the club to reach the play-offs, unfortunately his former club Derby ended the Saints run after a penalty shoot-out.

The 2007/08 wasn’t as prolific for the big man, he scored 8 times in 26 games for the Saints before being loaned to Premier League side Bolton, he appeared seven times for the Trotters in the top flight but failed to score.

Last season he was loaned out from Southampton to Watford, he made 25 appearances for the Hornets due to injury, but from 14 starts he grabbed 10 goals, had it not been for the Hornets finances he could have stayed at the club.

He signed for Reading in the summer, he has netted 4 goals in 12 games for the club so far this season.

Prior to coming to England he played Warta Poznań, GKS Bełchat�w, Odra Wodzisław and Groclin in his native Poland before a short spell at Italian club Siena.

Squad Number 23

Jobi McAnuff

Winger Jobi came through the ranks at Wimbledon, making his debut for the club in the 2001-02 season, he made 22 starts and 17 appearances from the bench for the club in his first season netting four goals.

The following season was even better for Jobi in front of goal, he netted six times in 34 games for the Dons in their final season at Selhurst Park, injury though curtailed his season in early March and he missed the run in.

Following the Dons relocation up the M1 he stayed with the club after the initial move but with the club struggling and after over 100 appearances for the club and 15 goals he joined West Ham for the remainder of the season, he played 14 times for the Hammers, netting just once as they lost the play offs to Crystal Palace.

He was deemed surplus to requirements for the Hammers in the summer and he was sold to Cardiff for £250k ahead of the 2004/05 season, he was an almost ever present for the Bluebirds, making 47 starts and two more appearances from the bench, he netted just three times though.

Financial problems at Cardiff saw him sold back to his native London, Crystal Palace spent £600k bringing him “home”, his first season back at Selhurst Park was successful from a personal point of view, he scored 8 goals and helped the Eagles to the play-offs, unfortunately Watford ended their Premiership dreams. The 2006/07 season was less successful for both Jobi and the club, he scored 6 times in 36 games but the club finished in 12th.

Ahead of the 2007/08 he signed for Watford for £1.75m, and after initially struggling to break into the side he became more of a regular around mid November, he went to appear 92 times for the club in a two year spell, netting five times, two of which were against Wednesday.

He joined Reading in the August transfer window on a free to ease the financial burden at Vicarage Road, he has appeared ten times this year for the Royals, scoring once.

Squad Number 11

Matt Mills

Centre half Matt came through the ranks at Southampton as a youngster but made his first team debut for Coventry during a month long spell, his second career game was against Wednesday in the League Cup in September 2004, he followed up his month at Coventry with a spell down at Bournemouth during the latter half of the 2004/05 campaign, playing in 12 games for the Cherries and netting three times.

Following the Saints drop from the Premier League he was given his first start for the club in the League Cup, he went on to make seven appearances for the club in all competitions before being snapped up by Man City for £250k in January 2006 making his debut as a substitute at Chelsea.

His full City debut came in October 2006, he played just over an hour in a 4-0 defeat at Wigan, in January 2007 he joined Colchester on loan for a couple of months, he played 9 times for the club without scoring, unless you count an own goal at Hillsborough.

The start of the 2007/08 season saw Mills join Doncaster Rovers on loan for six months, but the spell was curtailed by injury in November but he re-joined the club once he was fully fit in January 2008, he made 42 appearances and scored three times for the club in all competitions and was part of the side that won promotion to the Championship, beating Leeds in the play-off final.

He made the move to the Keepmoat permanent ahead of the 2008/09 campaign for a reputed £300k, he looked an assured buy for Rovers as they secured mid table safety, he made 45 appearances during the season.

In August 2009 he joined Reading for £2m, ir allowed him to move closer to his home—town of Swindon, so far he has played 8 games for the Royals netting twice.

Squad Number 5

Team News

Team (possible): Federici; Ingimarsson, Bertrand, Pearce; Tabb; Matejovsky, Kebe, McAnuff, Karacan, Sigurdsson; Church.

(subs from) Cisse, Robson-Kanu, Hamer, O’Dea, Rasiak, Armstrong, Mills.

Head to Head

This will be only the 6th meeting between the two sides at Hillsborough in over 70 years, goals from Shane Long and Kevin Doyle cancelled out a Sean McAllister strike secured 3 points for the Royals on their last visit, it was their first ever win at Hillsborough.

In the 2005/06 season a penalty by Steve MacLean just before the hour mark earned the Owls a point in the final home game of the season, Dave Kitson had fired the League Champions into a first half lead.

The Owls last won against the Royals at S6 in January 2003, the visitors were 2 up inside the first twenty minutes with goals from Martin Butler and Nicky Forster but a stirring fight back in the second half from Wednesday saw them notch three times without reply, Gerald Sibon, Alan Quinn and Alan Johnston scored the Owls goals.

The first ever S6 meeting between the two clubs was just over 32 years ago, Bobby Hope and Denis Leman helped the Owls to a 2-1 win in front of less than 10k at Hillsborough, this was followed up with an April Fools day draw in 1980, Terry Curran scored for Wednesday on that day on their way to promotion.

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 2

Draw: 2

Reading: 1

Final thoughts

This is a massive game for Wednesday, and the fans, the recent poor form has led to fans bickering about the smallest things and the only way to stop that would be to get 3 points on the board and turn the corner on the pitch, with prices dropped to £10 for adults and £5 for kids chairman Lee Strafford is hoping to get a decent crowd and atmosphere inside Hillsborough for this six pointer.

Visit the opposition

http://hobnob.royals.org/forum

Micky G backs Laws..

Michael Gray has been speaking tot he Yorkshire Post today about his time with Wednesday so far, and he cannot thank Brian Laws enough for the chance to play with the Owls.

Gray, speaks highly of the under fire Owls boss and he says people should remember what he has done for the club in the time he has been here, he said:

'People have got short memories and don't remember what he's done here.

'He's worked on a very low budget and the club was in a lot of turmoil when he came here. He's done tremendous the last few years just keeping them in the Championship, never mind anything else.

Although Gray admits the squad were looking at being higher up the league table than the position they currently occupy.

'And yes, this year we thought we could take that next step and improve on last year. But we have to remember we've only played 18 games this season – there's a lot of points to be played for.'

With the demoralising defeat to West Brom still on their minds it would have been easy for Gray and his team-mates to be going into todays game against Reading with quite a few nerves, but clearing the air in training certainly helps, even if it's just a chat about what happened.

'A five-minute chat can do the world of good, we've got a lot of young lads in the side and you've just got to try and get them as upbeat as you possibly can.

'So it's been pleasing to see the lads with a smile on their face this week. They have worked hard in training this week and it'll be nice to make all that hard work count at the weekend.'

Look out for the Reading match report over the weekend, hopefully describing a vital win!!

Owls catch on light Reading

One of very few highlights of Chris Turners reign was the remarkable comeback Wednesday did on Alan Pardews Reading after being 2-0 down with 19 minutes gone thanks to some 2009 style defending!

In the previous game, Wednesday should have thumped Reading at The Madjeski Stadium (despite Nigel Wankmans Pig Eyed Specs thinking the other way) so in a way this was deserved although to be fair, Reading should have been out of sight at half time

The Owls lined up as follows

Pressman, Green, Westwood, Monk, Geary, Crane, Soltvedt, Quinn, Johnston, Sibon, Kuqi
subs: Evans, Maddix, Haslam, Di Piedi, fuckin little wanker who wants a massacre of bullets fired at him

Reading lined up as follows

Hahnemann, Murty, Shorey, Mackie, Brown, Igoe, Harper, Tyson, Newman, Forster, Butler
subs: Viveash, Cureton, Hughes, Salako, Henderson

For all that remember this game, this is a classic write up of a game of two halves. The first half was all Reading, second half it was all Wednesday

In the early stages, it was Wednesday who had the gear up and Gerald Sibon (playing his last game for Wednesday) had an early chance that went straight at Hahnemann, after that it was one way traffic. Newman and Harper were having a field day against a midfield of Soltvedt and Quinn whilst Butlenr was having fun against errrr a player that shares his surname with a heavy lifting machine oh Crane yes that's it. Tony Crane, how the fuck did he have some years in the professional leagues, I could play better than him.. must have been because he was 6ft7 or something like that. To be fair, Paul Jewell did rate him and he put in a good shift at the lane in our 1-1 draw but this game he was given the run around.

Only 8 minutes gone and some magnificent defending by Wednesday gifted Reading first blood. Graham Murty had the freedom of Hillsborough and whipped a ball in where Forster was unmarked and slotted home from only 8 yards out. Monk and Crane stared at each other as both decided to mark the dangerous Martin Butler but no one picked Forster up. Hillsborough silenced as everyone thought here we go another defeat. Well twice Wednesday nearly went 2 behind as again pathetic defending gifted Newman with a chance but he fired wide and then moments later Pressman made a smart save from a Shorey 20 yarder. 19 minutes gone and as expected, Reading scored their second. A lovely through ball by Sammy Igoe found Martin Butler who steered the ball into the roof of the net to give Reading a 2-0 lead in front of a very disgruntled kop. Here we go again they thought

Wednesday were lacking cohesion in their defensive duties - Pressman came to the rescue by blocking from Forster in a one-on-one and Tony Crane scrambled the ball away from Butler after the tall striker was allowed too much room.

At the half hour mark the Owls' most promising moments had come from Sibon's looping shot, with Marcus Hahnemann racing to recover his position after a mishit clearance and Johnston's left wing probing.

As Reading continued to press, the team in blue and white were being shredded open with Pressman twice managing to keep them at bay before the break. The veteran keeper held on at the second attempt when Butler robbed Trond Soltvedt as he took too long to clear, while a firm palm diverted Nathan Tyson's awkward cross shot away from goal.

Anyway thank the lord, the half time whistle came to as expected, a chorus of boo's as Wednesday headed for another defeat. Alan Pardew and Reading were delighted with the first half performance and must have wondered how they were only 2 up. As expected Turner made a change and bought on Danny Maddix for the useless Tony Crane in a bid to stop the rot, no one was expecting the second half to be as it was

Wednesday came out on fire and some neat play by Sibon and Johnston almost found Kuqi but within 6 minutes Kuqi found Alan Quinn who raced through the Reading defence and fired a shot past one time trialist Hahnemann into the top of the net. It certainly gave Wednesday a life line and was the perfect start as hopefully it would rock Reading. However, twice Reading should have gone 3-1 up with Martin Butler missing a sitter when he was found in plenty of space and fired wide. Also, the impressive young Tyson should have scored but his shot was blocked by Monk enabling Pressman to make a comfortable save.

What happened next was unexpected

Sibon picked the ball up in the Reading half and went on a run before firing a low 25 yarder that flew past Hahnemann to mark his 150th appearnance for the club with a fine goal. Hillsborough erupted and literally moments later, Alan Johnston picked up a loose pass from Reading and ran through the defence before chipping the ball over Hahnemann into the empty net to give The Owls a 3-2 lead. How had this happened, no one knows. From being 2-0 down and completely outplayed, Wednesday found themselves 3-2 ahead and Hillsborough was going mental.

Reading pressed and Forster went through before an excellent tackle by Monk and Pressman did well to keep Browns sizzling effort away from goal. Alan Quinn though almost had the final laugh when his free kick fired against the cross bar.

Nevertheless, the unexpected happened as the referee blew his whistle and Wednesday somehow won the game 3-2. What a confidence booster for Fridays trip to some shitty wank crap disastrous joke smelly disgusting place where no one knows how to wash and think firing flares at little girls is rock hard!

The Chairman Part 1

Fashionably late, that’s me.. Well, so I thought until I walked into Dooleys and saw 10 other people in the room waiting for me! The traffic had been a right bugger on the way down from our house but anyway..
Please bear with me as it was a long night, (4 hours+) so the notes ended up being a bit scribbled/drawn/scrawled.

As per last time, a round of introductions.. So here’s who was present...
Colindobsonsleftfoot, Baresi, Moz, Me, Skamp, NorthStandMan, Danny and well.. It raised a smile.. GrantHolt’sDiscoPants, (who afterwards admitted feeling a little bit embarrassed with his own intro!) and of course Lee Strafford.

No messing around, straight in was Skamp like a shot.. What’s happening with this investment?

Well Lee was insistent that he did a bit of scene setting, and what went on before that undermined all our confidence in the subject of investment and how he came into becoming the chairman at our and his football club, cue a few looks of “here we go!?!”

But what we experienced for the best part of two hours was a full uncensored story of how Lee Strafford came into the hotseat at Hillsborough, yes as told by Lee obviously and I know some of you reading this will not believe it and for other reasons I cannot go into the full details, but for the people not in the know about things over the past 15 or so years here we have it in a nutshell..

The issues go as far back as the 1970’s when the club needed some cash and supporters were able to purchase low grade ‘C’ shares in Wednesday (having no perks other than first pick on tickets and being able to attend and address an AGM) resulting in Wednesday having a large shareholder base. Not before long things progressed to the days of Sir Dave Richards, and his plans to float the club on the stock market bringing in Charterhouse who purchased 37% of the clubs shares ahead of the planned move into the stock market. Just then the stock market had twigged that football clubs were about as attractive as having dog shit on your shoes and so the initial public offering (a term to describe telling the world that you had shares to sell) never happened.
If you want to read further about this... Click HERE..

We moved on a few years and the club had spent the Charterhouse money, on ill advised signings and other interests and the club got relegated and the debt began to snowball.. Again, click HERE for details..

As we entered early 2001, Charterhouse wanted out and basically ended up cutting their losses and selling their holding to Messrs Allen, Addy and Hulley giving them ownership of 29.9% of the shares in the club (a crucial figure as 30% ownership MUST result in a formal offer for all the shares within stock exchange rules) and so the fans trust later to be known as Wednesdayite were gifted the balance of 9.45% of the club.
Again click HERE to read more.

At this stage relationships between the PLC directors became strained and it seemed that this was being instigated by non PLC board members, here started issues of mistrust and forming of allies started, with key aides being recruited and well rewarded for their loyalty. Some of the operational activities could be considered as being difficult to see where the best interests of the club were being served.
Over time the local media were said to have been used as a pawn in the game, destabilising certain individuals within the club and as a result the club began to destabilise. After much shenanigans, internal fighting, and witch hunts, Dave Allen called it a day and decided that his future lay down the road, a bit further south.

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/Brea king-Sheffield-Wednesday-chairman-Dave.35 19064.jp

At this point an investor was wanted, and the aim was to keep the top table as it stood, with the investor's money boosting the clubs coffers. Along came Mr Sheard, and all the takeover news in the press began to materialise. This and the other ‘fakeovers’ is what destroyed the ability of many Wednesdayites to trust in the board or trust any messages about the club.

In the meantime the Diadora and psuedo Lotto deals for the god-awful quality shirts went through, as rumours spread that the staff were being instructed to avoid speaking to any directors at all costs and interference regarding training issues. And somewhat unbelievably the purchasing of players was also rumoured to be not all the managers doing, although this was thought to have happened in previous years also.
A rudderless ship with no captain, no direction, nothing, some may say there were a group of individuals in charge of the sinking ship SWFC at this point.

Now not wanting to sound like Lee Strafford is our saviour etc, but he was offered to help out at the club. After spending much time with access to club accounts but little internal visibility etc, Strafford and Nick Parker pitched something to some interested parties ended up as Chairman and CEO at which point they got a full picture of the operational reality decided after all that had gone on before them, something must be sorted out at the start of 2009. Look what the Yorkshire Post said at the time HERE.

There had been interest from four groups that were happy to invest as a consortium together, but circumstances were against some of them and doubts arose to both the suitability of the club because of the afore-mentioned operational challenges to the investors and vice versa, with one of them not getting clearance AT THAT TIME to be able to invest in British football. So that avenue wasn’t pursued, but LS claims that there is at least one investor from this group that is still keen to invest but things have moved on now to people looking to do the whole deal on their own.. Oh and the group that didn’t have the necessary documentation at the time but do now, well you may hear something about them shortly elsewhere.

By June they were satisfied that things had been sorted and once again the club was on an even footing to sort out its future so the search for investment could begin in earnest.

In June , Inner Circle Sports based in America were to come on board to market the club and find potential investment. Their efforts kicked in in late august following completion of their due diligence into the club. Click HERE to read their CV HERE

In the US, TV deals for the NFL amount to BILLIONS of dollars per year, and so far the infrastructure that is building is somewhat of an untapped market in the UK, with over 1 billion people thought to watch the top teams especially Man United on TV or over the net and now on mobile phones. Hence the reason why there has been a boom in interest from across the pond AND the reliance on brand familiarity.

But why do these things take so long as other clubs seem to get sorted out relatively quickly?
Lee Strafford wants the RIGHT people in at our football club, not ones that for whatever reason find themselves under investigation by the Football League or Premier League, it’s not a quick fix.

The next question then is what happens with the Co-op bank if the process takes so long?
Well we are told that the Co-Op are happy with the business plan and have no intentions whatsoever to put pressure on which will bring the threat of administration; it’s not in their best interests. So back on topic...

What do the investors get then?
The investment will be delivered by the investors buying newly created shares in the PLC and will also result in restructuring of the Co-op debt and converting the rest of the debt into equity (if you are currently owed money by the club, this will converted into shares), WHEN the club get promoted to the Premier League and the value of the business therefore goes through the roof then these current debt holders recoup their money by selling their stake; if the debt holders don’t like this and want their money back now then they will be offered the opportunity to take a ‘haircut’ the term for taking x pence in the £.

After being told that the visits that were recently publicised aren’t just done to put up appearances so to speak (why in the blue hell would a whole bunch of people travel to Sheffield just to get seen shown round the place by Nick Parker) and by definition the interested parties by virtue of moving from remote discussions to coming to Sheffield shows that we are getting closer towards agreeing something , so how realistic is it that Wednesdayites should see a breakthrough on the investment process?

The next big step for the club is the announcement of an EGM, declaring the interest in the club officially to shareholders. No we didn’t get a date and to be honest we were never going to get one as it would be highly unprofessional of Lee to do so, but the body language and conversation certainly pointed towards it being sooner rather than later and Lee did emphasise that the biggest driver in this process now is the fans and us demonstrating how big our club is and how much we want someone to come and invest in us with unity and positivity being a big issue while we are under the microscope at a pivotal juncture.

It's not an improvement.

We were expecting muck and bullets at least from the Wednesday performance, but all we got was another limp wristed showing from the men in blue and white as Reading walked away with the points and leapfrogged the Owls in the battle at the bottom of the Championship.

Goals from Gregorsz Rasiak and the impressive Kalifa Cisse ensured the Royals took all three points back to the Madjeski Stadium leaving the Owls wondering when and how the tide will turn in their favour.
There were three changes to the side that lost to West Brom last weekend with Frankie Simek, Jermaine Johnson and Leon Clarke being replaced by Mark Beevers, Etienne Esajas and Luke Varney respectively. Beevers stepped back into central defence as Buxton moved to right back where he has been for the majority of this season so far.

It was a dreadful first half with Reading playing the ball around which was pleasing to the eye but it was frustraing for the Wednesdayites as once again when the Owls were to gain possession they gave it back to the vistors on far too many occasions. Beevers was to deny Jobi Mcanuff a shot on goal with a fantastic last ditch challenge, and he was at it again minutes later this time to deny Rasiak.

In fact both sides looked nervous but with Wednesday giving possession away frequently, the visitors soon became comfortable and they arguably should've gone in at the break a goal up. Rasiak made a long run through from the halfway line before making his way through a couple of half challenges on the edge of the area in front of the Kop, but his final touch was a little heavy. This allowed Lee Grant to race off his line and smother Rasiak's goalbound attempt and Grant came out the worst as he needed treatment from the physio before he could continue.

The one thing that was impressive however was the support of the 22,000 or so Wednesdayites who did their best to rouse the players but it was to no avail as the first half ended goalless.

Half Time
Wednesday 0 Reading 0

It would have been fair to say we expected a bit of a better performance in the second half, but the mood was dampened just four minutes in as Rasiak claimed the first goal of the game. The most annoying part of the goal was that the warning was there moments before the opener. Mcanuff got clear down the right and looped a cross to the back post which Rasiak rose to head but it narrowly went over the frame of the goal.
Within minutes the same duo combined in almost the exact same fashion but this time Rasiak netted past a helpless Grant.

Ten minutes later, Wednesday had their first real effort of note as Tommy Spurr waltzed through from left back up to around the 20 yard mark before firing a low shot just wide of Adam Federici's left hand post. Luke Varney then went even closer as his swivel and volley rattled the post after a great flick on from Marcus Tudgay. The comeback was to be shortlived though.

McAnuff had been a threat throughout and after again finding space out wide he squared the ball back to Cisse to put the ball home and inflict defeat on Wednesday. With just over 20 minutes remaining it was too much for many of the Owls supporters who began to leave the ground in droves despite the mood being raised a little after the introduction of Jermaine Johnson the and debutant Warren Feeney with the former hitting what was to be the only real shot that Federici had to get behind in the second half.

Underfire Owls gaffer, Brian Laws spoke after the game and he says confidence is low at the moment.
'As a manager, you know if you are not getting the right results then the pressure mounts. I'm not stupid enough to think any different.

'But I said to the players, you've got to look to the next game, and maybe, being away from home, it might be just what we need.
'Fragile is the word I would use,
'The players are out there to perform. You know that their confidence is low.

'Reading knew that; it was always going to be tight with both teams down at the wrong end and the first goal was always going to be important for confidence.'

Final Score
Wednesday 0 Reading 2

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Hinds ,Buxton ,Gray (Johnson ,61 ) ,Spurr ,Beevers ,Potter ,O'Connor ,Esajas (Clarke ,68 ) ,Tudgay ,Varney (Feeney ,77)
Subs not used: Purse,Soares,McAllister,O'Donnell,

Reading: Federici ,Ingimarsson ,Bertrand ,Pearce ,McAnuff ,Tabb ,Cisse ,Matejovsky ,Sigurdsson (Gunnarsson ,65 ) ,Rasiak ,Church (Kebe ,23)
Subs not used O'Dea,Hamer,Karacan,Robson-Kanu,Cummings,

Perfect Hat-trick, 4-0, perfect day?

Doncaster Rovers away - remember that game well for the right and wrong reasons as recalled by Wanstead Owl

I remember getting into the station an hour early but stupid me wore a Wednesday shirt that day and ended up getting pulled over by south yortkshires finest. I ended up waiting at the station for about half an hour before being escorted to the ground. There were many times that I tried to get out but got a lot of abuse for it and told to get back in line or face arrest. I rather silly made a comment about todays world, get arrested for stepping out of an escort yet never get arrested for murder etc these days which was frowned upon by the police but i didn't care. I was pissed off that I had to wait half an hour and then the walk itself took around an hour as we were diverted many places. I ended up getting into the ground just as the game kicked off and fired a comment to the old bill which thankfully I was in the ground before they could come and arrest me (as it looked that way!)

Anyway to get away from possible arrest, I went straight down the far end to stand, well away from the police but was next to some rather mouthy young Doncaster fans. Very funny having a 10 year old making all these comments about the club. I remember starting chants of does your mummy know you're here which was responded well by the youngster. Once Maclean made it 1-0, the youngster fell silent. Then 2, then 3 and then when Macca completed the perfect hat-trick (left, right and head). it was micky taking cup final time through the end. One thing that I do remember well was Matthew Hamshaw making a real crunching tackle on Ricky Ravenhill and then clinching his fist in front of the wednesday fans, he was really up for it from that!

Anyway I had to be at work by 6 so I couldn't stop long after the game and headed out to the gates only to see the two coppers I gave grief to. Uh oh, looks like I'm in trouble so I decided to stay back a bit whilst the crowd was getting out. I then realised hang on a minute, i'll leave the other way and headed off in the other direction past the coppers and back out towards Doncaster station. Whilst on the journey back, I could hear police radios asking if they could look out for a Wednesday fan with a cream coat on and a football shirt on. Shit i thought, best walk normal and look as if i'm no trouble. I then took a dee tour and went a long way round Doncaster avoiding all the coppers until I got to the station where I saw around 40 coppers on the platform, that was it I thought. Do I bother getting arrested or not knowing I had work at 6. So I walked to the bus station and got a bus back from Doncaster to Sheffield avoiding arrest and then laughed that I managed to get away with it.

From that day, the coat I wore and the football shirt wearing was over (apart from the play off final). Since then i've bumped into the officer a few times but he's never recognised me thank goodness. A very interesting day all round I thought - saw Wednesday win 4-0 and avoided arrest. Not many can say that

Rovers or Out for Owls

Wow, can it get any worse, I’m quickly getting bored of the excuses emanating from S6 by the Owls boss over recent results, he is sounding like a broken record and one more defeat could see him dismissed before the week is out.

Owls News

Another disappointing home performance by Wednesday has left Brian Laws scratching his head at how to change things around and how to end our seven game winless run.

Laws has promised changes ahead of the trip to Rovers but what they could be is anyones guess because the changes he made on Saturday clearly didn’t work, that’s not to say that Mark Beevers return to the starting line up was a bad thing, he was the best of a bad bunch for me.

For this game against one of the best passing sides in the division we need to be high tempo, pressurising them from the off, don’t allow them time on the ball, I’d hope Sean McAllister would be returned to the starting line up ahead of James O’Connor but the Irishmans move to captain means this is unlikely.

We haven’t scored a goal for nearly six hours and we need to try different players up there to end this, I’d give Marcus Tudgay a spot on the right wing or out of the side with Leon Clarke and Warren Feeney up front.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Hinds, Purse, Beevers, Gray; Tudgay, Potter, O’Connor, Johnson; Feeney, Clarke.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Buxton, Varney, Spurr, McAllister, Simek, Soares, Esajas, Sodje.

Doncaster Rovers News

Rovers come into the game on the back of a 3-0 win away at Crystal Palace, it moved them upto 16th, 5 places and 3 points ahead of Wednesday.

Doncaster Rovers

Rovers were formed way back in 1879 and turned professional 6 years later, they were first elected to the league in 1901 but were in and out of the league in their early years before being elected permanently in 1923.

Rovers spent the majority of their early years in the bottom division of English football before they won the 3rd Division North title in the 1934/35 season but their stay in the 2nd tier lasted just two seasons. They bounced back in the mid 40’s to win the 3rd Division North title once more, they went down again before returning.

The club had their best spell in the 2nd tier in the early 50’s they had 8 years in the 2nd tier but after being relegated in 1958 they would remain out of the 2nd tier for 50 years, they flirted between the bottom two divisions until disaster struck in 1998 and they were relegated from the Football league, then off the field issues saw Rovers make news headlines as their chairman was imprisoned for arson.

John Ryan bought his home town club and set about returning Rovers to the football, he got his wish in 2003 as Dave Penney inspired the club to promotion, he then won the 4th division title in his first season back in the league, pipping Hull to the title. Rovers had several seasons back in League One before winning the play-offs in 2008, they beat Leeds 1-0 in the final and ended a 50 year exile from English footballs 2nd tier.

The Ground

Rovers ended 84 years of history on January 1st 2007 when they moved to the new purpose built Keepmoat Stadium, the 15,231 capacity stadium replaced the old Belle Vue ground.

The stadium is reminiscent of many other new build grounds, it has great views and facilities but lacks history and heritage, don’t get me wrong it’s great for some clubs but personally give me a rusting Hillsborough over most builds.

Wednesday fans will be located in the North Stand with around 3,300 being allocated for us.

Prior to the move to the Keepmoat used to be based at Belle Vue and this ground at one point used to hold 40,000, the ground has been the subject of controversy though, in the mid 1990’s chairman Ken Richardson was arrested for conspiracy to commit arson following a fire in the main stand, he was found guilty of the offence and sentenced to four years.

The Gaffer

Sean O’Driscoll joined Rovers as manager in 2006 ending a 22 year association with Bournemouth and in just over 3 years has won the Johnstones Paint Trophy, the League One play-off final and consolidated Rovers in the second tier of English football.

His managerial career kicked off at Bournemouth in 2000 when he was promoted from within, he helped guide the club to promotion in 2003 despite being hamstrung by limited finance, he also earned a reputation for playing football the right way.

With the Cherries in the 3rd tier he guided the club to an healthy 9th placed finish in their first season and the year after they ended up just one point off a play off place which given their resources was a fantastic achievement.

The 2005/06 season wasn’t as successful for the Cherries as they ended up 17th in League One, and barely a month into the following season he ended his career at Dean Court when he accepted the Doncaster Rovers job, Rovers were below the Cherries at the time but they had better financial backing.

One of O’Driscolls main’s main strengths as a manager is identifying and utilizing younger talent, players like Wade Elliott, John Spicer, Brian Stock, Richie Wellens and James Hayter amongst others have flourished under his management and have gone on to have successful playing careers.

As a player Sean started life in non-league before joining Fulham in the late 70’s, he made over 150 appearances for the Cottagers as a midfielder in 5 years at the club before signing for Harry Redknapp at Bournemouth, he spent 11 years as a player with the Cherries notching up well over 450 appearances during that time.

Key Players

Brian Stock

Centre midfielder Brian came through the ranks at Bournemouth under Sean O’Driscoll making his debut in 2000, he made 5 appearances at the back end of the 1999/00 season,
he followed this up with 3 appearances the season after.

The 2001/02 campaign was his real breakthrough season, he made 30 appearances for the club in all competitions and netted twice, one being a 90’th minute winner versus Bury, he was also called up for the Welsh under 21 side.

He was a big part of the Cherries side that won promotion to the 3rd tier via the play-offs in 2003, making 34 appearances and scoring twice. He however found the step up in divisions a little tougher than anticipated and was restricted to just 21 games in their first season back in the 3rd tier.

The 2004/05 season was Brian’s best season for starting appearances to date, he played 49 times in all with only 2 of them being from the bench, he chipped in with 8 goals as well.

He spent a further 8 months with the club before joining Preston on loan in January 2006, he appeared 172 times for the Cherries in six years. His spell at Preston lasted just 8 games, where he scored once before being allowed to join Doncaster on loan in September 2006, he was re-united with former boss O’Driscoll.

In his first season with Rovers he appeared 47 times for the club as they finished mid-table, he followed this up with 46 the following year as the club won the League One play-offs, he was also instrumental in keeping the club in the Championship last season with 8 goals to his name in 40 appearances.

His performances at Rovers have seen him capped at full level with Rovers and being linked with several higher profile clubs.

Squad Number 8

Billy Sharp

On loan striker Billy is currently the top scorer for the club after joining from nearby Sheffield United on deadline day in August on a season loan deal.

Sheffield born Billy was actually with Rotherham’s academy as a junior but was told he wouldn’t make the grade and joined boyhood heroes Sheffield United and made his debut for the club in 2004.

He joined Rushden and Diamonds on loan in January 2005, scoring 9 goals in 16 appearances which helped the club stave off relegation, he returned to United in April making a substitute appearance in a 4-2 defeat at Wolves.

In August 2005 current Owls boss Brian Laws persuaded Billy to sign for Scunthorpe United who had just been promoted to League One, Laws felt he would provide an excellent foil for Andy Keogh, he was proved correct, Sharp scored 23 league goals in 37 appearances that season plus another goal in the cups as the Iron finished in mid-table, Keogh notched 15.

The following season was even better for the goal-poacher, he hit 32 goals in a half century of games breaking a 45 year old Scunthorpe club record, these goals along with healthy contributions throughout the squad helped the Iron win the league title and promotion.

Ahead of the 2007/08 season he was linked with a move away, including one to Wednesday but boyhood heroes United brought him back to Bramall Lane for £2m, I dunno what it is about the Sty but little Billy doesn’t like it, he managed just six goals in his first season, two of them came in the League Cup, he also had to wait until March for his first league goal, although he thought he’d scored United’s equalizer in the Sheffield derby only for a flag to correctly rule it out.

Last season started better for the striker with an early season hat-trick but it was to prove a false dawn as he only scored three more in a injury hit season, he was transfer listed in July 2009 and made his last appearance for United in a League Cup defeat to Port Vale, he scored.

He has scored seven goals in 13 games so far for Rovers and like all good strikers wears the number 5 shirt (well Hirsty did it, once, in a Cup final)

Squad Number 5

Gareth Roberts

Wrexham born full back Gareth came through the ranks at Liverpool alongside Jamie Carragher and both were part of the Youth Cup winning side of 1996, unlike Carragher though he never made a first team appearance for the Reds and moved to Greek side Panionios in 1999 under the guidance of former Kop idol Ronnie Whelan, he made 15 appearances for the Greek before returning back home to join Tranmere in August 1999.

His first season with the club was successful for him as he made 42 starts and one substitute appearance for the club and helped them to reach the League Cup final where they were unfortunately beaten 2-1 by Leicester, he also earned his first international cap for Wales.

The following season was a poor from a team point of view as the club slid out of the 2nd tier after being relegated, Gareth played 40 times that campaign.

After relegation he stayed with the club and over the next three seasons he notched up a further 151 appearances and scored 7 goals as the club finished 12th, 7th and 8th in League One. The 2004/05 season was a better one for the Rovers as they reached the play-offs but suffered shoot-out heartache against Hartlepool in the semi finals. The hangover from the play-off defeat seemed to hang over Tranmere and they finished just above the relegation zone in Gareth’s final season at Prenton Park, his final Tranmere appearance came on the seasons final day against his current club Doncaster Rovers, he left after 338 appearances for Tranmere.

In his three seasons plus at Doncaster he has appeared 137 times in all competitions and has netted five times from left back, he has won a Johnstone Paints Trophy and a play-off final.

Squad Number 3

Team News

Team (possible): Sullivan, Roberts, O’Connor, Chambers, Shackell; Oster, Woods, Coppinger; Shiels, Sharp, Hayter.

(subs from) Guy, Spicer, Smith, Hird, Webster, Gillett, Wilson, Fortune.

Head to Head

A close range header from Paul Heffernan was the difference between the two sides last season in their first ever meeting at Keepmoat, his goal gave Rovers their first ever home win against Wednesday, the Owls it has to be said were shocking that day.

That Rovers win made up for the humiliation of four years before when the Owls crashed home four goals without response at Belle Vue just before Christmas 2004, Steve MacLean was the Owls tormentor in chief as he bagged an hat-trick, new loan signing Kenwyne Jones (whatever happened to him) grabbed the other.

Wednesday’s win in 2004 was the first league meeting between the two sides since the 1950’s, there had been three League cup ties in between at Belle Vue which the Owls won on all occasions, 3-0 in 1977 and 1-0 twice in 1978, the second of those ties went to a replay.

The Owls won the first ever meeting between the sides way back in 1947 when Jimmy Dailly netted the only goal of the game.

Overall at Doncaster Rovers:

Owls: 5

Draw: 2

Rovers: 1

Final thoughts

Wednesday as a club need to step up to the plate and show they aren’t as bad as recent form shows, we need to get 3 points on the board asap or it could be a long cold winter

Vote for Shez and Wednesday!

The Football League has announced the 50 golden moments, as nominated by fans, which will compete for the honour of being voted the greatest League Cup moment of all time.

To see the Top 50 moments and register your vote, visit [url=http://www.leaguecup50.com]www.leagu ecup50.com

This season is the 50th year of the League Cup and since August, supporters have been nominating their favourite Cup memory through The Football League website.

Fans now have the opportunity to choose their all-time favourite from the final 50 in an online vote. In the process, giving themselves the chance to win one of 50 pairs of tickets for the 2010 Carling Cup Final or one of 200 special edition Carling Cup Final balls.

From the first ever goal by Fulham’s Maurice Cook in 1960 to Ben Foster’s penalty heroics in last season’s final, the vote includes 39 clubs from across The Football League, Premier League and non-league game. Arsenal and Liverpool lead the way with four nominations each, whilst Aston Villa, Chelsea, Leeds United Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur boast two apiece.

The list of moments includes stunning goals (such as Dennis Tueart’s overhead kick to win the 1976 final), outstanding saves (such as Gordon Banks foiling Geoff Hurst from the penalty spot in 1972), brilliant scoring feats (such as Frankie Bunn’s six goals for Oldham Athletic in 1989), thrilling comebacks (such as Watford overturning a four goal deficit to beat Southampton 7-5 on aggregate in 1980) and landmark moments in the careers of players and managers from across five decades (such as Jose Mourinho’s first trophy in English football in 2005).

A number of famous giant-killings are included too, such as Swindon Town (against Arsenal in 1969) York City (against Manchester United in 1995) and Scarborough (against Chelsea in 1989).

Football League Chairman Lord Mawhinney said: “More than 78 million fans have watched matches in the League Cup since 1960 and we want those supporters to tell us their favourite highlight from the last five decades.”

To see the Top 50 moments and register your vote, visit www.leaguecup50.com

BRING IT ON - DONNY ROVERS

Right so it's an overdue return for Bring it on after a couple of weeks absense, so this week we speak to Steve from Donny Rovers forum, VSC, as we ask him to BRING IT ON!

1) So this season what were youre hopes/expectations for the Rovers?

Just happy to stay up, but would be nice to show a bit more progress and make it in to the top half.

2) Have those hopes/expectations changed with the recent good run?

Only slightly, its a long season and we've not the strongest squad so any improvement on last year would be a superb achievement given the losses of Wellens and Mills in the summer .

3) I recall being at Belle Vue for one of Sean O Driscoll's first games and he got dogs abuse, potentially how far can he take your side?

You're right he did! The sky is the limit for the fella and i fear his ceiling is way beyond what we can support. The problem for him going to a bigger club is how long it would potentially take him to bed his style of play in and if the fans would be patient enough to give him the time it required. It was about a year before we started to see anything of real progress and momentum and i just couldn't see the fans of a club like either of the Sheffield teams put up with that. The guy is a genius though and it will be a sad day for DRFC when he gets tempted away, with Wolves being the most likely destination as he's from that area and a massive Wolves fan.

4) If you could sign one player to be the final piece in the jigsaw (realistically) who would it be?

A big quick centre half, Mills has had a mare since he went to Reading and i'd take him back in a heartbeat cos he did a great job for us. We could do with some muscle through the spine generally, we had a lad Issou Dao from France on trial last year who was immense but there were apparently work permit problems that meant he was never realistic, he could have been just what we were looking for as a breaking / spoiling midfielder or CH.

5) Other than your nearest geographical rivals, who do you really like to see Rovers beat?

Forest cos i live and work amongst them. Leeds at Wembley though was pure undiluted pleasure!

6) Billy Sharp, Dean Shiels, etc are names most will have heard of but is there someone in your squad who hasn't made the headlines but you expect to soon?

It's a big team ethic down there so they all contribute, Sharp has been immense since he came in, he runs his nadgers off and has fitted into our style of play beautifully, if Blackwell can't make a useful player out of him at the Lane he deserves the bullet!

We've a number of players that do a great steady job, Chambers is a superb full back either side, Jimmy o'Connor too but if i had to pick one out with a bit of magic it would be James Coppinger (right wing / 2nd striker) on his day he just makes it all look too easy and could easilly play at a higher level.

It's a shame Brian Stock's injured because he has turned into a fantastic holding midfielder with great passing vision, i think its only his fragility that may allow us to keep hold of him very much longer.

7) So what do you know about Wednesday?

I know they're having a mare but have managed to get Coventry to agree to stump up half a million for Wood which is great business from the game i saw at the weekend! My Dad’s a STH at Hillsborough and I get regular updates, he tells me the midfield is non-existent in terms of quality, and at the minute Spurr has turned into a bit of a calamity at left back. I know that a lot of effort was made to keep Tudgay in the summer but from what I hear he seems to be playing like someone who now wishes he’d bailed for brighter lights – if Burnley could ever be described that way!

8) What are your memories of games against the Owls?

I remember last year at Hillsborough as the lowest I’ve ever come out of a stadium, I thought we played absolutely brilliantly on the day and passed you off the park, missed any number of chances second half trying to reply to your first half goal via our Achilles heel of a high ball to Leon Clarke.

9) Any Team news?

We’re quite settled at the minute, it was nice to see James Hayter get a game at the weekend and he looks made for linking up with Billy Blunt! I can’t wait to see him get at you tonight and hope he gets plenty of stick from the away end to fire him up a bit more than usual even!

10) Score Prediction please?

It will either be a routine 3-0 home win if we get a decent start and Copps can get at Spurr, but I am fearful of a bit of an aerial bombardment a scrappy goal and your lot holding onto it to save Laws neck, if the players are playing for him there’s undoubtedly going to be a bit of a siege mentality in the dressing room and at some point you’re due a result.

All the best and hope its a great game...Steve

Thanks to Steve and all at VSC who have answered our questions, if you feel the urge to go and have a word then click HERE and you will find the Rovers lot.

Cheers.

The Chairman Part 2

So with the investment part of things sorted, we moved onto things ON the field. (After Saturday things may have changed in the eyes some Wednesdayite's though!) Players contracts are always a discussion point amongst the support, and this season it's no different with six players out of contract come the summer.

Francis Jeffers, Frankie Simek, Akpo Sodje, Sean McAllister, Leon Clarke and Etienne Esajas will find themselves battling to gain a new deal with the club by June next year as their current deals expire.

Akpo Sodje was the main discussion point after the Charlton gaffer, Phil Parkinson, said that he was considering signing the Wednesday striker after his loan deal expires, with Brian Laws telling us in return that Sodje was sent out to gain fitness and confidence at the Valley before coming back to Hillsborough.

This is something that Lee Strafford confirmed, Sodje can be part of Wednesday's plans IF he proves himself after a cruel run of injuries which has seen his chance limited with the Owls in the past season or so. It was also mentioned that Sodje loves it at Wednesday and would love to stay with the club and he is determined to do all he can to prove to the management at S6 that he is worthy of a new deal.

So what of Richard Wood then? Well, Lee said that Woody was offered a new deal but his demands were more than the club could offer, BUT.. If the club had been on course for its season ticket target in the summer then a deal could have been struck then. Deferring the deal provided an opportunity for the agent to push the demands up and Wednesday were unable to break the club’s wage structure to meet those demands.

But agents soon became the topic of conversation and the influence they may or may not have on the players, as the deal with the Owls former captain may have fallen through due to the interest from other clubs in Woody if you were to take the word of his agent.

Lee couldn't thank Woody enough for all he has done during the time he has been with the club and he said he got off his sick bed to personally thank Woody for his services and told him that the door is always open for him.

In regards to wages, the somewhat thorny issue of the wages budget and how it has raised. Well what was it and what is it now? Previously our wage budget for last season was almost the lowest in the division at just £4.5 million, but with the increase in season ticket sales etc the budget now stands at £6.2m which has seen the budget raise to an estimated 18th in the Championship. If the target for season tickets had been met then it would have been £6.5m.

While the ticket sales may not be the highest in the city at the moment, but the increased awareness in the club has raised the public profile arguably substancially higher than that of our neighbours with the Sheffield Childrens Hospital shirt deal being a major factor in that. Bringing the community back into the club in more ways than one is at the forefront of moving the club forward, the community are crucial to the football club and in the stadium development.

The recent plans for the ground extension would of course put Hillsborough in contention to be a World Cup venue should England get the vote for 2018, but even if this was to not happen the stadium development isn't reliant on the tournament coming to the “home of football.”

By taking into consideration the community possibilities at the club it will be government grants that will play a major part in financing the development. The Local Education Authority, local health authority and crime prevention will be prevalent to the expansion. Hillsborough will feature a drop-in medical centre as the cost of treating early detection is cheaper than the cost of full blown illness, something that as a society we tend to wait until it's expensive rather than the prevention of the illness. An education centre of excellence to encourage the local school kids to attend and learn in an inspirational setting overlooking the pitch. With crime rates in the City as high as the crime rates in Doncaster and Rotherham added together, bringing in the police to get the message across to this new audience about crime prevention and tackling anti-social behaviour is another reason for the local government to back the plans. This is seen as a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Now the talking point would be the manager after the weekend result, but the subject of Brian Laws was brought up in some detail. So is his job safe?

At the moment there is no threat to his job, but things will have to change should the current situation doesn't improve, and there are three options. A) Change the team, B) Change the style of play, or C) Change the manager, but there was no preferred option at that time. The question was asked on how long Brian Laws had on his current contract but this wasn't confirmed to us or the notice period that he would have to be given should a decision on his future be made.

Asking Lee about the playing style and the team selection isn't necessarily his thing but to be fair he did his best to try and answer the questions, and the likes of playing Jermaine Johnson on the left when he's right footed etc. The reason for this was that JJ is the most threatening player we have and he turns the opposition defence more than any other regardless of him being on the right OR left. The proof of this is in the dreaded Prozone, the program that so many of the supporters see as a waste of money, but why is it so important that the management team have the use of it?

Well, it was commented that across football, Prozone is seen as a vital tool to aid the manager. Not only is it a statistical tally of the amount of work a player puts in, it can be used to show to the players that they have or haven't done their job regardless of what they think. So it's also a useful tool to prove to the modern day footballer that the rollocking from the manager they have just got is justified, as we are in a period of football where some would say the players have the power.

Prozone is used at the top level of the game but at a much advanced stage than that we currently use, with TEAMS of statisticians employed by the clubs and players are spoken to on an individual basis about their prozone performance, to put this into context Arsene Wenger has his OWN version of Prozone that is used throughout the coaching process in the teams at Arsenal.

So where will all this bring us? What does Lee expect from Wednesday over the coming season or so?

Well, the money from the season ticket sales for next season which are coming into the club at the moment will be used for NEXT season, not the January window or loanees this season. This will mean the budget for transfers will be known earlier, meaning the manager will know where he is at and can agree deals with players earlier than the summer. There will be no rushing around to get deals done in time, in effect it gives us an advantage as the deals can be done on a budget that is already sorted and managed.

If the deals are done early, the budget is sorted and things have moved forward where does Lee see the club come the end of next season?

In the playoffs, in THIS division.

Lee Strafford has introduced strategies to move the club up the footballing ladder, but as things stand the one thing we are missing is that substantial investment which would take us away from the middle order and raise the bar, while this may not be happening AT this moment publicly, the club now has an infrastructure, a progressive plan and interested parties who are genuine.

Some may not agree with his outspoken nature, his use of the internet and his transparency, but would you want the club to fall back into the dark ages with no direction, no plan and no future?

Our club has fallen from the top order spectacularly over the last 10 years, we just might be building the foundations that see us back up there sooner than you think.

Lee Straffford looks forward positively

Despite losing on Tuesday night, Owls chairman Lee Strafford says the team can push on after an improved performance against Doncaster Rovers although they left the Keepmoat empty handed.
He also paid tribute to the support the fans gave to the team and added they are vital to the fortunes of the club,he said:

'The vocal from Wednesdayites was also outstanding and the dedication on and off the pitch is something that is vital to help turn results around.

'Our supporters know that fortunes on the pitch often seem to go against you when you are at the wrong end of the table and that certainly seemed to be the case at Doncaster.

'But the effort of the team could not be questioned and if we continue to see that level of endeavour and commitment then our results should change for the better sooner rather than later.

'The most encouraging thing from Tuesday's game was to see that we are all together as a club.

'The supporters, players and management, are all striving for success and that gives me plenty of optimism and confidence that we are all keen to work together to transform our fortunes on the pitch for the better, while off the pitch we work hard to positively conclude the investment process.'

A tough trip to playoff contenders Leicester City awaits this weekend where Wednesday will line up against the side of Owls legend,Nigel Pearson.
Pearson's side have struggled of late after their early season form put them firmly into the top six, defeats in their last two games will see the Foxes keen to turn things around against Wednesday but with the last couple of visits being particularly favourable towards Wednesday then the travelling army of fans will be keen to see a repeat of the free scoring performances of the last two visits to the Walkers Stadium.

Look out for our extensive match preview tomorrow.

Billy the pig shoots down the Owls in Keepmoat showdown

Brian Laws made four changes from the side that lost to Reading at the weekend with Purse, McAllister, Johnson and Clarke replacing Hinds, Gray, Varney and Esajas.

The game had a bright start with both sides seeing plenty of the ball. With a couple of minutes gone, Shiels tried to break into the box but the Wednesday defence stood firm and kept them at bay. At the other end Tudgay sent Clarke running down the wing before laying it off to O'Connor who crossed to Johnson but his effort went wide.

Wednesday held the ball well in midfield and forced several corners when attacking but failed to go close to actually scoring. Potter saw a long range shot blocked before Wednesday earned more corners, notably after good work from McAllister and Clarke.

After half an hour Donny had their only chance of the half when the ever dangerous Sheils saw his looping shot drop just over the Wednesday cross bar. This brought on the only cheers of the half from a very quiet home support.

As the half went on both sides started to struggle with the weather conditions which saw bookings for players from the two teams. Purse was first to get his name in the book which was soon followed by Shackell and then the Wednesday version of James O'Connor for failing to get the required yards from another free kick.

The first half was drawing to a close but before it did there were chances for both sides. Beevers had to head behind for a corner in an effort that could have gone anywhere and then Grant comfortably saved another free kick. It was Wednesday that had the best chance of the half through Leon Clarke. He did well to get past the Donny defence before firing his shot across goal and wide of the far post.

Half Time - DRFC 0-0 SWFC

The second half started with chances for both sides and it was Johnson who went close twice for Wednesday in the first couple of minutes. Soon after, the home side went close but they were stopped by an excellently timed tackle from Owls captain Darren Purse.

Rovers had to play hard to take the ball off Wednesday and Chambers fouled Clarke as he was about to break into the box. Purse had to do well again soon after by blocking an incoming corner which fell to Buxton who cleared.

As Wednesday pushed forward they should have had a corner after Spurr saw an effort forced out but the linesman on the other side of the field awarded a free kick. Perhaps the Wednesday players' minds were still on this as the hosts went up the other end and scored the decisive goal. Gillet broke down the right and crossed to who else than Billy Sharp who scored with a free header.

Esajas and Soares were brought on soon after to try and change the fortunes but it wasn't to be. Beevers and Spurr also moved upfront and a chance did fall to Beevers but he volleyed over.

Full Time DRFC 1-0 SWFC

Next up for the Owls is another away game against Leicester City.

Laws denies interest in non league striker

Owls boss Brian Laws has today refuted press speculation that York City's Richard Brodie is one of the players that he may look at bringing to the club in January.
Brodie, 22, bagged his twentieth goal of the season last weekend for the Minstermen and he is thought to be attracting interest from a clutch of Football League clubs. Huddersfield Town and Peterborough United are both thought to be monitoring the Gateshead born striker, but Laws said today that he is not on Wednesday's radar.

“At the moment, I’m not looking further than the players we have at the club.' He told the Press.

“We are monitoring other players with a view to January but I don’t know where that rumour (about Brodie) has come from at all. That’s completely out of the woods.”

Brodie an England 'C' international, is thought to be available for transfer in January for a fee in the region of £250,000 and it seems likely that his future lies away from York's KitKat Crescent stadium. But it certainly won't be Hillsborough that is his destination.

Foxes v Owls preview

437 minutes, that how long it’s been since our last goal, nearly five games, the last time we had a run like this was in the Autumn of 2005 but we turned that round and that started away when we beat Burnley 2-1, on loan Chris Eagles ended a seven match goalless run, have we got an hero to do that on Saturday?

Owls News

Wednesday look set to stick with the 11 that battled well away at Doncaster in midweek buy if they show a similar attacking threat at Leicester it will be another blank day in front of goal, for all their endeavour on Tuesday the Owls lacked creativity and didn’t carve out any efforts of note.

Defensively the Owls restored Darren Purse to the starting line up and the former Birmingham and West Bromwich Albion defender performed admirably on his return, his experience could be vital to Wednesday at the Walkers Stadium.

In midfield Brian Laws preferred the 5 man option, some say it is 4-3-3 but it was more like 4-5-1 with hard workers Sean McAllister and James O’Connor harassing the ball players whilst Darren Potter was said to be the outlet man with Marcus Tudgay and Jermaine Johnson offered the width.

Up front Leon Clarke ploughed a lone furrow and will be expected to do the same again this weekend, unless Brian Laws decides to grow a pair and actually attack teams like we have done previously this season.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Buxton, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Tudgay, Potter, O’Connor, McAllister, Johnson; Clarke.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Hinds, Simek, Varney, Gray, Soares, Esajas, Feeney.

Leicester City News

Leicester host the Owls on the back of two straight defeats, but have still had a good start to the season and currently in 7th place in the division, they are 14 places and 13 points above Wednesday.

Leicester City

The clubs origins can be traced way back to 1884 when a group of Wyggeston School old boys created a club called Leicester Fosse, they took the name due to their home ground being near Fosse Road.

They were elected to the football league in 1894, they spent the majority of their early years in the Second division barring a brief foray in the top flight in 1908 before a sustained run in the top division from the mid 1920’s, Wednesday pipped the club to the League title by a single point in 1928/29 and the 2nd placed finish remains City’s highest ever placing.

After 10 years in the top flight they were relegated in 1935 only to bounce back within two years, they were somewhat of a yo-yo club and went down again just before World War Two ended the footballing calendar for seven years.

Post war the club spent the first 8 years languishing in the second division before winning the title in 1954 and again in 1957 after more yo-yoing, the second title win was the start of City’s most successful spell in the top division, they spent 12 years in the 1st tier and won the League Cup in 1964 and were runners up the year after, they also finished runners up in the FA Cup in 1961, 1963 and 1969 before being relegated.

After two seasons in the 2nd tier they won the division once more and were back for another 7 year spell in the top division, they continued to yo-yo between the 1st and 2nd tier, their longest spell outside the top division was from 1987 to 1994, Brian Little was the man who ended this run when he guided City up via the play-offs, he quit to take over at Aston Villa with Mark McGhee taking over, he lasted just 12 months before taking over at Wolves, he left Leicester at the top of the 2nd tier.

Martin O’Neill took control and got the club back into the Premier League and established them there, he guided them to the League Cup in 1997 and 2000 before being lured to Celtic, his replacement Peter Taylor however he lasted just 14 months before being dismissed in favour of Dave Bassett and Micky Adams, they couldn’t keep the club in the Premier League and were relegated in 2002.

Financial problems besieged the club in late October 2002, and they went into administration despite moving to a new stadium, the club somehow wriggled out of their obligations and kept hold of their better players much to the disgust of other clubs in the league, even more so when they earned promotion at the end of that season.

City’s spell in the top flight was again short lived, relegated in their first season, they spent the next four years back in the Championship before being relegated to the 3rd tier for the only time in their history in 2008, they quickly bounced back, walking League One last year.

The Ground

Leicester City moved to the Walkers Stadium in 2002, it ended a near 110 year association with Filbert Street, the Walkers is a typical new ground, impressive facilities but lacks character and history, you walk in the ground and it could be Middlesbrough, Derby etc etc only with different coloured seats, I know clubs have to change and it raises more revenue but give me Filbert Street any day.

Wednesday fans will be seated in the North East corner and are sandwiched in between home supporters, this does however lead to a good atmosphere, the Owls have been allocated around 3,000 tickets but recent form suggests we’ll sell around 2,300 of those time out which will be a tad disappointing.

The Gaffer

Big Nige, “Pearson” whatever you want to call holds a special place in the hearts of Wednesday fans, he was the captain of the 1991 league cup winning side and an integral part of the success of the early 90’s.

This is Nigel’s third full time managerial role, his first job was at Carlisle but it was not a success, he only kept them in the Football League on the season’s final day when on-loan keeper Jimmy Glass netted in injury time and kept United up.

After leaving Carlisle he moved into coaching at Stoke, West Brom and Newcastle, he had caretaker manager spells at the last two before being appointed as Southampton manager in February 2008, his brief was to keep the Saints in the division, which he did thanks to a final day win over Sheffield United whilst Leicester drew at Stoke which led to the Foxes being relegated, Pearson was dismissed soon after.

In June 2008 he was appointed manager of League One club Leicester, in his only season in charge to date he led them to the League One title at a canter, they are currently xxth in the Championship.

As a player he began his league career in 1982 at Shrewsbury Town, he spent a further five years at Gay Meadow where he made 184 appearances before being snapped up by Howard Wilkinson at Wednesday, he had seven seasons at Wednesday making over 200 appearances and netting with regularity, he scored several goals for Wednesday on their way to the League Cup final of 1991, he also scored Wednesdays first ever Premier League goal.

He joined Middlesbrough in 1994, won the Division 1 title in 1995 and promotion to the Premier League, he captained the club to 3 domestic finals including a League Cup final replay at Hillsborough, and he retired in 1998.

Key Players

Chris Weale

Chris joined the club in the summer on a free transfer from Bristol City, the 27 year old had grown frustrated at his lack of first team football at Ashton Gate and jumped at the chance to join Leicester.

He began his career at home town club Yeovil, making his debut in the year 2000 against Hereford in the Football League Trophy (JPT these days), he went on to appear five more times that season mainly in the Conference.

The following campaign saw him used 33 times by the club who just failed to win promotion with a 3rd place finish but they weren’t to be denied the following season and comfortably won the Conference to earn League Football for the first time, Weale played 41 times that campaign.

Chris and Yeovil enjoyed a good first season in the League finishing a credible 8th place, just one outside the play offs, Weale was again heavily involved appearing 40 times for the club. He then helped the club to the division title the following season playing in all but eight games in the season; the games he missed were mainly due to an injury late in the season.

His first season in the 3rd tier was disrupted late on when he sustained a cruciate knee ligament injury in a game against Scunthorpe, it would side line him until the summer, he did however agree to join former boss Gary Johnson at Bristol City before the injury and duly signed, he only made 2 appearances for City in his first season, both in February 2007.

At the start of the 2007/08 season he joined Hereford on loan but was recalled after one appearance following an injury crisis at City, he played just five times that season though for City. He started last season as City’s number 1 but the return to form of Adrian Basso saw him shunted out of the team after seven appearances, he rejoined Hereford on loan and made 1 appearance before getting injured, in March he rejoined Yeovil until the end of the season on loan and even managed a goal in 2-2 draw with Hereford, he kept 5 clean sheets in 11 games and it helped keep the Glovers in League One.

Since his move to the Walkers stadium he’s been an ever-present,

Squad Number 1

Matty Fryatt

Striker Matty has been with the Foxes since January 2006 after making a £350k move from Walsall, the prolific striker made his Foxes debut against the Owls.

23 year old Matty came through the ranks at the Bescot Stadium, making his debut for the Saddlers in 2003 in a League Cup defeat to Bolton, he made a further appearance before joining Carlisle on loan for two months, his spell in Cumbria was designed to earn him league experience, he appeared ten times and netted once before returning to Walsall, on his return he was immediately involved with the first team squad and netted his first goal in a win at Preston, he couldn’t help the Saddlers survive relegation, they went down on goal difference.

He became a first team regular following the clubs relegation and netted 15 times for the club in his first full season, and followed this up with 14 in 27 in the first half of the following season, that glut of goals let to Leicester making their bid and he joined in the January transfer window.

Matty settled in quickly at Leicester, scoring on his home debut, he followed this up with 5 in his next 18 appearances as the Foxes finished mid-table. The next two seasons for Matty and Leicester were shaky, they went through a succession of managers and it affected the forwards confidence he netted just 7 times in 69 appearances and the Foxes were relegated in May 2008.

The installation of Nigel Pearson as manager seemed to give Matty a new lease of life, his 32 goals in 51 games helped fire the club to the League One title, he has kept up his scoring form this season with 11 goals in 22 appearances for City.

Squad Number 12

Richie Wellens

Midfielder Richie signed from Doncaster Rovers in the summer for a reputed £1.2m, the former Manchester United junior had been scouted by several clubs after some impressive displays for Rovers in the Championship last season.

Despite coming through the Manchester United academy alongside Wes Brown and John O’Shea he failed to match his team-mates strides into the United set up and made just League Cup appearance for the Red Devils before joining Blackpool in 2000.

He was drafted in by the Seasiders to help them avoid the drop to the 4th tier but couldn’t and after just 8 games he’d gone from the Premier League to the bottom division. He played an integral part in the clubs revival though, scoring 8 times in 39 league games for the club as they won the 4th division play-offs.

The 2001/02 season saw Richie and Blackpool establish themselves back into the 3rd tier, he appeared 44 times for the club, netting twice, and they also won the Football League trophy. Over the next three seasons he would make over 130 appearances for the club and help them to win the Football League trophy again, they finished 13th, 14th and 16th in those seasons, Ritchie netted 9 times.

After over 200 appearances for the Tangerines he moved on a free transfer to Oldham Athletic in the summer of 2005, his first season at Oldham he made 51 appearances and scored 4 times as the Latics finished in mid-table but the year after and a further half century of appearances he helped the club into the play-offs where they met his old club Blackpool, they lost and Wellens suffered some abuse from the fans who once held him in such high esteem.

After just two seasons he left the Latics under freedom of contract, joining Doncaster Rovers, Rovers were renowned for their passing style of football which would suit Wellens down to a tee and it proved correct, he was instrumental in helping the club into the Championship, they won the play-offs beating Leeds, he made over 50 appearances that season and grabbed seven goals. Last season he played 44 games for Rovers and found the net on three occasions helping the club to mid-table safety in their first season at this level in 50 years.

So far for Leicester he has made 19 appearances.

Squad Number 19

Team News

Team (possible): Weale; Brown, Hobbs, Morrison, McGivern; King, Wellens, Oakley, Gallagher; Howard, Fryatt.

(subs from) Dyer, Adams, Kermorgant, Neilson, Petney, N’Guessan, Clemence, Berner, Ajdarevic;

Head to Head

It was a relegation six pointer when the two sides last met at the Walkers Stadium in April 2008, the Owls fell behind when Lee Bullen’s mistake let in Iain Hume and the diminutive Canadian striker fired past Lee Grant inside the first ten minutes, on 28 minutes Wednesday had a chance to level when they were awarded a spot kick but Deon Burton’s weak effort was saved by Henderson however the joy was short lived when Bartosz Slusarski levelled on half time. In the second half Steve Watson finished an intricate move to put Wednesday in front but suffered a scare when the referee awarded the hosts a penalty, Iain Hume took the kick but slashed it wide and to compound their misery Wednesday sealed the win in the final minute when Leon Clarke cleverly lobbed Henderson from 25 yards.

The season previous it was almost a day when Wednesday created their own goal of the competition, after a poor first half the Owls took the just before the end of the first half when Chris Brunt fired home from the spot, the hosts were then reduced to ten men when Paddy McCarthy was dismissed for a second booking on 50 minutes and Wednesday took immediate advantage when Chris Brunt doubled the lead with a stunning 25 yard strike, Stephen Hughes reduced the arrears inside 5 minutes with a deflected strike but this was to be Wednesday’s day when Glenn Whelan hit the target from 35 yards out, his effort went in off the bar, almost from kick off it was 4-1 when Marcus Tudgay curled home a beauty from 25 yards to seal the points.

The first ever meeting between the two sides at the Walkers Stadium came in 2003, Wednesday took the lead with a Paul McLaren free kick but a mistake by Owls keeper Paul Evans saw him allow a McLaren back pass roll past him and into the net.

Two goals by Marc De Vries secured Leicester’s only win to date against Wednesday at the Walkers Stadium in September 2005, Wednesday had just returned to the Championship after languishing in League One for two years.

The two sides have met regularly since the 1890’s with Leicester having the edge at their old Filbert Street ground, the first ever meeting ended goalless though in November 1899.

Overall at Leicester City:

Owls: 13

Draw: 14

Foxes: 24

Final thoughts

Now is the time for us to stand up and be counted, players, management, chairmen, board members and the fans, we need to get a siege mentality instilled into our heads and get some points on the board, Leicester has been a happy hunting ground for the Owls on occasions lets hope we can be singing jingle bells come 16:45 Saturday evening.

Final thoughts

http://www.foxestalk.co.uk/forums/

Beat the bookie 12/12/09

Right, Laceups has kindly accepted the challenge of trying to Beat the Bookie this weekend.. So here are his tips..

My choice would be for this weekend would be...

Accumulator

Huddersfield
Watford
Chelsea
Rangers
Spurs

£60 return for a £10 stake as they are pretty cert's!

Long shot

I quite fancy Villa to turn Man U over at 13/2 giving a £75 return on a £10 stake

and the boys are going to do the bizz tomorrow I can just feel it. A poxy 1-0 win hitting Clarke on the Arse and then Grant having a stormer!!

A £10 stake on score only will get you....£110
B £10 stake on 1-0 with Leon grabbing the winner will net you a cool £460

Enjoy your gambling

Thanks to Laces and if you fancy a go next weekend then please drop us a line admin@owlsonline.com

BRING IT ON - FOXES

This week we speak to a Fox called Bert and as always we ask an opponent to BRING IT ON!!!!!

1)So as the season started what were your expectations for the Foxes?
I would have been happy with a top 10 finish, but realistically anything above relegation is progress for us.

2) After hitting good form until recently have they changed?
Yes, there doesn't seem to be any effort or enthusiasm at the minute.

3) Nigel Pearson, Owls legend, do you think he's the man to guide the club back to its former glory?
He's done a pretty decent job so far. He's doesn't take no shit, and does it his way, and that's how it should be.

4) If you could sign one player (realistically) to be the last piece in the jigsaw who would it be?
James Beattie (UGH DURTY)

5) Other than Forest/Derby e.g. your geographival rivals, who do you want to beat the most and why?
Peterborough. Last season they thought they were bigger than they were, and then manager Darren Ferguson said 'There's only one team in it' (When they were at the peak of their form, even though we were still top) and their chairman was getting too big for his boots too. Saying that they were going to win the league, then be in the Premiership. I'd love nothing more than to see them relegated.

6) Matty Fryatt is probably the player who most fans would be able to name as your star player, so who is the next big thing at the Walkers Stadium?
It's a shame Waghorn is suspended and not ours, because he's brilliant, but for me it's Aleksander Tunchev, who won't be playing today.

7) What do you know about Wednesday?
Good club, currently going through some sort of problems, always beat us at the Walkers with some sort of wonder goal, decent support. Shouldn't be where they are.

8) Any particular memories of games V the Owls? Good/Bad.
Bad. My first away game was when you got relegated from the prem, and beat us 4-0. Then a few years later, you beat us 4-1 with 3 wonder goals! The worst though was obviously in 2008. 1-0 up and we lose 3-1 more or less condemming us to League One, where if we'd have drew we'd have stayed up. Having already beat you in the season, it made it more the worse.

9)Team News (or any hope we might win!?!?!)
Some hope, because we're playing shit. Waghorn suspended, so he'llbe a miss. If Robbie Neilson plays, you'll have a decent afternoon.

10) Score Prediction?
1-1.

So thanks to Bert and all at Foxestalk.co.uk for answering our questions, you can visit them by clicking HERE!!!

Laws sacked..

Brian Laws has been relieved of his position as manager this morning after the last straw was defeat at Leicester City yesterday.
A run of four straight defeats and five games without a goal saw Wednesday slip into the bottom three yesterday after Ipswich won 3-1.

By Laws own admission recent performances other than the game at Doncaster have not been good enough, and he knew he was under pressure. But now Lee Strafford and the board have decided that his tenure comes to an end.

More on this later, Owlsonline would like to thanks Brian for all his efforts during his time with the Owls and wish him all the best in the future.

It has just been reported on SkySportsNews that Sean Macauley has been put in temporary charge during the interim period.

Thank you Brian Laws

Yesterday we saw the end of Brian Laws’ reign as manager of Sheffield Wednesday which ran from the 6th of November 2006 until the 13th of December 2009. Today we take a quick look back at his time as manager of this fantastic football club.

In my opinion there is only one place to start when looking back at the good times – the double over the blades. As I’m sure you all remember the first game of the double was settled by a single goal which fell to Steve Watson. This game came following a draw in the previous game between the two at the lane and another win at Hillsborough. The second game of the double will be the most memorable and came after a 2-1 win. Tommy Spurr opened the scoring early on for the Owls before a pig equalised but it was Tudgay who stole the show with a long range effort. This sealed the league double for the first time in 95 years.

Laws’ first game in charge was against Ipswich away and saw Wednesday come away with 3 points and 2 goals through Tudgay and Bougherra. The team of that day read as this: Crossley ,Simek , Bullen , Bougherra , Hills , Small, Lunt , Folly , Brunt, Tudgay , Burton.
Fast forward to yesterdays team which was as follows: Grant , Purse , Buxton , Spurr , Beevers , Johnson, Potter, McAllister , O'Connor , Tudgay , Clarke.
Of those players, only Tudgay and Simek remain that were at the club over 3 years ago with Beevers joining them through from the youth side. There’s no secret that Laws has had his hands tied with regards to finances but sales from that side brought in over £3.5million and he has left us with players like Grant who is valued at around £3million, Tudgay who nearly left for a rumoured £1.5million and Spurr who could also fetch a high transfer fee. On top of that he has secured players like Tudgay and Spurr on long deals which is something that we all wanted to see.

As well as not seeing us lose against the blades in his first full season in charge and completing the double over them in his second, he has also had a healthy record in other local derbies until recent times. His first taste of a South Yorkshire derby ended in a 3-0 victory over Barnsley in December 2006. Goals from Andrews, Brunt and MacLean saw the points go to Wednesday that day.
At the start of the 2007-2008 season, Laws watched on as Wednesday produced a convincing 3-1 win over Rotherham in the League Cup, despite trailing at one point.
That season also saw us take another 4 points off Barnsley with Akpo Sodje scoring the winner at Hillsborough and a 0-0 draw at Oakwell.
Before Leeds were embarrassingly relegated at the end of the 2006/2007 season, Laws also took 3 points off them after winning 3-2 at Elland Road with goals from Tudgay, Brunt and Johnson.

While Laws was in charge there were a number of high scoring games which saw Wednesday come out on top. Just months after he had taken over he over saw a fantastic 3-1 win at home to WBA who were later promoted which was followed up by an excellent 4-1 win away to Leicester. The 2007/2008 season saw such results as a 5-0 win over Southampton which saw 2 goals for Sodje and later on a 3-1 and 4-1 win over Leicester and Norwich respectively.

So that brings an end to my little write up on Brian Laws’ time at Wednesday and all that there is left to say is a HUGE thank you for everything and good luck in whatever the future has in store for him.

Irish wants to talk to Wednesday.

Since the dismissal of Brian Laws as Owls boss yesterday speculation is rife as to who will be the next gaffer.
With former Wednesday left back Nigel Worthington now throwing his hat into the ring as his position as Northern Ireland manager seems to be coming to an end in a couple of weeks time at the expiry of his current contract.

He speaks highly of his time at Wednesday at says he would be foolish not to speak to the club if they made an approach.

'Let's be honest about this, in two weeks' time I will be out of work and I have to weigh up my options.

'I spent 11 great years at Sheffield Wednesday as a player and the club means a lot to me. If the opportunity arose to speak to them, then I would have to listen to what they have to say.'

Other press speculation includes Steve Cotterill as high on the list of Lee Strafford with the Daily Star commenting on the former Cheltenham boss.

Worthington is top of Skybet's odds for the next manager at Hillsborough at 11/4, Academy boss Sean Macauley is second favourite at 7/2 with former Scotland manager George Burley third at 8/1.
Other notable inclusions are Darren Ferguson at 12/1, former boss Paul Jewell at 12/1 along with Gareth Southgate and Jim Magilton.

Mark Robins is 14/1 and another former Owl on the list is Dan Petrescu at 25/1

It isn't clear when Laws' replacement will be named but there is plenty of interested parties for the position.

Is Shearer interested?

It won't stop until the managerial position is given to someone but rumours circulating in the North East suggest that Alan Shearer would be interested in taking on the role at Hillsborough.

Although the former England player and interim Newcastle manager hasn't been included in the bookies odds as a contender for the role, but some suggest that he may be looking favourably towards S6.

Shearer has made people aware of his intention to get back into management sooner rather than later, he said recently.

'I am hoping to be back in the game soon, but it has to be the right job'.

Would he see Wednesday as the perfect destination? Would the fans want him?

More news on the rumour mill as and when we get it of course.

Laws sad to leave Wednesday..

Brian Laws has spoke of his disappointment at leaving Hillsborough on Sunday, saying it is a brilliant football club and he loved his time in charge.

In a statement on the League Managers Association website, he said:

“From my perspective it is obviously disappointing to be leaving my post as Manager of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club. I felt that we had the nucleus of a very good side; we experienced a good pre-season and enjoyed a relatively good start to the season.
'I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all of the players and to my assistant, Russ Wilcox, first team coach, John Dungworth, and the rest of the backroom staff. I would also like to thank the fans for their support, Sheffield Wednesday is a brilliant club and I have enjoyed every minute of my time there.”

Still we are no closer to hearing who Laws' appointment will be as it seems that any decision on the new managerwill be held off until after Christmas at the earliest as Owls Chairman, Lee Strafford has said the appointment is key.

As always we will do our best to bring the news to you as soon as we can.

Laws was unfortunate, but that's football.

Wednesday 'keeper Lee Grant has spoken of his sorrow for the now departed Brian Laws, but it's not exactly a new concept in football that the manager takes the blame for the performances on the pitch, he said.

'Usually in these situations you find that the manager is the one that bears the brunt and that is unfortunately the way that it is up and down the country,' Grant told skysports.com

'It is no different at Sheffield Wednesday and after a few poor results the manager's position comes under pressure.'

So with Sean Macauley stepping into the breach in the meantime, how has the Academy Manager and Caretaker boss impressed in his short tenure so far?

'It has been pretty much business as usual for us because we are all familiar with Sean as he has taken on the role of caretaker manager before, so it hasn't affected preparations for Saturday too much.

'The boys speak very highly of him and his methods and he has impressed me since taking over training, so it bodes well and it is now down to us to turn that into a performance at the weekend.'

So Macauley is getting the players ready for the Visit of Swansea City this weekend looking to arrest the slide that ultimately resulted in the depature of Brian Laws. Look out for our extensive match preview later this week.

Hillsborough chosen as World Cup Venue.

The back the bid campaign has been rolling on for quite a while now with many cities all vying to get the chance to host World Cup games in their cities, and the venues have been decided and Sheffield has got the nod.

Also, Wednesday's Hillsborough ground has taken precedent over the stadium plans across the city, and when asked why Brian Mawhinney said that Hillsborough rather than Bramall LAne was chosen as it was seen as the strongest bid rather than that of our neighbours.

So all we need to know now is whether the country will get the World Cup in just over 8 years time.

The cities selected are:

Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle/Gateshead, Nottingham, Plymouth, Sheffield and Sunderland.

Watson back at S6

Steve Watson has returned to Hillsborough this week as part of teh coaching team which is looking to turn round the recent run of poor form and results in the wake of Brian Laws' depature.

Caretaker boss, Sean Macauley has enlisted the help of Watson to try and get the best out of the confidence sapped squad while numbers are low in regards to the coaching side of things.
Speaking to the club's official website Macauley said:

'Steve Watson is going to come in and help us because we are a bit down on numbers in terms of coaching staff.
'Steve has been coming into the club anyway for fitness purposes so I have asked him to get involved with us on the training ground and matchdays as well. He has a lot of experience and I have given him specific tasks to assist us with over this period.

'I can utilise his skills in several ways and the fact that he was a Premier League footballer means that he can help instil Premier League experience and Premier League confidence into our players.

Watson was a massive influence on the players during his eighteen month spell as a Wednesday player and it's that respect that Macauley is also looking to draw upon.

'When he played he had a confidence about him and as a player here everybody respected him. Our players need somebody behind them who can give them the advice that could prove invaluable.'

McAuley ready for Swans test

Managerless Wednesday entertain high flying Swansea City this weekend and hope to bring some festive cheer to the Hillsborough masses, it is kids for a quid as well as the club look to lighten the Christmas load on the family wallet.

Owls News

Sean McAuley takes charge of Wednesday this weekend following the dismissal of Brian Laws last weekend, the likeable Owls boss was given his marching orders after just 11 wins in 2009 and with the Owls dropping into the bottom three for the first time since Spring 2008.

Academy boss McAuley is in his second spell and Wednesdayites can only hope it’s successful as his first, prior to the Owls appointing Brian Laws the former Manchester United trainee took charge of four games and transformed the Owls season with ten points from four games, with the current form that sort of return would be welcome by everyone connected with the club.

It’s a clean sheet for every player this weekend and I expect Sean McAuley aided by Steve Watson and Billy Mercer will make changes and pick the side he feels will suit best.

I’ll be honest I have no idea what side will be put out by the Owls but I hope we go for it, gung ho, and use the wingers to terrify the opposition, be it JJ and SAS, Mickey G or Tom Soares this is the game we have to try and play football and win.

We need to be gung ho to break our five game goalless run, the comparisons to the run in 2005 is quite freaky, no win in 9, 7 without a goal and in the bottom three, we survived that we can survive this.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Simek, Beevers, Purse, Gray; Johnson, McAllister, Soares, Esajas; Feeney, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Hinds, O’Connor, Buxton, Clarke, Miller, Boden, Potter, O’Connor, Varney;

Swansea News

The Swans come to S6 as the sixth best side in the league, which is a remarkable feat after a start which saw them win just one of their first six games, they have 32 points from 21 games this term.

Their recent form is patchy though with just 1 win in their last four league outings, Nottm Forest beat them 1-0 at the Liberty last time out.

Swansea City FC

The Swans have been in existence for some 97 years, they were formed back in 1912, they began life in the Southern League second division but following the expansion of the football league in 1920 they joined the 3rd Division.

After an initial settling period the club won the 3rd division South title in 1925 and were promoted and would spend the next 20 war interrupted years in the second tier, the club also reached the FA Cup semi finals in 1926, Bolton Wanderers beat them at White Hart Lane.

Following relegation in 1947 the club had a season of consolidation before winning the 3rd division title for the second time in 1949, this promotion saw the Swans into the second tier and they would spend the next 15 years in the division, although it has to be said they only once looked like escaping the division the right way once during this time, in the 1955/56 season where their late season form cost them a chance of top flight football. In the 1963/64 season they reached the FA Cup semi final once more despite fighting relegation, they once again lost out, this time to Preston at Villa Park. They were relegated a year later.

After their relegation in 1965 the Swans began a depressing spiral and within two years they were in the bottom tier of the Football League, they only spend one season there before regaining promotion, and in the 1971/72 season promotion looked on the cards until they went on a shocking late season run and missed out, it was to prove costly as by 1974 they had been relegated back to the 4th division and later had to apply for re-election after finishing 21st.

In February 1978 the Swans were 5th in the Fourth Division and promotion looked on the cards but manager Harry Griffiths felt he could not be the one to help them make the step and John Toshack was brought in as player manager, at 28 he was the youngest boss in the divisions, he and Griffiths seemed the dream ticket and promotion was already looking a cert when Griffiths sadly passed away after suffering a heart attack in later April, the team however battled in his honour and sealed promotion.

Toshack somehow had the Midas touch and within twelve months the Swans were promoted again, thus ending a 14 year exile from the second tier. They followed this up with a season of consolidation in the 1979/80 campaign before bringing Top flight football to Swansea by finishing 3rd in the 2nd division in 1981 and completed a fairytale rise through the divisions.

The clubs rise through the divisions had not gone unnoticed and they did not disappoint the 1st division, they topped the league at various stages of that season and barring injuries would have probably finished higher than the impressive 6th place in which they did, however the dream would soon turn into a bitter nightmare.

By 1986 the club had found itself languishing back in the Fourth division, financial difficulties, poor signings and a loss of form saw the end of John Toshacks reign, the club were also rescued from insolvency by local businessmen.

The club fought it’s way out of the bottom tier via the play-offs in 1988 and began an 8 year tenure in the 3rd division (in every guise), they even flirted with the play-offs to the 2nd tier in the mid 90’s only to be beaten by West Brom. From the mid 90’s you couldn’t script the happenings at Swansea City, 4 managers in a season, various take-overs, fan revolts etc and all this had a destabilizing effect on the pitch, despite this they won the 4th tier title in 2000, but the joy was short lived with immediate relegation the season after, and with the stresses of off the field problems the club looked set to be demoted out of the league only for a final day reprieve at the hands of Exeter in the 2001/02 season.

After a change in ownership and some stability was brought in the club began to flourish and dreams of higher level football became a reality, winning promotion by finishing 3rd in the 2004/05 season.

Once back in the 3rd tier and at their new Liberty Stadium the Swans began to push for a return to Second division football for the first time since the mid 80’s but missed out in the 2006 season thanks to a play-off final defeat, they were mid table the season after before winning the league in 2007-08 season and ending a 24 year exile from the 2nd tier.

Last season they finished a respectable 8th in the Championship.

The Gaffer

Paolo Sousa replaced Roberto Martinez as gaffer in the summer, the former Portuguese international had just been replaced himself at QPR.

As a player he was a member of the “golden generation” a name given to members of the Portuguese national team of the mid to late 90’s alongside the likes of Manuel Rui Costa, Joao Pinto and Luis Figo. Amongst his former clubs are the Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Parma and Espanyol, he was a winner with pretty much every club he played, including twice a Champions League winner, injury forced him to end his illustrious career early.

He was assistant manager to the Portuguese national side when QPR acquired his services in November 2008 but he was to last just 5 months before being sacked for divulging club information, however lets not lie about it, all is not rosy at QPR and it wouldn’t surprise me if Sousa refused to be Briatore’s puppet.

He was appointed Swansea manager in June following Roberto Martinez’s move to Wigan, after a slow start he has suddenly seemed to have made things click and the Swans are well set to battle for a play-off spot.

Key Players

Ashley Williams

Defender Ashley joined the club late in the 2007/08 season from cash strapped Stockport County, the one time West Brom trainee had been attracting a lot of attention following some impressive performances for the Hatters, he cost around £400k.

He was released by West Brom at the age of 16 and joined near by Hednesford Town in non-league, he made 34 league appearances for the club before being invited for trials by Stockport and Oldham in 2003, the Hatters won the battle and he signed in December 2003 on a full deal.

He spent four happy years at Edgeley Park, and his impressive displays even in the lower echelons of the Football pyramid didn’t stop him earning full international honours with Wales.

In his first part season with Stockport he made 10 appearances as the club just survived the drop to League Two, he followed that up with 49 appearances the following season as the Hatters unfortunately couldn’t beat the drop. He was then part of the County side that almost went out of the football league at the end of the 2005/06 with only three points the difference between the clubs, he made 38 appearances that campaign.

The next season was a better one from the clubs point of view with only goal difference keeping them out of the play-offs, Ashley appeared 49 times during that season, he followed that up with 26 the following year before sealing his move, initially on loan, to Swansea.

He made 3 appearances for the Swans who were already on their way to the League title, last season he was an ever present for the Swans notching 51 appearances in all competitions and has 21 appearances to his name this term.

Squad Number 2

Nathan Dyer

Nathan came through the ranks at Southampton and made his debut after the club were relegated from the Premier League in 2005, it was a scoring debut in a 3-0 win at Southend, he played twice more for the Saints before joining Burnley on loan.

He played 5 times for the Clarets, netting twice, again one was on his debut for the club, he quickly returned to the Saints to ease an injury crisis and made 19 more appearances for the club as they finished mid table.

Nathan played 21 times for the Saints in 2006/07, mainly as a sub, as the club made the play-offs but injuries saw him miss the end of the season and miss out on the play-offs, he netted just once, in a Carling cup tie against Yeovil.

Dyer was heavily involved with the Saints at the start of the 2007/08 season and made 16 appearances up to the end of November 2007 but he got injured and missed the next five months returning just in time to play a part in the Saints bid to stay, which succeeded.

Last season he played five times for the Saints before being allowed to join Sheffield United on loan after an incident with the police, he played just seven times for the Blades in a three month spell, netting once before joining Swansea where he made 21 appearances between January and the end of the season, he netted 3 times including one in the South Wales derby.

He has made 21 appearances this season for the club.

Squad Number 12

Lee Trundle

Lee is back at the club where he made his name, albeit on loan but he’s back at his beloved Swansea City.

Liverpool born Lee was a late starter in the professional game, he racked up spells at Stalybridge Celtic, Southport, Bamber Bridge and Rhyl before Brian Flynn offered him a shot at League football with Wrexham in late 2000, he was 24 years old.

Lee quickly adapted to League football netting 8 times in 14 League One games for the Dragons, including a hat-trick against Oxford, the next season he netted ten goals for the club couldn’t help them survive the drop to League Two but his twelve goals in the 2002/03 season were instrumental in helping the club climb back to League One after finishing third, he was however released on a free in the summer of 2003 after 30 goals in 102 appearances for the club.

He was re-united with former boss Brian Flynn when he joined Swansea and his goals and skill quickly won the hearts of the Vetch faithful , he scored 22 goals for the club as they finished 10th in League Two, he followed that up with 23 goals the next term in 49 appearances as the Swans finished 3rd in the league and won promotion.

Swansea and Lee settled easily into League One, the Swans finished sixth and reached the play-off final with Lee’s 21 goals in all competitions a large reason for their success, however penalties cost them in the final, during that season he was linked a £750k move to S6 but the Swans rejected the bid. His final season for the Swans was one of disappointment for the club when they finished mid-table but Lee scored 20 goals, this form alerted recently promoted Bristol City and he agreed a £1m move across the Severn Bridge, he made 173 appearances for the club in all competitions and scored 86 goals, which is nearly a goal every two games.

His spell at Bristol wasn’t as successful as his previous spells with Wrexham and Swansea, he netted just 6 goals for the club in the 2007/08 in 41 appearances as they lost the play-off final to Hull, he made just 20 appearances for the club last term, netting once, he also had a spell at Leeds on loan.

He returned to the Swans on loan in August and has 5 goals in 9 games for the club this term, he has only started one game for the club in that spell too.

Squad Number 19

Team News

Team (possible): De Vries; Williams, Tate, Bessone; Rangel, Pratley, Britton, Orlandi, Van Der Gun; Dyer, Beattie.

(subs from) Lopez, Pintado, Cornell, Trundle, Allen, Serran, Cotterill, Gower, Butler.

Head to Head

The two clubs ground out a goalless draw when the sides met back in March in the first Hillsborough meeting between the clubs for 25 years, the game saw the Owls give a debut to Luke Varney and saw the return of the Owls band (oh god).

As mentioned above the previous meeting to last seasons draw came way back in 1984, goals from Pat Heard, Mick Lyons, Gary Megson, John Pearson, Imre Varadi (spit) and a John Toshack rising like a salmon bullet header into his own net saw the Owls run out 6-1 winners, Wednesday were sitting pretty at the top of the second division table.

Prior to that the two clubs met in 1980, Mel Sterland and Andy McCulloch netted for the Owls in a 2-0 win, the result didn’t affect the Swans earning promotion to the top tier though,

The clubs first met way back in the mid 1920’s, eventual Second Division champions Wednesday won 3-1, Matt Barass, Lewis Bedford and Fred Kean were the scorers for the Owls against then Swansea Town, the Swans finished fifth.

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 7

Draw: 6

Swansea: 0

Final thoughts

Can Sean McAuley prosper where Brian Laws failed? Can he get the Wednesday back on the right track and inspire some Christmas cheer, I bloody hope so the last two months have been a shitter as a Wednesday fan and I for want to embrace a win before we hit 2010, we need to end our 4 straight defeats at Hillsborough and with the club been chosen as a potential host for the 2018 it could be a double day of celebration for us.

Visit the Opposition

http://forum.planetswans.co.uk/

Swans put to Sword - Retro Game

Right before you ask, I did not go to this game as I was less than 3 months old but the old man remembers this game fondly as mother granted him permission to go to his first Wednesday match since the birth of his first child

Now Dad always bangs on about this season in particular the Leeds United game as if you ask him about Andy Ritchie - he will go into Angry Beaver mode and he was livid when he heard Allen wanted him after Barnsleys 10 man show back in 2006. Even though he still goes on that it was the game against Manchester City that Wednesday lost the title (on goal difference), Wednesday were cheated out of 3 points at Elland Road thanks to the most blatent handball father has ever seen.

Anyways, back to the game and dad was finally relieved that he was going to watch the Wednesday after a few months out looking after his new born. He met up with his wednesday mates for a drink in the city centre before travelling to the ground by bus. Now on this day, Sheffield was like London is today, a blizzard. He was worried that the game may be called off due to the adverse weather conditions but the game was given the go ahead and he took his place in the cantalever (it's always been the cantalever to him - if that's how you spell it) and sat down for the game.

Wednesdays line up that day was as follows
Martin Hodge, Mel Sterland, Peter Shirtliff, Mark Smith, Mick Lyons, Lawrie Madden, Gary Megson, Gary Bannister, John Pearson, Tony Cunningham, Pat Heard - sub Imre Varadi
Swanseas line up that day was as follows
Hughes, Evans, McQuillan, Marustik, Stevenson, Lewis, Loveridge, Maddy, Gale, Toshack, Latchford. Sub: Pascoe

Wednesday were flying high at the top whilst Swansea were struggling in the lower regions of the old second division. Due to the conditions, it wasn't a surprise to see the orange ball being used for this game. Now a days, the orange ball is the yellow ball but back in the days the orange ball was used.

Despite struggling, Swansea made a bright start to the game and neat play by Maddy and player manager John Toshack set up Swansea youngster Jimmy Loveridge who fired his shot rattling Wednesdays cross bar with Martin Hodge well beaten. Moments later, Latchfords cross was headed down by John Toshack but Hodge made a comfortable save. From then on, it was one way traffic according to the father as Wednesday grew in confidence and showed why they were top of the league.

A Gary Megson cross in the 15th minute was headed down by Mick Lyons but Stevenson managed to block the header only to block it back to Lyons who fired the ball into the roof of the net to send a low 13,000 crowd wild. Wednesday had more chances to make it 2-0 with Bannister firing wide after good play by Cunningham and also another set piece where Lyons's header just went over the bar. The crowd were expecting another goal on the horizon and it soon came when Megson beat his man and delivered a good ball into the area where Donkey Pearson tucked away the cross beautifully. If you wonder why I wrote donkey, my father thought Pearson was that - a donkey! Infact when he finally met him not so long ago, he actually said to his face - you know what John, I honestly thought you were a donkey whenever you played - Pearson laughed at that.

Anyway back to the game and Wednesday really were outplaying their visitors without having to step up a gear. Infact this Swansea team are probably what Wednesday have moulded themselves on. There was no confidence at all, heads straight down after conceding and despite his experience - John Toshack was having a mare. Heardy nearly made it 3 when his curler just went past the post and Evans made some good saves from Cunningham and Pearson respectively but 5 minutes before the end of the first half, came a moment that I am yet to see on an own goals and gaffs video. A corner from Sterland was headed into his own net by Toshack to make it 3-0 Wednesday. That was it the game was over, Wednesday could relax as 3 points were coming their way. It was almost 4-0 as Mel Sterlands shot was well saved by Evans and cleared just before Cunningham could tap in the rebound. The referee signalled the end and a sarcastic cheer was given round the ground as you knew Wednesday had the 3 points and Swansea may as well have informed the ref to abandon the game and give us the 3 points

The second half kicked off and straight away Wednesday went on the attack down the right through Megson and Sterland. Sterlands cross was deflected by Marustik straight to the path of Gary Megson who fired his shot past Evans into the bottom corner to give Wednesday a 4-0 lead. Easy, easy, easy was now being sung throughout the ground as Wednesday were enjoying their football. Wednesday started to ease a little and move the ball around the park giving Swansea a passing lesson. Poor Swansea had nothing to offer and even struggled to get out of their own half. In the 55th minute, Cunningham and Pearson linked up to find Heard who ran a few yards before firing a long range skidder and found the bottom corner passing a despairing Evans for 5-0. It summed up Swansea's day as Heard was a bit shocked that his shot found the net. Party time at Hillsborough it seemed as Wednesday were rewarding the brave 13000 for turning up.

Swansea then had a few surprise attacks as Loveridge and Lewis both had chances to pull one back. For all their humiliation, Swansea did eventually get on the score sheet. A corner was cleared by Wednesday that found Marustik and his shot found the target. A sarcastic cheer came from the ground as Martin Hodge was unsighted. Had he seen the shot, he probably would have stopped the ball from going in. Wednesday then played chase ball with Swansea after the goal and created a few chances with Shirtliff in particular heading over from a corner. However Wednesday did have the last laugh as what would have been a comedy goal was ruined by a future caant! Sterland bombed down the right and crossed a ball that looped over all the players and keeper in the penalty area and the ball was defnitely going to rest in the netting, however Varadi made sure by tapping home to give Wednesday their 6th goal and make the score 6-1 to the owls.

The final whistle was blown and my father was given a treat - coming back to Hillsborough and seeing Wednesday put 6 past their visitors and really it should have been a lot more than 6. From then on, Wednesday won promotion back to the first division that season whilst Swansea eventually suffered relegation to the old 3rd division.

Hopefully this scoreline will happen tomorrow - bout time I see a decent Wednesday performance this season

Bring it on - Swans

So looking forward to this weekends game it's time to ask a supporter of the oppostition to BRING IT ON!

This week we speak to Meilyr Powel from the Swansea site, Planet Swans, who you can visit if you.. CLICK HERE.

1) Before the season started what were your expectations for the Swans?

We had a fantastic season last year, our first time back at this level in over 20 years, finishing 8th in the league and playing free-flowing football. But as everyone probably knows, our former manager, Roberto Martinez, left us in the summer to Wigan. Having previously lectured our players on 'loyalty' and that their interests would be best served at Swansea (a la Andy Robinson, Lee Trundle, Paul Anderson, who left for Leeds, Bristol City and Forest respectively), everyone at Swansea was shocked to see him go at the first opportunity. His now (in)famous words, 'I was kicked out as a player, I'll have to be kicked out as a manager' speak volumes about the man's principles.

Importantly, he took our top scorer, Jason Scotland with him, and last year's playmaker Jordi Gomez (who admittedly was on loan with us last year, so he wasn't really ours) who together, bagged about 40 goals for us last season. So with a new manager at the helm who had to find a goalscorer + playmaker (in addition to a whole new backroom staff, which Martinez took with him) expectations naturally lowered to consolidation (for the optimists) and survival (for the pessimists).

2) Now we are well into the season, have they changed?

Like a few clubs in the Champioship, we were plagued by injuries early on (we had 11 first team squad members out at one point, 8 of which would have been certainties for the first 11 in my opinion) and had a slow start with some untried youngsters being thrown in at the deep end. Pre-season expectations were being met with us struggling to pick up points and looking insipid in front of goal. But the optimists always knew that when our first team regulars returned from injury, we'd be fine... and that's what happened. We recently went on a 11 match unbeaten run and soon found ourselves in the playoff positions. I think the pessimists acknowledge that we won't go down now and some (overly)optimists believe we can get 2nd spot. But I think for the majority of us, a playoff position is now the target.

3) Another foreign manager in Paulo Sousa, how much do you rate him?

I rate him highly. I think it would be unwise to judge him on his record at QPR (which wasn't that bad anyway), but here at Swansea he has the full backing of the chairman, the board and the fans, albeit with a small budget. He has continued the same style of continental play that Martinez was renowned for (where keeping possession is the best form of defence) with a 5 man midfield aiming to dominate and dictate the match. One area that differs from Martinez's days is the defence. We look a lot better this season, with one of the best records in the league (take two 3-0 drubbings against Boro and Newcastle out of the equation and the defensive record is a fine one). The only drawback of this focus on the defence is that our fullbacks (Angel Rangel and Fede Bessone) don't get forward as much this year, which naturally negates our attacking options and is partly responsible for our lack of goals. Whereas Martinez was a bit 'gung-ho' and would throw on an extra striker if we were 2-0 up, Sousa is much more cautious overall. But don't be surprised to see him change formation to 4-4-2 if we are drawing or losing with 20 minutes left.

4) If you could sign any one player (realistically) who would it be that would fit the best and why?

Some of our fans would like to see Zak Whitbread (Millwall centre back) here. While I agree he's a fine defender, I would most like to see Youssouf Mulumbu, the West Brom defensive midfielder, here. Our current holding midfielder, the pint sized Leon Britton, is fantastic in breaking up play and getting things going and has been a brilliant servant for our club over the past 7 years. He is a modern-day legend. But I have 2 concerns over him. The first is that he never scores! Since Martinez transformed him into a holding midfielder, at times he has become too defensive and is unwilling to foray forwards (when we all know that he can easily beat a man) or for that matter, take shots. The other concern is that I doubt he will be here next season. Rumours of him wanting to return to London (his daughter is there) are widespread and he has yet to agree a new deal with us, which have been ongoing for months. Olumbu would be a natural replacement for Britton, but with the added bonus of being able to score! I was very impressed with him when we played at the Hawthorns earlier in the season (we won 1-0) and just think he's a better version of Leon Britton.

5) Other than your geographical rivals, who do you really want your side to beat?

Whoever's next in the fixture list! But personally (and I believe for many others), nothing would satisfy me more than to draw Wigan at home in the cup... and of course beat them.

6) Bodde, Britton, De Vries, Lopez, all names that anyone who follows Championship football will be familiar with, who's the next big thing at the Liberty Stadium?

At the moment it seems it's Ashley Williams, our centre back. He joined us at the tail-end of the 07/08 season from Stockport, and while he was generally good last year (and played every minute of every league match), this year he has been fantastic. He is a Welsh international and captained his country against Scotland in November. Not the tallest, but very athletic and strong. Also very good on the ball, having deputised a couple of times as a holding midfielder during our injury crisis, and likes to carry the ball forward.

7) What do you know about the Wednesday?

About as much as Steve Claridge! Admittedly not that much, mainly because we've been in different leagues for so many years. Last year's encounters ended in two draws (1-1 and 0-0) and while you finished a tidy 12th last year, this year has really gone pear shaped for you hasn't it? I thought you'd be mid-table again this year but for whatever reason (financial, injuries, or just Brian Laws?), it's gone pear shaped. I've always liked Marcus Tudgay, and I have Mark Beevers in my fantasy football team (who I believe wasn't featuring for you early on in the season?). I believe you play a methodical 4-4-2 with Tudgay and Varney up front but with a caretaker taking charge on the weekend (McAuley?) I don't really know what to expect.

8) What are your memories of games against the Owls?

Not much memories, again due to the fact we've been in different leagues for so long and that I'm only 23. But I attended the match at the Liberty last year where somehow you got away with a draw. Ferrie Bodde (may God help his recovery) struck a fine effort for us just before half time, but out of nowhere Dave Watson popped up with a header late on totally against the run of play. You brought a very good following down for that match, over a thousand I believe, so well done. I didn't attend the Hillsborough encounter but it seemed that it was a pretty fair result from the reports I read (although one of your players missed a sitter?).

9) Any Team news?

Ferrie Bodde is still out. Garry Monk our centre back and club captain is a doubt. Mark Gower is probably out. Tom Butler is out. I expect us to line up as follows: GK: De Vries - RB: Rangel - LB: Bessone - CB: Tate - CB: Williams - RW: Dyer - LW: Van der Gun - CM: Orlandi - CM: Pratley - CM: Britton - FW: Beattie.
Personally I would drop Britton and Pratley for little Joe Allen and Jordi Lopez, because they've looked very jaded and ineffectual in the last couple of matches. On the bench we will have Trundle, Cotterill and Pintado, so plenty of attacking options for Sousa if needs be.

10) Score prediction?

1-0 Swans. Sorry guys. All the best for the rest of the season. And Merry Christmas!

Thanks to Meilyr and the other Swans who were kind enough to get back to us for this, and we wish them all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Macauley looking for unity.

Sean Macauley has been speaking to the club's official websiteahead of the visit of Newcastle United as he bids to improve team spirit and take the focus off individual performances to ease the pressure and end the dreadful run of results.

'People play on merit but also on what we think the team needs in that individual game. There will be changes. I felt that during training everybody was in a positive frame of mind and I think we saw that in the first 35 minutes of the Swansea game. People were up for it and I think I'd have got that from anyone who would have started. It's important that the players are in a good place psychologically and I hope for a good performance from the players who are coming in for the Newcastle game.'

He said:'What I saw on Saturday were players who were concentrating on their own performances when that thing should come naturally. We need to get back into the team focus where the responsibility is shared. If one or two do have a bad game then the other nine or ten will carry them through.'

The taks couldn't be any harder with the Owls facing the league leaders Newcastle on Boxing Day at Hillsborough in front of what promises to be a bumper crowd. But Macauley insists that the Owls current position is far from lost and there will be plenty other teams who will be finding themselves doing similar soul searching to arrest their own poor form.

'A lot of clubs in this division will be in and around where we are. For us to get 52 points we need to get ten wins and four draws. The earlier we get a positive response the longer we've got to turn things around. We can't dress the fact up that we need points and we need them as quickly as possible.

'We all believed that this group of players would take us into the top ten and that's realistic. We all have to be in this together, even the players that haven't played much this season. We all believed that this team would be in the top ten but we need results to mirror that of a top ten team for the remainder of the season.'

After many people still bemused by the appearance of the same starting line up last weekend that lost at the Walkers Stadium a week earlier, the Owls caretaker boss says there will be changes this week.

'People play on merit but also on what we think the team needs in that individual game. There will be changes. I felt that during training everybody was in a positive frame of mind and I think we saw that in the first 35 minutes of the Swansea game. People were up for it and I think I'd have got that from anyone who would have started. It's important that the players are in a good place psychologically and I hope for a good performance from the players who are coming in for the Newcastle game.'

30 Years on Saturday...

Yes, it's the anniversary of THAT game, the one we still sing about, the one EVERYONE remembers from both sides of the city but obviously we recall it with much more delight than our neighbours at S2.

So, here is Nippleshark's memories of the day...

As the thirtieth anniversary of the boxing day massacre aproaches I thought I share my memories with you.

Is difficult to explain at this distance how important this game was to both sides, we hadn't played the pigs for what seemed like forever.

The build up started months before, when the fixtures came out. The pork had been doing so well and we were just muddling along they were really giving it some, telling us what they were going to do - one was telling everybody that he was going to get a bed sheet, write the score on it and hang it on the outside of the pub.

To this day if I see him the first thing I say to him is 'Nah then Danny, were's thi sheet!!!'

The day it's self was a really early start, no busses meant that we had to walk from Parsons Cross. Not too bad in it's self except the 11am kick off meant that we were knocking on doors at 9am on the morning after a bender that went on 'till 6. I had 1 and a half hours sleep.

The walk down sobered us up although we were fucking about all the way, I can tell you nothing wakes you up like being pushed all the way through somebodies privett and landing in their goldfish pond. As we got further down Wordsworth ave we met up with more Owls and two solitary pig fans who we ripped the piss out of for a good mile.

Two greasy burgers were the pre match meal and set us up well for the fight, although not all of us got into the ground still carrying them in our stomachs.

The atmosphere on the kop was unbelievable, a solid wall of sound greeted the players who came out to warm up especially TC, he was a god back then.

You could feel the animal expectation in the air, most of us agreed that a draw would be a good result and I felt just a little aprehensive. United had been playing well and had some good players, could we hold out?

I was right behind it.

Spiderman Mellor's opener I mean. Yeah absolutely smack bang in line, it bent in and then out and then straight in the top corner. It was as if it had been set up just for me and I swear to god that There was a pause before we went fucking mental. Not a pause that you could measure, just a split second when it went in where the world seemed to stop.

I finished up on the deck 20 feet further down the kop with my top over my head (not in celebration, just pulled up in the scrum). This fella landed on my ankle (fat fooker a'nall) so I was in agony and I didn't care.

The rest of the match is a bit of a blur, I can only remember the penalty and Speight being carried off but the feeling at the final whistle was incredible. Walked back as far as the White Horse and got in the back, 'cos they were 'closed'. Drank another skinfull and wobbled home.

To this day when I'm feeling a bit depressed I look up at the wall near the computer and see a small light wooden frame. Inside is a slightly faded yellow ticket and I think 'I was there'.

So cheers to the lads and to everyone who was there don't let the Shoreham scum forget.

Thanks to Nipps for that, and if you want your stories published on the frontpage please drop us a line to
admin@owlsonline.com

Merry Christmas.

Wednesday look for Festive cheer

Top of the table Newcastle come to Hillsborough for this highly anticipated Boxing Day clash, the Toon Army will be travelling in their thousands for the game, with over 5,000 tickets sold, the televised clash is set to draw in a seasons best crowd at S6 despite the early kick off, festive hangovers and lack of transport.

Owls News

Temporary Owls boss Sean McAuley has promised changes after yet another defeat for Wednesday last week, that could see recalls for the likes of Michael Gray, Ettiene Esajas, Frank Simek, Luke Varney and Tom Soares (in his final game), with the likes of James O’Connor, Darren Potter, Marcus Tudgay, Lewis Buxton and Leon Clarke all fearing for their places after abject performances of late.

Sean McAuley will no doubt be looking at ways at stoping the Newcastle machine and a change in formation is also an option for the erstwhile academy director, he needs to cut off dangerman Kevin Nolan who is far too good for this division.

The Owls have no new injury worries ahead of the game with only former Sunderland man Tommy Miller absent due to a knock in training over a month ago.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Simek, Beevers, Purse, Spurr; Soares, McAllister, Esajas, Gray; Jeffers, Johnson.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Hinds, Buxton, O’Connor, Varney, Tudgay, Clarke, O’Connor, Feeney.

Newcastle United News

The visitors come in to S6 sitting pretty at the top of the division, they are 10 points clear of nearest rivals West Brom and look to be heading back to the Premier League at the first attempt, much to the delight of the Geordie faithful who set a Championship record attendance last time out, with nearly 50k inside St James for the 2-0 win over Middlesbrough.

Newcastle United FC

The Geordies were formed way back in 1892 when Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End amalgamated , the deal included the lease on West End’s St James Park stadium, several names were proposed ahead of the choice of Newcastle United.

The club’s first successes came at the turn of the 20th century, they won the league on three occasions in the first decade, in 1905, 1907 and 1909, they also reached the FA cup final on five occasions, 1905, 1906, 1908, 1910 and 1911, they only won once, in 1910 after a replay, had they won it in 1905 they would have been the first club to win the double in the 20th century.

After that early success they had to wait until 1924 to win another trophy, they lifted they FA Cup, a feat repeated 8 years later, they were league champions for the 4th and final time in 1927.

With success came failure and the club were relegated for the first time in 1934 and spent 15 war interrupted years outside the top flight before returning a second division runners up in 1949, they had several high league finishes upon return but barring two FA cup wins in the early 50’s their trophy cabinet remained barren, their FA Cup win in 1955 was their last domestic trophy, they had another relegation in 1961 ands returned 4 years later as second division champions which led to another long spell in the top flight until 1978, in this spell they won the Inter City Fairs cup in 1971.

They returned to the top division in 1984 along with the Owls and Chelsea, Kevin Keegan was the main catalyst for their return and five mediocre seasons in the top flight they were again down, once again Keegan was the catalyst to their return to the top flight in 1993, he’d come in as manager a season earlier and saved them from relegation before leading them back to the big time.

The Geordies were the talk of football on their return to the top flight as their exciting brand of football won the hearts of many, the football on offer didn’t equate to trophies, their highest finish was 2nd, which happened in 1996 and 1997, they even blew a 12 point lead at the top in one of those seasons, they also finished runners up in the FA Cup in 1998 and 1999.

They were relegated last season after an 18th placed finish.

The Gaffer

Chris Hughton is currently taking charge of team affairs at St James’ Park, the London born former Irish International made a name for himself as a full back for Tottenham, from 1977 he clocked up over 300 appearances for the White Hart Lane club in 13 years, he then spent two years with West Ham and one with Brentford before retiring through injury at just 34.

Hughton was a full Republic of Ireland international clocking up over 50 caps, he was the first black player to represent to the country when he made his debut in 1979, Hughton missed on the Irish’s great run in the 1990 world cup when former Owl Chris Morris got the nod ahead of him.

In 1993 he was invited onto the Spurs coaching staff, he fulfilled various roles over the next 14 years including twice being caretaker manager, he was sacked along with likeable Dutchman Martin Jol after a UEFA Cup defeat to Getafe.

In February 2008 Dennis Wise part of the “cockney mafia” said to be ruining Newcastle appointed Hughton as first team coach, he was then appointed caretaker manager in September 2008 following Keegans resignation a role he fulfilled again in February this year when temporary manager Joe Kinnear was taken ill, he had six games in charge but that yielded just one win leaving no choice but to appoint Geordie “messiah” Alan Shearer to save the Magpies from the drop, unfortunately he couldn’t do so and the Mags are playing second tier football for the first time in 16 years.

Hughton was re-appointed caretaker manager over the summer following a decision to sell the club by Ashley but this was subsequently withdrawn and Ashley appointed Hughton full time manager and he has guided the Mags to 10 points clear at the top of the division.

Key Players

Kevin Nolan

Former England U21 international Nolan left Bolton last January to join the Geordies in a £4m deal, that ended his 10 years at the Reebok Stadium.

Liverpool born Nolan was signed as a 16 year old and made his debut in the 1999-00 season for the club by Sam Allardyce, he went on to make 35 appearances for the Trotters the following season as they won promotion back to the Premier League via the play-offs.

Kevin was a virtual ever-present for the Trotters during the last 8 seasons and weighed in with a fair few goals from midfield netting 47 times in over 300 appearances for the club, including a winner at Old Trafford, his goals helped catapult Wanderers into Europe on two occasions and saw Nolan on the verge of an England cap at full level to add to his u21 appearances.

He made just 12 appearances for the club last season and failed to net as the Toon slid out of the top flight but this season has been a different matter he’s netted 10 times in 23 games for the club.

Squad Number 4

Steve Harper

Goalkeeper Harper has spent almost all his career at St James’ Park but it is only now at the age of 34 that he is the full time recognised number 1, he got his chance when Shay Given was sold to Man City last January.

Easington born Harper joined the Toon in 1993 but it wasn’t until the 1998/99 season that he made his debut for the Geordies and capped that campaign with an appearance in the FA Cup final defeat to Manchester United.

Shay Given was the reason that Harper had his first team appearances restricted and over the last ten years Harper has amassed just 149 appearances for the Geordies, the majority of which have come in the last 3 years, his best appearances record prior to this season came from the 2006/07 season when he made 25 starts for the club.

Harper has spent time out on loan to Hartlepool, Bradford and Huddersfield earlier in his career.

Squad Number 1

Steven Taylor

Defensive lynchpin Taylor is one the few remaining heroes of St James’ Park, the London born centre half moved to the North East as a youngster and is revered as a home grown player.

He was just 17 when he made his full debut whilst on loan at Wycombe, and over the next month racked up six games for the club, He was a very popular player at Wycombe, having a large influence despite his youth and limited number of appearances.

In March 2004 he made his debut for Newcastle as a substitute in a 3-0 UEFA cup win away at RCD Mallorca, he went on to make his full debut the following game away at Bolton but that was his final action in a Newcastle shirt until late 2004 mainly due to injury.

Taylor achieved cult status with the home fans in April 2005 when he blocked a shot with his hand on the line and promptly rolled around holding his chest like he’d been shot, thankfully the referee had seen the incident and Taylor was dismissed and Villa awarded a penalty, his histrionics weren’t the highlight of that game though, that was left to Bowyer and Dyer who had an on pitch battle with each other.

Over the last four seasons Taylor has found himself integral to the Newcastle rearguard and has amassed over 150 appearances for the club netting ten goals, he has also been capped at both U21 and B level for England.

Squad Number 5

Team News

Team (possible): Harper, S Taylor, Enrique, Simpson, Coloccini; Guthrie, Nolan, Gutierrez, Smith; Harewood, Ameobi;

(subs from) R Taylor, Krul, Pancrate, Butt, Ranger, Lovenkrands, Kadar, Khizanishvili, Carroll.

Head to Head

Goals from Alan Shearer and Kevin Gallagher were even for the Geordies when the sides last met at Hillsborough back in February 2000, the result left the Owls 8 points from safety in the Premier League.

A season earlier a complete fucktard decision by the “referee” known as Paul Alcock, he awarded the visitors a penalty which Alan Shearer netted, the Owls were furious as keeper Pavel Srnicek clearly won the ball but Mr “I fall over” Alcock had other ideas (T**T), Phillip Scott’s first Wednesday goal, a classy finish from the edge of the box restored parity quickly after the break.

In the 1997/98 season an early strike from Paolo Di Canio put the Owls into the lead before the visitors levelled through Jon-Dahl Tomasson on 20 minutes but Jon Newsome scored in the 51st minute to win it for Wednesday, that was the only Wednesday win in the last 10 meetings at S6.

We last met at this level in September 1990, David Hirst put Wednesday in front before a Mark McGhee brace turned the game on it’s head, Hirst then had an equalizer ruled out for offside before sub Steve McCall flashed home a stunning 90th minute volley to earn the Owls a point.

Wednesday last beat Newcastle at this level in November 1983, over 41k including around 10k from the North East packed into Hillsborough to witness a great game the division’s top two, the Owls were 5 points ahead of the visitors going into the game, that was extended to eight by the end, goals from Imre Varadi (2), Gary Bannister and Tony Cunningham secured a 4-2 win for the Owls.

The two clubs first met in Sheffield way back in 1899, the Geordies ran out 3-1 winners at Olive Grove, it was the final league meeting ever at the old stadium.

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 26

Draw: 21

Geordies: 15

Final thoughts

It couldn’t happen could it? We couldn’t end our miserable run on the 30th anniversary of the Massacre, it could be a real shot in the arm for the club and their fans if we could end it on such a prominent date but lets not kid ourselves, the Geordies are the best in the division, as the league table proves.

Watson glad to be back.

Steve Watson has spoke about his boredom after having to retire from the game in the summer and he was relieved when he got the call to return to the game with Wednesday. After being back with the club in an official capacity for just over a week now, the former Owls club captain is keen to get the points on the board against his boyhood club, Newcastle United on Boxing Day.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, he said:
'When you have spent all your adult life in the game, it is difficult to adjust. I didn't realise just how much I needed football.

'I have never hidden the fact that I am a big Newcastle fan but, right now, we need the points more than they do.
'It's weird to think that I am going up against them in only my second game as a coach but I will be doing everything I can to get the win.'

Much has been made in the press and by the caretake manager Sean Macauley about the lack of confidence in the squad at the moment, and last Saturday proved it to Watson.

'It was a long afternoon last Saturday and I didn't realise just how much confidence the players had lost,

'It's easy to look at footballers and say they all earn X amount of money and should automatically be producing week-in, week-out but it's not as simple as that.

'When you are a young lad and there are 20,000 people breathing down your neck, it puts a lot of pressure on you. One of the main things Sean wants me to do is lift the players.

'The good thing is that I know all their strengths and I know what makes them tick. Some need to be treated differently to others but it is all about getting the best out of each and every one of them.'

Watson holds Wednesday dear to his heart after a tough spell with his former club, West Brom and admits he thought his former boss Brian Laws did a good job, but change is sometimes what is needed.

'I got my appetite for football back after a really bad spell at West Brom,' he said. 'The gaffer (Laws) was great to me and so was Russ (Wilcox) but, unfortunately for me and them, they couldn't get me back to my best.

'I have a lot to thank them for and they can leave with their head helds high - but sometimes a change is just what the lads at a club need.'

So it's a merry christmas from us at Owlsonline and lets hope Watson is celebrating a Wednesday win on Boxing Day.

Laws joins Burnley, Tudgay next?

Brian Laws has this afternoon been confirmed as the new manager of Premiership side Burnley, signing a two and a half year deal at Turf Moor.
The former Wednesday boss and Claret's player has signed the deal to much disappointment from the online Burnley fans, with many of them underwhelmed by his appointment. It was thought that Sean O Driscoll would be the new boss, but Burnley couldn't agree a compensation package with Doncaster Rovers and with Laws out of work since leaving Wednesday in December he jumped to the top of the list.

Burnley say Laws was always their first choice for the job, citing his previous achievements at Wednesday despite the financial restaints he had to work under. His first task sees him take his side to Old Trafford this weekend to face Manchester United, but will he have a new face in the ranks ahead of the game?

It is now being circulated that Wednesday's Marcus Tudgay, who almost joined the Lancastrian club in the summer may be subject to an approach by his former manager.

Rumour is bound to be rife regarding the Owls number seven, with Wednesday's financial situation added to the link in the summer, some think it will be a forgone conclusion. But it seems to be standard fare to link players with a move with their former managers so at this stage it seems that is indeed all it is.

Obviously if we hear anything else on this we shall let you know as soon as we can.

Good luck Brian, from all at Owlsonline.

It's a split decision on Boxing Day.

Well, thank heaven's that's over. The wait for a goal that is, as Wednesday fired their first two goals after a six game drought AND their first point in five against table topping Newcastle United.

Luke Varney and James O Connor were the scorers as the Owls led before coming back from behind to share the points against Chris Hughton's Magpies. But the visitors left Hillsborough feeling let down by the officials after Wednesday's equaliser shouldn't have stood in their opinion for a foul on Steve Harper. But how do they feel about Shola Ameobi being offside for their second, well no comment of course!

Caretaker boss Sean Macauley made three changes to the side that were defeated in their last game against Swansea City with Frank Simek, Tom Soares and Varney coming in to replace Lewis Buxton, Sean Macallister and Leon Clarke respectively.

Wednesday started the game much like they did in the previous home game, with verve and application against a Newcastle side which had not lost in nine games prior to visiting S6. But unlike last week it wasn't a breakaway goal for the visitors to open the scoring as the Owls fashioned their first goal in six games.
Some neat play in midfield by Darren Potter found O Connor just outside the box in front of the visiting Newcastle fans, his cross into the area found the onrushing Varney who thumped a header past the helpless Harper.
The impetus was firmly with Wednesday but then in what was to be the visitors first real attack, they pulled level. Danny Guthrie broke free after what looked like a handball in his favour, and his clipped ball to the middle of the penalty area was met by Kevin Nolan who placed his header high to Lee Grant's left and into the goal.
It was like a pendulum swinging as Newcastle then put themselves in the box seat when Ameobi put them infront in controversial circumstances. Jonas Gutierrez got the ball out wide on their left in space and his low ball found Ameobi who appeared to be offside but the officials importantly thought not and the striker finished with ease.

The Wednesday heads dropped a little as the visitors stroked the ball around midfield with ease and the visiting army of Geordies were in good voice. But Wednesday weren't to give up without a fight as many thought Jermaine Johnson had equalised with a fine volley from a narrow angle, despite the ball beating the attempts of Harper to get to the effort it went the wrong side of the post.

Half Time

Wednesday 1 Newcastle 2

The second period began much like the first, with Wednesday pressing and harrowing and far from out of the game. Three corners in the space of the opening five minutes of the second half signalled Wednesday's intentions as the impressive Jose Enrique was forced into conceding the first corner and Fabricio Collocini then conceding the next two under pressure from a resurgent Owls frontline. Mark Beevers almost benefitted from the third flag kick, narrowly heading wide Darren Potter's floated ball from the right.

Ten minutes later however it was to be Wednesday who scored the leveller. Once again some patient play through midfield fashioned an opportunity for Tommy Spurr to cross, and it was his high ball towards Harper's goal which was challenged for by Varney. It did appear at first that the Owls loanee striker may have impeded the Newcastle keeper Harper who lost his grasp of the ball but the referee, Stuart Atwell, avoided blowing his whistle and O Connor gleefully accepted the gift by slamming home in front of the Kop.

Wednesday were definately on top now, as the visitors looked nervy at the back. Soares broke into the box on the right and although it looked like he may have lost possession but he hooked the ball into the six yard box where Marcus Tudgay beat the visiting defender to the ball to head goalwards only to be denied by a top drawer, instinctive save from Harper.

Newcastle replaced the ineffective Ameobi with Andy Carroll and his impact was immediate as the visitors went more direct to the towering striker and it took the pressure off the defence. In fact a flick on from Carroll caused panic as the ball rebounded back to the striker who fired a snap shot goalwards only to be denied by Lee Grant low to his left.

Despite Wednesday having the lions share of possession in the second half the counter attacking threat was always there from the visitors.

O Connor fed Tudgay who skipped past a couple of challenges and burst into the opponents half only to be shepherded off the ball smartly by Collocini but it rebounded off the Argentinian for another Owls corner. Potter's resulting corner almost brought a goal but Beevers header went over the bar.

Newcastle had the last attempt on goal of the game as four minutes of stoppage time was played but Grant again denied the visitors as Wednesday gained a valuable point to stop the recent rot.

Next up over the Christmas period is a trip to Bloomfield Road, Blackpool.

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Purse ,Simek ,Spurr ,Beevers ,Johnson (Esajas ,62 ) ,Potter ,Soares ,O'Connor ,Tudgay ,Varney (Clarke ,69)
Subs not used: Hinds,Buxton,Jeffers,Gray,O'Donnell,

Newcastle: Harper ,Steven Taylor ,Enrique ,Simpson ,Coloccini ,Butt ,Gutierrez (Pancrate ,64 ) ,Guthrie ,Nolan ,Harewood (Lovenkrands ,84 ) ,Ameobi (Carroll ,73)
Subs not used Ryan Taylor,Krul,Kadar,Ranger,

Varney looking to return.

With Luke Varney being suspended for the trip to Blackpool which as we know was postponed due to the playing surface not fit for play, it saw his loan period end and his return to parent club, Derby County.

But Varney is keen on a return to Hillsborough after a spell which has seen him net four goals in 15 starts for the Owls, it has been mooted for a while that Wednesday were looking to sort a deal out with the Rams to keep Varney with Wednesday till the summer. But when Brian Laws departed the post of manager a few weeks ago it could have changed the club's direction and as there is no news of an imminent appointment of a full time manager the news on Varney has disappeared.

The Derby striker who scored the Owls first goal and had a big helping hand in James O Connor's equaliser against Newcastle on Boxing Day would love a return to S6, speaking to the Star he said:
'This is a great club and I would have no hesitation in coming back and extending my loan,

'But I don't know if I can come back until I go back to Derby where I have still got a long contract.

'I also don't know how Sean feels about it, but we will see what happens in the future.'

In two separate spells with the Owls, Varney has made 18 starts and five substitute appearances scoring six goals. His work rate has been first class in what has been a tough spell for Wednesday and his efforts have gone far from un noticed by the Wednesdayites.
We at Owlsonline would like to thank Luke for his efforts during his stay so far, and wish him all the best in the future should it lay away from Hillsborough.

Ex Owl in as gaffer?

The speculation rumbles on but there appears to be a new contender that tops the list of potential managers at S6.

Ex Owl Gary Megson has been removed from his position as manager of Premiership strugglers Bolton Wanderers today after their game against Hull City last night where they surrendered a two goal lead to share the points.

Megson has hardly been a fans favourite since being installed as their manager, with the fans gettin on his back from almost minute one and it appears last night was the final straw.

His odds to become the new owls gaffer have dropped dramatically from around 33/1 to being suspended with some bookmakers.

With no compensation to be paid to a club should he come, Megson could be the ideal experienced candidate for the post with his precious record with the likes of West Brom in this division.

As yet the club have made no decision as to the timetable set for naming the new manager but the decision may have just been made a little easier.

Keep your eyes for the latest news as we get it here on Owlsonline.

Soares to stay grounded at S6.

Tom Soares loan deal with the Owls looks to be extended according to reports in the local press today. Soares has only played a bit part since joining Wednesday on loan, making just one start and three sub appearances since his arrival at the end of November.

But today the Star say that they expect the former Crystal Palace man will extend his stay at S6 today which will see him eligable to face his former club in the FA Cup third round at Hillsborough this weekend.

When Wednesday took Soares on loan, we understand there was a verbal agreement with his parent club, Stoke City, that the loan deal could be extended should it be the Owls wish and after an impressive performance from the midfielder in the televised draw against Newcastle on Boxing Day and his efforts in training, Sean Macauley has expressed his wish to keep Soares for a further month.

He said: 'The more games he plays, the more we'll get out of him.'

It will be the second time that Soares has faced the Eagles since leaving them for Stoke in a £1.25M deal at the start of last season. The first being his second game on loan for Charlton from Stoke in the latter half of last season where the Addicks recorded a one-nil win.

Look out for our preview of the Fa Cup game on New Years Day.

The Noughties - Part 1

So where to start? The noughties have been a horrible period if you’re a Wednesday fan there have been lows some clubs can never relate to and highs that we should never have tasted.

I was at the majority of the games throughout the decade, some were fun, some were good, the rest were down right mediocre and embarrassing, I could go on for hours about certain games but you all get the picture, it wasn’t fun..........

Mismanagement is one word that could be used to aptly describe Hillsborough throughout this decade, not just in the boardroom but at pitch level as well but let’s take a trip down memory lane and review our Naughty Noughties.

The turn of the Millennium saw the Owls lying bottom of the Premier League with a measly 9 points from 19 games and eight points from safety, Gerald Sibon’s powering back post header earned the Owls a point when Arsenal came to S6 for the first game of the decade, we followed this up with a win over fellow relegation candidates Bradford, a Niclas Alexandersson

goal at Spurs got us 3 more points and maybe the great escape was on, however off the pitch it was going tits up, “Sir” Dave Richards had resigned his position as chairman of SWFC to further his own personal interests in the Premier League (nice one Dave, feathering your own bed), whilst four prominent local MPs decided to castigate the club boss Danny Wilson in the press, Messrs Ashton, Betts, Hattersley and Blunkett, you outdid yourselves fellas.

February 2000 was arguably the month that send us down, away at Derby the Owls surrended a 3-1 lead in injury time, the hosts grabbed two goals in added time to earn a vital point, it was typical Wednesday to follow that up we lost at home to Southampton after missing a penalty they went down the other end and scored, five points would have made a massive difference at the time.

By Mid March and with the club all but down Danny Wilson was relieved of his duties as manager with former assistant Peter Shreeves taking charge and hoping for a miracle, he managed to get 10 points from 9 games but it wasn’t enough and the first full season of the decade would be spent outside the top flight.
The clubs mounting financial problems were becoming apparent, Niclas Alexandersson left to join Everton for £2.2m but other players were on seemingly water-tight contracts and would sit out their deals if need be but on the bright side I never saw Peter Atherton in a Wednesday shirt again.

2000-01

Paul Jewell was installed as Wednesday boss in the middle of 2000, he was charged with trying to balance the books and return the Owls to the top flight on limited finances, he was an abject failure, he not only left us saddled with the likes of Ashley Westwood, Aaron Lescott, Steve Harkness and Ian Hendon he also oversaw the clubs worst ever losing run of 8 straight defeats in the league, back to back relegations looked nailed on, some of the clubs players were taking the piss with “injuries”, “fall outs” and “performances” as well, top earners like Wim Jonk and Andy Hinchcliffe rarely played, Gilles De Bilde was loaned to Aston Villa (like Carbone a year earlier) however Gerald Sibon did show he could actually play football with some impressive performances.

We should have realised that things weren’t going to go our way on the opening day of our season when Owls goalkeeper Kevin Pressman was dismissed after just 13 seconds for handling outside his box, commendably though the players including 17 year old rookie keeper Chris Stringer earned a good opening day point through an Andy Booth header in the final ten minutes. The Owls academy seemed to be the one bright side in difficult times with Owen Morrison being particularly impressive.

Jewell had barely had seven months at the club and although he did get poor results in the main he did win away at West Ham in the League Cup and at home to the Blades in the same competition, once again Peter Shreeves stepped into the breach and the cockney geezer managed to win more than enough points to keep the Owls in the division, he gained impressive results at Birmingham, Forest and West Brom as well as comfortable home wins over the likes of Burnley, Palace and Barnsley, it led to him being offered the managerial role on a full time basis.

Dave Allen was also elected to the board during the opening year of the noughties, something we would later be thankful and resentful about.

2001-02

Shreeves lasted just over two months of the 2001/02 season himself, again the players performed like the Three Magpies Over 35’s after a skinful for the majority of the opening games of the campaign with just league win in the opening 13 games, the club did however fare better in the League Cup with victories over Bury (3-1) and Premier League Sunderland (4-2 aet), the Sunderland victory was dedicated to Owls reserve defender Tom Staniforth who passed away at the age of 20, Owen Morrison showed how much it meant to him when he revealed a t-shirt in memory of his former pal, the Irishman slammed home a penalty for the Owls, Michele Di Piedi’s stunning overhead kick was the highlight of the game.

Terry Yorath was promoted to the managers role after initially standing in as caretaker, he guided the Owls to 3 wins in his first four games, and led the Owls to an impressive 1-0 win away at Villa Park in the League Cup 4th round, Efan Ekoku was the match winner, the Owls also continued to pick up vital points in the league but still found themselves in 23rd on 24 points at the turn of the year, from 27 league games but the last two games of 2001 were horrendous, 0-1 and 0-5 to Birmingham and Norwich, both at Hillsborough, they had however progressed to the semi finals of the League Cup, Watford were destroyed 4-0 in the quarter final with Matthew Hamshaw arguably scoring THE goal of the decade, he set off from just outside his own area, beat four men and slotted home in front of the Kop. click here for vid

The turn of the year started better in the league with wins over Crewe and Burnley, new “big money” signing Shefki Kuqi netting the winner at Turf Moor, however the cup dream died with a 6-3 defeat on aggregate to Premier League Blackburn Rovers. The Owls managed a run of 3 wins in their next ten games which all but saw off relegation, a 2-1 win at Millwall in mid March put the Owls in 19th and 4 points above the drop zone. A run of just one win in the final five games left the Owls a nervous wait on the seasons final day at home to Wolves, the visitors needed a win to have a chance of overhauling local rivals West Brom into a automatic promotion spot, an early Colin Cameron goal put Wolves ahead much to the delight of the 8,000 visiting fans but the Owls hit back through Simon Donnelly and Shefki Kuqi to put Wednesday ahead whilst Albion had gone 2-0 up and the visiting supporters were have “Megson is a Wednesday fan” rammed down their throat by the home support, Joleon Lescott equalised before the Owls had a chance to win it from the spot, Kuqi’s weak effort was easily saved but the Owls were safe and Wolves were in the play-offs.

2002-03

There was slight optimism ahead of the 2002-03 season with the signing of lower league hot shot Lloyd Owusu and the loan signing of Leon Knight deemed a coup by the club, how bloody wrong were we.

Lets not beat around the bush, it started poorly, we got a derby win over the Pigs and that was the only bright spot for the first six months of the season barring the sacking of the inept tosspot known as Terry Yorath in late October after another dismal home defeat, this time to Millwall, our new star striker had plenty of ability, shame it was throwing up!

Wednesday brought former keeper Chris Turner in from Hartlepool to take charge of the club and stave of relegation but the honeymoon period at the club seemed to evade the dull one and the club picked up just 2 points from his opening seven games which in all truth was pretty shit, we also heard terms like “Europe in five years” and “best interview I’ve ever seen” bandied about by the club regarding Turner. Wednesday went into Boxing Day six points from safety and bottom of the league but Matty Hamshaw put in a virtuoso performance and the Owls won 2-0, the only downside was that Hamshaw was ruled out for six months with a knee injury.

A late defeat at Stoke two days later was followed up with a good win away at Rotherham and a stirring comeback against Reading where the Owls came from 2 down at the break to win 3-2, Gerald Sibon played his last game for the Owls in that win as the Wednesday moved to within 2 points of safety, some would say the catalyst to our actual relegation was the sale of the enigmatic Dutchman to Heerenveen.

Following the loss of the Dutchman we seemed to lose to the ability to win football matches, we were humiliated at Bramall Lane, embarrassed at home to Wolves and went a further four games without a win before destroying Coventry 5-1 at Hillsborough, again a winless run of six games followed and we were losing hope of safety before we put two incredible results together, including the win of the season, we beat Wimbledon 4-2 at home before going to runaway league leaders Portsmouth after being 1-0 down, Ashley Westwood levelled before on loan Michael Reddy took advantage of a mistake to crash home a late winner. click here for vid

That win at Pompey set up two big games for the Owls against fellow relegation rivals Grimsby and Brighton but unfortunately for Wednesday they could only yield two points from the bank holiday weekend and were relegated to the third tier for the first time since 1980, they signed off in style though with a 7-2 win away at Burnley when 7 different players netted for the Owls and then a 2-1 win over Walsall on the season’s final day.

2003-04

Chris Turner raided his old club to strengthen the squad with Graeme Lee and Paul Smith joining the Wednesday band wagon whilst Congolese striker Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu and Adam Proudlock joined as well.

So we went into the 3rd division clearly expecting to piss it, surely we would, we were Sheffield Wednesday and we would be walking the division and taking over every town with our fans, lets be right it started like that, we made the perfect start, over 4,000 Wednesdayites made the trip to Swindon to watch the Owls race into a 3-0 lead, although the hosts got a couple back we had won on the opening day for the first time since 1996.
Wednesday lost just once of their first seven and the return to the 2nd tier looked to be going to plan but in all honesty we were papering over the cracks and in all honesty our slump should have been spotted, back to back defeats at Bournemouth and Brighton were quickly forgotten with wins over Notts County and Brentford but the loss of Shefki Kuqi to Ipswich saw the Owls go into an alarming slump of form, following a 3-1 hammering at home to Plymouth on October 22nd the club went 9 games without a win in the league, they were dumped out of the FA cup by Scunthorpe and were sliding down the table at a rapid rate. Alan Quinn’s return to the club from a loan spell at Sunderland brought a win at last, he netted the winner at Wrexham at the turn of the year to move the Owls to within 6 points of the play-offs.

That win proved to be a false dawn as the club couldn’t continue the momentum and won just a further five times between then and the end of the season, two of the results though were memorable for differing reasons, the Owls beat Bristol City 1-0 with a 90th minute Graeme Lee header, that goal ended a 11 game winning run for the Robins whilst in March a late Robbie Mustoe goal secured a 2-1 win, the game saw a new signing for the Owls score his first goal, a stunning 25 yard free kick by a youngster by the name of Chris Brunt, the Ulsterman signed on a free from Middlesbrough and would prove to be an excellent acquisition by the club.

Wednesday ended just 3 points above the relegation zone and finished 16th, their second lowest ever finish, however off the pitch things were getting worse, much worse, our beloved Owls Trust orchestrated by key men Jim Harrison and John Hemmingham had laid the foundations for one time Chelsea owner Ken Bates to make an attempt to buy the club, this led to divisions within the supporters ranks which I feel haven’t been healed, there was a black balloon protest against the board led by a group of disgruntled supporters as the air around Hillsborough held a rotten smell.

2004-05

That summer saw the Owls fight off Bates’ unwanted attentions and a complete overhaul of the squad, Derek Geary, Leigh Bromby and Alan were amongst the casualties of the squad cull whilst Chris Turner brought in Lee Bullen, Guy Branston, Patrick Collins, Chris Marsden, Paul Heckingbottom, Glenn Whelan , Lee Peacock, JP McGovern and Steven MacLean as he set about getting the club out of the division the right way.
And so it began, Colchester at home, a side that had done the double over us in the previous campaign, revenge was set for us, 0-0 going into the final ten minutes, it turned into a horror show, we lost 3-0 and pressure was beginning to build on Chris Turner.

He led the side to 3 straight league wins and the Owls were looking good despite the mass overhaul of personnel however Typical Tubby he couldn’t get the side to sustain it and 5 games without a win was enough for Dave Allen and Turner was sacked after a 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth.
The Owls moved swiftly to appoint former Southampton manager Paul Sturrock, the affable Scot had led Plymouth out of this league a year earlier playing attractive football and he could be the man to end the bad times.

Sturrock’s first game was a 3-0 win away at Wrexham with MacLean, Brunt and Proudlock on the scoresheet however the side only won 1 of the next six league games and were languishing in 15th at the end of October. November was a different story with 3 wins on the bounce, a 3-0 win at Stockport was followed up with a 2-0 win over Hartlepool before promotion rivals Bristol City were put to sword on their own patch as the Owls rammed home 4 goals with the hosts netting just once in reply, the only downside was that Adam Proudlock who had been a increasing influence was ruled out with a broken leg.

In December Wednesday brought in Joey O’Brien on loan and he netted his first goal in a 4-2 defeat to Hull at S6 whilst 10 man Brentford also beat Wednesday on their own turf with future Owls striker Deon Burton scoring the winner. Ahead of the Christmas period Wednesday brought in unknown youngster Kenwyne Jones on loan from Southampton, the striker would prove to be a key signing for the club, he netted his first goal the weekend before Christmas in a 4-0 hammering of Doncaster Rovers at Belle Vue, Steve MacLean netted a hat trick as well, the two also scored goals in a 3-2 win over Walsall on Boxing Day and Jones again netted in the final game of 2004 as the Owls won 2-0 at Port Vale, JP McGovern was the other scorer, Wednesday ended the year in 4th and looked good bets for a play off spot.

The question is, could they keep it up, find out in Part Two

Can the Owls fly high into the fourth round?

It's FA Cup 3rd round time again, and with the Owls recent record in the competition being nothing short of abysmal then well, isn't it time for a change? With a New Year can there be a change in Wednesday's fortunes which will see the first game of 2010 bring a win.

2003, was the last time Wednesday won a game in the World's greatest domestic cup competition, when non league Salisbury City were put to the sword at S6. A morale boosting victory over Neil Warnock's Eagles would be the perfect start to the year in what could be the turning point of a very disappointing season so far.

Owls News..

With Luke Varney returning to Derby County after the expiration of his lenghty loan deal, it means Caretaker Sean Macauley has an enforced change to the side that performed so admirably against Newcastle infront of the tv cameras on Boxing Day. So expect a return for Leon Clarke up front alongside Marcus Tudgay, Sean Macallister is feeling a little under the weather but should be ok to take a place in the squad, but it remains to be seen if he will miss out in the final 18 that are selected.

Crystal Palace News

The Eagles come into the game on a high as they are uneaten in three and haven't lost since their trip to S2 at the start of December, since then they have drawn twice and won once, Barnsley and Swansea shared the points but Ipswich were soundly beaten by the Eagles at Selhurst Park.

Crystal Palace

As a football club Crystal Palace have been in existence for just over a century, they were formed by workers of The Crystal Palace way back in 1905, a year later they joined the second tier of the Southern League where they stayed until in 1920-21 when they entered the Third Division South of the Football League which they won to earn promotion to the Second Division.

After four years in the 2nd Division Palace were relegated to back to the 3rd Division of English football until the late 50's they even managed a one dark season in the bottom league in the early 60's for good measure but in 1969 they finished second in the 2nd division to gain promotion to the top flight for the first time.

Palace spent three years in the top flight but then suffered devastating back to back relegations in the mid 70's which saw them drop back to the third division but as quickly as they fell they bounced back with two promotions in three season (76/77 and 78/79) saw them back in the big time.

The early 80's saw Palace again slide out of the top flight and they would remain so until the Steve Coppell led them to promotion in 1989, they then went onto reach the FA Cup final in 1990 and finished the 90/91 season in third, their highest ever finish.

The 90's and beyond have seen Palace labelled as a yo-yo club with either promotion or relegation on seven occasions over the past twenty years, they have also suffered play-off heart-ache in the seasons 2005/06 and 2007/08 by crashing out at the semi final stage.

The Gaffer

So where do I start with 'Colin'? Well the man we love to hate has now almost had 2 years in charge of Palace but still falls foul of some Eagles fans despite having his hands tied by lack of finances.

Warnock began his career at non-league club Gainsborough Trinity nearly thirty years ago before moving onto Burton Albion but in 1986 he took the job at Scarborough FC and became the first man to win promotion to the Football League in 1987 following the abolition of the re-election system.

In 1989 he left the McCain Stadium to take over at Meadow Lane, he performed wonders with the Magpies and they won promotion to the top flight in 1991 for the first time since Jimmy Sirrel's miracle in 1980s when he'd guided the club from the fourth tier to the top level, unfortunately Warnock struggled in the top flight and they were relegated in 1992, Warnock himself was sacked 6 months later.

Barely two months later he took on the role of 'consultant' at Torquay United and saved them from relegation from the league. In the summer of 1993 he took over the reigns at Huddersfield Town and in his two years there he managed to get the club in the second tier of English football and got the Terriers into the Football League Trophy final, he quit just days after the club were promoted.

Following his surprise departure from Huddersfield he took over at basement club Plymouth and again his skill at getting clubs promoted were in evidence he took the Pilgrims back up a division, a poor 1996/97 season though did for Warnock and he left Home Park before having short spells in charge of Oldham and Bury.

In December 1999 he realised his boyhood dream when he was appointed manager of our nearest and dearest rivals, The Pigs, he along with chairman Kevin McCabe had a plan to get the Blades into the Premier League, their first attempt ended in some controversy and when they were pipped into 3rd spot by Leicester City in 2003, the Foxes had circumvented the rules on administration and kept their better players (this led to the rules now in force) however the Blades still had a chance but famously bottled the play-off final at Cardiff losing 3-0 to Wolves, it ended a exciting yet ultimately heartbreaking year for Warnock and the Blades who also missed out in the semi finals of BOTH cup competitions.

He finally got the Blades back into the top flight in 2006 when they finished runners up to Reading, his task to keep them in the Premiership again proved fruitless as they blew a 10 point gap and a Tevez inspired West Ham survived on the final day, Warnock was left bemoaning the fact that Tevez's registration was illegal, what he fails to remember is that they were TEN points clear and the players who goal ultimately relegated United (David Unsworth) had been released by himself.

Following the Blades demise he left his position after nearly 8 years in charge stating that a confrontation between 'actor' Sean Bean and Warnocks family sealed his decision to quit, he took over at Palace in October 2007 when they were 19th in the table, he led them into the play-offs after finishing 5th, last season Palace finished 15th.

Key Players

Victor Moses

Striker Victor joined the club following his move to England after being orphaned in his native Nigeria aged just 11, he quickly rose through the ranks and made his debut at the back end of the 2007/08 season after being a regular scorer at junior levels, he was just 16.

He scored 3 goals in 16 in that first spell in the first team, last season he managed just two goals but was mainly used in a wide area.

So far this season the pacy forward has scored 5 goals in 19 appearances and has been linked with several moves away with Barcelona said to be monitoring his progress

Squad Number 11

Darren Ambrose

Former England U21 international Darren moved across London in the summer when he joined Palace from their former tenants, Charlton, who had been relegated to League One in May.

Palace became the fourth club of Ambrose's 7 year professional career, he came through the ranks at Ipswich Town as a youngster and made his first team debut in April 2002 as Town slipped out of the top flight.

He started the following campaign in fine form for the Tractor Boys netting 10 times in thirty-odd appearances for the club but with finances tight at Portman Road it was with no surprise that Ambrose was sold, former Ipswich legend Sir Bobby Robson (RIP) splashed around £1m to bring him to the North-East in March 2003.

His first season on Tyneside saw him make 37 appearances in various competitions netting on three occasions but things began to turn sour following the removal of Robson as boss, under Graeme Souness his chances became few and far between with just 12 Premier League appearances and six in other competitions, most of which were from the bench, the frustration at his lack of chances left him no choice but to move.

In the Summer of 2005 he joined Charlton in search of first team football and in his first season he appeared 33 times in all, netting four times, he played a further 30 times the following season but couldn't help the Addicks stay in the Premiership.

Ambrose most prolific season came in the 2007/08 campaign, he appeared 42 times for the Addicks and found the net on 9 occasions, last season was a weird one for Ambrose as he left Charlton to return to his former club Ipswich on loan despite the Addicks struggling at the foot of the table, he found the net just and that was for Charlton against Norwich in a cup replay.

Since joining Palace he has a new lease of life with 13 goals in 24 starts in all competitions so far this season.

Squad Number 7

Paddy McCarthy
(Aaaddrrriiiaaannnn!!!!)

Centre back Patrick 'Paddy' McCarthy in his second season with the club following a move from nearby Charlton Athletic in the summer of 2008.

Dublin born Paddy came through the ranks at Manchester City but failed to make a single appearance in his four years with the Citizens, his football education came via loan spells at Notts County and Boston United.

In March 2005 he joined Leicester City for around �½�£100k on a three year deal, he made 13 appearances at the back end of the 2004/05 campaign and quickly became a fans favourite at Walkers Stadium. In his first full season with the Foxes he appeared 44 times and notched two goals, he also picked up 12 bookings and two red cards. He was named club captain for the 2006-07 and he was an almost ever present for the club with 33 appearances until injury ended his season, a dislocated shoulder in January meant he'd played his last game for the Foxes.

In the summer of 2007 he signed for newly relegated Charlton in a £650k deal but he only spent 1 season with the Addicks making just 33 appearances and netting 3 times, he moved across London in the summer of 2008 and so far has clocked up 41 matches for the Eagles and he has hit the onion bag three times.

Squad Number 5

Team News

Team lat time out V Swansea: Speroni ,Hill ,Fonte ,Ertl ,Hills ,Clyne ,Ambrose ,Derry ,Danns (Scannell ,89 ) ,Moses (Sears ,69 ) ,Andrew (Lee ,57)

Subs not used Carle,Smith,Comley,N'Diaye,

Head to Head

Wednesday have met the Eagles already this season but it was at their place, Selhurst Park where both teams played out a mostly uneventful game where the spoils were shared in a goalless draw.

A Leon Clarke strike sealed a 2-0 win for Wednesday last season, a year earlier the Eagles snatched a late draw on a snowy March day, Ben Sahar and Wade Small scored for the Owls with Watson and Lawrence equalising.

The 2006/07 season saw Wednesday complete a league double over the Eagles, after a see saw game at S6, Shefki Kuqi fired the visitors ahead before Marcus Tudgay levelled, current Owls loanee Tom Soares put Palace back in front but a header by Graham Coughlan made it all square and in the final minute Steve MacLean won it for Wednesday.

There has only been one FA Cup meeting, a 4th round tie in 1973, a 1-1 draw at S6 was followed by the scoreline at Selhurst before a Brian Joicey hat-trick at Villa Park in a 2nd replay saw the Owls through 3-2.

Overall at S6:

Owls: 15

Draw: 7

Eagles: 3

Final Thoughts

Morale, something that has been severly lacking of late in the Owls camp is steadily on the rise after the draw on Boxing Day and hopefully this will add more should we get the win. The attendance could be very poor with ticket sales slow as the closure of the Kop for the game shows, but many may just elect to turn up on the day (like myself) to boost the numbers.

A win over Warnock is always a good thing and although the omens aren't that good with Palace having the better record against us, but our fortunes have to change for the good sometime so why can't it start here. 2010 could be our year, the return of a proper Wednesday, one to be proud of.

Irvine now linked with Wednesday.

New year, no new manager... YET. But this morning we have been linked again with someone and this time it's the recently dismissed ex Preston manager, Alan Irvine.

Irvine was dismissed at Deepdale last Tuesday after a recent run of results that far from impressed the Lilywhite's board with just three wins in 15 games, one of which was against Wednesday at Hillsborough back in October, a game which arguably the Owls deserved to win.

His dismissal from Preston was seen as a shock after he guided them to the playoffs last season where they were defeated by our neighbours over two legs. Irvine's former assistant and now caretaker manager at Deepdale, Rob Kelly, has said he believes that this season would have been no different and he expected the Scot to lead them to the playoffs again despite them currently lying in 16th place in the Championship.

Another manager linked with the Owls, Darren Ferguson, has been shortlisted by the Lancashire club as Irvine's possible replacement but we still await Wednesday to make any indication which way they are likely to go or when they announcement will be made.
Will it be former Owl, Gary Megson, Irvine or Ferguson that will be in the hotseat at Hillsborough? Or someone else that hasn't been mentioned yet?

With Wednesday facing Crystal Palace in the FA Cup today, a win would go some way towards putting Sean Macauley forward for the position should he be interested, but the speculation rumbles on.

Colin’s Palace side dump Wednesday out of the F.A Cup

There were 2 changes from the side that drew at home to Newcastle last week with Leon Clarke replacing the suspended Luke Varney and Francis Jeffers replacing Jermaine Johnson. There was also a place on the bench for academy prospect Liam Palmer.

The match, witnessed by a quiet 8690 fans which gave the game the atmosphere on a par with a reserve game was as disappointing as the draw itself.
Wednesday had the better of the possession in the early stages but it was the visitors who took the lead with little less than 20 minutes on the clock. Shaun Scannell beat Tommy Spurr down our left hand side before somehow the ball made its way to the back post when it should have been cleared. Neil Danns was on hand to poke the ball home.

Just before half time Wednesday equalised thanks to an own goal from Clint Hill. Clake got away from his man on the corner of the 6 yard box and fired a shot goal wards but his effort was put in to the back of the net by Hill.

Half time – SWFC 1-1 CPFC

In the second half Wednesday pressed forward and kept hold of the ball well but it Palace were to ones to get the decisive goal. Palace made a change which paid off as it was Calvin Andrew who broke into the box and sneaked it past Grant and in off the post.

Jeffers almost repaid the faith shown in him when he picked up a loose pass from ex-united defender Claude Davis but the Palace ‘keeper got to it first. Marcus Tudgay also saw a good effort well saved before he was replaced by Etienne Esajas.

Full Time - SWFC 1-2 CPFC

Wilko won't make the decision..

Former Wednesday manager Howard Wilkinson won't be involved in the selection process for the new manager at Hillsborough he has revealed today.
Wilkinson has spoken to the Daily Telegraph today amid the speculation that former Newcastle player, manager and legend Alan Shearer is interested in taking up the hotseat with Wednesday.

Many thought that with his links with the club along with his role helping out seek new investment and restructuring things off the pitch, then he would be putting his ten penneth in to help Lee Strafford and the board decide the new gaffer, but it seems it isn't the case at all.

“I am not a director at the club and I don’t have any direct impact on the practical side of, if you like, the practical side of the business,” Wilkinson said.
“My job at Sheffield Wednesday 12 months ago was to come in to help them re-structure things off the pitch with regard to the academy and sports science etc, etc and to help them by having an input into the business plan.

“That is to try to make sure the plan was of a sort that would attract other than mega wealthy businessmen who don’t seem to be very interested in Sheffield Wednesday.

“That is as far as it goes so what happens with managers coming and going it is not my remit. I honesty can not tell you a thing about Alan Shearer, Gary Speed or whatever.”

Wilkinson said that the club is in a strange financial position but not in a way that would have you think, he means that investment in the team isn't going to be forthcoming, but the club is self suffiecient as we speak.

“That fact remains that Sheffield Wednesday’s finances, whilst healthy in the sense that the club washes its face, are not healthy enough to compete with many teams in that league. So bringing in teh right management team is a decision that will be a massive decision with the club and it's current financial plight.

“Hence they need to get a team in place that is a strong team because they can’t go out and get the so-called star players so they have to get someone that can produce a star team and make up for whatever it lacks. '

Many thought Steve Cotterill would be a shoe in for the job recently, especially after he turned down a return to Cheltenham added to his connections with Wilkinson. But the news that Sargeant Wilko isn't involved in the selection process it could be seen that Cotterill is well out of the running to take up a spot at S6.

We wait further news on the managerial appointment with baited breath, and let's face it, things need sorting... Quickly.

Would we REALLY go for Colin?

It's quite apt that the weather has turned as the snowball of speculation gets bigger by the day and the latest man linked with the vacant Wednesday managers post would cause the biggest storm of all.

Yes, our old adversary Neil 'Colin' Warnock has been linked with the job, and after his comments about the club at the weekend could it really be true?

Shortly after Warnock's Crystal Palace side defeated the Owls in the 3rd round of the Fa Cup last weekend, he spoke about Wednesday in a way which hasn't been heard before, well at least by him! He said:

‘If I’d got money, this would be the club I’d buy, and I mean that. It is a club that can get 30,000 crowds. It’s a fantastic club. They just have to get out of their current difficult situation.

‘Everybody at Wednesday has got to be as positive as they can. There are a lot of plusses going for this club if they can turn the corner in the next few weeks and get going again.’

The Daily Mail are today reporting that Lee Strafford may well be interested in taking on the former Blades boss at S6, but the possibility of it happening just seems against the grain of plenty Wednesdayites.

You may look at his credentials and experience for getting sides out of this division, and knowing how to build a team of promotion contenders with five of the clubs he has managed gaining promotion in the past. But can we seriously consider appointing such a staunch fan of our neighbours? The same man who was quoted as saying, even though it appeared to be tongue in cheek, that he would sign players to get us relegated to the non league!

Although he has berated us, riled us and annoyed everyone in football with his comments and attitude towards the match officials, do we think he could do a job for us in our time of need?
Most would find it hard to believe that we would even consider someone like Warnock to take over here, well we all know we should expect the unexpected, especially at S6!

Scunny away, moved..

Despite attempts by Wednesday to get the re arranged fixture away at Bloomfield Road, Blackpool re arranged to Fa cup 4th round weekend being rebuffed due to Preston playing at home the same weekend, another of the Owls fixtures has been moved back one day due to the cup competition.

Wednesday's trip to Glanford Park, Scunthorpe has been moved to Wednesday 27th January now from 24 hours earlier.

The Iron play against Manchester City in the cup competition on the 24th January so it has been moved to allow Nigel Adkin's men time to recover ahead of the Owls visit.

Calderwood back in the frame?

Former Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood was mentioned early on after Brian Laws' departure from Hillsborough but little has been heard of him since. Today we have learned from a source close to Calderwood that he is interested and believes he is a firm candidate for the job.

Calderwood led Dunfermline to the Scottish Cup final back in 2004 where they were defeated by Celtic, in the Dunfermline side that day was former Owls captain, Lee Bullen who appeared as a second half substitute for the Pars.
Bullen is thought to be part of Calderwood's coaching team that would come to Hillsborough, along with his usual assistant Jimmy Nicholl who was his assistant at Aberdeen.

Calderwood moved onto Aberdeen after his Cup final exploits with the East End Park club, headhunted by Director of Football, Willie Miller for the Dons post. At the end of the 2007 season, Calderwood led the Dons into third place in the SPL securing a spot in Europe for the Pittodrie based outfit, it was to be their first foray into Europe for over 10 years.
They secured a historic 2-2 draw with German giants Bayern Munich after destoying FC Copenhagen in the first round although they were soundly beaten in the second leg of the tie.

He left the Dons in May of last year after once again securing an European place when they finished third once again in the SPL.

Calderwood is highly regarded in footballing circles and it may bring a different direction to proceedings at S6, something which is urgently needed at the moment.

As always, if we hear anything else we will get the news to you as soon as we can.

Posh Off

It was always in doubt due to the cold weather, ice and snow and the decision has been made today to postpone this weekends game at Hillsborough.

But it's not the pitch that has caused the abandonment, it's the safety of the supporters in and around the ground which has brought the decision.

Sheffield Wednesday chief executive, Nick Parker, told the clubs official website: 'While we are still two days away from the fixture against Peterborough, the areas surrounding Hillsborough Stadium are covered in snow and ice. It is highly unlikely these areas could be cleared to the extent that would allow fans to come to the game and be guaranteed of their safety.'

A weekend off the for Owls players and the fans as the bad weather looks set to continue.

The game has now been re arranged for Fa Cup 4th round weekend, Saturday 23rd January as both sides were knocked out of the competition last week bu Crystal Palace and Tottenham respectively.

Irvine confirmed as Owls boss

Wednesday have this afternoon confirmed the former Preston North End manager, Alan Irvine, as the clubs new manager.

Irvine has signed a three and half year deal with the Owls and he starts his tenure immediately, with his first game a South Yorkshire derby against Barnsley at Oakwell next weekend.

Speaking to the clubs official website the new Sheffield Wednesday manager said: 'I am delighted to take up the position of manager at Sheffield Wednesday. It is a club with great traditions and a brilliant outlook for the future. While the league table shows us that there is a lot of hard work in front of us between now and the end of the current season, it is a challenge I am relishing and I believe the squad here at Hillsborough is more than capable of pulling away from the current situation at the bottom of the Championship.'

We at Owlsonline wish Alan all the best and hope for a long and successful spell as gaffer.

Irvine sets out his stall.

After just a couple of days in charge of his new team, Wednesday boss Alan Irvine has set his agenda for the coming months, survival.

Irvine knows he cannot dip into a pot of cash to aid the teams survival chances in the Championship and it is hard graft on the training field that will bring the rewards. He said:
“If any money comes it will be a bonus and, hopefully, I will be able to use it. But I have not been told there will be funds available.'

Not having an endless pot of money is something that the Scot is used to, in his last post at Preston money was in short supply too.

“I took the job at Preston because I wanted to work on the training ground with players in detail and depth. That is what I really enjoy doing and I have come here on that understanding.

“Hopefully it will be the work that is done on the training ground that will give us the results we need to succeed.

“Survival is the only target. To aim for anything other than that at this stage would be foolish.”

Well the survivial plan kicks in this week with a trip to Oakwell and former Owl, Mark Robins, in the way of Wednesday's first three point haul in over 12 games. Good luck Alan,

It's a clean slate for all.

Wednesday captain Darren Purse is looking forward to working for new manager Alan Irvine as he told the club's official website all the players have been told everyone of the squad will be given a chance as their slate has been wiped clean.

Irvine takes the Owls to Oakwell this weekend in what will be his first game in charge of the side and Purse spoke of how he has taken to the task in hand, he said:
'I think the gaffer has settled in really well with the lads. He's told everyone that we all have fresh starts and a clean slate, which is a good thing. The first few sessions have gone really well, the tackles have been flying in and everyone is out to impress.

'The tempo has been excellent and the lads have taken to the new coaches really well. It's not long before the first game comes so it's about adjusting to each other as fast we can.'

A points target seems to have been set to avoid the bottom three come the end of the season and Purse says that it's more than and the players are up for the task.

'We have 23 games to go and we need to be on around 52 or 53 points come the end of the season, that should be enough to stay in the division. It's going to be a hard task but we're all up for it and raring to go. Hopefully, with the new manager and new ideas, that will all come to fruition.'

In other news former Owls boss, Brian Laws is a front runner for the vacant Burnley managerial post. Laws is a former Claret from his playing days and is thought to be amongst the shortlist for the job along with Doncaster Rovers boss Sean O Driscoll.

Good luck Brian.

Whatever happened to........... Francesco Sanetti

He was an unknown quantity when he signed for the Owls back in April 1998. Big Ron saw enough in the young striker to bring him to Hillsborough to play alongside his compatriots, Paulo Di Canio and Benito Carbone.

Francesco Sanetti introduced himself to the Wednesday faithful with an almost immediate impact at the end of the 97/98 season, plucked from relative obscurity in Genoa, Italy, where a stint in the reserve side for the Rossoblu was his only achievement in the game to date. But how things were to change for the likeable young player, and the chance to ply his trade in the world's most popular domestic league were a dream of the player who was had only just turned 19 years old, three months before his move to Sheffield.

The transfer to S6 came out of the blue and it was his manager who told him of the move, something that Francesco says was unexpected but he was keen to take.

“I played in the second team in Genoa, then my manager told me of the proposed transfer to Sheffield Wednesday. I gladly accepted the chance to sign for the club because it could be a spring board for my career.”

New surroundings, language and training regimes were something that Francesco would have to adjust to and quickly but having two people in particular there to help him settle in was vital in his development, but the size of the club and the opportunity that had been presented to him was something of a shock also.

“In fact, I was much too young and I didn't understand well the, importance of the possibility that had been given me, and probably I wasn't mature enough to cope with that and I wasn't a mature footballer. I still had so much more to learn. The methods of training were so different to that in Italy.

“The impact with the different culture was certainly far from easy, however thanks also to the support that Paolo and Benny gave me I have overcome all the initial difficulties.
“I talked with them a lot in the beginning because I didn't speak no English, they helped me a lot.”

Despite the cultural differences, Francesco found Sheffield a good place to live and learn his trade.

“Sheffield was a good place to play for a young Italian like me, it was a good working experience and it gave me a good experience in my life.”

The one moment all Wednesday fans who remember Francesco for though is that goal in front of the Kop against Aston Villa in our final game of the 97/98 season. Despite losing the game three-one it was his cameo appearance in the second half which brought Owls fans to have had high hopes for him, and that goal is something that he will always cherish and he is thankful to Big Ron for the chance.

“For me it was like to live in a dream, it didn't seem to be true. Only few months before I played in the reserve team of Genoa and then I found myself scoring a goal in the Premier League... Fantastic.

“I will always be thankful for the opportunity he gave me, allowing me to make my debut at a young age without really being conditioned for it.”

The man who saw the spark of talent in Francesco, Big Ron, got the sack that summer and in came Danny Wilson, and it was to prove the beginning of the end for the young striker and along with one particular famous incident which didn't help either.

“I think because I was not a player bought by him then I was a player he didn't like a lot, shortly after it happened Paolo di Canio gave the push to the referee and the Italian's in that period we had a tough time at the club.”

Francesco was to leave Hillsborough in the summer of 1999, naturally disappointed he left to return to his homeland to continue his career but he left with a year still on his contract and Francesco admitted he didn't do enough to extend his stay, but had little chance also.

“I have not done a lot, but I not had the possibilities to change that. I had the choice to go away from Sheffield have rescinded one year of my contract to return to football in Italy since Danny Wilson didn't hold me in consideration.
“If Big Ron had remained it would very probably have been different.”

The most surprising things about his time with Wednesday though aren't matters of culture, language or his surroundings.

“The methods of training totally were different from those that are in Italy, but above all the fans passion, they were fantastic.”

So the promising striker found himself playing back Italian second tier, Serie B, where he continued his career until the last couple of years, so who did Francesco play for?

“After Wednesday I played for seven years in the second division with Livorno, Lodigiani, Teramo, Acireale e Cavese.”
Is there anything that he would change if he was able to turn back the clock and return to Sheffield?

“No, I would not have done anything different, I was just not mature enough to be understood the possibility that I had in Sheffield.”

With a career coming to a close which hasn't seen him hit the heights that we all hoped, his time in English football was his most memorable time as a professional footballer.

“The peak of my career was being in Sheffield, but since coming back to Italy I have played with important but relatively unknown teams in Europe.
“I have decided now to play in the fourth division near my house and to devote my time to my beautiful family.

But given the choice would he return to English football the answer is an unequivocal, yes.
Or in his words...

“Of course. Would like above all to be with the Sheffield Wednesday.”

Massive thanks to Francesco for taking the time to speak to us, and to Walkers for asking him the questions and arranging the interview.

Oakwell trip for Owls

The league programme resumes for the Owls after a three week break due to the weather. Wednesday last played a league game on Boxing Day and go into this South Yorkshire derby with a fresh direction following the appointment of Alan Irvine last week but it won’t be easy against a Barnsley side rejuvenated under Mark Robins management.

Owls News

New Owls boss Alan Irvine takes charge of his first game on Saturday and will be looking to end Wednesdays three month barren run without a win, the Scotsman has spent his first week assessing his new team and has offered a clean slate to all players. Irvine steps into the Hillsborough hot-seat barely a week after leaving his role at Preston, the highly respected coach has a tough task ahead to keep the Owls in the division after the mess left behind by Brian Laws and the current batch of players.

With the news that it’s a clean slate for all the players it would be difficult to second guess what side Alan Irvine will start with but Akpo Sodje is back from his spell at Charlton and will replace Luke Varney who has returned to Derby, Michael Gray and Tommy Miller should also be available for the game, Gray missed the last month due to injury and illness whilst Miller hasn’t played since early November.

Lee Grant is about the only certainty to start at Oakwell, the Hillsborough custodian has been linked with a move away to Burnley following the appointment of Brian Laws at Turf Moor but Wednesday will be looking for an offer they cannot refuse before letting their most consistent player of the last three years leave.

Alan Irvine has said he will make his side hard to beat so the Owls could adapt a 4-5-1 formation that was used in his Preston days to great effect which could see Marcus Tudgay play in a wide role rather than up front.

Team News

Team (possible) : Grant, Simek, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Johnson, O’Connor, Soares, Gray; Jeffers, Tudgay.
(subs from) Jameson, Boden, Hinds, McAllister, Buxton, Potter, Miller, Esajas, Clarke, Sodje.

Barnsley News

The Tykes welcome the Owls after seeing their 8 game unbeaten run in the league ended last week at Coventry, the Tykes are also unbeaten at home since October 24th and will be full of confidence given their excellent recent for at Oakwell.

Barnsley FC

The origins of Barnsley FC can be traced way to 1887 when the club was formed under the name Barnsley St Peters, the club were founder members of the Sheffield League in 1892 before joining the Midland League in 1896, a year later they dropped the St Peter’s from their name.

In 1898 they were elected to the Football league and began life in the second tier, it was an initial struggle for the Tykes who hovered around the lower reaches of the division due to financial restrictions but in 1910 they reached the FA Cup final for the first time in their history but lost to Newcastle in a replay, that loss seemed to affect the club and a year later they finished 19th in the division and had to apply for re-election to the league which was granted.

The re-election seemed to galvanise the club and in 1912 they reached the FA Cup final once again and this time they won it 1-0 after a replay at Bramall Lane, the form continued in the league where they finished 6th. The club finished 4th, 5th and 3rd in the following seasons before the War ended the league programme.

Upon the league re-starting in 1919 it was decided that the 1st division would be expanded to 22 teams with Spurs being relegated for finishing bottom but Chelsea were reprieved leaving 3 spaces to be filled from the second tier it was expected that the Tykes would join Derby and Preston in the top flight but unfortunately for the club Arsenal bought their way into the division ahead of the club via a vote and it would be nearly 80 years before Barnsley would host top flight football. In 1922 the club nearly achieved the dream as they led Stoke City by 2 points but an inferior goal average with City having a game in hand, Stoke won 3-0 and kept the Tykes out of the top flight by virtue of 1 goal.

Following that near miss it became a barren time for the Tykes who began to fluctuate between the 2nd and 3rd tiers of English football between 1932 and 1959 they were relegated 4 times to the fourth tier and promoted three times, the last relegation in 1959 saw them begin their longest period outside the second tier in their history, they were relegated to the fourth tier in 1965, promoted 3 years later, back down in 1972 before returning again in 1979, two years later they ended 22 years outside the second tier by finishing 2nd in the third division.

The 80’s were a period of consolidation for the club and several young players came through the ranks only to be sold off to keep the club afloat, like a certain David Eric Hirst, in 1991 the club just missed out on the play-offs by virtue of goal difference.

An ex-Owl began to change the fortunes of the club around during the 90’s, Danny Wilson replaced Viv Anderson as manager and in 1997 he secured runners up spot in the 1st division and brought Premier League football to Oakwell for the first time. Their spell in the top flight was short lived but memorable for wins at Anfield and a good cup run including beating Manchester United.

Relegation set a malaise into the club and despite reaching the play-off final in 2000 where they lost 4-2 to Ipswich the club went on a downward spiral, off the pitch the club had mounting financial problems, in 2002 they were relegated to the third tier for the first time on 21 years and they would remain there until winning the play-offs in 2006 against Swansea at the Millennium Stadium.

They have finished 20th, 18th and 20th since returning to this division.

Oakwell

Oakwell has been home to the club since 1888 and has a current capacity of just over 23,000 but rarely does this figure get reached.

The oldest stand still in use is the West Stand which was made all seater in 1995, the two tiered wooden stand is a welcome relic of a bygone era and although looks old you can tell that it’s seen history, the current capacity of the stand is just shy of 4,800.

Directly across from the West Stand is the splendid two tiered East Stand which was built back in 1993 to replace the old Brewery Stand terrace, the stand runs the length of the pitch and holds just under 7,500 people, the stand was the first in Yorkshire to incorporate executive boxes into the structure.

The “Ponty End” is the home “Kop” and holds just over 4,500 people in the single tiered stand and was built with future developments in mind, the stand also contains the main administration offices of the club.

Opposite the Ponty End is the impressive North Stand which houses 6,000 and is given to the away fans, the large single tiered stand replaced the open terrace that once stood there, the stand was built just after the club had been relegated from the Premier League in 1998.

The corner stand between the Ponty and the East stand is a three tiered “executive box” area which houses just over 200 people including the disabled facilities.

The Gaffer

Mark Robins took over at Barnsley in September following the sacking of Simon Davey, the one time Owls striker had been doing a great job at Rotherham prior to his defection to Oakwell and barring a 17 point deduction last season he would have guided the Millers to the League Two play-offs.

He was assistant manager to Alan Knill at the Millers but following a slump in form Knill was dismissed, after an initial successful care-taker period Robins was installed as manager in April 2007 with the club already destined for the drop. In his first full season he had the club challenging for a play-off spot until a late dip in form coupled with off the field problems saw them miss out.

He has begun brightly at the Tykes, the club were languishing bottom of the league when he took over on 1 point from 5 games but are now 16th on 30 points, Robins has guided them to 29 points from 18 games.

As a player Mark will be remembered as the man who saved Fergie’s job at Manchester United, his goal in an FA Cup tie with Forest kept Sir Alex in power at Old Trafford and he’s never looked back, after United he moved to Norwich where he was a regular scorer in the top flight for the Canaries before becoming a nomad and notching up moves to Leicester, Reading, Man City, Walsall, Rotherham, Bristol City, Wednesday and Burton Albion as well as spells abroad with Copenhagen, Ourense and Panionios.

Key Players

Anderson De Silva

Brazillian midfielder Anderson came to Oakwell from Everton on an initial loan deal in August 2007, he enjoyed a month at the Tykes before returning to Goodison, later in the season he returned to Barnsley for a further month before making the deal permanent in the January 2008 transfer window.

He began his career in Uruguay with Nacional Montevideo before a loan spell at Montevideo Wanderers alerted Racing Santander to his presence and he moved to the Spanish club in 2003 on a two year loan, after a good season where netted 5 times in thirty appearances he was signed by Everton but due to the EU rules he wasn’t eligible to play in this country.

Everton loaned the Brazillian to Spanish side Malaga in order for him to qualify for an EU passport and after an 18 month spell in Spain he was finally allowed over here in 2007 he however struggled to break into the Everton side and made just appearance for the Toffees before being allowed to join Barnsley, he began well with the club but suffered a serious knee problem in February 2008 that ruled him out for several months.

To date he has made 78 appearances for the club and netted 5 times.

Squad Number 15

Daniel Bogdanovic

Libyan Born Maltese international Daniel joined the club in January 2009 from Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Sofia, the 29 year old 6ft2 striker managed to make his mark for the Oakwell club with 5 goals in 16 appearances and that went someway to securing the Tykes position in this league.

Prior to his spell in Bulgaria he was at two of the bigger Maltese clubs, he begun his career with Sliema Wanderers (who Owls fans will remember were one of the opposition in summer tour), he then had spells with Vasas FC, Naxxar Lions, Valetta and Cherno More on loan but it was a full time move to Marsaxxlokk where he made his name with 31 league goals in the 2006/07 which saw them pip his former club Sliema to the title.

He was on the move to Cisco Roma the following year but struggled in the Italian League and was moved on to Lokomotiv after just one season.

So far this season he has found the net on seven occasions in nineteen appearances.

Squad Number 10

Luke Steele

Custodian Luke Steele earned his place as Barnsley’s number 1 towards the latter part of last season, displacing fans favourite Heinz Muller who has since returned to his native Germany. Peterborough born Steele began his career with his home town club, he made just two starts for the club before Manchester United came calling and he moved to Old Trafford for a cool half a million.

He never featured for United and was sent to Coventry (literally) for a loan spell during the 2004/05 season where he made 36 appearances, and earned some rave reviews. He left Manchester United in 2006 as part of the Tomasz Kusczczak deal with West Brom, who proposed to loan him back to Coventry but he was recalled before making an appearance, he did however make 5 appearances for the Sky Blues later in season as an emergency loan.

Albion gave Steele one of his only two starts in December 2007. In February 2008 Barnsley applied to bring in Steele on loan ahead of their FA Cup tie at Anfield, the goalkeeper was arguably star of the show in the 5th round tie that Barnsley won and he helped them to the semi finals with a clean sheet against Chelsea in the next round, at the end of that campaign Steele made the move permanent. The return to fitness of Heinz Muller and some errors by Steele saw the shot shopper dropped from September til mid April, his return coincided with a four match unbeaten end to the 2008/09 season.

Squad Number 1

Team News

The hosts welcome new signing Nathan Doyle into the squad, the former Hull City man joined on a free transfer in the week after a successful loan spell earlier in the campaign.

Team (possible) :Steele, Shotton, Foster, Moore, Dickinson; Hammill, De Silva, Colace, Halfredsson; Macken, Bogdanovic.

(subs from) Preece, Hume, Campbell-Ryce, Kozluk, Hassell, Butterfield, Gray, Thompson, Adam, Doyle.

Head to Head

An early strike by Iain Hume and a Jamal Campbell-Ryce spot kick was enough to earn the Reds all 3 points against ten man Wednesday when the clubs last met at Oakwell in October 2008, Leon Clarke’s spot kick was the only bright spot on a poor night for the Owls.

The season previous the two clubs had played out a drab goalless draw in difficult conditions, that had given the Reds back some pride as in the 2006/07 season the Owls had walked away from Oakwell comfortable 3-0 winners, goals from Wayne Andrews, Chris Brunt and Steven MacLean had put the Reds to the sword just before the turn of the year.

The clubs had met in League One prior to the meeting in December 2006, with a goalless draw in February 2005 and a 1-1 draw in December 2003.

The two sides first met at Oakwell in March 1900 with the hosts winning 1-0, the Owls first win at Oakwell was a 4-2 victory in December 1923 with a brace apiece by Andy Smailes and Sam Taylor for the Owls.
There has only ever been one top flight meeting between the clubs at Oakwell and that came in 1998, goals from Ashley Ward and Jan-Aage Fjortoft put the hosts 2-0 up before Dejan Stefanovic reduced the arrears.

Overall at Oakwell :

Owls: 8
Draw: 8
Barnsley: 14

Final thoughts

It’ll be a near sell out in the away end and the hosts are sure to pack the stadium for a game many of their fans regard as the “big one” so it’s set for a white hot atmosphere and Wednesday fans will be hoping to end the long barren run, we’ve not won since October and are without a goal on the road since Halloween, the Tykes faithful will be hoping to extend their unbeaten run over the “dee dahs” to four games.

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Retro Game - Barnsley

Undoubtly this was one of those classic fiery derby matches where if you were a Wednesday fan, you were disappointed that despite your domination - you could only manage a draw which almost resulted in a defeat

After a very lucky draw against Scunthorpe United in the cup and a 3-0 victory against Carlisle, The Owls travelled up the A61 to face a Barnsley side comfortably in mid-table. Ironically, both sides had been drawn to face each other in the cup providing the owls get past Brian Laws's Scunthorpe in the replay at Hillsborough. The derby game had been put forward to a 12:15 kick off in order to prevent any crowd trouble (so i'm surprised we've got a 3pm kick off finally at Dingleland to look forward to)

The Owls lined up as follows
Lucas, Geary, Lee, Bromby, Barry Murphy, Reddy, Mustoe, Haslam, Ndumbu Nsungu, Holt, Robins

Subs - Pressman, D Smith, Wilson, Proudlock, Owusu

The Dingles lined up as follows
Ilic, O Callaghan, Monk, Ireland, Gallimore, Burns, Warhurst, Kay, Betsy, Rankin, Walters

Subs - Alcock, Austin, Lumsdon, Hayward, Carson

Mark Robins was making his league debut for Wednesday after scoring 2 in the LDV vans match against Carlisle. For those that remember Carlisle trip, it was famous for Carlisle's mini tango who endured chants of you need to put on weight. The game itself was a drab affair from what I remember although we won 3-0!
A familiar face in Paul Warhurst was also making his debut for the dingles. Now a lot of people have fond memories for Paul Warhurst but mine are very mixed. Yes I remember his 1992/93 season where he was superb but I'll never forget or forgive the way in which he demanded a transfer to Blackburn Rovers just to play alongside Alan Shearer. Also, that for me was the start of the downfall for both his career and Wednedsays premiership years as we never replaced Warhursts all round ability and he rarely played for the Rovers due to injuries.

Anyway in the glorious December sun the game kicked off and a bumper crowd of over 20,000 was packed inside Oakwell to witness what would become a fiery derby. Tackles were flying in from the start and it didn't help that the referee Mr Paul Taylor would be a card happy individual. Also he certainly enjoyed blowing his whistle it was like a christmas present had come early for him. It only took 8 minutes for the first chance to happen where Wednesday failed to deal with the flight of the ball. Rankin forced a throw and Brian O Callaghans throw was completely misjudged by the defence allowing Rankin to have a free volley from 8 yards only to fire it well wide.

In the space of a few minutes both Grant Holt and Warhurst were booked and within seconds the dingles should have taken the lead as a mix up with Murphy and Bromby allowed Betsy to run down the wing but the winger put in an atrocious cross as both Rankin and Walters were in yards of space to have a shot. The warning came and the warning wasn't dealt with as the useless Barry Murphy completely miss hit his clearance to fall to O Callaghan who put in a lovely ball where Anthony Kay was there to volley past Lucas giving the dingles the lead. Oakwell was going barmy with the result of it and it was set that once again, Wednesday would be in for yet another poor result.

To make matters worse for Wednesday, the on loan Michael Reddy picked up an injury and had to be replaced by Adam Proudlock. But fortune came as Wednesday equalised due to some poor keeping by Ilic. He haplessly flapped at a corner which required the defence to clear, however Haslam played the ball back in and Ndumbu Nsungu headed upwards and over Ilic and over the defender at the far post into the net to give the Owls the equaliser and send over 7000 wednesday fans into delirium. Game on!

The flow started to favour the visitors as Wednesday created a couple of chances afterwards. Holt came close with a header that forced Ilic to make a good save, and Proudlock had a goal bound effort blocked. But things turned to the worse as O Callaghan tripped Holt inside the area but referee Taylor did not give a penalty. However Holt disagreed and foolishly protested to the referee ending up in himself being sent off. What I didn't understand was that the dingles celebrated the sending off like they scored a goal. I certainly remember we did not celebrate Kilgallons sending off that loudly. Each to their own. It still didn't stop Wednesday from having the last chance of the half where Mustoe shot wide from range after Monk poorly headed the corner away. Nevertheless, the half time interval came with the scores at one each

The second half started franticly as well and despite being reduced to ten men, Wednesday were on top but were failing to threaten the dingles goal. The game evened itself out on 54 muntes as a frustrated Warhurst went in hard on Mustoe earning him his second yellow card. Not many players I can remember have been sent off on their debuts. Wednesday then had a 30 pass success rate and Mark Robins crossed a lovely ball but Nsungu headed tamely straight into the arms of Ilic. Ndumbu started to torment the Dingles defence but where he was going wrong was that he didn't shoot at the right time as he wanted to walk the ball into the net.

66 minutes had been played and wednesday had a lucky let off when the useless Barry Murphy did a calamity of all calamities. A tame cross from Betsy was easily going to be dealt with as there was no dingle player insight but a mix up between Bromby and Murphy, led Murphy to head the ball past the outcoming Lucas and fortunately for him, the ball hit the post. Had that had gone in, Murphy would not want to be walking past the Wednesday fans at the final whistle. Minutes later, Murphy hapelessly failed to deal a cross (perhaps Tommy Spurr has been watching too many Brian Barry Murphy videos this season), but recovered to block a Walters strike but the ball came to Rankin and his goalbound shot was somehow saved by Lucas. It was a brilliant save from the on-loan Preston keeper for people that remember it.

After that save, it was Wednesday who were dominating with Ndumbu Nsungu having a field day against his marker, beating him all the time with ease. A lovely move by him and Robbie Mustoe found Barry Murphy on the left. Murphy cut inside beat two defenders and had the whole of Ilic's goal at his mercy with Mark Robins free on the right. This was it, surely it but to sum up his useless performance he completely mis hit his kick and the ball went about 1mph into Ilics arms. My goodness what a miss, the goal at your mercy, a player free 2 yards out, but no the worst finish in Wednesdays history. Useless idiot!

Mustoe then volleyed from 20 yards just wide and Ndumbus strike forced Ilic into an excellent save, but as the match was drawing to a close, substitute Steven Carson almost won it for the hosts but once again Lucas came to wednesdays rescue with an excellent save. The match came to a close with a 1-1 draw which you could argue was a fair result but a match where both sides would have looked back on thinking if only. In my opinion, had wednesday lost, it would have been due to our own making

Afterwards though, Wednesday did not meet again at Oakwell as a 0-0 awful match against Scunthorpe ended with the visitors winning on penalties and knocking Wednesday out. During the awful Turner reign, this was one of the more enjoyable matches to watch purely for the frantic goal bound entertainment. A couple of dingle mates were angry with their performance and thought it would have been daylight robbery if they won, I knew though that wednesday despite the domination were never going to get a winner and once again our defence looked very awful. At least on the positive side, the fans favourite didn't get murdered by a 40 year old has been like the previous saturday fixture

BRING IT ON - BAAAARNSLEY

Well it seems like an absolute age since we did this, and it was... It was last year!
With a few weeks off due to the snow, it's a return to league action at Oakwell so as always, we ask an opposing supporter to BRING IT ON.

So, like on the opening day of the season we speak to Rob Miles of Tykesmad to find out about all things Red and how they see their season and the game tomorrow going.

1) Halfway through the season, you've been on a very good run recently.. What do you expect from here?

I think all the fans want to see is improvement. This is our fourth season back at this level now and the previous three have been relegation struggles. I think I speak for the majority when I say I’d be delighted if by about April, we are well clear of trouble. Top ten would be fantastic but somewhere between 11th and 14th would be a real good position to take into next season.

2) It would be fair to say you have taken to the former Owl managing your side these days, like you did with Danny Wilson. Is Robins the best manager you've had?

I think it’s far too early to say whether he’s the best manager we’ve ever had, but he does remind me a lot of the last manager to get us promotion- Andy Ritchie. He doesn’t pull any punches and he’s not afraid to drop players out of form. Under Davey you just knew that with certain players, no matter how poorly they were playing they would still be in the team next week. Not so under Robins and the fans are delighted with that.

3) Was he the manager you wanted when Davey got the elbow?

He wasn’t the first name off my tongue when Davey got the boot but when I heard we were interested in him I was very happy with it. He worked wonders at Rotherham and I was very pleased when he signed with us.

4) Robins has brought in some astute loan signings, but if there was one more player you could bring in, who would it be?

I’d love to see us get Billy Sharp- Robins has admitted interest- but it looks as though he’ll remain at Doncaster, at least until the summer. On their day our current strikers can be great… but their day doesn’t come around as much as we would like it to.

5) Who would you say has been your player of the season so far?

We seem to have had two seasons really. The first month under Davey was shocking, but it’s been totally different under Robins, and some players look like completely different characters. We’ve never really had a settled side, but Ryan Shotton- on loan from Stoke has been outstanding.

6) Has there been one player who has done better than you expected?

Up until the Newcastle game I would have said Darren Moore. I thought he looked finished at the end of last season but has been magnificent this campaign…. Until Andy Carroll destroyed him and he’s looked his age ever since.

7) What do you expect from Wednesday this weekend?

A backlash. They are on a dreadful run but have a new manager in charge. Players usually step up their game when a new gaffer comes in and Barnsley have proved in the past that if a team’s desperate for a win or a striker is in real need of a goal, we are perfect opposition to provide it.

8) What are your memories of games against the Owls?

Boring, gritty, with very little goalmouth action- the 2-2 draw at Hillsborough back in August felt like a goal rush! It usually ends up 1-0 or 2-1 to somebody, and I expect that this weekend.

9) Any Team news?

Nathan Doyle has signed permanently from Hull. Whilst on loan we lost just once in the 11 games he played, but don’t be fooled. He’s a player that contributes nothing to the game. Apart from that we look fully fit.

10) Score prediction?

1-0 to the Reds. Scrappy game with a moment of magic from Anderson de Silva to seal it!

Well as always we hope that the opposition supporter is wrong on the scoreline when they predict their team to win and boy do we need the points more than them!!!

Anyhoo, to see what the Reds fans think.. Visit Rob and his mates, CLICK HERE

Irvine off to a flyer.

Alan Irvine was thought by many to be the underwhelming choice as the new wednesday boss when he was unveiled last week, but there was nothing lacklustre about his sides performance in a cracking away win at Oakwell.

Making three changes from the side that were dumped out of the FA Cup to Crystal Palace, Irvine's men showed grit, determination and that bit of extra guile that the home side certainly were lacking. Tommy Spurr and Jermaine Johnson scoring the goals either side of an Emil Hallfredsson equaliser for the Reds.

Lewis Buxton, Michael Gray and Johnson came in for Frank Simek, Francis Jeffers and Leon Clarke with the latter not featuring on the bench but there was a place in the squad for returning striker Akpo Sodje after the expiry of his loan deal with Charlton Athletic.

The game started at a frenetic pace in front of a passionate 17,000 supporters and it was Wednesday who took the first chance of the game to silience the home fans. After an initial corner was knocked behind, the second was swung over by Gray and it appeared that home 'keeper Steele would come and collect the ball but he flapped at his attempted clearance and the ball fell kindly for Tommy Spurr who finished with ease at the near post.

But all this did was to rouse the home players if not the support, the game hadn't really settled down or in fact had chance to before the Reds were back in it just four minutes later. Emil Hallfredsson ignored the support of his full back down the Barnsley left and swung over a cross towards the back post but it inexplicably sailed over the head of Lee Grant and into the goal. Certainly not deliberate but there's no doubting the home supporters didn't care as they were back in the game.
If anything the home side looked a little more assured on the ball at this point but when it came to the final third it came apparent quickly that they were struggling. Hallfredsson was in space on many occasions early on but his pleas for the ball were mainly ignored as Adam Hamill down the opposite flank seemed the preferred choice.

But when the next chance of the game came, the Wednesday fans thought it was a return to the recent form. Captain Darren Purse decided to head the ball back to his goalkeeper from just inside his own half and with very little purchase on the ball, Barnsley's Maltese international Daniel Bogdanovic pounced. He raced away towards goal and had it not been for a slight miscontrol which allowed Lee Grant to get a challenge in, the game may have well been a different one as they were to rue that miss. But it was the last mistake by any Wednesday player in the game.

Moments later Wednesday were back on the offensive, as James O Connor was to be denied by a fine save by Steele. Tudgay flicked the ball through for O Connor to run onto before hitting a shot destined for the goal only to see Steele's outstretched palm deflect the ball onto the post and to safety. But it was to be a short reprieve.
Tudgay again the architect flicked the ball on for Jermaine Johnson who spun round a static Darren Moore to slam his shot high into the goal in emphatic style.

Undeterred, the home side tried to get back into the game as Hallfredsson appealed for a penalty after seemingly being tripped in the box but the referee was quick to deny his claims. Stephen Foster then tried in vain to get his side on level terms with two headers from successive corners, the first bouncing over the bar and teh second being expertly headed off the goal line by Darren Potter.

The final goalmouth action however was to come from Wednesday, Johnson again the tormentor as he chased a long clearance from left back and he outpaced the Barnsley defence before cutting inside and hitting a low shot which Steele was equal to.

Half Time

Barnsley 1 Wednesday 2

No changes in personnel for the start of the second half and no change to how the first ended either, with Johnson breaking free straight from the kick off and firing at Steele.
The home side had plenty of the ball but lacked invention or urgency, with O Connor snapping at the heels of his opponents at every opportunity and breaking up play and if they did break through midfield, Mark Beevers was in fine form against his hometown club.

Barnsley boss, Mark Robins tried to inject some pace into the game with the introduction of three substitutes with 30 minutes of the game to go, with former Owls botherers Jamal Campbell Ryce and Iain Hume along with ex Blade Andy Gray brought on. The change brought urgency and a little more pace but there's no point having the movement if the rest of the side just don't seem bothered as Wednesday just seemed to sit back and soak up whatever the home side could muster and not be wasteful when they had possession.

In fact Johnson almost scored his second of the game with around 15 minutes to go but for an excellent block from Barnsley's latest recruit Nathan Doyle, who denied the Jamaican winger a goalbound effort after he weaved his way through the Reds defence with alarming regularity for the home supporters.

Frustration set in amongst the home support and to a degree it seemed resignation of defeat as well, even when Hume hit an effort which looped onto the roof of the Owls goal late on they didn't seem to enamoured by their sides showing to take much of an interest.

Akpo Sodje replaced Jermaine Johnson with three minutes of normal time left, and Johnson duly accepted the plaudits from the travelling 5,000 or so Wednesdayites as he left the field for a job well done.

When the final whistle went after five minutes of added time the relief was almost visible amongst the Wednesday players, management and fans alike. A win, something that has eluded us for too long and a performance which was something like what we are capable of, not perfect but far from a bad one. While the home supporters left the ground in droves to the sound of a celebrating North Stand packed with beaming Owls.

Next up a tough trip to Bloomfield Road, Blackpool on Tuesday night in the re arranged game which was postponed from 28th December.

Barnsley: Steele ,Foster ,Moore ,Dickinson ,Shotton ,Doyle ,Hallfredsson (Campbell-Ryce ,65 ) ,Hammill ,Colace ,Macken (Gray ,66 ) ,Bogdanovic (Hume ,66)
Subs not used: Kozluk,De Silva,Preece,Butterfield,

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Purse ,Buxton ,Spurr ,Beevers ,Johnson (Akpo Sodje ,87 ) ,Potter ,Gray ,O'Connor ,Tudgay ,Soares
Subs not used Simek,McAllister,Boden,Esajas,Lekaj,James on,

Retro Game - Blackpool

If there was a time where I wanted to strangle 10 fuckwits on a football pitch, this was the game

If there was a time where I realised our best 3 players (according to some deluded tossers), weren't good enough for sunday league football, this game was it

If there was a time where the management team should never be seen entering S6 ever again, then this was it

If there was a time where I sang chants taking the piss out of my own team, then this was the game

For anyone that didn't make this game, lets just say for me this was the most embarrassing performance Sheffield Wednesday put in during the last decade. I can think of plenty of games where the players would luckily get 1 on rate the players but this one, only one player would have been given a 1. This for me was worse than Coventry City away in 2000, this was worse than Colchester United away under Paul Sturrock., this was worse than Reading 6-0 last season, it was easily the lowest point of my time being a Sheffield Wednesday supporter and the only advantage was to celebrate how shit we are with a lovely weekend away in Blackpool

Travelling up on the train with a few of the lads from Bournemouth to Blackpool ( a group of us decided to make a weekend away of it ), we were talking about the disappointment of Bournemouths 2-2 draw against Chesterfield which all but ended their play off ambitions. On that day, the owls drew with relegation bound Notts County 0-0 at Meadow Lane despite playing with 10 men for a lot of the game. Now my mates could not believe it in November when I tipped us to be relegated after our 3-0 drubbing at QPR but relegation was a serious threat to SWFC as I could not see where we would win from our remaining games. After finding our hotel and hitting Tower Lounge on a friday night, it was time to get excited at the thought of witnessing another embarrassing performance by Wednesday.

After saturday mornings fry up at the hotel, first stop was the bookies where we all decided to put £100 on Chris Brunt to score Wednesdays first goal at 4/1. If we won, this would go on the beer money for the evening. All 5 of us chipped in £20 each before then setting off to find a booozer serving early morning. Sadly we could not find a single pub/bar open until we eventually found a Yates's on the promenade south of Blackpools ground open so we stopped in there for a couple of hours. We decided to make this the only beer in the morning as most were suffering from friday nights exploits. Off we went into the ground and luckily for me, we were positioned very close to the exit. Most wednesdayites were dressed up and we decided to do the same thing by buying some cheap tacky shirts for £2 each in the spirit of being a tourist in Blackpool. Blackpool for me is a shithole and i'd rather spend a weekend away in Skegness! Anyhow after predicting scores (all predicted a Blackpool victory) out came the teams.

The Owls line up was as follows
Pressman, Geary, Barry Murphy, D Smith, Bromby, Proudlock, Quinn, Mclaren, Brunt, Olsen, Shaw
Subs - Tidman, Wood, Chambers, McMahon, Robins

Blackpool lined up as follows
Barnes, Richardson, Flynn, Elliott, Burns, Bullock, Donnelly, Wellens, Matias; Sheron, Murphy
Subs - Southern, Blinkhorn, McMahon, Clancy, Davis

After already suffering 3 defeats on the trot and failing to score against the hosts, Wednesday surely would make an effort to get something. Well it only took 6 minutes for Jon Shaw to force the first corner of the game and a lovely Brunt delivery was powerfully headed by Dean Smith but Phil Barnes was equal to the header and saved well. Sadly that would be as good as it got for Wednesday. Moments later, Blackpool took the lead when Leam Richardson easily beat Barry Murphy and delivered a perfect cross where Sheron headed down for the unmarked John Murphy to tap the ball home. Only 10 minutes gone and we were trailing again to Blackpool!

Well it was all one way traffic from then on as Wednesdays midfield and defence were that embarrassing, a bunch of unborn babies would have beaten them today, or failing that a bunch of legless mice would have won. Quinn and Mclaren were non existent (like they were for 99% of the season), Proudlock was having a mare on the right and Brunt was not having much help with Barry Murphy behind him. Wellens thought christmas had come early with the amount of space he had throughout the game. It was in the 16th minute where his lovely ball went through both Dean Smith and Bromby but if it wasn't for the awareness of Pressman, Sheron would have been in. Instead of anger, laughter was coming out as I couldn't think of any other defence that would have stood still to allow such a ball to go through like that. Some pathetic defending by Geary (surprise surprise), gave Donnelly the chance to deliver a lovely ball where Sherons head down was saved by Pressman. Then Martin Bullock had the freedom of the universe when running towards the box with no defence or midfield attempting to close him down but his fierce 20 yarder just went wide of Pressmans post with the keeper well beaten. Only for Pressmans goal kick, a poor header from Mclaren allowed Wellens to run through and force Pressman to make a low save. Straight from a goal kick how embarrassing!

Yet embarrassing it got as from deep in their own half, left back Burns ran past both Proudlock and Geary, and played a lovely ball to Wellens who's dummy once again left Smith and Bromby standing like a bunch of elderly women waiting for a bus and Sheron had the penalty box to his freedom and calmly slotted the ball past Pressman to make it 2-0. Only 27 minutes gone and for me the game was over. Even a few Wednesday supporters headed for the exits then as we all knew we wouldn't get back into the game.

It was almost 3-0 where a misplaced pass by Smith allowed Sheron to bear down on Pressman but his shot went wide of the post. But in the 38th minute, a shock came. Jon Shaw got fouled by Steve Elliott and from the resulting free kick, Chris Brunt curled a lovely 25 yarder into Phil Barnes's net with the keeper well beaten. Get the fook in, that's the beer money sorted! It was a lovely free kick by Brunt but sadly that was the only sort of action we'd see for the rest of the game. You would have thought it would have fired up the players as we got back into the game but oh no, not this bunch of useless tossers. The action in the first half died down and the only real chance was a John Shaw shot that was weak and straight into the arms of the keeper. Thankfully the half time whistle went with Wednesday somehow only 2-1 down when really it should have been a lot more.

During the half time interval, a lot of jokes were being shared about how fabulous Kim Olsen was. To be fair, it should have gone towards all the players. My Bournemouth supporting mates could not believe how far the mighty had fallen. This group of players were an embarrassment to the Sheffield Wednesday shirt. They even started to agree that this current lot were not good enough to be in this division and they could see why I thought relegation was a real certainty after the QPR 3-0 game.

Well back came the players and to our amazement, Turner did not make any substitutions. How on earth were both Paul McLaren and Alan Quinn remained on the pitch was a mystery to me. Well within 2 minutes of the second half kicking off, Blackpool thought they doubled their lead when John Murphy easily headed home Mike Sherons cross literally on the goal line but luckily for the owls, it was ruled out for offside. How on earth could any defence and keeper allow a header from the goal line to happen! Well for all that were there, comedy defending began in the second half! Ten minutes later, some magnificent defending by Leigh Bromby enabled John Murphy to race through one on one with Pressman but unfortunately for the Blackpool striker he slotted his shot wide of the post.

On the hour mark, Turner took off Proudlock and Olsen to replace them with Lewis McMahon and Mark Robins. But they never stopped the riot happening on Wednesdays goal as Bullock, Wellens and Sheron all had shots wide of the target or straight at Pressman. A rare moment happened where Wednesday got inside Blackpools half and Mclaren set up Brunt who tried to cheekily chip Phil Barnes but the keeper was equal to Brunts attempt. Mclaren also had a 30 yarder that just flew past the post but with 11 minutes to go, finally the game was up. Derek Geray made a complete hash of a pass to Quinn and Wellens intercepted the pass feeding Sheron who's strike deflected off Dean Smith and wrong footed Pressman leaving it to go into the net. Pressman just sat there looking helpless. He must have been thinking what am I doing here? To be fair Kev, there were plenty of games that season where you were shite - QPR away in particular! However this one, Peter Cech or Giannluigi Buffon would have been made to look awful by the defence.

Soon after making it 3, Blackpool should have added to their tally three times. First of all Murphy missed another one on one, Southern headed over from a corner when unmarked and Sheron should have had his hat-trick but his shot was deflected wide of the post. But it wasn't much longer before the fourth arrived. Sheron played a ball which for the 50th time (well approximately then) went straight through the gap of Dean Smith and Leigh Bromby, which found Murphy who this time successfully converted his one on one to score Blackpools fourth.

Blackpool still had chances to make it 5 but again poor finishing and some decent keeping from Pressman prevented a massacre and eventually the final whistle went to a huge chorus of boos and you're not fit to wear the shirt from Wednesday fans. The only good bit of news was that our bet came in so we were looking forward to an afternoon of beer drinking/blackpool dining. When I asked for my mates opinion of the game, it was all the same - Poole Town (the team i used to play for when i was a nipper) would have won that game. To put it into context for you all, Sheffield FC would have beaten Wednesday that day. A few Blackpool fans gave me some comfort by saying it'll get better. They were certain Turner would be sacked and the majority of that squad would be relieved of their duties. But relegation was getting closer so I decided not to bother with the planned afternoon of a beer crawl and the lads decided to make a trip to the pleasure beach instead

Now the pleasure beach is the most over-rated most expensive pile of shite i've ever been to! £8.00 to go on The Big One, £6.00 other rides - fuck right off! But with our winnings totalling £400, we didn't mind paying it but had we not won, we wouldn't have bothered with it. I saw a lot of Wednesday fans there so a lot took their kids out to the seaside after the game and to the pleasure beach. We decided to do most of the rides but not all. A stop off at Yates's for dinner before heading back to the hotel for a night out.

Now this night out was fun but not as good as the night out I had with Walkley, Bryn, Raw and Steve Harper. It was fun but I didn't get accused of pinching girls's bottoms (cheers Bryn!). We went round most of the town and almost landed ourselves on an appearance on Bouncers (getting into the syndicate. Thankfully that was avoided. The weekend finished with all going seperate ways as I returned to university the sunday morning whilst they headed off back to Bournemouth.

On the train back, I sat with a few Wednesday fans who i'd unfortunately met at Stockport ( wannabe Dougie Naylors ). I asked whether they were successful in finding a fight and yes they did, on the evening when one of them got a bottle on their head. As they were brainless, I thought they were from the manor as all their conversation was you looking forward to fighting Luton fans etc. I only recognised them on saturday again at Barnsley - they all think that Tango is the greatest thing on earth these days.

Anyway, getting in, I phoned my dad and told him if we stay up it would be a miracle. I was so low that point, League 2 was a real possibility. The players that saturday were awful, the management were awful in fact every bit on that performance was awful. I hope that performance never happens again with Wednesday although it has been close with games against Plymouth, Reading, Colchester and I would even add Watford this season to that list. Fortunately moments of quality added to those games by the opposition where saturdays match against Blackpool was handed on a plate due to awful football by Wednesday. Everyone of those players should never wear that shirt again (out of contract) and that was the case. I felt sorry for Brunt for playing in that game as he was made to look a scape goat. Proudlock as a winger was like playing that samoan sprinter in the Athens olympics. Kim Olsen for a few more years scared the life out of me. This team needed an urgent make over otherwise getting back into the championship would be a lot harder than going to league two.

Sorry for bringing this game back up as the retro one - just one that'll always stick out in the memory for me

BRING IT ON - BLACKPOOL

After the weekend victory at Oakwell it's a hop over the wrong side of the pennines to Blackpool for the Owls tonight. With the prediction from Rob the Barnsley fan being wrong at the weekend, hopefully Tangerines fan, 'Comeonyoupool' from AVFTT , will be wrong as well!!

1) As we enter the second half of the season, what do you see as a realistic finishing position for your side?

Anywhere from 4th to around 20th is probably still realistic, crazy league where a bad/good run of form can alter expectations enormously, as you lot are probably aware. I'm sure you thought a play off spot was in sight as manys 'dark horses' at the start of the season. Likewise, i don't see Ipswich being anywhere near the bottom in May. They may actually finish top 6. Where do i think we'll finish? I'd say 10th-12th.

2) Is this different to what you thought back in August?

Yes, think i went for 18th at the start. Somewhere around there anyway.

3) Mr Holloway, the right man at the helm? Why/Why not?

Without question. The answers to 1 and 2 are proof for me. Infectious character.

4) If you could sign one player (realistically) who would it be?

Would have been Jon Stead, but he's back in favour. I'll say a big black lad who's quick. Not sure DJ Campbell is 'realistic' anymore.

5) Other than your geographical rivals, who do you want to beat the most?

Wednesday i'm afraid, due to living with 2 big 'Wednesdayites' for a few years. Newcastle would be nice as well tho, to do the double over that deluded lot. After that, it's always nice to beat any team with illusions of grandeur. The ones that believe they have a devine right to beat you as they were once in the Premier League. Boro probably a fine example. Enough came on here saying they'd hammer us. Think you lot have learnt you're lesson on that one.

6) Adam, Euell, Ormerod, players most fans of Championship football will know all about so who is the next big thing at Bloomfield Road?

Baptiste, Eardley and Clarke are the 3 younger players i believe will have good futures.

7) What do you know about Wednesday?

I'll have a small hangover after a few celebratory pints. [:badtounge:]

I know and Sheff Utd both call each other 'The Pigs'. Not entirely sure why. I think you call them it because of their strip and they call it you as Hillsborough was built on a pig farm? Could be nonsense tho.

8) Favourite/Worst memories of games between the clubs?

Favourite - Scott Taylors 80th minute winner. We'd been building up to this with 'banter' from when the fixture list came out. It took bloody ages to go in as well. Then going back and winning to go to Millenium Stadium again was sweet. 4-1 in the sun at Bloomfield was good as well tho. A few actually!

Worst - 'Tango' or whatever he's called, taking his shirt off. No pun intended, but there must be 'Laws' against that! He always seems to have young kids around him as well.

9) Any team news?

Danny Coid will be out injured, FACT. Apart from that, it's impossible guessing what team Holloway will pick.

10) Score Prediction..

Heart says 3-1 Pool.
Head says 1-1. New manager, confidence up after winning for the first time in a while. Also 'Sir Alan' knows us well. Got it tactically spot on against us when in charge of that shower down the road.

Well I think we'd take a 1-1 tonight, but a win would obviously be better!!!
Anyway thanks to Comeonyoupool for the answers and you can visit the 'Pool site he frequents, AVFTT, by clicking HERE

Look out for another edition of BRING IT ON this weekend ahead of the Posh's visit to S6 on Saturday.

Blackpool Preview

Wednesday head over the Pennines for the re-arranged game with Blackpool, Owls boss Alan Irvine renews hostilities with Blackpool just three weeks after being dismissed by Blackpools bitter rivals PNE.

Owls News

Alan Irvine will know a little more about his players after Saturdays win at Barnsley, the Scot masterminded Wednesdays first win since October at Oakwell and will be hoping to extend the unbeaten run in the league to three games.

Wednesday look set to keep the same XI that performed well at our six fingered cousins on Saturday and Jermaine Johnsons pace will again be an outlet for the Owls, the Jamaican was outstanding at Oakwell and a threat every time he saw the ball and he was calm despite being kicked from pillar to post.

James O’Connor will be looking to maintain the impressive form he has shown of late, the tough tackling midfielder was an absolute rock at Oakwell along with defenders Mark Beevers and Lewis Buxton, the former looked particularly good and showed glimpses of the form that led Wednesdayites to rave about him early in his career.

Alan Irvine could have strikers Leon Clarke and Francis Jeffers back, the pair missed the trip to S36 with hamstring strains,

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Buxton, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Soares, Potter, O’Connor, Gray; Tudgay, Johnson.

(subs from) Jameson, Simek, Boden, Sodje, McAllister, Hinds, Esajas, Jeffers, Clarke.

Blackpool FC News

The Tangerines come into the game on the back of a 2-2 draw with crisis club QPR, a disputed penalty and a wonder strike from Matthew Connolly denied the Seasiders a home win, they currently sit three places outside the play-offs.

Blackpool FC

Blackpool FC’s origins can be traced back to 1887 after merging with St Johns Football club, they joined the Lancashire League a year later before joining the football league in 1896, they spent three seasons in the league before they were forced out after failing to earn re-election.

In 1899 they merged with local club South Shore before re-applying to join the league, this was successful and in 1900 they were back in. The pre war years weren’t a success for Blackpool who often found themselves in mid table in the second division.

Resumption of league football post war fared no better originally for the seasiders until they won the second division championship in 1930 and earned the right to play top flight football, they spent 3 years in the top division finishing 3rd bottom twice before succumbing to the drop by finishing bottom in the final season. The club then spent four years back in the second division, midway through though they appointed Joe Smith as manager, a role he would keep for a staggering 23 years, he got them promotion in 1937, where they would stay for the next thirty years.

The second world war curtailed the league for seven seasons before normality was restored, Blackpool were at their most successful after the war with 3 Wembley appearances in the FA cup final which they won at the third attempt in 1953, they also finished runners up to the Busby Babes in the league in the 1955/56 season.

The club could never match those heights and after several scares with the drop they were finally relegated in 1967, former player and Tangerine legend Stan Mortensen was seen as the man to bring about a Blackpool revival and he almost guided them back to the promised land at the first attempt only to see them pipped by QPR on goal average, he was sacked just twelve months later. His replacement Les Shannon guided the club to promotion the following season, a feat made all the sweeter by a 3-0 win over local rivals Preston which sealed their rivals relegation as well as the Seasiders promotion. Shannons success was quickly forgotten though as the club came straight back down, although they did win the Anglo-Italian trophy in 1971.

Their spell in the second division consisted of mid table finishes throughout the 70’s until they were relegated in 1978 to the Third division for the first time in their history, it would get worse, 4 years later they were in the basement division of English football and going through more managers than Morrisons, they even had to apply for re-election to the league in 1983, which they were granted.

Former Owl Sam Ellis guided the club back to the 3rd tier in 1985 before another former Owl Jimmy Mullen oversaw their relegation back to the 4th in 1990, the club bounced back in 1992 via the play-offs and would remain in the 3rd tier until the turn of the century, the 90’s saw the club go through various managers including Sam Allardyce, Gary Megson and Nigel Worthington.

Following relegation in 2000 new manager Steve McMahon set about bringing the good times back to Bloomfield Road, he won promotion via the play offs in 2001 as well as the LDV trophy, they also won the same trophy in 2004, McMahon though felt he wasn’t the man to take the club forward and resigned in 2004. Colin Hendry came and went before another ex-Owl stepped into the breach, Simon Grayson took charge in November 2005, he won the play-offs in 2007 beating Yeovil and ending a near 30 year exile from the second division, they finished 19th in their first back and 16th last year.

The Ground

Bloomfield Road has been the home of Blackpool for well over 100 years, they stadium has been redeveloped extensively over the last decade and the South Stand is set to be open for use in the early stages of 2010.

The club moved to the ground permanently in 1901 after upgrading the stadium to a level that allowed them to leave Raikes Hall where they had being previously based. The ground was one of the first in the country to have stands on all four sides.

The old South Stand which was built in 1925 cost the club a princely £13,000 and held around 4,000 people, it was also the hub of the club with the boardroom, offices etc inside.

Following promotion to the top division in 1930 the club built a new 12,000 capacity terrace on the North side of the stadium, this increased the capacity to over 30,000.

Ground developments over the next 70 years were minimal with only extensions to the East Paddock and West Stand being of any note, that increased capacity to around 38k, the club also roofed the North Terrace but after just 20 years this was removed due it being deemed unsafe by the local council

Bloomfield Road fell into a state of disrepair following the clubs slide down the leagues and it wasn’t until 2001 that it began to pick itself up, the North and West Stands were demolished and the new stands were built.

Wednesdayites will be housed in the East Stand which is an open end of temporary seating which holds around 1,750, the stand is nicknamed the Gene Kelly stand by many fans due to its openness with the elements.

The Gaffer

Ian Holloway is one the games liveliest characters and could be classed as one of the best motivators at this level, the Bristolian is in his 5th managerial role of his career and is loving his time at Blackpool.

His managerial career began at the same place as his playing career, his home town club Bristol Rovers, he took over as player boss there in 1996 and guided the struggling club to 17th in the 3rd tier in his first season, he followed this up with a 5th placed finish the year after but the club lost out in the play-offs, a 13th place finish in the 1998/99 season led Holloway to pack up his boots and concentrate on management, it had a good effect as the club finished 7th but missed out on the play offs by a narrow margin. Midway through the 2000/01 season with Rovers in 19th place in the division he was approached by QPR to save them from the drop to the third tier, he accepted the challenge but couldn’t keep the club up.

After a season of consolidation in his first full term he guided them to the play offs in his second term, Cardiff denied them with an extra time winner, however 12 months later The R’s finished second and were back in the second tier of English football, he led the R’s to 11th in their first season back in the Championship and their were 14th when he was put on garden leave following rife speculation linking him with the vacant Leicester City job, he left the R’s disappointed and wasn’t appointed at Leicester.

In June 2006 he was appointed Plymouth Argyle manager and vowed to get the club into the Premier League, Argyle flirted with the play-offs several times in his first season but unfortunately ended it in 11th place. In November 2007, 21 months after initial being linked with the Leicester City job he was appointed manager at the Walkers but he only lasted 32 games as the club were relegated to League One, he resigned.

He took over from caretaker boss Tony Parkes at Bloomfield Road in the summer.

Key Players

Charlie Adam

Former Rangers man Charlie joined Blackpool in the summer in a club record £500k deal, the Scottish international chose a return to Bloomfield road where he’d spent the last four months of the 2008/09 season.

A native of Dundee he was quickly picked up by Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers as a youngster making his debut for the club in May 2004, he made 1 more appearance for the club at the start of the following campaign before joining Ross County on loan, he made 15 appearances for the club, netting twice and got a runners up medal from the Scottish Challenge Cup.

Charlie again appeared for Rangers at the beginning of the 2005/06 season before trotting out on loan once more, this time to St Mirren, he appeared in 37 games for the Saints scoring 9 goals, he once again reached the Challenge cup final and once again walked away with a runners up medal, he did however win a League champions medal with the club who won promotion to the SPL.

That form saw him drafted back into the Rangers fold and he didn’t disappoint the Ibrox faithful playing in 42 games and scoring 14 goals for the club in his first full season with them, he also made his international debut at the end of that season.

The return of Walter Smith to Rangers appeared to be a good thing initially for Adam but his former international boss seemed to freeze out the talented midfielder he played just 16 league games for the club in the 2007/08 season although he was a regular for the Gers in European competitions, he netted 4 goals. Last season he made 9 league appearances for the club before joining Blackpool on loan in February where he notched up 2 goals in 13 appearances.

So far this season he has made 26 appearances for the Tangerines and has netted 10 times.

Squad Number 26

Hameur Bouazza

Algerian international Hameur joined the club in August after a brief unsuccessful stint in Turkish football with Sivasspor which lasted just 1 Europa Cup game.

Although born in France Hameur qualifies for Algeria through his parentage, he began his career with Watford after earning a scholarship with the Hertfordshire club, he made his debut as a substitute in February 2004, he scored on his full debut a week later in a 2-0 win over Preston, he made a further 7 appearances before the end of that season.

His breakthrough season followed the next campaign, he played 36 times notching 3 goals, the next season though saw him sidelined for a portion of it with a broken metatarsal, he began the season with Watford in the Championship had a 3 month spell with Swindon in League One and ended it a Premier League player as the Hornets won the play-off final 3-0 against Leeds.

Once in the Premier League Hameur was a regular for the Hornets, mainly on the left of midfield, he netted 5 times in 32 league games for the club who were relegated he also scored twice in the cup, this alerted Fulham who signed him for £3m once the Hornets were relegated.

Hameur made just 15 league starts for the Cottagers in his first season, plus a further 5 as a sub and two cup starts, he netted just once and ahead of the 2008/09 joined Charlton on loan.

He was one of the brighter players for the struggling Addicks and made 27 appearances for the club, netting 4 times, however Fulham recalled him early from loan and promptly loaned him back out to Birmingham who he helped win promotion, starring 16 times for the Blues who finished 2nd.

He left Fulham last summer before pitching up in Turkey, he was quickly released from his contract there and joined the Seasiders, he has made 15 appearances for the club to date and scored once.
Bouazza is currently on international duty in the African Nations Cup.

Squad Number 16

Ian Evatt

Centre half Ian began his career with Derby County as a junior, he was scouted by the Rams at the age of ten and made his debut in the final game of the 2000/01 season as a substitute.

He was loaned to Northampton at the start of the 2001/02 campaign and appeared 13 times for the Cobblers in a two month spell before returning to the Rams, he made a further two sub appearances for Derby before making his full debut for the club away at Sunderland, the club had already been relegated from the top division.

Ian made 33 appearances for the club in the 2002/03 season, over half of them as a starter and scored once, he was however deemed surplus to requirements by boss George Burley and released at the end of the campaign.

He joined Chesterfield in the summer of 2003 and quickly became popular with the Saltergate faithful making 47 appearances and finding the net on six occasions for the Spireites, his goal away Port Vale in the seasons penultimate game earned the club a vital point which kept them up.

The following season Ian made 43 appearances for the club and scored on four occasions as they edged to mid table safety, his performances were grabbing the scouts attention and in the summer of 2005 he moved to QPR for around £150k.

His spell in London was an unhappy one and he made just 28 appearances for the Hoops and after being loaned out to Blackpool ahead of the 2006/07 season he joined the club on a free during the January 2007 transfer window.

He was an integral part of the Blackpool side that won the play-offs in 2007, he made 54 appearances for the club during the campaign and since their return to the second tier of English football he has played 87 times in two and half seasons, scoring 4 goals.

Squad Number 6

Team News

Team (possible): Rachubka, Eardley, Evatt, Baptiste, Crainey; Southern, Adam, Vaughan, Taylor-Fletcher; Burgess, Ormerod;

(subs from) Halstead, Bangura, Nardiello, Bannan, Euell, Demontagnac, Edwards, Clarke, Gilks, Martin;

Head to Head

Goals from Marcus Tudgay and Deon Burton secured Wednesday a 2-0 win when the two sides last met in November 2008, it was Burton’s last goal for the club, he moved on loan to Charlton a couple of days later.

It was a relegation six pointer back in April 2008 when the clubs met, Claus Jorgensen deflected effort put the hosts ahead in the sixth minute only for Richard Wood to level matters six minutes later, little git Paul Dickov’s strike put the Tangerines back ahead on the half hour mark and the game was effectively up for Wednesday just after the break when said little git managed to get Peter Gilbert sent off.

The Owls and Blackpool first met way back in 1921 and the second division game ended 1-1, H Hall was the Owls scorer.

The head to head is even at Bloomfield Road with both sides winning 14 times, there has been 8 draws, Blackpools best spell was three wins on the bounce, they beat the Owls 2-0 in the League Cup in 1988 and then in 2004 beat Wednesday twice, 1-0 in the LDV Trophy and 4-1 in the league, Wednesday however ended that in August of the same year with a 2-1 win.

Overall at Blackpool FC:

Owls: 14

Draw: 8

Tangerines: 14

Final thoughts

A positive result for the Owls will see them move out of the bottom three and will set the club up for the “six pointer” against Peterborough at the weekend but it will be a tough task against high flying Blackpool.

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JJ in Team of the Week

After his excellent performance in the win at Oakwell last weekend, Jermaine Johnson has been named in the Championship Team of the Week by the Football League.

Despite Johnson featuring as a striker for Wednesday against the Tykes he has been chosen as a wideman in the team of the week with former Owl Richard Cresswell and one time loan target DJ Campbell partnering him up front. Cresswell scored the only goal of the game for our neighbours as they beat Middlesborough and DJ Campbell bagged a brace for Derby in their 3-0 win over Wednesday's next opponents Peterborough.

Also in the team of the week are Bristol City duo of Liam Fontaine and Louis Carey, who were both on the scoresheet in their 4-2 win over Preston North End at Ashton Gate and Donny Rover's Gareth Roberts who scored a cracking goal to help see off Watford.

For the details of the rest of the team of the week please click HERE.

To get all teh latest news from around the Football League, visit www.football-league.co.uk

The Owls love it by the seaside.

If anyone would have offered Wednesday fans the chance of back to back wins just a few months ago, many would've thought they were mad. A three point haul was something that eluded us for so long, now we have three more!

Tom Soares and Leon Clarke hit the net for the Owls with Charlie Adam getting a late consolation for the home side.

The team that started this tough task at Bloomfield Road was the same one that defeated Barnsley last weekend, with Jermaine Johnson partnering Marcus Tudgay up front. Leon Clarke and Richard Hinds returned to the after injuries.

Blackpool were keen to attack the visitors from the start with a formation which looked like a 4-2-4 with Jason Euell, Brett Ormerod, Ben Burgess and Daniel Nardiello all starting the game for the Tangerines, with Wednesday looking to hit on the break through the pace of Johnson as gaps would no doubt appear as the hosts pushed forward.

It was the home side who were to threaten first as Alex Baptiste was allowed to get a header in from an early corner but Michael Gray was in the right place to clear. It wasn't the best of spectacles as the home side were using their aerial prowess to try and get the upper hand, with the returning Burgess and Euell seemingly the focal point of their attack.

Wednesday hit back with a threat of their own just after the quarter hour mark, Johnson made headway into the 'Pool defence out wide on the right before crossing to Marcus Tudgay who snatched at his shot a little and it went wide of the mark. The visiting Wednesdayites were in good voice as they tried to raise the spirits but the home crowd sensed a goal and were nearly granted one moments later.

Ian Evatt towered above the Owls defence only to see his header bounce off the upright and to safety, Johnson then raced through for Wednesday before beating 'keeper Paul Rachubka but much like Tudgay earlier his effort was wide of the mark. Disappointingly for Alan Irvine's men, Johnson left the field moments later through injury to be replaced by Leon Clarke.

Once again the confidence that the new Wednesday manager has instilled in such a short time served them well as it was a game which could've gone either way at this point. There was no real incisive play or dominant side as half time approached, but Clarke almost snatched the lead but headed narrowly over the bar.

Half Time

Blackpool 0 Wednesday 0

Wednesday picked up where they left off in the first half and came within a lick of paint of opening the scoring. Tudgay raced into the box to receive a cross from the left, he lifted the ball over Baptiste before firing his effort goalwards which beat Rachubka but it rattled the woodwork.
'Pool manager Ian Holloway reverted to a more familiar formation as he brought on Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Keith Southern for the ineffective Euell and Nardiello. Southern almost justified the manager's decision moments later but his effort went just wide, the home crowd raised the volume and the pressure was back on the Owls.

But the visitors seized the advantage against the run of play, Tom Soares came inside from the right flank eluded the attentions of a couple of 'Pool defenders before firing his shot goalwards from just outside the box which took a decisive nick off a defender and it flew into the net past the despairing dive of the 'keeper.

A shellshocked home side threw on their final sub to try and return fire immediately, but they were mostly resorting to long range efforts from sub Barry Bannan and Neal Eardley. The home support thought they'd gone two down when Clarke netted but they were relieved to see the linesman put up his flag for offside and then when Lee Grant denied Taylor-Fletcher from close range they began to think it wasn't to be their night and they'd be proved right just a minute later.

Darren Potter swung over a teasing free kick from the right flank and with the home defense static, Clarke stole in ahead of Rachubka to flick a header into the unguarded net with just five minutes on the clock to seal the victory for the Owls.

Blackpool were to get a consolation goal deep into injury time from Chalrie Adam, the 11th of the season for the former Rangers man but Wednesday were to become only the second side to win in the League at Bloomfield Road this season which sees Irvine's men move out of the bottom three.

Next up are bottom club Peterborough at Hillsborough in the rearranged game from a couple of weeks ago, and with FA Cup action this weekend it means Wednesday could leave the Reading languishing four points from safety in the bottom three behind Scunthorpe with Wednesday a point ahead of them, equal with Ipswich. But as a Wednesday fan's we all know not to take anything for granted.

Blackpool: Rachubka ,Baptiste ,Eardley ,Crainey ,Evatt ,Adam ,Vaughan (Bannan ,73 ) ,Nardiello (Southern ,59 ) ,Euell (Taylor-Fletcher ,59 ) ,Ormerod ,Burgess
Subs not used: Edwards,Butler,Martin,Gilks,

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Purse ,Buxton ,Gray ,Spurr (Hinds ,89 ) ,Beevers ,Johnson (Clarke ,24 ) ,Potter ,Soares ,O'Connor ,Tudgay
Subs not used Simek,Akpo Sodje,McAllister,Esajas,Jameson,

Bookings: Euell ,Vaughan (Blackpool) Buxton ,Clarke ,Potter ,Purse ,Soares (Sheff Wed)

Attendance: 8007

Referee: A R Hall (W. Midlands)

Wednesday till we die..

There's not many Wednesday books out really, so when a new one pops up I instantly take an interest.
Wednesday Till We Die by Wilf Croft has been mentioned on this site before on the forum and all the proceeds go to the Sheffield Children's Hospital, so it's a winner from the start!

The book takes you through an anacdotal trip of the life of WIlf, from his early days as an Owl and his first trips to Hillsborough and an amazing sneaky away day trip on his own which you would NEVER get away with now, to what he's up to these days.

Now don't get me wrong, the cynics amongst you will criticise the spelling mistakes and bit of bad grammar but I think it adds to the book. It's a proper Yorkshireman's story, it's like your talking to one of the mates down the pub. But I must admit I found it strange from a published book at first.

Wilf's love for Wednesday shines throughout the book, as does his liking for a beer! Early on in the book there's quite a few stories of a bit of trouble on their away days following the Owls and it seemed to follow trends of some of the hooligan books out there, but that's the way it was back in the late seventies / early eighties and the trend changes as you go through it. As does the atmosphere through the years, you can feel the culture change, with the attitudes of the police, the coach drivers and the fans involved.

But it doesn't stick to Wednesday, the coach trips move onto following England around Europe and in the European Championships in 1988. With memorable stops in Germany and sneaking past the police in France by blazing a trail heading into the continent via Belgium.

The football is the glue that holds the book together, but the main focus is the cameraderie and the relative sucesses and failures of each trip away and the people the lads met during the many journeys across the continent. I can imagine if you were on one of Wilf's coach trips or if you know Wilf personally this book will really strike a chord, especially the knackered old coaches that feature quite heavily in it!

At £6.50 it's hardly going to break the bank, and with the proceeds going to SCH it's more than worth the money.
If you want to get hold of a copy, you can do so at the following.

HILLSBOROUGH CLUB (BRADFIELD ROAD) , CORNER NEWS (OPPOSITE HILLSBOROUGH CO-OP) , JAVA LOUNGE (HILLSBOROUGH CORNER) , NEW BARRACKS (PENISTONE ROAD) COCK INN (OUGHTIBRIDGE)

Also to win a copy of the book, you could also enter our competition by answering this question.. And as always it's an easy one...

In 1991 when we were promoted back to Division One, we lost only one game at home.
Name the opposition and the score.

Email your answer and address to
admin@owlsonline.com

The winner will be drawn at random, competition closes 29th Jan 2010.

Grant on other Premier club's radar.

Lee Grant is going to Burnley if you believe the hype, but now it seems Tony Pulis is interested in bringing the 'keeper to the Britannia Stadium to replace the outgoing Thomas Sorensen.

Grant was instantly linked with a move to Turf Moor, Burnley this week after Brian Laws became the Clarets manager last week, add that to their current 'keeper Brian Jensen being out of contract this summer and you get the perfect recipe for a transfer rumour.

Grant has insisted to new Wednesday boss, Alan Irvine, that his future lies at Hillsborough and he has no intention of going elsewhere but that was in regard to Burnley so will the lure of the Potteries change his mind?

The Daily Mail are reporting that both Stoke and Tottenham sent scouts to Bloomfield Road on Tuesday night to keep tabs on the Owls number one and are said to have had favourable reports on him. But they also believe Stoke are interested in Manchester United's out of favour England 'keeper Ben Foster as well as their well publicised moves for Portsmouth's David James.

But if Grant was to move on, who replaces him?
Who would you want? DIscuss it on the messageboard BY CLICKING HERE

Reg is back..

After specualtion when Alan Irvine became Wednesday's manager, Luke Varney has returned to Hillsborough today in a deal which sees him stay with the club until the end of the season.

Six goals in eighteen appearances was Varney's record for the Owls in his previous spells at the club and Alan Irvine has been an admirer of the Derby County striker for a long time.

'Luke Varney is a player that I have admired very much since he started his league career at Crewe.' Irvine told the club's official website.

'He has a tremendous work ethic and the right attributes that I seek in a player. Luke has already proved himself a very popular player during his two loan spells so far with Sheffield Wednesday and I am delighted to welcome him back to the club for the rest of the season.'

Varney goes straight into the squad for the game against Peterborough at the weekend which could see Wednesday move furtther away from the drop zone as Reading are in the FA Cup this weekend.

We wish Reg good luck and hope to see him in goalscoring form this weekend.

Posh hosting for Owls

Wednesday entertain Peterborough this weekend hoping to keep up their recent good form which has seen the club unbeaten in the last three league games, we need to end the Hillsborough hoo-doo, we haven’t won at S6 since mid-October.

Owls News

Alan Irvine takes charge of his first home game as boss of the Wednesday and the Scot will be looking to get off to the perfect start, the last two full time managers at S6 have seen the draw their first Hillsborough outing.

Wednesday have moved swiftly in the transfer market to bring Luke Varney back to the club on loan from Derby, the speedy former Crewe man returns to the club with Jermaine Johnson set to be ruled out for a month with a hamstring injury, the Jamaican had been a real threat during the early stages of Alan Irvines tenure and will be missed after picking up the strain at Blackpool.

Francis Jeffers, Richard Hinds and Tommy Miller are the other absentees from the Wednesday squad, Jeffers will hardly be missed, the man has been missing since signing two and a half years ago, I expect Leon Clarke replacing Johnson as being the only change to the side that has won back to back games on the road, the change worked out well on Tuesday with Clarke grabbing the vital second goal, this is likely to see Luke Varney on the bench unless we alter our tactics at home.

Tom Soares is set to play the last game of his loan spell unless the Owls can convince his parent club Stoke to allow the midfielder to stay, now with the loan rules being ambiguous I’m unsure whether it would be an extra month or until the end of the season, I’d prefer the latter, he showed glimpses of ability now he’s getting fitter and his first goal away at Blackpool will have given him confidence.

Team News

Team (possible) : Grant, Buxton, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Soares, Potter, O’Connor, Gray; Clarke, Tudgay.

(Subs from) Jameson, Boden, McAllister, Simek, Varney, Sodje, Esajas, Wragg, Wood.

Peterborough News

Bottom club Posh come to Hillsborough hoping to claw their way back up the league after a disappointing home defeat to Derby County last week, the Rams were helped by Posh being reduced to nine men in the first half.

Peterborough United FC

The club was formed back in 1934 and for the first part of their history they plied their trade in the Midland League, they were winners of the league six occasions including five in a row from 1956-1960, this success preceded their entry to the Football League.

Upon joining the League the club had instant success, winning the 4th division title at the first attempt in 1961 this led to a seven season stay in the 3rd tier before they were relegated for financial irregularities.

The club struggled to bounce back from that relegation and it was only the appointment of Noel Cantwell as manager that seemed to change things, within 2 years he won the 4th division title and Posh were back in the third tier, they finished 7th in their first season back followed by 10th and then 16th before Cantwell left, his replacement was John Barnwell (now on the LMA) he guided Posh into a promotion winning position in the 1977/78 season and with two games to go they only needed to outpoint Preston North End to secure it, however they only picked up 1 point from the two games and were denied by goal difference.

The blow of missing out seemed to set a malaise around the club and within 12 months they had been relegated back to the 4th tier and would endure 12 years of misery and mismanagement at the club which was only ended when former player Chris Turner (no, not Tubby) took charge in January 1991 and oversaw an unbeaten run which helped the club seal promotion back to the third tier.

Their first season back in the 3rd tier is arguably their most successful to date as the club made it consecutive promotions and produced a shock League Cup over Liverpool at London Road, this encouraged the clubs league form and they made the play-offs beating Huddersfield in the semi finals before winning the final 2-1 over Stockport in their first ever Wembley final.

In their first ever season in the 2nd tier the club finished a credible 10th place but disaster struck the following season when they were relegated by finishing bottom of the league, they spent the next three years back in 3rd tier before being relegated again in 1997, however they rebuilt and in 2000 they were rewarded by winning the 4th division play-offs to seal promotion.

The club finished 12th, 17th, 11th and 18th before finally being relegated in 2005 after finishing 23rd, their first season back looked to be going well and they were in the play-offs until a poor end of season run saw them end in 9th place.

In September 2006 the club were taken over by Irishman Darragh MacAnthony and the aim was to establish the club, he made a good impression early on by allowing the club to compete at a good level in the transfer market and in January 2007 the club appointed Darren Ferguson as manager, the Scot guided the club to promotion in his first full season as manager, a feat he repeated last season as the Posh finished runners up in League One.

Ferguson left struggling Posh amid accusations that he’d be lined up for another job and the same rumour followed the Scotsman around following his appointment at Preston.

The Gaffer

Mark Cooper is less than two months into the job as manager of Peterborough, the former Kettering boss took over from Darren Ferguson on November 14th, he’d been in charge of the Poppies for just over 2 and half years and guided the club to their best ever cup exploits with a run to the 4th round last season on the back of winning the Conference North title by a massive 17 point margin in his first season, they were an impressive 8th in the table last season just five points outside the play offs, when he left in November the club were 3rd in the table and a good bet for the play-offs.

Mark began his managerial career with Tamworth but his only heroics were in the FA cup as the club reached the 3rd round of the famous old trophy in two consecutive seasons, their league form was poor and they finished second bottom and looked certain to be relegated only for Canvey Islands’ decision to resign from the league saving them, he left the club in January 2007 with relegation on the cards.

As player Marks career is very unspectacular and is that of a journeyman, maybe the tag of being the son of a famous player (England and Leeds full back Terry Cooper) could never be shaken he appeared for 16 different clubs in his career with Exeter City being the place he spent the most of his league career in two spells.

Key Players

Joe Lewis

England under 21 custodian Joe Lewis is one the rising stars at Posh, the former Norwich City goalkeeper has been scouted heavily by Premier League clubs following the rapid rise through the leagues of Peterborough.

Lewis was a trainee at Norwich as a youngster but injuries at key periods seemed to ruin his chance of making an impact for the Canaries it was at the back end of the 2006/07 season when he finally made his league debut but it was for Stockport County as a loanee, he played 5 games for the Hatters keeping 3 clean sheets.

To gain further experience Lewis was loaned to Morecambe at the beginning of the 2007/08 season for six months, he kept five clean sheets for the Lancashire club in 19 league starts and they were 8th in the table when Peterborough made a £400k offer,

Lewis had impressed in a recent game between the two sides and Darren Ferguson decided that he was the man to help them get promoted, he helped then 6th place Posh to secure second in the league and move up to League One, he was named in the Team of the Season, something that was repeated last season as Posh earned promotion for the second consecutive season.

Lewis has earned England honours at U21 level which bizarrely included an appearance outfield in a recent game against Azerbaijan, he also was called up to the full squad last season to train.

Squad Number 1

Aaron McLean

Midfielder Boyd is a dangerous opponent for sides; the 23 year old has a strike rate of around 1 in four in League football.

The Kent born central midfielder has scored 43 goals in 156 games since his move to Peterborough for £260k on New Year’s Day 2007, shortly after netting twice for The Boro against Aldershot.

Boyd began his career at Charlton’s academy but struggled to make the grade and dropped into non league football with Stevenage, he made his debut as a 17 year old in a 3-1 defeat by Margate, me made no further appearances for The Boro that season and had to wait until February 2004 to earn another chance, he made his full debut in March of the same year and netted his first goal away at Northwich.

The following campaign he was part of the Stevenage side that lost out on League football after play-off heartache with Hereford, Boyd scored twice and received the only red card of his career. It was the 2005/06 season which propelled him to attention of League managers, he netted 12 times for The Boro in 47 appearances. Boyd racked up a further 25 games during the first half the 2006/07 season finding the net on 10 occasions before Posh got their man.

Boyd played for England ‘C’ whilst at Stevenage but recently earned his first cap at B level for Scotland.

This season has seen the talented midfielder notch on 12 occasions and he will be in demand should he chose to move on from London Road.

Squad Number 10

Team News

The visitors are without defenders Craig Morgan and Ryan Bennett following their red cards against Derby last week, Gabriel Zakuani could however return to the bench to bolster their defensive options.

Team (possible): Lewis, Griffiths, Geohaghan, Lee, Gilbert; Boyd, Livermore, Coutts; Mackail-Smith, Reid, McLeod;

(Subs from) McLean, McKeown, Whelpdale, Rowe, Batt, Simpson, Williams, Zakuani;

Head to Head

The two clubs last met at S6 nearly five years ago in a League One clash, it was a snowy February night and struggling Posh traveled to 4th placed Wednesday, the visitors took a shock lead in the 20th minute through Wayne Purser, the visitors were enjoying the better of the game and were unfortunate to concede an equaliser, Steven MacLean netted his 19th goal of the campaign from the spot after being fouled in the box and the comeback was complete in the 2nd half when Paul Heckingbottom’s header squeezed over the line to secure all 3 points, an honourable mention that night must go to the 217 Peterborough fans who made the trip in treacherous conditions.

Just over twelve months earlier the clubs met in slightly differing circumstances, Posh were still struggling near the foot of the table but Wednesday were also on a bad run which had seen them dip from 4th to 16th and without a home win in 4 months, goals from Mark Robins and Adam Proudlock ended the Hillsborough drought for the home side.

You have to go back to the 70’s for earlier meetings, the two clubs met for four consecutive seasons in the old 3rd division, the first meeting ended 2-2 in Sept 75, this was followed by a 4-0 Wednesday win in April 77, Posh recorded their first ever S6 win in September of the same year, winning 1-0 but the Owls bounced back with a 3-0 win the season after.

The first ever meeting between the two sides was a 4th round FA Cup tie in 1960, The Owls were 4th placed in the top division whilst Non-League Posh were leading the Midland division, two goals from Bobby Craig won it for the Owls who went on to reach the Semi Finals, Posh were elected to the League later that year.

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 5
Draw: 1
Posh: 1

Final thoughts

Another big game for Alan Irvine’s men, the Scot has managed to get the Owls back to back wins for the first time in just under a year but to make it 3 in a row would be a welcome return, its been 3 years since we did that but lets not get carried away Posh are battling for their lives like us and it will be a tough task despite Posh not winning on the road in the league to date.

Retro Game - Peterborough United.

As there is no reports or anything going back to the 1978/79 3-0 win over Peterborough United which all but confounded Peterborough to relegation, I fast forward over 25 years to this meeting. Unfortunately my father was in the process of preparing for his wedding so he was unable to give me a report on the game. I couldn't be bothered to do the 2-0 victory over Peterborough in January of 2004 as there wasn't a lot to write up about. Actually remembering this game, this neither has a lot to be written about as it was as Sturrock described one of the worst performances under his tenure, infact he even said it was the most boring game of football he's ever managed (at the time)

Wednesday came into this game on a high after a thoroughly deserved win at Saltergate 3-1 where to be fair, it should have been a lot more. Peterborough were struggling and a lot of discontent was aimed at manager Barry Fry and in fact if I remember correctly, they bought a banner with them protesting, calling for him to step down from the management role.

The Owls line up was as follows
Lucas, Bullen, Lee, Wood, Heckingbottom, McGovern, Whelan, Rocastle, Brunt, MacLean, Peacock
Subs - *********, Collins, O Brien, Quinn, Talbot

Peterborough lined up as follows
Tyler, St Ledger, Ireland, Rea, Arber, Legg, Thomson, Farrell, Woodhouse, Purser, Logan
Subs - Clarke, Kanu, Boucard, Semple, Kennedy.

I must say that this was a very boring game and you wouldn't have thought it after the first 10 minutes. It was a lively affair with a lot of pressure created by both teams but neither had that final killer ball or neither created anything serious. Infact a Richard Logan long ranger that was easily dealt with by Lucas was the only serious threat provided in that space.
Wednesday thought they took the lead after 13 minutes where some lovely play by Peacock and Rocastle set McGovern up to put in a lovely cross for Whelan to finish, but the irishmans effort was correctly ruled out for offside.
The Owls started to gain ascendency and Peacocks 22 yarder was saved by Tyler before the goalkeeper made a good stop to deny MacLean after good play by Peacock. However on the 22nd minute, the visitors took the lead. Chris Rea's header seemed to be going nowhere near the road to hell but the ball squirmed out of Lucas's hands and Wayne Purser was there to put the ball into the net. It was against the run of play but Barry Fry and co didn't mind. It could have been 2-0 as Purser was denied by Lucas after Graeme Lee's header deflected off Heckingbottom into his path.

The next ten minute spell saw Wednesday seriously struggle and were resorting into long balls. The crowd were getting frustrated as Cyndi Laupers time after time song was being associated with the owls's passing. Giving the ball away constantly, the game was becoming Brentford all over again. However Wednesday were handed a fortune when Craig Ireland fouled Maclean. Macca stepoed up and whacked his penalty into the bottom corner past Tyler for the equaliser.

There was few chances towards the latter stage of the first half as Mr Booth blew for half time wth the score probably about right as neither side deserved to be trailing at half time.

The second half started and the owls were obviously buoyed by the leveller. They roared down Tylers goal with Whelan firing just wide and Brunt forcing Tyler to make a good save after good work by McGovern. On the 51st minute, Wednesday took the lead as a corner from Brunt was headed back towards goal by Graeme Lee and Heckingbottom headed home - to be fair, Peterboroughs goalkeeper made a clanger of it as Hecky's header slipped through his grasp. It could have been 3 moments later but Tyler made amends for his error by tipping over Whelans 35 yarder.

From then on, there was nothing to report as it looked as if Wednesday were happy to sit on the 2-1 lead and Peterborough rarely troubled. You could tell that for all their effort, they were a team struggling as you couldn't see where the goal was going to come from. However in the 81st minute, a Steven Thomson corner was headed towards goal by Chris Rea who was looking for the summer er i mean equaliser. Lucas was equal to it and set the ball free away from the goal leaving Rea disgusted instead of feeling he was on the beach.

A Mark Arber header at the end was comfortably dealt with by Lucas as the referee called to end proceedings thank goodness with Wednesday getting the 3 points. It didn't matter that the performance was way below par, the owls got the points and that was what mattered. Last season, that would have been a game Wednesday would have lost as it reminded me of the fortunate 1-1 draw with Wycombe Wanderers but it was 3 points and that certainly helped towards Wednesday's promotion season

Double instead of nothing for Tudgay seals the win

New boss Alan Irvine made one enforced change to the side that beat Blackpool midweek. Leon Clarke, who scored the winner in that match replaced the injured Jermaine Johnson who will miss the next 6 weeks with a hamstring injury.

The first chance fell to Wednesday who’d had the best of the early play. Michael Gray’s cross to outside the area found Clarke who smashed an effort towards goal but Joe Lewis in the Peterborough goal did well to hold on to it.

Darren Potter also went close with another effort from outside of the box. He picked up the ball and evaded one challenge before shooting but his shot was deflected onto the bar by the head of a Posh defender.
Peterborough went straight up the other end and hit the bar as well. Ex-Rotherham striker Reuben Reid got his head on the end of a corner which hit the top of the bar and went out for a goal kick.

Wednesday continued their pressure and finally took the lead just before half time but before that Darren Purse forced a fine save from Lewis which won the corner in which the goal came from. Gray took the corner from the left which found Marcus Tudgay on the back post who scored for the first time since October.

Half Time SWFC 1-0 PUFC

Peterborough needed to try a lot harder in the second half and they went close through one time pig Izale McLeod but his effort went high and wide.
The Owls then had 2 chances to double their lead but both chances were stopped on the line. Clarke got on the end of a ball through and beat the ‘keeper but his shot was stopped on the line before Grays effort was blocked by the same man, seemingly by his hand.

Just before the 70th minute mark Wednesday made their pressure count and got the 2nd goal that they deserved. Potters in swinging corner was knocked on by Purse to Tudgay who placed his header into the back of the net.

When Wednesday should have put their foot on the ball and slowed the game down, Peterborough did just what we needed them not to and got a goal back from outside the area. Lee Grant did well to save a shot which he saw late but the rebound fell to their man who gave it to Livermore to finish and make it 2-1.

The Posh pressed on for an equaliser as the clock ticked down and won several corners, all of which were dealt with well and so Wednesday held on for the win.

Full Time SWFC 2-1 PUFC

Next up for the Owls is another midweek clash, this time again the team one place below us in the league, Scunthorpe United.

Owls feature in team of the week.. AGAIN!

After Jermaine Johnson featured in the Championship team of the week last week for his outstanding performance against Barnsley at Oakwell, this week we have two players who are included.

Two goal hero Marcus Tudgay and skipper Darren Purse both are selected in the team of the week after Wednesday's third victory in as many games against Peterborough United at Hillsborough last weekend.
The pair of Owls are joined in the side by three players from Swansea, three of Middlesborough, two of Blackpool and one from Watford.

As Wednesday look to end this week with five wins from five, let's hope we feature prominently in next weeks side!

To take a full look at the team of the week, clickHERE

For the latest news from the Football League, visit the FL website..
http://www.football-league.co.uk

Soares returns to the Owls nest.

Tom Soares has returned to Hillsborough today in a loan deal which will see the Stoke City midfielder stay with Wednesday until the end of the current season.

Soares had a successful spell on loan so far with the Owls after initially looking like he wasn't going to get a fair crack of the whip under Brian Laws, but Alan Irvine sees Soares as a cog in the Wednesday machine since his arrival.

Irvine spoke to the club's official site about it earlier, he said:
'I am really pleased to bring Tom back to Sheffield Wednesday for the remainder of the season.

'He has really impressed me in the short time I have been at the club so far and he will prove a very important addition to the squad for the busy schedule of fixtures we have to come.'

Soares will slip back into the Wednesday squad who travel to Scunthorpe tomorrow night as they look to rise further up the Championship table and away from the threat of the bottom three.

All us at Owlsonline welcome back Tom, and let's hope he has a productive few months with the club.

Owls looking for Iron efficiency

Wednesday head down the M180 on Wednesday night to face Scunthorpe in another big clash for Alan Irvines men, the Owls will be hoping to maintain their current upturn in fortunes against a side who themselves are fighting against the drop.

Owls News

The Owls have been boosted ahead of the trip to Glanford Park with the news that Tom Soares will stay at the club until the end of the campaign after a agreeing an extension to his loan deal.

Alan Irvine also welcomes back Francis Jeffers to the squad after his hamstring trouble this leaves just Jermaine Johnson (hamstring), Richard O’Donnell (ankle) and Tommy Miller (hamstring) as absentees from the Owls squad.

With Wednesday winning three out of three it would be hard for boss Alan Irvine to disrupt a winning team and Luke Varney will just have to bide his time for his first start since returning to the club.

Marcus Tudgay will be looking to get amongst the goals once again, the striker ended a recent barren run with a brace at the weekend and he’ll be looking to repeat the act again tomorrow, the forward netted when the two clubs met in August.

The Owls will no doubt be using the same tactics that has reaped such rewards early in Alan Irvines tenure, the team will be hard working and try to make themselves difficult to break down with two banks of four. Darren Purse will be hoping to continue his ever improving partnership with Mark Beevers and hopefully earn a first clean sheet since November.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Buxton, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Soares, Potter, O’Connor, Gray; Tudgay, Clarke.

(subs from) Jameson, Boden, Hinds, McAllister, Simek, Esajas, Sodje, Jeffers, Varney.

Scunthorpe News

United come in to the game on the back of an entertaining but ultimately fruitless FA Cup 4th round tie with Man City, they lost 4-2 but gave Moneybags City a real game and will be in a confident mood ahead of the clash with Wednesday, the Iron currently sit a place below Wednesday in 21st but do have a game in hand.

Scunthorpe United

The club were formed 1899 but did not enter the football league until 1950 when the league expanded, they took their place in the old 3rd division North, their first few seasons were solid if unspectacular until the club won the title in 1958 and earned promotion to the second tier of English football where they would stay for the next six years.

The club were relegated back down to the third tier in 1964 but it was a different league to the one they left with the North/South split removed and a Fourth Division now in place, the Iron struggled to replicate their earlier success and in 1968 finished bottom of the 3rd division meaning they would be in the bottom league for the first time in their history.

Promotion was attained in 1972, pipping local rivals Lincoln City by one point but it was short lived and the club again finished bottom of the 3rd division a year later, things got even worse in 1975 when the club finished bottom of the entire league and had to seek re-election to the league, which they gained.

The Iron finished in 91st place in the 1981/82 season before winning promotion the following year, again they couldn’t last in the 3rd tier and came straight back down, they remained in the 4th division until 1999 after enduring several play off heartaches they ended their hoo-doo by beating Leyton Orient at Wembley to seal promotion, again the move was fleeting as Brian Laws men finished in 23rd.

They finally began a sustained move up the leagues in 2005 when they finished runners up to Yeovil, the following season the goals of Billy Sharp helped the Iron to 12th in 3rd tier before firing them to the League One title the following season and getting 2nd tier football at Glanford Park for the 1st time.

Nigel Adkins couldn’t keep his side in the Championship but he helped the club back into it by winning the play-offs last season and they are currently 4 points above the drop zone.

Scunthorpe United’s Ground

The club moved to Glanford Park in the summer of 1988, the ground was the first purpose built football stadium in 33 years, the stadium holds just under 9,100 at capacity and cost £2.5m to build, the move saw the club sell it’s old Showcase Ground to a supermarket chain after nearly 90 years of use.

The main home end is the Rainham Steel Stand, it is known as the Donny Road end and is the only terraced stand and is home to the vociferous element of the Iron support, this stand is behind the goal.

The East stand of the ground is the all-seater Grove Wharf stand, this stand is also split for larger away followings and Wednesday have around 500 seated tickets in this stand on Wednesday evening, whilst opposite is the Scunthorpe Telegraph stand which is the designated family area.

A further 1,678 Wednesdayites will be located behind the goal in the AMS stand and the view is pretty good from what I recall of my last visit there.

The Gaffer

Nigel Adkins stepped into the managers role at Glanford Park in November 2006 following former Owls’ boss Brian Laws’ decision to accept the Wednesday job, he was previously physio at the club, he was appointed as caretaker but this was made permanent a month later after an impressive start.

Adkins continued Brian Laws’ work at the Lincolnshire club and gained the Iron promotion to the second tier for the first time since 1964, despite a brave effort the Iron were ultimately relegated back to League One, by a strange quirk of fate it was Wednesday who relegated them, a fine volley from Tommy Spurr late on at Hillsborough gave the Owls a point that moved them out of the grasp of Scunny.

Adkins worked hard over last season and found the perfect replacement for departed top scorer Martin Paterson when he brought in Gary Hooper from Southend, who’s goals helped fire the Iron into the top six, they couldn’t beat MK Dons over two legs of the play-off semi final in normal play and needed the brilliance of Joe Murphy in the shoot-out to see them through to final, it was their second visit to Wembley that season as they had lost to Luton in the Johnstone Paints Trophy.

He guided the Iron to a triumphant return to the Championship at the first attempt by beating Millwall 3-2 May’s play-off final.

As a player Adkins had a fairly undistinguished career, he made over 200 appearances for Wigan and Tranmere during the 80’s and early 90’s, he is arguably the most successful former goalkeeper managing in the English game at the moment.

Key Players

Gary Hooper

Striker Gary Hooper joined the club from Southend in the summer of 2008 for a reputed £125k fee.

Hooper began his career with then Isthmian Premier side Grays Athletic, in the 2003–04 season, being named as an unused substitute in an Essex Senior Cup clash against Braintree Town whilst he was still 15 years old.

His debut was the following season when Grays were promoted into the newly formed Conference South, helping them to win the league scoring 12 goals in his 29 league appearances. The following 2005–06 season in the Conference National, Hooper scored 8 times in 40 league appearances.

In the summer of 2006 he went on trial with Southend United, he impressed Steve Tilson enough to earn a 1 year deal, he mainly appeared for the Shrimpers as a substitute during the 2006/07 season, but managed to net twice in a league cup win at Leeds, he spent the back end of the season at Leyton Orient on loan, scoring twice in four appearances.

The following season again saw Hooper struggle to make the breakthrough with Southend but a loan spell at Hereford showed his capabilities, he helped the Bulls to promotion by firing 11 goals in just 19 games for the Edgar Street club, this alerted Nigel Adkins to his talents and he brought him to club last summer, he scored 30 goals in all competitions last year for the Iron and has followed that up with 9 in 23 this season which has brought him to the attention of bigger clubs with Leeds interested in bringing him in as a replacement for Jermaine Beckford.

Squad Number 10

Michael O’Connor

Northern Irish international Michael is in his first season with the Iron after joining from Crewe in the summer for an undisclosed fee after failing out of favour at Gresty Road.

The midfielder was spotted by Crewe scouts at the age of 15 and when he turned 16 he signed forms with the club’s academy before signing a 3 year deal with the club in July 2005, he made his debut as a substitute against Brighton in February 2006, he made one further appearance that season as a sub against Millwall where he created two of the Alex’s goals that day.

The 2006/07 season saw Michael establish himself as a first team regular following the Alex’s relegation, he played 34 times in all competitions and netted his first senior goal in League Cup win at Grimsby. Injury and a loss of form saw him make just 23 appearances for the Crewe the following season he did however make his full debut for Northern Ireland, this was strange for O’Connor who had been capped at Under 21 level then a

Cheap footy for the family..

Families can enjoy a day out at the football from the amazing price of only £9.50 for a family of four with a brand new offer launching this Saturday (January 30th) in The Sun.

The deal is set to become the UK's biggest ever family football ticket offer with over 200,000 seats at Coca-Cola Football League matches across the country up for grabs.

It will give fans access to over 100 matches from February 6th until April 17th 2010, with savings of up to £60 per family of four on full price tickets.

The promotion is the first of its kind for the Coca-Cola Football League, with 64 Championship, League 1 and League 2 clubs coming together to offer families the chance to experience live football at a bargain price.

David Malkinson of The Football League said: 'This deal is really exciting for The Football League - by working with the UK's biggest newspaper, we have created a brilliant offer that can't be beaten on price or scale.

'If you haven't been to the football for a while or fancy something new to do, you can have a great value day out with the family at a brilliant price.

'There are over 200,000 tickets up for grabs so wherever you are - from Newcastle to Plymouth; Swansea to Southend - there will be a game for you.'

The Sun already has more coverage of League football than any other newspaper, including regular comment from football guru Chris Kamara, match reports, pictures, quotes and ratings on every single match.

Chris Kamara said: 'You can't beat the excitement of League Football matches - and this unbelievable deal from The Sun will let you and the family get even closer to the action. Don't miss it!'

Readers need to collect four out of the six tokens printed in the paper from Saturday January 30 to Friday February 5. Tickets for a family of four are available at £9.50, £19.50 or £29.50.

More details will be available in The Sun from Saturday January 30th.

Retro Game - Scunny

Once again, it's back to that season where everything that was wrong about it was. Before this meet, like Peterborough, the last time The Owls played Scunthorpe was back in 1978/79 ironically in the FA Cup where Wednesday won the replay 1-0 after a 1-1 draw at Glanford Park. Most Owls may remember an awful day with Scunthorpe as some are old enough to remember Kevin Keegans Scunny coming to Hillsborough and beating Wednesday 1-0 in the 1969/70 season.

It's the FA Cup match that I look back on and a match that I remember well because for most, this was the game where only tinted spec idiots (mainly ugly females between the ages of 12-16) would still say that our right back was a good player, yet this game he was torn a new arsehole by a 40 year old age pensioner! To be fair though, the whole team were torn a new arsehole in this game and had it not been for a lucky escape out of jail, Scunthorpe would have deservedly gone through leaving the wednesday fans to call their so called players a bunch of ..... which can be found in Scunthorpe Uniteds name.

Before this game, The Owls had found out that they were drawn away at Carlisle in the quarter finals of the LDV Northern Section Trophy as the usual sell out crowd travelled up to Glanford Park to hopefully witness the owls pass safely through to the 3rd round of the FA Cup after a 4-0 victory over Salisbury City in the first round. However Scunthorpe (managed by a certain Brian Laws at the time) were unbeaten in 10 and with The Owls struggling to find a win in 8 games - this tie did have the making of a potential cup upset.

The Owls lined up as follows
Pressman, Geary, Barry Murphy, Bromby, Lee, Proudlock, Mustoe, Haslam, Reddy, Owusu, Holt
Subs: Poulter, Wilson, Ndumbu Nsungu, Wood, Beswetherick

Brian Laws's Scunthorpe lined up as follows
Evans, Jackson, Sharp, Butler, Byrne, Sparrow, Kell, Barwick, Beagrie, Torpey, Maclean
Subs: Capp, Graves, Ridley, Kilford, Featherstone

Within 90 seconds of the game kicking off, Wednesday almost took the lead as a lovely move by Reddy and Proudlock bought a lovely cross from the right which Holt managed to get a head onto but unfortunately for the Owls the ball bounced back off the top of the crossbar and straight into the arms of Tom Evans. From that good movement of play, Holt minutes later had a shot which deflected off Sharp and into the arms of the goalkeeper. Proudlock was looking dangerous and his forward run moments later almost gave Wednesday the lead but his cross had no one on the receiving end and the ball went straight across the penalty box going out for a throw in. Had Owusu or Holt got a touch, it probably would have been 1-0.

That was the best Wednesday had in the first half as Scunthorpe started to grow in confidence with Sparrow and Beagrie having a field day against the wednesday full backs. With 12 minutes gone, Sparrow easily beat both Reddy and Barry Murphy, before delivering a lovely cross where Steve Torpey headed goalwards but Pressman made a good save to his left. Minutes later Peter Beagrie easily beat Derek Geary before his cross was headed over by Maclean.

Wednesday started to lose the midfield battle as well, Mustoe and Haslam struggled against the hard working midfield of Kell and Barwick. Kell dispossed Haslam before his ball found Maclean who raced through only to shoot wide of Pressmans target with the keeper well beaten.

With 33 minutes on the clock, a complete mis read by Graeme Lee (almost Gerry Young style) allowed Steve Torpey to run clear and he easily slotted the ball past Pressman to give Scunthorpe the lead. It could have been worse for the owls just before the break had Lee not been on hand to make up for his error and superbly win the ball from a Sparrow cross. Sparrow could have made it 2 minutes later but his deflected shot went wide of the target with Pressman wrong footed.

Fortunately for Wednesday, the half time whistle went with Scunthorpe deservedly leading 1-0. Hopefully a few words from Turner would sort the mess out

Second half did not start as Wednesday wanted and Scunthorpe should have gone 2-0 up. A foul throw from Barry Murphy was taken advantage of and Sparrows quick thinking found Torpey in acres of space but his ball across was cleared by Bromby, where Maclean, Beagrie and Barwick were all waiting to fire home. Maclean almost got a 2nd for Scunthorpe as he easily beat Mustoe and Bromby but his shot was tamely struck and Pressman smothered well.

Straight after that, Wednesday should have been level. A good counter attack by Proudlock found Owusu who was clean through on goal but his shot was saved well to the right by Evans. However Owusu followed the rebound and should have struck an equaliser but his poor effort went straight into the hands of the keeper instead of going into the net. This was greeted with a lot of jeers from Wednesday fans and moments later the biggest roar of the afternoon from the away end came with Turner taking Owusu off for Ndumbu Nsungu. Ironically, this turned out to be Lloyd Owusu's last game in a Wednesday shirt.
The Owls continued to press and, from a 70th-minute Brian Barry-Murphy corner, both Lee and Holt saw goalbound shots blocked by diving Iron defenders.

From this attack, Evans's threw out found Beagrie who took Scunthorpe on a counter attack and his cross was headed by Sparrow straight onto the post with Pressman beaten but Torpey again was on hand to fire home Scunthorpes second and affectively announced game over. With Scunthorpe fans enjoying this a lot, the wednesday fans started to leave in numbers, in disgust with plenty of voicerous opinions being fired towards the players. Scunthorpe nearly had a 3rd but Barwicks effort went harmlessly wide of the post in the end.

Turner decided to throw Danny Wilsons son Lawrie for the last 8 minutes and within a few moments of coming on, his cross was missed by the Scunthorpe defence and Ndumbu Nsungu was on hand to fire low past Evans into the net to give Wednesday a lifeline. 6 minutes were left on the clock for Wednesday to hopefully find an equaliser but this was not looking like it would happen. With Proudlock off, Turner decided to gake off Michael Reddy to bring on Richard Wood. WTF? 2-1 down, 4 minutes to go and your bringing on an attacking player for a defender? What kind of manager would do that I wonder???? Well Wednesday did run out of ideas and come injury time, Scunthorpe were having fun preparing for the cup shock party as it looked as if they had done enough to earn them a 3rd round tie.

But in the 3rd minute of injury time, Wednesday had a free kick. Geary hit high into the penalty area and with the ball bouncing over the Scunthorpe defence, Grant Holt raced onto the ball and fired it past Evans to give Wednesday the most undeserved equaliser ever in a game of football. Back from oblivion, somehow Wednesday had equalised, totally undeserved and this absolutely stunned Scunthorpe. From the kick off, Wednesday won the ball and looked as if they could potentially find a winner but 30 seconds later, Graham Salisbury blew his whistle to end this cup tie with Wednesday earning themselves a very very fortunate replay.

Green Army head to S6

Alan Irvine’s Wednesday host fellow strugglers Plymouth Argyle on Saturday, the Pilgrims come to S6 hoping to close the gap on 20th placed Wednesday to just a point whilst the Owls will be looking to put more daylight between themselves and the bottom 3.

Owls News

The Owls will be looking to get back to basics when they face Plymouth, for all their endeavour against Scunthorpe there seemed to be a lack of cutting edge on a difficult Glanford Park pitch,

Alan Irvine will make a check on Tom Soares who suffered a knock against the Iron and had to be substituted, the midfielder will be hoping to maintain his current upturn in form and get fully fit to aid the Wednesday cause.

Luke Varney will be hoping to get his first start with Leon Clarke likely to be the one to give way unless Tom Soares is deemed unfit, Clarke can count himself unlucky if he is dropped to them bench after making a impact in the two games prior to midweek.

Defensively the Owls will have to tighten up, they haven’t kept a clean sheet since November 21st and you have to go back to mid October for the last one at S6, Lewis Buxton had a personal nightmare at Scunny and needs to get back on form if he is to keep his place with Frankie Simek and Richard Hinds both looking to get back into the side.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Buxton, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Soares, Potter, O’Connor, Gray; Varney, Tudgay.

(subs from) Jameson, Clarke, Simek, Hinds, McAllister, Jeffers, Hinds, Esajas, Sodje.

Plymouth News

The Pilgrims come to S6 on the back of a home win over Derby County, it was their 3 win in 4 league games and puts them just 3 points behind crisis club Crystal Palace who dropped from the fringes of the play-offs after going into administration.

Plymouth Argyle

Argyle are in their 6th consecutive season as a Championship club, they have never been in the top flight of English football in their 123 year history.

Argyle were formed way back in 1886 but went out of existence for three years in 1894 until Argyle Athletics club resurrected the club, they began life in the Southern League in 1903, they stayed there until their acceptance into the League in 1920 as founder members of the Third Division, they finished second in the 3rd Division for six consecutive years in the mid 20’s but missed out on promotion due to the complexity of the league set up.

Argyle’s closest brush with the top flight came way back in 1952/53 when they finished 4th in the second division, the club also narrowly missed out in the newly implemented play-off system in 1987 when they finished 7th in the Second division.

Argyle suffered their first ever relegation to the 4th tier in 1995 under the management of England legend Peter Shilton, he was sacked and replaced by lifelong Blade Neil Warnock who guided back at the first attempt but was sacked after a poor second season, his replacement Mick Jones undid all Warnocks hard work by getting Argyle relegated in 1998.

Paul Sturrock laid the foundations of the club upon his arrival in 2000 and the club have been on an upward spiral ever since with two promotions and consolidation in the second tier.

The Gaffer

Paul Mariner replaced for Owls gaffer Paul Sturrock in the Home Park hotseat in December, it is the Richard Hawley look-a-likes first managerial position and he left a coaching job in the US to join Argyle who was his first club.

Mariner will be best remembered as a rugged old fashioned centre forward from the 70’s and 80’s he was a impressive scorer on the international stage, he netted prolifically for Argyle with 61 goals in 154 games before moving on to Ipswich where he netted 136 times in 337 appearances, a spell at Arsenal yielded 17 goals from 70 games as age caught up with him, he also had a two season stint at Portsmouth.

After leaving Pompey he tried his luck abroad with American side Albany before a move to San Francisco Bay Blackhawks and finally Naxaar Lions (Malta) before retiring from the game professionally, he returned to the States to coach youth football and was then offered an Assistant Coach’s position at New England Revolution alongside former Owl Steve Nicol.

Key Players

Jamie Mackie

Winger Jamie signed for Argyle in the January 2008 transfer window from fierce rivals Exeter City, it was a big step up for the Surrey born lad from the Conference to Championship football but he took it in his stride and quickly settled.

Jamie was spotted by Wimbledon (latterly MK Dons) as an 18 year old whilst playing for Letherhead and was signed by the Dons in 2003, he made his debut for the club on Boxing day of that year and made a further 15 appearances as the club slid out of the Championship, he appeared 4 times the following year before being released.

He signed for non-league Exeter City in August 2005 and after a brief spell on loan at Sutton United he began to establish himself in the Grecians side and scored three goals in his first season with the club.

The 2006/07 season saw Jamie make 45 appearances for the Grecians and net 5 times, he followed this up the following season with 11 goals in 28 appearances during the first half of the campaign which led to interest from Argyle who beat off the competition of several other clubs to secure his services for a reputed £125k.

Jamie quickly settled in quickly at Argyle netting twice on his debut in a 3-0 win over Barnsley, he scored once more in the remaining 11 games that season as Argyle finished 10th.

Last season he made 45 appearances in all competitions for the club and scored on five occasions as the Pilgrims finished in 21st, this season he has netted 5 times in 25 games including the winner against Derby on Tuesday evening.

Squad Number 8

Carl Fletcher

Carl is a former Welsh international midfielder who joined the club permanently in the summer following his release from Crystal Palace, he had previously been on loan at Home Park following a falling out with Neil Warnock.

Fletcher made his debut as a 17 year old for Bournemouth in February 1998 as a substitute in a 2-1 defeat at Grimsby Town, Fletcher had to wait over a year for his next appearance this time he replaced Steve Lovell in a goalless home draw with Chesterfield.

The breakthrough season for Fletcher was the 1999/00 campaign when he finally broke into the side with some regularity, he broke into the side in late October and ended up making 26 appearances scoring three times.

For the next three seasons Fletcher was the heartbeat of the Cherries midfield and he amassed 137 appearances in all competitions and was the matchwinning skipper in the 2003 League Two play-off where he netted twice in a 5-2 win. Fletcher then helped the club establish itself in League One with a string of fine performances which brought him to the attention of West Ham, he joined the Hammers in September 2004 for £275,000, in his first season he helped the East London club back into the Premier League via the play-offs, he played 36 times for the Hammers that season in all competitions.

He struggled to make the grade with the club once they hit the top and was restricted to just 12 Premier League appearances and his final Hammers appearance was in the FA Cup final defeat to Liverpool, he also had a loan spell at Watford that season making 3 appearances.

He moved to Palace in the Summer of 2006 for £400k, he was Peter Taylor’s first signing and was made club captain he played 37 league games for Palace in his first season but following the dismissal of Peter Taylor in October 2007 he was stripped of the captaincy by new boss Neil Warnock and found his chances rather limited, he was used mainly as a substitute under Warnock. The 2008/09 season saw Fletcher transfer listed by the club and he moved to Nottm Forest in October on loan but a back injury saw that cut short. He joined Plymouth on an emergency loan in February 2009 and made 13 appearances to the end of that season.

He has been a near ever-present this season missing just one league game due to suspension, he has netted once.

Squad Number 4

David Stockdale

David joined the club on-loan from Premier League club Fulham last week and the much sought after keeper kept a clean sheet on his Argyle debut in the win over Derby in midweek.

David began his career with York City coming through the youth team at Bootham Crescent, he grabbed vital experience with loan spells at Wakefield & Emley as well as Worksop Town after making his City debut in 2003, he went onto play a further 25 times for the Minstermen before being released at the end of the 2005/06 season.

Darlington invited Stockdale for a trial and he impressed enough to earn a full time deal with the Quakers, he made eight appearances in his first season with the club before establishing himself as the No1 the following campaign with a further 46 appearances, he performances brought him to the attention of Fulham with a reputed £250k deal being sealed by the cash strapped Quakers.

He was loaned out to Rotherham in November 2008 where he made 8 appearances for the Millers and impressed, he was then sent to Leicester on loan in March 2009 and in his eight appearances helped the club seal the League One title.

Stockdale finally made his debut for Fulham in September last year, in a 2-1 win over Everton, he also appeared in the Europa Cup for the Cottagers and in the League cup before joining Argyle for a month.

Squad Number 21

Team News

Team (possible): Stockdale, Duguid, Johnson, Arnason, Sawyer; Judge, Summerfield, Fletcher, Clark; Mackie, Fallon.

(subs from) Larrieu, Wright-Phillips, Gow, McNamee, Barker, Noone, Barnes, Folly, Chester, MacLean;

Head to Head

This will be the 19th meeting between the two sides at S6, Steven MacLean netted the winner for the Pilgrims in a dour 1-0 win last season, that extend their unbeaten run at S6 to 5 games, the two clubs had had 3 draws prior to last season and in 2003 the Green Army battered the Owls at S6 and walked away with a 3-1 win;

Trevor Francis inspired the Owls to a 3-0 win over the Argyle when Wednesday last beat the Pilgrims, John Sheridan scored twice on that balmy October day in 1990, that was the only Wednesday win in the last eight meetings at S6.

The clubs first met at S6 in an FA Cup replay in 1904 when Wednesday saw off Argyle 2-0.

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 6
Draw: 6
Argyle: 6

Final thoughts

Wow at the beginning of the season we would have hardly been calling it a “vital” month in a battle against relegation but both clubs have found themselves up against it and this is another six pointer.

Takeover group revealed...

Finally, some news from the Yorkshire Post that may have revealed the identity of the interested party who may be VERY close to putting a significant amount of money into Sheffield Wednesday.

Club 9 Sports are the group interested according to the Post and they say although there has been no official comment, sources within Hillsborough are very optimistic that a deal will be brokered.

The company which is a joint venture between a sports management company and a merchant bank has sent representatives to S6 this season and are close to tying up the deal.

According to the Post,
Club 9 Sports involvement was prompted by Inner Circle Sports and company representatives have visited Sheffield on a number of occasions since the Autumn. The Chicago company describes itself as a joint venture between Tobacco Road Capitalists, a sports management and sports media advisory company and Prometheus Capital Partners, a middle market merchant bank.

It was said that the investment may not arise until after the transfer window had closed this month, and it seems that may now be the case.

If there is any further news on the investment process we will get it to you as soon as we can.

BRING IT ON - PLYMOUTH..

RIght after an absence once again due to the fans of the opposition not bothering to take an interest, Bring it on is back...

So this week, we have two members of the Green Army... Dawlish Green and Topboy of Plymouth fansite... PASOTI.

1) Before the season started what were your expectations for Argyle?
DAWLISH GREEN: I had hoped for mid-table obscurity for us, especially with our close scrape with relegation last season, and I didn’t feel we significantly added to the squad in order to mount any sort of a push this time around. But those green tinted specs made me think mid table would be achievable!

Topboy: Unfortunately with Sturrock still in charge, I feared the worse. We were awful last season and the summer would have been the perfect opportunity to change the management and start afresh. Alas, it didn't happen and forth from bottom was going to be the aim for 09/10.

2) Would it be fair to say, avoid the bottom three is all you want now?
TB: Bloody right! I can't see us catching Newcastle after our poor start.
DG: Absolutely. I’d take 21st, and the season to be over now please.

3) Paul Mariner, how do you rate him and what are your opinions on Mr Sturrock?
DG: Too early to say on Mariner, although 3 wins in the last 4 league games is encouraging, even if the football (at home especially) hasn’t been up to much, yet. Luggy will always be a legend in my eyes, the first time he was here the fans all loved him. You Wednesday fans probably hold him in similar affinity to us. However, second time round he’s been an unmitigated disaster. Poor judgement, tactics, signings and tactics. We needed a change, and I think Mariner (with the help of the excellent John Carver) could be an astute manager.

TB: It is very difficult to judge Paul Mariner in such a short time. I always felt that a new manager could have got more out of the players than Paul Sturrock did. Unfortunately, apart from the Reading game at home, we have still been pretty woeful although all the right noises seem to coming out of the club from the players. I know that in the last six games we have won 3 and lost 3, but, Reading apart, the performances have been dire. Paul Sturrock did a fantastic job for the club in his first stint but his return to the club was the cheap option taken by the previous chairman. After the roller coaster ride and enthusiasim that we had with Holloway, Sturrocks dour negative approach has been hard to take. We, as fans, all knew that the past few years were going to be tough, we just didn't need reminding at every opportunity. As fans, we just want some hope to cling onto!

4) If you could sign any one player (realistically) who would it be that would fit the best and why?
TB: That's a toughie. We need a striker but Torres, Rooney and De Foe would struggle to score for Argyle with the piss poor service being given to them. Jay Boothroyd from Cardiff woud certainly be a start.

DG: I’d rather spend the money on a new pitch to be fair...in saying that, we’re crying out for a creative midfielder and a goalscorer. We seem to have signed an American striker on loan today (don’t worry, he won’t be available for the match at S6) so that leaves just the creative option. We might actually have the players to do this at the club already (MacLean or maybe even Gow) but a lot of fans have lost patience with both. Don’t fancy loaning us Johnson to play in the ‘hole’ do you? (Don't they know he's injured?!?!)

5) Other than your geographical rivals, who do you really want your side to beat?
DG:Beating Cardiff is always nice, and I’d like to wallop Blackpool at home and wipe the smug grin of Ian Holloway’s face.

TB: You tomorrow.

6) Jamie Mackie is the player everyone is hearing about at Home Park, so is there anyone else that has so far slipped the media net?

TB:Mackie works very hard but is still so raw at the age of 25 where you would have expected him to have added more to his all round game by now. Kari Arnason was brought in as a 'box to box' midfielder in the summer (by Mr Sturrock - credit where credit's due) but has played all season at Centre Half due to injuries, club infighting, etc. He has been the one ray of light and we have just tied him up on a new deal. A positive at last!

DG: We have loads, Marcel Seip, Simon Walton and Steve MacLean....I desperately hope that none of them are taken off our hands....honest(!) On a serious note, our number 11, Kari Arnason has been immense this season. Signed as a midfielder initially, but now paying really well in central defence.

7) What do you know about the Wednesday?

DG: Well, some close friends of mine are Wednesday fans, so we share a fair bit of banter. I’ve been hearing all about the takeover stuff, and how your chairman is a fan and is trying to rebuild a bit of fan faith in the club. In terms of stature, history and infrastructure, you’re a far bigger club than us, but in real terms, only 4 points better off. I’m looking forward to seeing how close we are on the pitch. I also know that you finished the last game with 4 forwards playing, and held no formation shape whatsoever. If you fancy doing the same again on Saturday it’ll be really appreciated!

TB:It comes after Tuesday and more importantly - 'You're not famous anymore!'

8) What are your memories of games against the Owls?

TB: Sturrock as Wednesday boss always seemed to have the sign over us! Signing 'One Neil Warnock' at Hillsborough certainly got a reaction a few years ago. Did he manage some small side down the road from you?

DG: Earlier on this season you tanked us, and both teams were as poor as each other, 1-1 would have been a fair result. In saying that, last season we beat you 4-1 at Home Park (for which I was sat with your fans), and weren’t 3 goals better than you. The 3-1 at your place, the year we went up (2003-04) was a great night. We were in a great run of form, and swept you aside, awesome.
Also like the fact that Sturrock and Coughlan had a homecoming a few seasons back, Coughlan captaining you guys against us. I think you cheated your way to a win in that game!!

9) Any Team news?

DG: Why change a winning team? Hopefully the boys will be looking forward to playing a passing game on a decent pitch, and utilising the midfield a bit more. Personally I’d like to see Noone start in place of Clark, but he’s more of an impact sub.Watch out for Noone, if he comes off the bench Buxton and Spurr won’t know what hit them!

TB: We will endevour to field 11. I expect to see the same side as Tuesday's battling win over the Rams.

10) Score prediction?

TB: A confident 1 - 1 although we are not use to playing on grass at the moment. We're used on a churned up bog of a pitch. Please ask your groundman to run the cultivator over the pitch to give us a chance and make the players feel at home.

DG: Head says 1-1, but I’d always be hopeful of a 0-1 and bringing 3 points back down to the westcountry. Good luck for the rest of the season!

Massive thanks to Dawlish Green and Topboy for their answers... If you want to visit the Green Army supporters then CLICK HERE to go to www.pasoti.co.uk.

For more reaction from the Plymouth fans visit the Bring it on thread on the messageboard.

The Green Army retreat, defeated.

The fans needed a performance to warm them up yesterday in freezing temperatures at Hillsborough, they didn't get it but the three points are in the bag.

Alan Irvine made one change from the side that tasted defeat at Scunthorpe in midweek with Luke Varney replacing Leon Clarke and how it was to pay dividends.
A brace from Varney sealed the victory for the Owls who had to battle back from behind after Rory Fallon had opened the scoring in front of the Kop in the first half. Varney restored parity within a minute before firing the winner just before the half time break.

On a frosty afternoon both sides struggled to really take the game to their opponents in the opening exchanges, with a solitary effort from in form Argyle striker, Jamie Mackie, but he fired wide. Wednesday huffed and puffed but the final ball or indeed for much of the game the easy five yard pass eluded them and their lack of cohesion brought the opening goal for the visitors.

Alan Judge swung over a corner from the Owls right which found Fallon all alone and the New Zealand international despatched a free header into the net past Lee Grant. The crestfallen Wednesdayites were fearing a repeat of the defeat earlier in the week but they were to witness an instant fightback from the home side.

Some 40 seconds after the restart Marcus Tudgay got the flick on just ahead of his marker to release Varney who held off the attentions of the Plymouth defence to nick the ball past the onrushing David Stockdale and into the net from around 12 yards.

The impetus was back with Wednesday but as in the first 15 or so minutes they failed to press with any conviction in a scrappy affair which did nothing to enhance the reputation of either side. It wasn't the best build up to goal from a pure footballing perspective for what was to be the winning goal just short of half time but not that any of the home crowd were complaining.

Tommy Spurr played a hopeful ball upfront from midway inside his own half and Tudgay rose to again flick the ball through for his striker partner. It appeared at first Varney may not get to the ball first but a burst of pace saw him get to the ball first before hitting a cracking low finish past Stockdale's outstretched left hand and into the bottom corner of the goal.

Half Time
Owls 2 Plymouth 1

The second period started with the visitors having the lions share of possession either through some neat passing or their hosts giving them the ball with annoying regularity. In fact such was the dominance of the visitors possession wise it took Wednesday 22 minutes to advance into the Pilgrim's penalty area for the first time.

New Argyle boss, Paul Mariner, will have been happy with his side's percentage of possession but no doubt unhappy at his side's inability to turn that possession into a goal threat. The Wednesday rearguard stood up to the test and withstood everything that the visitors could muster and maintained their shape throughout the second period in really what was the only brightspot of the second half for them.

The introduction of Akpo Sodje late into the game brought some needed energy to the Wednesday attack when he replaced the largely ineffective Tom Soares but he didn't get as much as a sniff of a goal in the latter stages.

Wednesday kept Argyle at bay for the remainder of the game and when referee, Mr Wright, brought a halt to proceedings many of the supporters were more relieved the game had ended due to it being far from an attractive game of football and they could at least retreat to the warmth of their car heaters!

Next up is a trip to the City Ground, Nottingham, as the Owls take on Billy Davies' second placed Forest side.

Full Time
Owls 2 Plymouth 1

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Purse ,Buxton (Simek ,66 ) ,Gray ,Spurr ,Beevers ,Potter ,Soares (Akpo Sodje ,70 ) ,O'Connor ,Tudgay ,Varney
Subs not used: Hinds,Jeffers,McAllister,Esajas,Jameson,

Plymouth: Stockdale ,Sawyer ,Johnson ,Judge (Wright-Phillips ,69 ) ,Summerfield (Noone ,82 ) ,Clark ,Fletcher ,Duguid ,Arnason ,Mackie ,Fallon
Subs not used McNamee,Gow,Barker,Barnes,Larrieu,

Have Wednesday signed him?

Reports in the press in South Africa last week were linking Wednesday with a move for the Zimbabwean international, Onismor Bhasera, and it appears in the press over there that the deal is done.

Bhasera, had been interesting Portsmouth and he had a spell there under Paul Hart before he departed Fratton Park, when he moved to Queen Park Rangers, Hart expressed his interest in taking him to Loftus Road and gave him a trial. According to reports on South African football website , Kick Off.com, Wednesday also gave a trial to the player.

According to his manager, Bobby Motaung of the Kaizer Chiefs the deal is almost done and dusted, he said:

'We spoke to Sheffield over the weekend and we have agreed on a deal for the player. They said they faxed me the signed agreement today after signing it, but I haven't seen it. I'm waiting for it.'

The only stumbling bloack could be the transfer deadline looming at 5pm today and whether his work permit will go through in time to conclude the transfer.

'They were also trying to arrange his work permit and I don't know if they got it. For now I'm waiting for their fax and I will get back to you,' Moutang added.

As always if we hear anything about this we will get the news to you as soon as we can here on Owlsonline.

Third week in succession.

The last two Championship 'Team of the week' lineups have featured Owls, now Luke Varney makes it a hat-trick of appearances by a Wednesday player.

Varney's brace at the weekend is the reason for his inclusion in the side along with his all round performance which contributed to the Owls win over Plymouth Argyle at Hillsborough.

Derby top the list of players selected in the team this week with three of their side that defeated local rivals Nottingham Forest at the weekend. Alan Irvine's former team, Preston, are represented by two players and the rest are shared by individuals from West Brom, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Leicester, Scunthorpe and of course Wednesday.

To see the team of the week in full, click HERE.

For all the news from around the Football League, click HERE

Sodje leaves for the capital again.

Striker Akpo Sodje has today left Wednesday for The Valley, Charlton on loan until the end of the season. Sodje joins his brother Sam and former Owl, Deon Burton, once again at the Addicks after a successful loan spell prior to Christmas.

Phil Parkinson was impressed by Sodje over the eight games that he appeared in for Charlton previously, where he scored twice in two starts and eight substitute appearances in just under two months with the League One club.

Wednesday bought Sodje from Port Vale back in August 2007 where he had shown the Owls faithful what he was capable of as he had netted for the Valiants against Wednesday.
His career started slowly with many fans far from impressed with the powerful striker's start to his time with the club, but after nine games without a goal he opened his account scoring away at Plymouth, slamming home from a tight angle. Two games later, a brace against Southampton really impressed the Owls faithful as they swept aside the Saints with ease in a five-nil victory.

He then won his first local derby by scoring the solitary goal against Barnsley by which time he was the first name on the Wednesday team sheet, with the fans thinking they had a new goalscoring hero. Two more goals in four games only enhanced his reputation before he scored the goal that will keep him in Wednesday folklore.

It may have only been from three or so yards, but the opener against United was key and it paved the way for a two goal victory against the enemy from S2, Marcus Tudgay bagging the second with a smart volley. Sodje's goal against United proved to be his last of the season as a cruel injury two games later in an away defeat at Wolves was to bring an end to his first season with the Owls.

Last season was cut short again through injury just as Wednesday fans were hoping the fans favourite had hit toop form and full fitness. He netted twice in a four - one demolition of Burnley on the opening day of the season but he didn't finish the game, limping off the field with an injury which would see him out of the side for two months before he returned to the side as Wednesday beat United again, this time one - nil thanks to Steve Watson's lob.
Sodje managed a month in the side until injury struck again, this time away at Pride Park, Derby as Wednesday slumped to a horrible three-nil defeat.
Before finishing the season with six more appearances in the side, his last being the three-two defeat against Q.P.R.

This season saw him feature nine times in the Owls side but hitting the net eluded him, then he moved to Charlton on loan where he was to net for the Addicks on his debut, away at Yeovil. The next game saw him score again along with former Owl, Deon Burton as they destroyed Bristol Rovers 4-2 at the Valley. Sodje featured six more times for the South London side without scoring before he returned to Hillsborough, he has been used as a sub three times since his return but again he has failed to hit the net.

Today he has returned to South London to join up again with Phil Parkinson's side ahead of their trip to Walsall this weekend where he is expected to feature in the squad.
The decision to loan Sodje until the end of the season looks to have brought down the curtain on his Wednesday career with his contract with the Owls due to expire at the end of this season.

It's a no go for Bhasera.

Sheffield Wednesday recently gave a trial to Zimbabwean defender Onismor Bhasera, after attracting the likes of Portsmouth and fellow championship side Queens Park Rangers, Bhasera was delighted to be given a one week trial with Wednesday.

But, as the 5pm transfer deadline loomed on Monday evening, the Zimbabwean had yet to complete his medical. News was scattered over the internet and press that Bhasera had failed his medical. something which Bhasera's coach at Kaizer Chief's, Bobby Motaung, confirmed: 'He's got a knee problem, so he failed his medical with Sheffield Wednesday.'

So, will Wednesday make another move for the defender in the summer? Or maybe a loan stint can be secured? We'll keep you updated at Owlsonline as soon as we get any info.

Eltish96

Irvine up for his first accolade.

Alan Irvine has today been nominated for Coca-Cola Championship Manager Of The Month after his first month behind the managers table at Hillsborough.

After 5 games in charge, the Scotsman has proven his Premier League status, which he earned whilst he was Assistant to David Moyes at Everton. Wins against local rivals Barnsley and Blackpool set Irvine up for his first home game, Peterborough United. With the 'Kids For A Quid' offer in full swing, over 24,000 wednesdayites saw Wednesday beat Peterborough 2-1, with a brace from Marcus Tudgay.

Unfortunately Irvine's first defeat was just round the corner with another local derby away at Scunthorpe United. Wednesday unlucky to go down 2-0 losers.
The Wednesday faithful wanted a bounce back with another 'Kids For A Quid' offer against fellow strugglers Plymouth Argyle. Plymouth deservedly took the lead in the first half through ex-Tyke Rory Fallon, but a stupendous double from Loanee Luke Varney sealed the points for Wednesday.

Good luck to Alan and his squad as it's a tough test up next against high flying Nottingham Forest, but with 4,800 travelling wednesdayites, maybe we can pull it off?

Elliot Mann, (eltish96)

Battle of the Scots

The Owls take a trip down the M1 on Saturday to face high flying Forest, Wednesday will be looking to try and carry on their recent good form but face a side sitting 3rd in the table and on a run of 1 defeat in the last 20 games, it’s also a battle of the Manager of the Month candidates with both Alan Irvine and Billy Davies up for the January award.

Owls News

Wednesday will be forced into one change for the trip to Forest with Lewis Buxton set to be ruled out for a month with a hamstring injury, he joins Francis Jeffers (surprise surprise), Jermaine Johnson (hamstring) and Tommy Miller on the sidelines.

Alan Irvine will be hoping to get his team performing to a better level than the one that won three points against Plymouth, the Owls were on the back foot for the majority of the time but still ground out a 2-1 win, the tactics will have to be spot on against Billy Davies’ Forest.

Frank Simek looks set to be given the nod in place of the injured Buxton, the American right back replaced the former Stoke man last weekend and makes his first start in the league since the Boxing Day draw with the Geordies, the likeable full back is playing for a contract as his current deal runs out in the summer.

Lee Grant will continue in goal with a back four of Simek, Purse, Beevers and Spurr ahead of him hoping to repel a dangerous Forest attacking threat.

Alan Irvines two banks of four means the midfield will probably stay the same as last weekend with Soares, Potter, O’Connor and Michael Gray tasked with offering a shield in front of the defence whilst giving the front two of Luke Varney and Marcus Tudgay options, Leon Clarke will be back on the bench after missing the win at Peterborough with a knock he sustained at Scunthorpe.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Simek, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Soares, Potter, O’Connor, Gray; Varney, Tudgay.

(subs from)Jameson, Clarke, Hinds, Wragg, Modest, McAllisters, Boden, Esajas.

Nottingham Forest News

Forest will be licking their wounds a little after their 19 game unbeaten run in the league was ended by fierce rivals Derby County last time out, it also ended their impressive unbeaten run away in the league this season as well, the two sets players once again clashed en masse and repercussions could impact on both sides depending on how the FA view it.

Forest dropped a place in the league to 3rd in midweek following a win for West Brom away at Blackpool, they sit 1 point behind the Baggies in the table.

Nottingham Forest

Forest are one of the sides in the division I have time a lot of time for, people say they harp on about their history, damn right they should, they have achieved things clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal dream about.

Forest like Wednesday have to go back too far for the really good days, it’s been nearly 15 years since Forest
were an established Premier League side and their last trophy came just a year before ours when they beat Oldham 1-0 in the League Cup final.

The club were formed way back in 1865 making them the third oldest club still in existence in the Football league, city rivals Notts County and Stoke are the others, the club were born out of the Nottingham Forest Football and Bandy club, the joined the Football Alliance in 1888, winning it 4 years later before being elected to the Football League.

In 1898 Forest won their first major trophy, beating fierce rivals Derby County in the FA Cup final but that was to be their only highlight in the first part of their illustrious history, the club spent the majority of the first half of the 20th century rummaging around the lower echelons of the second division, even having to apply for re-election to the league in 1914, they won the 2nd tier title twice during this time as well, in 1907 and 1922.

Disaster struck in 1949 when the club found itself in the 3rd division for the first time but it was to be a short lived tenure as the they bounced back as champions just 2 years later, within 5 years they were back in the top division and became the dominant force in Nottingham, Forest won the FA Cup again in 1959, cup glory saw Forest settle in the top flight for the next 15 years before being relegated in 1972.

Forest’s real heyday began back in the mid 70’s when Brian Clough took over the reigns at the City Ground, he began his job as manager in January 1975 and within three years they had been promoted from the Second division and became League Champions, disposing perennial winner Liverpool from top spot. Clough and Forest then shocked the footballing world by guiding Forest to back-to-back European Cup success, a feat I believe rarely gets the credit it deserves nor will be repeated, they also went a staggering 42 games undefeated.

The end of the Clough era came in 1993 with his beloved Forest relegated from the inaugural Premier League, it ended his 18 year association with the club, Frank Clarke took the reigns at the City Ground and won promotion at the first attempt and the club finished 3rd in their first season back in the top division with Stan Collymore the star of the side.

Unfortunately that was as good as it got they were relegated again in 97, promoted in 98 and back down a year later, in 2005 they were relegated to the third tier where they remained for three seasons until finishing 2nd to Swansea in the 2007/08 season, they finished 19th last season.

The Ground

Forest moved to the City Ground way back in 1898 after a Bond scheme to raise £3k from supporters, club members and local business raised the majority of the capital required to fund the move, it was given the name the City Ground to highlight Nottingham’s change in status a year previously, technically the ground was outside the City though.

The current capacity at the City Ground is 30,602 and was a host stadium in Euro 96.

The Main Stand is the oldest remaining structure still in use; it was re-built in the late 60’s after a fire and currently holds 5,708 and runs down the touchline. Directly opposite the old structure is the Brian Clough stand which is the largest stand at the ground and holds 10,000, the stand was funded by the monies earned from Forest European success of the late 70’s and was built in 1980, it was redeveloped to it’s current state in the mid 90’s and opened by the great man himself.

The Trent End is the newest stand at Forest, the impressive double tiered structure was opened in time for the Euro’s and has a capacity of 7,338, it river baring it’s name runs along the back of the stand and is situated behind the goal.

Wednesdayites will be housed in the stand opposite the Trent End, nearly 5,000 fans can be held in the Lower Bridgford end with home fans above them in the Upper tier which holds around 2,700.

Prior to the move to the City Ground the club began playing their matches at the Forest Recreation Ground before moving onto the Meadows in 1879, a year later they began using Trent Bridge for the all their games, a move to Lenton in 1882 preceded a move to the newly build Town Ground in 1890 before the club moved across the river in 1898 to their current location.

Forest have submitted plans to move to a new 50k in the Gamston area of the City.

The Gaffer

Billy Davies followed the late great Brian Clough when he crossed the A52 divide to manage Forest, he’d previously been the boss of Derby County and guided the Rams into the Premiership in his first season as boss but was sacked in November 2007 following an horrific start to the season by Derby.

Davies began his managerial career with Motherwell after ending his playing career at the Fir Park club, he took the ‘Well to the brink of European qualification but a poor start to the 2001/02 season saw him dismissed as boss.

Davies was then appointed assistant manager at Preston North End in 2002 following Craig Brown move to Deepdale as boss, he succeeded Brown in August 2004 and guided North End to the play-off final in his first season only for West Ham to beat them in final.

Twelve months later he again guided the Lilywhites to the play-offs but after earning a vital draw away at Leeds in the first leg Davies’ arrogance got the better of him and in the second leg Leeds rammed his words down his throat with a 2-0 win.

He accepted the job at Derby County in June 2006 and spent 17 months at Pride Park where he transformed relegation haunted side into a Premiership football club only for it come undone in the top flight. After 14 months out of the game he took over at Nottingham Forest on January 1st of last year.

Davies is not a man to shy away from controversy and his touchline antics have recently seen him in the news, the fiery Scot refused to shake Nigel Clough’s hand after their defeat at Pride Park, he claimed Clough had kneed him in the back of the leg during the last minute melee on the pitch, he has done a great job at the Reds and until last week were unbeaten in 19 and currently look a good bet for promotion.

Key Players

Dexter Blackstock

Dexter joined the Reds in the summer from QPR after successfully helping the club stay in the division with 2 goals in six games whilst on a loan spell at the end of last season.

Dexter began his career with home town club Oxford United but was snapped up by Southampton as a youngster for £275k in 2003 whilst the Saints were still in the Premier League, he progressed through the Saints academy set up.

He made his debut for Saints in the 2004/05 season and scored a hat-trick in only his third game in a League
Cup tie with Colchester, he followed this up with another in the same competition before getting his first league goal in a 2-1 over derby rivals Portsmouth. He joined Plymouth in February 2005 on loan to further his education whilst the Saints battled against the drop in the top flight, he scored 4 in 14 for the Pilgrims in his 3 month spell.

He returned to the Saints for the 2005/06 season and he scored just once in the League Cup and was allowed out on loan again with Derby taking the pacy striker, he netted 3 times for the Rams in 9 match spell before being recalled to the Saints following George Burley’s appointment as manager, he scored 3 times for Saints on his return in 16 games.

He moved to QPR ahead in August 2006 for a reputed £500k fee but many believe it was much lower than this, he quickly settled in at Rangers scoring 14 goals in his debut season for the R’s in 42 appearances, however he struggled the following season with just 6 goals in 36 appearances.

The 2008/09 season was a better one for Dexter on a personal note, he netted 12 times for the R’s in 38 games, he however found himself surplus to requirements with the club turning over more managers than Sainsburys and was loaned to Forest in April with a permanent deal in the offing should he perform well.

He has made 27 appearances for the club this season and netted on 9 occasions, he has form for scoring against the Owls as well, netting 3 times in past encounters.

Squad Number 23

Paul Anderson

Leicestershire born winger Paul joined the club permanently in the summer from Liverpool after impressing on a season long loan last year, he cost the club £250k which given his displays this season can be deemed a bargain.

Paul came through the ranks at West Brom but failed to secure a professional deal at the Hawthorns and joined Hull City’s academy, he was quickly scouted by Liverpool and after impressing during a trial he joined the Reds with John Welsh moving the other way.

Opportunities were hard to come by at Anfield with Rafa’s buying owt foreign policy denying Anderson the chance to impress and he failed to make an appearance in his three years with the Reds, he was sent on loan to Swansea for the 2007/08 season, he made 41 appearances for Roberto Martinez’s men and scored 10 goals in all competitions to help the club to promotion.

Last season he joined Forest on loan and made 28 appearances for the Reds despite suffering two injuries that sidelined him for several months, he scored twice, so far this year he has appeared 28 times netting four times.

Squad Number 7

Lee Camp

Goalkeeper Lee Camp signed for the club last summer, following a loan spell that had been very fruitful last campaign until the dismissal of Colin Calderwood as Forest boss.

Born in Derby he came through the ranks at the club but his league debut came under current County boss Nigel Clough who was managing Burton Albion, he spent a month on loan with the Brewers playing five times in early 2003.

He returned to Derby to make his Rams debut in a 3-2 defeat at Walsall as a substitute, after that he found himself struggling to break into the side with current Owls custodian Lee Grant ahead of him in the pecking order, in March 2004 he moved to QPR on loan and was part of their promotion winning side that sealed Championship football with a 3-1 win at Hillsborough.

He started the 2004/05 season as Derby’s No1 and appeared in all bar two of their games that season as the Rams reached the play-offs but lost out to Preston in the semi-finals. He was again first choice the following and made 41 starts as the Rams narrowly avoided the drop.

The 2006/07 season saw Camp start the season with Derby but end back at QPR with a loan spell at Norwich in between, he started the first three games with the Rams but after a 4-3 defeat to Colchester he was dropped for loanee Stephen Bywater, he moved to Norwich in late November 2006 where he played in three games and netted an OG v Wednesday. He signed on emergency loan for Rangers in February 2007 before completing a permanent deal a week later, he played 61 times for the Hoops before being transferred back north in the summer.

He has kept 11 clean sheets this season including 7 in his last eleven games.

Squad Number 1

Team News

Team (possible): Camp, Cohen, Morgan, Wilson, Gunter; Majewski, McKenna, Perch. Anderson; Blackstock, Earnshaw.

(subs from) Smith, Adebola, McGoldrick, Chambers, McGugan. Tyson, Davies, McCleary, Mitchell, Moussi, Garner, Lynch.

Head to Head

A late winner by James Chambers saw the hosts gain a valuable 3 points when the two clubs met last season, Jermaine Johnson put Wednesday ahead before Nathan Tyson leveled for Forest, the Owls then lost Francis Jeffers to a reckless red card leaving Wednesday more than half the game to hold out, unfortunately they couldn’t.

The hosts ran rampant when the sides met in August 2002 goals from David Johnson, Jack Lester and a Riccy Scimeca brace sealed a 4-0 win, the Owls also had Gerald Sibon dismissed in a horror show for the Wednesday faithful.

The season previous Owen Morrison lashed home from the edge of the box in the dying embers of the game to secure all three points for the struggling Owls, repeating the feat of Gerald Sibon in February 2001 when he smashed home a 75th minute winner for Peter Shreeves men.

The two clubs first met in Nottingham way back in 1883 in an FA Cup tie that ended in a 2-2 draw, the first clash at the City Ground was in January 1899, the game again ended all square.

Overall at Nottingham :

Owls: 21
Draw: 15
Forest: 27

Final thoughts

A big crowd is expected at the City Ground with the Owls all but selling out their 4,700ish allocation whilst the hosts had less than 2,000 tickets available during the week, Wednesdayites will be hoping they can roar the Owls to a 5th win in 6 whilst the hosts will look to try and catch both West Brom and Newcastle, it’s a massive game for differing reasons for both clubs.

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Irvine backs Simek to regain form

With Lewis Buxton set to miss around a month of the season due to a hamstring injury it gives the chance for Frank Simek to stake his claim for the right back slot.

Simek looks set to start a game for the first time since the FA Cup defeat to Crystal Palace on January 2nd, with his only other appearance since then being a sub appearance in the two - one win over Plymouth last weekend where he replaced the injured Buxton.

The American international has of course struggled with injury since rupturing ankle ligaments back in 2007 and he has been in and out of the side since his rehabilitation from that injury and subsequent injuries since then.

Many Owls fans will say that he has lost a yard of pace or he isn't the same player he was, but Alan Irvine has seen enough of the popular right back in training to suggest that Simek can return to his former high standards.

Irvine said: 'Frank has got a very strong chance to stake his claim in the team now. When players get in the team it's up to them to grab that chance.

'He has had a lot of injuries and that's a real shame because it was not that long ago that people were watching Frank from the Premier League and thinking about him as a player who would make that step.

'There's no question that he's a good player, it's just about how ready he is to step up to the first team, but he's a very good professional and I expect he will be able to come in and do very well.'

Retro Game - Forest

First of all, apologies for no looking back at games against Plymouth Argyle. I would have done the 3-0 home victory in the 1990/91 season as games against Plymouth at home recently have been ones to send even the most optimistic owl to sleep.

Anyway today, its time to go back to the last century and our match in the premier league against Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest. This was to be Cloughie's last season as Nottingham Forest manager before retirement after serving as manager for 18 years. Everything he did for that club was remarkable and one of the reasons why I would rank Nottingham Forest as being one of, if not the biggest club outside the premier league with the likes of Leeds, Wednesday and Newcastle.

Now this fixture was a strange one as we had only just played Nottingham Forest on the second game of the season where two David Hirst strikes sealed a 2-0 victory for the Owls. Nottingham Forest were on an awful run and had lost 5 on the bounce including a 5-3 defeat against Oldham Athletic. It was argued that the sale of Teddy Sheringham to Tottenham didn't help, and later on this season, Roy Keane would also be heading out of The City Ground to Old Trafford. Two extremely key players that Forest sadly could not replace.

Nottingham Forest lined up as follows

Mark Crossley, Brian Laws, Stuart Pearce, Carl Tiler, Steve Chettle, Gary Crosby, Roy Keane, Scott Gemmill, Kingsley Black, Bigel Clough, Gary Bannister

Subs: Martin McKinnon, Theodur Orlygsson

Sheffield Wednesday lined up as follows

Chris Woods, Viv Anderson, Nigel Worthington, Peter Shirtliff, Carlton Palmer, Chris Bart Williams, John Harkes, Graham Hyde, Chris Waddle, Mark Bright, Paul Warhurst

Subs: Danny Wilson, Gordon Watson

Back in the day, only 2 subs were allowed and goalkeepers being subs was very very rare.
Anyway the referee was Gerald Ashby from Worcester. I remember Mr Ashby very well and always thought he was a decent referee with the likes of Roger Milford and Keith Hackett. If anyone mentions Keiran Barratt to me, don't! I absolutely despise everything about that referee. Never have I seen so many blatent fouls not been called for. To this day I wonder if John Jensen gave him a bung during the FA Cup final matches against Arsenal.

Wednesday came into this match on the back of a 3-0 thumping by Manchester City which saw the first back pass pick up being called a foul. The back pass rule was invented for this year and for Man City's first goal, the ref adjudged Roland Nilssons touch back to Chris Woods as a back pass. Two David White goals and Mick Sheron I think consigned Wednesday to their first home defeat of the season. Anyways for this game, Wednesday were giving a debut to Mark Bright, signed from Crystal Palace in exchange for Paul Williams. For the young ones here, it is the same Mark Bright that is now up there with plenty competing for the worst pundit on TV.

From the humiliation against Man City, Francis made plenty of changes for this game, with Carlton Palmer going to centre back and Paul Warhurst playing up front along side Mark Bright. Danny Wilson dropped to the bench as Graham Hyde came in. John Sheridan was supsended for this match while Nilsson and Hirst were injured.

Anyway The Owls started this match well and took the game to Nottingham Forest from the off. You could tell Forest were lacking in confidence and Mark Bright almost opened his account with a goal in the 7th minute. Lovely movement from Bart Williams enabled Waddle to pick a pass out to Bright causing havoc in the Forest defence but Brights shot was comfortably saved by Crossley. 5 minutes later, some excellent overlapping play from Worthington easily beat his man (Brian Laws) and put in a beautiful cross only for Warhursts powerful header to go the wrong side of the net.

Nottingham Forest were clearly struggling and rarely threatened Chris Woods's goal. There was danger for Wednesday when Hyde needlessly gave away a free kick 30 yards from Wednesdays goal. As expected, Stuart Pearce struck a pile driver which only just went past the post with Chris Woods well beaten. Moments later, Nigel Clough beat the offside trap but shot tamely at Woods leaving Bannister fuming as a ball across would have resulted in an empty net for him. Moments later, Wednesday should have gone in front had it not been for some excellent goalkeeping by Crossley. John Harkes struck a long range effort forcing Crossley to make an excellent save to his left, enabling the rebound to fall to Warhurst who did a defenders finish by putting the rebound high and wide. Well that's what we thought but Ashby gave a corner and replays on the Match Of The Day screen proved Crossley got a touch to it. The resulting corner saw Shirtliff head over the bar from close range.

Well you could sense a goal was coming and so it did. A lovely through ball from Waddle saw a race for the ball between Warhurst and Chettle. Warhurst stretched his leg the furthest and struck a low shot below Crossley into the net to give Wednesday the lead. It was no more than The Owls deserved and Warhurst had scored his first goal as a striker. It could have been 2 seconds later as a poor pass from Crosby gave Warhurst the ball but struck from well outside the area high and wide. The half time whistle came with Wednesday leading at the break 1-0

You would have thought Forest would come out with guns firing but the second half was very similar to the first half. Wednesday were outplaying Forest with ease. Brian Clough was getting stressed out thinking what could he do to improve things. 4 minutes in, Bright almost scored on his debut but saw his shot go just past the post. Waddle nearly scored his first goal for the club with a long range effort curling just wide of the post. Palmer had a header from a corner cleared off the line by a young Kingsley Black. It was one way traffic. It only took 12 minutes for Wednesday to get their second goal, this time from a set piece. Waddle put in a lovely delivery which Chettle cleared poorly. The ball came out to John Harkes who fired a shot in low which deflected off a Forest player into the path of Graham Hyde who struck his shot into the net to give Wednesday a 2-0 lead.

Now many people have Hyde as one of those players of do you like or do you not like. For me Graham Hyde was a midfield worker. Someone who goes around doing the dirty work - a bit like what James O Connor/Sean McAllister are doing for those young un's out there. When Carlton Palmer was signed, this was his sort of job in the midfield. Hyde did this job well I thought but always had players ahead of him that had a bit more quality about them. Hydey always chipped in with a few goals from time to time as well.

Anyway Wednesday continued to play entertaining football wiping Forest off the pitch, and in the 61st minute, they almost got their 3rd when a poor clearance from Stuart Pearce of all people gave Bart Williams a tough shot which only went just wide. The angle was tight and the Bart Man was leaning back but his effort wasn't that far away. Mark Bright thought he gave Wednesday a 3-0 lead but his effort was correctly ruled out for offside. It seemed everything was up until the last 10 minutes when Forest burst to life. Gary Crosby almost scored with his effort that cannonned off the underside of the bar and then Nigel Clough almost got one back when his header forced Woods into an excellent save. Forest did get their goal back in the 87th minute when a corner from Pearce was poorly dealt with by the Wednedsay defence and ex Owl Gary Bannister forced the ball home for 2-1. You would have thought Forest would go all guns blazing with only a few minutes remaining but Wednesday saw the game out with ease and in fact should have won 3-1 but Gordon Watsons effort went wide when it was easier to score.

The final whistle came with Wednesday taking the 3 points from The City Ground with a very comfortable 2-1 win which should have been a lot more. This was the final game in this league for a couple of years as Forest finished bottom and went down to the 1st Division. It wasn't too long as they came back up on the first attempt and then the next league game in the 1994/95 season saw Forest produce one of the best displays I've ever seen in the premier league beating Wednesday 4-1 at the city ground. I was going to do that game but didn't want to do a 2 page fest to Forest's under-rated Norweigan midfielder in Lars Bohinen.

For Wednesday, they ended up finishing 7th and getting to two cup finals. However the following FA Cup season, they played Nottingham Forest and beat them 2-0 at the city ground in a replay after a 1-1 draw at Hillsborough

A valiant performance to no avail.

Wednesday went into the game at the City Ground far from the favourites, but they left feeling very much aggrieved after a performance which deserved much more as the curse of the Manager of the Month award struck the Owls.
Alan Irvine was awarded the accolade for his part in the Wednesday mini revival which has seen them pull out of the relegation zone, but after this game they now again sit perilously close to the drop zone.

A Dexter Blackstock double, one of which was from a controversial penalty decision, either side of Luke Varney's equaliser won the game for the home side who were pinned back for prolonged periods during the match.

Alan Irvine was forced to make one change to the side which beat Plymouth at Hillsborough last time out, with Lewis Buxton missing due to injury so he was replaced with Frank Simek at right back.

The game started as it was to go on for most of the 90 minutes with Wednesday threatening and dominating possession, with Varney the first to have an effort on goal which Lee Camp was equal to. In fact it was more like a chess match in the opening half of the first period with neither side really forcing a difficult save from the respective 'keepers. When the opening goal of the game did come though it was shrouded in controversy.

After some stout defending from the Owls, a contentious penalty was awarded by the referee, Mr Kettle. Dexter Blackstock fired an effort goalwards only to see Darren Purse's back block the shot, but much to the amazement of the Wednesday captain and the rest of his teammates, the referee awarded a penalty for handball in a decision which Irvine said there was no one else who thought it was handball. Blackstock duly converted the spot kick to put the home side ahead.

Forest then applied the pressure as Wednesday were still somewhat dumbfounded by the penalty decision, with Nathan Tyson and Rob Earnshaw both threatening to extend their lead.

Varney then tested Lee Camp who was equal to his low shot, before Lee Grant did equally well to deny Earnshaw just before the break.

Half Time

Forest 1 Wednesday 0

Irvine's half time team talk seemed to do the trick as Wednesday came out of the blocks the quickest, forcing the issue and dominating possession. Varney again denied, this time Morgan just getting in a block as the on loan Derby striker threatened to equalise.

Darren Potter almost restored parity but his free kick rattled the crossbar with Forest 'keeper, Camp, well beaten. It was to be a short lived reprieve for the home side as the equaliser came on 73 minutes.
Irvine threw on Leon Clarke and Etienne Esajas in a bid to get something out of the game and after Esajas' effort rebounded into the path of Luke Varney and the striker finished with aplomb into the net and he quite clearly enjoyed it, showing the home fans what he thought as he wheeled away.

But all this did was galvanise the home side who responded just seven minutes later. Wednesday conceded a free kick around 25 yards out which Chris Cohen swung into the box, Blackstock's header was blocked by Grant who could do nothing about the rebound which fell back into the path of the onrushing striker and he did the rest.
It was a cruel blow for Wednesday who had just been gathering a head of steam and arguably looked the most likely to score.

The final whistle went leaving Forest's manager Billy Davies ulogising about how tough a battle it was and his counterpart Alan Irvine left pleased with the performance if not the right result.

Next up for the Owls is a return to home against Blackpool on Tuesday night as they look to get back to winning ways and secure a second victory against the seasiders this season.

Final Score
Forest 2 Wednesday 1

Nottm Forest: Camp ,Morgan ,Perch ,Wilson ,Gunter ,Tyson (Anderson ,65 ) ,Cohen ,McKenna ,Moussi ,Blackstock (McGoldrick ,83 ) ,Earnshaw (Adebola ,69)
Subs not used: Smith,Chambers,McGugan,Majewski,

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Purse ,Simek ,Spurr ,Beevers ,Potter ,Soares (Clarke ,67 ) ,Gray (Esajas ,67 ) ,O'Connor ,Tudgay ,Varney
Subs not used Hinds,McAllister,Boden,Lekaj,Jameson,

Bookings: Anderson ,Gunter (Nottm Forest) Gray ,Varney (Sheff Wed)

Attendance: 27900

Referee: Trevor Kettle (Berkshire)

Owls need home comforts

The Owls entertain Blackpool on Tuesday evening with both sides looking to get back to winning ways after being on the wrong side of refereeing decisions regarding penalties at the weekend, the Owls were incensed by Mr Kettle’s penalty award when the ball hit Darren purse on the shoulder whilst Blackpool saw Mr Haines deny Charlie Adam a stonewaller in the dying minutes of the game with Leicester.

Owls News

Wednesday boss Alan Irvine will be hoping for more of the same from his players on Tuesday, the Scot saw his team dominate the second half at Forest on Saturday but came away empty handed after conceding a sloppy second goal just ten minutes from time.

The Owls will once again be without Jermaine Johnson, Francis Jeffers, Tommy Miller and Lewis Buxton all of whom are injured so Irvine may have to rely on academy products to fill the bench for the task of beating of beating Blackpool.

Etienne Esajas could be offered his first start in two months after impressing from the bench on Saturday, the likeable Dutchman could replace Michael Gray who appeared to be flagging in recent games, the 35 year old has been an ever present under Alan Irvine so far.

Darren Potter will be looking to continue with his ever improving displays, the Scouser ran the show in the second half at Forest and was looking for the ball constantly, he is a real handful when he’s in that mood it’s a shame we haven’t seen more of it this season.

Luke Varney will be hoping to make it 4 in 3, the pacy striker has netted in his last two games and is second top scorer at the club with 7 goals, he can level with strike partner Tudgay if he nets tomorrow, the front two seem to forging a partnership and were impressive away at Notts Forest.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Simek, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Soares, Potter, O’Connor, Esajas; Tudgay, Varney.

(subs from) Jameson, Hinds, Boden, Clarke, McAllister, Lekaj, Gray, Oliver, Palmer.

Blackpool FC News

The Tangerines head to S6 on the back of a defeat to play-off rivals Leicester at the weekend which saw the Foxes leap frog Pool and settle into the top six, Pool dropped a place to 8th but will be more unhappy about the booking that rules key man Charlie Adam out for two games.

Blackpool FC

Blackpool, a seaside town in North West England, a place famous for its Tower which dominates the coastal landscape but the Football club is steeped in history with two of the greatest players this country has produced playing for the Tangerines, Stan Mortensen and Stanley Matthews, Mortensen was a Blackpool legend, he began his career with the club and spent 14 years with the club playing over 300 times for the club and netting nearly a century of goals, he was an England regular and helped the club win the FA cup in 1953 in the “Matthews” final when he scored the only hat-trick in an FA Cup final at Wembley.

Matthews himself joined the club at the age of 32 from hometown club Stoke City, the Wizard of Dribble as he was known went on to play over 400 games for the Tangerines in a spell taking him up past his 46th birthday and netting 19 times, he only won one major trophy in his career, that was the 1953 FA Cup he won with Blackpool.

Over the years the club have dropped down the pecking order in English football but a revival which has seen the club come back from the brink has woken the up the fans of this old club and with further ground re-developments in the pipeline it is a good time to be a Blackpool supporter.

The Gaffer

Ian Holloway is one the games liveliest characters and could be classed as one of the best motivators at this level, the Bristolian is in his 5th managerial role of his career and is loving his time at Blackpool.

His managerial career began at the same place as his playing career, his home town club Bristol Rovers, he took over as player boss there in 1996 and guided the struggling club to 17th in the 3rd tier in his first season, he followed this up with a 5th placed finish the year after but the club lost out in the play-offs, a 13th place finish in the 1998/99 season led Holloway to pack up his boots and concentrate on management, it had a good effect as the club finished 7th but missed out on the play offs by a narrow margin. Midway through the 2000/01 season with Rovers in 19th place in the division he was approached by QPR to save them from the drop to the third tier, he accepted the challenge but couldn’t keep the club up.

After a season of consolidation in his first full term he guided them to the play offs in his second term, Cardiff denied them with an extra time winner, however 12 months later The R’s finished second and were back in the second tier of English football, he led the R’s to 11th in their first season back in the Championship and their were 14th when he was put on garden leave following rife speculation linking him with the vacant Leicester City job, he left the R’s disappointed and wasn’t appointed at Leicester.

In June 2006 he was appointed Plymouth Argyle manager and vowed to get the club into the Premier League, Argyle flirted with the play-offs several times in his first season but unfortunately ended it in 11th place. In November 2007, 21 months after initial being linked with the Leicester City job he was appointed manager at the Walkers but he only lasted 32 games as the club were relegated to League One, he resigned.

He took over from caretaker boss Tony Parkes at Bloomfield Road in the summer.

Key Players

David Vaughan

With Charlie Adam suspended the mantle of play-maker may well fall on the shoulders of David Vaughan, the Welsh international is in his second season with the Tangerines after joining from Real Sociedad in August 2008 for a reputed £200k.

David came through the ranks at Crewe Alexandra, initially as a left back before Dario Gradi converted him to a left midfielder, he made his debut in the 2000/01 season but was restricted to just one outing that season.

After making his debut he would wait another 17 months before making another first team appearance when he replaced Phil Charnock in a Boxing Day defeat to Walsall, he scored his first goal a month later in a 4-2 win over Rotherham in the FA Cup, he made 16 appearances in all competitions that season as the Alex were relegated.

He became a first team regular following the drop to League One and made 39 appearances scoring 4 goals as the Alex bounced straight back up; he made his international debut for Wales at the end of the season as well.

With Crewe back in the Championship he had a solid if unspectacular 2003/04 season making 33 appearances but failed to score, the 2004/05 was the best to date in terms of appearances, he made 48 in all competitions and scored 6 goals as Crewe survived by the virtual of 1 goal, the following year he made 36 appearances and scored 5 times as the Alex finished 22nd in the table and were relegated.

Back in League One he netted 4 times in 35 appearances for the Alex as they finished mid-table he played one further game the following season before signing for Chris Coleman at Real Sociedad for £300k.

He lasted just 9 games in Spain, his year long spell with the Basque club saw him net once in nine games and following Chris Colemans dismissal he wasn’t picked, he moved to Blackpool for £200k ahead of the 2008/09 season.

He has appeared 64 times for the Tangerines and has netted on 3 occasions so far.

Squad Number 11

DJ Campbell

Dudley Junior or DJ for short is back at Blackpool in his second loan spell with the club, he re-signed on deadline til the end of the season from play-off rivals Leicester.
DJ came through the ranks at Aston Villa but left in 2000 after failing to secure a professional contract, he dropped down to the Isthmian league to join Chesham United where he netted 16 times in 29 appearances, the goals alerted Conference side Stevenage whom he joined in May 2001.
His spell at Stevenage was a frustrating one and in his two years there he played just 23 times for the club he scored just three times and had a spell Billericay Town on loan, he left Stevenage in February 2003 to join Isthmian Division One North side Yeading on a free transfer.

DJ spent just over two years with Yeading but it was a successful one for both himself and the club, he helped them win the Division One title in 2003 and the Premier League in 2005 as well as fire them through the FA Cup 3rd round where they played Newcastle, he netted 83 goals in 109 appearances for Yeading and this persuaded Martin Allen to spend £5,000 on him to bring into Brentford in June 2005.

DJ spent just seven months with the Bees as his goalscoring exploits earned him rave reviews and a move to the Premier League, he netted 12 times for the club in 28 appearances including two against Sunderland in the FA Cup which saw Birmingham spend a cool half a million to sign him.

The Blues were fighting relegation when he joined the club but he couldn’t help them avoid the drop and failed to score in his 11 Premier League appearances but netted on the first game of the following season in a 2-1 win over Colchester, he scored a further 9 times for the Blues until February before being dropped by Steve Bruce but the potato faced one had to back down when he had an injury crisis left him short of players, DJ stepped in and scored two more in a 3-0 at Coventry, those goals helped the Blues to promotion.

Leicester paid £1.6m for the striker as the Blues deemed him surplus to requirements, however he wasn’t a success for the Foxes scoring 5 goals in 32 games as they fell out of the Championship, he played a further 11 times in the 2008/09 season for the club without scoring and joined Blackpool on loan in January of last year and scored on his debut in a 2-1 defeat at Coventry, he went on to get 8 more in 19 appearances to help the Tangerines to mid table.

He returned to Leicester in the summer but was frozen out and made just 3 appearances for the club leaving him frustrated, he joined Derby on loan and scored on his debut in a 2-2 draw, he made 7 more appearances for the Rams adding two more goals before rejoining Blackpool last week.

Squad Number 16

Alex Baptiste

Centre half Alex began his career with Mansfield Town as a junior, he made his debut for the Stags as a 17 year old in April 2003 in a League One clash with Barnsley, he made 3 more appearances towards the end of that season.

In late 2003 he joined Tamworth on loan to gain more experience, he spent a month with the club making 4 league appearances, later that season he joined Burton Albion for a similar spell and appeared 3 times for the Brewers, upon his return he began to establish himself in the Stags starting line up and helped them reach the League Two play-offs only to be beaten by Huddersfield.
He made 46 appearances for the Stags in the 2004/05 season scoring twice, he followed this up with 48 appearances the season and was an ever present in the 2006/07 season making 53 appearances in all competitions.

The 2007/08 season was a struggle both personally and for the club, he missed the 3 months of the season through injury and made just 26 appearances as the stags were relegated to the Conference, he used the relegation as a get out clause and joined Blackpool in July 2008.
He didn’t get into the first team until November 2008 but has been a mainstay in the defence ever since and has racked up over 50 appearances for the Tangerines, netting 3 goals.

Squad Number 15

Team News

Charlie Adam, Neal Eardley, Ishmel Demontagnac and Barry Bannan are set to miss out, Adam is suspended whilst Bannan, Eardley and Demontagnac have been dropped for disciplinary reasons after being caught going out on Saturday evening.

Team (possible): Gilks; Baptiste, Edwards, Evatt, Crainey; Southern; Vaughan, Euell, Taylor-Fletcher; Dobbie, Campbell;

(subs from) Burgess, Almond, Butler, Bangura, Rachubka, Husband, Martin, Nardiello.

Head to Head

Bartosz Slusarski flicked home a second half goal to secure the Owls a point on Boxing Day 2008, Alan Gow fired the visitors into the lead from the spot in the 48th minute following a Lewis Buxton foul on Shaun Barker.
The season previously the Owls again had to come from behind to get something from the game, Wes Hoolahan had fired the Tangerines into a 1st half lead but two goals in 5 second half minutes from Marcus Tudgay and Richard Hinds won it for struggling Wednesday.

You have to go back to the 2004/05 season for another meeting, two goals from Drew Talbot, a missed penalty by Lee Peacock, a goalkeeper injury for the Owls and a solo effort by Craig Rocastle were some of the highlights from this entertaining five goal thriller which the Owls edged, Keith Southern and John Murphy replied for the visitors.

The 2003/04 season was a bad one for the Owls and the Tangerines secured two wins at S6 during the campaign, Scott Taylor’s 79th minute goal sealed all three points for Blackpool in the league meeting whilst goals by Mike Sheron and Keith Southern completed a 3-0 aggregate win in the LDV Vans trophy Northern final.
Blackpool first played at Hillsborough in 1921 and walked away 1-0 winners but the Owls bounced back with a 5-1 win the season after.

The highest win for the Owls over Blackpool at S6 was 7-1 in November 1931, Mark Hooper hit a hat-trick with further goals from Jimmy Seed, Jack Ball, Harry Burgess and Ellis Rimmer (Wednesday won their next home fixture 9-1). The biggest away win came on Christmas Day 1924 when they walked away from S6 with a 6-2 win.

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 23

Draw: 5

Tangerines: 10

Final thoughts

Wednesday are just two points above the drop zone after Saturdays results and will be looking to put some distance between themselves and the bottom three over the next week or so with three home matches on the horizon but it will be a tough task against a hard working Blackpool side so it may not be pretty.

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Bring it On - Blackpool

It's just a few short weeks since we last faced the Seasiders at their house, and it brought victory for us in Alan Irvine's second game in charge. So it's return fixture against Ian Holloway's men tonight at Hillsborough..

We speak to Pun_1 from AVFTT to get his views on the game.

1) With only one win in four since the last time we met, do you still see the playoffs on the horizon?

Still a chance, the fact that weve brought in DJ Campbell and Dobbie on loan gives us more upfront. Were going through a blip at the moment but fully expect us to get stronger. I have a gut feeling we will miss out, just.

2) Three players have been caught out 'dancing' and omitted from the squad by Ollie, your thoughts on that?

Good to see that he is being firm and won't tolerate the players getting out of hand. Maybe just a weeks fine would have been better than them being dropped.

3) If you were to miss out this season on the playoffs, do you see the club making a big push to make it next season?

Yep, it's not all doom if we don't go up this season. We can build on the squad we've got and with the opening of the South stand we can make a real push.

4) We have renamed Alan Irvine, Father Ted. No doubt Darren Ferguson has been given a nickname by you lot, so come on what is it? (try and keep it clean!)

C**t face.

5) 40 points for you lot currently, how many more do you think you will get by the season's end?

70

6) After playing all the Championship sides this season, which player from another team has impressed you the most and why?

Watford's goalkeeper (Loach is it?)

7) Out of the sides in the playoff hunt, who would you like to see promoted and why?

Newcastle and West Brom will occupy the top two, i would have said Forest but my utter dislike for Billy Davies means i'll say Swansea. (Something we certainly agree on with Billy t**tting Davies!)

8) So are you after revenge tonight? As some of you considered us a dirty side when we visited your place.

No revenge but hopeful we can at least pick up a draw.

9) Any other team news than the omitted dancing trio?

Im sure your aware Charlie Adam is suspended.

10) Score prediction?

1-1

Thanks to Pun_1 for his answers and the rest of the AVFTT answers will be posted in the Bring it on thread on the messageboard as we get them.

To visit the Seasiders on their site ... CLICK THIS

It's first double for Irvine.

Wednesday boss Alan Irvine saw his Wednesday side secure their second double win this season against Blackpool last night but this one Irvine's first as boss for both home and away victories as Irvine's second game in charge was the victory in Lancashire.

Wednesday scored two goals in the away win at Bloomfield Road back in January, and it was to be a familiar scene once again as two goals from central midfield won the game at Hillsborough, James O Connor and Darren Potter were the scorers on a cold and snowy night in Sheffield 6.

The hosts were unchanged from the side that were so unlucky to lose at promotion chasing Nottingham Forest last weekend, with the goalscorer from Saturday Luke Varney continuing to partner Marcus Tudgay up front and Frank Simek continuing to deputise for the injured Lewis Buxton in defence.

On a cold, frosty night the Wednesdayites were wanting an early goal to warm them up and they weren't to be disappointed. Tommy Spurr took possession of the ball inside the visitors half and he advanced past the Blackpool defence leaving them standing before playing the perfect ball into the box for the onrushing O Connor to head home with just three minutes on the clock.

It certainly shocked the visitors who from the start tried to dominate the midfield with some neat interplay but they rarely got the ball through to a lonely DJ Campbell up front. But as the first half wore on Wednesday were a little slack in possession in midfield as the visitors began to get a stranglehold on the ball. For all their huffing and puffing all Blackpool had to show for it was possibly the territorial advantage as they made frequent moves into the Owls half only to be denied any sniff of goal by some excellent defensive work from Darren Purse and Mark Beevers.
It took them twenty minutes before they had any chance of note and when it did come, Keith Southern allayed any fears the home fans had by directing his effort into the crowd. It summed up their frustration when the man who they were hoping would break the deadlock, Campbell, suffered a similar fate as the one chance he got in the first 45 minutes also went begging as the weather took a turn for the worse as the rain lashed down under the floodlights.

Wednesday didn't buckle under the pressure as it wasn't really applied by the visitors although they arguably had more possession, the scoreboard told the story of a Wednesday side that had took their chance early giving them the chance to take their foot off the gas a little so it seemed. The Owls defence were comfortably coping with anything the visitors could throw at them as a frustrated Ian Holloway planned his half time team talk on the touchline in a far from fetching Tangerine and white hooped beanie hat.

Half Time

Wednesday 1 Blackpool 0

Rather than the visitors coming into the second ontop after a rousting from their manager, it was Wednesday who wanted to seize the initiative and take the game to the visitors. Spurr was a threat once again down the left flank and a smart move from the back found Darren Potter, who fired a shot goalwards which was deflected but 'Pool 'keeper Paul Rachubka was equal to it and made a fine save to deny the Owls number 14.

Rather than heed the warning, Blackpool again let Wednesday create from the left. This time it was Luke Varney who was the architect, cutting in from wide he played the ball across the edge of the box to Potter and the midfielder completely bamboozled his marker with a neat turn, before curling the ball low past Rachubka and in off the 'keepers right hand upright in front of the Kop.

This took the wind out of the Seasider's sails and Wednesday sensed the three points were theirs for the taking, with every attack the confidence in the Owls passing had returned. Soares found Varney and the in form striker was denied a third goal in as many games as Rachubka made a fine save down to his left, palming the ball away for a corner.

Blackpool looked toothless and certainly suffered from a lack of invention without top scorer Charlie Adam, and the 'dancing' on loan Aston Villa midfielder Barry Bannan as the stats proved with only one shot on target registered for the visitors all evening.

Wednesday's defence continued to dominate the meek 'Pool frontline as the game wore on, and when the whistle finally went it was welcomed by the whole defence who in turn all congratulated each other and 'keeper Lee Grant on their first clean sheet since the televised goalless draw away at Ipswich back in November.

With a weekend off due to the F.A. Cup, Wednesday return to action next Tuesday back at Hillsborough against 'The Arsenal of the North,' Doncaster Rovers.

Full Time
Wednesday 2 Blackpool 0

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Purse ,Simek ,Gray ,Spurr ,Beevers ,Potter ,Soares ,O'Connor ,Tudgay ,Varney (Clarke ,77)
Subs not used: Hinds,McAllister,Boden,Esajas,Lekaj,James on,

Blackpool: Rachubka ,Edwards ,Baptiste ,Butler ,Crainey ,Southern (Husband ,86 ) ,Vaughan (Bangura ,87 ) ,Dobbie (Burgess ,77 ) ,Taylor-Fletcher ,Campbell ,Euell
Subs not used Martin,Evatt,Almond,Gilks,

Skipper relishes hard work

Owls captain Darren Purse has asked his team mates to carry on with their relentless pursuit of the safety target of 53 points, he has been impressed by the hard work shown by so many since the appointment of Alan Irvine at Wednesaday.

Irvines’ tenure at S6 could hardly have gone better with 5 win in his first 7 games and even the defeat at Forest was contentious whilst the loss at Scunny could easily have been a draw and that is down to the ethos he has instilled in the players with his meticulous approach to games.

Purse has noticed that despite the Owls impressive form they still sit just two points above the drop zone but he is quick to point out that the form of the bottom clubs has made the division tighter all the way up to the 10th.

He said in an interview on the official site: 'We have won five out of seven and while we are only two points clear of the relegation zone, those wins have pulled other clubs into the mix”

'The likes of Doncaster, QPR and Bristol City are looking over their shoulder and the next thing for us to do is make some more ground on them whilst pulling further away from the two teams at the bottom. Even Derby, who have picked up some excellent wins in recent weeks, are far from safe, so it's very much up in the air.'

Purse believes that six wins from 16 will be enough for the Owls and admits they won’t be taking anything for granted in such a tight a division.

Ticket prices for visitors changed..

When Doncaster Rovers visit S6 next Tuesday they will be paying less than other fans will have done already this season, why you may ask?

Well it appears the fans of the 'Arsenal of the North' have took it upon themselves to complain about the ticket prices, they were set at £24 for the away following for the game but after they havbe stamped their feet then they have been reduced to £17. This is in line with what is charged on the Kop for what is called the 'comparible view' of the game.

Apparently an eagle eyed Donny fan spotted that Scunthorpe were charged £17 not £24 for their visit to Hillsborough earlier this season, well how much of a sad git must that fan or them fans be... OH LOOK THAT'S NOT FAIR!
Well if they want to have the self claimed title of best footballing side in the Championship then they can pay for it!!

We paid £23 to visit the Keepmoat, we cannot recall there being a clammering of supporters screaming 'That's not fair, I'm sat 3 foot below the pitch on the front row of the away end and I can't see, so I want a fiver off.
Well their massive supporter base has now managed to sell just under 1000 tickets at the lower price, so obviously there must be a mad rush come kickoff time on Tuesday to fit all their fans in. So expect the kick off to be delayed.

So when the game does kick off on Tuesday please give consideration to the poor souls that have made the HUGE trip from Doncaster, after all they did need the extra few quid for their bus fare.

Rovers come to S6 looking for a double.

The football is back for Wednesday fans after a weekend off and the results were kind to us with Scunthorpe and QPR both losing which means the game against Rovers is now a big one in terms of survival, a win would move us level with Rovers on points.

Owls News

Alan Irvine has had a free weekend with the Owls trip to West Brom called off due to the Baggies cup exploits so he will have a fresher squad available to him for the visit of Doncaster Rovers.

The Scot has overseen three straight wins at S6 and will be hoping to keep that run going against a side that sit just three points above them in the league, albeit with a game in hand.

Wednesday know they have to keep up the hard work of recent weeks to move themselves away from the bottom three, despite 5 wins in 7 the Owls are just two points ahead of Reading.

The back five which kept their first clean sheet in two months last time out will remain the same barring any late injuries or training ground knocks.

A midfield quartet intent on working hard and closing down the opposition will be the order of the day so I see no reason to change from the Gray, Potter, O’Connor, Soares combination that has served us so well to date under Alan Irvine.

Leon Clarke will be hoping for a recall to the starting line up but I can see Luke Varney’s energy and blossoming partnership with Marcus Tudgay getting the nod, the pair have been heavily involved in the all the goals since being re-united as a pair.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Simek, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Soares, Potter, O’Connor, Gray; Varney, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Boden, Lekaj, Modest, Clarke, McAllister, Simek, Miller, Esajas, Jeffers, N Wood.

Doncaster Rovers News

Rovers come in the game on the back of their first win in five games, they beat high flying Nottingham Forest 1-0 at the Keepmoat, Billy Sharp netted the game’s only goal as Rovers moved away from the bottom of the table to 14th, 5 points above the trap door.

Doncaster Rovers

Rovers have a potted and interesting history that we covered when the two teams last met in December so I’m going for a change of tact this time round.

If you ask most older Rovers fans who their best ever player was you’d hear the name Alick Jeffrey more often than not, he was the clubs talisman for many a year during his career after over-coming a broken leg.

Jeffrey was born in Rawmarsh, a suburb of Rotherham but was missed by the Millers scouts and joined Doncaster, he made his debut aged just 15 in 1954, he went on to score 34 league goals in 71 games for the club before disaster struck in 1956 when he broke his leg playing for England U23’s, a sign of how good he was given that he was just 17, he was forced to retire from the game with a move to Manchester United on the horizon.

After moving to Australia he got the bug back for the game and played for Auburn in 1962 before returning to our shores in same year, after a brief spell at Skegness Town he returned to Rovers 6 years after making his final appearance, he quickly settled back into the old routine and over the next six years he would score over 100 goals in all competitions for the club before moving on to Lincoln City before retiring from the professional game in 1970. Alick was appointed Club President by owner John Ryan, role he held until his death in 2000.

Alick Jeffrey, the original boy wonder.

The Gaffer

Sean O’Driscoll joined Rovers as manager in 2006 ending a 22 year association with Bournemouth and in just over 3 years has won the Johnstones Paint Trophy, the League One play-off final and consolidated Rovers in the second tier of English football.

His managerial career kicked off at Bournemouth in 2000 when he was promoted from within, he helped guide the club to promotion in 2003 despite being hamstrung by limited finance, he also earned a reputation for playing football the right way.

With the Cherries in the 3rd tier he guided the club to an healthy 9th placed finish in their first season and the year after they ended up just one point off a play off place which given their resources was a fantastic achievement.

The 2005/06 season wasn’t as successful for the Cherries as they ended up 17th in League One, and barely a month into the following season he ended his career at Dean Court when he accepted the Doncaster Rovers job, Rovers were below the Cherries at the time but they had better financial backing.

One of O’Driscolls main’s main strengths as a manager is identifying and utilizing younger talent, players like Wade Elliott, John Spicer, Brian Stock, Richie Wellens and James Hayter amongst others have flourished under his management and have gone on to have successful playing careers.

O’Driscoll was linked with the recent opening at Burnley but the move apparently broke down after the two clubs couldn’t agree compensation, former Owls boss Brian Laws took the job instead.

As a player Sean started life in non-league before joining Fulham in the late 70’s, he made over 150 appearances for the Cottagers as a midfielder in 5 years at the club before signing for Harry Redknapp at Bournemouth, he spent 11 years as a player with the Cherries notching up well over 450 appearances during that time.

Key Players

James Coppinger

Attacking midfielder James is in his seventh season with Rovers after joining from Exeter City in August 2004 for a fee in the region of £30k.

James was born in North Yorkshire and came through the ranks at Darlington but was snapped up by Newcastle United for £250k before making a single appearance for the Quakers.

He made his first professional appearance on loan at Hartlepool in March 2000, he spent two months at Pools’ making 7 starts and four sub appearances and he scored 3 times for the club but saw his former club Darlington knock them out of the play-offs.

The start of the 2000/01 season saw James make his one and only appearance for Newcastle as a substitute in a 2-0 Premier League win over Tottenham, that was to be his only appearance that season, he was loaned to QPR in late March but failed to make an appearance for relegation threatened Rangers.

James moved back on loan in January 2002 to Hartlepool where he made 14 appearances scoring twice as they again reached the play-offs but James had returned to Newcastle by the time the club were knocked out on penalties.

He left one St James’ for another in the summer of 2002 swapping Newcastle for Exeter, he played 48 times for the Grecians netting five times but he couldn’t keep the club in the League as they finished 91st in the country and were relegated to the Conference, he scored 9 times for the club in 41 games in the following season but it wasn’t enough to help the Grecians reach the Conference play-offs.

His impressive performances alerted Doncaster and he joined the club as they prepared for their first season (04/05) back in League One, he made 38 appearances for Rovers without scoring as they consolidated their position in the third tier. He netted his goal for Rovers the following season as they finished just outside the play-offs, he grabbed 5 goals in 43 appearances that season.

James was influential in helping Rovers to play-off glory in the 2007/08 season, he scored 5 goals in 48 games including a hat-trick in the play-off semi final before they Leeds in the final. Last season he fired in five more goals as Doncaster survived their first season in the Championship for 50 years, he has made close to 250 appearances for the club in the last six year.

Squad Number 26

Dean Shiels

Former Arsenal trainee has been at the club for just over a year after joining from Hibernian last February for a reputed £50k fee.

Dean was born in Northern Ireland but was spotted by the Arsenal scouts and joined their youth set up but he failed to make the grade at the Gooners and left to join Hibs in 2004, he quickly integrated into the side and made 43 appearances scoring six goals.

The following season he struggled to re-create his earlier form and made just ten starts scoring twice, he also made his international debut, during that season he also had an operation to remove his right eye which he had been blind in since he was young, the eye had been causing him problems for a while.

The 2006/07 season was a better one, after recovering from surgery he began to find the net again, he scored 9 in 19 starts for the club, he followed that up with ten goals during rhe 2007/08 season.

In the 2008/09 season he made 24 appearances for Hibs scoring four goals before moving onto Rovers where he netted 1 in his first 12 games.

This season he has netted 5 times for the club in 26 games but has made an excellent foil for the on-loan Billy Sharp.

Squad Number 22

Shelton Martis

Dutch defender Shelton moved to the Keepmoat on the 1st of this month on a 3 and a ½ year deal from West Brom for an undisclosed fee after a successful loan spell in late 2008.

He began his career with Excelsior in the Dutch league in 2002 before joining FC Eindhoven in 2004, he would spent just one season before moving on.

Shelton moved to Darlington on a free transfer in the summer of 2005 and made his Quakers debut on the seasons’ opening day he went onto make 44 more appearances for the club that season and scored two goals.

Hibernian signed the defender the following summer after his deal at Darlington came to an end, his spell at Easter Road was unsuccessful and after 34 appearances, three own goals and a gaffe in an Edinburgh derby his career in Scotland was over.

Former Hibs boss Tony Mowbray made a £50k swoop for him in the summer of 2007 and he moved to the Hawthorns, he was used sparingly by the club and made just appearances for the club before joining Scunthorpe on loan in January 2008, he played four times for the Iron before returning to West Brom, he would make one further appearance that season, a 4-1 home defeat to Leicester.

West Brom were promoted and once again Shelton was sidelined by the club, in October 2008 he joined Doncaster on loan for a month, he made five appearances, helped the club to four clean sheets and scored once before he returned to the Hawthorns, his return saw him make 7 more appearances for the Baggies.

Following the Baggies relegation and Tony Mowbray’s defection to Celtic he found himself a regular under Roberto Di Matteo making 12 consecutive appearances in all competitions before getting injured, he made a further three appearances for the Baggies before joining Rovers.

Squad Number 30

Team News

Rovers could be without defender Jason Shackell, he limped out of their game at the weekend and is a serious doubts for the trip to Hillsborough, Eliott Ward could be an option for Rovers, the defender has agreed a month long switch to the Keepmoat from Coventry City.

Team (possible): Sullivan; O’Connor, Hird, Martis, Chambers; Stock, Oster, Wilson, Coppinger; Hayter Sharp.

(subs from) Shiels, Mutch, Dumbuya, Smith, Spicer, Guy, Lockwood, Webster, Fairhurst, Ward.

Head to Head

A Leon Clarke header won it for the Owls when the two clubs last met at S6 in November 2008, Rovers were the better side but the Owls clinical finish secured 3 hard earned points.

Prior to that win you had to go back to the Owls promotion campaign of 2004/05 for another meeting, the Owls sat in 4th with Rovers in 9th in the 3rd tier, Wednesday took the lead on half time thanks to a bullet header from Lee Bullen before Drew Talbot (on for an injured Steve MacLean) netted the second 11 minutes from time to seal all three points.

With the two clubs rarely in the same division Cup ties were the only meetings between the sides for a long while, they met in back to back years in the late Seventies, the Owls won 5-2 in the 1977/78 season before Rovers won their first game at Hillsborough 1-0 a year later although Wednesday still progressed.

Eddie Quigley and Redfearn Froggatt were the Wednesday scorers when the two clubs first met in League competition way back in 1948/

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 6

Draw: 0

Rovers: 1

Final thoughts

So a weekend off for Wednesday, god I hate em, back to the football in the high profile South Yorkshire derby, we need to maintain our recent upturn in form against an impressive Rovers side who can pass teams off the park given the chance but the meticulous Alan Irvine will already know that and hopefully have a plan. Mark Beevers must return to the scene of his most impressive performance as well, the young centre half once had Billy Sharp so far in his pocket that Billy’s mum reported him missing during a Sheffield derby in January 2008.

Visit our rivals

http://www.drfc-vsc.co.uk

Bring it on - Rovers

So it's time for us to return fire against Donny and in anticipation we speak to Rovers fan, Andrew Tyas, to get his answers to our questions as we ask him to BRING IT ON!!!

1) How much have your expectations changed (if they have) as the season's wore on?
�Back in November, I sensed that we were slipping into a relegation dogfight. By Xmas, I was looking at the play-offs. Before Saturday I was checking my map for Spotland again. If we win tonight, I firmly expect us to go up ;) Been quite a rollercoaster.

2) Sean O Driscoll almost left the Keepmoat if the stories are believed and his replacement was supposedly to be Brian Laws, obviously that didn't happen... How glad are you of that?
�� I am drowning in my own bodily secretions.

3) How far do you think O Driscoll can take you?
� Difficult one to judge. Given a run free of injuries, we could well challenge for the play-offs. It’s not a ridiculous thought. Barnsley, Watford, Burnley etc have all made it, and we are not far from the same level of resources as those clubs.

4) Jason Shackell probably out injured, Gareth Roberts out as well, how much of�a blow is it to lose both those players and can Shelton Martis replace Shackell?. I hear some of your fans aren't exatcly overwhelmed with him.

Martis is a fine player. Straightforward is a good word to describe him, but he brings some much needed physicality to the side. Unfortunately, for tonight, he is out, along with four other centre halves and two full backs. I’ve not known a defensive injury crisis like it in 30 odd years. Rumour is we’ve signed Alan Warboys as emergency cover…

5) Which player would you miss the most if he was out of the side for an extended period?
�
Jason Shackell. He has been a rock in defence. Without him, we often look like a bunch of kids at the back. And of course, he’s missing tonight. I shudder to think what the standards are like in the Premiership if he is not even good enough to get on the bench at Wolves.

6)�Billy Sharp, a Rover in the summer?
�
It would be a statement of intent, but I can’t see it. There’ll be deeper pockets than ours lining up to offer him a contract this summer. I’d have thought someone like Leicester, Forest or Middlesborough would be in line for him.

7) Of the teams you have played this season, have you found a new 'dislike' of any team in the Championship and why?
�
� I wouldn’t say so. It’s been a funny few years since we got back in the league. Back in the Conference days, we were roundly disliked for being the big boys. In every division back in the league, we’ve had the condescending pats on the head from opposition fans, and bemused whelps from them after we beat them. First it was Oxford (who gave us the title “Pub Team” which we have adopted). Then the likes of Gillingham and Brentford. Forest seem to have taken a particular dislike to our habit of tanning their arses recently. But we’re a bit blas� about it now. We fully expect every side in the division to have their obligatory “worst performance of the season” when we beat them.

8) Who do you expect to make the playoffs this season?
�
Forest, Leicester, Swansea, Cardiff (if they don’t implode)

9) If either Wednesday, United or Barnsley were to get in the playoffs, who would you prefer it to be and why?
�
�� United. Might make Billy Sharp a tad more affordable if he’s entirely surplus to requirements.

10) In the game between us two at the Keepmoat before Christmas it was hardly a spectacle, do you expect it to be different this time?

That Keepmoat match was our worst performance of ….� Tonight, I’ll be happy if we can put out four defenders with eight legs between them. I have no expectations whatsoever, either of a performance or a result. You really couldn’t have got us at a better time.
�
Good luck for the rest of the season.

So thanks to Andy for his answers and here's to another Wednesday home win!!

Rover and out.

It was a tale of two teams at Hillsborough last night, one deserved the points the other didn't and it was the visitors who went home with the spoils.

Doncaster Rovers won the game with a debut goal from loanee Elliott Ward and a James O Connor own goal after Wednesday had struck the woodwork twice before the visitors opened the scoring.

Alan Irvine stuck with the same side that defeated Blackpool last weekend meaning the starting eleven was the same for the third game in succession. The visitors couldn't say the same as they have seen their defence ravaged by injuries meaning their boss, Sean O Driscoll, had his hand forced into bringing in the aforementioned Ward from Coventry City on the eve of the game.

Wednesday's plan was to stop the opposition early and not let them get a foothold in the game, and it appeared to be working as Tom Soares fashioned the first opportunity but his weak effort was saved by Rovers' veteran 'keeper Neil Sullivan. The Owls were stifling the visitors early on and they were restricted to one headed chance from Mark Wilson which drifted wide.

Sullivan and then the woodwork denied Wednesday as Varney saw his effort blocked by the Rovers 'keeper and the ball fell to Soares but his effort cannoned off the upright and to safety. The Owls were on top and once again it was Rovers' number one who kept the scores level with a little help from the post. Soares was involved again as Wednesday pushed forward, the ball fell to Marcus Tudgay inside the area and all the Owls supporters were already on their feet as the ball looked destined for the net but Sullivan had other ideas with a fantastic save, turning the ball onto the woodwork.

Just ten minutes later they were to rue the missed opportunities as the visitors stepped up a gear and Wednesday seemed to sit back a little too much. Billy Sharp was first denied by Lee Grant and then Owls' skipper Darren Purse was the first to the ball as the energetic Sharp lurked.

Grant then denied James Coppinger whose long range effort was destined for the bottom corner, the Wednesday keeper deflected the ball out for a corner. It was the first of three corners in as many minutes but the Owls fans were mystified as to how on the two latter occasions the referee and his assistant awarded the flag kick for the visitors.

With just over five minutes to the break Rovers opened the scoring in some style but not without a controversial hand in the goal. The ball was swung over to the Owls left and it found Sharp in space who appeared to control the ball with his hand before playing the ball back into the area, it wasn't cleared and as the ball popped up into the air around the penalty spot, Elliott Ward rose majestically to overhead kick past a helpless Grant and in off the crossbar.

Doncaster had Wednesday rattled, they had dominated possession after the opening period of the half but Michael Gray did test the concentration of Sullivan with an effort from distance before the half time whistle went.

Half Time
Wednesday 0 Rovers 1

As the second half began it was clear that Alan Irvine was unhappy with his side's first half showing, as he and his coaching staff urged a now fading Tom Soares to track his man back to at least the half way line. That call for urgency briefly brought some life from Wednesday who went close from a Tudgay header, the introduction of Leon Clarke also saw some urgency in the Owls play again though it was shortlived.

For all their hustle and bustle in the opening period of the second half it soon turned into a carbon copy of the first period as the visitors stuck the knife into the hearts of the home team and the supporters with just over an hour on the clock.

Mark Wilson was denied by another cracking save by Lee Grant but the ball once again fell to the visitors and it was Billy Sharp who thought he had scored the second as he fired in, but the ball had clearly deflected off Wednesday's James O Connor, taking the flight of the ball away from a diving Grant and into the goal. Sharp wheeled away in celebration but at least there's little consolation knowing that it wasn't his goal!

Another brief revival from Wednesday saw them hit the woodwork again, as a Darren Potter corner evaded everyone except James Coppinger on the far post who did just enough to divert the ball onto the post that he was stood against!

But with around 10 minutes left any hopes the Wednesday players had of getting anything from the game ended but not through another goal but through the opposition keeping possession and inside the Wednesday half. Rovers' skipper Brian Stock and wideman John Oster both went close as the clock wore down and when referee, Eddie Illderton, brought the game to an end it was the visiting supporters who went home with smiles on their faces and the Wednesdayites left hoping for a better return to action on Saturday against Ipswich Town.

Full Time
Wednesday 0 Rovers 2

Tractor Boys in Town

Wednesday and Ipswich go head to head at S6 this weekend with league safety paramount for both sides, the two clubs are both battling at the bottom end of the table and three points could be valuable in that fight come May so it could be a tight game.

Owls News

Alan Irvine goes back to the drawing board after Tuesday’s disappointing home defeat to South Yorkshire rivals Doncaster, the Owls were well under par and Irvine must address that for the potential “six pointer” this weekend.

The Owls looked leggy and completely off the pace for large parts of midweek and Irvine could look to freshen things up, Ettiene Esajas, Leon Clarke and Sean McAllister could all come into the frame with Michael Gray, Darren Potter and Tom Soares the ones under the most pressure.

Darren Purse is set to lead the back line once again, the former Cardiff man has begun to show the form that the Owls fans expected when he signed, it has taken him longer than expected to settle but he now performing like the leader we expected.

Franny Jeffers and Tommy Miller could be shock inclusions in the squad, both are former Ipswich players and may have recovered from hamstring problems sufficiently to take their places on the bench, Miller could be a particular welcome addition for Alan Irvine as he looks for the six wins he feels the Owls need to stay up.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Simek, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Tudgay, Potter, O’Connor, Soares; Varney, Clarke.

(subs from) Esajas, Boden, Lekaj, Gray, McAllister, Miller, Jameson, Modest, Palmer, Hinds.

Ipswich Town News

The visitors come in the game on the back of a disappointing 3-1 defeat at Peterborough, that coupled with other results has seen the Tractor Boys edge back into the bottom three which is causing great unrest amongst the supporters, it was however only their third league defeat since early October.

Ipswich Town

With regards to Ipswich Town how could I talk about them without mentioning the two greatest English managers? The simple answer is I couldn’t, when the two sides last met we covered the history and successes of Ipswich Town FC now lets look at their two greatest managers, Sir Alf Ramsay and Sir Bobby Robson.

Sir Alf is the only man to have led England to the World Cup, for that alone he must be honoured but his spell as manager at Ipswich is equally impressive, he was a former England right back who played for Pompey, Southampton and Spurs during a 13 year career which included War-time football before taking the reigns at Portman Road.

His first at Ipswich was a moderate success, guiding the club to 3rd in the old 3rd division south before winning the title and with it promotion a year later. After several mid table finishes he guided Ipswich to the top flight in 1960/61 by winning the second division title, he had no real star names per se but he had them working hard in a formation that suited their abilities.

Ipswich made their bow in the top flight in 1961 and shocked the footballing world by winning the division at the first attempt, this was one of the great upsets of the modern game, with Spurs (the previous champions) and Wednesday (runners up) finishing in 3rd and 6th respectively.

Ramsay left Ipswich in 1963 to take over the England job and he brought success to the country just 3 years later by winning the competition, he remained England manager for 11 years until they failed to qualify for the 1974 World Cup finals.

So Sir Bobby, as a player he had a fairly successful career playing for Fulham, West Brom, Fulham (again) and Vancouver Royals, his first ever game was against Wednesday, he also made 20 appearances for England.

His managerial career began with Fulham but was sacked in November 1968, he took over at Ipswich two months later, after 4 seasons building the club it finally clicked when they finished fourth in the top flight, he won the Texaco cup in 1972/73 and guided the club to top six finishes in all bar one of the next 9 seasons, the one season they did finish outside the top six he won them the FA Cup, they also won the UEFA Cup in 1981.

His philosophy at Portman Road was to bring players through the ranks, he only bought 14 players in from other clubs during his 13 year tenure, the rest successful graduated through the ranks.

In 1982 he was appointed England manager, a role he would hold for 8 years and to date he is the 3rd longest serving manager of all time for his country, his record for England was good but a solitary defeat in his first qualifying campaign saw England fail to make the 1984 European Championships.

In 1986 he guided England to the World Cup finals in Mexico with an unbeaten record in qualifying, unfortunately for Robson his luck was bang out with Diego Maradona’s hand of god helping Argentina in to the semi finals at Englands expense.

England qualified for the European Championships in 1988 in Germany but this time it was abject failure with 3 straight defeats, Ireland, Russia and a Marco Van Basten inspired Holland did for England and Robson was teetering on the edge, however he bounced back and England qualified comfortably for the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

Italia 90 was one of heartbreaking failure for England as they made it to the semi finals of the competition only to lose to eventual winners West Germany on penalties, the loss was particular hard on Robson who had somehow come back from the brink and was adored by the press once again.

After the tournament Robson was already lined up to take charge at PSV Eindhoven, he won back to back titles with the club and discovered a little known Brazillian called Ronaldo, he went onto have success with Porto and Barcelona as well as a good spell at his club Newcastle.

The Gaffer

Roy Keane took over at Ipswich last April following the dismissal of one time Owls midfielder Jim Magilton, he presided over two straight wins at the back end of last season and expectations were raised ahead of this campaign but despite spending a fair bit of cash he hasn’t had the desired results with Ipswich sitting in 22nd place ahead of the game.

Roy’s previous managerial role was under former International team-mate Niall Quinn at Sunderland, whom he replaced as boss (Quinn had been in temporary charge whilst trying to secure Keane’s signature), he immediately set to work on strengthening his squad with six signings on deadline day in August 2006, his methods clearly worked as he not only guided the Mackems away from the Championship drop zone but they were promoted as Champions.

He continued to spend money whilst at Sunderland in order to establish the club in the Premier League and despite injury problems marring his clubs season he led the club to a respectable 15th place in the top flight, however he would not see out 2008 as boss at the club, on December 4th he resigned following a poor start to the campaign and the club were 18th, he later cited differences with the clubs owner Ellis Short and chairman Quinn.

As a player Keane was a combative tough tackling midfielder who was snapped up by Brian Clough who handed an 18 year old Keane his debut against Liverpool in 1990, over the next three years he appeared over 100 times for Forest netting 22 goals and scouts from other clubs were taking note, Forest relegation opened the door for a move and a £4m deal was agreed with Blackburn before Alex Ferguson persuaded him to join Manchester United for £3.75m, which infuriated Rovers boss Kenny Dalglish who thought he had his man.

Keane spent 12 years at Old Trafford winning 7 League titles, 4 FA Cups, 4 Charity shields, 1 World Club cup and 1 European Cup winners medal although Keane never played in the final in Barcelona it was his monumental efforts in the semi final with Juventus which secured Uniteds place in the final. He left United in December 2005 to join boyhood heroes Celtic where he would spend six months before retiring on medical advice.

Keane was never far from controversy during his career, be it screaming at officials, various red cards, slating his own team mates and fans, walking out on his national side ahead of a World Cup or waiting 4 years to exact revenge on Alf-Inge Haaland, the Norwegian international had called Keane a fake as he lay in pain with a cruciate ligament injury in a match between Leeds and Man Utd in 1997, Keane caught Haaland 4 years later with a knee high tackle as retribution.

His abrasive attitude can often see him fall out with people but he was one of the best players to have graced the Premier League.

Key Players

Daryl Murphy

3 in 3 is the record of loan striker Daryl since joining the club from Sunderland on February 1st, the Republic of Ireland international has made an instant impact to help the Tractor Boys to 4 points from 9 games.

Daryl began his youth career at Luton Town but wasn’t deemed good enough for the Hatters and went back to Ireland to ply his trade with local side Waterford Town, he scored eight goals in his first season to help the club to the League of Ireland 1st division title and promotion.

In the 2004 season he scored 14 goals for the club in the Premier Division, he was rewarded with a call up to the Republic of Ireland under 21 squad, he scored 30 goals for Waterford in his three years at the club before signing for Sunderland in 2005.

He made four appearances as a substitute for the Black Cats before being loaned to Wednesday for a month in November 2005, he however joined a struggling Owls side and failed to net in his 4 match spell, the closest he came was when he had an effort cleared off the line by Richard Naylor in a game against Ipswich.

Daryl returned to Sunderland and made 16 more appearances for the club, earning his side a point with a late goal against Spurs. The 2006/07 saw Daryl establish himself in the side on a more regular basis and his 10 goals helped the club ti the Championship title.

Back in the top flight and Daryl once again struggled to get the goals required to earn him a regular start, he netted just 3 times in 30 games in the 2007/08 and after scoring against Wigan in February 2008 he failed to net in 44 games for the club, he ended his two year wait for a goal on his debut for Ipswich inside the first minute.

Squad Number 21

Liam Rosenior

Liam began his career with Bristol City as a midfielder but slowly developed into a competent defender, he spent just 18 months as a pro at Ashton Gate (where his father was a popular player) making 28 appearances for the club scoring three times including 1 in the Football League Trophy final but was helpless to stop the Robins losing the play-off final to Cardiff.

He moved to Fulham after that season but found himself on loan at Torquay for the back end of the 2003/04 campaign helping out his dad, he made 10 appearances for the Gulls as they won promotion to League One.

Liam made his Fulham bow in the League Cup in September 2004 and was sent off, he made his PL debut in a 1-1 draw with Man United, he went on to make 21 further appearances for the club in that season but it ended in controversy as he was sent off at Blackburn on the final day of the season.

After serving his ban in the opening weeks of the 2005/06 season he returned to the side in the League Cup before establishing himself as an near ever present in the first team from late November. He was an ever present for the Cottagers in the 2006/07 season playing in every game as the club avoided the drop.

In August 2007 he was swapped with Reading Seol Ki-Hyeon and made his Royals debut away at Sunderland, he appeared 19 times for the Royals as they were relegated, he made just 26 appearances for the club last season as they failed in their bid to get back to the Premier League.

He joined Ipswich on loan in September 2009 and has 27 appearances for the club to date, scoring once.

Squad Number 22

Grant Leadbitter

Midfielder Grant joined the club from Roy Keane’s old side Sunderland in September for a reputed £2.65m, he had been finding it difficult to break into Steve Bruces’ side and was delighted to be re-united with Keane.

Grant joined his boyhood heroes Sunderland as a 16 year old and quickly rose through the ranks making his first team debut as a 17 year old in a League Cup defeat to Huddersfield, he made a further appearance a year later in the same competition.

He was sent to Rotherham in October 2005 to continue his footballing education and made six appearances for the Millers in a month long spell, scoring once. Upon his return to Sunderland he made his League debut in a 2-0 defeat at Charlton in December 2005, between February 2006 and May 2006 he was a virtual ever present as the club were relegated.

With Sunderland back in the Championship he made 46 appearances in all competitions scoring 7 times helping the Black Cats back into the top flight at the first attempt. He was heavily involved as the Black Cats survived in their first season back making 18 starts and a further 15 appearances from the bench, he scored twice.

Last season he was used less by the club making just 28 appearances and scoring 2 goals, one of which was an emotional one for him, he netted a late goal against Arsenal and ran over to the touchline where he began crying, the spot marked the area where his fathers ashes had been scattered just weeks earlier.

He made just two appearances this season for the Black Cats ahead of his move to Ipswich, so far he has played 25 times for the Tractor Boys netting 3 goals.

Squad Number 6

Team News

Team (possible): Lee-Barrett; Rosenior, McAuley, Delaney; Leadbitter, Garvan, Colback, Norris, Walters; Healy, Murphy;

(subs from) B Murphy, Quinn, Counago, D Wright, Peters, Balkestein, Edwards, Martin, Wickham.

Head to Head

The two clubs fought out an entertaining if frustrating goal-less draw in their last S6 meeting back in September 2008, it was a personal victory for the Owls who had been thumped 6-0 at Reading earlier in the week.

The previous February the visitors completed a league double over the Owls, two players with history against the Owls did the damage, Alan Quinn scored against his former club only for Marcus Tudgay to level before Alan Lee who had netted a winner for Rotherham at S6 repeated the trick for the Tractor Boys.

The Owls recorded their first win over Ipswich at S6 in 12 years when they won 2-0 in April 2007, goals from Glenn Whelan and Steven MacLean made it 3 wins on the bounce for Brian Laws men to keep their slim play-off hopes alive.

The two clubs met on the final day of the Premier League season 1994/95 and the Owls ran out 4-1 winners against the divisions bottom club, Mark Bright, Michael Williams and Guy Whittingham (2) got the Owls goals with Alex Mathie in reply.

A season earlier the Owls were even more emphatic with a romping 5-0 win, Andy Pearce, Chris Bart-Williams, Mark Bright, Gordon Watson and an Own goal sealed the 3 points for Trevor Francis’s men.

The first ever meeting between two sides on the hallowed Hillsborough turf was in January 1959, Wednesday were top of the second division with Ipswich in 9th, goals from Alan Finney, Red Frogatt and Roy Shiner saw the Owls to a 3-1 win.

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 8

Draw: 5

Ipswich: 5

Final thoughts

Ipswich at home is never one to warm the cockles, and I’ll be honest I cannot see this one being a classic, both sides are scrapping for their lives and Roy Keane is undefeated as a manager against the Owls, a run he’ll be hoping to maintain Saturday cos if he doesn’t Wednesday will be four points clear of Town come 4.45pm.

Visit our rivals

http://www.twtd.co.uk

Irvine brings in defender..

Alan Irvine has today signed Preston North End defender Eddie Nolan on loan until the end of the season.
The Owls gaffer has signed Nolan to cope with any potential injury situation amongst the Owls defence with Lewis Buxton out of the picture and Richard Hinds out of match practice.

The Republic of Ireland international, 21, was signed by Irvine for Preston form Blackburn back in 2008 after a successful loan spell at Deepdale.

The loan deal expires on May 2nd, so we may well see the young international making his Owls debut tomorrow against Ipswich Town.

Irvine spoke to the club's official website earlier about the capture of the young defender, he said:
'We have a tough battle ahead of us in order to stay in the Championship this year and Eddie Nolan is a very good defender who will bring a lot of quality and cover to our defensive unit. Every game coming up is a massive game and having the opportunity to bring in a player of Eddie's quality and versatility at this time is something that I feel can help us in the remaining matches.

'It is vital that we are strong defensively and Eddie will certainly add strength to that department between now and the end of the season so I am delighted to have secured his services.'

Good luck to Eddie from all us at Owlsonline, who takes up squad number 32 for the duration of the loan spell.

Retro Game - Ipswich Town..

Aaah the 1993/94 season!!! Probably the last season I thoroughly enjoyed as a Wednesday fan, especially the final day of the season! This was the season where once again The Owls finished 7th and got to one cup semi final before Manchester United taught us a lesson in football at Hillsborough in what I believe would easily make my top 10 performances by the opposition at Hillsborough. Many a media, pundits and in fact probably most of Yorkshire thought that Wednesday were the complete package and ready to launch a serious title challenge to Manchester United, however United pretty much wrapped up the title in March when they were 18 points ahead of 2nd place Blackburn Rovers.

Well anyway with the season nearly over, Wednesday welcomed relegation threatened Ipswich Town to Hillsborough. The last relegation threatened side to come to S6 received a 5-1 hammering which was Mike Walkers Everton. For those that remember Mike Walker, he did an unbelievable job at Norwich City and many like me were surprised that he took the challenge of Goodison Park as Everton back in those days were no where near the side they were in the 80’s.

The Owls lined up as follows

Pressman, Nilsson, Worthington, Walker, Pearce, Jones, Sheridan, Palmer, Bart-Williams, Bright, Watson

Subs – Jemson, Hyde

Ipswich lined up as follows

Forrest, Linighan, Palmer, Slater, Williams, Milton, Stockwell, Johnson, Wark, Kiwomya, Marshall

Subs – Guentchev, Yallop

Well literally from the kick off, a two year old blind bat would have been able to notice which team was struggling to survive in the division as The Owls bombarded the Ipswich goal from the start. Despite Ipswich having the experienced ever present John Wark in their side, they struggled to get a foot of the game and it was no surprise that it would take Wednesday only 6 minutes to break the deadlock.

A lovely cross from Ryan Jones (who looked a good player that season), saw Watson and David Linighan challenge for the ball with Linighan heading it past Canadian international Forrest into his own net. Soon as that went in, the chants of Down with United were being echoed round the ground. Ipswich practically gave up when that ball went in, the heads dropped and the end of season carnival game was being shown. Sheridan almost scored seconds later with a terrific 30 yard long range effort that Forrest did well to turn round his right hand post, Palmer thought he gave Wednesday a 2-0 lead but his header from Sheridans corner somehow went the other side of the goal with Forrest well beaten.

However, it wasn’t too long for Wednesday fans as good play between Bright and Watson saw Flash through on goal and calmly slotted the ball past Forrest for his 12th goal of the season. Effectively game over and this match had the feel of how many would Wednesday score?

To be fair to Ipswich they prevented Wednesday from getting anymore in that half but that was mainly down to desperation defending and to be fair to the owls, they didn’t see it necessary to heavily bombard the Ipswich goal. European football was out of the question as they were too far behind 4th place Arsenal to mount a European challenge. The season was practically over for Trevor Francis’s men. Anyway in the second half, it took the Owls 11 minutes until they trebled their lead. A corner kick from Sheridan was powerfully headed into the net by Andy Pearce in front of the leppings lane end. It was almost a repeat of his goal at that end against the blades but instead of a full house, only a mere 23,854 were there to witness that goal. From that goal, Wednesday decided to go for as many goals as they can, Bright hitting the post with a volley in the 59th minute, Stockwell almost put throu

gh his own net had it not been for a great save by Forrest and Bart Williams went wide from a long way out. Well only 13 minutes later did Wednesday make it 4 and this goal summed up Ipswich’s confidence. Wednesday basically went through the defence and Bart Williams had all the time in the world to slot the ball past the keeper for 4. The down with United chants really got going and luckily for Ipswich news came in that Aston Villa had taken the lead against The Blades which resulted in Atkinsons Barmy Army being chanted, to the blades are going down!

The last goal of the game came in the 90th minute when Mark Bright raced through and fired the ball into the net to give the Owls a comprehensive 5-0 victory. However Ipswich managed to get a win on their last home game and then travelled to Blackburn Rovers and got a 0-0 draw.
That a long with Graham Stuart giving Everton a 3-2 victory over Wimbledon meant Ipswich were going down. However, at Stamford Bridge, a future Bournemouth player known as Mark Stein fired home past Alan Kelly to give Chelsea a 3-2 win over Sheffield United and that result sent the blades down to the 1st division, queue Hillsborough urine floods.

Hopefully a result like that will happen again tomorrow!

Lifeless Wednesday defeated again..

Two defeats in consecutive games for Alan Irvine's Wednesday that's how the stats read after a lifeless performance which deserved little more than the nil points they got this afternoon. Ipswich Town took the spoils with a fantastic first half strike from Carlos Edwards leaving the Owls perilously close to the bottom three.

Alan Irvine made two changes to the side that lost against Doncaster Rovers in midweek, with Richard Hinds coming in for the injured skipper, Darren Purse, who suffered a hamstring injury in training this week the other being Etienne Esajas in for Tom Soares in midfield.

It was a similar start to the Doncaster game in which the hosts forced the issue from the offing, with Luke Varney warming the palms of visiting 'keeper Brian Murphy with a stinging long range volley. Wednesday applied themselves in the early exchanges but their play lacked the cutting edge which could've eased the early nerves from both sides. But the longer the game went on it was the visitors who began to find their feet and they were to strike the knockout blow within the first 15 minutes.

Town attacked down the Wednesday left with Carlos Edwards who was allowed to run towards goal before unleashing a fantastic effort from around 25 yards out from the channel which flew across Lee Grant and into the top corner, it really was a quality strike.

With the home support shellshocked, it was almost two-nil within minutes after Grant Leadbitter fired a volley goalwards and it looked like it was arrowing into the bottom corner but fortunately it went wide of the goal.

Wednesday then returned fire from distance, with Marcus Tudgay hitting a tremendous effort goalwards which had the beating of a despairing dive from Murphy who was relieved to see the ball rattle off the crossbar and out to safety. Murphy was equal to the next Owls chance as he kept out Michael Gray's effort.
Etienne Esajas then fired a good opportunity way over the bar from a free kick which was symptomatic of the Owls first half performance.

It was a rare attack from Wednesday who continued to either lump the ball upfield or hand possession back to the opposition with alarming regularity. Ex Owls loanee Daryl Murphy then rattled the woodwork before the half time break as the supporters were hoping, almost dreaming of a second half fightback that they certainly didn't deserve.

Half Time
Wednesday 0 Ipswich 1

Wednesday did come out of the blocks the quickest, again not too dissimilar to Tuesday night's game, Gray just curled over from a free kick around 20 yards out. More huff and puff from Wednesday with no end product, it's beginning to become an alarmingly familiar occurrence.

Edwards was then denied a second from just outside the box as Grant made a fantastic stop, stretching to his right and tipping the ball away for a corner.

There seemed to be no width offered from the Owls as Frank Simek and Tommy Spurr were seemingly left to dig lone furrows down the channels with little help from the midfield. This was to get worse after the ineffective Esajas was replaced by Leon Clarke as Wednesday seemed to change to a 4-3-3 formation, not that Esajas had offered much either!

Clarke was denied a goal by Murphy who was quick to come off his line and smother the opportunity for the striker, as the home support grew more irate by their sides seeming lack of ability to pass, tackle and have any sort of cutting edge. Luke Varney looked like he was to go into the book as he clashed heads with Gareth McAuley as his frustration was there for all to see. Strikers need something to feed off, and there was no sign of where it could come from.

Ipswich kept the ball in the Owls half for a good three or four minutes as the clock ticked past 80 gone, and Wednesday still sat off.
One last foray forward in the dying minutes saw a tame Varney overhead kick bounce wide with Murphy watching it past the post.

It's a demoralising defeat for Wednesday who lost the first of two six pointers in a week with a trip to the Madjedski Stadium, Reading, up next for them

Final Score

Wednesday 0 Ipswich Town 1

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Hinds ,Simek ,Spurr ,Beevers ,Potter ,Gray (Clarke ,62 ) ,O'Connor ,Esajas (McAllister ,81 ) ,Tudgay ,Varney
Subs not used: Soares,Nolan,Boden,Jameson,Palmer,

Ipswich: Murphy ,David Wright ,McAuley ,O'Connor ,Delaney ,Leadbitter ,Norris ,Edwards ,Colback ,Murphy (Wickham ,89 ) ,Walters
Subs not used Lee-Barrett,Peters,Quinn,David Healy,Balkestein,Counago,

Be brave in possession.

That's the call from James O Connor after the game against Ipswich Town at the weekend, fans were complaining about the style of football which appeared to have been reduced to 'hoofball' as they stumbled to a one-nil defeat.

The Owls stand in skipper who replaced the injured Darren Purse, said that they should be 'brave with the ball,' when the opposition put men behind the ball, he said:

'Once Ipswich got the goal they put men behind the ball. We need to be braver on the ball, take an extra pass; it seemed we were almost panicking a bit in trying to get the ball forward too quickly,' he said.

'That extra pass could move them around a bit; I don't think did that often enough. I'm sure it's something the manager will say to us this week.' O Connor told the Star.

With another game against a team battling alongside Wednesday to avoid relegation this weekend, the Irishman hopes their fortunes will be reversed at the Madjeski Stadium.

'We need six wins (for safety) whether that's here at Hillsborough or away. We need to get them as quickly as possible.

'It's a huge game for us at Reading, it really is. Hopefully we can do to them what Ipswich did to us.'

With Scunthorpe and Ipswich locking horns tonight, it's vital that Wednesday don't let the teams around them break away, so a point at the very least is so important at the weekend as triple of away trips awaits just around the corner. Wednesday face former captain Nigel Pearson and his Leicester City side on the 6th March before games away from Hillsborough against West Brom, Swansea and Preston North End.

Akpo offered deal at the Valley.

Many instantly thought that when Akpo Sodje returned to Charlton on loan until the end of the season that it would spell the end of his Wednesday career and now it seems to be true.

Sodje hit the net for Charlton last night in their two-one defeat against Brighton at the Valley last night, and he revealed to the News Shopper that a deal IS on the cards with the League One club.

He said: “I’d love to stay and there’s something on the table but I’m not really going to discuss a contract or anything, I’m going to focus on the next game and just keep myself going.'

The Nigerian born striker will always be held in high regard by some Wednesdayites for his part in the first Sheffield derby and his subsequent run of form which thrust him into the spotlight at Hillsborough, but since then he has failed to match that since. Sodje found himself hampered by injury for the majority of last season and has failed to impress Alan Irvine since he took over the manager's job in January.

Sodje seems to have found himself at home in the capital however, playing alongside his brother, Sam, at Charlton and two other former Owls, Deon Burton and Lloyd Sam.

He is free to discuss a move of course under the bosman ruling, so it remains to be seen if he will sign on the dotted line for the Addicks.

Palmer may get his chance.

After featuring in the matchday squad last weekend, Wednesday academy player Liam Palmer could find himself thrust into the side at some point according to Alan Irvine.

The versatile youngster has played in many positions for the academy side although he is predominantly a midfielder his goalscoring exploits have attracted the attention of the Owls gaffer.

'Liam did well in the reserves last week; he made two goals and scored one, and put himself in contention' Irvine told the Star.

'He's trained with us quite a lot, and trained very well. He's a young lad who shows a lot of promise.'

Irvine says that the inexperienced young midfielders attitude could be something that could put him in the picture.

'It's hard enough for experienced players to get you out of trouble when the pressure is on; it's more difficult for young players, though sometimes that raw enthusiasm is an asset.'
So add Palmer to Sean McAllister and Luke Boden all patiently waiting for the chance to show Irvine what they are capable of in the middle of the park at Reading this weekend.

Howard out to silence the boo boys...

Ex Barnsley and Sheffield United midfielder Brian Howard says he's looking to silence the Wednesday fans who visit the Madjeski Stadium this weekend.

Speaking to the Reading Post he spoke of the names that he was called when at his previous two clubs.

“The two sides that Wednesday hate the most are my two old clubs.

“I got called a ‘Dingle’ when I was playing at Barnsley and got called a pig at United. So I’ll be getting called all sorts – hopefully I can stick one in the net and silence them all this time.'

Silence the Wednesdayites? Give over Brian!

Meanwhile his team-mate Adam Federici is billing the game against Wednesday as bigger than their FA Cup 5th Round tie that went to extra time earlier this week.

'This is a bigger game than West Brom in that we can create a little gap if we win.' He told the club's official website.

The travelling Wednesdayites will need no encouragement this weekend as they look to spur the side on to victory in what is a massive game, but with the added spice of Howard's comments the typically vociferous backing will no doubt be ramped up to the maximum as a win over the Royals will see Wednesday overtake them in the Championship table.

Owls face Royal test

Wednesday make the trip down to Reading this weekend hoping to end their recent poor form and get back to winning ways on the road, the Owls face a Reading side bang in form and high on confidence and know it will be a difficult game against a side locked in the same relegation battle.

Owls News

So has Alan Irvine lost the golden touch? The last two performances from Wednesday have been woeful and has seen them slump to just above the drop zone.

Darren Purse joins the growing list of broken hamstrings and misses out for the second game in a row, Richard Hinds look set to continue in his place whilst new loanee Eddie Nolan may make his first start for the club after missing out last week, Frank Simek could be the one to miss out.

Tommy Miller and Jermaine Johnson look set to miss out through lack of match practice but don’t be surprised to see either included on the bench as cover, both players could be vital for our run in.

Ettiene Esajas and Michael Gray could both find themselves out of the starting line up, Esajas was woeful last weekend whilst Gray has looked leggy and off form for a while, Tom Soares and Sean McAllister may fill the gaps or Alan Irvine may opt to play 4-3-3 with Tugday and Varney either side of Leon Clarke.

Alan Irvine has added youth to his matchday squad recently and Nathan Modest alongwith Liam Palmer will more than likely travel down with the squad, Modest is a candidate in the apprentice of the year award whilst Palmer has been receiving rave reviews in the second XI.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Nolan, Hinds, Beevers, Spurr; Potter, Soares, O’Connor; Varney, Tudgay, Clarke;

(subs from) Jameson, Simek, Boden, McAllister, Palmer, Esajas, Gray, Lekaj, Modest. Miller, Jeffers, Johnson.

Reading News

The Royals welcome the Owls on the back of a recent upsurge in league form where they won four of their last five and edged away from the drop zone, in midweek their cup exploits saw them taken into extra time by West Brom and they edged a 5 goal thriller to reach the FA Cup Quarter finals for the first time in over 70 years.

Reading FC

As we covered the history of Reading in the last meeting between the clubs I’ve decided to concentrate on two of their most recognizable players from the past.

Jimmy Quinn will be a name associated with the Royals as both a player and a manager, he scored 94 goals in nearly 300 appearances for the club, he spent 5 years with Reading, the first 3 as a player and the latter two as player/joint manager. In the 1993/94 season he netted 35 league goals as the Royals won promotion to the 2nd tier of English football.

In January 1995 he and Mick Gooding were appointed as joint bosses at the club following Mark McGhee’s decision to take the Leicester job, he and Gooding did a great job and guided the club to 2nd place in the 2nd division which in any other year would have been promotion but the Premier League had decided to re-structure down to 20 sides from 22 and it left Reading in the play-offs, they reached the final but lost 4-3 with Quinn on the scoresheet, Quinn remained in the job for a further two years but the Wembley play-off defeat was the pinnacle as the Royals began to falter.

As a player Quinn had three spells with Swindon, stops at Blackburn, Leicester, West Ham, Bournemouth and Peterborough scoring well over 200 goals in a career that lasted nearly 20 years. After leaving Reading he also had spells at managing Swindon, Shrewsbury, Cambridge and Bournemouth.

Another Reading legend is Robin Friday, the man has been named as one of the clubs man of the Millennium. The Acton born forward only spent 4 years in league football but he will be remembered by many older football fans, the original bad boy of football.

Friday began his career playing for Walthamstow Avenue in the Isthmian League late in the 1970/71 season, scoring his first goal in April 1971, he continued his scoring exploits into the next season as well as creating a fair few goals so it was no surprise when he signed for Hayes who offered him more money and was closer to his Acton home. Rumours are that for game for Hayes he let the players start the game without him whilst he finished his pint, he staggered on the pitch ten minutes in the game seemingly drunk, he netted the winner!

In 1973 he signed for Reading and over the next 3 years he appeared in 135 games for the club and netted 55 goals, he made many more but it was his off the pitch antics that endeared him to the Reading faithful, he also was alleged to have scored one of THE great goals, he collect a cross in mid-air with his back to goal, he spun round 180 degrees and flashed home a stunning volley from outside the box.

After various fall outs with the establishment he was moved onto Cardiff City for a fee of £30k, he was arrested at Cardiff station for a non valid ticket, he lasted just 25 games with the Bluebirds and after being sent off for kicking Mark Lawrenson in the face and crapping in the same players kit bag he returned to non-league football, never to return.

He passed away in 1990 from a heart attack aged just 38.

The Ground

Reading moved to the Madejski Stadium in 1998 leaving their Elm Park home after 102 years at the old ground.

The Madejski is like many similar new build stadia, swap the colours around and you could be at any one of a dozen stadiums in the country but it is a vast improvement on the old stadium so I’m told, personally I prefer history and terracing.

The ground has a current capacity of just over 24,000 and has the capacity to be increased to 38k should the demand be there.

The North Stand which is situated behind the goal is said to hold just shy of 5,000 spectators whilst the South Stand opposite which houses away fans can hold 4,350 but usually the initial allocation is just over 2,300.

To the right of the away end is the East Stand which houses a large video screen and an capacity of 7,286, to our left is the West Stand where the commercial area of the ground is situated and where the dressing rooms are, this holds just over 7,500.

The Gaffer

Brian McDermott is in his first spell of management in the Football League, he had previous spells with Slough and Woking in the latter part of the 20th century before joining Reading as Chief Scout in 2000.

He held that role until Brendan Rogers departed for Watford and was made U19 and reserve team manager for the Royals, he then replaced Rogers as first team manager after the Irishman was dismissed in December just 6 months after returning to the club.

His appointment saw an upturn in fortunes and he famously guided the club to a 3rd round FA Cup win at Anfield last month.

As a player McDermott was a striker and began his career with Arsenal before having spells at Fulham, Oxford, Huddersfield, Cardiff, Exeter and Yeovil.

Key Players

Simon Church

Striker Simon has just begun to get a settled run in the side with Shane Long being suspended and he has rewarded boss Brian McDermott with a couple of goals that saw the Royals beat Crystal Palace last week.

Wycombe born Simon came through the ranks at his hometown club but joined Reading as a fourteen year old, he quickly progressed through to the reserve team whilst still being eligible for the academy, he signed as a professional in 2007.

His first professional appearance came during a loan spell at Crewe in October 2007, he spent three months with the Alex making 14 appearances and scoring once, he then joined Yeovil for a loan spell but failed to score in his six game run down at Huish Park.

At the start of the 2008/09 campaign he signed for hometown club Wycombe on loan for three months but was sent back to Reading after being sent off and banned for three games, he later re-joined the Chairboys to complete his loan spell but failed to net in his nine appearances.

He made his Reading debut in January 2009 in a cup defeat to Cardiff before signing for Leyton Orient on loan in February of the same year, he scored 4 times for the O’s in his 13 appearances and helped the O’s to mid-table safety.

He made one further appearance for Reading that season in the play-off semi final defeat to Burnley, this season he has been used by the Royals more and he has scored 8 in 26 appearances to date.

Simon has been capped at full level by Wales.

Squad Number 18

Brynjar Gunnarsson

Defender-cum-Midfielder Brynjar is one of the elder statesmen of the Reading side at 34 but his coolness and ability on the ball don’t often show this, the Icelandic international has been at Reading for nearly 5 years now and is a firm favourite.

Brynjar’s career began in his homeland with Reykjavik in 1995 before spells with Valerenga and Moss in Norway and Orygte IS in Sweden which preceded a move to Stoke in 1999, the club were under Icelandic ownership at the time.

He spent 4 years at the Brittania Stadium, helping the club to promotion in 2002 and to stay in 2nd tier the following season, in all he made over 150 appearances for the club and netted 19 times in this time before joining Nottingham Forest on a free transfer.

His spell at Forest wasn’t a happy one and he made just 14 appearances for the club before being sent back to Stoke on loan which lasted just 3 games.

In the summer of 2004 he signed for Watford on a free transfer where he made 43 appearances in all competitions netting on 3 occasions, it was somewhat of a surprise when Aidy Boothroyd decided to sell him to Reading upon his appointment as manager of Watford.

Brynjar quickly settled in at Reading and was a key part of their Championship winning side of 2006, scoring 4 times in 30 league appearances. He then made 23 Premier League appearances as the Royals finished a credible 8th in their first season. The 2007/08 was a bit of a nightmare for both club and player, Brynjar was an almost ever present at the start of the campaign but after a red-card in January he didn’t make another 1st team appearance that season as the Royals were relegated, due to both suspension and injury.

He returned to the Royals side in September 2008 and was a key player in their run to the play-offs making over 30 appearances in all competitions scoring twice, to date he has made 22 appearances for the club this season.

He has been capped over 70 times for Iceland.

Squad Number 6

Gylfi Sigurdsson

Gylfi joined the club as a 16 year old in 2005 after an unsuccessful trial up at Preston North End; the Icelandic u21 international has finally settled into the first team this term and has shone for the club.

He began his junior career with home-town club FH Hafnarfj�r�ur before joining Brei�ablik, he quickly progressed at international level as well playing for the U15’s and U17’s prior to his move to England.

He spent three years at Reading moving through the ranks before making his first team bow in last seasons League Cup where he made two appearances before joining Shrewsbury on loan, he made 6 appearances for the Shrews netting once in his month at the New Meadow.

He played a further game for Reading in the FA cup before joining Crewe on loan in late February 2009, he spent the final two months or so of the season at Gresty Road and scored 3 times in 15 appearances but couldn’t save the Alex from the drop.

His first goal for the club came in this seasons League Cup in a 5-1 win over Burton Albion, he has followed this up with 9 more in the 26 games in all competitions this campaign, including the winner at the Hawthorns.

Squad Number 25

Team News

Team (possible): Federici; Mills, Bertrand, Ingimarsson, Griffin; Tabb, Howard, Kebe, Kebe, Sigurdsson; Church, Rasiak.

(subs from) Pearce, Hamer, Robson-Kanu, Gunnarsson, Matejovsky, Henry, Cisse, Karacan, Thorvaldsson.

Head to Head

This is the 4th meeting of the two clubs at the Madejski Stadium, the Owls were the first visitors to the Stadium when the Royals regained their spot in the second tier of English in 2002, the Owls went ahead through Gerald Sibon but a brace from Jamie Cureton sealed all three points for the Royals.

The hosts have won the other two meetings at the stadium with a 2-0 win in the 2005/06 season and last year Kevin Doyle inspired the Royals to six of the best as the Owls were comprehensively beaten 6-0.

The Owls last won at Reading in the late 1970’s when goals from Terry Curran and Ian Mellor secured a 2-0 win at Elm Park on the way to promotion, 3 years earlier Jeff Johnson scored the only goal of the game for the Owls in a 3rd division game.

The two sides have met twice in cup competition at Elm Park, in 1929 the hosts won 1-0 against a Wednesday side that would go on to be league champions but 37 years later goals from John Fantham (2) and Jim McCalliog helped the Owls through 3-2 in the year they reached the final.

Overall at Reading:

Owls: 3

Draw: 0

Reading: 4

Final thoughts

We need to earn something from this game to help banish the memories of the last two games and last seasons debacle down in Berkshire, the Owls will be hoping to cash in on Reading's midweek cup exploits but face a Reading side that has won it's last two home games

Bring it on- READING.

Again after an unforced absence, with the Ipswich fans deciding they can't be arsed OR running scared from an Owlsonline grilling, we return this week with another chance to hear what a fan of the opposition has to say as we ask them to BRING IT ON...

We speak to Jon Keen, vice chairman of STAR - the Supporters Trust At Reading about his beloved Royals and what to expect from them at their home the Madejski Stadium this weekend.

1) Your expectations for this season were surely higher than what's happened so far. What's gone wrong?
A season after relegation, there was always going to be a big clear-out of big-name players (Doyle, Hunt, Bikey, Hahnemann, etc ) so shrewd judges were expecting a period of rebuilding and aiming for mid-table. Brendan Rodgers got us off to a bad start, but we’re now inching our way back upwards. So meeting expectations, really, after the end of an era and the reduction in finances that result from relegation. Sir John Madejski isn’t bankrolling us so the club needs to balance the books – and it’d either lose the “names” or go into administration.

2) Your manager, Brian McDermott, largely unheard of but turning things round at your place, how has he changed your fortunes?
Just really by doing things simply – he knows the players really well (he scouted most of them and managed them in the reserves) and knows how to get the best out of them. Plus he’s playing in a style that suits them all – Brendan Rodgers had superb tactical ideas that he picked up from his mate Jose Mourinho when at Chelsea, but they were far too complicated for what is mainly a bunch of kids. In the end all we had was players who just ended up being confused.
Brian keeps it simple, makes the tactics match the players (and not the other way round!) and seems to know who to get the best out of some of our more inconsistent players.

3) You have a few players in your side who others in the Championship would like in theirs, Jobi Mcanuff, Jimmy Kebe etc, but if you could sign just one (realistically) who would you sign and why?
What we really need is a big ugly target man – someone along the lines of Rob Hulse. In many games this season we’ve completely outplayed the opposition but failed to score, so someone big up front putting it about a bit would be a great bonus.

4) Other than your nearest geographical rivals, is there one team that you always want to beat?
There are no long-standing rivalries since Oxford United went “On-loan to the Conference” 5 years ago. We always enjoy beating Sheffield United, and had an incredible run of doing that home and away until that sadly came to an end last year – this coincided with our record of not losing a match in South Yorkshire between 2005 and 2010. So I suppose the answer is we love to beat any team managed by Neil Warnock, who for some reason hates us with a passion.

5) Of the players in your squad, is there one who most won't have heard of yet but is becoming a bit special?
Gylfi Sigurdsson is starting to get noticed, not least for his long-range goal at West Brom in the week. When on loan at Crewe a few years ago Dario Gradi (who knows something about young players) called Gylfi the most naturally gifted young player he’d ever seen. With a superb set-piece delivery and a stunning shot, as well as a great “football brain,” he is starting to look like he has a massive future ahead of him.

6) What do you know about Wednesday?
That you’re a shadow of your former selves these days – a long and proud tradition and one of the great names in English football but fallen on hard times. You seem to always be on the brink of either real crisis or about to be rescued and revived, but the latter never really seems to happen. Like most clubs, you seem to have perennial financial problems, and I may be wrong but I seem to remember some recent talk of a potential new backer who made numerous promises but no-one could ever tell if he actually had any money to back those promises up with!

7) Any memories of games against us? Good and bad.
Generally happy memories of matches at Hillsborough with our results over recent years, and especially the 6-0 demolition the last time you visited the MadStad. But I also have the memory of what I still consider to be the best goal I’ve ever seen in 36 years of watching football. It must have been about 1978/79 when Irme Varadi received the ball on the corner of the Reading penalty area while facing away from the goal, and somehow brought the ball down and in the same movement lashed it over the Reading keeper into the far corner. I still have absolutely no idea how he did it!

8) Do you think we will avoid the bottom three?
My own tips to go down are Peterborough, Plymouth and Scunny, although it does look like the boost you got from a change of manager has come to an end. So I think it’ll be a lot closer for you than it will for us, but I think you’ll be safe in the end.

9) Team news ahead of the game?
Our biggest problem is suspensions. Shane Long and Jobi McAnuff are both suspended – the latter for silliness after the final whistle of our cup win at The Hawthorns on Wednesday. They are both serious losses to us as both are in great form, but I don’t think there are any major absentees apart from them although a few players are carrying knocks. It remains to be seen if the exertions of 120 minutes of cup-tie football in the mud of the Hawthorns has caused any other problems, but if so we have promising squad players waiting for the chance to step up.

10) Score prediction?
Although we had the cup tie, the buzz of reaching our first FA Cup Quarter Final since 1927 (that’s 83 years!) mean that confidence will be sky high. I’d go for a 3-1 home win – although we tend to create lots of chances and miss most of them, I can see us scoring, but our defence isn’t as consistent and watertight as we’d like, so you’ll almost certainly get chances to score.

Thanks to Jon for some cracking answers and well, if he hate's Colin as much as we do then well.. He'll be welcomed for a pint!

Owls of desperation... a view from two Owls.

Instead of the usual match report, we thought that a look at the game from two of our posters would bring a sense of how the day went, on the pitch and in the mind of the supporters.

Hopefully, this will work ok and we might get one or two more fans to put their ten penneth in?
So who are they? Owling_Wolf and TommyCraig6..

Owling; I was looking forward to going to Reading. Not in a football sense – I expected nowt – but because I’d never followed Wednesday there before, to either ground. This was my only opportunity for a new destination this season and, before this, Swansea last season was the first in some years. I was grateful to Reading for knocking a couple of quid off the ticket price for us ST holders, but wondered if it was out of pity, following our showing down there last season!

Things didn’t get off to a great start when I went to set the alarm the night before and noted to my horror that the ICO was leaving Hillsborough at 8.30 a.m. WTF???? I’d been looking forward to a bit of a lie in! The drivers seemed to think it was OTT, too, from the way we dawdled down the M1 and were given 45 mins. to be bored in the services. Anyway, we were dumped outside the stadium at around five to one. The ground looked like any other anonymous new oval from the outside, the only difference for once was a bloody great wind turbine next to it. Anyone know anywhere here for a pint? No?

Well, as the rain started and we’d two hours to kill, off we walked in a random direction. Past a retail park, away from a trading estate, along a faceless dual carriageway – no houses in sight anywhere. Wait – there on the right – a brand new, posh estate.
In we go, past empty looking new pads. No life, spotless, the kind of place where if you drop litter, a hovering robot comes and kills you. And no pub. Finally we exited the other end and could see normal homes on a normal road, and as we turned a corner, only a mile from the ground, there it was – a pub! Nowt special, like a Toby Inn thing, but it served decent beer for only £1.75 a pint, (darn sarf!), and had fans of both teams already in it.

We got back and went in just comfortably in time and went up to our seats, near the back behind the goal. A perfectly pleasant stadium, a bit like Derby’s Snide Park but without the towers in the corners and in an acceptable colour scheme. The lads ran out to a decent welcome from the many fans at our end – plenty of Laandarn accents being given an airing in the stand. We were in all yellow – a rare sight recently, and one I’ve not got any fondness for this term. For starters it brought back memories of Leicester. Our Chairman was in with the fans, behind the goal. I had a chat with Tommo and Baldy, who were along our row.

TommyCraig: Having missed out on a 6 pointer last week we could only hope we saw a better performance yesterday. Soares in for Esajas and Nolan for Simek were the changes.
From the start Reading were straight out of the blocks and hitting us, apart from one effort on goal by Gray which was pushed out for a corner we posed no threat up front.
All 10 outfield players were back for Reading corners so there was no attacking outlet possible ( I fail to see the benefit of this tactic employed by manager after manager at Hillsborough) consequently the defense remained under constant pressure. They coped admirably with Beevers outstanding and as half time approached it looked as if we might hang on. We were then dealt a sucker punch with a wicked deflection that Grant did his best to save. The 2nd. goal came in the 1 minute of added time!

Owling: Off we went and we were bright enough over the first ten or fifteen minutes or so. We seemed to have the ball up their end more than the other way around. But then we dropped deeper and it became at times like a game of attack and defence. A couple of times Beevers snaked a long leg out to save the day but on others they seemed to be able to run straight down the middle and open us up worryingly. But for all that, they never really looked like doing anything to us. Our midfield were the problem, as usual.

We’d held them at bay, usually about 25 yards out, and the only unsatisfactory thing for me was how much possession they’d had over the last twenty five minutes or so. But goals change games, and two in the last three minutes of the half, right out of nowhere, ended this one. We were stunned, on the field and off it. As Tommo walked past, I offered to show him the pub. Now!

TommyCraig:The second half started with Clarke and Miller on for Soares and Gray. The game continued as before. Reading were able to go the full length of the pitch we 3/4 passes while we took 7/8 passes to move sideways or backwards. We had no width whatsoever and no options for full backs coming forward. Midfield was non existent.
Having taken Church wide Hinds allowed him to cut back inside and shoot past Grant from 20 yards. Could we keep it respectable or sink like last season. Our defense now went to pieces after holding it's finger in the broken dyke. The 4th. goal with 25 minutes to go saw an exodus of Owls fans. The 5th had us thinking that it could be worse than last season.

Don't forget we were playing a team next to us in the league who had gone 120 mins. in midweek! The worst moment in the match was when Beevers came 40 yards out of defense only to be met by static movement alongside him and ahead of him. He finished up being forced wide and lost the ball. When Spurr and Nolan came forward (rarely) there were no options. Body language clearly said several players were not up for a fight which is totally unacceptable. The scenes at the end were awful to witness but I don't think they'll have any effect on the players concerned.

Owling:The young ‘uns found it very hard – Spurr, Beavers, Nolan, etc. Varney’s head was down – appealing for everything and getting nowt. “Gerron wi’t game!” The really alarming thing was that as soon as we misplaced a pass in attack, one long pass from them had some bloke racing at our frantically exposed defence, time after time. The panic was contagious. Beevers was trying his best – including one unlikely fifty yard run with the ball – but was just as likely to boot it straight up in the air or to an attacker. Potter was a bloody nightmare, so negative and so quick to give it away. The bloke simply pulls out of every challenge unless the ball is rolling on the grass.

TommyCraig:I honestly think that Strafford has made a massive mistake by telling out of contract players they will not be wanted (if this is true, and I want to know if it is) Those players will still find clubs and will be laughing at us.

Strafford must take some of the blame if this is true. I don't blame Irvine. Nobody can do anything if players don't want to try. The irony is that most of these players were bought by a manager who is now in the Premiership. Strafford should have sacked him months ago. Sorry I'm digressing but I've never been so upset in over 50 years watching Wednesday.

Owling: As we walked out, I heard one chap saying that, until they scored their fluke first, “That had got nil-nil written all over it.” I didn’t disagree with him as, until the three minute spell that changed the game, Reading looked nowt at all. Yes, they had more possession, but we were giving it to them. Potter was very poor in that regard, though not on his own. Bizarrely, for me, Irvine subbed skipper JOC later on, replacing him with Sean – who I thought played well and made a minor difference. JOC had a poor second half and wasn’t his usually excellent self last game either, but how the **** does Potter stop on?

It was a long journey back after that – especially as the idiot stewards held our coaches back until all their fans had walked across the road in front of us. Where did that ever happen before? (BTW, I’ll swear that every single one of their fans was wearing a stripey scarf and WHAT a shocking accent THAT is!) I suppose that I can’t complain. For ages, every time someone bewailed the previous 0-6, I happily recalled being in Cyprus that night. Now I’ve had my deserved comeuppance. Just to finish me off, my Saturday neet boozing buddy rang up and cancelled. I’d already missed Friday night out due to my old mum being poorly again. What a great weekend! But do you know what’s REALLY worrying me? I’m already committed to West Brom, Swansea, Preston and Middlesborough away. I hope all our players are!

Sheridan goal voted...

John Sheridan's winner in the 1991 League Cup final has been voted in the top ten best moments in League Cup final history.

Over 20,000 people have voted for their best moments on www.leaguecup50.com

Wednesday defeated Manchester United on that fateful day back in April 1991 when Big Ron got revenge on his old side and brought cup silverware to Hillsborough for the first time in over 50 years.

As the unfancied side the Owls were thought to be on the end of a hiding by many as United and their in form winger Lee Sharpe were expected to take the trophy back to Old Trafford. But the Wednesday players had other ideas as captain Nigel Pearson and co were to win the trophy for the first time in the club's history.

Take a look back at the goal ... BY CLICKING HERE.

The moment voted as the best in League Cup final history was Dennis Tueart's spectacular winning goal for Manchester City against Newcastle United in the 1976 League Cup Final as the greatest moment in the competition's history.

If you want to see what other League Cup moments are in the top 50 then please click HERE.

Purse earns POTM award

Owls captain Darren Purse has claimed the February player of the month award.

Strong performances against the likes of Blackpool and Nottingham Forest meant that the former Cardiff man beat striker Luke Varney to pole position.

On winning the award, the skipper had this to say to the official site. 'I'd like to say thanks to the fans for voting for me. My performances over the past few weeks have been good and back to the form I should have been showing at the beginning of the season.

'There's still a lot of hard work for myself and the lads to do for the rest of the season but the most important thing is that we are a Championship club in May.'

The much criticised centre back has today urged the team and the fans to move on from last weekend crushing defeat away to Reading and fingers crossed we can return to winning ways this week against Leicester city.

Reid move on or not?

This morning's newspaper reports would have you believe that Republic of Ireland international, Stephen Reid, was to join the Owls on loan from Blackburn Rovers. But after Lee Strafford's appearance on BBC Radio Sheffield last night you would be hard pressed to believe it would happen.

The Owls chairman had said there was no money for further additions to the squad after the budget was stretched to bring in Eddie Nolan from Preston North End a week ago. But the rumour about Reid has spread quickly across the internet.

Reid, who turns 30 next week, had been linked with numerous clubs throughout January as he looks to get back to full fitness after a couple of years which have been ravaged by injuries. In fact during his last loan spell to Q.P.R. he featured just twice as his stay at Loftus Road was also hampered by injury and he has featured twice for Blackburn this season.

Cardiff were thought to be making a move for the midfielder in January when they were thought to be spending money from early purchased season tickets, but we know what happened there!

With Alan Irvine having received a timely injury boost today the news that Reid's transfer seems to be just a rumour may not be so bad. Jermaine Johnson, Darren Purse and Tommy Miller are now back in full training after their respective injuries. Miller, featured as a sub in the defeat at Reading last weekend whilst not thought to be back to full tilt.

But with an on form Leicester City visiting S6 this weekend, Irvine will be keen to utilise the additions to his matchday squad in the hope of turning round the poor run of results which has seen his side slip worryingly into the relegation places.

For our comprehensive match preview and other pre game features on the opposition, keep logged in to Owlsonline.

Big Nige back in town

Three straight defeats, woeful defending, no goals, has Brian Laws returned to the Hillsborough helm because on the last two performances it certainly looks that way however the Owls must get back to basics and back to the early form under Alan Irvine to claw their way out of the bottom three especially against high flying Leicester this weekend.

Owls News

Alan Irvine has been boosted by the news that the returning quartet of Tommy Miller, Darren Purse, Franny Jeffers and Jermaine Johnson all came through training unscathed and will be in contention for the visit of the Foxes, three of them have been sorely missed the other has a countdown to the date he finally fucks off.

The return of Purse will be welcomed by Wednesdayites who watched the comedy defending at Reading last week, Richard Hinds could be the one to make way, Eddie Nolan looks sets to keep his place and make his home debut.

Tommy Miller lasted 45 minutes last week and will be in contention for a start with Mr Invisible Darren Potter the one most likely to be dropped, Marcus Tudgay could revert to the right side of midfield with Jermaine Johnson moving up front hoping that his pace can fluster the measly Leicester defence.

The Owls have been linked with Blackburn midfield man Stephen Reid ahead of the game and the Irish international would be a much welcomed addition to the S6 ranks but I cannot see it being true.

Wednesday boss Alan Irvine will be studying the opposition stringently and will be hoping to have identified a weakness that the Owls can exploit in order to earn a much needed win.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Nolan, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Tudgay, Miller, O’Connor, Soares; Johnson, Varney.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Gray, Potter, Clarke, McAllister, Simek, Hinds, Esajas, Modest, Palmer, Boden, Lekaj Jeffers.

Leicester City News

The Foxes head to Hillsborough on the back of a great three nil home win over East Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest, the victory made it eight unbeaten for the Foxes who currently sit 5th in the table, six points ahead of 7th placed Sheffield United.

Leicester City Heroes

Well I’ll start with one of our own, Gordon Banks, World Cup winner and former Leicester City goalkeeper.

Gordon was born in Sheffield and played as an amateur for Tinsley before joining Chesterfield in 1955 he would spend four years at Saltergate before joining Leicester in 1959, after a brief struggle to break into the City side he got his chance and it’s one he kept hold of, in his 8 years at the club he was a near ever-present, he helped the Foxes to the 1964 League Cup.

He replaced Wednesday keeper Ron Springett in the net for England after the 1962 World Cup and he was the man between the sticks in 1966 when England were Champions of the World, despite that success Banks found himself suddenly out of favour at Leicester after the emergence of the great Peter Shilton and in 1967 he left to join Stoke.

He was a regular for the Potters in his five year association with the club and helped them lift the 1972 League Cup, he also went to the 1970 World Cup finals where he made “That save” from Pele but fate took a turn and his career at the top was level was ended after a car crash saw him lose vision in his right eye.

Mr Leicester City is the next hero, Gary Lineker, second top goalscorer for England of all time with 48 goals in 80 appearances for the 3 Lions, including 10 in World Cup finals.

Gary came through the ranks at his hometown club and would spend 7 years as a professional with the Foxes scoring 95 goals in 194 appearances for the club, winning the Golden Boot in 1985, his goals twice helped the Foxes into the 1st division, first in 1980 and again in 1983.

In 1985 after courting the attention of several top sides he joined Everton in a £800k deal he would spend just one season with the Merseyside club where they finished up runners up in both the FA Cup and the league to bitter rivals Liverpool, he scored 38 goals in 52 games for the Toffees but the lure of European football with Barcelona (English clubs under Heysel ban) was too much of a lure and he moved to the Catalan giants for £2.2m in 1986.

He spent 3 years in Spain, the firs one his most successive from a personal point of view netting 21 goals in 41 games but Barca were trophy less under Terry Venables, he won his first career honour in 1988 winning the Copa Del Rey, he followed this up with the European Cup Winners cup in 1989 but life in Spain was becoming more difficult with new coach Johan Cruyff playing Lineker in a wider role, he scored 21 goals in his last two seasons from 62 appearances despite being played out of position.

In July 1989 Lineker was reunited with former Barca boss Terry Venables at Tottenham, he would have three goal laden seasons at White Hart Lane, he netted 15 in his first season before adding 24 the following year (the best in the Division) and in his final season he scored 28 goals in 35 games despite Spurs finishing 15th, he is the only man to have won the Golden Boot with three different clubs.

After the end of his international career he moved to Grampus Eight in Japan, he had two years out there but due to a broken toe only played 23 games, he netted nine times before retiring from the game in 1994.

He is currently the presenter on Match of the Day.

The Gaffer

Big Nige, “Pearson” whatever you want to call holds a special place in the hearts of Wednesday fans, he was the captain of the 1991 league cup winning side and an integral part of the success of the early 90’s.

This is Nigel’s third full time managerial role, his first job was at Carlisle but it was not a success, he only kept them in the Football League on the season’s final day when on-loan keeper Jimmy Glass netted in injury time and kept United up.

After leaving Carlisle he moved into coaching at Stoke, West Brom and Newcastle, he had caretaker manager spells at the last two before being appointed as Southampton manager in February 2008, his brief was to keep the Saints in the division, which he did thanks to a final day win over Sheffield United whilst Leicester drew at Stoke which led to the Foxes being relegated, Pearson was dismissed soon after.

In June 2008 he was appointed manager of League One club Leicester, in his only season in charge to date he led them to the League One title at a canter, they are currently xxth in the Championship.

As a player he began his league career in 1982 at Shrewsbury Town, he spent a further five years at Gay Meadow where he made 184 appearances before being snapped up by Howard Wilkinson at Wednesday, he had seven seasons at Wednesday making over 200 appearances and netting with regularity, he scored several goals for Wednesday on their way to the League Cup final of 1991, he also scored Wednesdays first ever Premier League goal.

He joined Middlesbrough in 1994, won the Division 1 title in 1995 and promotion to the Premier League, he captained the club to 3 domestic finals including a League Cup final replay at Hillsborough, and he retired in 1998.

Key Players

Paul Gallagher

Striker Paul joined the Foxes in the August window last year, he left Blackburn Rovers after seven years at the club in order to earn regular first team football.

Paul began his career at Roman Road youth team in Scotland before being snapped up by Rovers in 2002, he made his debut as an 18 year old against Arsenal in March 2003, he made no further appearances that season but in the 2003/04 he made 28 appearances for Rovers scoring 3 times in the process.

The 2004/05 season was more of the same for Gallagher, he made 21 appearances, mainly from the bench and contributed 3 goals.

For the 2005/06 season he was loaned to Stoke and he played forty times for Potters in the campaign and netted 12 goals. Another frustrating season at Blackburn ensued after that, he played just games, mainly from the bench again and scored just twice.

Preston were his next club, he joined on a four month loan but it wasn’t his most productive spell, he appeared 19 times and scored just once, the winner against Wednesday, later that season he re-joined Stoke but after just two starts in two months he returned to Rovers.

Last season he had a season long spell with Plymouth, it was to be the best scoring spell of his career to date with 13 goals in 41 games for the Pilgrims as they avoided the drop, a permanent move was expected but he opted to join Leicester where he has netted 5 times in 30 games so far.

Squad Number 1

Nobby Solano

Peruvian international Nobby snubbed Colchester to sign for the Foxes in January, the winger is now in the twilight of his career but the quality he brings could be valuable to City in the run in.

35 year old Nobby began his career way back in 1992 with Peruvian side Sporting Cristal where he spent a season before moving onto Deportivo Municipal where he spent 1 year before returning to Cristal where he began a legend in their side, they won the Peruvian Championship for three consecutive seasons from 1994 to 1996 and reached the Copa Libertadores (South American equivalent of the Champions League).

In 1997 he teamed up with Diego Maradona when he joined Boca Juniors, he was nicknamed the ‘Maestrito” by Maradona during his year in Argentina, he made 32 appearances for Boca.

Newcastle United signed Solano in 1998 for a £2.5m fee, it was arguably the best signing the Toon made in the last 12 years, he went onto to appear over 230 times for the Geordies in all competitions and he netted 38 times in a five and a half year stay on Tyneside.

Aston Villa signed Nobby in January 2004 for a £1.4m fee, he made 10 appearances up to the end of the 2003/04 season without scoring but the following season he more than made up for it netting 9times for the Villans in 43 appearances and ended the clubs top scorer.

Nobby returned to Newcastle in the summer of 2005 in a £1.5m deal and a move which saw James Milner move to Villa Park on loan, he spent two years back at St James making over 80 appearances in a two year spell netting 10 times for the club before being surprisingly sold to West Ham.

His time at the Hammers wasn’t the best of his career, he made just 14 Premier League starts and made a further nine sub appearances, he scored 4 times in his year at Upton Park.

He left England in the summer of 2008 and went to Greece to play for Larissa before returning to Peru where he helped Universitario de Deportes to their 25th League title.

He has made 4 appearances for the Foxes so far.

Squad Number 7

Bruno Berner

Swiss international defender Bruno joined the Foxes in September 2008 after his release from Blackburn Rovers the previous summer, the 32 year old left back had spent 18 months at Ewood Park making just six appearances.

Bruno began his career with one of the top clubs in his homeland, he joined Grasshoppers in 1997 and spent 5 years with the club making 66 appearances and helped them to the Swiss league title in 2001, he had a loan spell with Real Oviedo in 2000.

In 2002 he joined German club SC Freiburg where he would spend three years and notch up nearly 100 appearances in all competitions before returning to his native Switzerland to join FC Basle.

Bruno spent eighteen months with Basle, making 32 league appearances for the club before joining Blackburn in January 2007.

After signing for Leicester he made 38 appearances and scored two goals to help the Foxes to the League One title last May, he has followed this up with 27 appearances this campaign.

He has made 16 appearances for Switzerland, his last cap came in 2004.

Squad Number 15

Team News

Team (possible): Weale; Brown, Hobbs, Morrison, Berner; King, Wellens, Oakley, Dyer; Waghorn, Gallagher.

(subs from) Howard, Adams, Kermorgant, Bruce, Logan, N’Guessan, Clemence, McGivern, Ajdarevic;

Head to Head

Akpo Sodje netted his first goal in an Owls shirt when the two sides last met at HQ unfortunately for him and the Owls it was an own goal as the visitors ran out 2-0 winners in October 2008.

A year earlier the Owls won 2-1 with a Marcus Tudgay brace saw off the Foxes, it was the final game of Sean McAuley’s temporary reign with Brian Laws taking charge on the following Monday.

In January 2006 the Owls came from a goal behind to beat the Foxes in a relegation six pointer, after a overhead kick from Richard Stearman sneaked into the Owls net Graham Coughlan headed home a leveler before Chris Brunt fired in a 30 yard rocket to secure a vital three points.

The Owls won the last meeting between the sides in the top flight when they demolished the Foxes 4-0 on the seasons final day in May 2000, the Owls were already relegated but took no prisoners, goals from Alan Quinn, Andy Booth, Niclas Alexandersson and Gilles DeBilde gave the disappointing season a coupe de grace.

The two sides first met at S6 in the Owls first ever season at Hillsborough, goals from Beech and Wright saw the promotion chasing Owls win 2-0 in March 1900, the visitors first win at Hillsborough was in the 1924/25 season, they ran out 4-1 winners on their way to the Second Division title.

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 26

Draw: 14

Foxes: 13

Final thoughts

First it was 6 in 16 now suddenly it’s 6 in 13 as a target to stay and the next four games doesn’t get much harder in this league we need to get back to winning ways and quickly if we aren’t to be making trips to Yeovil instead of Portsmouth next season.

Retro game - Leicester City.

Mr Meercat once again looks back to a game with our next opponents Leicester City.

Well which one do I chose for the Leicester look back as it seems we have a decent record against the foxes. The league cup 7-1 mauling, the 5-0 too little too late, the 2-1 victory where Nicky Weaver performed heroics - nope this one had to be the one to write up.

Hopefully the players will read this one to remind them about Sheffield Wednesday FC in the 1990's.

Previously Sheffield Wednesday recorded a magnificent 2-1 victory against Newcastle United, a side that contained the likes of Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand, Faustino Asprillia, Peter Beardsley, David Ginola, Robert Lee and Dave_Owls all time favourite footballer David Batty. It was nothing but a miracle as everyone would have thought we would have got beaten by Newcastle. This season also saw us secure 4 points from Manchester United and I may be wrong but we either got 6 points or 4 from Newcastle - the return may have been 0-0. We also did the double over Liverpool for the final time with two 1-0 victories.

Anyway newly promoted Leicester City had made a decent start under boss Martin O Neill. This game was for the sky television viewers and was sky's first visit to Hillsborough

The Owls lined up was as follows
Pressman, Atherton, Nolan, Walker, Stefanovic, Whittingham, Collins, Humphreys, Blinker, Booth, Hirst
Subs - Clarke, Nicol, Oakes, Sheridan, Bright
Leicester City lined up as follows
Keller, Grayson, Whitlow, Watts, Walsh, Prior, Lennon, Izzet, Taylor, Heskey, Claridge
Subs - Poole, Robins, Lawrence, Marshall, Parker

With a crowd of 17,567 watching, it was Leicester City that looked the more promising attacking the kop end and bought the first real opening of the game. A young Emile Heskey was a nuisance to Stefanovic and he laid up Muzzy Izzet who struck a shot just over from 20 yards with Pressman beaten. Glasgow Rangers's favourite player Neil Lennon then beat Nolan with ease and his ball was comfortably dealt with by Pressman. Moments later, Wednesday carved their first chance of the again with Regi Blinker easily beating future owl Simon Grayson and put a lovely ball where Andy Booth just headed wide after winning the aerial battle with Steve Walsh

Leicester included Julian Watts in their side and many owls may remember Watts. He never really got a look in the side after being signed from Rotherham United for £25,000. Well it was his mis placed pass that bought the opening goal of the game and what a lovely goal it was. Humphreys picked it up inside the Leicester half and dribbled across Walsh, Watts and Prior before delicately placing a lovely chip over Kasey Keller into the net. It was a magnificent goal and almost beat his fine volley against Aston Villa which would have won goal of the month had a young David Beckham not produced some heroics against Wimbledon. It was just what the game needed as it wasn't much of a spectacle the opening 25 minutes.

However minutes later, Leicester were level and scored a fine equaliser as well. A dangerous ball from the vastly under-rated Mike Whitlow wasn't dealt with properly by the Wednesday defence and Wayne Collins weak header was volleyed in by Steve Claridge just outside the area past Pressman into the top corner. It was a magnificent finish by old Claridge who was known for never wearing socks ( well that's what it seemed when he ever played ).

To think, this match was a drab it suddenly got into life with 2 goals in the space of 3 minutes. Leicester almost made it 2-1 as Heskey exploited the Wednesday defence before firing wide of the target. Then once again, Leicester nearly caused their own disaster as Steve Walsh's poor clearance almost caused their side to go 2-1 down had it not been for Kellers awareness to smother a low shot from David Hirst. The half time whistle went and it was probably just about right the score being 1-1 although Leicester may have been a bit disappointed not to be winning.

The second half wasn't the best either and chances were very few between. The dangerous Muzzy Izzet hit a free kick that just sailed past the post and Wayne Collins thought he had the ball in the net but it was ruled out for offside. Pleat decided to change things round by bringing John Sheridan on for Ritchie Humphreys to go back to 4-4-2 instead of 4-3-3 and it wasn't too long before the owls were back in front. Sheridan showing his class with a fabulous through ball that Booth latched onto and shot low past the despairing dive of Kasey Keller into the bottom corner to give the owls a 2-1 lead. Mark Bright then came on for David Hirst and almost made it 3 but fired over from short range, something Mark Bright was well known for I must say.

The last few minutes Leicester piled the pressure on but never really caused any clear chances with substitute Ian Marshall going close with his header comfortably being saved by Kevin Pressman. In the end the referee blew his whistle to call time on a very average game leaving the table to look as follows

1: Sheffield Wednesday P4, W4, D0, L0 GF 8, GA 2, Pts 12

Yes for you youngsters we were once top of the premier league. We did lose the next game to Chelsea's millions although we were a bit unlucky from memory. Our final position that season was 7th and it would have been better had we not dropped points against the likes of Coventry City and Wimbledon at home. That was our usual downfall in the premier league, we'd beat the top teams but struggle against the lower teams at Hillsborough

BRING IT ON - Leicester City

It's the turn of a Fox this week to answer our questions, and we have a 'victim' named MPH from foxestalk.co.uk to give us his opinion on things Fox and Owl related.

1) Your expectations for this season, were they anywhere near the lofty position you find yourselves in?

Absolutely not. when the season started i would of been happy with a top ten finish. With several dreadful seasons in the championship, most city fans dare not dream of anything other than a consolidation season on our return. There is a definite feeling that we are overachieving this season and i still cant quite believe how well we are doing.

2) Nigel Pearson, an absolute legend at Hillsborough, what has he done that others couldn't since he took over?

He has completely changed the mentality of the playing squad... As mentioned above after several dreary seasons, and with relegation to the 1st division for the first time in our history, there was such a negative mentality...EVERYWHERE within the club. there were several players with premiership experience playing like they were scared of the championship.

Since he took over, he has brought in fresh blood a degree of positive attacking football and a sense of unity that has been missing for a long time. Also he looks like he could split someones head open with just one stare and consequently commands the respect of even the senior pros at the club. He doesn't stand for any messing about and doesn't tolerate half hearted attitudes amongst the playing staff. Its very easy to see why he is thought of as a legend and is highly though of here- our best manager since Martin O'Neill

3) There are a few in your squad that have rose to prominence this season, but apart from the more known players like Matty Fryatt and Martyn Waghorn. Is there someone else we might not have heard of that has played a starring role?

Jack Hobbs a young 6'3 CB was signed on loan from Liverpool at the beginning of our first season in 1st division and was fantastic. Amazingly, we signed him permanently for a rediculously cheap 400k and he has grown in skill confidence and stature this season. I have no doubts he would be a fine premier league defender and i doubt we will be able to keep him more than a couple more seasons if we are lucky! Michael Morrison another young CB was signed from non league football at the beginning of last season as back up to the regular CB pairing of Hobbs and Wayne Brown.

However he is a real find and is clearly benefiting from full time training and is a danger from set peices.. he has also been very successful at converting to RB, much to the annoyance of Robbie Nielsen the Hearts captain we signed with the expectation of being our regular RB. Look out too for a young Andy King, a CM who is just breaking into the Senior Wales 1st 11. Known to get among the goals and has a rocket shot from the edge of the box.

4) If there was a final piece in the squad jigsaw and you could purchase him, who would it be? (realistically)

We are short of a target man. Steve Howard's legs have gone and we have skill, pace and trickery up front but lack any height. I might try a cheeky bid for Andy Carrol but to be honest most people would just be delighted if we could sign Martyn Waghorn on a permanent deal- His energy and all action style has been a revelation for us this season. The championship's version of Wayne Rooney!. Pearson has played the loan market very well and we have been a much better team because of it.

5) Nottingham Forest seem to be the rival of yours if the chanting of the supporters is to be believed, so go on then, other than them which side do you prefer to beat and why?

Derby and Coventry are close midlands rivals too and its always nice to beat them. The sheer arrogance of Leeds really does bug a lot of Leicester fans... they are still going on about being 'champions of Europe' I mean... seriously... how many years ago.. They go on about how they 'deserve' to be in the premier league. They are where they are because they have played crap football for a while now. They need to realise that.

6) So what can you tell us about Sheffield Wednesday?

Well, in all honesty, it appears that The Owls have been badly ran and badly managed for a few seasons now. I had a bit more optimism for them at the beginning of this season and feel slightly mystified as to whats going on... They could well be mirroring what was the problem at City... a case of ingrained negativity permeating around the dressing room- I just hope you dont suffer the same fate we did. If you can keep Tudgay and O'Connor fit then surely you have too much quality to go down.

7) Best and worst memories of games against the Owls?

My first ever away game was against you in the league cup back in the early 90's. It was midweek, i dont remember any covering- we got soaked, were cold and we lost 7-1. I loved it. The way we danced and cheered your 6th and 7th goals as much as you did was pretty surreal and to be honest it was nice to see Chris woods play too - i remember him making a cracking save in the first half when it was 0-0. Dire performances, over the years is something that has frequented Leicester City far too often! I was also quite pleased when we signed Pressman a couple of years ago as he was synonymous with Sheffield Wednesday and a bit of a legend.

8) Do you think we will avoid the dreaded drop to League One?

I really hope so. Because my 1st away game was against you, i have always kept 1/2 an eye on Wednesday results. I appreciate the fact there doesn't seem to be too much arrogance coming from your fans and i would much prefer Dirty Leeds to stay down. so we can join you in poking fun at them.

9) Any team news?

Matty Fryatt our leading scorer will be out for several weeks after having his jaw broken for him in two places. Martyn Waghorn has taken on the Job of lead striker and has done superbly. Paul Gallagher an 800k early season signing from Blackburn is definitely benefiting from regular football scoring the first hat-trick of his career a couple of weeks ago and will be on the right, Lloyd Dyer should get a chance to use his pace on the left of a probable front 3.

Likely to be Matt Oakley, Andy King and Ritchie Wellens a 1.2m summer capture from Doncaster pulling the strings in the middle of the Park. A back 4 of Berner (LB) Hobbs, Brown ( CB's) and Morrison (RB) is expected. I hope to God, Ryan McGivern, a young LB on loan from Manchester City doesn't start. If he does, exploit him. Seriously.

10) Score prediction?

I hate predicting scores. Although we are unbeaten in 8, its not easy to break the mould of expecting some bad performances to be just around the corner. It feels like we are over achieving. If we play like we CAN play, ( we beat Forest 3-0 at home last week) I can see us winning 2-0 with Waghorn scoring a poachers goal in the 6 yard box and Morrison scoring from a corner. Realistically, however, we are away and it really does depend which Leicester turn up. Also you are fighting for your lives and I expect a tough encounter- I hate playing teams who are fighting for their lives...

All the best for the season,

MPH

Many thanks to MPH, you can visit him and his fellow foxes if you CLICK HERE

Clarke double delights Wednesday in 2-0 win

There were 4 changes from the side that got hammered last weekend at Reading with Leon Clarke, Jermaine Johnson, Tommy Miller and Owls captain Darren Purse all getting their names on the team sheet.

The Owls started brilliantly and Clarke went close before breaking the deadlock on 6 minutes. The striker broke away and fired his shot goalwards before seeing it parried by Foxes ‘keeper Chris Weale.
There was nothing Weale could do to stop Clarkes second chance from flying into the back of the net. Darren Potter played the ball through to Clarke who fired in from the wide right.

Wednesday took their foot off the gas a little which allowed Leicester to have a few chances of their own.
Eddie Nolan gave Lloyd Dyer enough time to cross the Chris Brunt look-a-like Paul Gallagher who put his header high and wide of the Wednesday goal.
Lee Grant had to be on his toes soon after to stop Martyn Waghorns shot at goal.

With just over half an hour on the clock Leicester had to replace their ‘keeper due to injury. The Foxes centre half chested the ball back to Weale but as he slid to get the ball he somehow injured himself and had to be replaced by Conrad Logan.

Around the 40 minute mark Tommy Spurr went up for a header and ended up being knocked unconscious which was of course his own fault and as a result the referee awarded a free kick against him. With this and the injury to Weale it meant 4 minutes of first half stoppage time but Wednesday hung on and went into half time 1-0 up.

Half Time – SWFC 1-0 LCFC

Frank Simek replaced Spurr at half time do to the head injury sustained in the first half which saw Nolan switch to the left back position where he seemed a lot more comfortable.

Johnson showed the kind of thing we’ve been missing recently and his pace was a threat all along and this was evident early in the second half. Firstly he cut inside before producing a tame shot and then he broke down the right wing and played a ball across goal but there was no one there to tap it in.

When the 2nd goal did come it was thanks to great build up play by Tudgay and Johnson. Tudgay knocked the ball down the wing and Johnson crossed to Clarke with a first time hit. Clarke was on hand to fire home and make it 2-0 to Wednesday.

With the game won both teams played down the clock with few chances. Dyer had a shot saved by Grant and Waghorn had a shot blocked by Nolan but Wednesday were strong and never really troubled on their way to a convincing 2-0 victory.

Full Time SWFC 2-0 LCFC

Next up for the Owls is a trip to 4th placed Swansea.

Owls head to Hawthorns

The Owls travel to the Midlands tomorrow in the first of three games on the road, Wednesday face high flying Albion at the Hawthorns before trips to Swansea and Preston in the next week.

Owls News

Wednesday boss Alan Irvine will assess the fitness of his returning players ahead of the trip to the Hawthorns, Darren Purse and Tommy Miller both completed 90 minutes whilst Jermaine Johnson was a constant threat in his 70 minute spell terrorizing Bruno Berner.

Tommy Spurr could miss the trip to the Hawthorns after taking a facial knock in Saturdays win, the left back was concussed in the incident which bizarrely saw the referee award a free kick to the visitors, Eddie Nolan switched to left back and looked assured whilst Spurr’s replacement Frankie Simek was comfortable on the right.

The midfield four played a high tempo game on Saturday with Tommy Miller particularly having a great game and showing some of the abilities that persuaded Brian Laws to bring in the attacking midfielder, more of the same is required against arguably the most cultured side in the division.

Leon Clarke will retain his place up front, the former Wolves man will be a target for some abuse by the Baggies faithful but if the Leon who played Saturday turns up the Albion back four could be facing quite a handful, both he and Tudgay could be a tough test for the Baggies.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Simek, Beevers, Purse, Nolan; Johnson, O’Connor, Potter, Miller; Clarke, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Hinds, Boden, McAllister, Varney, Soares, Esajas, Jeffers, Gray, Spurr.

West Brom News

The Baggies come into the game in 3rd place after a disappointing defeat away at QPR at the weekend, the Baggies will be hoping their game in hand will earn them 3 ppints and move them back into the top two at Nottingham Forests’ expense.

West Brom Heroes

Jeff Astle was a Baggies hero and goal scoring machine during the 60’s and 70’s, he cost the club £25,000 when he was signed from home-town club Notts County, indeed he’d modeled his style of play on County legend Tommy Lawton.

Jeff had spent 5 years at County netting 31 league goals for the club in over 100 appearances which was hardly prolific but his move to the Hawthorns galvanized his career and in his ten spell with the club he would net at a rate of almost 1 in 2, with 174 goals in 361 appearances, he became the first man to score in the final of both major cup competitions at Wembley, netting a winner in the 1968 FA Cup final and scoring in 2-1 League Cup final defeat two years later, he also netted in the 1966 League cup final but this was played over two legs, Albion won it.

He was the top scorer in the 1969/70 season with 25 goals and that got him into the England side, he played 5 times for his country but failed to score. After leaving Albion Jeff went to Greece for a short spell before returning home to Non-League football.

In 2002 Jeff passed away at the age of 59, he had been suffering from a degenerative brain disease which was later found to be the result of his playing career.

Another Albion legend is Laurie Cunningham, he only spent two years with the club but what a couple of years.

London born Laurie was rejected by Arsenal as a youngster and instead signed for Leyton Orient, he made his debut in the 1974/75 season and left midway through the 1976/77 campaign to join Johnny Giles’ West Brom alongside Cyrille Regis. It was under former Wednesday manager Ron Atkinson that his career took off, he alongside Regis and Brendan Batson helped transform Albion into one of the most attractive and attacking sides in the country.

In 1977 Laurie became the first Black international for England when he was capped at U21 level, in 1979 he became the first black player to wear the 3 lions at full level in a competitive fixture.

Laurie spent just over three years with Albion scoring 30 goals in 114 appearances from the wing, he created many more, he signed for Real Madrid for a reputed £950k fee in the summer of 1979, his first season was one to remember as he helped the club to a domestic double scoring 8 league goals in the process. He began the following season well before breaking a toe, it was to be the start of a succession of injuries that blighted his career, he returned to help Real retain the Copa Del Rey in 1981.

The next two seasons were injury hit, he made just more appearances without scoring for Madrid, he also had a 5 game spell at Manchester United on loan netting once.

In 1983 he signed for Sporting Gijon on loan, he made 30 appearances in the league for the club scoring 3 times, following the loan Real cut their losses and Cunningham signed for Marseille, he had an impressive spell with the club and 8 league goals in 30 appearances in the 1984/85 season.

After that spell in France he returned home to sign for Leicester where he had a 1 year spell making 15 league starts for the club but he failed to net, he returned to Spain to sign for Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish second division, he made 37 appearances for the club which helped secure a move to Charleroi in Belgium for the 1987/88 season. Once again injuries took there toll and he played just one league game for the club before joining Wimbledon on loan in early 1988, he helped the Crazy Gang to their great FA Cup shock victory in 1988.

Laurie returned to Rayo Vallecano to spend more time with his Spanish wife in the summer of 1988 and helped the club back into the Primera League, in fact he netted the goal that sealed it.

In the summer of 1989 Laurie Cunningham was killed in a road crash in Madrid.

The Ground

West Brom have been at the Hawthorns for 110 years and the ground is up there with my favourites in the country, it is an old ground in its history terms but new in the set up and offers a great view wherever you sit.

The ground has seen many changes over the years, from the early mud mounds to the concrete terraces then onto the electronic turnstiles and the electric floodlights.

The stadium capacity is currently 26,500 all seater, the largest stand at the Hawthorns is the East Stand, the stand was build in 2001 to replace the old Rainbow Stand which had stood since 1964, the capacity of the stand is just shy of 8,800 and all the clubs commercial activities are in this stand as well as the administrative centre.

Across from the East Stand is somewhat unsurprisingly the West Stand, this was fully refurbished in 2008 and was the Halfords Lane end until then, it holds 5,110, it was originally built in two phases between 1979 and 1982.

The main home end is the Birmingham Road end, this was originally a terrace stand but after the Taylor Report it was renovated and a new stand was opened in 1994 with space for around 8,300 spectators, this stand is behind one of the goals.

The away fans are held in the Smethwick End which has a total capacity of 5,816 but the stand is often split between home and away fans reducing capacity down, the Owls will have around 1,500 seats for the game with space for a few more.

The Gaffer

Former Italian international Roberto Di Matteo is boss at the Hawthorns, he succeeded Tony Mowbray in the summer following his defection to Celtic.

This is only the second job of Di Matteo’s managerial career, he had spent the previous season at MK Dons replacing Paul Ince, the likeable Italian had guided Franchise FC to the League One play offs in his spell in charge but they were cruelly beaten by Scunthorpe.

As a player he began his career in Switzerland (the country of his birth) and spent time at Schaffhausen, FC Zurich and FC Aarau before joining Lazio in the summer of 1993 on a free transfer.

His time at Lazio was a success and saw him capped by Italy (the home country of his parents) and he was a lynchpin in the Rome club’s side until he fell out with the coach over a defensive error, that signaled the end of his career with Lazio and he joined Chelsea in the summer of 1996 for a near £5m.

Di Matteo quickly settled at Stamford Bridge and was getting a reputation as a goal scorer, he scored the fastest ever goal in an FA Cup final at the old Wembley when he beat Middlesbrough’s Ben Roberts from 30 yards after just 43 seconds. He went on to win the that trophy again 3 years later as well as the UEFA Cup winners Cup, the League Cup and the UEFA Super cup.

In 2000 he suffered a triple compound fracture and after nearly 18 months rehabilitation he was forced to call it a day at the age of just 31.

Key Players

Simon Cox

Former Swindon striker Simon joined the Baggies in the summer in a deal said to be worth £1.5m, he took time to settle but is now looking a bargain at half the price.

Simon began his career with hometown club Reading, making his debut in a League cup tie in September 2005, he went on to make a further five appearances that campaign, all from the bench.

With Reading in the top flight Simon saw his chances restricted and went to Brentford on loan, he failed to find the net in his 14 match spell with the Bees, later that season he joined Northampton on loan and scored 3 goals in 8 league appearances.

In the August 2007 transfer window he was loaned to Swindon Town and his career began to take off, he netted 9 times in his 21 games on loan before the move was made permanent in January for around £200k, he scored a further 6 goals in 17 games to the end of the season.

In the 2008/09 season Cox was in great goal scoring form, notching 32 goals for the Robin in just 50 appearances in all competitions, in his 88 games for the club he bagged 47 goals which gave him a goal ration of a goal ever 1.87 games.

The Baggies took the plunge despite interest from several clubs and despite yours truly pointing out his abilities during his first few weeks at Swindon, he has netted 9 times in 29 games for the club, including a brace at Hillsborough back in November.

Squad Number 31

Robert Koren

Cultured midfielder Robert is in his fourth year with the Baggies after signing on a free transfer in January 2007 under the Bosman ruling, he left Lillestrom in Norway to sign for West Brom.

Robert began his career in his native Slovenia and after coming through the ranks at Celje he made his professional debut with Dravograd where he spent 5 years making over 100 appearances for the club.

In 2001 he returned to Celje where he had an impressive 3 year spell which included 22 goals in 78 league appearances.

Lillestrom in Norway was the next port of call, he joined the Norwegian side in 2004, his three years with the club were a personal success if not a club one, he helped them to the final of the Norwegian Cup and the Intertoto Cup as well as league runners up in 2006, he appeared 75 times for the club before moving to the Baggies.

He made his Baggies debut as a sub in the FA Cup against Leeds before making his full debut against the same opposition in the League a fortnight later, he made 23 appearances that season as the Baggies lost the Championship play-off final, he netted once.

The 2007/08 was his best to date for the club, he helped them to the Championship title and scored ten goals in 46 appearances, last season only Scott Carson appeared more times for the club in their battle against relegation, Robert grabbed 3 goals in 39 games.

He has made 20 starts so far this and a further 8 from the bench, he has netted on four occasions.

Robert is a Slovenia international with nearly 50 caps to his name, he is one to watch out for when England meet Slovenia in the World Cup finals.

Squad Number 7

Jerome Thomas

Jerome is a former Arsenal trainee who signed for the Baggies on a free transfer in the summer after being released by cash strapped Portsmouth.

Despite coming through the Arsenal ranks Jerome actually made his professional debut whilst on loan at QPR in 2002, he had a 1 month spell at Loftus Road at the back end of the 2001/02 season, he made 4 appearances and scored his first goal in a 1-0 win at Swindon.

Jerome returned to QPR in August 2002 for another loan spell, he played six games and netted 2 goals before returning to Highbury, he failed to make another appearance that season.

His Arsenal debut came in the 2003/04, he played 3 league ties for the Gunners, in February 2004 he was sold to Charlton, he made his Addicks debut in May of the same year.

In the 2004/05 season he made 28 appearances for the Addicks and netted his first Premier League goal in a 3-2 win at Spurs, he scored two more in the season. He followed that up with 31 appearances the following campaign, his only goal again came at Spurs.

He played 24 times for the club in 2006/07 season but couldn’t help them avoid the drop, he managed 3 goals as well. With the Addicks in the second tier Jerome made the most appearances in a season to date, he played 33 times for the club without scoring.

In August 2008 he joined Portsmouth initially on loan before signing for free, he made just three appearances for the club.

Since joining the Baggies he’s made 25 appearances, had two red cards and scored 8 times, certainly his best season scoring wise of his career.

Squad Number 14

Team News

Team (possible): Carson; Reid, Tamas, Olsson, Cech; Brunt, Watson, Dorrans, Thomas, Koren; Cox;

(subs from) Mattock, Miller, Kiely, Mulumbu, Morrison, Meite, Moore, Sloury, Nouble.

Head to Head

A 97th minute equalizer by former Baggie Steve Watson earned the Owls a point when the two sides last met in November 2007, the strike came well after the allotted five minutes and cancelled out a Kevin Phillips strike to infuriate the home crowd, the Owls almost snatched even later into time added on through Deon Burton, that would have brought back memories of a famous away win at the Hawthorns in the late part of 1990.

The season prior to the 1-1 draw the Owls had won at the Hawthorns in a game which saw the hosts reduced to nine men, a cross from Chris Brunt was prodded goal bound by Deon Burton on 59 minutes and despite Dean Kiely’s efforts the ball squirmed over the line cue an explosion on the away end as the Wednesdayites celebrated, Neil Clement and Paul Robinson were later dismissed for bad fouls on ex-Wolves man Leon Clarke.
So back to 1990, former Baggies manager Ron Atkinson, he took his high flying Owls to the Hawthorns and saw his side fall behind to a Stewart (brother of Bryan) Robson goal, this lead was to last till the 86th minute as the Barmy Army cranked up the noise, Peter Shirtliff leveled matters from a corner before Tricky Trev won for the Owls in the final minute.

The two clubs first met at the Hawthorns way back in 1892 in an FA Cup match, the hosts won 2-1.

Overall at the Hawthorns:

Owls: 20

Draw: 18

Baggies: 17

Final thoughts

A tough game for Wednesday who need at least a point to climb out of the trap door and against a side licking their wounds, we need to be tactically spot on to grind a result out and the defence must work as hard as they did Saturday.

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Will Reg become a Fox and not an Owl.

With Luke Varney on loan with Wednesday until the summer, speculation will no doubt be rife that the Derby County striker may join the Owls on a permanent basis after the season has ended.

Varney is in his third loan spell with the club and Alan Irvine is a fan of the former Charlton and Crewe forward, but it appears the club that Varney helped to defeat at the weekend are keen to acquire the services of the striker who is a self confessed Foxes fan.

'I suppose I'm in the shop window. Of course, I'd love to come to Leicester,' Varney told the Derby Telegraph. 'I feel I've not really been given a chance at Derby.'

Meanwhile goalscoring hero at the weekend, Leon Clarke, is not considering what may happen in the summer as his contract with the Owls expires. Clarke who has hit the net 17 times for Wednesday since his move from Wolves in January 2007 may well find himself out of the door at Hillsborough in the summer but he isn't worrying about that just yet.

'I haven't thought about it to be honest. The only thing I'm thinking about right now is helping to keep Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.

'We have another big game coming up on Tuesday at West Brom and, obviously, they're a very good side.
'They will come at us and play some good football but the manager will have us very well prepared.'

Bring it on- BAGGIES

The Leicester fan on Saturday got the score prediction very wrong, they lost of course! Tonight we face West Brom at the Hawthorns, can another fan get it spectacularly wrong when it comes to his prediction and the Owls come out on top?

For this edition of Bring it on, we speak to LifestyleOneupmanship from wbaunofficial.com to see what he has to say about the blue and white striped team from the midlands.

1) Promotion, nothing else. Was that pretty much the remit back in August?

Promotion seems to be always a possibility for us in recent seasons; except for Premiership seasons when promotion is replaced with relegation, and possibility with inevitability. Round about now, promotion actually starts to hang over us like a black cloud.

2) Have things gone pretty much as you expected them to? if not, why not?

Pretty much, yes. We were in with a shout at the start of the season; we're still in with a shout.

3) Chris Brunt, we all know about this bloke, cracking left foot and we miss him massively. Bordering on legendary status if we are talking about fantastic goals, but what do you lot think of him?

His left foot hasn't deserted him but his ability to score spectacular goals seems to have. He's probably stagnated a bit at Albion.

4) You have plenty of talent in your side, but who has rose to prominence this season that caught you by surprise?

Dorrans is the obvious one. The only obvious one really.

5) There are plenty of derbies round your way, but aside from them, who else do you REALLY love to beat and why?

I would love to see us to knock Glasgow Rangers out of a European competition.

6) What can you tell us about Sheffield Wednesday?

One of the handful of clubs who I'd consider to genuinely deserve the adjective 'classy': along with Arsenal, Everton and Norwich.

7) What are your best and worst memories of games against the Owls?

Best memory is probably your supporters ripping it out of the Dingles on the last day of 2001/02

8) Do you think we will beat the drop?

Yes, Irvine is a good Championship manager.

9) Team news?

We are anticipating the possibility of goalkeeping changes, although options are limited.

10) Finally, score prediction please!!!

2-2

Well thanks to LifestyleOnemanupmanship for the answers and to be honest, I'd take a 2-2 draw at the Hawthorns, it's a shame we aint got Steve Watson for another 96th Minute equalizer!

You can visit Mr Lifestyle and his posting mates at wbaunofficial by clicking HERE

Look out for the rest of his mates answers in the Bring it on thread on the board... Next up, a Swan this weekend!

Retro Game - West Brom

So back we go to the 1990/91 season and the 24th November 1990 to be precise. I remember this game very well as my old man tried to get me as the mascot for this game since it was 6 days before a birthday I was very fortunate to see. Well sadly I didn't get the mascot duties but nevermind, I was just very lucky to be travelling to these games.

Well anyway back then the trains were not known for their shiteness and their franchise bollox. We got the intercity 125 train from London to Birmingham to meet some of dads mates. Once we got there, we ended up getting a train to Walsall for a few bevvies before catching a bus towards West Brom. Walsall and West Brom are not far from each other at all, in fact I would say that's more of a derby game than West Brom v Wolves.

Anyway the baggies were not having a good season under Brian Talbot while Wednesday were looking for an immediate return to the top flight. Wednesday were lining up against a baggies strike force of Gary Bannister and Bob Taylor. Now Bob Taylor is a baggies legend as he played god knows how many games for them scoring a few as well. This game was also the first time Carlton Palmer returned to the club and I think the first time Ron Atkinson returned. Well Wednesday took around 4000 supporters to this game and packed the away end filling the crowd to 16,586.

The sides came out and Wednesday lined up as follows

Turner, Nilsson, King, Shirtliff, Pearson, Harkes, Palmer, Sheridan, Worthington, Hirst, Williams
Subs - Francis, Madden

Unfortunately for all, I cannot remember the full West Brom team but they had the likes of Bannister playing, with Taylor, the experienced defender Graham Roberts, Stewart Robson, but more than anything I'll never forget the moment the tannoy announced the substitute Colin West.

If you were there, you'll remember this well and it still makes me laugh to the day. Subs for West Brom no 12 Colin West - cue Wednesday fans shouting 'DUCK'!!!!!!! and plenty of fans ducked. For the youth of today, if you want to know why this happened ask about a penalty Colin West took in front of the kop.

Well anyway as this is going to be done from memory and I honestly do not remember the game that well to provide a decent write up ( others i've used memory and have used recollections from programmes etc. This time none of this will happen. However on a cold novembers day I remember this wasn't a classic although Wednesday should have taken the lead very early on with Paul Williams missing a glorious chance from a few yards out where the keeper Andy Dibble was no where. West Brom had a young Andrew Dibble on loan for this game and actually had a pretty good game. He then made an excellent save to deny a John Sheridan thunderbolt free kick which Wednesday fans thought had goal written all over it.

Wednesday though had a blip from a set piece. They failed to clear a corner away and Shakespeare crossed the ball back into the danger area for Stewart Robson to lash home to give the baggies the lead giving Talbot a huge sigh of relief. This was right in front of the Albion fans as well and was a kicker to the owls who had failed to defend a corner. Pearson was fuming at his defence and to be fair had every right to.

It could have got worse for Wednesday had Taylor connected with a lovely through ball from Roberts. Graham Roberts was giving Palmer a game and I think this performance earned some interest by us, but this never came off. The final chance of the first half came to David Hirst who's volley went wide of the target with the keeper beaten

The second half started and this started to become a battle of the midfield. You could tell Wednesday were the superior team but they were struggling against a very hard working West Brom outfit. You could tell Brian Talbot had instructed his men to really get at us, not allow players any space and force mistakes for them to penalise us on. Well they should have done as pressure on Peter Shirtliff resulted in Craig nShakespeare playing a ball out to Don Goodman on the right and his ball was perfectly connected by Bannister but Chris Turner made a magnificent save to keep us in the game with Ron Atkinson applauding the heroics of the keeper.

Atkinson decided enough was enough and bought on Trevor Francis for John Harkes in order to add some attacking flair to the team and for Wednesday this substitution changed the whole game. Francis's experience really helped us for the last 15 minutes and almost produced a stunning goal had Dibble not been alert to push his shot over the bar.

Well the clock was running out and some magic stuff from Francis forced Albion to concede a corner. The ball was beautifully delivered in by Sheridan and up rose Peter Shirtliff to power the ball into the net to give Wednesday the equaliser and send 4000 wednesday fans ecstatic. To be fair this was probably going to be the fair result but this really fired Wednesday and came relentless pressure on the baggies goal. You could now tell who were the side on the ascendency and within minutes Williams forced the keeper to make a great save with his shot from 10 yards. The corner came in and Pearsons header was saved again by the keeper before being hacked away. West Brom decided to make a change to run down the clock bringing on Colin West resulting in owls fans ducking - a picture I wish I could have done again as it was a great sight.

However, their tactics and subsitute failed as with seconds to go, the owls attacked down the right and Nilsson put a ball into the danger zone that was poorly dealt with by the baggies and Francis had the easiest of chances and obliged by sending the ball into the corner to give Wednesday the lead with the last kick of the game. What is it with 90th minute winners away from home as these are celebrated more wildly than us scoring a 90th minute winner at home. I actually picked up a bruise from where dads mate Jack accidentally whacked me from going mad celebrating our winner.

When the final whistle went, there were huge chants of Atkinsons barmy army and we are going up as Wednesday took the 3 points back to Hillsborough. This season did not end well for the baggies as not only did they go down on the last day of the season, they also embarrasingly lost 4-2 at home to conference side Woking. As expected Brian Talbot got the sack immediately after that game

A tale of two Owls - West Brom

After the success of the Owling/TommyCraig trip to Reading we thought we'd give it another go...
So this time we have the thoughts of our very own BrylcreemBoy and Lowl.

Brylcreem: This was only my second away game on the season, and I was hoping for a vast improvement on the first (Reading). I had not intended to attend this match but received a text from Beastie asking if I wanted to attend, I jumped at the chance. He picked me up from Meadowhall with Hollie and we departed for the West Midlands. Steve had his usual pre match music on, various hits from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s along with some ska covers.

Enough to send a man mad! And it nearly did, and it’s fair to say the journey was long though enjoyable. We arrived at West Brom and after various random photos, which seemed to have the locals mystified, we collected the tickets and made our way to the front row, right next to the Bouncing Baggies fans. I felt really up for it and believed we would come away with something. Both sets of fans were in good voice. I liked this ground, fairly new but with character. I tucked into my second chicken balti pie and awaited kick off.

Lowl:I was quite excited about the trip to West Brom, its one of my favourite grounds, we always get a result there and I missed not going last season for obvious reasons. I don’t know if it was Saturday's result but I already had butterflies in my stomach (well until someone pointed out we haven’t lost there since 1975 - how many of those types of records have been broken this last season?!) BUT ever the optimist I still thought we would get something, even a draw would suffice.

Id planned my afternoon off work down to a T but seemed to be on the last push to get to Hillsborough on time and then almost got run over as two cars avoided collision by the hair of a gnats cock whilst veering directly towards me, almost making it three bumps in three games!

Right………….pub 'we go left and its past the ground on the left'…'ok'….starts walking. Pub shut 'oh we should have turned right' so we go back on ourselves back past the ground, past the coaches, past the garage 'how much further?'……'keep going!!'……….'I'm sure its not down here'. There it was set back from the road (the giveaway was the riot van parked outside). The Royal Oak, looked quite big from the pavement, walked through the first main door we came to, full of West Brom (with the exception of one Sheffield actor and two mates). The pub was split in half with no views in between, it turned out our lot were in the other side, we could hear them occasionally which was winding one lad up who tried to sing back but he was weak, very very weak. Just had time for a swift drink then a brisk walk back to the ground for kick off.

The stewards outside the turnstiles were lined up to start searching 'don’t even try it mate'…..im in. Like ive said, its one of my favourite grounds, its not one of those new bowl type affairs it’s an old ground that’s had a massive facelift and is totally enclosed (similar to ours will be when its been redeveloped I suppose). Exchanged a few pleasantries then went to find my seat. LS was stood talking to some chaps a few rows in front of me but he left before kick off.

Brylcreem:WBA kicked off and the game got under way. During the early stages there were no real chances though both teams showed their ability to brake with pace with JJ and Jerome Thomas. Chris Brunt came closest early on with an overhead kick that went high and wide after a cross from Thomas. There were plenty of corners to WBA but nothing really troubled the Wednesday goal.

In fact, the only thing that troubled Lee Grant was the sand pit on his six yard line as he found it difficult to get distance and accuracy on his goal kicks. Darren Purse and Beever’s looked solid at the back during the first half without being put under any real pressure. JJ and Miller worked the flanks well and got back at every opportunity to help out the wing backs. James OC won tackles and covered every blade of grass in the middle of the park and Leon did well, holding the ball up and spreading the play when it looked like the move was dead.

The best chance of the first half went to JJ as he chased a pass from JOC with a WBA defender, who slipped. JJ cut inside and lofted the ball over Scott Carson’s head, who was stranded in the middle of his goal. I thought it was in and was half celebrating when I saw it hit and role off the top of the netting. The steward in front looked at me with a smug look. Twat. The whistle blew for half time to be met with jeers from the home supporters, a sign of their frustration at the lack of conviction from WBA and to how well we had done. We cheered the lads in at half time hoping for more of the same in the second.

I tucked into a snicker, to which Steve asked where the hell I put it all. Am a growing lad was my reply. We had an unwelcome visitor for the beginning of the second half; Steve’s flatulence was getting unbearable and was bringing tears to mine and Hollies eyes. The stewards at the front thought about introducing a cordon but decided against this idea for their own well being.

Lowl:The second half wasn’t as enjoyable, maybe its because the clock was running down and we weren’t as in control. A couple more shots wide for West Brom coupled with some excellent saves and stretches from Grant, tipping the ball away and keeping us in the game. We thoroughly deserved to get something out of that game but it wasn’t meant to be, Koren's 30 yard strike sealed their win on the 78th minute, there was no way we would be able to pull that back. No last minute goals for us, that’s just not Wednesday. I only found fault with Varney and Jeffers (yeah that whole 10 mins or so!) But everyone else was top notch, you could tell it had taken its toll as at final whistle, some of them dropped to their knees, you'd think they'd just lost the play off final!!

Along with them, and many others, I was disappointed we didn’t come away with something, it wouldn’t be natural if I didn’t but considering where West Brom are in the table, where they've just come from, where they're possibly going back to and the fight and determination those lads showed last night, I think we'll be alright you know.

We are staying up, say we are staying up!

Thanks to Mr Brylcreem and Lowl for their contributions, I think it brings something different to the match report so hopefully some of you with feel the same and want to put your view across this weekend after the Swansea game?

Go on!

We need to kick on.

Is the comment from Lee Grant after the Owls defeat at the Hawthorns on Tuesday night, but it's been an obvious rallying call from the thousands of Wednesdayites for most of the season.

Grant, hasn't disappointed in his own performances and on Tuesday he showed again why he is so highly rated by other club managers with a string of good saves to keep out the threat from Albion, although there was nothing he could've done to keep out Robert Koren's decisive strike.

'We have to kick on because the games are running out,' Grant told The Star.
'We need to make sure that we are not battling against relegation in the last two to three matches of the season.

'I have been there before with Derby and it is a difficult situation to be in.'
Grant, who kept his first clean sheet in a month against Leicester, added: 'It is important for the team to get as many points on the board as quickly as we can.

'Everybody is aware of where we are and what we need to do.'

Alan Irvine has made the players quite aware of what is required in the battle for Championship survival as he has re-iterated what he thinks will be the required amount of points to ensure the Owls are to stay in the division they currently reside.

'I'm even more convinced than I was at the start of the season that it's going to be a high total to survive,' 'Not everybody can get 53 points, so I'm not really too concerned about what happens in the table at the moment.

'It would be freakish if everybody did get 53 points - it would mean that teams at the top end of the table weren't getting points.

'I'm focussing on us winning enough games.'

Swansea, the Owls opponents at the weekend are on a high at the moment after their midweek win against Watford, courtesy of a goal from ex-Owl, Shefki Kuqi, cemented their place in the playoff pack and within touching distance of the automatic promotion places. So it will have to be another resiliant performance from Irvine's men to get something from the game at the Liberty Stadium which has not been a happy hunting ground visiting sides this season, with just two sides tasting victory in Wales.

Wednesday's only visit to teh relatively new stadium resulted in a one all draw last season, with Steve Watson salvaging a point after a fantastic strike from Ferre Bodde put the hosts in front. The last 3 games have seen the Swans with the upper hand overall as two draws last season and a win at Hillsborough proves.

Look out for the Owlsonline preview in the build up to the game this weekend.

Owls hoping to take Liberty

Wednesday head to South Wales still deep in a relegation dog fight after their 1-0 loss at West Brom on Tuesday, the Owls deserved more from the game but a wonder strike from Robert Koren earned the hosts all three points.

Owls News

Alan Irvine will welcome Marcus Tudgay back into the squad for the trip to South Wales, the forward missed the defeat at West Brom with an illness but looks set for an instant recall in place of Luke Varney who looked ineffective against the Baggies.

Darren Purse will return to South Wales for the first time since his move to S6 and is sure of a hot reception from the Swans fans who won’t forget his allegiances with their hated rivals Cardiff City, the Wednesday skipper has been a welcome addition in the last couple of months and will be hoping for a first clean sheet on the road in three months.

Tommy Miller and Jermaine Johnson will be hoping to be fully refreshed from their midweek excursions and be ready to face the Swans, the two have performed very well in the last two games and offer a threat going forward which is vital in the run in.

Leon Clarke looks set to lead the line again, the burly forward has looked up for it in the last two games and his physical presence could be a useful attribute between now and the end of the season, Francis Jeffers made his first appearance under Alan Irvine on Tuesday and the former England man will again be in contention from the bench.

Wednesday could also take youngster Liam Palmer with them, the academy product has just been called up for Scotland U19's after his impressive performances for the Owls reserves and juniors.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Nolan, Beevers, Purse, Spurr; Miller, Potter, O’Connor, Johnson Clarke, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Simek, Boden, McAllister, Hinds, Esajas, Clarke, Soares, Gray, Varney, Palmer.

Swansea News

The Swans currently sit in 4th place in the league after Tuesdays 1-0 win at struggling Watford, the result puts them 9 points clear of seventh placed Blackpool and the Swans look certs to be in the promotion shake up come May.

Swansea City Heroes

Roger Freestone appeared nearly 700 appearances for the Swans in a 15 year spell at the club and holds the club record for number of games played.

He began his career with Newport in the mid 1980’s but made just 13 appearances before being signed by Chelsea who were in the 1st Division, he made 6 League appearances in the 1986/87 season for the club and a further 15 the following season but the club were relegated. In Division two he shared goalkeeping duties and played 21 times as Chelsea won promotion.

At the start of the 1989/90 season he was sent out on loan, first to Hereford and then to Swansea, he appeared 14 times for the Swans before returning to the Bridge, he failed to gain another start for the Pensioners and in September 1991 re-joined the Swans.

Over the next ten years he was an almost ever-present for the Swans, notching up 439 league appearances from a possible 456, he ever took the penalties for a short while, in that spell he gained two promotions and one relegation, winning one 4th tier title medal.

Another season in the 3rd tier and Roger missed just three league games but couldn’t keep the Swans up, another 43 appearances the following season saw Roger pass the 500 League appearances mark before age and injuries took their toll, he played another 67 times for the club in the league from 2002-2004 missing 25 league games, more than he had done in his previous 10 seasons.

In 2004 he was released from his contract shortly after winning the Football League Trophy.

Another legend of “The Vetch” is Ivor Allchurch once the leading scorer for the Welsh side and a City legend, he had two spells with the club starting when he was 18 and ending at the age of 38.

Ivor was spotted playing local football in his home town Swansea by a scout of the club, he was invited to join the then named Swansea Town in 1947 which he accepted but it wouldn’t be until the early 50’s when he made his debut for the first team because of conscription to the British Army.

He was a prolific scorer for the Swans over the next seven seasons scoring 124 goals in 327 games for the club, his exploits earned him his first Wales cap in 1951 where he faced England.

In 1958 Ivor was transferred to Newcastle United on the back of an impressive World Cup which showed off his immeasurable talents, he scored twice in the finals including one in the play off that saw them reach the Quarter finals. He he would spend 4 years, the £28k fee seemed a bargain and Ivor repaid the Geordies by banging in 46 goals in 143 appearances.

South Wales was calling Ivor in 1962 but surprisingly it was Cardiff not Swansea where he headed, his record at Cardiff was very impressive with 39 goals in 103 appearances for the Bluebirds in a three year stint.

At the age of 35 he returned home to Swansea for a final swansong, he had 3 more years at the Vetch where he maintained his impressive strike rate with 40 goals in 118 games, his international career also ended during those three years, he finished with 23 goals from 68 games for Wales.

Ivor passed away aged 67 in 1997 with a career record of 249 goals in nearly 700 appearances.

The Ground

The club is into their 5th season at the Liberty Stadium, another of the soulless stadiums popping up everywhere, the Liberty is like all new bowls, 4 identikit stands each offering an unrestricted view.

The Liberty Stadium holds 20,532 and cost a reputed £27m to build, it is similar to the likes of Cardiff, Reading, Derby, Leicester, Doncaster in style.

The away end is the North Stand and can if required accommodate 3,500 but rarely is the demand there.

Moving to the Liberty ended a 93 year stay at Vetch Field.

The Gaffer

Paolo Sousa replaced Roberto Martinez as gaffer in the summer, the former Portuguese international had just been replaced himself at QPR.

As a player he was a member of the “golden generation” a name given to members of the Portuguese national team of the mid to late 90’s alongside the likes of Manuel Rui Costa, Joao Pinto and Luis Figo. Amongst his former clubs are the Benfica, Sporting Lisbon, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Parma and Espanyol, he was a winner with pretty much every club he played, including twice a Champions League winner, injury forced him to end his illustrious career early.

He was assistant manager to the Portuguese national side when QPR acquired his services in November 2008 but he was to last just 5 months before being sacked for divulging club information, however lets not lie about it, all is not rosy at QPR and it wouldn’t surprise me if Sousa refused to be Briatore’s puppet.

He was appointed Swansea manager in June following Roberto Martinez’s move to Wigan, after a slow start he has suddenly seemed to have made things click and the Swans are well set to push on for the Premier League.

Key Players

David Cotterill

Welsh international David returned “home” in November last year on loan from Sheffield United, the winger had been trimmed from the United wage bill as a cost cutting exercise.

Although born in Cardiff his career began on the other side of the Severn Bridge with Bristol City, he made his debut in October 2004 for the Robins and would make 13 appearances that campaign as they just missed out on the play-offs.

David grabbed his 1st goal for the club in a 7-1 defeat at Swansea in the 2005/06 season, he went to score another 6 times in the 47 games he played that season and was also awarded his first Welsh cap in a World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan.

After just six games of the 2006/07 season in which David had scored twice he was sold to Wigan for a reputed £2m fee, despite making a solid start for the Latics he would never be a first team regular he made just 9 starts for the club and a further 12 from the bench in his 18 month spell with the club before joining the Blades on loan in February 2008.

He played 16 times for the Blades during that loan spell and impressed enough for the deal to be made permanent the following summer however he struggled to re-discover his form and fell out of favour with the tactical genius known as Kevin Blackwell making just 28 starts in 15 months in all competitions, he was used almost as often as a subsititute, he netted six times for the Blades in that time, mainly from the spot.

After joining the Swans on loan the deal was made permanent in January for a club record £600k, he has scored 4 in 13 for the Swans.

Squad Number 49

Shefki Kuqi

Many Wednesdayites remember old “thre’penny bit head” from his time spent at Hillsborough in the early part of this century.

Although born in Kosovo Shefki is a Finnish international after emigrating there as a youngster, he began his professional with Finish side Mikkelin Palloilijat he then moved on to HJK Helsinki in 1997, he scored 18 goals in 66 games in a two year spell before switching to FC Jokerit where he scored 19 goals in 33 games which alerted Stockport County to his presence.

He joined County in 2001 and scored 6 goals in 18 appearances to help the club survive relegation, he had scored 6 in 20 in the first half of the 2001/02 season as County struggled and was snapped up by the Owls in January 2002.

He scored a late winner at Burnley in only his second game for the Owls and went onto to score a further 5 goals in 15 appearances to help keep Wednesday in the Championship, he scored 8 in 40 the following campaign but it wasn’t enough to stave of the drop.

A successful start to the 2003/04 season saw him grab 5 in 8 which helped secure a move to Ipswich, he netted 32 times for the Tractor Boys in a two year spell before being sold to Blackburn Rovers.

His spell at Rovers wasn’t a great success but he was a free transfer he scored 8 in 42 appearances for Rovers before being sold to Crystal Palace early in the 2006/07 season for a reputed £2.5m fee, he would score 18 in 83 appearances for the Eagles but had a bust up with the Palace fans and Neil Warnock and was loaned out to Fulham and Ipswich.

Shefki joined the Swans in January after a six month spell playing in Germany, he has made 9 appearances so far and netted three times for the club.

Squad Number 42

Darren Pratley

Energetic midfielder Darren has been at the Swans for nearly four years now after making a £100k move from Fulham in 2006.

Darren made just two appearances for the Cottagers after coming through the ranks, both in the 2003/04 season before joining Martin Allen’s Brentford on loan in February 2005, he made 16 appearances for the Bees towards the back end of the campaign including 3 against the Owls, he managed 1 goal in a defeat to Blackpool.

He re-joined the Bees on a season long loan in August 2005 and was instrumental in helping the club into the play-offs for the second season running, he appeared 38 times for the club scoring four times.

Swansea made their move in the summer of 2006 and he played in 32 games in his first season before injury curtailed his campaign in late February, he bounced back from injury to play 50 times in all competitions the following campaign as the Swans, notching six goals as they won the League One title.

Last season he made 34 appearances in all competitions for the club and scored 4 times as they finished 8th in the 2nd tier of English football, he’s made 26 appearances this season and netted on six occasions, including a brace at Hillsborough.

Squad Number 8

Team News

Team (possible): De Vries, Tate, Williams, Rangel, Richards; Dyer, Britton, Pratley, Gower, Van Der Gun; Kuqi.

(subs from) Cotterill, Beattie, Butler, Bessone, Bauza, Idrizaj, Burgin, Cornell, Lucas, Trundle.

Head to Head

A Steve Watson header earned the Owls a point when the two sides last met in South Wales, the veteran midfielder had only been on the pitch a minute when he glanced home a header from around 15 yards to cancel out Ferrie Boddes delicious 30 yarder in the first half for the hosts.

Prior to that you have to go back to the opening day of the 1983/84 for the pervious meeting, a Mick Lyons goal gave Howard Wilkinson the perfect start as Wednesday boss.

The Owls had edged a 5 goal thriller three years earlier, Andy McCulloch, Brian Hornsby and John Pearson goals won it for the Owls against a Swans side who won promotion at the end of that campaign.

The hosts last beat the Owls in Wales in 1978, 10,000 fans were in the Vetch to see the Swans win 4-2, Brian Hornsby and Rodger Wylde netted for the Owls.

The two sides first met way back in 1926 in an entertaining 2-2 draw, Matt Barrass got the Owls goals in front of 17,084 spectators, Wednesday won the 2nd division title that year with Swansea finishing 5th.

Overall at Swansea:

Owls: 5

Draw: 3

Swansea: 4

Visit the Opposition

http://forum.planetswans.co.uk/viewforum. php?f=6

Final thoughts

Another difficult away day for Wednesday against a side that rarely lose at home or concede goals it will be a tough task for the Owls in South Wales but as long as the effort is there we cannot ask for much more.

Bring it on - Swansea

Swansea are the opponents for the Owls tomorrow of course, so we need to speak to one of theirs..
Well seeing as Jack1912 signed up on Owlsonline the other day it would've been rude not to ask whether he would BRING IT ON!!!!

1) You're looking good for a lofty playoff birth, is that anywhere near what you expected the club to achieve this season?

In a word, no. After the turmoil of last summer with Martinez leaving along with all of the backroom staff [literally!] and our top goalscorer, Jason Scotland, plus the loss of loanee Jordi Gomez, the majority thought we'd be in a relegation dogfight for the season and that survival was the priority. Both Scotland and Gomez contributed to roughly 45 goals last term and I for one questioned where the goals would come from this season, and they haven't really, but you don't need to score many when your defence is as excellent as ours.
I think we're the meanest club in the division having only conceded 23 so far, Newcastle are second having only conceded 24. Everytime I look at the table I have to punch myself [pinching doesn't have the desired effect anymore!]. Never in a million years would I have thought to see Swansea in 4th place in the Championship, 9 points clear of 7th and have hopes of going up automatically even!

2) Shefki Kuqi, a player that split opinion in his time with Wednesday, his head as to be shaped like a toblerone. What do you lot think of him then?

We all love him! Scoring on your debut certainly helps him to get the supporters on his side. Never gives less than 100% for the cause and has popped up with 3 goals to help us to 3 1-0 wins! A really good signing on a free transfer. Comes across like a genuine pro which is hard enough to find these days.

3) When you're gaffer moved on, did you fear the worst? Has Sousa changed much and how do the fans react to him?

As I said above, we all thought we'd be scrapping it out this season at the other end of the table. When Martinez left us it was like finding out your missus had been cheating on you, then grabbed your knackers and tightened then in a vice. Of course, we can't forget what he did for us as a player and manager.

As for Sousa, well his appointment was a bit left-field. No one had even given him much thought as a replacement. All the talk was on Gary Speed, Gus Poyet and even Aidy Bothroyd God forbid!! Then one day out of the blue Sousa had agreed to become our new manager. Split opinions amongst our support of mass proportions ensued. People were calling for his head after about 5 games in charge.
I was hoping for Poyet so was disappointed with his appointment and hold my hand up for judging him after only his tenure at QPR, which to be honest could be scrapped from his CV. We didn't start off well but that could be contributed due to the mass injuries we suffered at the beginning of the season - think we had about 8 key players out injured at one point! But as the season has gone on we have seen the real Paulo Sousa team. More direct in sense of attacking quicker, we have a plan a, b and c, we are far better defensively this season, whilst still playing attractive football - overall I think Sousa is a better manager than Martinez, and getting him in has been an excellent coup by our board. What Sousa has achieved this season has been nothing short of miraculous.

4) An ex Owl and an ex Blade in the side, Monk and Cotterill. Obviously both will get some stick, but who take our eye off them two as an emerging talent at the Liberty Stadium.

I don't think he'll be fit enough to play this weekend but Joe Allen is a very promising youngster. Only 19 and already an integral member of our squad. Another promising youngster we have and who will probably start is Jazz Richards. A central midfielder by trade he has had to fill in at left back this season due to the injury of Fede Bessone. He's done remarkably well there even though it isn't his natural position and he isn't even left-footed! Irvine is a good manager and will have done his homework on us so I expect your attacks to come down our left hand side tomorrow to test young Jazz.

5) Cardiff are quite obviously your rivals, and of course I'm sure having the Brizzle teams lose is a good thing for you lot. But who else do you really like your side to beat?

Leeds without a doubt. I really can't stand the club, fans and even the city. Horrible. Also have a disliking towards your rivals, even if it is only due to Chris Morgan being a dirty so and so. I've never really liked any club from London so it's always nice to beat one of them lot.

6) Tell us what you know about Sheffield Wednesday?

A great club. I remember my grandad telling me about you lot - about Jake Brown [correct me if I'm wrong here with names], Harry Burgess and of course Welshman Peter Rodriguez. I tell you what I am surprised a whole host of managers weren't falling over themselves to be your next manager. You have the potential to be a massive club in the Premiership. You have a great support and history and Irvine has landed himself a hell of a job there with you. If he could keep you in the league this season, get some players in, then you'll have a great chance of promotion next year. A club of your stature deserve to be there if you ask me instead of clubs like Bolton and Wigan for example.

7) Any memories of games against us, good and bad?

I am far too young to remember many games against you, being only 22. Last season was frustrating having scored first and we got a very good result earlier on this season against you. You have a pretty good record against us at Swansea - hopefully that will end by 5pm tomorrow!

8) Do you think we will avoid the dreaded drop?

It's going to be difficult with a few clubs around you with 1 or 2 games in hand on you, but I hope you do stay up. As I said above, you are far too big a club to fall down the leagues. Even if you did go down, i am sure you'll be back up the following season. Irvine will have a dull pre-season with you to get his own players in, etc, and you'll be much stronger for it. Good luck!

9) Team news?

Former Blades winger Cotterill could come back. he's been out for the past 2-3 games with a hammy injury picked up with Wales duty where he only came on for the last 10 or so minues - very frustrating as he's been a revelation since joining us. Our Spanish striker Pintado is still suspended after his 'fair' [he he] tackle of Robbie Savage. Garry Monk and Fede Bessone are still out, while Andrea Orlandi and Albert Serran are struggling to overcome hamstring problems.

10) Score prediction?

I don't like giving predictions, but here goes; I think it'll be a difficult game with you needing every point available right now, but I think we'll come away with the three points. A Swans win by a single goal in a very tight game. With all due respect here, we do need to beat teams in your position if we are to secure a play-off spot and hopefully climb further up the league.

Massive thanks to Jack for taking the time to answer our questions, and once again we hope the prediction is way off mark and we take the spoils!!!

Look out for the match report on Sunday, and let's hope it's a good one!

Wednesday battle for decent point.

A trip to the LIberty Stadium would have been a daunting prospect a few games ago, but a resurgent Wednesday feared nothing going into the game against the Championship's meanest defence and came away with a point which lifted them out of the bottom three.

There were no changes from the side that faced West Brom in midweek although Marcus Tudgay was back in the squad after illness.

With the Swans in decent form and looking to further enhance their credentials as playoff contenders, the Owls did expect a tough game and it was the hosts did take the game to their opponents early on. With former Blade, Dave Cotterill trying his best to silence the travelling Wednesdayites by testing Lee Grant with a shot from range.
The home side seemed content to play quite a few long balls upfield, something which played right into the hands of Mark Beevers and Darren Purse who again looked quite an accomplished partnership in the heart of the defence, as they frustrated another ex Blade, Craig Beattie.

Jermaine Johnson continues to be a threat as it was his looping effort from range which got the Wednesdayites off their feet but unfortunately, the Jamiacan international's effort was to go the wrong side of the crossbar.
The Owls were tenacious in the tackle and frustrating the home team and support as the half time whistle arrived.

Half Time
Swansea 0 Wednesday 0

Paulo Sousa threw his equivalent of the kitchen sink at the Owls as the second half began with Shefki Kuqi and Cedric Van Der Gun both taking to the field as they looked to break the deadlock. Kuqi almost netted after Darren Pratley found the ex-Owl but the Swans striker fired his effort narrowly wide of the target.

Leon Clarke then was a whisker away from putting the Owls in front after Luke Varney had done well to create the space for a cross from the right. Tommy Miller was then denied by a fantastic block by Ashley willians who was left laying on the field, such was the venom in the shot.

As the clock ticked down, the home side were looking to secure yet another 1-0 victory as it seems to be their favourite scoreline this season and after Sousa threw his last striking option, Lee Trundle, onto the field it almost paid dividends.
Mark Gower found Trundle inside the box and the normally predatory striker was expecting to wheel away in celebration but he could only steer his effort wide of the upright to the disbelief of the home support.
Williams then headed wide with the goal at his mercy as Wednesday were living dangerously, but they could've snatched the points had Clarke made a clean contact on the ball after being found in space but his touch was to let him down at the vital moment.

Full Time
Swans 0 Wednesday 0

Swansea: De Vries ,Tate ,Williams ,Rangel ,Richards ,Britton ,Pratley ,Cotterill (Trundle ,77 ) ,Gower ,Butler (van der Gun ,46 ) ,Beattie (Kuqi ,46)
Subs not used: Dyer,Bauza,Cornell,Lucas,

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Purse ,Spurr ,Nolan ,Beevers ,Johnson ,Potter ,Miller ,O'Connor ,Varney (Tudgay ,70 ) ,Clarke
Subs not used Hinds,Soares,Simek,Gray,Esajas,O'Donnell,

Bookings: O'Connor (Sheff Wed)

Attendance: 14167

Referee: R Booth (Nottinghamshire)

Next up for Wednesday is the trip over to the wrong side of the Pennines on Tuesday night, as Alan Irvine returns to Deepdale, Preston for the first time since leaving the club at the end of 2009.

Deepdale return for Irvine

Wednesday boss Alan Irvine meets old friends tomorrow when the Owls take on Preston North End at Deepdale, the Owls gaffer was dismissed by the Lilywhites back in December.

Owls News

Marcus Tudgay could be the only change to the starting eleven that grabbed a valuable point away at Swansea on Saturday, the Owls top scorer could return in place of Luke Varney.

Tudgay’s return could mean a switch around of positions, Tudders has only netted in one of his last twenty two games so he’s not setting the goal scoring stakes on fire so he may be switched to the right wing with livewire Jermaine Johnson moving up front with his pace a key asset.

Darren Purse will be hoping for a third clean sheet in four games for the Owls, the Wednesday skipper has been a rock at the heart of the defence over the last few games and his experience is key between now and May.

On loan defender Eddie Nolan is eligible to play for the Owls against his parent club tomorrow, the Irish international has been at S6 for nearly a month and has settled in well after a difficult baptism of fire away at Reading.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Nolan, Beevers, Purse, Spurr; Tudgay, Potter, O’Connor, Miller; Johnson, Clarke.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Simek, Boden, McAllister, Hinds, Esajas, Jeffers, Soares, Gray, Varney.

Preston North End News

The Lilywhites host the Owls after an impressive home win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday, goals from Ross Wallace, Callum Davidson and Matt James doing the damage, the win put PNE just five points from the play-offs.

Preston North End Heroes

Bill Shankly is widely regarded as a Liverpool legend due to his success as boss at Anfield but he has a stand named after him at Deepdale after making over 300 appearances for the football club in a 16 year career.

Born in Ayrshire in 1913 Bill began his playing career with Partick Thistle in 1929, he would spend three years with the club before joining Carlisle United in 1932, he spent just a year at Brunton Park before heading to Deepdale for £500.

Bill’s career at Deepdale was a great success, he was capped by his country, won promotion in 1934, appeared in two FA Cup finals, winning once, but the war put his career on hold for several years despite making war-time appearances for Northampton Town, Liverpool, Arsenal, Cardiff City, Bolton Wanderers, Luton Town, Partick Thistle and King's Park.

In 1949 and after 296 league appearances for the Lilywhites Shankly retired from playing, he was quickly appointed as manager at Carlisle United in March 1949, he left Brunton Park in 1951 citing a lack of funds.

He moved to Grimsby in 1951 where he helped the club almost return to the top flight after picking up 36 points from their final 20 games, however the team was ageing and after a poor season he left the club in 1954 again blaming financial matters.

After spells with Workington and Huddersfield he moved to Anfield in 1959 to takeover a Liverpool side at the bottom end of Division Two, he would spend the next 15 years as boss at Anfield he started the transformation by winning the Second Division in 1962, two years later they would be champions of England a feat repeated in 1966 and 1973, they were the 1965 FA Cup Winners and again in 1974, in 1973 he also guided Liverpool to the UEFA Cup.

At 60 he retired from the job and left Bob Paisley to continue his legacy, Bill passed away in 1981.

Tom Finney was Mr Preston North End he spent all his professional career with the club, signing for the club just before the start of World War Two which meant his career was delayed until 1946 although he did play some Wartime football for Southampton.

After serving the Army in the war he returned to Preston and in 1946 he made his debut for the club and would make well over 450 appearances during a 14 year career and netting 210 goals, he never however won a domestic honour.

Tom’s loyalty for Preston never waned despite being offered a staggering sum to join Palermo in Italy but Preston demand of £50k for his services was deemed to high by the Italians and Finney remained at Deepdale.

In 1960 a groin injury saw Tom retire from professional football but he did later come out of retirement in 963 to play for Distillery in their European tie with Benfica.

Finney was capped 76 times by England and he netted 30 times for the 3 Lions. He was twice footballer of the year, the first to do be crowned on separate occasions.

The Ground

Preston remain one of only two clubs in the football league to still be at their original stadium since entering the league, the club have been at Deepdale since formation way back in 1878.

Over the years there have been many vast improvements on the old farmers field that was once the home of the “invincibles” from the building of terracing in the last part of the 19th century to the four new stands you see when you visit now.

The ground is currently a 23,408 all seater stadium with 4 completely separate stands so no bowl like feel to this famous old ground.

The rebuilding work that now gives us the current Deepdale began in 1995 when the old West Paddock was demolished and replaced by the Tom Finney stand which runs down the side to our right (from the away end view) and holds around 8,000.

The Bill Shankly Kop was next to be developed in the late 90’s and the 6,000 capacity stand is where the away fans are kept, the size of the traveling contingent dictates the amount of the stand you get and on our last three visits we’ve had half of the stand or there abouts, with it being a Tuesday night game I expect around 1,000 to brave the trip over the Pennines.

Bang across from the Kop is the Alan Kelly stand, no it’s not named after the piglet but his dad, this stand replaced the Old Town End terrace, the work on this was completed in late 2001, like the Shankly stand it holds around 6,000 people and is steep to offer a great view.

The final stand to be re-developed was the Pavillion stand which was a small two tier stand running the length of pitch and opened in 1934, I stood on this open terrace when the sides met in a blizzard in 2001, the new stand was opened last year with around 5,000 capacity and is named after the Invincibles.

The Gaffer

Darren succeeded current Owls boss Alan Irvine in the Preston hot-seat in January and has guided the Lilywhites to mid table after a poor run saw them slide down the table.

Darren Ferguson is following in his famous father’s footsteps, the Scotsman has proved a dab hand at this management lark with back to back promotions in his first two full seasons at Peterborough but was sacked from Posh in November with various rumours circulating as to why.

He took is first foray into management when he replaced Keith Alexander at Peterborough in January 2007, it was initially as player-manager but he never made an appearance on the pitch and carefully built a solid and exciting side, their back to back promotions have borne testament to the philosophy Ferguson likes to employ.

Although a talented footballer he never lived up to expectations, he came through the ranks at his father’s club Manchester United, making his debut in 1990, he appeared just 30 times for United in four years and it was with no surprise that in 1994 he moved on, Wolves paid ¼ of a Million pounds for his services, over the next five years he notched up nearly 150 appearances for the Molineux club as well as spending time on loan at Sparta Rotterdam.

In September 1999 Ferguson was allowed to move on to pastures new and found himself at Wrexham, Between 1999 and 2007 he played made more than 300 appearances, scoring over 50 goals and helping them win promotion to Division Two in 2003, he was part of the Wrexham side that beat the Owls 3-2 in August 2003 at Hillsborough and the following season when the Owls crashed home 4 unanswered goals. Ferguson also lifted the LDV Vans trophy for Wrexham after scoring the second goal in a 2-0 win over Southend.

Key Players

Jon Parkin

The man nicknamed the “Beast” by his own clubs fans is somewhat a cult hero at the club due to his scoring exploits, the Barnsley born centre forward is closing in on a century of goals in English football.

Jon came through the ranks at his hometown club as a defender but made only 13 appearances for the Tykes, he was loaned to both Hartlepool and York before making the latter deal permanent in 2002.

He played 87 times for the Minstermen in a two year spell and scored 15 goals after being switched to a centre forward but after being told he wouldn’t be offered a new deal on the same terms he left for Macclesfield in February 2004. His time at the Silkmen was very productive, he managed almost a goal every other game for the club notching 36 in 78 for the club which alerted Hull City to his presence and he joined the club for an undisclosed fee in January 2006.

Jon started well at Hull and scored on his debut, he went on to add a further four goals in 18 appearances to help the Tigers survive relegation, the following season he scored 3 in the first five games before adding a further two against Wednesday but from September to March he would only score two more and was allowed to join Stoke in March 2007.

Another good start saw Jon net three in six for the Potters in loan spell and the deal was made permanent in the summer of 2007, he however struggled to get into the Stoke side in the 2007/08 campaign as the Potters sat high in the table and he made just 7 starts with a further 26 off the bench, he scored 3 times.

In August 2008 he joined Preston initially on loan before making the deal permanent, he has netted 23 goals for the Lilywhites in 79 games to date for the club, including 11 this season, he has scored two for the club against the Owls in the last two games.

Squad Number 26

Ross Wallace

Ross began his career with Glasgow giants Celtic, making his full debut in an unaccustomed left back position in the Scottish League Cup in 2002, the left sided midfielder was being groomed as an ideal replacement for Alan Thompson.

He got his first run in the first team in November 2003 and he scored his 1 goal in only his fourth appearance, he played 14 times in that season and won the Scottish Cup.

In the 2004/05 season Ross made 21 appearances for the Hoops and scored his only career hat-trick in an 8-1 win over Falkirk in the Scottish League Cup, he added a further fourteen appearances the following season and 2 more at the start of the 2006/07 campaign when he was sold to Sunderland where former team-mate Roy Keane had just taken charge.

Ross made a cracking start at Sunderland scoring on his debut, his form would make him a regular for the Black Cats as they eventually romped away with the league title, Ross contributed 6 goals in 34 games in his first season south of the border.

In the Premier League Ross was made first choice left back and played 22 games in the top flight before a cruciate ligament injury curtailed his season, following his recovery he was sent to Preston on loan to regain fitness and match sharpness, after 26 appearances and three goals this deal was made permanent, he has made a further 54 appearances for the club in the last fourteen months netting 7 times.

Ross has been capped once by Scotland.

Squad Number 25

Billy Jones

Full back Billy joined the Lilywhites from Crewe for a tribunal agreed £250k initial fee plus various additional payments when he made a certain amount of appearances for the club.

Billy was born in Shrewsbury but was quickly picked up by Crewe Alexandra as a youngster and made his debut as a 16 year old in the 2003/04 season, he would make 28 appearances in his debut season, he scored his first goal in a 3-2 defeat to Wigan.

The following season he made 20 appearances for the club, after a good start he suffered an injury in December and was ruled out til late April. In the 2005/06 season Billy made 46 appearances for the club and scored 7 goals which is some feat for a right back but it couldn’t save the Alex from the drop.

Billy made 41 appearances for the Railwaymen in League One netting once but chose to join Preston in the summer of 2007 after the Alex failed to gain promotion back to the Championship.

At Preston Billy settled in very quickly but on made 29 appearances in the League for the club in his first season, last season he made 49 appearances scoring his first goal in a home to defeat to Southampton, he has made 38 appearances this season and netted twice, taking his career appearances past 100 for the Lilywhites.

Squad Number 19

Team News

Team (possible): Lonergan, Jones, Davidson, St Ledger, Chilvers; Wallace, Coutts, James, Sedgewick; Parkin, Mellor;

(subs from) Carter, Henderson, Hart, Mayor, Chaplow, Treacy, Williams, Brown, Parry.

Head to Head

An injury time equalizer by Jon Parkin denied the Owls their first league win at Deepdale since the 1959/60 season when the two sides last met, Franny Jeffers had fired the Owls ahead and it was Wednesday who pressed quickly on the break only for Parkin to deny them at the last.

The season previous the hosts had edged a poor game between the two bottom clubs thanks to a Paul Gallagher goal, that ended a run of two goalless draws between the two sides at Deepdale following the Owls return to the Championship.

Wednesday last won at Deepdale in the FA Cup in 1992, John Sheridan and Chris Bart-Williams secured the 2-0 win in front of nearly 15k on the much maligned plastic pitch.

The last league win for the Owls at Deepdale was a seven goal thriller, a Keith Ellis brace plus goals from Bobby Craig and Derek Wilkinson saw off the Lilywhites way back in March 1960, almost 50 years ago to the day.

The first ever meeting between the two sides a 4-1 win for hosts in September 1892, Brown got the Owls consolation, the first Owls win at Deepdale came in September 1905 when Andrew Wilson scored the games only goal, the clubs finished within 1 place of each other that season with the hosts in 2nd and The Wednesday 3rd.

Overall at Deepdale:

Owls: 10

Draw: 13

Preston: 25

Visit the Opposition

http://www.pne-online.net/forum/

Final thoughts

With Wednesday moving out of the bottom three at the weekend it’s important that we keep the bit of momentum we have going, a draw would be acceptable but a win would be a great result and would bring other sides into the fold if they drop points.

Swansea - The Road trip

Up at 6.30am usual fare for a long distance away day, cup of coffee and a slice of toast to set me up for the day, packed the bag, beers, sausage roll, cards, flag and Owlsonline mag and at 7am I elft the house to get to the Crown for our 7.30am pick up.

Met Creg on the tram then saw Bryn outside subway which wasn’t open, we traipsed to Lily’s to get a breakfast sarnie, Sausage and Mushroom, beautiful.

At the Crown was Chris and Daz, whilst Liam was munching on his brekkie, Neil and Southy arrive and we’re just waiting for the Wakey lads to arrive, they were already on the bus and turned up almost on time.

Now a coach full of lads is always going to be a pungent but the smell on that bus when we got on was downright bloody foul, Mike had been farting like a good un and it stunk, we made steady progress and the cards came out early doors, 9 of us playing chase the ace wasn’t the easiest but I cleaned up the first 3 games and had almost won my coach fare.

The banter was flying with Cowie, or more so his mother getting the brunt of it, the beers were flowing and we made good time with very little traffic, we however had to stop at Tamworth services due to the driving rules, so a 45 minute stop over was required.
Back on the bus, a few more hands of cards when the need for a second stop occurred as Liam needed a piss, it really was a quick stop and we offloaded the empty beer bottles etc, we arrived in Port Talbot at 12.40, now last year we’d got there about 10.30 and had to wait for the pub to open this year that wasn’t a problem,

The Twelve Knights was our pub of choice, just outside the main centre of Port Talbot, last year we’d been in there when a couple more minibuses came in and upset the staff leading to the police being called and us being moved on, this year we shared the pub with a few locals mainly waiting for the egg chasing to start we agreed to stay until 2.15pm and then make the 9 mile trip to Swansea, four beers later and we were on our way but not before being thanked by the landlady who remembered us from last year and complimented on our behaviour and welcomed whenever we went back. The sing song started on the trip to the stadium.

It was a simple drive to the stadium and we parked up inside the designated car-park, we had time for a quick pint before kick off, compared to last year the away was sparse with around 500 or so making the trip.

The match itself was a pretty poor affair with JJ volleying just over being our best chance in a dire first half, the second half was more of the same with Grant denying Kuqi and Purse being a rock at the back, Leon Clarke could have won it injury time when he lashed wide when well placed.

After the game we gained two extra passengers Danny and Craig but lost Creg who was stopping over with his old school pals, after the escort got us back on the motor way we needed beer so we pulled up at services but unfortunately no ale on sale, so I gets the sat nav on the phone, searched for a nearby offy, we found one in Ross-on-Wye, now i’m sat near the back of the bus and was directing the driver down some dark country lanes, “straight on” I tell the driver he says “I can’t there’s a gret fucking wall”, eventually we spot a Morrisons, two off only so that was me and Will, next thing Chris has joined us and then Bryn who tells us the front tyre has an egg on and needs changing, result we get the beers and load them on the bus, the driver sends us to the pub and tells us he’ll ring us.

Quick walk up the road and we find a Wetherspoons, the beers were flowing but there was a few Cardiff lads in (on their way back from Leicester), no hassle at all but when Bryn’s on the bandit next thing he drops his pint there’s a chant of “Wensdi, Wensdi” from the lads which the locals don’t like the look off, to lighten it up we then chanted “fucking useless” at him. At 8.40pm we’re called back to the buss for the trip home but a further delay was expected as the driver had done his hours for the day and we needed a replacement, so off to Tamworth we go.

Mike and Southall are getting twitchy they are getting picked up at 3am for a flight to Andorra for snowboarding but it’s 10pm and no driver replacement yet, he finally arrives and we’re off on our way about 10.30ish, all the beers had been drunk and people were vegging out but it was a top away day with a respectable result.

Wednesday claw back two goals to earn a point.

In Alan Irvine's first return to Deepdale as Wednesday manager, he saw his side go two goals down before clawing their way back into the game with two goals in three minutes to earn a well deserved point against Preston North End.

Neil Mellor put the home side in front in the first half before Paul Coutts, put them two goals to the good after just 53 minutes.
Wednesday were to grab a lifeline through Tommy Miller's first for the club on 57 minutes and just three minutes later Marcus Tudgay brought the Owls level with a smart finish, dinking the ball over Preston 'keeper Andy Lonaghan.

Look out for the Owlsonline Match report later....

A short hop to Preston.

In keeping with our recent 'Tale of two Owls feature' we take a different angle on the game on Tuesday night thanks to the relatively local to Preston, Dicaniowl, who happens to live in Blackpool!!

With my recent premonition record of 1 in 1, matching FJ9's England caps/goal record i set about making it 2 out of 2 on Monday night by kissing my lucky divot of mud before bedtime and whaddya know?! It only fecking worked, although the trouble is i dont have any mud to kiss

Anyway...My Tuesday started with a slice of deliberation, to go or not to go.

Trying to not let the fact that i lived 15 mins away from Preston's ground have any bearing on my decision, or the £20 i'd have to turf out to watch the mighty owls it suddenly dawned on me that the wife was playing netball in the evening, thus bringing the delight of seeing her in her netball outfit You can clearly see my dilemma...AHHH FOOK IT, Game on!!!

I Went and My Tuesday ended with a Dink from heaven.

After spending my of my day off pottering around the house tidying and playing the occasional game on fifa10 i dusted myself down around 6pm and started to get ready. I could already feel anxiety and goosebumps inside...hmmm, it was destiny i concluded. I need a shit BIG TIME!!

Leaving the house around 6:55pm, myself and my mate Rob (who's a fellow owl from Morecambe) drove to the deepdale retail park to park up and made our way to the ground. All i could stutter was, we'd better bloody win, we'd better bloody win, i knew that despite PNE's recent rise in the CCC table they were always there for the beating. My arse was killing me as we were walking to the ground, it did concern me for a second that i may have strained too much during the BIG TIME SHIT moment i'd had earlier on, but that wasn't to be. I had some kind of spasm in my left leg from my butt cheek to my foot forcing me to walk like don brennan from corrie, i battled on a we got the tickets with around 10 mins before kick off.

The game was eventful to say the least. From bad to worse to down right atrocious play by some in the first half. JJ went off after standing on the touchline for 3 mins or so (At least stand in the middle of the park so they have to play it around you JJ). Nerves were long gone i was full of anger for the pile of $hite that i had paid £20 to see and passed up netball naughties for. Grant was awesome first half, keeping us in it with some top class saves, notably from Billy Jones' header from a corner...OOOOOOH they got a corner (yeah about 9 in the space of 3 minutes). Apart from our GK and Captain who was solid throughout, nobody looked like they wanted it first half. Odd chances here and there on the counter attack gave us all slight hope we were still in with a chance on taking something from the game, but just as the hope arrived Tom Soares decided not to follow the overlapping run from a cross field 'peach of a' or 'hollywood' ball, which was played across the goal mouth and eventually (after our Skipper had done his best to remove it from danger) steered through Grant's legs by the fat Steven Gerrard, 1-0.

(HT 1-0)

The second half we resumed play on the front foot, attacking from the off without really ever creating any clear cut chances. Typically the on loan Eddie Nolan, who had IMO a moonpig of a night, got read by the Preston defender like a kid reading a puffin book cutting inside of his man leading to a break away from PNE who gladly made it 2-0...

Mutters of Game over, F00king useless wednesday echoed around us.

Pfffft, i got my lucky non existant mud out of my pocket and rubbed it in the goal mouth nearest us. Tommy 'the beer man' Miller, i love you. His celebration said it all, fist pumping and skipping back to our half. He loves it!!! 2-1.

Whilst this was all going on, i was in constant dialogue with our very own Hoyland via sms, delivering him texts containing words such as shocking, awful, lucky lucky mud and miller time.

Seemingly seconds later, god appeared on the pitch in the form of Marcus Tudgay. That finish was absolutely fantastico, world class! If Rooney had done it, it'd be the headlines the following day; it reads 'Roo thinks and dinks you' I couldn't believe we'd scored 2 in such a short period of time and more importantly come from 2 down to be drawing 2-2!!

The remaining 30 mins presented us with the better chances but them with more possession but neither could force our way through despite Leon's best efforts.

FT (2-2)

Fair result in the end i guess, and i'd have snapped anyones hand off if they'd offered me a draw at half time.

The funniest part of the game for me was the physio's racing against each other to get to their respective players (GOOO-ONNN, GOOO-ONNN!!)

Anyway, i was more than happy when i got home BUT unfortunately the netball kit wasn't on and she was fast asleep. Perfect!!!

Owls hoping to peck Rams

The Owls face a “six pointer” at S6 on Saturday when they take on Derby County, the Owls and Derby are just a couple of places and four points apart going into the game and it’s vital for Wednesday that they cut this to one.

Owls News

Wednesday will be forced into at one change for the visit of Derby County, Luke Varney is ineligible to play under the terms of his loan deal and Alan Irvine will take a check on Jermaine Johnson who’s hamstring problem flared up at Preston, the pacy winger is awaiting scan results with Irvine hopeful it is just cramp.

Tom Soares and Michael Gray are candidates to replace Jermaine Johnson if the winger isn’t fit to face the Rams, Soares played 81 minutes at Deepdale and after a slow first half looked good in the second period and set up the leveler, Gray hasn’t started since the Reading debacle.

Tommy Miller grabbed his first Wednesday goal in midweek and the former Ipswich man has been in impressive form since his return from injury and he has a good scoring record in the past against the Rams and will be looking for his first Hillsborough goal this weekend.

One former Rams player will be hoping to be on the winning side against his old side for the first time in their career, Lee Grant has faced his former employers on several occasions since moving to S6 but has yet to win a game or keep a clean sheet.

Another ex-Derby player Marcus Tudgay will be looking to add to his tally of goals against his old side, the hardworking forward notched his ninth of the season at Preston with an impressive finish and he will want to break into double figures against the side that sold him 4 years ago.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Nolan, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Johnson, Potter, O’Connor, Miller; Clarke, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Palmer, McAllister, Simek, Hinds, Boden, Gray, Jeffers, Soares.

Derby County News

The Rams head to S6 after a late equalizer by Leroy Lita cost Derby 2 points in their home game with Boro in midweek but it was a point which moved the club further away from relegation trouble.

Derby County Heroes

Steve Bloomer isn’t a name many younger fans will have heard of outside of Derby but the man was a legend at Derby County for 18 years as a player in two separate spells durning the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

Bloomer was born in January 1874 and signed for the Rams as an 18 year old, he went on to be the greatest goal scorer in the history of Derby County, netting 294 times in 491 for the club in his two spells.
Bloomer was top scorer in the top flight on five occasions in 1896, 1897, 1899, 1901 and 1904, he was County’s top scorer in all his first 14 seasons, he once netted all six goals against the Owls in a meeting in 1899, he appeared in 3 FA Cup finals for the club and helped the to 2nd place in the league also.

In 1906 he moved to Middlesbrough for a reputed £750 fee, he played 130 times for Boro and scored 62 goals for the club before returning to the Rams at the age of 36.
Four more productive years later and his career was over, he moved over to Germany to coach but within 3 weeks WW1 had broken out and Steve would spend the 4 years interned into a POW camp in Germany.

After coaching in Holland after the War he guided Real Union to the Copa Del Rey in 1924, a major feat for the Basque club.

Steve Bloomer returned to England and had spells as reserve team manager, a journalist and groundsman at the Baseball Ground, he passed away in 1938 after an illness.

A side from his exploits for Derby, he was prolific for England with 28 goals in 23 appearances for the 3 Lions, as well as helping Derby County Baseball club to be crowned British Champions on 8 occasions.

Another name synonymous with Derby County is Roy McFarland, the former England centre half spent 14 years as a player at the Baseball Ground during the glory days and a further 2 years as manager.

Roy was brought to the club by Brian Clough and Peter Taylor in 1967, helping the club stave off relegation from the 2nd division in his first year, the following season he was part of the Rams team that won the 2nd Division title.

He won two League Championship medals in the 70’s, firstly under Brian Clough in the 1971/72 and then again under Dave MacKay in 1975, he played over 500 games for the Rams in his 14 years before departing in 1981 to Bradford to become player-manager he guided the Bantams to promotion in his one and only season before returning back to Derby.

He had a care-taker manager spell in the 80’s at the Rams before taking up the position as number 2 which he would hold until he succeeded Arthur Cox in 1993, he had two years with the Rams as boss but couldn’t help them into the top flight and was replaced in 1995 by Owls fanatic Jim Smith.

The Gaffer

Nigel Clough followed his famous father's footsteps in January of last year when he agreed to join the Rams as boss, the 44 year old was just 5 when his father guided Derby County to the League Title, a minor miracle for a club staring the 3rd division in the face just 4 years earlier.

Nigel played for his dad's beloved Nottingham Forest for nearly a decade netting over 100 league goals before their relegation in 1993 saw him move to Liverpool for £2.75m, he netted a brace on his Anfield debut, against Wednesday but the emergence of Robbie Fowler saw starts becoming a fleeting occurrence, he joined Man City in 1996 but couldn't halt the Citizens slide out of the top flight, he returned to Forest on loan in 1997 and even had a brief spell at S6 on loan in October 1997.

12 months later after struggling to break back into the City side the 32 year old accepted the player-manager role at Burton Albion, he managed the Brewers into the Conference after winning the Northern Premier League in 2002, and he left with the club set to earn Football League status with a healthy 13 points clear at the top of the league, during his time at the club he helped oversee the move from Eton Park to the newly built Pirelli Stadium in 2005.

He guided County to 18th last season in the Championship.

Key Players

Nicky Hunt

Full back Nicky is on loan at the club from Bolton Wanderers, he made his Wanderers debut way back in 2001 as a final day sub in 1-1 with Sheffield United.

After his debut he would have to wait nearly 2 years for his next appearances when he made full debut in an FA Cup tie with Sunderland. Nicky started the 2003/04 as first choice right back for the Trotters and went onto make 38 appearances in all competitions including an League Cup final at the Millennium Stadium.
Over the next three years Nicky would be an integral part of the Wanderers side and notched up close to a century of appearances during this time despite missing most of the 2005/.06 season through injuries.

Following Sam Allardyce’s defection to Newcastle Nicky saw his career begin to stagnate despite making 24 appearances in the 2007/08 season he hasn’t been in the first team since March 2008, he had a nine match spell on loan at Birmingham last season and has appeared 15 times for the Rams since joining in early January.
Nicky was tipped for international honours early in his career after impressing at U21 level for England.

Squad Number 24

Rob Hulse

Many Wednesdayites will associate Rob Hulse from his time across the City at Bramall Lane but I remember him making his name with Crewe in the late 90's, he had come through the ranks at his home town club, he made his full debut in the 1999/00 and netted his first Crewe goal towards the back of that season away at Barnsley.

He was top scorer for the Railwaymen over the next three seasons, netting 11, 12 and 27 goals, the 27 goals came as Crewe earned promotion back to the Championship at the first attempt. He rejected a new contract at Gresty Road and Dario Gradi cashed in on him with West Brom spending ¾;;;;;'s of a million for his services.

He scored 13 goals in an injury hit first season for the Baggies, the club won promotion to the top flight that season but Hulse found himself of the periphery of the Albion squad and in the latter part of the 2004/05 season joined Leeds on loan, he netted 6 times in 13 games, this earned him a full time move to Elland Road, costing Ken Bates £1.1m, he fired Leeds to the play off final with 13 league goals but they bottled the final as Watford ran away 3-0 winners.

Hulse however realised his Premiership dream with a £2m plus move to Sheffield Utd. He netted 8 times for the Blades and was a catalyst for the United's survival hopes until he broke his leg at Stamford Bridge, it was a bad break and Hulse took nine months to return to action, the injury took it's toll and he struggled to regain his form as he went 24 games without netting.

He moved to Derby in the summer of 2008 for £1.75m and by twist of fate he netted his first Rams goal in a 2-1 win over the Blades as Derby ended a near 12 month wait for a win, he has slotted in a further 28 goals for the club in 80 games.

Squad Number 9

Michael Tonge

Former Sheffield United midfielder Michael joined the club on loan from Stoke in February to add much needed ability to the Rams midfield, he has made 9 appearances for the club to date and netted twice.

Manchester born Michael came through the ranks at Manchester United before being released at the age of 16, former Man United defender Steve Bruce was alerted to his talents and took him to Sheffield United as a youngster.

Tonge progressed through the ranks at the Lane (where they are all wankers) and made his debut late in the 2000/01 season under the tutelage of Neil Warnock, he was a first team regular the following campaign making 32 appearances and scoring 3 goals.

The 2002/03 campaign was the one which brought Tonge to national attention, he helped the Blades to the semi finals of both cup competitions and the play off final, as we know they lost all three but clubs like Liverpool were said to be sniffing around, he scored 8 in 58 games that season.
Over the next three seasons he made 125 appearances for the Blades and netted 10 times, he helped the club into the Premier League and made 27 top flight appearances for the club as they battled against the drop.

With United back outside the top flight it looked certain that Tonge would move back up a level but United stuck to their resolve and kept him, he played 51 times in an ultimately fruitless season and the Blades finished outside the play-offs.

In August 2008 Stoke signed Tonge for £2m to bolster their midfield and he went 11 appearances for the Potters last season, after just 3 League Cup ties this year he moved to Preston on loan in November where he stayed for a month playing seven times before joining the Rams in February.

Squad Number 19

Team News

Team (possible): D Martin, McEveley, Hunt, Anderson, Barker; Tonge, Savage, Green, Pearson; Sunu, Hulse.

(subs from) Deeney, Moxey, D Martin, Porter, Leacock, Pringle, Buxton.

Head to Head

A Rob Hulse header in first half stoppage time was enough for the Rams to secure all three points when the two sides met at S6 last April, the former Blade responded to the cat calls with a powerful header from a corner.

The Rams also secured all three points on their league visit prior to that in September 2006, Chris Brunt’s neat turn and finish put the Owls ahead on the hour mark and it looked all over for the visitors when Giles Barnes was dismissed but ex-Blade Paul Peschisolido on as a sub leveled before Steve Howard smashed home a 90th minute winner.

Wednesday’s last win came in the 2005/06 season, after future Owl Marcus Tudgay had nodded the Rams into a first half lead the Owls stormed back to win 2-1 thanks to goals from Chris Brunt and David Graham, Wednesday also had to thank custodian Nicky Weaver for some impressive saves on his Hillsborough debut.
Prior to that win you have to go back to 1989 for another Owls win over the Rams in the league, John Sheridan’s first Wednesday goal secured all three points, the Irish midfielder flashed home a 25 yard special to give Ron Atkinson’s Owls a vital three points.

The first ever meeting between to the two sides was in 1892, the game ended 3 apiece with goals from Spiksley, Brandon and Rowan for the Owls, Wednesday’s first win was a season later when they scored 4 unanswered goals, a Brady hat-trick and an own goal did the damage. The Rams first win was in 1895 when they exacted revenge for two years earlier with a 4-0 win.

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 29

Draw: 17

The Rams: 12

Final thoughts

Another big game for Wednesday at S6, if we can match the endeavours of recent matches we should have enough about us to stay up and hopefully that begins with a victory over the Rams but lets not underestimate the visitors who are still looking over their shoulder at the bottom 3, a repeat of the Leicester result last time out at home will be appreciated.

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Retro game - Derby County

Anyone who remembers this game will remember it mainly for one individual known as Nicky Weaver. I'm sure we can all re-call numerous Kevin Pressman heroics against the pigs, but this performance from Weaver on his full debut is easily up there in the best goalkeeping display i've ever seen by a Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper.

Wednesday were struggling at the rear of the table although they did pick up an excellent victory against Norwich City which no one expected. However an injury to David Lucas meant that the owls didn't have a goalkeeper so Paul Sturrock went to Manchester City and got lifelong owl Nicky Weaver. We could have tried Chris Adamson but Sturrock didn't feel he was ready for first team action.

Anyway Skamps best mate ( Phil Brown ) brought his Derby County side up the M1 and Derby too were struggling after their excellent season last time where George Burley almost took them to the premier league. Burley left Derby at the start of that season and went to manage Heart of Midlothian or should I say play second fiddle to Vladimir Romanov.

This game saw the return of Emerson Thome to Hillsborough for a long time. Thome is the last player where we made a handsome profit until the sale of Bougherra. He had a magnificent first full season after being bought in by Ron Atkinson and you could see where he got his nickname 'The Wall' from. However on our relegation season he struggled and was a surprise when he left for Chelsea for £2.700.000. His career deteriorated in my opinion and was never the same player that Wednesday fans saw in his first full season at the club.

The Owls lined up as follows
Weaver, Simek, Hills, Lee, Wood, Eagles, Whelan, Rocastle, Brunt, Peacock, Agbonlahor

Subs: Graham, O Brien, Partridge, Heckingbottom, Bullen

Derby lined up as follows
Camp, Kenna, M Johnson, Thome, Bisgaard, Jackson, S Johnson, Idiakez, Whittingham, Tudgay, Blackstock

Subs: Poole, Thirwell, Davies, Bolder, Peschisolido

The first half was completely dominated by Derby County and you could tell who had the league one defence. Kicking towards the kop, Derby almost took the lead during a bright start. Idiakez's quality was showing easily and his through ball found loanee Dexter Blackstock who's shot rifled against the post with Weaver well beaten. Moments later, Idiakez's free kick just went over the bar after a silly foul on Tudgay by Lee. Then nice play by Seth Johnson and Idiakez played Tudgay in and his cross fell to Blackstock who this time saw his close range effort brilliantly saved by Weaver.

Weaver was on hand again shortly to produce another excellent save. Derby got in behind Wednesdays defence and another loanee Peter Whittingham fired a fine left foot strike where Weaver met it full stretch to push it away for a corner. The resulting corner from Idiakez was powefully headed by Bisgaard only to see the ball go wide of Weavers post.

Seth Johnson then won the ball from Rocastle who was having a disappointing half and played Jackson down the right who beat John Hills and his ball flew over everyone, Whittingham picked it up and played a dangerous draw back where The Owls failed to clear and Idiakez's shot was firmly pushed behind again by Weaver for a corner. Idiakez's corner was a dangerous in swinger and Weaver had to be on full alert to push it over the bar. The following corner was easily dealt with by Wednesday.

Finally after well over 30 minutes the owls had a break. Lovely play by Eagles fed Peacock into the area but the striker opted to try and pass back to Agbonlahor and completely overhit his pass. It would have been easier to fire a shot in but had the ball found Gabby, he would have been in a good place to take his chance. Agbonlahors pace then worried Thome but his shot was comfortably saved by Lee Camp in the Derby goal.

Derby's dominance nearly showed and again Weaver and this time the offside flag came to Wednesdays rescue. Tudgays centre found Blackstock who was in an offside position but his shot was excellently saved by Weaver. On the 42nd minute Derby did get the break through as again Whittingham beat Simek down the right and played a great ball in where Tudgay easily beat Lee and powered his header past Weaver into the top corner. It was a great header and totally what Derby deserved. Luckily for Wednesday there was 4 minutes more play and then the final whistle went. Had it not been for Nicky Weaver, Derby would have easily been 3 or 4 up with the game completely over.

The second half started like the first half, all Derby and they almost doubled their lead when Blackstocks shot just went wide of the post but it looked like Weaver had it covered. However on the 52nd minute, Morten Bisgaard headed home Tudgays centre but thankfully for the owls, the offside flag came to their rescue. Had that not been raised, the game would have been over. Tudgay then had a chance to make it 2-0 but good play by Richard Wood ended in Tudgay running out of options and firing well over.

In the 63rd minute, the game should have been finished as a mistake by Whelan enabled Johnson to play in Tudgay who easily beat Wood and fired a fine strike where Weaver made a good save, however the rebound fell to Idiakez who shocked everyone by playing the ball back towards Blackstock who was free instead of firing in the rebound. Weaver raced to this pass and got hold of it just before Blackstock was going to make it 2. It was some excellent goalkeeping again by Weaver but really Idiakez should have shot instead of playing it back.

Sturrock had, had enough of this performance and took off Rocastle and the unlucky Agbonlahor who looked a lot more dangerous than Peacock. Sturrock though didn't like pacey strikers and would rather play the old fashioned way of getting balls in from outwide. He bought on David Graham and Burton O Brien and within minutes the whole game changed.

Wednesday attacked down the right and Chris Eagles played a lovely ball where Derby cleared straight to Brunt and he fired a shot that was well saved by Lee Camp. However Brunt did what Idiakez should have done and fired the rebound over the keeper into the net to give Wednesday the equalising goal they barely deserved. If you thought was good enough, moments later a corner was cleared by Derby straight to Simek. Frankie played a ball upfield where Lee won the aerial battle with Michael Johnson and David Graham found himself free in the penalty box and cooly slotted the ball past Camp into the bottom corner to give Wednesday the lead. A shock turnaround had happened, Derbys dominance found themselves 2-1 down. In response, Derby went for it and bought on the reliable sub Paul Peschisolido. Wednesday should have had a penalty when Eagles was clearly bought down by Emerson Thome but the referee decided to book Eagles for diving which Sturrock clearly showed his frustration at the decision.

Derby then thought they equalised when a dangerous ball was played in by Johnson but no one was there to tap the ball in. Weaver then made his final excellent save by denying substitute Peschisolido from a corner that was poorly cleared by Wednesday. To the relief of 23,000 supporters the final whistle eventually blew and Wednesday somehow won the game 2-1 infront of a crowd of 26,446. That season, Derby for me were by far the best side to come to Hillsborough although Cardiff City came close with their stunning first half performance the following game.

That was the only time Wednesday have beaten Derby County at home in the league since their playing days in the old first division back in 1987/88 season

Bring it on - The Rams

Yet again an unforced absence for Bring it on last weekend as no Swans decided to answer a few questions, maybe if they'd have been in Welsh they might have had a go.. Well this time another kind of sheep lover IS taking part in Bring it on, Derby County supporter, Russell Allaway.

1) What were the Ram's fans expectations for the team this season?
To start with we were looking at a realistic playoff push (as were 15 or so teams of the 24 in the division), now, like yourselves we're concentrating on getting to safety as soon as possible.

2) Much was made of the return of the Clough name to the club, how has Nigel took to the job and what do the fans think of him now he's settled in?
I was delighted when Nigel took charge as were 99% of Derby fans. He's been very unlucky this season. We've had to trim the squad massively and he's had very little to spend. We've also had a ridiculous amount of injures. The jury is still out on Nige. I hope he succeeds as he's such a likeable bloke, but then again so was Paul Jewell...

3) Rob Hulse, Robbie Savage, just two names who most football fans will have heard of. So who is the rising star at your place who few fans will have heard of?
Shaun Barker, the centre half we signed form Blackpool in pre-season. After a slow start due to injuries, he's showing why we payed almost £1m for him. Probably the best centre half in the division. Special mention to Jake Buxton who was signed from non league and has played above all expectations.

4) If there was one player who you could realistically sign which would make the difference for your side who would it be?
Ashley Williams from Swansea or Ross Wallace from Preston.

5) Nottingham Forest and Leicester, two of your fiercest rivals. But if you could choose one other team to beat who would it be and why?
You'll be pleased to know, its Sheff United! For the simple reason that my Mrs and her Dad are Blunts fans!

6) Ten or so games left this season, are there signs that next year could be the one where your side rise to the top half of the Championship and be contenders?
A lot will depend on who we manage to keep hold of in the pre season. On our day with the current crop of players, we've proved we can beat anyone (Newcastle 3-0, Ending Forest's 19 match unbeaten run). If we can keep key players at Derby and keep them fit, then along with a couple of shrewd buys, we could be looking at playoffs and above.

7) What do you know about Wednesday?
A bit like us, you're sleeping giants! A club like Derby with a proud tradition and history and like us it's been quite a while since you've tasted success.

8) Do you have any memories of games against the Owls, good and bad?
My best memory was when we met in the prem at Pride Park. You scored to make it 3-1 in about the 89th minute. And somehow we managed to score 2 goals in about 2 minutes and draw the game. That finish to the game made it one of the best I've been to.

9) Team News?
Chris Porter should start with Hulse. He's just coming back to full fitness and he looked very sharp when he came on and scored against Boro on Tuesday. Leacock may start at right back too, as Nicky Hunt has been woeful in his last two games.

10) Score prediction please...
We seem to have a decent record against you lot in recent times, but having said that, we have been awful away from home pretty much all season. I'll go for a cagey 1-1 draw.

Well, that's a turn up for the books, an away fan who isn't going for the win. We are though Russ, so look out!

Thanks to Russ for his time, and look out for the next episode of Bring it on where we should be speaking to a Watford fan in a couple of days.

No battering for the Rams

A big game, some would say a must win but it is another point on the board and one that keeps the Owls out of the dreaded bottom three, albeit thanks to Blackpool salvaging a point in the last minute against Crystal Palace.

Leon Clarke replaced the ineligible Luke Varney up front alongside Marcus Tudgay, while Tom Soares took the place of the injured Jermaine Johnson out wide on the right.

Tommy Miller almost added to his first goal for the club on Tuesday night, after he took advantage of a flick on from Tudgay as he raced clear of the floundering Derby backline. Miller lashed his shot goalwards but what to be denied a quickfire opener by a smart stop from Steven Bywater. The ball was almost immediately back down the other end of the pitch and in the Wednesday net, but this time the Wednesday number one, Lee Grant, had to deny the inform Chris Porter for Derby.

The game was very open with the ball seemingly going from one end to the other and either side could've seized the initiative but for some hesitancy in the final third, Tudgay for Wednesday and Porter for the visitors both going close.

Tom Soares was very lively out on the right flank and was causing problems for the Rams backline, he weaved his way from the flank just before the 30 minute mark before firing goalwards only to see Bywater make a fine stop, deflecting the ball for a corner.

Former United player, Michael Tonge, was a threat from set pieces as he proved with a free kick which Grant saved well. The Rams wideman fizzed in a number of corners in front of the Kop in the first half which Wednesday defended admirably before former Derby 'keeper Grant denied the visitors taking the lead again with a great stop from a flick header from another former Blade, Rob Hulse.

As the half time whistle went, both managers would be asking for that little bit more as a goal was the only thing missing from a decent half.

Half Time
Owls 0 Derby 0

As the second period began it was clear that Alan Irvine had fired the Owls up, as the possession that the visitors were afforded in the latter stages of the first half had been stopped but there was a worry for Wednesday when Darren Purse had to be replaced by Richard Hinds after 12 minutes had passed with a hamstring problem.

The game went a little flat as the half wore on with both sides defending well, Mark Beevers in particular standing out and denying Hulse and Porter any chance of a sight of goal as their counterparts soaked up any balls played up to Marcus Tudgay and Leon Clarke.

Clarke was sacrificed for Francis Jeffers with around 25 minutes to go as Wednesday searched for the opener and Jeffers' movement did worry the Rams backline but it was the impressive, Beevers, who was so close to putting the Owls one-up.

Darren Potter floated over a ball from right to left which the Wednesday number 15 got his head to and it appeared to be looping into the goal before a fine header off the line by Tonge for the visitors as the home side tried to apply some pressure.

Jeffers then had the first of two chances to open the scoring in the game but his first, a header from around six yards didn't have enough purchase on it and was easy for Bywater to claim. Minutes later, Soares chased down a ball that was seemingly going out for a goal kick as the Derby defence stood still, the Owls midfielder wrapped his leg around the ball and played it into the box towards Jeffers and just as the Wednesdayites sensed a goal Jeffers was denied by an excellent block by Shaun Barker with the goal empty.

Robbie Savage come on to a chorus of boo's and some 'banter' for Gilles Sunu who had spent most of the game on his backside for the visitors, but little was to change and both sides had to settle for a point apiece.

Final Score
Owls 0 Derby 0

Sheff Wed: Grant ,Purse (Hinds ,57 ) ,Spurr ,Nolan ,Beevers ,Potter ,Soares ,Miller ,O'Connor (Esajas ,83 ) ,Tudgay ,Clarke (Jeffers ,62)
Subs not used: Simek,Gray,O'Donnell,Palmer,

Derby: Bywater ,McEveley ,Hunt (Leacock ,80 ) ,Anderson ,Barker ,Tonge ,Green ,Pearson ,Porter ,Hulse (Davies ,86 ) ,Sunu (Savage ,78)
Subs not used Buxton,Martin,Moxey,Martin,

Next up for the Owls is the visit of Watford to Hillsborough on Wednesday night.

Tommy makes team of the week

After a solid defensive display from the Owls on Saturday which earned them a point against Derby County, Tommy Spurr has been named in the Coca Cola Championship Team of the Week.

Spurr has had his fair share of stick from some sections of the crowd at Hillsborough this season but he earned his place in the team of the week with a sterling performance alongside Messrs Nolan, Beevers, Purse and Hinds at the weekend.

The Owlsonline Young player of the Year has returned to something like the form we all know he is capable of in the past few weeks which can only help the Owls stave off the looming threat of relegation. Also in the team of the week is Derby 'keeper, Stephen Bywater who kept a clean sheet against Wednesday.

Next up for Spurr and his Wednesday team-mates is the visit of Watford this Wednesday night, a game which could prove crucial as the Hornets find themselves within the grasp of the Owls should they get the three points the home crowd crave.

Congrats to Tommy on his inclusion in the side, and let's hope it's more of the same in the final weeks of the season.

For full details of the Team of the week, visit the Football League's website by clicking HERE.

Owls v Watford preview

Wednesday and Watford clash at S6 in what can only be described as a six pointer, the two sides are both at the bottom end of the table with Wednesday sat in 21st and the Hornets in 20th after Tuesday night’s results.

Owls News

Wednesday boss Alan Irvine welcomes Luke Varney back into the squad after the on loan Derby striker missed the game at the weekend with his parent club, Varney’s return gives Alan Irvine just 19 fit players for the visit of the Hornets.

Darren Purse faces a wait on his hamstring injury after being forced off against the Rams at the weekend, the defender had been an impressive influence prior to departing and could be sorely missed if he is out, Richard Hinds replaced the skipper on Saturday and could be asked to once again.

Jermaine Johnson looks set to not be risked with a the games coming thick and fast, the livewire winger was expected to be out for 7-10 days so it looks likely he may be risked at Coventry at the weekend. Lewis Buxton, Sean McAllister and Johnson are the only absentees from the squad.

Alan Irvine has to get the Owls back to winning ways, after a great start he has presided over just one win in the last eight despite an upturn in recent form, we need 12 points or so to saty up and three tomorrow night would be gratefully received.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Nolan, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Soares, Potter, O’Connor, Miller; Varney, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Clarke, Hinds, Palmer, Simek, Esajas, Jeffers, Gray.

Watford News

The Hornets head to S6 after a disappointing defeat away at Cardiff on Sunday, the Hornets had more than enough chances to eek something from the game but seemed to leave their shooting boots in Hertfordshire.

Watford Heroes

Luther Blissett appeared over 450 times for the Hornets in three separate spells during his long playing career which stretched from 1976 to 1994 at a professional level.

Luther was born in Jamaica in the late 1950’s and his parents emigrated to England in the 60’s he signed for the Hornets straight from school in 1974, making his debut 2 years later as the club languished in the bottom division, he scored his first goal inside 3 games but would have to wait for the 1977/78 for his next one as the club secured promotion out of the bottom division, Luther chipped in with 33 appearances and six goals.

He was amongst the goals as the Hornets plundered to two further promotions inside four seasons taking them into the Top division, he netted 61 goals in 165 games in the four seasons and led to him being called up for England, he netted a hat-trick on his debut in a 9-0 demolition of Luxembourg.

Watford and Blissett shocked the footballing world in their first season in the top flight by finishing second, Blissett ended as the division’s top scorer with 27 goals in the league.

In 1983 he was sold to AC Milan for £1m but the move to Italy wasn’t a success and he was back at Watford for half the price a year later after notching just five in 30 games for Milan.

He quickly got back into his scoring habits for the Hornets with 21 in his first season back but the club were struggling to re-create their earlier success and were heading the wrong way down the table, by the end of the 1987/88 season the goals were drying up for Luther and he managed just four in 25 as the club were relegated.

It was a surprise when he was sold to Bournemouth early in the 1988-89 season but he returned to scoring ways hitting 19 in 30 for Harry Redknapps men as they battled at the right end of the table, he added another 18 the following season but the club had a difficult second half of the season and were relegated.

Back in the 3rd tier his scoring continued and he scored 19 in 45 for the Cherries before returning to Watford for the 1991-92 season, he scored another 10 goals for the club in 42 league games then had a spells at West Brom, Bury and Mansfield before retiring from the professional game.

Since retiring he has had spells coaching at Watford and been a TV pundit for Italian Football.

One of the key components of Watford’s success whilst Blissett was there was manager Graham Taylor, the one time England manager is a legend down at Vicarage Road.

Taylor joined Watford in 1977 after leading Lincoln to the 4th division title, he surprised many by dropping to the 4th tier to take over the ambitious Hornets who were owned by Elton John he quickly transformed the club and within 5 years they were a top flight club, he guided them to the 3rd round of the UEFA Cup and to the FA Cup in 1984 which they lost to Everton.

After reaching the FA Cup semi finals in 1987 and finishing 9th he was approached by Aston Villa who had just been relegated, again it was the challenge that enthused Taylor and he immediately got Villa back in the top flight, he secured safety the following season and in the 89/90 season they were runners up to Liverpool.

England came calling for Taylor in 1990 to replace Bobby Robson and he accepted the position but unfortunately for Taylor, England and the fans of the 3 Lions it proved a disaster, it pathetic showing in Euro 92 complete with the ending of Gary Linekers international career and a failure to qualify for the World Cup of 1994 in the States saw Taylor vilified and he left the job.

Taylor had a brief spell as Wolves manager in the mid 90’s which lasted 18 months and including a play-off semi final defeat to Bolton.

Elton John took back over as owner at Watford in 1996 and appointed Taylor as general manager within a year he’d appointed himself as manager and guided the club to the 3rd tier title at the first attempt, he followed that up by winning the 1998/99 Division 1 play-offs to bring top flight football back to Vicarage Road for the 1st time in over a decade.

His miracle couldn’t last as the Hornets came straight back down and after a promising start back in 2nd tier the Hornets eventually finished 9th prompting Taylor to retire.

In February 2002 he was brought out of retirement by Doug Ellis at Aston Villa but a 126th place finish in the 2002-03 season saw Taylor finally give up the ghost and retire fully from the game.
He is currently a Non-Executive director at Watford.

The Gaffer

Malky Mackay is a former Scottish international defender who took over as permanent boss at Vicarage Road this summer following the defection of Brendan Rodgers to Reading after just six months in charge of the club.

Mackay previously had a spell as caretaker boss of the club following the departure of Aidy Boothroyd, he won 2 of the 5 games he had in charge and was a fans favourite to take the role before Rodgers was appointed, he was therefore a natural appointment this time round, he has won four of his first 13 games in charge and the Hornets sit in 12th place.

Mackay began his playing career with Queens Park before joining the other club in Glasgow, Celtic in 1993 but he made just 46 appearances in his five years with the club and was allowed to join Norwich on loan in 1998, after just game the deal was made permanent for a fee in the region of £350k.

He stayed at Carrow Road for six years, making well over 200 appearances for the club and helped them back into the Premier League in 2004, the promotion actually cost Malky his chance at Norwich and he left to join West Ham, he turned out 22 times for the Hammers as they regained top flight status but once again promotion saw Malky miss out and he was released.

He joined Watford in August 2005 and tasted promotion once more, this time though he wasn’t released and he turned out 14 times in the top flight as the Hornets came straight back down, he also moved onto the coaching staff, his final appearance came in January 2008 in a cup tie with Wolves, he made 61 appearances in his time at Watford and overall played 430 times in club football and five internationals.

Key Players

Martin Taylor

Defender Martin joined the club on a free transfer during the January transfer window from Birmingham where he had spent the last six years as a player.

North-east born Martin began his career with Blackburn Rovers as a youngster and made his debut in a Premier League game away at Coventry in March 1999, he played a further twice that season as the club was relegated.

He played 9 times for Rovers in the 1999/00 season and also had spells on loan at both Darlington in his native North East and Stockport County, the 2000-01 season was a breakthrough year for Martin, he made 27 appearances for the club in all competitions and netted on four occasions, including at both Hillsborough and Ewood Park against Wednesday and helped Rovers to promotion.

In the 2001-02 season he played 29 times for the club in all competitions and won a League Cup medal as Rovers saw off Tottenham in the final. From a personal point of view the best campaign to date for Martin was the 2002/03 season as he was an almost ever-present making 42 appearances for the club, he added a further 14 the following year before being surprisingly sold to Birmingham for £1.25m where he played 12 times as the Blues finished 10th.

His form suggested he would be an ideal choice for the Blues in the 2004/05 season but he found himself frozen out and played just 9 times, but after injuries gave him his chance he would turn out 28 times for the Blues in the 05/06 season but the club were relegated.

Back in the 2nd tier Martin was again a first team regular playing 38 times as the Blues bounced back to the top flight at the first attempt but once again found himself out of the first team picture with the Blues in the top flight, he made just five appearances as the Blues came straight back down but infamously was sent off for an horrific tackle on Eduardo which left the Arsenal striker with a double compound fracture.

Last season he made 25 appearances for the Blues as once again they yo-yoed between the divisions and he has played eleven times for the Hornets scoring once to date.
In his career he has made over 270 appearances and scored on 11 occasions.

Squad Number 24

Heidar Helguson

Heidar is in his second spell with the club after signing on loan from QPR earlier in the campaign.
Icelandic international Heidar come to prominence with Norwegian side Lillestrom during the late 1990’s scoring 18 league goals for the club as in 43 games, this alerted then Watford boss Graham Taylor who needed to bolster his attack and he brought in Helguson a £1.5m fee, he scored 4 in 16 in their battle against the drop but it proved fruitless.

Over the next four seasons Heidar was a regular if not consistent goal scorer for the Hornets scoring 38 in 136 appearances, he missed parts of each season through injury and suffered crisis’s of confidence in front of goal.

The 2004/05 season was the best for Heidar to date he rattled in 20 goals for the first time in his career and played 47 times for the Hornets, the upturn in form persuaded Fulham to splash £1.5m for his services.

Over the next two seasons he was plied his trade at Craven Cottage and scored 11 Premier League goals in 31 starts for the club before leaving for Bolton in the Summer of 2007.

Heidar spent 18 months at Bolton but only played 9 times for club during this spell, netting twice before being allowed to join QPR on loan in November 2008, he had a productive loan spell at Rangers scoring 3 in 7 before the deal was made permanent, he added 2 more goals in 14 appearances to the end of the 2008/09 season.

This season he scored 1 in 5 for the R’s before being allowed to re-join Watford on loan where he has netted 9 in 22 to date.

Squad Number 11

Henri Lansbury

19 year old Henri is on loan at Hornets from nearby Arsenal, the highly rated youngster is continuing his footballing education with a season long loan in the Championship.

Henri joined the Gunners academy at the age of 9 and made his first team debut as a substitute in a Carling Cup at Bramall Lane in October 2007 after impressing the coaching staff at varying youth levels, he made a further 3 appearances in the League Cup last season but has yet to play in the Premier League.

In January 2009 he joined Scunthorpe on a month’s loan but ended up staying until the end of April, he made 16 appearances for the Iron and netted on 4 occasions which helped the club to reach the play-offs.

Henri joined the Hornets in August last year and so far has made 28 starts for the club and a further 4 from the bench; he netted his first goals against the Owls in October and added to that brace with two since.

Squad Number 5

Team News

Team (possible): Loach; Doyley, Mariappa, Taylor, Hodson; Cleverley, Cowie, McGinn, Eustace; Helguson, Hoskins.

(subs from) Lee, Bennett, Harley, Cleverley, Bryan, Graham, Buckley, Lansbury, Jenkins.

Head to Head

An improvised flick from Marcus Tudgay and a clever goal by Tommy Spurr secured all three points for Brian Laws men when the two clubs last met at S6 in September 2008.

A season earlier a solitary Jobi McAnuff strike won it for the visitors in front of a sparse Hillsborough crowd on the weekend before Christmas 2007.

The two clubs ground out draws in both the 2005/06 season and the 2002/03 season with both sides grabbing late goals, it was Ashley Young for the visitors with the late leveler in October 2005 and Danny Maddix for the Owls in March 2003.

The first meeting between the two sides came at S6 in December 1970, goals from Mick Prendergast and Colin Prophett secured a 2-1 win for the Owls, the visitors first win came in 1978 as they edged a 5 goal thriller, Brian Hornsby and Peter Shirtliffe got the Wednesday goals.

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 10

Draw: 5

Hornets: 6

Final thoughts

A must win game for Wednesday, no other way of putting it, a season low crowd expected for this “big” fixture, the games are running out and it’s time to get three points on the board, a win would see us move above the Hornets albeit with the visitors holding two games in hand but those fixtures are against fellow strugglers Palace and QPR.

Visit our rivals

http://www.wfcforums.com

BRING IT ON - HORNETS

Tonight is HUGE for both clubs, do Watford see it that way? Or are they going to stave off the threat of the bottom 3?
Well, we speak to Wippendell from the WFC Forums to get his take on all things yellow and hornet-like!

Here goes...
1) So... What did you expect this season from the Hornets?

Pre season, I hoped we just stay in the Championship. Now surprisingly it's still about staying up. Could go either way. We've great characters, but the results and confidence from earlier in the season have gone. In December many thought we'd be comfortably top half and the new signings thought we were play off material - we were 6th after beating QPR live on Sky. Since then we've thrown points away, spurned goal chances while the defence and refs have gone missing too often.

2) Malky Mackay, what do you lot make of him? Is he the man for the job long term?

I thought that with his experience he'd make a good manager and he should have had the job when he was caretaker last season instead of Brendan Rodgers. He coached the reserves well. He has been slow to make tactical changes and substitutions so our bad run has given his critics ammunition.

His post match comments are somewhat repetitive but he has integrity and he has had precious little resources to do the job as there's no money and many of the squad know they'll be (or want to be) elsewhere next season.

Our board won't sack him and we can't afford anyone else. Long term? Well, his mate Alex Ferguson came good in the end, so I hope Malky does too. His signings will determine that for him.

3) Scott Loach, Jay Demerit, Jon Harley, names that fans of most Championship clubs will have heard of... Who is the next big thing at Vicarage Road?

Martin Taylor is a very big thing at Vicarage Road who has signed a 3 yr deal! Short term it might be Will Buckley, signed from Rochdale. Or youth defenders Dale Bennett and Eddie Oshodi or Wales u21 keeper, Jonathan North, out on loan at Oxford City.

4) Which type of player is your side missing? Who would you buy to fill that spot? (realistically)

Easy - we've no pace anywhere. And no true left footers except Jon Harley. We've not had anyone good at free kicks since Ashley Young. We need a fast forward, winger or striker to mix things up. Steve Morison of Millwall - who was at Stevenage, up the road, is that sort of player.

We had a pacey striker in the youth team, Marvin Sordell, but he's out on loan at Tranmere. Not sure why they haven't had a real chance at Watford this season as we put young Liam Henderson in the squad and my fireplace has more agility. That's odd. Sordell may come good as we've let many top players slip from the youth team before- e.g.,Dean Holdsworth and Tim Sherwood.

5) Well as the chances of you playing your geographical rivals is slim in the near future, who else do you like the Hornets to spank?

I don't know what you mean? Our geographical rivals are Reading and QPR (Reading are our new Blades) and I think they'll both manage to stay up though it seemed doubtful about Xmas. Whether we will and whether we can spank anyone in the near future, I'm beginning to wonder! You have to score goals and we don't take our chances.

BTW, Luton is an airport, not a football club....

6) We are in the final stretch now and the fight for Championship survival is firmly on for a host of clubs, who do you think will be the ones who will go down?

Peterborough will go down. I hope Crystal Palace do too, but think they won't. And Cardiff deserve to. They should disappear in a puff of corrupt smoke so nobody else has to go down! I truly hope Sheff Wed and Scunthorpe stay up but not at the expense of Watford. Stronger clubs will be in the Championship next season, so I worry for us next season already too.

7) What do you know about the Owls?

A bloke at work is a huge fan so quite a bit! I think you are a better team than the side we beat 4-1 earlier this season in Henri Lansbury's best ever game. We were lucky Michael Gray went off injured - that changed the game. He's a key player we need at WFC (leadership, left sided and good at free kicks) and when Boothroyd was here, I thought Gray would come as they liked each other at Leeds.
I think Irvine was a good manager at Preston and that he was a good appointment. Lee Grant, your goalkeeper, is a Watford supporter from when he was a kid.
Other than that, history, success, mixed fortunes big ground, class, deserve a better structure behind the scenes than they've had since the nineties. I always regard them as the bigger club than the red an white lot. And you're just up the road from the legendary Sheffield Tigers Speedway - Reg Wilson. Doug Wyer and all that. (you may be too young for this) And my mate really rates the fish and chip shop near the ground.....

8) Memories of games against Wednesday? (good and bad)

I went to the two Wembley finals the year that Arsenal beat you in the FA Cup. I also used to referee and my 1st 4th offical appointment was Wimbledon v Sheff Wed at Selhurst Park in maybe 1993/4. It kicked off between the benches and I remember manager Trevor Francis being absolute class and very dignified. Des Walker played and even the coaches apologised for him being a bit odd. The ref bottled a Wednesday striker who should have been sent off for striking an opponent.

When I come up to Hillsborough, as I will on Wednesday, we usually lose and its very cold....

9) Any team news?

Malky lives in Berkhampstead, not near me in Watford, so no! Malky is getting stick for NOT making changes, so he won't change anything unless he has to for injury say. If Demerit - who has had a historic dodgy back - recovers, he'll be back in moving Mariappa to full back at Hodson's expense.

10) Score prediction?

Whoever scores first will win.

So massive thanks to the Hornet's who've replied and let's hope we score first then eh!!!!

Retro Game - A swatting of the Hornets.

Alexander The Meerkat gives us a reminder of what was a cracking game against tonight's visitors Watford in years gone by.

I did say to myself i'd only do league games but whenever this fixture comes round, there's only one game that comes to mind and that was Sheffield Wednesdays 4-0 thumping of Watford in the League Cup quarter final. After a shock win over table topping Aston Villa in the previous round, Wednesday were drawn at home to Watford knowing a win would leave them 2 games away from an appearance at the Millenium Stadium

Watford were having a disappointing season so far as many expected them to be challenging for promotion especially with Gianluca Vialli taking over the management reigns from Mr Watford - Graham Taylor. I know he had a bad spell with the England management job but there's not that many managers that I have plenty of time for and Graham Taylor is one of them. I'll never forget his post match comments after Watford got a 2-2 draw at Hillsborough when to be fair, they should have taken 3 points. Instead of being disappointed, Taylor sang 'we got a point, we got a point, e i e i o, we got a point!'. Magnificent

Wednesday lined up as follows
Pressman, Haslam, Geary, Maddix, Westwood, Hamshaw, Soltvedt, McLaren, Donnelly, Sibon, Ekoku
Subs: Stringer, O Donnell, Crane, Quinn, Bonvin

Watford lined up as follows
Chamberlain, Cox, Issa, Vega, Robinson, Noble, Vernazza, Hyde, Fisken, Noel Williams, Gayle
Subs: Baardsen, Doyley, Smith, Nielsen, Helguson

20319 was the attendance for this game so if people are expecting 25,000 for a league match when a quarter final game where tickets were priced at £15.00 each got 20,319 for tonights game - then can you please get out of that dream world your currently in thank you

Anyway the visitors had the better opportunities in the early stages, David Noble sliced wide on five minutes and Gary Fisken had two chances to put the Hornets in front. On eight minutes he blazed wide from Neil Cox's swinging corner and two minutes later the wideman shot over after a good run and pullback from Marcus Gayle.

Halfway through that opening period, Efan Ekoku had the best opening of the night. The Nigerian international latched onto a defensive error and rounded Alec Chamberlain but the resultant attempt was hooked off the line by Ramon Vega. Both sides struggled to carve out clear cut chances but the Owls grabbed the lead six minutes before the break. The impressive Matt Hamshaw swung over a hanging centre and Gerald Sibon outjumped the keeper to nod home and send the home side in 1-0 up at the interval.

It was the lanky Dutchman who tested Chamberlain on 50 minutes with a firm header which was straight at the visiting custodian. Del Geary also caused Gianluca Vialli's men a headache with a superb burst into the box before he was crowded out with Hamshaw unmarked at the far post.

WFC substitute Tommy Smith came close on the hour, swivelling and driving low across goal. SWFC responded with Paul McLaren's cross-shot tipped over the top. On 73 minutes, the lead was doubled by Hamshaw in stunning style. The winger picked the ball up midway in his own half from a Watford corner, turned and raced goalwards. He shrugged past two defenders before calming slotting home a superb goal in front of an ecstatic Kop.

With time running out the win edged nearer but it was secured by a two goal blast which rocked the Hornets. Phil O'Donnell had been on the field only four minutes when he broke forward and planted a low drive into the left hand corner of the net - SWFC were in the semi finals for sure. The progression was rounded off in emphatic fashion by Trond Soltvedt who wriggled into the area and arced a curling effort past Chamberlain's right hand. Game, set and match to Wednesday

It's Wednesday who sting the Hornets.

A win, that's all we wanted. It didn't matter how we got it, just get the three points. Massive game, HUGE game. If we don't win we're done for... Just a few of the things that could be heard prior to kick off around S6 on Wednesday night, and yes victory was tasted, we didn't play well but we don't care a jot.
The points are in the bag!

A first goal for Eddie Nolan and Luke Varney's eighth of the season won the game for Wednesday which was hardly a footballing spectacle for the 18,000 supporters who witnessed it last night.

Varney was restored to the starting eleven by Alan Irvine after being ineligible to play against Derby County last weekend, replacing Leon Clarke who dropped to the bench, this being the only change from the draw against the Rams.

A nervy first ten minutes or so was expected with both sides needing the points as much as each other, but what was served up for the first half in fact was hardly inspiring. Passes were misplaced with alarming regularity, and neither side deserved to take the lead.

There was almost half of the first period gone before James O Connor tried to chip visiting 'keeper Scott Loach, but even then few thought the Hornet's number one was troubled. Minutes later though Wednesday were within a lick of paint of going in front.

Darren Potter stepped up to curl a free kick goalwards from around 25 yards which left Loach grasping at thin air, but the ball rebounded off the 'keepers right hand post. With the home support roused, the expectation levels and volume of the support ramped up many expected the performance to finally be lifted, but they were wrong.

Tommy Miller had to be replaced with just over 30 minutes gone, and on came Leon Clarke as the Owls pushed three men up front looking for the first goal. But they almost brought there own downfall minutes later, Lee Grant played a short goal kick to Tommy Spurr and Wednesday's number two inexplicably played the ball straight to Watfor'd former Rotherham striker, Will Hoskins, who raced towards goal.

O Connor and Owls skipper Darren Purse raced back in an attempt to get to the ball and a combination of them both, ending in a fine saving tackle from Purse kept the danger at bay but in truth it looked like a foul on the Watford striker by the Wednesday midfielder.

The end of the first period brought a chorus of boo's from the home support, leaving the visitors the happier of the two sides.

Half Time
Wednesday 0 Watford 0

A rollicking from Alan Irvine was required after the abject first half and well he must have told the players what he thought, as they came out of the traps fighting. The determined, battling performance that was expected seemed to have been urged out of the players in the half time break as Wednesday gave the visitors midfield little time to settle on the ball.

It took just eleven minutes for the deadlock to be broken, and how. Eddie Nolan found himself with the ball after some good work in midfield, working the ball from left to right. Nolan cut inside from the touchline beating one man, then another and he found himself with a sight of goal inside the box before firing goalwards beating Loach at his near post. The tension was lifted as the crowd and players celebrated like the goal had won the cup final, the shackles were off.

Wednesday raised their game and were now clearly in control but they were to be hit by a sucker punch by Tom Cleverley. The Hornets broke into the Owls half and as the ball bobbled up just outside the 18 yard box it was adjudged to have struck Darren Potter on the hand, with referee Mr Deadman, awarding the visitors a free kick. Cleverley stepped up and swept the ball into the top corner, giving Grant no chance.

Then the game reverted to first half type, Wednesday went back into their shell and again gave the ball away with alarming regularity.
Varney strode towards goal and stuck a shot low to Loach's left which the England Under 21 'keeper palmed for a corner, after which Varney was seen clearly limping and it appeared that he would be replaced by Francis Jeffers as the Owls number nine was ready to come on.

Jeffers was to come on, but it would be for Tom Soares and how the decision to keep Varney on would be vindicated with just one minute to go. The on loan Derby striker cut inside from the left and raced into the box onto the ball and smashed the ball goalwards beating Loach, again at his near post, before it bounced off the inside of the upright and into the goal.

The points were in the bag, the performance wasn't the best but we all got what we wanted. The win takes the Owls above Watford and four points above Crystal Palace who have a game in hand. Next up is the weekend trip to face Coventry City and the former Owls skipper, Richard Wood, at the Ricoh Arena.

Final Score
Wednesday 2 Watford 1

Sheff Wed: Grant, Purse, Spurr, Nolan, Beevers, Potter, Soares (Jeffers, 88 ) , Miller (Clarke, 31 ) , O'Connor, Tudgay, Varney (Gray, 89 )
Subs not used: Hinds,Simek,Esajas,O'Donnell,
Watford: Loach, Doyley, Martin Taylor, Demerit, Mariappa, Eustace, Cleverley, Cowie ( Buckley, 89 ) , Jenkins ( Harley, 73 ) , Hoskins ( Graham, 60 ) , Helguson

Owls sent to Coventry

Wednesday travel to Warwickshire on a high after a late winner by Luke Varney secured a vital three points at home to Watford in midweek, the win but a 4 point gap between the Owls and the bottom three.

Owls News

Wednesday boss Alan Irvine will assess the fitness of Tommy Miller, Darren Purse and Jermaine Johnson ahead of the trip to the Ricoh, Miller limped out of the midweek win over Watford with what looked like a calf injury whilst Purse went off early against Derby with a recurrence of his hamstring injury but played the full 90 minutes on Wednesday.

Jermaine Johnson was set to be ruled out for 7-10 days following his withdrawal at Preston which points to a return for game against the Sky Blues unless the Owls decide to save the talismanic Jamaican for the crucial Easter weekend fixtures.

If Miller is not available then Marcus Tudgay may drop into midfield with Leon Clarke partnering Wednesday’s match winner Luke Varney up top, Clarkes power and unexpected pace could provide an uncomfortable afternoon for former Owls defender Richard Wood.

Defensively the Owls have been solid of late and another strong performance at Coventry could be a catalyst to another positive result in our quest for safety in this division,

Team News (possible)

Team (possible): Grant, Nolan, Beevers, Purse, Spurr; Tudgay, Potter, O’Connor, Soares; Varney, Clarke.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Esajas, Hinds, Jeffers, Gray, Palmer, Boden, Johnson, Miller.

Coventry City News

Coventry come into the game on the back of a narrow loss at West Brom, the Sky Blues could have nicked a point but Morrison’s effort hit the post, the Sky Blues battled back from two goals down at Leicester last week to secure a point and are still an outside bet for the play-offs.

Coventry City Heroes

Steve Ogrizovic is City’s all time number 1 in both goalkeeping and appearances, the Mansfield born stopper played over 600 times for the Sky Blues in a 16 year playing career with the club, he famously once scored against the Owls with a goal kick which eluded Martin Hodge in the Wednesday net.

‘Oggy’ began his career just down the A61 with Chesterfield in 1977 but after just sixteen appearances for the Spireites he was sold to Liverpool for £70k, he made just 5 appearances for the Merseysiders in a five year stay, one being the 1977 European Super Cup final.

In 1982 he was transferred to Shrewsbury Town and in two years with the club he was an ever-present for the 2nd Division Shrews which prompted Coventry to pay for his services in 1984.

After breaking into the City side in August 1984 he would go on to make a staggering 209 consecutive league appearances for the club and helped them lift the 1987 FA Cup.

For the most of the 90’s Oggy was number one choice until the arrival of Magnus Hedman in late 1997 with Ogrizovic in his 40th year, following Hedmans at Highfield Steve played just 5 games from May 1998 to May 2000 and he retired at the age of 41, his final appearance for City came in a 4-1 win against Wednesday.

As well as playing football he was a keen cricketer and appeared for Shropshire in the Minor Counties league as well as their Benson & Hedges Cup ties as a bowler, he claimed 5 professional wickets including Yorkshires Martyn Moxon.

Steve is currently City’s goalkeeping coach.

Another City legend is Tommy Hutchinson, a Scottish international winger who spent 8 years with the club during the 70’s and early 80’s.

Tommy began his career with Alloa Athletic but joined Stan Mortensen’s Blackpool in February 1968 for a fee
of £10,000 to help boost the Tangerines flagging promotion hopes, he helped them to win 8 out of their final 9 games but it wasn’t enough to gain promotion

He spent 5 years with the Lancashire club playing in well over 150 games and notching ten league goals before being transferred to Coventry for £140k plus Billy Rafferty, he was quickly into his stride at Highfield Road and over the next eight years he would appear 355 times for the Sky Blues and notch 30 goals, he was nicknamed Mr Magic by City chairman Derrick Robins, his dribbling skills often bamboozled opposing full backs.

He left City to join Manchester City in 1980 and he scored at both ends of the 1981 FA Cup final with
Tottenham which ended 1-1, he later had spells with Bulova in Hong Kong and the Seattle Sounders before returning back to this country to play for Burnley in 1983, he moved to Swansea two years later and spent 5 years with the Vetch Field based club, he holds the record as being their oldest ever player when he appeared in 1991 at the age of 43.

Tommy earned 17 caps for his country and it is argued that had been somewhere more fashionable he’d have added to the total, he currently works as a Football Development officer for Bristol City.

The Ground

City ended 106 years of history in 2005 when they moved to the Ricoh Arena from Highfield Road, the 32,609 capacity stadium has multiple uses including hosting concerts as well as an excellent conference facility.

The Ricoh like many new builds is a “bowl” shaped affair with three single tiered stands and one impressive looking two tiered stand which holds the Exhibition Centre.

Wednesdayites will be in the Jewson Stand behind the goal, depending on demand we can have up to 4,000 or so tickets so if you want to go then get yourself there.

The Gaffer

The City job has been Colemans since February 2008 when he replaced Iain Dowie following Ray Ransons take over at the club.

This is Coleman’s third managerial appointment, he cut his managerial teeth with Fulham after a car accident ended his playing career, he joined the coaching staff in October 2002 before replacing Jean Tigana as manager the following April, helping the Cottagers away from relegation danger.

In his first full campaign as boss he guided the West London club to 9th in the top flight but he could never quite repeat that success as players were sold from under him to ease the financial burden on owner Mohammed Al-Fayed, he was dismissed in April 2007 after a run of seven without a win.
In June of the same year he took over at Basque club Real Sociedad and had the club up to fifth placed in the Segunda division in hot pursuit of a promotion spot before he resigned citing unworkable differences with the clubs president.

He guided the Sky Blues to the safety of 21st in his first few months before a 17th placed finish last year.
As a player Coleman began his career with home-town club Swansea where he spent 5 years before moving on to Crystal Palace which encompassed the next four years of his career, a 2 year spell at Blackburn preceded a good four years at Fulham where he tasted promotion twice as the Cottagers made the step up to Premier League.

Coleman was also capped over 30 times by his country.

Key Players

Richard Wood

Does this lad need any introduction? He spent 14 years at the club from scrawny school kid to accomplished Championship centre half until a falling out with the club late last year.

Richard made nearly 200 appearances for Wednesday in a six and half year stay with the club and would have made significantly more had he not suffered two major injuries which ruled him out for 18 months or so at various stages of his S6 career.

Wakefield born Richard signed for Wednesday as a 9 year old and came through the ranks making his debut in the game that saw the Owls relegated to the third tier for the first time in 23 years in April 2003, he scored his first goal in the following game on his full debut, not bad at just 17.

In the 2003/04 season Richard played 17 times for the club as the Owls struggled in League One but the following season he was used more by new boss Paul Sturrock and played a major part in the Owls promotion success and made 38 appearances as the Owls won the play-offs.

Richard was a near ever-present as the Owls returned to the Championship but suffered a hamstring injury away at Coventry in February 2006 which saw him ruled out until January the following year, he finally returned to full first team action in March 2007 and played in the final 12 games of the season as Wednesday finished 9th.

In the 2007/08 he again suffered an injury problem when he dislocated his shoulder which ruled him out from October to February and restricted him to 30 appearances, last season he made 44 appearances in all competitions for Wednesday and added 11 this season before his contract talks fell down and he was shipped to Coventry.

He has made 19 appearances for the Sky Blues to date, netting twice and has impressed with Sky Blues faithful with his leadership qualities.

Squad Number 24

Jon Stead

Striker Jon recently joined the club on loan from Ipswich Town after a falling out with Roy Keane, the Huddersfield born striker has quickly adapted to life in Warwickshire and has scored twice in his first six appearances.

Jon came through the ranks at his home town club, making his Terriers debut in the 2002/03 where he scored 6 times in 45 appearances as Town were relegated to the fourth tier. Dropping down a division suited Jon and he rattled in 18 times in just 30 games for Huddersfield and was sold to top flight club Blackburn for £1.25m in January 2004.

He seemed to like life in the top flight and scored 6 goals in just 13 games for Rovers as they battled against the drop. However life turned sour the following season with just 2 goals in 34 appearances before being sold to Sunderland in the summer of 2005 for £1.8m

His spell on Wearside was equally as poor for Stead he scored just twice in 40 appearances before being loaned to Derby in October 2006 where he scored 3 in 17 for the Rams before another move this time a permanent switch to Sheffield United for £750k in January 2007.

Jon grabbed 5 goals in 14 games for the Blades but his goals weren’t enough to stave off the drop and he added a further 6 in 33 before being moved onto to Ipswich where he grabbed 19 in 63.

Squad Number 9

Sammy Clingan

Midfielder Sammy signed from relegated Norwich City in the summer after spending just a season in East Anglia where he netted 6 times in 43 appearances for the Canaries.

Sammy began his career as a trainee with Wolves but his first taste of professional football came with a loan spell at Chesterfield in the 2004/05 season, he had 3 months at the Saltergate club scoring twice in 15 games including a screamer to secure a point at Hillsborough.

He returned to Saltergate early in the 2005/06 season again on loan where he made 22 appearances for the club before he was moved onto to Nottingham Forest much against his wishes, Chesterfield couldn’t match Forest’s offer, he made 15 appearances to the end of the 2006 season without scoring.

Sammy made 35 appearances for Forest in the 2006/07 season before having his season curtailed with a broken ankle. He returned the following season fully fit for Forest and helped the club to promotion back to the Championship scoring his one and only goal for the club in a 2-0 win over Crewe, he appeared 96 times for the club scoring once before leaving on a free for Norwich.

He has made 29 appearances to date for the Sky Blues netting five times, he is a dead ball expert and accurate from both close (penalties) and long range (free kicks).

He has been capped 17 times by Northern Ireland.

Squad Number 4

Team News

Team (possible): Westwood; Cranie, Wood, McPake, Wright; Bell, Clingan, Baker, Deegan; Stead, Morrison.

(subs from) Gunnarsson, Barnett, Hall, Konstantopolous, Sears, Eastwood, Hussey, Turner, McIndoe.

Head to Head

An early strike from Clinton Morrison put the hosts in the lead when the two sides met in December 2008 before Robbie Simpson added a second with 8 minutes to go to secure a 2-0 win for the Sky Blues.

The season before the two sides fought out a bore draw at the Ricoh as they battled to avoid the drop, it was
stark contrast to the 3-1 at the Ricoh in November 2006, Wednesday were reduced to ten men when Wade Small was sent off for violent behavior in the 16th minute but the Owls took a shock lead when Chris Brunt’s corner went straight in, the hosts battled back quickly and through a Bougherra own goal were level. In the 37th minute Brunt was sent off for a professional foul and the Owls were down to ten men, two quick fire Leon McKenzie goals just after half time put City 3-1 up but the Owls fought back and had it not been for Andy Marshall the Owls would have got back into the game.

Wednesday’s last win at Coventry came way back in 1995 when Guy Whittingham lashed home from the edge of the box to give David Pleats men all three points.

The first ever meeting between the two sides at Coventry came back in the 1920/21 season when the Owls edged a 5 goal thriller, Johnny McIntyre (2) and C Binney were the Owls scorers, city’s first win over the Owls on their home turf was on Christmas Day 1925 when they hammered the Wednesday 5-1 with Sid Binks grabbing the Owls consolation.

Overall at Coventry:

Owls: 8

Draw: 9

Sky Blues: 23

Final thoughts

Another tough away day for Alan Irvines men after their recent trips to West Brom and Swansea and given our record at Coventry over the past 15 years it looks even tougher but Wednesday’s result was positive and this is a chance to get some vital points on the board against a City side without a win in four.

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Beat the Bookie... 26.3.10

Yes after an enforced absence.. Well, not enough time and too much to do.. It's back AND... Holmesfield Owl is back as the Owlsonline resident tipster.

So here are his efforts for this weekends football tips for you who like a flutter....

Welcome all to this weekends Beat The Bookie. I've used Betfred for all odds and (potential!) winnings so they will vary on whoever you use. Its a crucial part of the season with shock results always on the cards but these bet should hopefully make me, and you a few extra beer tokens for the bank holiday on the horizon.

Accumulator

Wolves v EVERTON at 11/10. Underrated team and the premier and going along nicely. Wolves always tough place to go but everton should have too much for hard working Stoke.

Hartlepool v SWINDON at 7/5. Struggling home team Hartlepool will find the visit of Danny Wilsons men tough going, who bring a decent recent away record and good form. A side who has helped payouts throughout the season.

Shrewsbury v Darlington at 4/9. Add this bet against season long strugglers Darlington to make up a very winnable treble. Good home record against poor away side.

£20 pays out £145.60 including stake return.

Weekend Special

Wincast, Rooney to score at any point for Man United and for them to win at Bolton at tasty odds of 11/10.

Wednesday Wonderland Special

Draw HT Sheffield Wednesday FT at very nice odds of 15/2. Can see a very frustrated
Coventry city receiving a rather sharp sting in the second half tail. Certainly worth a fiver as confident, play till the end Irvines team have shown more grit in his tenure than all the season put together.

Good luck to all having a flutter and hope the above works out well if you back 'em.

Best of luck to The Wednesday tomorrow, heres to 3 points lads!

Til' next time.

UTO.

Holmesfield Owl.

Bring it on - Coventry City

So Bringing it on this weekend are Coventry City of course as today Wednesday visit their home, the Ricoh Arena and meet up with a familiar face in their ranks.
There was only one place to go to find a Sky Blue to talk to, our neighbours at GMK, so here's the thoughts of Smiles.

1) Has this season panned out pretty much as you expected it to?
�
Up to a point, we sold, argueably, two of our best four players in the close season, started witha small (18) man squad after shipping some shite and the rumoured, (by our Chairman) 'exciting' signings didn't really materialise. Having the singlarly least succesful team in English Football - league placing wise - in the last 40 years (all the time I've been supporting them), some of the falsehoods we've been spun in the last ten years combined with a natural Coventry cynacism, (which came after the war years for reasons I won't go into) we all expected the worst - with the bookies giving us little chance either. But recently things clicked in a poor league and there was a glimpse of the play offs, (we've not finished 6th or above in any league since 1969/70) so anything above 12th would / will be a bonus for us and we have higher hopes for next season.

2) Chris Coleman was getting his fair share of stick on your site not too long ago, it seems to have subsided. Is he the right man for the job now?
�
Well, I was non-plussed when he was appointed and haven't really changed my view since. our Chairman is no fool and has made plenty of money from football. Colemans scout (Andy Thorn) is very reliable and has souced some real gems and new coach Steve Harrison (Ex England) has shit in a fine cup or two and has been a valuable addition, Coleman still has to impress on me he is responsible for our better fortunes, but after our revolving door managerial policy over the last few years stability has been welcome. Colemans overall record, through one of the most destabilising periods in our last 50 year history, does not make good reading - next year will make or break him. We have moved on, we all hope he is the man to lead us to some glory, most wait to be convinced.

3) Richard Wood, we know all about his qualities, how has he settled in and what difference has he made to your side?
�
A better buy, was excellant at West Brom in mid week, would like to see how he fairs as Captain, one of our top two central defenders, (we have quite a few!)

4) Freddy Eastwood, Clinton Morrison, Kieran Westwood, players that all fans of championship football will have heard of. So who's the next brigt young thing at the Ricoh?
�
We have high hopes of Gary Deegan, the last you know about him the better, the rest I aint telling!

5) You have spent a fair share of money and if rumours are to be true then more will be spent in the summer, who would you most like to see in your shirt when next season kicks off?
�
Well, net, we've spent nothing, infact what profit we've made playing side has balenced loses in the rest of the club! We would like to see Westwood stay, get a left back, a Clingan like back up in midfield and a +15 goal a season striker.

6) There's a fair few clubs in the midlands so you have quite a few derbies, but who else do you like to beat the most ?
�
Anyone, 3 points is 3 points, doesn't matter if they come from Brum or the East Midlands, Fester are Billy no-mates so the M69 derby is a bit spicy, but all in all we have few 'natural rivals', I'm not fussed really.

7) What do you know about Wednesday?
�
Well the there are some very interesting parralells in our mutal recent history, you are a club with a fine history that seems behind you. Spent alot of time in Sheffield and I favour you guys more than the Pigs, (Blunts) your side of the Steel City is the more friendly for sure and Hillsborough is a real stadium, your recent seasons have been a real battle and this season more so for you than us, I wouldn't like to see you down and hope that after Saturday you get the results you need not to have to worry come late April.

8) Best and worst memories of games v us lot?
�
87 and all that, including the Leeds Semi, (and almost getting arrested), the 5-0 at home in 88/89 the 1-5 94/95 and abandoned game at your palce a couple of years ago and the best? Drinking in the Barracks!

9) Team news for tomorrow?
�
We'll have one better than yours!

10) Score prediction?
�
Will be close, we don't score many and you're battling to stay up, us by the odd goal - its about time we battered someone tho!

It Woodn't be anyone else.

Wednesday were denied a three points by their former captain Richard Wood at the Ricoh Arena this weekend in a game which arguably the Owls deserved to.

Luke Varney had fired the visitors into a second half lead scoring his second in as many games, before the Sky Blues skipper netted to draw level.
Wednesday started the game with one change from the side that faced Watford in midweek with Leon Clarke restored to the starting line up following the injury to Tommy Miller. Varney was the man to change his role in the side as Clarke took his place alongside Marcus Tudgay upfront, with the on loan Derby striker playing as a wide midfielder on the left flank.

Wednesday started brightly, with Darren Potter forcing home 'keeper Kieran Westwood into a smart stop but as both sides were getting the measure of each other the hosts having two chances, the first thwarted by Mark Beevers' fine tackle and then Potter cleared off the line from a Wood header.

Shortly after the Owls were in the ascendancy with the midfield snapping at their counterparts every move, and Eddie Nolan and Tommy Spurr attacking down the flanks. Wednesday were looking to unlock some stout defending from Wood and James McPake and they did so after around 20 minutes only to be denied by the referee.

The ball was played into Tudgay who flicked on for Leon Clarke to smash an effort past Westwood into the net, but the travelling Owls who were celebrating the goal were to be disappointed as referee, Neil Swarbrick, was to chalk off the goal for a foul leaving the Wednesday players and fans mystified as to what he saw.
It was a let off for the home side who were under some pressure from Wednesday and there could've been a penalty for the Owls after McPake appeared to handle the ball as it bounced up off his knee inside the area, but it wasn't intentional although softer penalties have been given.

Behind Westwood's goal the Owls supporters were in good voice and witnessing a solid performance from their side who looked much better than the first half in the previous game against Watford had suggested.

As the referee brought an end to the first period Wednesday were thinking what might have been if the disallowed effort had counted.

Half time
Coventry 0 Wednesday 0

Coventry boss, Chris Coleman, made three changes at the break bringing to shake things up and they brought the home side to life as they started showing some of the form that she showed in their recent draw at Leicester.
In fact their most potent threat had come from Wood and his defensive partner, McPake in the first half and it was the latter who again went close, heading over a Sammy Clingan corner.

Lee Grant had mishandled a couple of routine stops in the first half and he did it again in the second but as previously he was able to gather, as the home side tried to force the issue. But it did little to rouse the home support who in all honesty were quiet to say the least.

An uncharacteristic error from Beevers almost brought a goal for the hosts as he tried to loop the ball over his head away from the pacy, Freddie Sears, but the on loan West Ham striker pounced on the miskick and into the box. With Grant racing off his line, Sears squared the ball to the unmarked Clinton Morrison who swept home only to be denied his goal by the assistants flag. As normal Morrison had his customary moan at the officials and the world, but in truth he must have known he was offside.

Wednesday took the lead in the 67th minute, the ball was moved neatly across midfield and down the left flank for Varney, who fooled the Sky Blues midfielder, David Bell, into a tackle as he waltzed past him and into the box on the touchline. Westwood hared out of his goal and Varney did the rest from the tight angle, sending the Owls fans into raptures.

For the next ten minutes Wednesday took hold of the game again, reverting to playing the ball across midfield and stifling the home side at every opportunity as Michael Gray replaced Tom Soares with around 15 minutes to go. Just five minutes later, parity would be restored.

A high hopeful ball was played towards the edge of the Wednesday area with Richard Wood the intended recipient, he beat Darren Purse to the ball and looped his header over an advancing Lee Grant and into the unguarded net. It was an uncharacteristic error from the Owls number 1 but in truth it was to be the only way that the home side would get back into the game as Nolan, Beevers, Purse and Tommy Spurr had held firm for the previous 79 minutes.

The home side's tail was up now with them sensing victory as a dejected Wednesday gave the ball away under pressure. But instead of the home support continuing the noise after the goal the players could be heard instructing each other as the game came to a close.
The travelling Owls fans showed their appreciation of the performance as Richard Wood came across to thank the Wednesday fans also, despite getting quite a bit of abuse during the game. A great gesture from the player.

Full Time
Coventry 1 Wednesday 1

All in all, it's a point gained which Wednesday would've taken before the game and one which moves the Owls five points clear of Crystal Palace who occupy the final relegation place in the Championship.
Next up for the Owls is a trip to the capital and Loftus Road against Neil Warnock's Queens Park Rangers.

Coventry: Westwood, Hall (Bell, 46 ) , Cranie, McPake, Wood, Clingan, Baker, Deegan, Eastwood (Morrison, 46 ) , Stead (Hussey, 46 ) , Sears
Subs not used: Barnett,Konstantopoulos,Gunnarsson,Grandi son,

Sheff Wed: Grant, Purse, Spurr, Nolan, Beevers, Potter, Varney, Soares ( Gray, 74 ) , O'Connor, Tudgay, Clarke ( Jeffers, 82 )
Subs not used: Hinds, Simek, Boden, Esajas, O'Donnell,

Another Owl in the team of the week

After a decent point gained at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday, one of Wednesday's squad is included in the Championship's Team of the Week.

Preston North End loanee, Eddie Nolan, is the Owl who is included in the team of the week after a goalscoring week for the full back against Watford on Wednesday night added to his whole round perfomance in the aformentioned draw in the Midlands.

Joining Nolan in the team of the week are players from Blackpool and Scunthorpe who have two players each in the team after victories against Plymouth and Sheffield United respectively.
Also with two players apiece in the eleven are Derby County and Reading. The Horizontal Pigs of Doncaster have James Coppinger in the side after he scored the winner against Barnsley at Oakwell. And the final spot goes to a player from Cardiff after they did Wednesday a favour by beating Crystal Palace at the weekend at Selhurst Park.

To see the team of the week, please visit the Football League website by clicking HERE.

Congratulations to Eddie on his inclusion to the team and let's hope more impressive performances follow from the rest of the squad as well.

Purse looks to build on the gap.

Wednesday club captain, Darren Purse is looking for the side to build on the recent good run of form which has seen the Owls unbeaten in their last five games. Four draws and a victory coming off the back of the impressive performance at West Brom where they were unlucky to come out of that without a point for their efforts.

Since the shock drubbing at Reading in February, Alan Irvine's men seem to have found a new resolve and it's this which Purse says is the platform for Wednesday to build their Championship survival hopes upon.
'We've only lost one of out last seven games.

'Since the Reading game, the lads have taken on board everything that the gaffer has said, and it's worked well for us,' He told The Star.
Wednesday should arguably have took three points from their last outing at the Ricoh Arena last weekend but Purse looks upon it positively as it is a point gained rather than two lost.

'I think before the game we'd have taken a point - but when you've got yourselves in front it's always nice to finish the game well.

'It would have been nice to get another win but we kept this little run going.'

Last night's victory for Crystal Palace against fellow strugglers Watford cut the Owls advantage over the Eagles to just two points with the Eagles still to visit S6 on the last day of the season. But there are plenty of points to fight for ahead of the final game of the season, starting this Easter weekend as the Owls visit Loftus Road to face Q.P.R. before Bristol City make the trip up to Hillsborough on Monday.

Owls reveal future improvements.

Sheffield Wednesday today announced plans for a huge new hotel complex to be built at Hillsborough Stadium, Owlsonline can exclusively reveal.
The ‘Coppadelmondo’ complex, to be built off Penistone Road, is to be one of the largest hotels in the North of England, housing an amazing 2018 rooms.

‘Coppadelmondo Hotel’ will include many multi-national features to display the diversity of international teams that have visited Hillsborough in the past and will do so in the future.
Sheffield Wednesday have appointed a new Manager of Hotel Development to oversee the project. Expert Albanian hotelier Budalla Prill joins the club with immediate effect following a successful 15-year stint managing the Duben Bl�zni chain in Croatia.

Speaking of the new project, Prill said “I am very excited to be overseeing this development. Everyone knows that to be successful in football you must have a hotel – the best grounds have them, and even one or two of the worst grounds, too...”

The Owls have engaged the services of Croatian architect Travnja Prvi to complete initial designs for the structure of the building, which will represent a giant fist with an outstretched middle finger pointing in the direction of Bramall Lane – home of local rivals Sheffield United.

Prvi, speaking exclusively to Owlsonline.com, said “I drew the fist and finger combination of the design to be representative of the friendship between Sheffield Wednesday and United which was passionately expressed to me by supporters when I recently visited Sheffield.”

A number of theme rooms will be available to book once opened, including; room numbers 1896, 1907 and 1935 which mark the years in which Sheffield Wednesday won the FA Cup, rooms 1903, 1904, 1929 and 1930 which mark years in which The Owls won the English top flight and of course 1991 which marks the year in which Wednesday won the league cup and 2005 when the League 1 Play-Off final was won.

Other local teams are also to be honoured, with room number 85 set aside to mark the number of years since Sheffield United last won a major trophy (that room number is obviously set to increase annually). Additionally, space will be reserved in the car-park for any visiting Blades to remove their shoes, as their traditions dictate, and a number of rooms will be available at a discounted rate to their extensive team of lawyers.

The ‘Coppadelmondo’ complex is due to be completed by April 1, 2018.

More news on this as we get it.

Capital trip for Wednesday

The Owls head to the Capital this weekend to take on an old foe is Neil Warnock who is the current chief at QPR, both sides are still embroiled in the fight to avoid the drop.

Owls News

Alan Irvine will be without Tommy Miller for the trip to Loftus Road, the midfielder has a calf injury which is set to rule him out for a couple of weeks but he is set to welcome Lewis Buxton and Jermaine Johnson back into the squad.

With Miller being ruled out it could be a case of “as you were” at the weekend with the side that were cruelly denied a win at Coventry set to be named the starting 11 again, Luke Varney’s pace on the flank could be key asset on the road and his recent scoring exploits have not gone un-noticed as he was awarded March’s Player of the Month.

Wednesday players were allowed a bit of time off to rest ahead of the Easter weekend in order to give them a chance to be fully fit for this vital weekend in the footballing calendar.

Darren Purse will again lead the Owls for this difficult trip and the former Cardiff man has been a rock in recent games, more of the same on Saturday and Monday would be gratefully received by the Wednesday masses.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Nolan, Beevers, Purse, Spurr; Soares, Potter, O’Connor, Varney; Tudgay, Clarke.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Esajas, Hinds, Jeffers, Gray, Palmer, Boden, Johnson, Buxton.

Queens Park Rangers News

Rangers come into the game sat in 18th after a coming back from two goals down against Preston North End last weekend, the R’s welcomed the point which leaves them five points clear of Crystal Palace who sit in the last relegation space.

Queens Park Rangers Heroes

Stan Bowles is renowned as one of this country’s greatest maverick footballers, he began his career with home town club Manchester City but soon moved on after a series of bust ups due to his off the field antics.

After a brief spell at Bury he moved onto Crewe where he spent just over a year scoring 18 times before 2nd division Carlisle courted his services but after just 36 appearances and 13 goals for the Cumbrians he signed for QPR for a reputed £112,000.

Bowles would spend over 7 years at Loftus Road and be an integral part of the clubs success which saw the club finish as runners up in the 1st division in the 1975-76 season, Bowles replaced another Rangers legend Rodney Marsh and took his no10 shirt over following Marsh’s move to Manchester City.

He banged in 97 goals for Rangers in 315 appearances and earned five England caps for his troubles, unfortunately Tommy Docherty took at Loftus Road and fell out quickly with an ageing Bowles.

In late 1979 Bowles signed for European Champions Nottingham Forest but he and boss Brian Clough had a major clash of personalities and he missed out on winning the European Cup with Forest in 1980.
Bowles ended his career in 1984 after spells at both Leyton Orient and Brentford.

Stan was well known for his gambling, smoking and drinking, in todays game you couldn’t get away with the latter as much but back then it was rife and it is said on occasion Stan would put a bet on, have a quick pint and a fag before rolling into the dressing room at 2.45pm, he would still do the business on the field more often than not.

Another Rangers legend is a former team mate of Bowles during the 70’s Gerry Francis, the Chiswick born midfielder had two spells at Loftus Road and a further two as a manager.

Gerry came through the ranks at Loftus Road making his debut in 1969 in a league game against Liverpool, he went onto make nearly 300 appearances for the Hoops over the next decade including a large quantity as captain of the club.

Francis was capped 12 times by England during the mid 70’s during Rangers’ heyday when they finished 2nd in the country.

In 1979 he moved across London to join Crystal Palace who had just replaced Rangers in the top flight, he spent two years at Selhurst Park before returning to Loftus Road for another 17 appearances.

Francis began to struggle with injuries and after spells at Coventry, Exeter, Cardiff, Swansea and Portsmouth he ended his career with a two year spell at Bristol Rovers.

In 1987 he took charge of Bristol Rovers after retiring, he guided the club to promotion in 1990, it wasn’t his first managerial spell, he’d had a stint as player manager at Exeter for the 1983/94 season.

QPR came calling in the summer of 1991 after guiding Rovers to 13th in the 2nd division, his first season at Loftus Road saw the club finish 11th before he led the club to 5th in the first ever Premier League season and 9th in the following campaign.

In November 1994 he replaced Ossie Ardiles as boss at Tottenham but other than reaching the FA Cup semi finals in 1995 his spell was not a success, he resigned 3 years after taking over.

He returned to Loftus Road in September 1998 but couldn’t repeat his earlier successes with Rangers now in the second tier and he walked away in February 2001 with the R’s a cert for the drop to the 3rd tier.

In July of the same year he went back to Bristol Rovers but after 31 games and a slump in form he resigned.
Gerry is currently first team coach at Stoke City.

The Ground

Rangers have been based at Loftus Road for the last 93 years after a switch during the Great War when the Army commandeered their Park Royal Ground two years earlier, although they have had two spells at the now defunct White City Stadium.

The ground has a current capacity of around 19k due to safety restrictions with away fans having upto 3,400 seats in the School End, the away is a two tiered stand with 1,900 or so seats in the upper and the lower with around 1,500, the stand is situated behind one of the goals.

Opposite is the Loftus Road end which is almost similar in design to the School Road end with two tiers and was built in 1980.

The South Africa Road end which is to the left of the away end was built in 1968, the two tiered stand is the administrative centre at QPR with the ticket offices, changing rooms, club shop and executive areas all located in this stand.

Opposite is the Ellerslie Road stand which was opened in 1972, it is the only single tiered stand at Loftus Road and is home to the vocal element of the Rangers support which the partisan R block located here.

Rangers are somewhat of a nomadic side and since they were formed in the late 1880’s they have moved a staggering 19 times.

The Gaffer

Neil Warnock became the 11th manager of Rangers (including caretaker roles) during the ownership of the club by F1 supremos Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore which began in August 2007.

So where do I start with 'Colin'? Well the man we love to hate has just taken charge of Rangers after spending over two years down at Crystal Palace.

Warnock began his career at non-league club Gainsborough Trinity nearly thirty years ago before moving onto Burton Albion but in 1986 he took the job at Scarborough FC and became the first man to win promotion to the Football League in 1987 following the abolition of the re-election system.

In 1989 he left the McCain Stadium to take over at Meadow Lane, he performed wonders with the Magpies and they won promotion to the top flight in 1991 for the first time since Jimmy Sirrel's miracle in 1980s when he'd guided the club from the fourth tier to the top level, unfortunately Warnock struggled in the top flight and they were relegated in 1992, Warnock himself was sacked 6 months later.

Barely two months later he took on the role of 'consultant' at Torquay United and saved them from relegation from the league. In the summer of 1993 he took over the reigns at Huddersfield Town and in his two years there he managed to get the club in the second tier of English football and got the Terriers into the Football League Trophy final, he quit just days after the club were promoted.

Following his surprise departure from Huddersfield he took over at basement club Plymouth and again his skill at getting clubs promoted were in evidence he took the Pilgrims back up a division, a poor 1996/97 season though did for Warnock and he left Home Park before having short spells in charge of Oldham and Bury.
In December 1999 he realised his boyhood dream when he was appointed manager of our nearest and dearest rivals, The Pigs, he along with chairman Kevin McCabe had a plan to get the Blades into the Premier League, their first attempt ended in some controversy and when they were pipped into 3rd spot by Leicester City in 2003, the Foxes had circumvented the rules on administration and kept their better players (this led to the rules now in force) however the Blades still had a chance but famously bottled the play-off final at Cardiff losing 3-0 to Wolves, it ended a exciting yet ultimately heartbreaking year for Warnock and the Blades who also missed out in the semi finals of BOTH cup competitions.

He finally got the Blades back into the top flight in 2006 when they finished runners up to Reading, his task to keep them in the Premiership again proved fruitless as they blew a 10 point gap and a Tevez inspired West Ham survived on the final day, Warnock was left bemoaning the fact that Tevez's registration was illegal, what he fails to remember is that they were TEN points clear and the players who goal ultimately relegated United (David Unsworth) had been released by himself.

Following the Blades demise he left his position after nearly 8 years in charge stating that a confrontation between 'actor' Sean Bean and Warnocks family sealed his decision to quit, he took over at Palace in October 2007 when they were 19th in the table, he led them into the play-offs after finishing 5th, last season Palace finished 15th and were well set for a tilt at the play-offs thanks to shrewd signings like Darren Ambrose when they fell foul of financial difficulties and went into admin in February, that allowed QPR to court the attentions of Warnock.

Key Players

Kaspars Gorkss

Latvian defender Kaspars joined the club in the summer of 2008 after an impressive 18 month spell at Blackpool brought him to the attention of the Rangers scouts.

Kaspars began his career with Auda in the Latvian capital of Riga in 1997 and spent 5 years with the club before seeking his fortune abroad with Swedish top flight side Osters IF where he made 32 league appearances in 3 years before moving onto Assyriska F�reningen another Swedish side who were embarking on their first season in the top flight, they were promptly relegated and Kaspars returned to his native Latvia.

Back in Latvia he was playing for FK Ventspils and helped the club to the Latvian Championship in the 2006 season scoring 5 goals in the process.

On January 1st 2007 Kaspars signed for Blackpool and made his debut 5 days later, the big defender made 13 appearances in all competitions as the Tangerines won the League One play-offs.

In the 2007/08 season he was an integral part of the Blackpool side that consolidated themselves back in the 2nd tier of English football, he made 44 appearances for the club and netted 8 goals.

Following his move to QPR he made 35 appearances in his first season and has added 3x this season, he grabbed his first goal in the R’s win at Hillsborough this season.

Kaspars has been capped 30 times by his country.

Squad Number 13

Adel Taarabt

Midfielder Adel is on loan at the club from London neighbours Tottenham for the season after a successful shorter spell last season.

Moroccan international Adel moved to France at an early age and came through the youth system at Lens before moving on to their B team in 2005 and made one appearance for the first team before being signed by Tottenham on loan in January 2007 with the promise of first team football.

Adel made 2 substitute appearances for Spurs in the 2006/07 and a permanent deal was agreed that summer, he has subsequently made just 14 more appearances for the White Hart Lane club in the last 3 years and all have been from the bench.

In March 2009 Harry Redknapp allowed Taarabt to join QPR for a month and he had an enjoyable seven game spell scoring his first goal in English football in a 2-1 win over Bristol City.

In July of last year it was agreed that Adel could return to Loftus Road and he has proved a big hit with his goals and assists, he has made 38 appearances to date and scored 7 times including a goal of the season contender against Preston back in October.

As a youngster Adel was capped by France at various levels but chose to represent Morocco at full level and has appeared 7 times for his homeland and netted 3 times.

Squad Number 39

Jay Simpson

Striker Jay joined the club on loan in the summer from Arsenal for the season after an unsuccessful spell at West Brom during the second half of last season in which he scored just twice in 16 games for the Baggies with only one in the Premier League.

Simpson was born in North London but was spotted by scouts at Norwich before joining Arsenal at the age of 9, he quickly rose through the junior ranks at the Gunners and played for the U18’s at just 13, he appeared on the bench in a League Cup tie against West Brom in 2006.

Jay’s first team debut came during a loan spell at Millwall during the 2007/08 season, he spent almost a full season with the Lions and scored 8 goals in 44 appearances which won him the PFA League One player of the year award.

After returning to Arsenal last season he made his Gunners debut in 6-0 League Cup win over Sheffield United before scoring a brace on his first start on the same competition against Wigan, he made one further League Cup appearance before his loan at the Baggies.

His spell at Rangers has been a success with 13 goals in 35 so far.

Squad Number 23

Team News

Team (possible): Ikeme; Ramage, Stewart, Hill, Gorkss; Leigertwood, Epharim, Taarabt, Faurlin; Priskin, Simpson;
(subs from) Vine, Buszaky, German, Tosic, Balanta, Oastler, Cook, Cerny.

Head to Head

The Owls chucked away a two goal lead when the two sides clashed last season at Loftus Road a own goal from Gavin Mahon gave the Owls a 1-0 half time lead which was doubled by a Marcus Tudgay penalty before goals from sub Rowan Vine, Mahon and Damion Stewart in the 88th minute completed the turnaround on Easter Monday.

Prior to that the two clubs had ground out three draws in succession at Loftus Road with a goalless affair in the 2007/08, they season previous had seen the Owls take the lead through Chris Brunt only for Martin Rowlands to level with a dubious penalty whilst in the 2005/06 campaign 10 man Wednesday ground out a point early in the season.

Wednesdays last win at Loftus Road was way back in October 2000, the Owls trailed a goal to nil at the break thanks to a Gavin Peacock spot kick before Terry Cooke headed the scores level just after half time leaving Alan Quinn to rifle home a low effort to win for the Owls with 13 minutes remaining.

The first ever meeting between the sides at Loftus Road saw Wednesday run out 3-1 winners in on St Georges’ Day 1949, the Owls goals came from Redfern Froggatt, Clarrie Jordan and Dennis Woodhead.
The hosts first win against Wednesday came nearly 20 years later when they edged a five goal thriller 3-2, Peter Eustace and Jack Whitham scored for Wednesday.

Overall at Loftus Road

Owls : 7

Draw : 10

Rangers : 12

Final Thoughts

A bank holiday weekend trip to London what more can you want? Well I want three points and a better performance than last year, we need a win to keep us away from the other strugglers but we face a tough battle at Loftus Road especially if we allow Adel Taarabt to dictate play.

Bring it on Bristol City

With a massive game coming up on Monday, it would be only fair to speak to a fan of the opposition, Bristol City to get his thoughts on the Robins and the Owls..
Step forward Garth Shenton.
�
1)� What did you expect from the Robins at the start of the season?
To reach the Play Offs
�
2)�When Gary Johnson left, some people seemed surprised but how did you see it?
� It was the right time for GJ to go, he had lost a % of the dressing room, a high % of the fans, and change is as good as a rest, his team tactics/substitutions, and the general disposition of the man ,and management�was becoming erratic.
�
3) So who should you like to see become the manager, long term at Ashton Gate?
Alan Curbishley - All the right credentials past-present, and future, he wears all the tee-shirts.
�
4) If you could realistically sign one player who would he be?
A creative midfield player�is what we�lack within the current team to put a name at present to whom we could sign at a realistic price is a ?, a young Premiership reserve player on loan would probably answer to this ?
�
5)� Nicky Maynard and Danny Haynes are two Robins that most football fans will know about, but who has been the one player who deserves recognition but hasn't really had it?
Christian Ribeiro
�
6)Who other than your city neighbours do you REALLY like your side to beat?�
Cardiff City
�
7) What do you know about the Owls?
Founded in 1867 one of the most respected and cherished football clubs in England, had glory years back in the 60/70's, 4 seasons in the Championship highest position 9th, a strong and loyal fan base, and plays home at Hillsborough a renowned stadium.
�
8) Any particular good or bad memories of games against Wednesday?
No vivid memories of games between Bristol City and the Owls, but it's a fixture both home and away while we are both in the Championship that I look forward to, possibly because I have a number of friends who are Owl supporters.
�
9)Any team news??
None of any major importance, we have a number of key players injured at present, but we do not have a manager so hopefully that makes every player who wears the City shirt fight for his future.
�
10)�Score Prediction?
� 1 - 1 Draw
�
Thanks to Garth for his answers, next up will be a Boro fan of next weekends trip to the Riverside.

Robins up next for Owls

Hillsborough hosts another big game tomorrow when Keith Millen brings his galvanized Bristol City to S6 in a game that will be vital to Wednesdays fight for survival.

Owls News

Alan Irvine will ponder making a change to the side that drew away at QPR, Jermaine Johnson’s cameo from the bench gave the Owls gaffer food for thought and it’s likely the Jamaican international will return to the starting XI.

Lewis Buxton’s surprise inclusion as a man marker at Loftus Road looks set to have been a one off, the versatile defender stuck to his task admirably against Adel Taarabt but this set up left the Owls looking devoid of attacking options and at home we shouldn’t be trying to stifle sides.

The Owls boss has an almost a full squad to choose from with only Tommy Miller and Sean McAllister unavailable, this is a stark contrast to the reverse fixture when the Owls were heavily depleted, Luke Varney netted the Owls equalizer that day and the Derby loanee will be hoping to be back amongst the goals on Monday.

Marcus Tudgay will be looking to get back to scoring ways with the striker without a home goal since January, his all round work goes largely unnoticed by fans who just see the goals column and as such Tudgay has being getting unwarranted stick.

Tom Soares who scored Saturday’s equaliser at QPR will also be looking to add to his goal tally of two for the club, the on loan midfielder has shown rare glimpses of quality during his spell and he will be needed to show some more before the season is out.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Nolan, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Soares, Potter, O’Connor, Johnson; Varney, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Buxton, Clarke, Simek, Boden, Esajas, Jeffers, Gray, Palmer.

Bristol City News

The Robins come into the game in rich vein of form with 8 points from 12 under the stewardship of care-taker boss Keith Millen after a draw with Nottingham Forest on Easter Saturday.

Bristol City Heroes

John Atyeo is a City legend he spent 15 years at Ashton Gate as a player and scored over 350 goals for the club in 645 appearances for the Robins and is widely regarded as City’s greatest ever player.

John Atyeo was born in 1932 and as a school boy excelled at Football, Cricket and Rugby, football was his chosen profession and after appearing as an amateur for Portsmouth in the 1950/51 season he signed for Bristol City in 1951.

Over the next 15 years he would only be a part time footballer during most parts as he spent the some of his time working as a surveyor and training to be a teacher.

His first season at City saw him score 14 goals in 46 games as the club finished 15th in the 3rd division South, he followed that up with 13 the following season and 25 in the 1953/54 season.

John helped fire City to the 3rd division title and to promotion in the 1954/55 season he netted 28 league goals as the Robins romped away with the title by 11 points, he added another 30 league goals the following season as City finished 8th and a further 28 in all competitions in the 1956/57 season, these exploits saw him capped by England where he netted 5 times in 6 appearances

Atyeo’s decision to remain a part time player hindered his England chances and after those 6 games he never appeared again, but he continued to find the net with regularity for City notching up over the next three seasons crashing home 68 goals for the club but couldn’t stop their relegation back to the 3rd tier in 1960.
During that time Atyeo had become a full time footballer and was linked with various moves away with Chelsea, Milan and Tottenham amongst his suitors, a fee equivalent to £20m in todays terms was muted

Throughout the early to mid 60’s John continued to score for City in the lower reaches scoring 140 goals in six seasons for the club with the latter three years spent with Atyeo back as a part time footballer, he retired in 1966.

Following retirement John became a full time teacher of Mathematics which he enjoyed for over twenty years, he passed away in 1993. The Park End stand at Ashton Gate is named after the City legend.
Another City is hero is Harry Dolman, now Dolman was neither a player nor a boss at the club he was the club’s Chairman for a 25 year period from 1949 to 1974, he oversaw rhe transformation of the club both on and off the field during his stewardship.

He took over with the club slumping in the doldrums of the 3rd division south over the next few years he helped the club into the 2nd tier where they spent 5 years during the late 50’s and although they dropped back down to the 3rd division it was Dolman decision to appoint Alan Dicks in 1967 which saw the good times return to Bristol.

In 1976 just 2 years after Dolmans retirement from the board (he was made President) City ended a 65 year wait for top flight football by winning promotion, this was on the back of the stability Dolman had brought to the club.

As I intimated earlier he also helped re-build Ashton Gate, he oversaw the installation of floodlights at the club in the early 50’s as well as the building of the two side stands at the club, the Williams stand was build in 1958 and rather vainly the “Dolmans” Stand was build in 1970..
Harry Dolman passed away in 1977 and after that City went into decline financially.

The Gaffer

Keith Millen is in temporary charge of the Robins following the removal of Gary Johnson as City boss by mutual consent.

Millen spent the majority of his career with Brentford as a player, he spent over 11 years at Griffin Park and made 380 appearances for the Bees helping the club to Wembley in the Football League trophy in 1985 where they were beaten by Wigan, he also won the 3rd division title with the club in 1992.

In 1994 he moved on to Watford where he helped the club to back to back promotions under Graham Taylor in 1998 and 1999 however he left the club without making a Premier League appearances after 191 games for Watford.

He moved on to Bristol City in 1999 and over the next four years made 75 appearances for the club before age and injury forced his retirement in 2003, he joined the City coaching staff and was care-taker manager in 2004 following Brian Tinnion’s departure, he took charge of two games before Johnson took charge.

Key Players

Jamal Campbell-Ryce

The Jamaican international signed from Barnsley in the January window after falling out of favour with Tykes boss Mark Robins.

The London born winger began his career at Charlton but made his league debut for Leyton Orient as a loanee, he played 19 times for the Brisbane Road club before returning south of the Thames, he broke into the Charlton as a sub during the back end of 2002/03 season, he struggled to break back into the Addicks side the following year and moved to MK Dons loan but injury curtailed his spell.

At the start of the 2004/05 he moved to Saltergate to join Chesterfield on loan and he really came to prominence with a series of impressive performances.

That spell saw Rotherham swoop to bring him North permanently in November 2004, in the latter half of the season he started 27 games for the Millers, however it wasn’t all sweetness and light, the Londoner complained of being home sick and protested to Rotherham, the Millers refused to let him go but Campbell-Ryce got his way and was loaned to Southend.

He also spent time at Colchester before securing a tribunal set move back to Southend, he played the entire Championship season for the Shrimpers but couldn’t help them avoid relegation and decided against a lengthy spell in League One by joining the Tykes in September 2007, he made 97 appearances for the club and netted 13 times.

Jamal has made 10 appearances for the club to date.

Squad Number 20

Bradley Orr

Defender Bradley is coming to the end of his sixth season with the club and has just made his 250th appearance for the club.

Liverpool born Bradley came through the ranks at Newcastle as a trainee but failed to make a single appearance for the Magpies and his professional debut came during a loan spell with Burnley in January 2004, he made 4 appearances for the Clarets in his month long spell.

In July 2004 he signed on a free for Bristol City who were plying their trade in League One he went to make 27 starts in his first season and a further 14 from the bench, he followed that up with 36 starts the following season and he netted his first City goal against Yeovil.

He was an integral part of the City side which won promotion in the 2006/07 season, Bradley made 39 appearances and scored 4 goals, he was a near ever present for City in their first season in the Championship which saw them lose out in the play-off final, Bradley suffered a fractured cheekbone in the final.

Last season he appeared 41 times for the club, this year he has made 37 starts for the club and netted 2 goals.

Squad Number 2

Nicky Maynard

Striker Nicky cost the club £2.25m when he signed from boyhood club Crewe in the summer of 2008, the livewire striker had spent all his formative years under the tutelage of Dario Gradi and has all the attributes to make it to the top.

He was born in Winsford in 1986 and joined nearby Crewe at the age of seven representing them at every age level, he turned professional in 2005 after netting 27 times for the u18’s. In his first season as a professional he was loaned out to Witton Albion where he flourished, he returned to the Alex and made his debut at the end of the 2005/06 season, scoring with his first touch in 4-2 win over Millwall.

Following Crewe’s relegation in 2006 he quickly settled into life in League One and netted 19 times in 36 games in all competitions and proved the perfect foil to current Owls loanee Luke Varney who found the net 25 times that campaign.

Varney departed to Charlton in the summer of 2007 leaving Nicky as the main striker at Gresty Road but his joy was short lived as he broke his fibula on the opening day of the season and was ruled out for 4 months, upon his return from injury he quickly found his shooting boots netting on his league return in a 3-2 defeat to Gillingham, he went on to net a further 14 times in 26 appearances to help the Alex avoid the drop.

He netted 11 times in 45 appearances last season with many of his early games coming from the bench, he has rattled in 16 goals in 40 games this season and is being courted by clubs in a higher division.

Squad Number 10

Team News

A horror tackle by Nathan Tyson on City keeper Dean Gerken has left the custodian with a broken collar bone and he misses the rest of the season, youngster Stephen Henderson looks set to replace him.
Team (possible): Henderson; Orr, Carey, Fontaine, Riberio; Elliott, Skuse, Hartley, Campbell-Ryce; Haynes, Maynard.

(subs from) Collis, Johnson, Sawyer, Clarkson, Sproule, Maierhofer, Nyatanga.

Head to Head

The sides endured a drab goalless affair back in December 2008 in their last meeting at S6, the visitors were the better side and were denied a goal by the referee whilst Lee Grant saved well from Nicky Maynard.

The season previous an early strike by Brian Wilson won it for the Robins and made it 4 straight league defeats for the Owls and made it four unbeaten for newly promoted City, that was a second successive victory at S6 for the Robins after they won a 5 goal thriller on the seasons final day of the 2004/05, the Owls battled back from two goals down just after the break only to lose it when the referee gave a contentious penalty and dismissed Owls keeper Paul Gallacher, Luke Wilkshire smuggled home the spot kick past ex-City striker Lee Peacock.

Wednesday’s last win over the Robins came in February 2004, the visitors came to S6 on the back of 11 straight league wins and were topping the table, the Owls were languishing in 12th place, a long throw from Leigh Bromby in the 90th minute was met by the head of Graeme Lee who nodded the ball home to end City’s winning streak.

The most “famous” Wednesday win at S6 was on May 8th 1991, it was the game that sealed promotion back to the top flight, David Hirst fired Wednesday ahead with a curled finish following excellent work by Trevor Francis, the second goal came via the head of Francis himself after a flick on by Viv Anderson before Hirst lashed home a 3rd before Wayne Allison pulled one back but it wasn’t enough and we were back.

The first ever meeting at S6 saw the Owls run out 3-0 winners in October 1906 thanks to goals from Harry Davis (2) and Andrew Wilson, the Robins first win came over 50 years later despite two goals from Alan Finney as high flying Wednesday were cut down by City in a five goal game.

Overall at Hillsborough:

Owls: 15

Draw: 5

Robins: 4

Final thoughts

A massive game in the context of the season with three of the other strugglers facing top six sides, a win would move us away from the drop and could see us move up to 19th in the table if results go our way and could see us 5 points clear of the bottom 3.

Visit our rivals

http://www.otib.co.uk

Soares creates sore point for Rangers

There was just one change from the side that drew at Coventry last weekend with Lewis Buxton making his return from injury to replace Leon Clarke.

The game started with both teams clearly showing the pressure on the game.
It was QPR that had the better chances with Priskin and Faurline going close before Darren Potters long range shot went high and wide for Wednesday.

With nearly 25 minutes gone it was the home side that took the lead through a close range Fauline shot. Wednesday failed to clear an attacking free kick which eventually fell to Fauline who scored from close range.
The Owls had to limit their attacks to counters with Luke Varney playing well on the left wing.

Half Time QPRFC 1-0 SWFC

The second half started with the home side in the driving seat. Priskin and Faulin had more chances plus Ramage also had a chance but it was Wednesday that stole a goal and made it 1-1.
Substitue Jermaine Johnson found Tommy Spurr who played a perfect ball in to on loan Stoke midfielder Tom Soares who made it 1-1 through a powerful header.

As the game drew to a close Wednesday could have taken the lead but a chance from Leon Clarke wasn't enough to steal the much needed points for Wednesday.

Full Time QPRFC 1-1 SWFC

Next up for the Owls is an Easter Monday tie against recently rejuvinated Bristol City

Maynard puts the Owls back into the bottom three.

A winner in the last ten minutes of the game from visiting striker, Nicky Maynard, took all three points back to Ashtom Gate and dumped Wednesday back into the bottom three with just four games to go.

Alan Irvine made one change from the side that earned a valuable point at Loftus Road just 48 hours earlier, with Lewis Buxton dropping back to the bench and Leon Clarke coming in as the Owls reverted to a 4-4-2 formation.

In front of almost 20,000 fans and in blustery conditions both sides were keen to press the advantage from the off, with Leon Clarke and Tom Soares having the first efforts of note for the Owls although the Robins 'keeper, Stephen Henderson, didn't have to make a save with both efforts missing the target.
Moments later however, had it not been for the agility of Lee Grant the Owls would have been behind.

Referee Graham Salisbury was doing himself no favours at all when he awarded the visitors a soft free kick out on the Owls right flank which former Celtic midfielder, Paul Hartley, curled to the far post. The ball eluded everyone and bounced just inside the six yard box heading for the corner of the net, Grant, had other ideas and pounced to his left to flick the ball over the crossbar.

Wednesday were defending stoutly, particularly 'skipper Darren Purse who was in determined form not letting Maynard have a sniff of goal and the next opportunity was to come the way of the home side.
A left wing corner was played to the back of the six yard box where Marcus Tudgay was stood unmarked, but he inexplicably volleyed over to the dismay of his team-mates and the home support.

The miss was almost rued immediately as the pacy, Danny Haynes outstripped the Owls defence to square the ball to Maynard, who forced Grant into a good stop. City forced another couple of corners as they applied a little pressure to their hosts, but Wednesday were to stand firm even if the passing had become a little erratic.

Mr Salisbury was determined to put his stamp on the game as he seemed to enjoy using the advantage rule before then pulling play back after play had quite clearly moved on. The most notable occurrence was as the Owls broke down the left with Varney, after a hefty challenge in midfield, but then he pulled the play back for the original challenge in midfield but not for a City free kick, but a Wednesday one. Why he saw fit to pull play back was beyond explanation.

Clarke, had the final effort of the half for the Owls but he blasted high over the bar with Soares and Tudgay stood in a decent position inside the box but you can hardly blame Clarke for having a go at goal in a decent position.
Referee Salisbury brought an end to the first 45 which either side arguably could have taken the lead, but will have been happy to have not conceded.

Half Time
Owls 0 City 0

Wednesday came out of the traps the quickest in the second half, looking to get onto the front foot early and had it not been for visiting 'keeper, Henderson, they would have.
Luke Varney brought the ball forward from the right wing and weaved his way past three challenges and into the box before firing goalwards but City's number 30 was equal to the effort, blocking with his legs.
The crowd raised their game a little as the team lifted spirits, as Wednesday hassled and harried, forcing the visitors to concede possession and be pinned into their own half.

Darren Potter curled a 25 yard free kick goalwards but it didn't have the purchase to elude the palm of Henderson, who in truth tipped over quite easily. As the resulting corner was cleared, Wednesday again regained possession and Varney pounced on a through ball but Henderson was off his line quickly to close the angle and get a strong hand to block the goalbound effort.

For 15 minutes it had been one way traffic with City well and truly penned in, Purse made a bursting run forward and tried to chip the 'keeper only to see it just miss the target. But within minutes Wednesday were denied what was a stonewall penalty, Purse was unceremoniously hacked down by Louis Carey just inside the area but as everyone expected the referee to point to the spot he simply waved away the appeals, leaving Purse injured and needing attention inside the box.

The incident seemed to knock any stuffing out of Wednesday as City took heart from it and began to gain more possession of the ball, with sub, David Clarkson linking well with Maynard and stretching the Owls defence a little.
The writing was on the wall really though when the visitors scored the decisive goal with just nine minutes to go, the missed opportunities were to be rued by Wednesday as the Robins dangerman, Maynard, found space in the box to drill home past Grant.

With results not exactly going the Owls way, as the final whistle went there was an air of resignation as the fans left the ground knowing that the result meant with just four games to go their side had slipped back into the bottom three.

Final Score
Owls 0 City 1

Wednesday: Grant, Purse, Spurr, Nolan, Beevers, Potter (Jeffers, 73 ) , Soares, O'Connor, Tudgay, Varney, Clarke
Subs not used: Hinds,Buxton,Simek,Gray,Esajas,O'Donnell,

Bristol C: Henderson, Orr, Fontaine, Nyatanga, Carey, Campbell-Ryce, Elliott, Skuse, Hartley ( Sno, 89 ) , Maynard ( Maierhofer, 89 ) , Haynes ( Clarkson, 73 )
Subs not used: Sawyer, Sproule, Johnson, Collis,

Next up is a trip to the Riverside Stadium, Middlesborough on Saturday.

Beat the bookie.... 10.04.10

Here we go with another edition of Beat the Bookie, courtesy of Holmesfeld Owl, so read on...

Welcome all, as the season draws to a close lets have a go at winning a bit of season ticket money or free world cup beer if you prefer! All odds are this week from Betfred.

The Weekend Acca'

A win for resurgent Reading looks on the cards against play it safe Cardiff City at tasty odds of 12/5.

West Brom will look to wrap up promotion against stuttering, nothing to play for Doncaster Rovers. 6/5 looks nice value.

To finish up at home banker for Norwich City as Grant Holt looks to add to his tally for the season against the MK Dons. Take 4/7.

£20 pays a tasty £235.09.

Wednesday Bet

A win a must but looks like a hard fought draw to me in this one. I'm expecting a 1-1 draw but not being one for scorecasts I'll take the 12/5 on offer for a draw.

Early World Cup Bonus!

Lionnel Messi is in red hot form, a half decent run could easily see him grab the golden boot. Take the early price of 12/1 which will shrink further should the goal spree continue.

That all for this week, best of luck to The Blue and White Wizzards on Saturday.

Up the owls.

Holmesfield Owl.

Owls hoping to Tees a win

Wednesday face a tough trip up the A1 to face Middlebrough tomorrow the hosts are still in the hunt for a play off place whilst Wednesday are sat deep in relegation trouble, Boro are unbeaten at home since mid December.

Owls News

Alan Irvine will assess the fitness of Jermaine Johnson and Lewis Buxton both played at QPR the previous Saturday but Johnson was absent from the squad that faced Bristol City the following Monday whilst Buxton was restricted to the bench.

Leon Clarke will be hoping to keep his place despite a below par performance against Bristol City, the burly striker has not scored away from since January and that was his only goal on the road in over a year.

Defensively the Owls have looked very tight of late and more of the same tomorrow will give us a slight chance of getting a much needed positive result from the game, Lee Grant will be hoping for his first clean sheet in four games when we face Boro.

Wednesday boss Alan Irvine may also address the apathetic efforts of Darren Potter in midfield, the former Liverpool man has been in poor form of late and Tom Soares could be the man to step into centre with Michael Gray or Jermaine Johnson a natural choice for the wide position.

Team News

Team (possible): Grant, Nolan, Purse, Beevers, Spurr; Johnson, Potter, O’Connor, Soares; Varney, Tudgay.

(subs from) O’Donnell, Buxton, Simek, Hinds, Esajas, Jeffers, Clarke, Gray, Palmer, Boden.

Middlesbrough

Boro come into the game in 8th place after a 2-0 win away at Plymouth last time out, it leaves Boro six points behind the play off places.

Middlesbrough Heroes

Wilf Mannion is a Boro legend, he spent 18 year as a player with his home town club but was the source of much controversy during his career, pre and post World War two.

Wilf was born in 1918 in Southbank, Middlesbrough, he joined his home town club on professional forms just after his 18th birthday after impressing in the local leagues.

He began brightly and scored 4 in a 9-2 hammering of Blackpool but just as Wilf was getting into his stride the 2nd World War began and Wilf was posted by the Army to the Middle East and Italy before being invalided out after Dunkirk.

Following his return home from the War Wilf quickly began playing football again and appeared for England in inter-war games before earning his first full cap in 1947 after the end of the war. In 1947 after the first season post war Wilf looked set to drop down two divisions to sign for Oldham, it was thought he did this to avoid the Leagues Maximum wage rule, in the lower leagues you could be part time but in the top divisions this wasn’t possible however Oldham couldn’t afford his transfer fee.

Wilf returned to Boro and continued to play regularly for the club and found the net with ease but after relegation from the top flight in 1954 he joined Hull City after playing 368 games and scoring 110 goals for Boro.

His spell on Humberside was short lived with a series of controversial newspaper articles leading to Mannion receiving a life ban from the football league, this was later lifted but Mannion saw out his playing days in non league football with Cambridge.

Wilf was capped 26 times scoring 11 times, he played for England in the 1950 World Cup.

Wilf returned to his native Teesside in 1958 where he worked for ICI, he passed away in 2000.

I cannot talk about Boro heroes without mentioning a certain Brian Howard Clough, who in six years with the club netted over 200 goals for his boyhood heroes.

Brian was a youth team player at Boro before joining the Army for his national service between 1953 and 1955, he later returned to the club to sign professional and rattled in goals with an alarming regularity but his brash nature often alienated him from his team mates.

In 1961 Clough joined Sunderland where he added 61 appearances to his career total with 54 goals before disaster struck and he had a cruciate injury after colliding with an opposition keeper, he was just 27 when he was forced to retire after 258 goals in 283 appearances.

Clough went into management following retirement, he started with Hartlepool before moving to Derby in 1967, within five years they were League Champions but in 1973 he resigned following a falling out with the board.

After brief spells with Brighton and Leeds he joined Nottingham Forest in 1975 where he would spend 18 years, he replicated his success at Derby taking Forest from the Second division to the League title but he added to that by winning the League Cup on three occasions and he guided Forest to the title of European champions twice.

Brian retired in 1993 and passed away 11 years later.

The Ground

Boro moved in the Riverside Stadium back in 1995, the first of the new build stadiums that have sprung up all over the country since, the original capacity was 30,000 upon completion but with Boro selling out regularly in the top flight the club expanded the capacity to it’s current level of 35,000 in 1998.

Originally the ground was 3 connected stands with the West stand cutting a lone figure but the redevelopment in 1998 filled the corners in and made it a bowl type stadium much like Derby, Leicester etc.

Wednesdayites will be in the South Stand which is located behind the goal, on my previous visits to stand was split between home and visiting fans but in recent years the stand has been offered to away fans on their own due to dropping gates across the country.

Prior to switching to the Riverside the club had spent 92 years at Ayresome Park but following the Taylor report they had to move, the old Ayresome Park had a lot of character and great acoustics from my vague memories of trips up there years ago.

The Gaffer

Gordon Strachan replaced Gareth Southgate in October of last year when Boro were still in fourth in the league, chairman Steve Gibson blamed the dwindling Teesside crowds for the decision to remove Southgate.

Strachan had previously been in charge of Celtic for 4 seasons, three of which he saw his side crowned League Champions, he also guided the Scottish giants to the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time since
1993 although they were beaten in extra time by AC Milan.

The move to Celtic had seen Strachan end an 18 month sabbatical from the game after leaving Southampton in February 2004 after making it public he wanted to spend more time with his family, he had been at Southampton for just under 3 years, guiding the club to 11th in his first season, 8th the following season, he also guided the club to the FA Cup final in 2003.

Strachans first managerial role was at Coventry, he was appointed boss in 1996 when Ron Atkinson “moved upstairs”, he engineered arguably the greatest escape in Premier League history in 1997 when City won 2-1 away at Spurs to relegate current club Boro and Sunderland. City were relegated in 2001 and in September of the same year Strachan left the club.

As a player Strachan had an impressive career which began with Dundee before moving to Aberdeen in 1977, he spent 7 years with the Pittodrie club winning two league titles, three Scottish cups, a UEFA Cup winners Cup and the UEFA Super Cup.

In 1984 Ron Atkinson took Strachan to Old Trafford but his spell with Manchester United was not as successful with just 1 FA Cup winners medal and a 2nd place finish to show for his four and a half years at the club.

Howard Wilkinson took Strachan across the pennines in 1989 and he helped Leeds to the 2nd division title in his first full season before helping the club to the League Championship in 1992, he would remain at Leeds til 1994 when he moved as a player to Coventry.

Key Players

Scott MacDonald

Striker Scott joined Boro in January from Celtic where he had played under Gordon Strachan and won the SPL in 2008.

Scott was born in Melbourne and has been capped at various levels for Australia ranging from u17 to full international, he spent his early career with Gippsland Falcons before moving onto Cranbourne Comets when Southampton came calling in 2000.

At the Saints Scott struggled to get a game and made just 3 sub appearances in 3 years for the club, he spent time out on loan at Huddersfield where he netted once in 14 games before a month long spell at Bournemouth in 2003 saw him play 7 times for the Cherries, he grabbed 1 goal.

At the start of the 2003/04 he signed on a monthly contract with MK Dons following his release from Southampton, he made just two appearances for the Dons before moving north of the border for a trial with Dundee United, the Terrors didn’t take him on but Motherwell did.

His first half season at ‘Well was not a success from a goals point of view but Scott put in several impressive performances but scored just twice in 18 appearances.

Scott had an impressive 2004/05 season scoring 15 in 27 league appearances including a brace against Celtic which denied them the title, he added 12 in 38 the following year for the club before scoring 16 in 37 in his final season for the club as boyhood club Celtic secured his services for £700k.

At Celtic he settled in very quickly and notched a career best of 31 goals in 53 games in his first season as the Hoops won the title, he added 19 last season as Celtic won just the League cup, Scott had scored 14 goals for the Hoops this season until he moved to Boro for a reputed £3.5m fee, he scored his first goal for the club in the Tyne-Tees derby, he has 2 in 8 so far.

Squad Number 7

Gary O’Neil

Midfielder Gary is in his third season with the Teesside club after joining from Portsmouth in August 2007 for a reputed £5m fee.

Gary began his career with Portsmouth and made his debut as a 16 year old in January 2000, he would spend the next seven seasons as an integral part of the Portsmouth side, he added a further 12 games the following year scoring his first goal on the seasons final day against Barnsley.

O’Neil then made 35 appearances for the club scoring once as the club struggled in the lower reaches of the 2nd tier, he was a fixture in the side under Graham Rix and was the leading light of a poor season.

With Harry Redknapp in charge O’Neil found himself a major part of the squad but only started 11 league
games in the 2002-03 season as Pompey romped to promotion, he added a total of 33 appearances to his career total by the end of that campaign.

At the start of the 2003/04 season O’Neil was loaned to Walsall as Pompey were in the Premiership, he made 7 appearances for the Saddlers before returning to Pompey where he made a further 5 appearances, scoring twice in the Premier League.

Gary spent the start of the 2004/05 season on loan at Cardiff where he netted once in nine appearances before breaking back into the Portsmouth team where he surpassed the 100 appearance mark for Pompey and added another 2 goals.

In the 2005/06 season Gary was an almost ever present for Pompey scoring 7 goals in 39 appearances, he made 37 appearances the following year scoring once, before making his final Pompey appearance in a Pompey shirt in a 3-0 win over Leeds in the League Cup.

Boro brought Gary north in August 2007, he played 29 times for Boro in his first season before being an ever present last season for the club, scoring his first goal in his 41st Boro appearance, he added a further goal in a 4-1 defeat at Bolton.

He has appeared 39 times for the club this season, he has scored 4 goals.

Squad Number 18

David Wheater

Centre half David Wheater was the subject of intense speculation during the transfer window with several clubs vying for the talented defenders signature but Boro managed to hang on to one of their prized assets til the summer.

Wheater made his Boro debut in they away defeat to Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Cup in March 2005, alongside Adam Johnson but had to wait another 10 months for his Premier League debut when he replaced Andrew Taylor with Boro 5 down at Arsenal, they restricted the score to seven.

The following month he was loaned to Doncaster Rovers where he appeared seven times, netting once for the Belle Vue club, upon his return to Boro he was sub in the game at Portsmouth before making his full debut at home to West Ham, he kept his place for the final four games of the season.

With Boro bringing Jonathan Woodgate in Wheater’s development somewhat stagnated and in September 2006 he joined Wolves but he only made 1 appearance during his three month spell and was subsequently sent back to Teesside, at the start of 2007 he joined near neighbours Darlington on a 3 month loan and played 16 times netting twice.

An injury to Woodgate at the start of the 2007/08 season allowed Wheater to stake a claim for a 1st team place and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands starting 40 games in all competitions and netting 4 goals.
Last season Wheater appeared 38 times for the club netting twice and receiving his first ever red card which was to account for his only absence from the first team that season, he has been an ever present this campaign.

So far this season he has made 43 appearances for the club, netting just once.
Wheater has been capped at every level for England barring full, it’s only a matter of time before this happens though as he has made several squads and been named on the bench by Mr Capello.

Squad Number 31

Team News

Team (possible): Jones; Hoyte, McManus, Wheater, Naughton; Robson, Williams, Arca, O’Shea; McDonald, Lita.

(subs from) Coyne, Grounds, Pilatos, Miller, Bennett, Franks, O’Neil, Killen.

Head to Head

Wednesday make their first trip to the Riverside in ten years on Saturday when they face Boro, the last game up their ended 1-0 to the hosts in March 2000, Andy Campbell got the games only goal and Owls custodian Kevin Pressman saved a Juninho penalty.

The Owls have never won at the Riverside Stadium, Boro won 4-0 in 1998 in a Gazza inspired romp, in 1997 it was 4-2 to the hosts with 2 penalties doing the damage for the hosts, Mark Pembridge scored twice for the
Owls adding to the one he netted in the same fixture the previous season as Boro won 3-1.
The last Wednesday win on Teesside came on New Years day 1991, goals from David Hirst and Paul Williams secured all three points for promotion chasing Wednesday.

In April 1974 Jack Charlton’s Boro inflicted an embarrassing 8-0 defeat on Wednesday as they romped to the 2nd division title.

The first ever meeting between the two sides up north was way back in 1899 when goals from Archie Brash and Fred Spiksley helped the Owls to a 2-1 win, the first Boro win was in January 1910 when they won 2-1, Harry Davis scored for Wednesday.

Overall at Middlesbrough:

Owls: 9

Draw: 11

Boro: 27

Final thoughts

We need a win but unless the spineless shower in the shirts actually realise this we will be relegated without so much of a whimper which would be a shame for the travelling army that head up north tomorrow, around 2,500 Wednesday fans will head up to Boro.

Two of our relegation rivals are at home whilst QPR and Scunny face difficult away days.

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A loss the Riverside.

With just three games to go now after this latest defeat for Alan Irvine's men, it's getting too close to comfort for the Owls.

Scott McDonald's wickedly deflected effort won the game for the hosts which flattered them in a game which arguably the visitors should've gone home with at least one point for their efforts.

The only change to the Wednesday side that was defeated by Bristol City on Easter Monday was the return of Jermaine Johnson. The Jamaican winger had originally found himself on the bench only for Leon Clarke to be injured in the warm up so Alan Irvine shuffled the frontline by thrusting Johnson into the side.

Darren Potter tested former Owls Loanee Brad Jones early on as the visitors intentions were clear, there was no defensive tactics employed and arguably the visitors looked more like the home side as Boro seemed content to sit back and bide their time. Johnson was to test the Boro defense with his pace and movement but a goal wasn't forthcoming and if proof were needed that it wouldn't be Wednesday's day then moments later it was there for all to see.

Marcus Tudgay sent Johnson though on goal with only the Boro 'keeper to beat, but as the travelling Wednesdayites were anticipating the net rippling Johnson was denied by Jones who deflected the ball to safety.

The Owls stood firm despite some pressure from the hosts as Leroy Lita was his energetic self but Messrs Purse and Beevers weren't truly troubled by anything that Boro had to offer. But the opening goal was to come from the home side helped by a vicious deflection.

McDonald fired goalwards and initially it appeared that Grant would gather but the ball ricocheted off Beevers and eluded the despairing dive of the Wednesday keeper and into the bottom left corner of the goal.

Half Time
Boro 1 Wednesday 0

As the second half kicked off the hosts failed to make any impression on the game as Wednesday truly were in with a shout of at least a point and after the hour mark they were so close to getting that elusive equalizer.
Darren Potter swung a corner towards the near post where Luke Varney met the ball with a flick header and despite it beating everyone it bounced off the crossbar before being cleared to safety.

The game was slipping away from the Owls as former United defender Kyle Naughton, on loan from Tottenham, had a shot smartly saved by Lee Grant.

With the Wednesday fans in tremendous voice behind the goal they were urging the players on as everyone was listening for goals going in elsewhere, in the hope that defeat wouldn't leave the Owls floundering in the relegation places.

As the game entered the final ten minutes Etienne Esajas and Francie Jeffers were thrown on by Irvine in the hope they could add some much needed vision and intelligence to the Wednesday attack but the remaining minutes petered out into nothingness for the men in blue and white.

Final Score

Boro 1 Wednesday 0

Next up, the small matter of the Sheffield derby at Hillsborough on Sunday.

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Colin backs the Eagles in relegation scrap.

Former Sheffield United and Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock has today backed the Eagles to beat the drop, possibly at the expense of Wednesday.

'Colin' left the Eagles a couple of months ago to take what some would call the poisoned chalice of a job as QPR manager shortly after the Selhurst Park club went into administration and took the 10 point penalty which admin brings.

But, the manager who Wednesdayites love to hate after his time at Bramall Lane and his self confessed love of the club from S2 reckons Palace will escape the drop to League One.

'They've got enough under the shirt to keep them up. I hope they regroup and get enough points - and then we (QPR) can have a real go at them next year.' He told The Star.

With the small matter of beating Warnock's first love on the agenda this weekend for Alan Irvine's men, it could be a miserable end to the season for Colin if Palace are to go down as well. Something that Wednesdayites across the globe will undoubtedly relish.

Look out for our extensive derby preview later this week.

JOC looking for a repeat of last season

Every Derby day clash is eagerly anticipated and arguably this weekend sees the most important game since the FA Cup semi Final at Wembley in 1993, and we all know what happened there.

Wednesday's James O Connor recalls last season's derby double with great affection as shortly after the Owls were victorious over the neighbours his wife gave birth to his son.

'It was an incredible day for the family and it is something that I will never forget,' the Owls midfielder told the Star.

'It brings a smile to my face every time I think about it.'

But any lingering thoughts of the double that Wednesday secured on the eve of the birth of his son, must be banished with a victory this weekend at Hillsborough.

'It was very pleasing to do the double but that needs to be put to bed as we need to win on Sunday.' O Connor said.

'We understand the importance of the game with it being a derby.

'Obviously this is a game that we are desperate to win and we are just focusing on having a good week in training and winning the game.'

Look out for our preview to this weekends clash, and to get you in the derby day mood don't forget to take a look at our e-magazine with exclusive comment from the Wednesday Chairman, Lee Strafford and Owls Legend, Lee Bullen.

To read the mag, click THESE WORDS HERE