It’s Just My Opinion

Sheffield Wednesday made huge strides on and off of the pitch last season. This was met with an abundance of enthusiasm and excitement by the huge fan base, and rightly so. There were changes from top to bottom that saw a new head coach and technical team arrive, plenty of new signings, money invested and budgets raised. Whilst expectations duly rose, The Owls were rated as outsiders for promotion as the club entered a period of transition.

As the season gathered pace, Wednesday with their attractive brand of football, managed to secure a top six finish which saw them narrowly miss out on promotion to the Premier League, losing 1-0 to Hull City in the playoff final.

When I look back, the general feeling on social media throughout the 2015/16 campaign was one of positivity. Fans were optimistic of Wednesday’s chances of upsetting the apple cart a bit by mounting a promotion push and there was also great excitement as the club recruited numerous new players. Factors like this only helped to reaffirm the good feeling amongst the supporters.

Fast forward to the present day and the picture has slightly changed. Negativity has crept in. The question is why?

Performances seem to be the main talking point as the free flowing football of last season has become a rarity. This has been met with criticism from some quarters and they have repeatedly voiced their displeasure on various social media platforms. Paying spectators want to be entertained after all. But why has the playing style changed?

Head coach Carlos Carvalhal

First of all, I genuinely believe that some fans think that the technical team has thought “scrap the attractive stuff.” Football is a results business, attractive play is a bonus. You don’t get extra points for playing like Barcelona!

Last season, a lot of teams came into games against The Owls, fancying their chances of taking maximum points. When the opposition attack and play on the front foot, it leaves space, space to attack. Games are more open, more end to end. For me, this has now changed dramatically. Sides are more cautious in their set up and play style. For the large part this means they stay tight at the back, restrict space and keep their shape in an effort to stifle Wednesday’s attacking threat and to stop them getting into their rhythm. As teams have changed their approach, The Owls have had to change theirs out of necessity.

Two really good, polished performances by Wednesday this season, came against Huddersfield and Newcastle, both away from home. There is no question in my mind that both these sides felt they could win the game, so how they set up reflected that. With space to exploit, Wednesday could subsequently try and dictate the play and offer a threat going forward. When a side is rigid and restricting space, it is more about chipping away to break them down then it is to play fancy football.

The passing style employed this season is another regular talking point on social media. “Why do we always pass sideways or backwards?” My opinion on this is that when a team sits deep, men behind the ball, you want to try and get them to move up the pitch. You want to open space. Passing it around will encourage some sort of press from the opposition and subsequently open space or a line to pass through. Retaining possession helps to build confidence on the pitch also. Passes are strung together and it helps teams stamp their authority on the game.

Everyone is a manager on social media. There has been numerous people say they are fed up of 442, we should play this system or that formation. Sheffield Wednesday may set up in a 442 on paper but they often cycle through systems during games. This for me shows that Carlos and the technical team, not just on the bench but the analysts in the stands, are tactically clued up. The 442 often changes to the two centre backs splitting with a central midfielder dropping deep to receive the ball, the full backs are pushed on more like wide midfielders, it’s sort of a 352. Teams often switch formations numerous times, tweaking things, as they look to adapt to the game and exploit the opposition. It’s about spotting things and reacting to gain the upper hand.

There has also been negativity surrounding the recruitment at Sheffield Wednesday this season. There is a suggestion money has been wasted, poor decisions have been made on signings etc. A lot of this criticism is directed towards Carlos. Recruitment is a joint effort. That is not my opinion that is fact. The suggestion that Carlos has personally squandered millions of Dejphon Chansiri’s money is absolutely ludicrous. Carlos has a say, the chairman has a say. I think some are under the impression that DC just hands his cheque book over and that’s that. I’ve also read that some people firmly believe players are signed without the head coach knowing, that is also incorrect. Not every signing in football will work. Torres to Chelsea didn’t. These things happen. Sheffield Wednesday are still a work in progress, the squad is still being shaped.

New signing Jordan Rhodes

Now, some will say, this seasons incomings have failed to make the impacts expected of them. I’d go along with that. The players who have made an impression are the players who were at the club last season. Whilst they may not be flying just yet, we have seen glimpses of what the likes of Adam Reach and Steven Fletcher are capable of. To write signings off so soon is illogical.

So, some fans have cast a negative shadow on all things SWFC and continue to do so, especially on social media. I totally get criticism at a defeat and sometimes at a draw, but these days, some fans criticise after a victory. It is like they will beat the team and players down at any opportunity. I scroll through Twitter after games and some of the comments I see are absolutely ridiculous. I get that some will be booze fuelled, some born out of frustration, but come on. Some people even go as far as directing abuse at players and/or staff of the club. How this can sit well with people is beyond me. How they feel it is of any benefit at all is also something I cannot fathom.

If, for example, Atdhe Nuhiu saw the way some fans talk about him, do you think that will spur him on to perform for them? Liam Palmer unfairly gets a lot of stick on Twitter. Liam is someone who will give you 100% every game and in my opinion has had a good season. How do you think he will feel when people are sending him abuse after games? I’ve also seen people tweeting Carlos in a distasteful manner for not playing Almen Abdi! It’s bordering on scandalous at times.

Fans have a right to criticism that is not in question. The common theme though is that the criticism has slowly begun turning into abuse. Opinions and criticism, fine. Abuse? That’s not acceptable.

Negativity breeds negativity. It then causes arguments amongst fans and then there’s a divide. As supporters, fans really need to support. You win, lose and draw together but together you are ultimately stronger. It is better to encourage after a misplaced pass or a shot off target than it is it jeer and heckle.

The reality is, Sheffield Wednesday are a top six side in a division that is a lot tougher than it was last season. They have recruited well in January and you cannot write them off just yet. Promotion via the playoffs is a possibility, is it not?

If everyone pulls together, supports and encourages. Great things can be achieved. Progress can be made.

 

Thanks for reading

@footballtyper