The YP’s football writers, Stuart Rayner and Leon Wobschall, join host Mark Singleton to discuss the latest topics surrounding Yorkshire football, starting with the top priority for Sheffield United in the next few weeks as they continue their search for a first Premier League win of the season.
Leeds United head into the international break on a high and tipped as a favourite for promotion, while Sheffield Wednesday are copying their Steel City rivals in finding a winning formula impossible - giving incoming boss Danny Rohl a huge job of turning a terrible season around.
Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United’s recent form is also a topic for discussion.
Leeds United head into the international break on a high and tipped as a favourite for promotion, while Sheffield Wednesday are copying their Steel City rivals in finding a winning formula impossible - giving incoming boss Danny Rohl a huge job of turning a terrible season around.
Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United’s recent form is also a topic for discussion.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Football Talk from the Yorkshire Post, where
00:14 we will be discussing some of the latest talking points from the world of football with members
00:17 of our football writing team. On this week's episode, we're joined by Chief Football
00:21 Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Stuart Rayner, and Football Writer for the Yorkshire Post,
00:24 Leon Wopshall, to discuss all of the latest developments affecting our local clubs. Don't
00:28 forget you can keep up to date with all the football news across Yorkshire and beyond
00:32 by logging onto our website at yp.sport@nationalworld.com, as well as checking out our various Twitter
00:38 feeds, the main one being @ypsport. If you search for Yorkshire Post Sport, Yorkshire
00:43 Post Football or even Sheffield Sport on Facebook, you can find us there as well. And if you
00:48 have any questions for our writers, you can get in touch using those various Twitter or
00:51 Facebook pages, or email us directly with a subject matter as Football Talk Podcast
00:55 at yp.sport@nationalworld.com. Yorkshire Post dot co dot UK. And this week we saw Middlesbrough
01:03 claim a fantastic 4-0 victory over High Flying Sunderland. Hull City shed the points when
01:09 they played out a 2-all draw against Millwall. Barnsley claimed three points in a late 1-0
01:14 victory over Exeter City. Harrogate Town claimed a much needed 2-1 win over Newport County,
01:20 and Doncaster Rovers fell to a 1-0 defeat away at Stockport County. Now, we start in
01:27 the Premier League with Sheffield United, who following their 2-0 defeat against West
01:32 Ham, fell to a 3-1 defeat when they paid a visit to Craven Cottage, which saw Blades
01:38 captain Chris Basham suffer a severe leg injury, which required play to be stopped for 13 minutes
01:44 during the first half. This means Paul Heckingbottom's men are still without a league win this season,
01:50 and now with the international break coming up, what do you think the team will have to
01:54 do to try and kick start the season when they return now that Chris Basham is out for a
02:01 considerable amount of time, Stuart?
02:02 Well, you know, as is the way I suppose when you bottom the league, they need work at both
02:08 ends of the field really. Obviously losing Basham is a big blow in itself, because still
02:15 on the back of John Egan being out injured, that's why Basham was captain on the day.
02:23 So that leaves them short, and notwithstanding, we've talked this season how they've been
02:30 a bit too leaky at the back at times, and the sort of attacking verve that we saw against
02:38 Everton on Cameron Archer's debut, they've not been able to recapture that since. So
02:46 they just need to put in a lot of hard work, make the most of what they've got. They're
02:52 having some bad luck at the moment. I mean, they have got Rhian Brewster back from injury,
02:58 but it does feel as though there's this constant stream of bad news, and they've got some tough
03:03 games when they come back. They return with Man United and Arsenal, but we do remember
03:12 that it was Man United they beat last time they were in the Premier League to get themselves
03:20 up and running. So all's not lost in that respect, but they need to believe in themselves
03:25 and they need to find a bit more cohesion and confidence than they've got right now.
03:31 I think it is early season, Stuart, relatively, we're sitting on top of the second international
03:37 parade, but they've just got to batten down the hatches for me, even though it's this
03:42 early, and just hang in there. You mentioned the games that they've got a little bit further
03:47 down the track. The games that stick out for me, they've got Wolves at home, they've got
03:52 Bournemouth at home, and they've got Burnley away as well. In the context of the season,
04:01 teams around them in the table, they're just simply huge, aren't they? It's the Phase 6
04:07 pointer, and it's a six-pointer with a capital lesser of some of those. Yeah, success for
04:16 me and every Chefs United fan, fourth from bottom would be a remarkable, outstanding
04:22 achievement. We'll maybe go on to speak about Rotterdam as well in the Championship. You
04:27 can't underestimate what sort of achievement that would be. For the minute, it's the Chefs
04:34 United, they've just got to dig in and just try and give themselves hope from somewhere.
04:42 The minute they'll be coming in after the games, realistically they'll be looking to
04:46 see what the teams above them have done, and minding that gap already between themselves
04:52 and fourth and fifth bottom. I even think that if Chefs United get to Germany, then
04:59 they can address things we spoke about, the deficiencies in defence and how thin they
05:05 are, and they left themselves with not too many options from the summer window when the
05:13 priority was getting a replacement for Berg and Pompfen to die as well. They did that
05:21 to a fair degree in bringing home an archer in, but always looked like defensively exposed
05:28 by the injury to Egan and now Basham. If they could get to January, and even if they're
05:34 in, there's a fair chance they'll be in the bottom three. As long as the gap's not
05:39 too vast, they've got an inkling of hope and they can hopefully address things in the window.
05:44 I think the pragmatic Blades fans may take that. It's October, we're not in November
05:53 yet and it's purely a season of survival and full fun.
05:58 I think Leon's right to highlight those games. I think it's important that Chefs United go
06:05 into that Wolves game without too much psychological damage. If they have performances against
06:17 Man United and Arsenal like they did against Man City and Spurs, they can go into that
06:22 game believing a bit. If they go into that game on the back of two performances like
06:28 they had at Newcastle, they're on a hiding to nothing. Irrespective of results, they
06:33 obviously need results. You can't wipe them out of the equation. But in terms of that
06:40 Wolves game, they just need to have something to cling to in terms of believing that they
06:44 can do something. It is early days but things can slip away from you if you just allow them
06:55 to and write off certain games and focus too much on others. They've just got to knuckle
07:02 down in these next two games.
07:05 We've seen Manchester United suffer plenty of results you wouldn't have expected. Sheffield
07:11 United have done it in the past so it's not an unwinnable game by any stretch of the imagination.
07:16 It's not a game you can't take anything out of. But I think most important is that when
07:23 Wolves comes around, they believe they can do something and then of course they follow
07:28 through and do it.
07:29 I sort of look a little bit further to you. The games until the turn of the year, Wolves,
07:37 Bournemouth, I'm looking down here, but Bredford, Luton. They've got to get some hope and a
07:46 decent amount of points to give themselves a fighting chance for the second half of the
07:51 season.
07:52 Next we turn to the Championship and start with Leeds United who followed up their 1-0
07:56 victory over QPR with a well fought 2-1 victory over Bristol City. This is the first time
08:01 the Whites have recorded back-to-back victories since November 2022. The Whites opened the
08:07 scoring after Jorginho Rutter was able to find Dan James with a ball across the six
08:12 yard box in the first half before Joel Pirro added to his goal tally in the second half
08:17 to regain the lead and ultimately secure all three points.
08:21 Now I know that you've both seen Leeds United perform since we last covered them on the
08:25 podcast. So what did you think of the performances and how do you feel they're progressing going
08:31 into the international break, Leon?
08:33 Yeah, I think they did what they had to do. Stuart was at the QPR game and by all accounts
08:40 it wasn't a brilliant spectacle but Leeds were comfortable and got an early goal and
08:48 probably should have been more against a side who have struggled this season. Bristol City
08:54 brought a little bit more to the table. They've been decent away from home. I don't think
09:00 they were quiet at their best. I've seen them one or two times over the past year and
09:06 they had a very good counter-attacking side. But they were pretty quiet and inhibited by
09:12 the standard at Leeds. To be fair, I don't think Bristol City were brilliant on the day.
09:21 I think Leeds negated them really well and it was a good performance. I think the encouraging
09:31 thing for me was that there were some good individual contributions. I thought Archie
09:38 Gray was great at right back. He showed he got another string to his bow and what a magnificent
09:44 young footballer he is. It's daft to think he's only 17 because he plays with such a
09:52 maturity and apparently it was a late decision as well asking him to play there. It was a
10:00 good battle on paper with Sam Bell who's a very good young player as well and Gray won
10:05 that hands down. George Rutter, on the second Saturday at Elm Road, he missed a hell of
10:16 a chance but dusted himself down. The fans saw his name and got back on message. His
10:22 approach work and assist play was great. He contributed and Joe Perrault got his goal,
10:30 a well taken goal. I think across the pitch, I was thinking about it on the day. I didn't
10:37 have much to do with that said but across the board it was 7s out of 10s all the way
10:45 through. Sam Byron made a couple of really good blocks. It was just that consistency
10:51 that you need. Leeds are doing what they have to do, they're building incrementally. They're
10:59 in a good place, they manage well. I look at them and in his early days, there's a bit
11:10 of a gap there. Fair play to Leicester and Ipswich, they've managed to forge that themselves.
11:18 I think if there's a team I would be worried about beneath them, it would definitely be
11:23 Leeds for a lot of reasons. They're showing that consistency on the road. You mentioned
11:27 two on the back to back wins for the first time in nearly a year. I think I put it in
11:32 my report. You have to go back to the promotion season, the end of it, that's on the road
11:38 three in a row at home. They're getting it right together at Elm Road. We've spoken before
11:43 about teams coming to frustrate and low blocks and all that. Leeds are finding a way through
11:50 and look at what they've got on the bench. Bamford, Geldhart, good players to come in
12:00 and they're building a nice spine there with the Ampadus and Rodot, Pirro down the middle.
12:07 I think everything is set fair at the minute. They've got to grips with the Championship
12:16 relatively quickly. They're in a pretty healthy position and I think there's a lot to look
12:20 forward to. For me, I think it's probably fair to say they could have won both of those
12:27 games more comfortably. But to me, the most important thing is, Leon mentioned on the
12:31 podcast a few weeks ago, there will be wobbles along the way and then lo and behold, they
12:36 concede three first-half goals at Southampton. They've recovered really well from that. You
12:42 talk about them not having back-to-back wins. They haven't suffered back-to-back defeats
12:47 this season. That was isolated and dealt with straight away because, as Leon said at the
12:53 time, you get freak results all the time in the Championship. Even the best teams have
12:59 had bad days and it's a matter of how you respond to it. To knuckle down and get two
13:06 home wins, which won't be on the top of the end-of-season DVD but were important nevertheless,
13:15 is what it's all about, particularly when you go into a game like the Bristol City game
13:20 and you haven't got a right back. You do encounter these problems and it's just about
13:30 dealing with them calmly, which is easier said than done when you're a big club with
13:36 a big fan base. Dealing with them calmly and just getting on with it. That's exactly what
13:41 Leeds United have done. Thinking back to that QPR game, Bamford showed that he can really
13:49 add a different dimension to Leeds. Routier has been very popular this season, he's done
13:56 a lot of good things. There's been a few dodgy moments as well. But always when you've got
14:02 a striker playing well, you want the alternative of someone who can come off the bench or come
14:08 in from time to time if somebody needs a rest and just offer something different. Bamford
14:13 showed he could do that. They're doing all these things with Willy Nonto injured, I mentioned
14:19 the problems at right back and other issues. They just seem to be shrugging off these reasonably
14:26 minor problems but problems nevertheless. And just getting on with the job, which at
14:31 this time of year in particular is what it's all about. Yeah, they're in a good place.
14:36 You look at the games further on in the next block of games, Stuart, and I think they're
14:42 good tests and we'll learn a bit more about Leeds. I think they've got three out of four away.
14:48 Got to go to Norwich, which obviously there'll be a lot made of that in Daniel Farker going back
14:55 there. Norwich have shown signs of getting their act together this season under David
15:00 Wagner. They've got to go to Leicester as well, I think that's the last game before.
15:06 Or one of the last games before the next international break. Leicester have blazed
15:13 a trail, haven't they? We talk about the squad options that Leeds have got and
15:18 Leicester have got every bit more up your sides really, they're really strong.
15:23 Farker is a down to earth guy, he's grounded and he'll have those tests on the horizon. I think
15:33 he'll be quietly thinking to himself, just where Leeds will be at by the time the next international
15:40 break comes. If they've got four points from those two tests or even a win, they're in
15:47 really good heart. They're building nicely, Leeds, and these next set of games will be really
15:59 intriguing. You're right, they will tell us a lot. This block we've just been through has
16:04 sort of been the block where they've sorted out their home form. This next block will learn a lot
16:10 about the character away from home in some tough games. It'll be interesting to see, but as I think
16:17 both of us have been saying for a while now, we're fairly confident that Leeds are on the right track,
16:22 it's just a matter of sticking to it really. Well on the game, it wasn't a classic. I've
16:51 got to be honest with you, I've seen better dominants in that time. It was a bit of what
16:58 both teams wanted, what they really needed was a win for each of them. For Sheffield Wednesday,
17:05 without a manager and in the run of form they were in, three straight defeats and three really
17:11 poor ones as well. A clean sheet was important for them. Likewise for Huddersfield coming on
17:16 the back of a 4-1 defeat at Birmingham, they needed to steady the ship as well. They both need
17:23 more, Huddersfield in particular need to work out things in the attacking sense a bit better.
17:30 They're obviously without Danny Ward at the moment which doesn't help, but they need to find a few
17:36 solutions. For Sheffield Wednesday, it's all a case of what happens next really. The moon music
17:44 seems to be that Danny Roehl, the German coach who we understand was interviewed for the job
17:52 when Chisco Munoz got it, he's in a very strong position to get the job. It just seems to be a
18:00 matter of threshing out the actual details. That'll be an interesting appointment, but really
18:06 for them things are just on hold and we're waiting to see what direction that club's going in.
18:13 Huddersfield have taken their new course, but they're not very far down it. They're only four
18:18 games in, but nevertheless that's four games without a win and that's something Darren Moore
18:24 will need to put right. They've got back-to-back home games when they come back from the international
18:28 break and I think he's got to spend a lot of time at Canal Side between now and then working out how
18:34 they can pose more of a threat in open play, which has been a theme for Huddersfield for quite a long
18:40 time now. You could argue even in the third-place season under Carlos Corberán they were perhaps too
18:47 reliant on set-pieces for their goals, but at least there's that defensive foundation of his
18:54 first green sheet as manager. I think it's well-timed for Huddersfield, isn't it Stuart?
19:03 Yes. Darren Moore speaks a lot about craving that time on the training ground,
19:12 one-on-one level with the players. When he first came in, the schedule,
19:18 it was thrown into it in some respects, wasn't it? But now he's got that little bit of a breather.
19:23 Players working with him through the working week and really getting to know what he's about
19:30 and his ethos. You look at the games, I think he's three out of four at home, so
19:36 that's something that Moore will certainly embrace. I think he's only had one home game
19:42 before as well, hasn't he, so far? To be fair, it was a very good performance against Ipswich.
19:49 I think when you look at Sheffield Wednesday, this next block of games before the November break,
19:57 they've just got to somehow give themselves hope. They've got a huge derby with Lozano,
20:03 I think that's at the end of the month, isn't it? That's just a huge game on paper, potentially,
20:11 for both clubs. Obviously, Roma are the big favourite for it. If he does, he's a novice
20:22 at Championship level and he's going to have to come up to speed really quickly. You think
20:28 Sheffield Wednesday don't get one or two wins in this next block of games, they're going to be
20:35 cast adrift. I know he can be turned around, there's plenty of time, but they'll be mindful
20:48 and looking at that. I think they've got three out of four away as well when it starts up again.
20:52 That's sort of the opposite of Huddersfield. They've got some long trips to Bristol City.
21:00 But whether it's Roma or whoever it is, whoever comes in, they're going to have to hit the ground
21:05 fast and get a win or two. Whoever it is could have done with that same training time you've
21:12 just been talking about with regards to Darren Moore. It's a pity they weren't able to get
21:16 something done more quickly. Particularly if it is Roel or anyone who's new to Championship
21:24 football. Roel had a spell working on Southampton's backroom staff, so he's not entirely new to
21:30 English football. It's quite an exciting appointment if that's what happens, but it's
21:37 the kind of appointment I feel is best made in the summer to give someone a pre-season.
21:45 Not only when they're new to the division, but when they're presumably going to try and
21:49 change things quite a bit. It can work. It worked for Michael Carrick at Middlesbrough last season,
21:56 but there's probably more examples of it not working. People like Mark Fotheringham coming
22:00 in with a similar background during the season at Huddersfield. It's a difficult ask for someone
22:05 who doesn't have that experience to come in, get used to a new set of players. Whoever it is,
22:13 is going to have to make their mind up about whether they want to bring Marvin Johnson back
22:16 into the fold. They've got Lyle Taylor on trial at the moment. At least I presume he's still on
22:22 trial. He was at the end of the moon office time, so there might be a decision to be made there.
22:26 Generally, you've just got to assess the squad. It's a real pity that the talk about Roel has been
22:37 fairly consistent. By the time this podcast comes out, there may have been a decision,
22:42 it may have gone another way. It seemed like they were pretty keen on him from very early on. It's
22:47 a shame they weren't able to move a bit quicker because I think they've only had two players away
22:52 on international duty. One of those, Delgado, has come back injured already. Unlike for the Premier
22:58 League clubs and some of the top-end championship clubs, there's a lot of players to work with in
23:03 this fortnight. It would have been a really valuable time for somebody coming in. I think
23:08 we all know that the course of football rarely runs smoothly or ideally at Sheffield Wednesday.
23:14 Yeah, I think whoever comes in, you've just got to be appreciative of the position they're in and
23:21 respect the division. All the talks about philosophies and plans, for me, that can go
23:27 out the window a little bit. It's just dealing with the reality of what Sheffield Wednesday are
23:31 in. There's obviously all this stuff off the field on it that's been a real mess. It's had a
23:42 record worst start to the season but there's just been a lack of coherence in the play and the
23:48 players have looked confused. Whoever comes in, I think the last thing that Wednesday needed
23:54 was somebody to come in and bombard the minds tactically and everything. You've just got to
24:02 get down to brass tacks and keep it simple really. It's a real bonus. They need to sharpen up at both
24:13 ends of the pitch. The manager needs to quickly hone in on the start of the XI what he wants and
24:22 what he can trust really and just try and make it simple. I think there's a big man management
24:29 element as well. Lifting spirits. The players have just been on the floor, haven't they? There's all
24:35 sorts of things going on. They're a real mess, aren't they? They just need someone who can
24:46 lift them mentally and just get an easy to follow game plan that the players are going to buy into
24:54 very quickly. It's sort of said that the clock is starting to tick and Wednesday don't get a
25:01 win before the next game. That's great. It's about 15 or 16 games, isn't it? It's the third of the
25:10 season. I hope they're not too funky and clever with this appointment. I think they need to think
25:21 short term and get a sticky plaster in almost. It's probably about Sheffield United finishing
25:28 fourth and bottom. That would be not ideal for a club Sheffield Wednesday side but in the position
25:35 it's pragmatic and this season's all about staying good. That was the thing about that
25:40 game against Huddersfield Town. Neil Thompson came in as caretaker manager, not for the first time,
25:46 and it was just a lesson in common sense. He picked the players he knew and trusted,
25:55 asked them to play in the way that they'd been playing under Darren Moore. All the focus was
26:02 on getting a clean sheet and there was no pretenses, no high-minded philosophies or
26:10 anything like that. It's just, look, we're in the brown stuff right now. I can't be worrying about
26:16 people's egos. If they're left out of the squad or whatever, I can't be too high-minded about how
26:23 we're going to play. We've just got to stop this run of defeat. If we can go beyond that and get a
26:28 win, so much the better. But they couldn't as it turned out. That's what the new guys got to
26:35 think about really and not too much more. I'll be looking for someone with more of a track record
26:51 at that level. We'll wait and see what happens. Just because somebody is young and new to the
26:58 division doesn't mean they're not intelligent enough to lean on people like Neil Thompson.
27:03 It's not a given that an experienced manager will necessarily do things the right way and
27:09 an inexperienced manager will do things the wrong way. I think whoever comes in needs to have a good
27:14 chat with Neil Thompson about what's there at this football club, what's needed in this division,
27:19 and how to go about things. Leon's absolutely right. If they play the worst football in the
27:24 history of Sheffield Wednesday but they stay in the division next season, I think most supporters
27:29 will take that from where they are right now because they're facing a bit of an uphill
27:34 challenge already. I think the supporters are pretty pragmatic to a certain extent.
27:40 Historically, the talk of Sheffield Wednesday playing a certain way, we all remember the
27:45 times of plenty under Ron Atkinson and some great football. But they're in reality and
27:55 I saw a look at that game against Huddersfield and obviously it wasn't a great spectacle.
28:00 But it's small wins, small gains. A first clean sheet at home, okay, it's not a first win. It's
28:09 just what everybody wants to connect it with Wednesday. But at least it's something, isn't it?
28:13 They've kept a clean sheet at home and got something. I think that's the way they've
28:23 got to think. It's small incremental steps to hopefully grow the confidence.
28:30 I'd say the next block of games they'll be wanting some more hope there in terms of a
28:37 win or two. They've obviously got a long trip to Watford and Plymouth. Two long trips there.
28:42 Sometimes that can bond a few players, a couple of games being away. Sometimes that might not
28:49 necessarily be too bad of a thing for somebody coming in. But it'll look a lot better if
28:54 Wednesday can get a win from some. They got the clean sheet, they had no Bannon and Windass,
28:59 so immediately they get free. You've got a bit more about you in an attacking sense.
29:03 Certainly all is not lost, but they do need to go about things in the right way. It'll be a big
29:13 test of whoever comes in to concentrate on the fundamentals and worry about adding the stardust
29:22 down the line. Finally for this week we turn to Rotherham United who were able to claim a point
29:28 when they played out a 1-0 draw against a dominant Southampton at St Mary's. This sees the Millers
29:35 still in the relegation places and four points from safety. With all the talk we've had this week
29:41 about managerial changes, do you think Matt Taylor could be the next one who is starting to feel the
29:48 pressure to secure results, Leon? Well there'll be a bit of noise if he doesn't get a win or two
29:56 in his next block of games. But realistically I don't think he should be. I think he's doing
30:00 all he possibly can. He's had no luck for me whatsoever in the opening part of the season.
30:08 You think of some of the calls they've had, refereeing calls, the wretched one they had
30:14 against Blackburn. That would have given them a hell of a chance if it had not happened to win
30:21 that game. You look at their injuries as well, especially at the back. They've not been able to
30:27 play a settled back for all season. The main problem is that she's been at centre-half as
30:34 well with injuries all over the place. They've got Campbell and Pizarro at the minute until
30:39 the new year. Tyler Blackick's also got a bad one with a hamstring. They've had Leap LTA out.
30:46 Fortunately he's come back. And Grant Hall as well. They've had that to contend with.
30:52 And then there's the division as well. You've got the Roderick squad, some of the early games
30:56 this season. You've got to feel sorry for Taylor. He's doing all he can. He's a young manager still
31:07 learning on the job. That's what made the Championship all over, wasn't it? Rather than
31:13 going to Salah and Antoinette, showing signs of getting the form again, two good wins. I think
31:20 everyone in the country would have had it down as a home win on the Poupon with Rotherham having
31:26 lost all their away games. Lo and behold, they somehow dig in and get a brilliant away point
31:33 at the first of the season. I was pleased for Taylor who's doing it really tough after the
31:40 Bristol City game in midweek. Another example is Rotherham were in the game for fair parts of that
31:47 but I just felt that the bench strength of Bristol City grew too strong as it did. I did the home
31:55 game against Leicester in August and that was the same really. They just got worn down. I think
32:03 everybody needed that at Rotherham. I did a piece this week and some people may agree with it,
32:11 some people won't. There needs to be a certain amount of realism with Rotherham. They finished
32:18 19th last season. A lot of people are saying, 'We look at what Coventry and Luton have done,
32:25 they've come up and stayed up and they've grown incrementally.' But it's so hard to do that for
32:32 Rotherham in terms of the range structure with the pay. You look at the Championship this season,
32:40 there's teams with the parachute money but there's a lot of other teams who are
32:43 having more of a go this year as well. Birmingham for one, they've been taken over and Cardiff
32:51 bringing in Aaron Ramsey. There's not too many clubs that are in the same boat as Rotherham.
32:58 In some respect we're in a bit of a club of one. In years gone by, clubs like Burton Albion say
33:09 that they've been in the mix and competing with them. But there's not too many of them,
33:16 I don't think of perhaps Plymouth, but even they're spending quite a bit of money and
33:22 there's a lot of ambition in the south-west for them to consolidate.
33:29 If Rotherham can mention Sheffield United, they can somehow finish fourth on bottom. It's been
33:36 another great season for them. They obviously stayed up last year and deservedly so.
33:41 Everyone was together in this defiance and that's what they're going to need this time around.
33:50 They showed a little bit of that at Southampton. Great for the away fans who went down there,
33:55 they've had a good day and something to cheer about there.
34:06 If Rotherham are going to achieve their aims for me, everyone's going to have to be together and
34:12 synced on the same aim sheet. Looking at the games there, they've got one or two before the
34:19 next one, the huge game at Hillsborough. They've got QPR as well. I think the spirit and the
34:25 characters there, they just need a little bit of a looker, a break or two. It sounds like they had
34:32 one at least at Southampton that got batted in the first half. Took the punches as Taylor's spoken
34:39 about the importance of showing that strength in tough spells and showing a strong jaw. They did
34:47 that great equaliser from George Bugle. Psychologically, an excellent point.
34:53 Leon's piece was absolutely spot on. There's no hard and fast rule as to how patient or
35:01 impatient he should be with managers. But for Rotherham, in the situation they're in, after what
35:06 Matt Taylor did last season, they've got to stand by him. I don't think there's any suggestion from
35:13 the club that they're wavering. It's just inevitably that somebody's always in the
35:19 spotlight. In Yorkshire terms, it's Matt Taylor now that Mark Hughes and Francisco Muñoz have got.
35:24 That's the reality of it. I think we've seen enough from that group and from that manager
35:31 over the past 12 months we're talking now to know that there's something there worth sticking with.
35:38 As we've said repeatedly over this podcast, it seems to have been the theme of this podcast,
35:44 just doing enough is going to be a good achievement for Rotherham this season because
35:52 of those financial disparities that Leon's laid out. We live in the real world and I think in all
35:58 honesty, the majority of Rotherham fans understand that. I don't think there's the impatience and
36:06 twitchiness that you get at some other clubs. There's obviously some, it's followed by human
36:12 beings, but I think there's a greater realism at Rotherham as to where they are. As Leon says,
36:19 there's great spirit in the group, but there is more than that as well. As you mentioned,
36:25 they got battered in the first half against Southampton, but one of the reasons they only
36:29 conceded once is because they've got one of the best goalkeepers in the Championship.
36:33 Victor Johansen is a huge asset for that football club and if Jordan Hugel keeps scoring uncharacteristic
36:41 Jordan Hugel goals, that's two out of three now being absolute stonkers, we're going to have to
36:45 rethink what a characteristic Jordan Hugel goal is. He's started to make a bit of a habit of these
36:52 great goals. When you've got Johansen at one end and you've got Hugel able to contribute like that
37:00 at the other, there's something there to work with and something worth sticking with. We've always
37:04 said that Rotherham's biggest problem is going away. That's added to the importance of getting
37:11 a draw at Southampton. The beauty is, again it's been a theme of imbalanced fixture lists,
37:20 Rotherham's next four games they don't leave South Yorkshire. They've got some tricky opponents
37:25 coming up, but this is the time to really make some ground up and put a marker down.
37:32 I think whatever happens, they've got a manager there to invest in. They clearly think so because
37:39 they've supported him in the transfer market, they've stuck by him so far, I see no reason
37:44 why they won't continue to do so. I think Stuart's right as well. The vast majority of the Rotherham
37:52 supporters are very realistic to the position that they find themselves in. I sort of hearken
38:00 back, I'm old enough to remember in the early noughties when Rotherham went up under Ronnie
38:07 Moore, back-to-back promotions, they'd been out of the second tier for about 20 years.
38:12 The first season they stayed up on goal difference. There were a few similar clubs to Rotherham,
38:20 that was a time in the Championship when there were. There were Grimms, Bejeling,
38:24 Walsall, a few others as well, Stockport. They only managed to stay up on goal difference.
38:30 The thing I remember about that season is that everyone was, the players were together,
38:35 they all had each other's backs. Every time you went to Millmore, the crowd bought into it.
38:40 It was a season when they had some bumps in the road. Like I said, they only managed to stay up
38:45 on goal difference but it was a real collective achievement at the end of that season when they
38:51 stayed up. In some respects, it was easier than now considering that some of the clubs around them.
39:00 There was a real gladness at being there in the second tier. Rotherham still has to have that now,
39:07 they stayed up last year. It's got to have that big sense of perspective.
39:12 Every home game across the dual carries, whether New York, it's a bit cliche but
39:22 give that 12-man element to the Rotherham players who need everything they've got,
39:29 considering what they're coming up against. Hopefully in that regard, the game at Southampton,
39:36 it was a bit of a rewind for me. They can harness that, bottle it and use it for the rest of the
39:44 season. Leon mentioned Luton and Coventry and how that raised expectations in some people's
39:51 minds as to what's possible on a small budget. People have got to bear in mind that what Luton
39:56 and Coventry did last season, it wasn't a one-year job. They built towards that under Mark Robbins
40:02 at Coventry, under Nathan Jones at Luton, built on by people like Rob Edwards. It wasn't simply
40:10 one season where everything clicked. It was a slow build, developing a way of playing,
40:20 building up intelligence in the transfer market so that they get the right players in,
40:26 getting good characters. That is the part that Rotherham have to follow.
40:31 That's clearly what they were doing under Paul Worm.
40:34 That's what they've got to do again under Matt Taylor.
40:39 It's a very different game. It's a different game. It's a different game. It's a different game.
40:44 It's a different game. It's a different game. It's a different game.
40:51 Many thanks to Stuart Rayner and Leon Wobtrell who will doubtless join us again soon for more
40:55 discussions on the Yorkshire football scene. But don't forget you can keep up to date with
40:58 all the football news across Yorkshire and beyond by logging onto our website at
41:02 yp.sport@nationalworld.com or if you search for Yorkshire Post Sport, Yorkshire Post Football
41:07 or even Sheffield Sport on Facebook, you can find us there as well. If you have any questions for
41:12 our writers, you can get in touch using those various Twitter or Facebook pages or email us
41:16 directly with a subject matter as football talk podcast at yp.sport@nationalworld.com.
41:22 As ever, many thanks for listening. Look after yourselves and bye for now.