Chelters

Suspect it’s two, like most pictures.

Just leave this here. Merry Christmas one and all.

Merry Christmas one and all, next instalment of 30 years ago on the 27th!

Yeah I left feeling quite positive yesterday, just annoyed that the luck deserted us against a beatable team.

I think I was being too kind to Dawson on the second goal. But the first one is in no way his fault, he is correctly leaving a shot that’s going wide and then gets diverted in the corner. Very unfortunate goal to concede. Their manager is absolutely deluded if he can’t see that his team completely spozzed a win.

I genuinely cannot remember such an undeserved win in all my years of going to Hillsborough. We were the better team and even a point would have flattered them. But that’s how football goes sometimes. As an ex keeper I will put my tin hat on and defend Dawson as both shots were deflected, the second just enough to stop him gathering it cleanly. Thought Palmer, Vaulks, Bambo and Bannan were all very good today. Musaba kept giving the ball away in our half and had to go off in my view, was the right substitution. Another awayer ref, yet again giving soft free kicks one way but not the other and bottling a penalty decision. It was a pen, no argument, although Fletcher could probably have stayed on his feet. And Perry Ng is, always has been and always will be a horrible cheating c**t, absolute disgrace of a player.

18 I think. Just us, Millwall, Preston, Bristol City, Rotherham, Plymouth haven’t. Two of those have made the play off final same as us. I would argue only Millwall and Preston have done a better job than us as Bristol City have spent a lot of money.

I can see both sides of the season ticket thing. The club / Chansiri can certainly be rightly accused of being tone deaf in the pricing and the way they announce it. But on the other side I struggle that some fans don’t see the relationship between ticket prices and being able to cover our costs. They expect Chansiri to keep putting his hand in his pocket to subsidise everything. Wanting a successful team as long as someone else pays for it. But then you compare prices with other teams in the league and ask how they manage but we can’t. It’s a bit of a conundrum.

Saturday 18 December 1993 FA Carling Premiership West Ham United (home) Some games go down in Sheffield Wednesday folklore due to the significance of the occasion, and some just due to a great performance and result. This one was not particularly significant in the grand scheme of things, but it was a game that Wednesdayites of a certain vintage will always remember. This was a one-man show the like of which we have rarely seen either before or since, and a privilege for those who were there to see the kind of mercurial performance of one of the greatest players to pull on the blue and white. Yes, this was the ‘Waddle game’. The Owls came into this, the last fixture before Christmas, having suffered a sickening last minute defeat in the previous game to Arsenal, ending a 13 match unbeaten run. But there was to be no feeling sorry for themselves as Wednesday got their form back in some style. Waddle had missed the Arsenal game with flu and returned to the side in place of Simon Coleman, with Nigel Worthington switching back to left back, although the in-form Ryan Jones was missing. The visitors were in similar mid-table territory to Wednesday, and lined up with ex-Hillsborough hero Lee Chapman up front. The first half was actually a fairly even and open affair, and it took 34 minutes for the Owls to get off the mark. Inevitably it was Waddle that did the damage, jinking this way and that on the right wing at the Leppings Lane end before sending a right foot cross over to the far post. Andy Pearce headed against the bar but as the ball came down it hit the unfortunate Mike Marsh and rolled into the net for an own goal, Ludek Miklosko failing to scramble it clear. Having made the breakthrough, Wednesday started to play with confidence, with Nigel Jemson and Chris Bart-Williams both going close before half time. Shortly into the second half, Waddle received the ball on the right wing and this time rather than taking on his man he clipped a lovely ball into the box for Mark Bright, who controlled the ball with his first touch and slammed it into the roof of the net with his second. A few minutes later it was three, Palmer did well to retain possession and feed Jemson, his lay-off found Waddle who let fly with a powerful low shot from 30 yards that flew into the Kop net. The extra breathing space from a three goal lead allowed the Owls to play with confidence and a bit of cockiness. Chapman had the only real chance for the visitors but couldn’t put his header on target, and Marsh took out his frustration with a clattering of Kevin Pressman. Soon it was four, Waddle again going down the right and brilliantly finding his way between two challenges and into the area, then knocking in a low ball for Jemson to finish from close range. Wednesday were in full flow now and were able to pass the ball around to the ‘oles’ of the crowd and show off some skills. Waddle and Bart-Williams were in their element and even Worthington got in on the act at one point with a little Rabona near the North Stand. The final goal came three minutes from time, Roland Nilsson winning the ball and sending Palmer through for a prodded finish past Miklosko. Unfortunately the game had to finish before the Owls could add to the score. The Hammers must have been delighted to hear the final whistle, particularly poor David Burrows who had truly had a Nightmare before Christmas, whilst Wednesday walked in a Waddle Wonderland. Merry Christmas everyone. Final score : Wednesday 5-0 West Ham Wednesday : Pressman, Nilsson, Worthington, Pearce, Walker, Waddle, Bart-Williams, Hyde, Palmer, Jemson, Bright. Unused subs : Poric, Watson, Woods West Ham : Miklosko, Breacker, Burrows, Gale, Potts, Marsh, Holmes (Boere 67), Butler, Bishop (Allen 75), Morley, Chapman. Unused sub : Peyton Attendance : 26,350

And yet if he’d have given someone’s shirt a little tug and kicked the ball away 10 yards he’d have been sent off. One of the many reasons modern football needs to have a word with itself.

They look a decent side Norwich. On this evidence bit baffled as to how they’ve been so meh this season.

Sunday 12 December 1993 FA Carling Premiership Arsenal (away) On the back of a 13 match unbeaten run, the Owls arrived on a dark winter’s afternoon at Highbury to take on their nemesis, Arsenal. It was the 6thmeeting between the two clubs in that calendar year, and it was certainly the Londoners who had had the better of it so far. Wednesday were without Chris Waddle due to a bout of flu, and his replacement in the lineup was somewhat unexpected, with Nigel Worthington being pushed forward to wide midfield (a role he was not unfamiliar with) and Simon Coleman coming in for his full debut at left back. The hosts, meanwhile, had plenty of familiar faces in their team, including the constant thorn in the side that was Ian Wright. So, with a number of players out, difficult opponents, and the fact that they had conceded 14 goals at Highbury in their previous three visits, this did not shape itself up as being the most promising of afternoons. And then there was, of course, the presence of Sky’s cameras to add to the bad omens. However, the Owls were in confident mood and took the game to their hosts, with Chris Bart-Williams in particular putting in an impressive performance. In the first half Worthington was twice denied by the Gunners’ young keeper Alan Miller. Just before the break, Nigel Jemson broke clear from the half way line after robbing Lee Dixon but saw his effort blocked. The hosts had offered little in reply, with Des Walker and Carlton Palmer keeping them, and Wright in particular, quiet. In the second half there were more missed chances. Jemson was unlucky to slip after being put through by Bart-Williams, and Mark Bright spurned two chances, one with a tame shot at Miller and the other a volley wide after being set up by sub Adem Poric. Arsenal’s only real threat was from set pieces, with Kevin Pressman saving from an Alan Smith header. There was no doubt who was the better team, but as the clock ticked through the first minute of injury time, the inevitable happened. Wright found a bit of a space and finished sharply from the only sniff of goal he had had all game, and once again it was ‘one-nil to the Arsenal’. So, for the 4th time in 1993, the superior football and ability of the Owls had been snuffed out by the tactics of footballing Luddite George Graham, and the unbeaten run was over. It was frustrating to say the least, but the next game was to more than make up for it.... Final score : Arsenal 1-0 Wednesday Arsenal : Miller, Dixon, Morrow, Adams, Keown (Bould 57), Merson (Campbell 80), Jensen, Selley, Limpar, Smith, Wright. Unused sub : Will Wednesday : Pressman, Nilsson, Coleman, Palmer, Walker, Bart-Williams (Pearce 89), Worthington, Hyde, Jones, Jemson (Poric 80), Bright. Unused sub : Key Attendance : 22,025

Just seen the penalty incident. Speechless.

This exact thing happened to my cousin when an ex boxer killed him with a single punch. The guy got 4 years and was out in about 2.

Yeah not sure what happened there!

Wednesday 8 December 1993 FA Carling Premiership Aston Villa (away) Wednesday’s schedule was certainly keeping them (and, 30 years later, me) busy as they set off for the trip to Villa Park on a good run of form, but still carrying a number of injuries. The two sides had met in the second game of the season in a disappointing 0-0 draw, but both teams went into this one confident of getting a win. Villa were, of course, managed by erstwhile Owls boss Ron Atkinson who, whilst attitudes had maybe softened slightly in the intervening two years, was still seen as a Judas amongst the Wednesday faithful. He was doing a decent job at Villa though, and had steered them to second place in the first Premier League season in 1992-93. This game was to played in cold, blustery conditions, not exactly conducive to the Owls’ flowing football, and it certainly seemed to have a bearing on the performance on the night. The first half was a fairly even affair but it was Villa who came flying out of the blocks, almost scoring in just the second minute when Kevin Pressman made a fantastic stop from Ray Houghton. But it was the Owls who were take the lead midway through the first half when Chris Waddle played the ball in to Nigel Jemson in the box, he in turn set Chris Bart-Williams in for a confident left foot finish past Mark Bosnich. Dean Saunders had another good chance for the hosts but they eventually (and probably deservedly) got level when a swirling corner was headed home by Neil Cox. Villa had the wind behind them in the second half and took the game to Wednesday. They took the lead through a penalty when Dalian Atkinson was brought down in the box by Roland Nilsson, Saunders converting the ensuing spot kick. Wednesday gradually managed to get themselves back into the game and were rewarded after 70 minutes with an equaliser. Nilsson made up for the Villa penalty by getting down the right in true Roland fashion and crossing for the moustachioed Shaun Teale to divert the ball past his own keeper. After the comedy of the Liverpool game, it was the third own goal in two games in the Owls’ favour. Wednesday then had the better of the chances through Carlton Palmer and Bart-Williams, but in the end a draw was probably a fair result and Wednesday were reasonably satisfied with a point in the difficult conditions. Final score Villa 1-1 Wednesday Villa : Bosnich, Barrett, Cox, McGrath, Teale, Houghton, Beinlich, Cowans, Parker, Atkinson, Saunders. Unused subs : Ehiogu, Whittingham, Spink Wednesday : Pressman, Nilsson, Worthington, Palmer, Walker, Waddle, Bart-Williams (Coleman 86), Hyde, Jones, Jemson, Bright. Unused subs : Poric, Key Attendance : 20,304

Maybe I misread it as immunity now and in the future. If just the meeting then yes maybe it’s not so unreasonable.

Sorry but the request for immunity is either crass ignorance or a deliberate attempt to make DC look bad.

Saturday 4 December 1993 FA Carling Premiership Liverpool (home) With a good run of form under their belts, the Owls faced Liverpool for the second time this season, having of course been beaten 2-0 at Anfield on the opening day of the season, with Carlton Palmer being sent off after only 15 minutes. Wednesday were able to name an unchanged side from the League Cup midweek win at QPR, whilst the visitors selected no fewer than four future Owls in their side. And as the programme put it, there was to be an ‘early Christmas gift’ for the home side. The Owls got off to a strong start and took the game to the Merseysiders, with Bruce Grobbelaar performing heroics on two occasions . First, Nigel Jemson met a flick on from Chris Bart-Williams with a firm header, but the keeper saved on the line. Then the Zimbabwean produced an ever better save, tipping over a fierce drive from the in-form Ryan Jones. Certainly no home win in the plan for Grobbelaar in this one..... Wednesday deservedly took the lead on the half hour. Nigel Worthington was sent away down the left by Bart-Williams and crossed for Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock to slash the ball into his own net. The Owls thoroughly deserved their lead but were to be brought back down to earth eight minutes later with almost their first real attack of the game. Rob Jones (not that one) found space down the right and his cross was finished by Robbie Fowler. The visitors’ goal, completely against the run of play, clearly shocked the Owls and Liverpool took the initiative, only being denied a half-time lead by a Kevin Pressman save from John Barnes’s volley. Wednesday were able to rally at half time and started playing their football again. Graham Hyde and Mark Bright had already been denied by Grobbelaar before he was finally beaten for the second time on 58 minutes, and once again it was by one of his own defenders. This time Chris Waddle was the architect, racing clear from Jemson’s flick-on and firing in a low cross which Mark Wright stretched to intercept. With Grobbelaar anticipating the cross evading Wright, he was totally wrong-footed as the ball rolled slowly from Wright’s stretched prod into the bottom corner in a way somewhat reminiscent of Lee Gregory’s play-off goal against Peterborough. The Owls remained in control but almost presented a Christmas gift of their own when Hyde headed against his own post, but at the other end there were more chances going begging before the game was finally put to bed with 10 minutes to go. Substitute Adem Poric sent Bright through, and the Wednesday striker cleverly nodded the bouncing ball over Grobbelaar before running round the keeper and slotting the ball into the empty Kop net. This was a sixth win in seven in all competitions, and Wednesday were very much climbing the table, now up to 12th, whilst the visitors were stuck in mid-table. Final score : Wednesday 3-1 Liverpool Wednesday : Pressman, Nilsson, Worthington, Palmer, Walker, Waddle, Bart-Williams (Poric 71), Hyde, Jones, Jemson (Coleman 79), Bright. Unused sub : Key Liverpool : Grobbelaar, Jones, Harkness, Wright, Ruddock, Nicol (Walters 79), Barnes, Molby, Matteo (Rush 69), Clough, Fowler. Unused sub : James Attendance : 32,177

This is 1993, so it will have to be Dave Richards

Wednesday 1 December 1993 Coca Cola Cup 4th Round Queens Park Rangers (away) A busy period for the Owls continued with a midweek trip down to Loftus Road to take on a decent QPR side as they sought a place in the quarter finals of the League Cup. Wednesday made one change from the side that had won impressively at Maine Road, with Chris Bart-Williams replacing the injured Andy Sinton. There was a new face on the bench with the loan signing of defender Simon Coleman, brought in from Derby County for an initial month to provide some extra cover with the Owls suffering a number of injuries. Not only was there a new signing but there was also a new kit. With the problems earlier in the season over the black away kit and the white third kit, this time it was a gold shirt with black shorts, another shirt that become somewhat of a collectors’ item. Including Bolton’s away kit, this was the fifth kit of the season already. Good money for Puma presumably. The game started quietly but burst into life just after the half hour mark as the Owls took the lead. A Rangers attack was foiled, allowing Chris Waddle to play a through ball for Nigel Jemson, who held off the challenge of Alan McDonald before firing powerfully past Jan Stejskal for an impressively taken goal. This then led to a spell of QPR pressure with Kevin Pressman having to be smart to save from both Simon Barker and Bradley Allen. Wednesday should then really have doubled their lead after some good interplay saw Graham Hyde and Nigel Worthington have a clear chance between them. Unfortunately it was a case of ‘after you Claude’ and the chance went begging. It was to prove costly as the home side equalised just before the break when Andrew Impey crossed for young winger Michael Meaker to head home his first senior goal. The second half was to prove a difficult period for Wednesday as Rangers enjoyed the majority of possession, albeit without creating too many chances. It could and should have been 2-1 to the home side when the normally reliable Les Ferdinand headed a glorious chance against the bar. With just 3 minutes to go, the winning goal arrived and, thankfully, it was somewhat against the run of play. Waddle sent Worthington away down the left wing and his cross was met by a perfectly timed run and diving header by Ryan Jones. The young Owls midfielder remained grounded and, with arms stretched in front of him almost in a shrug, smiled at the joyful visiting fans as he took in the moment. There were two more chance for Wednesday as the home side attempted to get level, but Mark Bright couldn’t convert either of them. No matter though, as the visitors saw out the game for a great win and an 11th straight game without defeat in all competitions. Final score QPR 1-2 Wednesday QPR : Stejskal, Bardsley, Wilson, Peacock, McDonald, Impey (White 81), Meaker, Wilkins, Barker, Allen, Ferdinand. Unused subs : Holloway, Roberts Wednesday : Pressman, Nilsson, Worthington, Palmer, Walker, Waddle, Bart-Williams (Poric 59), Hyde, Jones, Jemson, Bright. Unused subs : Coleman, Key

Be good for confidence that. Some players are maybe starting to look capable at this level and some…er…aren’t (including Johnson sadly)

The encouraging sign there was that we didn’t collapse after the first goal as we have done so many times this season. We might collapse after the next one though….

Going back and reviewing these games has made me realise that Sinton was really getting going at this point. Every game seems to involve an assist from him, shame it never worked out in the end.

As with all their statements they start off being quite measured and businesslike and then descend into a rant. They just never learn. If there is truth in it then of course Chansiri needs to be called out on it. But I am not blindly going to believe a group that won’t reveal their identity and don’t know where to put a fucking apostrophe.