On this week’s show – Episode 125 – The YP’s football writing team of Stuart Rayner and Leon Wobschall hook up with host Mark Singleton to discuss the latest issues in and around the Yorkshire football scene.
They start in the Premier League to discuss whether Sheffield United have already turned a corner on the returning Chris Wilder following a very welcome win over Brentford.
In the Championship, do Leeds United need some reinforcements as they head into the New Year and will Hull City’s win at Middlesbrough prove a significant moment for both teams?
Huddersfield Town’s troubles continue under Darren Moore as they hover above the drop zone, in which Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham United remain rooted after midweek setbacks, new Millers boss Leam Richardson suffering defeat in his first game in charge.
They start in the Premier League to discuss whether Sheffield United have already turned a corner on the returning Chris Wilder following a very welcome win over Brentford.
In the Championship, do Leeds United need some reinforcements as they head into the New Year and will Hull City’s win at Middlesbrough prove a significant moment for both teams?
Huddersfield Town’s troubles continue under Darren Moore as they hover above the drop zone, in which Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham United remain rooted after midweek setbacks, new Millers boss Leam Richardson suffering defeat in his first game in charge.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:10 Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Football Talk from the Yorkshire Post, where
00:13 we will be discussing some of the latest talking points from the world of football with members
00:16 of our football writing team. On this week's episode we're joined by Chief Football Writer
00:20 for the Yorkshire Post, Stuart Rayner, and Football Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Leon
00:23 Wapshall, to discuss all of the latest developments affecting our local clubs. Don't forget you
00:28 can keep up to date with all the football news across Yorkshire and beyond by logging
00:31 onto our website at yp.sport@nationalworld.com, as well as checking out our various Twitter
00:37 feeds, the main one being @ypsport. If you search for Yorkshire Post Sport, Yorkshire
00:42 Post Football, or even Sheffield Sport on Facebook, you can find us there as well. And
00:46 if you have any questions for our writers, you can get in touch using those various Twitter
00:50 or Facebook pages, or email us directly with a subject matter as footballtalkpodcast@yp.sport@nationalworld.com.
00:57 YorkshirePost.co.uk
01:00 As mentioned earlier in the intro, this week we're joined by Chief Football Writer for
01:03 the Yorkshire Post, Stuart Rayner, and Football Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Leon Wapshall.
01:07 Good morning guys.
01:08 Morning.
01:09 Morning.
01:10 Right, this week saw Bradford City's home game against Salford City postponed due to
01:15 a waterlogged pitch. Harrogate Town also saw their game against Sutton United called off
01:20 for the same reason. Don Cacero has claimed a point against Eccrington Stanley. Barnsley
01:26 claimed a 3-1 victory over Reading, and Hull City suffered a 2-0 defeat at Queen's Park
01:31 Rangers. And we'll also be covering them a little bit more in this episode.
01:36 But before that, however, we start in the Premier League, where Sheffield United claimed
01:42 all three points with a 1-0 victory through James McAtee when they welcomed Brentford
01:47 to Bramall Lane. Now, how much of a boost could this be to Chris Wilder's side with
01:52 a trip to Stamford Bridge next on their list of December fixtures, Stuart?
01:57 Oh, absolutely massive, Mark. I mean, let's be honest, any win at the moment for Sheffield
02:02 United, for Luton, for Burnley, for the teams down there is just a huge boost. And just
02:08 to see plans come to fruition and for a win to come about is massive. I think with the
02:18 greatest of respect to Brentford, who've got a lot of injuries at the moment, and both
02:22 Scott-Hyde and Tony missing, as we all know, that sort of game at home is one that you
02:28 really want to take advantage of. Make full use of the atmosphere at Bramall Lane, which
02:35 was great. It probably goes without saying for people who weren't there with it being
02:41 only Chris Wilder's second game back, his first weekend game in charge of them.
02:46 And yeah, there was a really positive feel about them. We talked in last week's podcast
02:56 about all the good things that came from their defeat at Liverpool. And the textbook thing
03:02 all the way through was, I guess, well, you need to put in a good performance against
03:07 Liverpool. You possibly need to accept that Liverpool might well be better than you on
03:12 the day if things click, but then you need to go one further against Brentford and put
03:17 the performance together with the result. And that's what they were able to do with
03:20 an absolutely brilliant goal from James McAtee.
03:24 Yeah, I totally agree. It was the next building block. Not too many fans would have had them
03:32 down to take anything against Liverpool. But I think what they were wanting was evidence
03:37 of the more Sheffield United type performance in the best traditions of the time under Chris
03:45 Wilder. You know, aggressive in the face of opponents, intense. And they got that. But
03:53 obviously, the second home game was, with respect to Brentford, a different point entirely,
04:01 wasn't it? That was the chance for points gathering. And yeah, they stayed on messaging
04:08 in that regard. And by all accounts, it was a bit like the good old days, I suppose, under
04:15 Wilder there. And pleasing for him as well. He sort of spoke at length about how he thought
04:25 that the lack of fans in the relegation season had a big effect upon Sheffield United. And
04:31 I think people who watch football like myself and Stuart, I'm sorry, the manager's talking
04:38 about the influence of fans, but I think he had a point there when he was talking about
04:43 Bramall Lane being raucous and that 12-man element, and Sheffield United did miss that.
04:48 So, pleasing him in that regard. And yeah, I think he's shown some sort of courage as
04:57 well in giving the likes of Brooks and Souler, who are among the better performers against
05:05 Liverpool, giving them a chance in the next game as well. And by all accounts, Brooks
05:11 had another good game, another stand innovation. But yeah, the crucial thing, the backed-up
05:17 performance with points. And the fact they've got two away games now highlighted the fact
05:28 that they needed something. And yeah, they've got Chelsea. And look, Chelsea have had their
05:34 ups and downs, but will be favourites. But I'm not totally dismissing United from the
05:39 games.
05:40 As Leigh-Anne says, Chelsea have got lots of injuries. It just doesn't seem to have
05:47 happened for them this year, never mind this season. And when you look at it, we talk a
05:54 lot between the pair of us about targeting this game and targeting that game. But the
06:02 fact of the matter is, they're going to have to pick up points somewhere unexpectedly.
06:07 We've seen Luton take a point off Liverpool. We very nearly saw them take one off Arsenal
06:16 and even Manchester City to an extent. You can't just write games off and you are going
06:23 to have to pick something up along the line. And I think the encouraging thing about the
06:28 Brentford game, as we said, building on Liverpool, it was the way they won it. In all honesty,
06:34 it was a pretty low-quality game. It was a real arm-wrestle of a game. But the point
06:39 was that they had the qualities to come through that. And that's what they're going to need
06:45 in every game, because more often than not, the opposition are going to, to be quite frank,
06:50 have more talent than them. So they really can't afford to be outworked, as they were
06:55 in a couple of games towards the end against Paul Heckingbottom. And as I said in my piece
07:00 on the Monday, you can't get by on that alone in the Premier League. They still needed that
07:06 flicker of quality, but James McAtee provided that. And they do have players. Brookes has
07:11 already shown it in his short time. McAtee's got it, we know Hamer's got it, and Arch has
07:17 got it. And to just produce those moments, but you need that foundation first, so that
07:22 those moments can make a difference, not just be consolation moments in a 3-1 defeat or
07:29 4-1 defeat.
07:30 I'm speaking before Chris Wilder's press conference ahead of the Chelsea game, and I bet you any
07:41 money, he's going to be banging the drum about, yeah, the level's been set now in terms of
07:45 effort and all those things. There can't be any slacking up at Chelsea, Aston Villa, against
07:51 Luton, against Manchester City. That's the real message for them. They've set a standard
07:57 in terms of those ugly qualities of the game, and they really have to keep them up.
08:02 Yeah, I mean, looking at the away games, they've got Chelsea, then they've got Villa, and then
08:08 they've got City to end the year. The greatest will in the world. Chelsea's the, I won't
08:16 say easier, but the rather less daunting one than the other two. It's very hard to see
08:24 them getting anything from Villa and Manchester City, but they can get something from Chelsea.
08:32 And obviously they've got another huge, huge game in the season on Boxing Day against Luton.
08:38 It's easy to look forward, but if they can get four points from those games, and obviously
08:44 they've got the win against Bredford, then that's at least something, isn't it, to take
08:52 into the new year, but a long way to go until they're back in the big games.
09:00 And I think the thing is as well, if you don't take points from any game, the important thing,
09:07 like that Liverpool game, is to take some pride from it, to take something from it.
09:11 That's the thing, isn't it? And I say that's what's been good to see in these first two
09:15 Wilder games, that there's been that foundation, there's been that determination. The trouble
09:22 with the Burnley and the Bournemouth defeats was they really had absolutely nothing going
09:26 for them because there wasn't even that underlying fight. So yes, whilst in all honesty, I mean
09:34 Aston Villa have won what, 15 straight home games? We all know what Manchester City are.
09:40 As Leon says, you'd be a very brave man to bet on either of those not being a home win,
09:47 but they can still come away with something psychologically. And I say, hopefully against
09:53 Chelsea, they can go one further. Although I don't think either of us want to give the
09:59 impression that it's going to be easy, because it's certainly not going to be easy at Chelsea.
10:03 It's just the least daunting of the three, isn't it?
10:10 The important thing is, he's spoken about earning the trust of the fans, before the
10:14 first home game against Liverpool, repairing some of the damage. He's managed to do that,
10:20 the fans have got back onside. I think crucially the players as well, they've got something
10:24 to believe in as well. As Stuart said, he plays some of these top sides, you're not
10:29 expected to take anything, but get a performance out of it. Sheffield United got that against
10:34 Liverpool, and then they sort of backed it up with points. I think it was useful that
10:40 the first two games in Wilder's tenure were both at home, and I think that's worked for
10:46 him. But it's obviously all about the next step now, isn't it?
10:50 And next we turn our attention to Leeds United, who claimed a 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers,
10:56 with goals from Dan James and Crescencio Somerville being enough for Leeds to claim all three
11:02 points. This was then followed up by a frustrating 1-0 defeat when they paid a visit to the Stadium
11:07 of Light to face Sunderland, which brought their seven-game run without a defeat to an
11:12 end. What was your assessment of the games, and with a visit from Coventry City on the
11:19 cards next, how could we see them heading into that game, Leon?
11:23 Yeah, I mean, obviously disappointing from a Leeds, respect losing to Sunderland in midweek,
11:28 but I think it's important as well not to be too overly harsh upon them. I mean, the
11:35 Championship, you know, bumps in the road do happen. And in fairness to Leeds, the ones
11:42 that they've had this season, they've usually reacted straight away with a win. I mean,
11:47 they lost to Stoke, and triumphs Huddersfield in the game after that, and there's been one
11:52 or two other occasions as well. And in fairness, going to Blackburn, who are a decent football
12:01 inside and in the mix, they've got the division's top scorer, that was a pretty testing examination.
12:09 And Sunderland as well, obviously they've come into the part of the company with Tony
12:14 Mowby recently, but they've got a good result and probably an unexpected one against West
12:19 Brom. And that was a tough game as well, back-to-back away games, so three points out of six, not
12:26 perfect, but not disastrous all the same. I think it's probably made to look a little
12:32 bit worse by the fact that, obviously, Ipswich and Leicester won, but I wouldn't be too...
12:39 You know, we've still got to remember how, you know, we're in the halfway point in the
12:43 season and it's been a pretty solid and strong first half for Leeds. I've spoken about it
12:52 before on podcasts, you know, good sides don't lose two in a row. And from the Leeds' respect,
13:00 they've got two home games now in succession, very, very strong, reassuringly strong at
13:07 home. And yeah, I mean, it's all about getting back on the road and, you know, six points
13:14 and certainly, you know, we've spoken about this before, huge game against Ipswich on
13:20 the 23rd, that's probably even that little bit bigger now after what's happened in midweek.
13:25 And it's about Leeds getting some back on the horse, a bit of momentum again by getting
13:31 three points against Coventry, which will be a test. They've got some decent players
13:36 and they're just sort of finding the feet after, you know, a big changeover in the summer.
13:42 Lost, you know, a couple of the big hitters in Gorkares and Eymor and they brought a few
13:48 new players in, but, you know, getting it together a little bit, that'll be a test.
13:52 But yeah, a good one for Leeds. And so at this point, I wouldn't be massively critical
13:59 of them because maybe they were a little bit jaded, it just wasn't happening for them.
14:04 But in this division, unless you're extremely lucky, then bumps in the road happen.
14:11 Absolutely, yeah. And, you know, Leon covered the games against Middlesbrough and Blackburn
14:19 and certainly alluded in your piece after the Blackburn game to the fact that Leeds
14:24 weren't absolutely at their best. I wonder if there's just a few hints here and there
14:30 that maybe they need a little bit freshening up. But, you know, if that is the case, they're
14:35 in a good place at the moment in terms of the strength they've got on the bench.
14:40 We're seeing an awful lot of clubs right now really badly hit by injuries. Leeds have cut
14:46 off pretty lightly at the moment, which is obviously a tribute to the work they're doing
14:51 behind the scenes in training and sports science and all that palaver.
14:56 But yeah, maybe there's a couple of things for Daniel Farker to think about in terms
15:01 of his team selection at the weekend. He mentioned that a few of them were struggling with colds.
15:05 But as I say, it's not like he looks at it and says, 'Oh, you know, I've got a problem
15:11 at central midfield.' There's nothing to come in, in pretty much every position really.
15:17 I think he's got options, he's got Jed Spence feeling his way back, so hopefully he should
15:23 improve with every game over this month.
15:27 So yeah, like Leon says, inevitably when a club like Leeds lose, there's a lot of panicking,
15:34 a lot of fretting and a lot of getting worried. But I think Leon's assessment is absolutely
15:39 spot on. We've had this a few times this season where there's been a defeat where you're a
15:44 bit like, 'Where did that come from?' or 'That's a bit of a worry.' But actually, they've been
15:48 very good at getting back on the horse and so long as they do that, I don't think we're
15:54 anywhere near panic stations with Leeds right now.
15:57 I mean, still, was it nine wins in 12, wasn't it, now, Stuart?
16:01 Exactly.
16:02 Which is pretty strong. I think you've got to factor in as well, Leeds are a big scalp
16:06 in this division, whether it's at Ellen Road or certainly on the travels, they've got that
16:12 to contend with. I think everyone would recognise they're the name club and the biggest club
16:20 in the division with respect to one or two others. But Leeds are a name and yeah, I think
16:27 Stuart's right to say that. I've been one of Farker's more interesting team selections
16:32 on Saturday. I used to say one or two of the old warriors, Aylin and Cooper, certainly
16:39 Aylin, maybe bring a minute right back, the case for putting Archie Gray in midfield.
16:46 One or two other things as well, but good problems to have for Daniel Tarker. He certainly
16:55 won't panic, he's been there many times over. He's got promoted twice with Norwich and he'll
17:03 know from his time in England that over the course of a nine-month season, I think the
17:10 key to success is how you react to setbacks and on that count, Leeds have been pretty
17:16 good this season.
17:17 And if ever there was a manager to just trust, it's a manager with Daniel Farker's championship
17:23 record.
17:24 Absolutely.
17:25 And Hull City is where we turn to now, as they paid a visit to Yorkshire rivals Middlesbrough
17:31 and claimed all three points in a 2-1 victory over their hosts. This sees the dip in form
17:38 for the Tigers come to an end, while Michael Carrick's men see theirs continue. What were
17:44 your thoughts on the game and how can both teams use this result, Stuart?
17:50 Well, I think obviously both teams went into it on the back of consecutive defeats and
17:57 a half-time in that game, there was no way really you could see anything other than a
18:02 Middlesbrough win. But the nagging doubt in the back of your head was, it's only 1-0,
18:08 Hull surely won't be this bad again in the second half. And Hull found a way to grind
18:13 out a win, which is not really something you associate with either manager and the way
18:19 they think about the game.
18:20 You know, Rossini in the pre-match press conference was talking about the last two defeats and
18:24 saying, "Yeah, but I really look at the performance, I don't get too wrapped up in points." But
18:30 I get where he's coming from and that's exactly what Michael Carrick was saying after Wednesday's
18:35 game. But when push comes to shove, ultimately you've got to get wins and you've got to get
18:41 your points somewhere. And it felt really significant that Hull were able to win a game
18:49 that way. And Rossini played a huge part in it. He made five substitutions in the course
18:55 of 16 minutes, a couple of positional changes from the players who stayed on the pitch,
19:00 changed the formation, basically changed all sorts about the team. And got the reward for
19:05 it, helped massively by a big performance by Ryan Olsop. So if you're looking at it
19:11 from Middlesbrough's point of view, you'd be looking at it saying, "Well, we really
19:14 missed an opportunity there. We should have put Hull to bed in the first half when they
19:18 were really good, Hull were really sloppy." From Hull's point of view, you look at it
19:23 and you think, "Isn't it brilliant to win ugly?" The fans who were there absolutely
19:29 loved it, of course they did. The players were all over Ryan Olsop at the final whistle.
19:34 Rossini really loved just watching those celebrations and trying to do the post-match press conference
19:41 afterwards was an absolute nightmare because all you could hear was the music blaring out
19:45 of the Hull City dressing room. They really celebrated that win because they knew what
19:52 a big win it was for them. I think Middlesbrough need to look at that and say, "We've got
20:00 to find a win like that." Make no mistake about it, Middlesbrough are in a really difficult
20:04 spell. I'm not talking about the results, they've lost 4-5 now, but I'm talking about
20:10 the number of injuries they've got and the difficulties they're facing. There comes a
20:15 time with every team where you've just got to dig something out through pure resolve.
20:21 I think that's what Hull did that night and that's what Middlesbrough got to find within
20:26 themselves pretty soon. The home fans, talk about how delighted the away fans were. There
20:32 were a few boos from the home fans, you could feel their frustration in the second half
20:39 and Carrick doesn't want to play himself into a position where he's put under pressure by
20:47 results. Hull have got themselves out of what had the potential to become a bit of a Hull
20:54 but actually, like we were saying about Leeds, it became really a bit of a 'nothing to see
20:59 here' moment in terms of the last few results for them.
21:02 Yeah, I think psychologically it just seemed to be a big moment in Hull's season, didn't
21:09 it? More especially with the fact that obviously the news that Phil Hull is going to be out
21:15 up to six weeks, he's been a huge player for Hull this season, they're a talisman in many
21:20 ways. This was obviously coming to the game on the back of the defeat at QPR, the star
21:26 player out for a spell. Suddenly the Carrick's under the microscope a little and obviously
21:32 events in the first half when Buddha were dominant and should have certainly added at
21:38 least one goal to the early lead. He missed a huge chance, I think in the context of the
21:46 game, it was big.
21:47 Credit to Hull, it did show what they've got and it was a win for the dressing room, wasn't
21:52 it? As Stuart Riley said, they all gravitated towards Allsop at the end after a couple of
21:59 saves. It also showed what Rossini has got in his dressing room, sorry, on his bench
22:07 on the night to bring on people like Toufan and obviously got the winner and Traore. You
22:15 look at Middlesbrough by contrast, there's an argument to say Carrick should have changed
22:22 things maybe a little bit earlier because they didn't start the second half particularly
22:27 well from what I saw on the television. But at the minute, he's not got a lot to actually
22:33 work with and they've got to dig deep, they've got very few options up front and you fear
22:40 for them if something happens to Laff in these games over Christmas. The Coburn missed a
22:48 game on Wednesday, they could be without a recognised centre-forward as such. At the
22:55 minute, Stuart's right to say they've just got to dig deep and give it a fair bit of
23:02 praise for the style of football which is good to see, pleasing on the eye of a term.
23:07 There comes a time in every season where you've just got to try and grind out a result or
23:13 two and that's what Middlesbrough will need to do before they can get to the new year.
23:18 Hopefully one or two players might be returning to the squad from the treatment room, people
23:25 like the Magritte's and Hackney's been a big miss, Force as well, but they've certainly
23:31 got some work to do in January. In the business ends of the field, I've mentioned about them
23:39 being lights at centre-forward, certainly to bring another forward in. Also at centre-half
23:45 as well, obviously Darrell Enehan's out. Tommy Smith, Paddy McNair as well, he's out with
23:53 a back injury and there's also the thing in the background about his future as well. He's
23:59 obviously up next summer and he's one of the high earners there as well. Just hoping
24:07 they can get to the start of the window, there's a few games until then, just get a couple
24:14 of results back on the board. It'll be a test, they've got some key examinations, they've
24:24 got to go to Rotherham over Christmas and they've got to go to Huddersfield. Rotherham
24:29 are fighting for their lives and Huddersfield are desperate for points as well. They'll
24:33 try and turn the games into battles. The minute with Middlesbrough seems to suit them when
24:41 it becomes a footballing contest, but at this time of year sometimes it's just about finding
24:48 a way and it becomes a fight. You just wonder if Middlesbrough have the wherewithal to cope
24:56 with that. It's a frustrating night for them, they played well in the first half, but Stuart
25:02 is right to say it's about finishing teams off and putting them to bed when you get the
25:06 chance and gain management as well. There were two poor goals at the conceded on the
25:11 night as well.
25:12 I think the thing is, both of these managers, we're talking more about Carrick in this case,
25:18 have shown that they are worth backing. We know that Steve Gibson is always a good chairman
25:26 in that respect in terms of trying to find what money and showing patience with people.
25:32 I would really hope that Middlesbrough will look down the back of the sofa and provide
25:38 the funds that Carrick needs to make those changes. As Leon says, they are being badly
25:45 stretched by injuries. It's been a difficult second season for Michael Carrick, but that's
25:52 the way it is. It's just for him and his players to show the necessary character. I do think
26:01 like Liam Rossini, he's a coach who gives you a lot of faith that if you give him the
26:09 time, he will get things right. I think that was a big lesson for him and for Middlesbrough.
26:18 Your principals are great and it's really important for both those clubs that they have
26:23 them. But as Leon has alluded to, there are times in a season where you just have to do
26:29 it. And Middlesbrough didn't that night, Hull did.
26:33 Just a reminder of what they've lost as well, especially with the injuries. You think of
26:38 last season, they've got Akpom who was scoring. It was about this time last year when he was
26:42 scoring goals for Fulham, wasn't he? Obviously, Archie came in the new year and he backed
26:49 up with his share of goals as well. And even Ramsay as well was chipping in. They made
27:01 light of it a little bit at the start of the season with Miley McRee's form and so it's
27:06 worn out his injuries. It's definitely not easy for them, but this is championship football
27:13 and never is.
27:14 In fairness to both clubs, obviously Borough are having a bit of a tougher time at the
27:21 minute and Hull in the mix for the top six. They should be a fairly attractive club to
27:27 join in the new year. Even if there's not a great deal of money spent in January because
27:36 you saw the look at the championship and the top four are pretty much away at the minute
27:40 aren't they? I don't think the chairman will be spending to try and get into the top four
27:48 as such and having a dabble for the automatic promotion. So I wonder if Mekhan Shrouda,
27:56 who's in the low market, will be big for some of these clubs who are in the top six mix.
28:04 Carrick and Vecina are progressive managers, they're at good clubs and there are two decent
28:11 stories there. So they should be able to hopefully attract some decent calibre loan recruits
28:19 in the new year.
28:20 Huddersfield Town is our next stop this week where Darren Moor's side had to settle for
28:26 a point when they clashed with Bristol City before playing out a 3-1 defeat against Preston
28:30 North End. This now leaves the Terriers just outside the bottom three on 21 points. With
28:36 the Terriers having claimed six points from the last five games, how do you assess Darren
28:41 Moor's time at the club so far Leon?
28:43 Well he's losing supporters, it's fair to say, two wins in 14. I think in fairness there
28:56 are mitigating circumstances. His squad has got deficiencies in it and it's not particularly
29:04 fit for purpose and in fairness he'll need January to try and address things. It's obviously
29:12 been compounded by some dreadful injury issues as well. But even accounting for that, I think
29:20 Huddersfield fans are entitled to see a little bit more. Unfortunately, myself and Stuart
29:29 have seen one or two of the bad sides of Huddersfield. So far I did the game on Tuesday night against
29:38 Preston. Aside from a probably 15 minute spell at the start of the second half, Huddersfield
29:45 were totally outclassed in my opinion. This is against a Preston side who have been struggling
29:51 a little bit as well. They started the season well but some of the shine had been coming
29:57 off that. But they looked a pretty good side on the night and had far too much in the locker
30:04 for Huddersfield. I know Stuart did the Leeds game and the Cardiff one as well. Heavily
30:11 beaten. He's just worrying about the regularity of some of these defeats. They've had three
30:19 or four of them now. I think he's got a fair bit on his plate and he'll be desperate to
30:26 get there. But in terms of goodwill from supporters, it is evident at the minute that they gave
30:36 the crowd about 17,500 on Tuesday night. I did think that was a little bit generous.
30:45 There were some cavernous gaps among the crowd. There were cheers at half-time and at the
30:54 end. He's doing it very tough at the minute, Darren Moore. Difficult for a new manager
31:02 and we've outlined the problems he's had to contend with. But he'll know he'll be wanting
31:09 to show a little bit more and somehow get to digging, get to January. We've got a lot
31:15 of work to do. It's interesting that the Huddersfield town owner has gone on to social media as
31:23 he runs a little bit and had a little bit of a dig at all concerned, not just Moore.
31:31 He was addressing supporters' concerns, mentioning that it's not been good enough, the entertainment
31:36 factor being low, and talking of coming to the club early in the new year, being aggressive
31:44 in the transfer market and having it out with the sort of people in responsibility at Huddersfield
31:53 to try and turn the situation around and speak to players as well. At the minute, all isn't
32:02 particularly well at the moment and we're desperate to try and chisel out a result or
32:07 two before January.
32:10 It feels like we've already talked a lot today about digging in versus playing your
32:16 football and all that sort of thing. It just felt to me, as Leon said, I was at those two
32:21 games in a week where they lost 8-1 and are aggregate to Cardiff and Leeds. You looked
32:27 at them then and how wide open they were. Also, in Darren Moore's defence, you looked
32:33 at the really long injury list they had as well and the key players that were missing.
32:40 Since then, they'd lost one of their next six games and just looking on from afar, you
32:45 thought, well, they're doing things ugly at the moment but they have to. In the situation
32:50 they're in, they just have to lay that platform, they have to get back to basics. Talking before
32:57 the Preston game to Moore and Josh Kourouma a bit about that, there was that acceptance
33:04 that circumstances meant they had to do that. The point is to justify that in the tough
33:11 times, you've then got to kick on from that platform. It just felt, going into this week,
33:18 just gone home games against Bristol City and Preston, that with Danny Ward fit again,
33:24 with Bergzog fit, with Solba Thomas back from suspension against Preston, it was just
33:31 a bit of, OK, you've put in the hard yards, now let's see you kick on, let's see what
33:36 you've got. You've got some of these attacking players back, there's fewer excuses now, come
33:42 on and play a bit of football. From reading everything Leon wrote about the Preston game,
33:50 it seemed like it was the exact opposite. It's only in retrospect, if they build on
33:57 it and if they play some more expansive, eye-catching football, that we'll be able to say that these
34:04 early weeks of Darren Moore were well spent. At the time it feels like just doing the necessary,
34:13 but it needs to be a first step to something bigger and better. Frankly, the football that
34:19 Huddersfield fans are getting served up right now is unattractive, it's not worth watching
34:26 for a lot of them. I think replacing Neil Warwick was always a hard sell for Darren
34:32 Moore, so it was difficult for him to come into a club and not play that sort of eye-catching
34:41 football. It had to be done, but they've got to move towards that end goal. As Leon says,
34:48 the squad as it is, isn't really fit for that purpose. They need to do some serious work
34:56 in the January transfer window. I think there's been a lot of doubts over this year from what
35:02 we've seen about just what wherewithal Kevin Nagle has to do that, because they had a very
35:09 limited, unambitious summer in terms of what they spent, what they did. It will be interesting
35:17 to see just what backing they're able to give him in January, because goodness knows he
35:21 needs it.
35:22 You're not going to be wrong, he engages with supporters and he's very open with them in
35:30 some respects. That's to be applauded. But I think about January, it's going to be about
35:37 action and not words, isn't it really? Huddersfield are in a little bit of a hole and if results
35:44 continue in the same vein and they don't have a particularly good Christmas and New Year,
35:48 they're going to be right in the relegation fight, aren't they? You look at the teams
35:54 who are currently in there and the teams who are overall in the hole and catch, the first
36:00 name on the list is going to be Huddersfield Town. They struggled to chisel down some
36:07 draws but two wins in 14 speaks for itself. It's just seeing that, watching Huddersfield,
36:18 it seems to me it's all about trying to match up or combat the opposition's strength. There's
36:26 not enough of 'what about Huddersfield Town, what's the Darren Moore identity?' In fairness,
36:33 it's difficult when you're low on numbers and championship-ready options. Stewart's
36:40 right to say that one or two players are coming back, Danny Ward, Bergzorg, hopefully they'll
36:48 be seeing Jack Maddoni, who's a huge miss for Huddersfield, isn't he? See him just before
36:54 Christmas. Once you get a few of those back, but you're still not getting the wins, the
36:58 fans are entitled to say 'what's going on here, this isn't good enough'. As much as
37:04 I've got some sympathy for the situation that Moore came into, if one or two players
37:11 come back he's got to start doing a bit more as well to retain the faith of supporters
37:18 because at the minute he's losing them by the game.
37:24 And now our attention turns to Sheffield Wednesday who recorded their first away victory against
37:29 Stoke City which ended 1-0 for the Owls. This was then followed up by a 3-1 defeat when
37:35 they faced Norwich City at Carrow Road. This now sees them eight points off safety and
37:40 even though that seems like a large gap, the way I see it is they are slowly but surely
37:45 closing that gap. What are your thoughts on the results and their position at this stage
37:50 of the season, Stewart?
37:52 Going into that Norwich City game, it felt like things were really starting to move in
37:59 the right direction. A draw against Leicester to back it up with two wins and really importantly,
38:07 Leon highlighted last week just how poor their away record was. To actually win a game away
38:15 from home as well against a difficult team against Stoke City was really important. And
38:20 again, to refer back to what we were just saying about Huddersfield, it felt like in
38:25 that case the groundwork had been laid and things were just starting to pay off a bit
38:32 in terms of results. Obviously the Norwich defeat was a setback but when you're a team
38:38 in the relegation zone, setbacks are going to happen.
38:42 It's going to happen, Stewart, isn't it? If you think of the two away games that went
38:49 to Stoke and Norwich, I think the pragmatists among the Sheffield, if they'd said before
38:56 those two three points out of six, I think they'd have probably taken them in the position
39:01 they were. Let's not forget that in the first 10 or 11 games, they actually got just three
39:10 points, which is ridiculously low, historically low. So that's really some context there in
39:19 terms of what Damian Rahn walked into. Going into the Norwich game, I think they'd taken
39:27 something like 10 points from nine games. OK, it's certainly not sensational, it's not
39:32 a payoff, but it's a solid step. It's sort of mid-table form almost, isn't it really?
39:44 A bit of a building block. There have been incremental steps and there's a recognisable
39:52 way of playing, developing under Rahn. The pressing triggers, the organised one or two
40:00 individual players are stepping up. Will Foulkes has been playing well. Cameron Dawson, he's
40:07 been given the nodding goal. People like De'arby as well. They're sort of looking a bit of
40:15 a one or two bumps, but there's some players that Rahn seems to feel that he can trust
40:24 and they'll be with him for the journey. He spoke as well about January and how he's got
40:33 a clear vision in terms of players who we might want to move on and bring in. I think
40:38 the important thing to say is that there's an inkling of hope that's been built there.
40:45 OK, they're eight or nine points from safety. It's a big gap, but it's not unassailable.
40:54 We've mentioned Huddersfield. They're not in the best of form. A team that Wednesday
41:03 will potentially think they can catch. There's one or two others above them who are question
41:11 marks, the likes of Plymouth and Stokes. There is a little bit of light at the end of the
41:19 tunnel for Wednesday. Given where they were when the Germans came in, I think the fact
41:27 that they've engendered a little bit of hope says something for what he's done. They've
41:31 also got two home games now in a row against QPR and Cardiff. QPR, huge game, isn't it?
41:41 You look at the positives that Wednesday has shown lately, and they have shown them at
41:49 home, haven't they? A great result against Blackburn. A real fighting spirit to Nicodro
41:54 against Leicester. Even accounting for the setback in the week, three points from two
42:02 away games, for a side in the relegation zone, that's alright. It looks a lot better if they
42:09 can win on Saturday.
42:11 Absolutely. I'm at Hillsborough on Saturday and it just feels like a really big opportunity
42:16 for them. One that they should actually be in decent shape to go into as well. I think
42:23 that's the issue. When we talk about Huddersfield and we talk about Sheffield Wednesday, the
42:29 new managers have both had difficult starts in terms of results. I think the difference
42:35 is that maybe at Sheffield Wednesday, the fans have been a bit more able to see where
42:40 Danny Royal is trying to take this team. The Huddersfield fans haven't had that encouragement
42:44 and that's the step that Darren Moore needs to make. But in terms of his old club, I think
42:52 there's been a bit of patience and a bit of understanding because fans can say, "OK,
42:57 we're not winning these games but if we carry on down this track, things will turn." It
43:04 does feel as though late November, early December could be that turning point with those three
43:13 good results on the chart. As Leon says, if they follow it up against QPR and particularly
43:18 then follow it up against Cardiff, suddenly you're going into Christmas and the new year
43:23 and you're far more optimistic about Sheffield Wednesday's chances. They're still in a difficult
43:31 spot, there's still a lot of work to do, they'll need a good January transfer window, there's
43:35 lots of buts. But the most important thing is there's reasons for optimism and as I've
43:42 said about some of the other managers we've talked about, there's reasons to believe from
43:46 what we've done so far that Danny Roelke can turn this around.
43:49 Yeah, I mean that suits Stuart, doesn't it? They've got two home games, in the best case
43:53 scenario, they get six points from those, they're up to 19 points. OK, that isn't earth-shattering
44:01 by any means but you're thinking this year you might survive with something like 46-47.
44:08 So, given the context of that and the fact they've got three points on the first 11 games,
44:15 it's actually not too bad considering but obviously a long way to go before then. I
44:21 think I mentioned as well to young Carabathar, he's come onto the scene, he's signed a new
44:25 deal and when teams are in trouble as well at the bottom, there's nothing that supporters
44:31 like and they'll show patience and get behind a young lad who's given the chance, who shows
44:37 some positivity and in that regard he's shown the bravery to start Ganimartin in the league,
44:46 likes what he's seen, he's got a couple of goals so that's been a nice bonus for Roon
44:51 as well.
44:52 Yeah, I think of the three Yorkshire teams in the bottom four of the Championship, it
44:58 just feels like there's more positivity, there's more light at the end of the tunnel for Wednesday.
45:03 Yeah, absolutely.
45:05 And next this week we look to Rotherham United who have announced that Liam Richardson will
45:10 be the Millers' new head coach. He then oversaw his side record a 1-0 defeat when they paid
45:17 a visit to West Bromwich Albion. Now, what were your thoughts on the game and I read
45:21 in your article on Liam Richardson's appointment that his brief will be to help his side evolve
45:26 rather than sort of tear it up and start anew. Could you explain that for us, Stuart?
45:31 Yeah, I think clearly there's problems at Rotherham United. You're the second manager
45:37 if everything's hunky-dory and you're not bottom of the Championship if everything's
45:41 hunky-dory. But there's good things about that club too and I think the key is to, as
45:47 I say, build on the good things rather than just rip things up and start again and I think
45:54 that's why they've chosen Liam Richardson and that's why they looked at people like
45:59 Nathan Jones as well. It's all about somebody to sort of fit into what was already there
46:05 rather than start again. Because I think there's lots of disadvantages Rotherham have, let's
46:11 face it, with their resources compared to some of the teams around them and what have
46:15 you. But one thing they've got, which a lot of clubs are looking for nowadays, is a real
46:21 identity about the club, about the way they play their football and I think that's really
46:26 important because when you've got that, you can sign players around that, you just have
46:32 a clarity. As we talked about Middlesbrough and Hull, even when things are going badly,
46:36 you need to know how you're going to get out of things and how you're going to address
46:42 the problems. There was a bit of talk in Liam Richardson's unveiling about getting someone
46:50 who understood the DNA of Rotherham United and was basically going to work within it.
46:57 His first game, if you can call it his first game because he barely got through the door,
47:03 sort of highlighted the deficiencies and the problems he would work with. But I think we've
47:11 seen at times this season, we've seen the really good sides of Rotherham United as well
47:15 as the really bad sides. I think they're just really important. Leon's covered Rotherham
47:22 for far longer than I have. He's probably best placed to just tell you a bit about the
47:29 identity of Rotherham and what gives them that leg up at times.
47:36 Yeah, I think it's a little bit of us against them, Stuart, is the right thing. Rotherham,
47:49 let's be honest, have got a lot of disadvantages and hands tied behind their backs at this
47:56 level than a hell of a lot of the competitors. They've just got the best traditions of the
48:03 Rotherham side from the Ronnie Moore era, then you go on to Steve Evans and Neil Warnock.
48:10 It's front foot football in the face of opponents, especially at home, whether it be Millmoor
48:17 or across the dual carriageway now at the New York Stadium. It's making life really
48:23 uncomfortable for opponents. Being strong and organised at set pieces, high energy,
48:31 empty in the tank every game. They've showcased that in the successful times in the Championship.
48:41 That's what they're going to haul themselves out of trouble. That's what they're going
48:46 to have to show on a consistent basis. Not a passivity about the play. Really getting
48:56 up and at opponents and being physically strong and organised. Liam Richardson knows his football.
49:05 He's also a friend of the former manager Paul Ward. He'll certainly know what Rotherham
49:12 United is all about. They've had some run-ins as well during the promotion season a couple
49:18 of years ago from League One. Without being previously on the inside at Rotherham, he'll
49:25 get Rotherham United. He probably had a similar thing when he was managing Wigan as well.
49:32 When they're at this level, they've got to show all those aspects to be successful
49:36 regarding Rotherham. I just think the big thing with Rotherham is the old elephant in
49:41 the room. It is the away forms. Historically, I've covered Rotherham a fair bit at this
49:49 level over the years. Alex Side, there was a spell in the 2022/23 season where there
49:57 was a bit of a freak. They actually won 6-0 on the opening day at Millwall. They also
50:03 won 6-2 at Burnley that season as well. They were scoring goals galore on the travels of
50:08 time. Pretty much by and large, apart from that, there was also a little spell under
50:14 Neil Warnock at the Great Escape where they got a few results away. It's been a really
50:18 familiar story. It's somehow getting that balance between resolute and organised and
50:25 making life uncomfortable for teams at home. Doing that away on a more consistent basis,
50:29 they've just not managed to do it at all. I think it has become a bit of a historic
50:37 problem for them. They've got a big game for them. Going to Plymouth on Saturday, Plymouth's
50:46 home record is strong. Their supporters will be fully expecting three points there to steady
50:56 the ship a little bit because they're down there a little bit at the bottom. The things
51:01 I've talked about, being hard to beat, frustrating the home crowd and being dogged, those qualities
51:10 are going to be massive in that game on Saturday. It would be interesting if Rotham got something
51:17 from that but we'll have to wait and see.
51:20 I just don't think Rotham's the sort of football club that you can walk into and just
51:24 try to play fantasy football. A) because they don't have the money for it and B) that's
51:32 not necessarily what fans are after. I think Rotherham fans just don't want to see people
51:38 passing for the sake of passing in front of them. They want to see that fight and that
51:42 determination that was the hallmark of the Warnock side and the Evans side and all these
51:48 great Rotherham teams. I think Matt Taylor tried to evolve it slightly and add a degree
51:56 of sophistication but he never went away from that blueprint. Although things didn't go
52:01 right for him this season, we mustn't forget what a great job he did keeping them up last
52:05 season. I think Richardson's just an intelligent bloke and I think he's coming and he probably
52:13 thinks in exactly the same way. He knows what they've got. Let's not over-egg it. They've
52:22 got people like Oli Rathbone and Carfoo and people who can put their foot in the ball
52:27 and play football but the essence of it all is that everybody's got to be all in, everybody's
52:32 got to graft. We were talking about Sheffield United before. They can't compete with these
52:38 other teams in terms of pure talent or finances to buy that talent. They've got to have that
52:45 extra edge about them and Leon's absolutely right. It's staring everyone in the face.
52:51 They can do it at home, they've just got to work out how to do it away from home because
52:57 if they can crack that side of the equation, you feel like the rest is there for them to
53:04 stay up frankly. As we've said time after time on this podcast, so long as they stay
53:09 in the division, that is a success. It's a bit depressing that we have to talk in those
53:15 terms about some clubs but that is the reality. Another season of Championship football is
53:20 a job well done and there's clearly a lot for Richardson to do. I think that was laid
53:29 out there again on Tuesday but I think he's got the intelligence and he's got the experience
53:35 of having been in that situation with Wigan and having worked at Fleetwood as well to
53:40 understand that he doesn't need to come in with any highfalutin ideas. He just needs
53:45 to eke out the best qualities of Rotherham more consistently and I think that's the key
53:51 for him.
53:52 Just a quick one on that, I think having the players on deck, that's been a bit of a common
53:58 theme we've spoken about. Middles with the injury problems and Huddersfield, Rotherham
54:02 have had a hell of a lot as well and some big players as well. I think they're really
54:08 missing Kaffir as well at the minute, hopefully he'll be back shortly. Others like Sam Poulos
54:14 is out at the minute but they have got, if they can get a consistency of selection more,
54:20 they've got a hell of a lot of experienced players there who have been around the block
54:23 and if they can get a couple of results, get that little bit of momentum and belief that
54:28 they need. They've got the characters in the dressing room and the experience to maybe
54:37 make a fight of it but as I mentioned many, many times, I would probably mention again,
54:44 it's just that away from them simply has to win because they're going to have a chance.
54:49 Finally for this week, I will ask Leon for his Player of the Week before turning to Stuart
54:54 for his Team of the Week. So Leon, who has caught your eye this week?
54:58 Well I'm going to have to say Sheffield United, a big win for them at the weekend against
55:05 Brentford and young Andre Brooks, he was a big surprise name on the team sheet against
55:11 Liverpool. Chris, well the real vote of faith there, potentially backed him up by marking
55:19 Mo Salah and didn't look out of his depth at all and in a really accomplished performance
55:25 left the field with a standing ovation and Mo Stewart was there on Saturday against Brentford
55:30 and he backed it up with another excellent performance and that's the mark of a good
55:35 young player, did that against Brentford and another deserved applause from the United
55:42ites. So yeah, Andre Brooks, he's the name I'll go for this week and it's been a great time.
55:51 Stuart, which team has caught your eye?
55:55 Yeah, well I think in terms of the team again, sort of draw them to Sheffield, you mentioned
56:01 how big a win that was for Wednesday to actually do it away from home against Stoke City but
56:08 I think because of the fact they weren't able to follow that up against Norwich, probably
56:14 lead more across the city. A huge win as well for Sheffield United and as Leon's alluded
56:22 to already, great to see young players involved in that, Siddy Peck coming off the bench as
56:28 well as Asula and Brooks. We've said it about both Sheffield clubs, it's just given them
56:37 a bit of hope, a bit of something to cling to and that really was the most important
56:42 thing that Chris Wilder had to bring straight away so yeah, good to see them do that and
56:48 happy that they got rewarded with three points for it.
56:51 YorkshirePost.co.uk
56:53 YorkshirePost.co.uk
56:56 YorkshirePost.co.uk
56:58 YorkshirePost.co.uk
57:00 YorkshirePost.co.uk
57:04 Many thanks to Stuart Rayner and Leon Wobtrell who will doubtless join us again soon for
57:07 more discussions on the Yorkshire football scene. But don't forget you can keep up to
57:10 date with all the football news across Yorkshire and beyond by logging on to our website at
57:14 yp.sport@nationalworld.com or if you search for Yorkshire Post Sport, Yorkshire Post Football
57:19 or even Sheffield Sport on Facebook you can find us there as well. If you have any questions
57:24 for our writers you can get in touch using those various Twitter or Facebook pages or
57:28 email us directly with a subject matter at footballtalkpodcast@yp.sport@nationalworld.com.
57:34 As ever, many thanks for listening, look after yourselves and bye for now.
57:38 [Music]