Fan's eye view: What to expect from Sheffield Wednesday v Hull City play-off final

We're nearly, nearly there. As the day of the play-off final against Hull City is almost upon us, here's a few things we can expect.

On the way
Perhaps it says everything about our recent history that, since we last visited Wembley, they've knocked the whole thing down and the famous twin towers are no more. Getting to Wembley will be a laborious mission for most of those descending from Yorkshire, not least when both set of fans converge around King's Cross. The police have already said the trains won't be selling alcohol, too. The walk up Wembley Way will be a special one though and there will be mini-fan parks for each set of fans with bars and "street food" (sounds expensive but is posh pie and a pint no doubt).

In the stands
There's no doubt that we have some of the best fans in the country in terms of commitment to the cause, humour and ability to have a good time regardless of what's happening on the pitch. Anyone who, like me, was among the 40,000 fans who descended on Cardiff for our League One playoff win in 2005 will attest that, when the big days come, we're ready for it. 

It's been pretty grim reading the panicked social media posts and the, sometimes vicious, responses as fans tried to get tickets and, in some cases, were attacked over a lack of commitment. In truth I think everyone understands that most fans would love to see our beloved Owls every week were it not for family commitments, money and life getting in the way of supporting our team in the stands. Ironically social media has made it so much more fun to support Wednesday in recent years, providing easy access to the huge community of Owls fans. Thankfully in recent days the ticket vitriol  has switched to thoughts of the actual game and, judging by the excited social media posts, it's going to be a sea of blue and white. WAWAW. 

On the pitch 
Oh yeah, there's actual going to be a game. There's little doubt Hull have the quality - with players like Robert Snodgrass and Abel Hernandez - to do Wednesday damage and even their recent trips to Wembley (most recently in losing to Arsenal in the cup final in 2014) may even give them extra steel. But the Owls are riding a crest of a wave. The players and fans seem well aware that we've not been the third best team and we're ready to snatch our opportunity with cheek. 

Expect tight defences to play a big part, especially early on - the jitters seen in both teams' second legs will have left them in no doubt that more tough tackling in the midfield is needed. Further forward, these are often days for unlikely heroes. Who would've expected Drew Talbot to have gone down in S6 folklore a decade back? Perhaps this is the day for a sneaky goal from Keiran Lee or Daniel Pudil to decide things? 

On the touchline
Two very different managers will be stalking the Wembley technical areas. Often-animated Carlos Carvalhal has plenty of ego to him and, hopefully, will relish the big occasion. He's been in a final before, with Portugal's Leixoes, and also got them promoted. For his opposite number Steve Bruce, he's already been promoted as a manager via the play-offs, and his experience as a players with Manchester United puts points in the plus column. 

The prize

The figure being slapped on this 'richest game in the world' this year appears to be £200m. Psychologically it's worth much more to Wednesday. There's been a sense, more from others than Owls fans themselves, over the last 16 years that we belong in the top division. Whether or not that can really be true, let's hope they can prove that to be the case. 

Memorable Sheffield Wednesday and Arsenal meetings

My beloved Sheffield Wednesday are preparing to face Arsenal in the fourth round of the Capital One Cup at Hillsborough at the end of the month. The match provides a great excuse to look at some memorable meetings between the Owls and the Gunners. Here's a few of the best:

Wednesday 1 - 1 Arsenal, 6 January 1979  
The first of five games between the sides in this thriller of a third round FA Cup tie - four replays were needed for Arsenal to get through, eventually winning one of the all time great finals 3-2 against Manchester United. The match nearly didn't go ahead as an Arsenal team featuring David O'Leary and Pat Rice looked dubiously at the frozen pitch and flying snowballs. But when South Yorkshireman and cup final hero Alan Sunderland headed in past Chris Turner after nine minutes that must've dissipated. Jeff Johnson hit back with a second half header of its own and the Owls had chances to win it. The tie would eventually be settled (after another 1-1, a 2-2 and a 3-3) but while Arsenal won the trophy, Wednesday ended the year with the glorious Boxing Day Massacre against Sheffield United.  

Wednesday 1 - 1 Arsenal, 5 May 1993 
The 112th FA Cup final was one of three Wembley meetings between the sides that year and the only one Wednesday didn't lose. A Wednesday side crammed full of stars (Chris Waddle, David Hirst, Mark Bright) came back from behind to level and dominated the second half. With manager Trevor Francis looking on in dodgy sunglasses, the Owls held their own and Hirst's poke in from John Harkes' nod back was deserved. Sadly it wasn't to be when the sides met the following Thursday but this was a great day for the blue half of Sheffield after the glorious victory over the Blades in the semi final. 

Wednesday 6 - 0, 31 December 1907
I won't claim to have been alive at the time but Wednesday, then still known as The Wednesday Football Club notched up their best ever victory against Woolwich Arsenal on New Year's Eve at the start of the last century. Some 9,000 Yorkshiremen turned up to see the First Division rout against an experienced Arsenal side featuring prolific goalscorer Bert Freeman, who was kept at bay. 

Arsenal 3 - 3 Wednesday, May 9 2000
Although Wednesday were relegated from the top flight (so far, yet to return) after a dismal season, the team's fate was sealed with a thriller at Highbury. Goals from Gerald Sibon and Giles De Bilde put the Owls 3-1 up and dreaming of staying up before, cruelly, late goals from Silvio Silvinho and Thierry Henry, which typical finesse, sealed Peter Shreeves' Owls' fate. It was a far cry from just four years earlier when Wednesday legend David Hirst literally rattled Arsenal with the fastest shot in history - 114mph - which thumped against the crossbar. 

Wednesday 1 - 0 Arsenal, 26 September 1998

To flip the common memory of this game - i.e. Paulo Di Canio's hotheaded push of referee Paul Alcock after he received a red card, and subsequently an 11 game ban - let's look at the result. A fantastic game saw chances at both ends with Dennis Bergkamp and Nicolas Anelka coming close and big Brazilian defender Emerson Thome thwarted by Gunners keeper Alex Manninger. Midfielder Lee Briscoe had missed a far easier chance before his last minute lobbed winner over the Austrian deputy keeper (to England shot stopper David Seaman). One of the most memorable days at Hillsborough of the 1990s for various reasons with victory over the champions secured. (I do remember BBC Radio 5live crossing to this game and shouting "and Paulo Di Canio!" - 'yesss!" I shouted thinking it a goal - "…has pushed over the referee!". Oh.) 

What have I missed? Pop comments below.

Sheffield Wednesday's Yorkshire derby draw at Leeds highlights the Blades' absence

There was plenty of blood and thunder to be found on the pitch in this Yorkshire derby, it's just a shame it wasn't happening in south, rather than west Yorkshire. 

For all the excitement of a fiery game which could have gone either way, a feeling that this is a secondary sideshow to the main event of yesteryear couldn't help but prevail. 



Perhaps it's because my dad is a Sheffield United fan so it adds extra spice in our house.

A average-sized faithful of 1,300 Owls fans travelled to Elland Road - with many put off by the early kick-off, the fact it was on telly and, crucially, the obscene 45 quid ticket demands - and were in fine voice. Plenty of back-and-forth between the fans, shots of angry managers and crunching challenges definitely gave this the feeling of a derby, particularly in the second half, but the empty seats and consigned nature of the players at the end belied a game which just wasn't against the Blades.

But the game itself was an entertaining affair. A bright start from the Owls was backed up by their usual defensive resolution - playing the offside trap beautifully as the partnership of Loovens and Lees continues to mature, albeit with some frailties. Keiren Westwood behind them - later named Man of the Match - was again in fine form showing great agility and was modest in saying the final result was a “fair reflection” of a game which would have been lost without him. 

Leeds' goal, stroked home from a high ball by defender Giuseppe Bellusci, was a bitter pill, not least watching controversial president Massimo Chillino dance on the sidelines but came after a host of chances early in the second half.

Up front, the second half partnership between Stevie May and Gary Madine for Wednesday looked lively and both could have scored via a cluster of chances but for a lack of composure. The Owls' goal, rifled in by Chris Maguire from the edge of the box after good work by Jacques Maghoma, was a delight. With the ball on the bounce, the first time finish was a fantastic moment, and one which fans will hope he can repeat consistently if the blue and white wizards are to stay in the top 10. Fans will also hope the result heralds a repeat of last season, when a 1-1 draw at Elland Road was followed by a 6-0 thrashing of Leeds at Hillsborough.

Wednesday's squad remains unfeasibly shallow to compete for the play-offs at this point but, after a nightmare start to last season, we're basking in the glow of a team with a rare tight defence and good endeavour.

On this evidence, only enduring the sight of the Blades making a successful promotion push will bring our arch enemies - and a true derby game - back to S6 soon. 

Sheffield Wednesday: Where next from here after failed takeover?

As Sheffield Wednesday's proposed takeover by Azerbaijan-born magnate Hafiz Mammadov crumbled to nothing this week, questions again resurfaced over the club's future. 

Fateful photo: Hafiz Mammadov and Milan Mandaric

The fate of the £40m takeover, first announced as a done deal with just Football League ratification needed by current owner Milan Mandaric in June, had felt inevitable since the first reports Mammadov was in financial difficulties began to surface. 

Despite denying the reports, the silence from Mammadov over the deal, and Mandaric's increasingly desperate comments meant fans' hopes of a deal had pretty much gone when first the start of the season, and then the transfer window, came and went. 

For Mandaric it has proved an embarrassing disaster. Updating fans of his every dinner meeting and allowing the Owls to carry the dubious Land of Fire logo on their shirts before the deal was done have further led to the continuing feeling of farse that surrounds the club. He has admitted his desire to please the fans clouded his judgement, hardly the actions of a canny businessman.

Mandaric's open desire to sell the club he purchased in 2010 and aided the promotion in 2011-12 has proved a saga typical of modern football. A number of figures have appeared in the executive box, chequebook remaining firmly in the pocket during his tenure and the Mammadov 'deal' was met positively by the fans. With the squad, and ground, in need of investment a takeover by an owner with deeper pockets has felt like an inevitability. 

On a personal note, while I understand the realities of competing in the modern game means a big bucks owner is almost a pre-requisite for any club with hopes of reaching the glitzy Premier League, I was uneasy when the deal was announced. Here is a club with rich heritage, strong links to a football mad city and with a large and loyal fan base. The idea of selling out to an oil and energy tycoon with links an Azeri regime with a poor human rights record, albeit one of owns RC Lens and FC Baku already, does not sit well with the ethos of the club.

It has pained me to see how Nottingham Forest, a club I worked for for five years, have seemingly turned around their ailing financial situation so easily. Forest-mad Kuwaiti owner Fawaz Al Hasawi took over in 2012 and, despite being unafraid to flex his muscle in hiring and firing managers, has invested in a squad that are looking strong and sitting pretty at the top of the table. Is there no equivalent for Wednesday, a club of similar stature?

Of course, the pain over the protracted takeover has been overshadowed by an unexpectedly bright start to the season. On a shoestring budget, manager Stuart Gray has assembled a squad lacking depth but with a defensive solidity rarely associated with Wednesday. If Mandaric is to find a new buyer for the club, and he insists (rather unconvincingly) the offers remain out there, then it's vital the team are performing and at least hinting that promotion is a possibility in the near future. 

If a new owner is not found then it appears unlikely Mandaric himself is likely to step up his spending on the squad. I was proved wrong in my unease when the controversial Serbian took over, with his reputation at Leicester and Portsmouth distinctly tarnished, but he has backed the club so far. 

But in the here and now, significant investment is needed to keep a club whose fans deserve good times to return to Hillsborough but have far from earned the right to compete at the highest level on the pitch during their 15 years out of the top flight. Without investment, middle table mediocrity appears most likely, and relegation remains a realistic fear.

Troubled times as ever in S6 then, but a resolution of sorts could prompt some imminent decisive action.

Opinion: Football ticket price march - a refreshing reality cheque?

Fans of dozens of clubs from the Premier League and Football League marched on their shared headquarters in London last week to vent their fury at rising ticket prices.

I’ve discussed on this blog before the extent to which clubs care about the huge stress their supporters put on their own finances – ie not a huge amount. However, I was heartened – in covering the event for the Evening Standard and London Live – by the sense of reality most fans seemed to have.

Chatting to those on the march, most understand that the clubs are businesses which won’t simply slash prices because they’re asked to and that fans are a captive market whose single-minded loyalty can be exploited.

It is worth noting the sense of pride I felt in seeing a bunch of bedraggled but noisy football fans walking down Oxford Street singing with the Primark-addicted masses and tourists open mouthed watching on.

When the march reached the FA headquarters, however, without any obvious, pre-planned chants the crowd perhaps didn’t make Richard Scudamore and co really hear their fury. Simply standing there briefly and heading for a much-needed pint was probably not the best tactic regardless of the rain. This report gives an interesting insight into the meeting.

Whilst I don’t agree with some of the Football Supporters’ Federation’s goals – it needs to recognise football does move on and change with the modern world – the pricing of football tickets in the UK is obscene and the federation's campaign an excellent one. To pay more than to go to a gig or the theatre, often to see your team lose in the rain following an awkward kick-off time, feels greedy and that’s before time, travel and frequency of matches are brought into the debate.

A recognition that this is a long battle was a feeling in abundance, which was refreshing, and in the short-term if prices could simply plateau that would feel like a real victory. Ultimately, no one wants to watch games played in empty stadiums and more needs to be done to prevent this from happening.

How Hull City have propelled matchday analysis to the next level

Few would have anticipated Hull’s eye-catching return to the Premier League as the East Yorkshire club comfortably avoided relegation and reached the FA Cup final. Even fewer, perhaps, would have anticipated that a large part of the team’s success can be attributed to pinpoint performance analysis. 

The Tigers – who have faced off-field controversy over their owner’s desire to change the club’s name – finished the season four points clear of the bottom three, and only a dip in form at the end of the campaign prevented a higher-placed finish.

The FA Cup Final may have been one of the reasons behind a return of just one point from the last 15, but away from the cup the highlight was a 3-1 Premier League win over Liverpool at the KC Stadium, their first ever win over the Reds.

The January signings of of Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long have given Hull’s attack a new dimension, while Tom Huddlestone and Curtis Davies have added a steady hand to the side. But while performance analyst Laurence Stewart has played a far quieter role, it has been an equally effective one.

Stewart joined the club in the summer of 2009 when Phil Brown was manager, and has served under Iain Dowie, Nigel Pearson, Nick Barmby and now Steve Bruce in aiding Hull’s rise. He believes the science of performance analysis is becoming ever more common.

“I think that football analysis is constantly evolving and moving forward as it is one of the boom industries within professional sport,” he told Footymatters.com.

According to Stewart, Premier League and Championship teams have stolen a march on many of their European rivals in using sophisticated analysis to inform their play, contrary to the common perception that the British game is tactically naive compared with foreign incarnations.

Stewart has witnessed an evolution in techniques for analysing what’s happening on the pitch with software such as Sportscode, as well as Prozone and Scout 7, used to catalogue the minute detail of a game and present them in a simple form, easily understood by most players.

On matchday, he sits in the stands with a radio link to the bench, recording and annotating a live feed of the game. At half-time he’s present in the changing room to offer a video review to the players, and feedback key stats to staff.

“The key is working out what information is key to your staff and what information can be provided to help decision-making live during the game,” he added.

Away from the KC Stadium, Stewart works rigorously with the players in training, breaking them into playing units of defenders, midfielders, and attackers to discuss the previous game in the early part of the week, and then study their next opponents in detail in the run up to the weekend’s match.

“As a newly promoted team I think one of the things we have done very well is continued with the working practices that we employed last season in the Championship”

Stewart’s role in studying the opposition has also been vital this season as so many clubs have used very specific tactics. Whether it’s Liverpool’s high tempo burst out of the blocks – his work helped Hull inflict one of only six defeats on Brendan Rodgers’ side this season – or Southampton’s pressing game. Frequent use of the same tactics have been a feature of the season.

“There are some trends within how certain teams play, but these can differ from game to game depending on formations, injuries and squad rotation,” said Stewart. “Many people would have outlined Liverpool as a possession team early in the season and more recently they have been a very strong counter-attacking side, so although teams can have a certain style they may change from game to game.”

He believes that a continuity in Hull City’s approach to match preparation has helped maintain the momentum built up during promotion last season.

“As a newly promoted team I think one of the things we have done very well is continued with the working practices that we employed last season in the Championship,” said Stewart, adding that it is important to fully understand a manager’s playing style and the players’ capabilities.

But while statistical analysis is a closely guarded process on the touchline, it has come to prominence in the media. Stats specialists like OptaSport have become Twitter hits while former Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville’s in-depth Sky Sports analysis has found widespread praise.

Stewart said: “I feel that the use of stats and analysis by pundits is something that has generally been beneficial to the industry and magnified its uses. It has brought it into the homes of many more people.

“Some of the information that is presented may not always be the information that a club would be reviewing but I can see that it is interesting to the public. Many statistics regarding possession and passing are often used within the media to judge a player’s performance, but they simply do not provide enough context to adequately assess a player’s contribution.”

There’s little doubt stats and close analysis are now commonplace from football boss to blogger. Their impact has never been greater in the dressing room, and with the World Cup in Brazil fast approaching, intelligence on every major player around the globe will doubtless become vital.

Opinion: Do the Premier League or clubs really care about away fans?

If a shop had one customer who purchased goods twice a month and another who bought a maximum of twice a year, it's pretty clear where the majority of their efforts lie. A similar approach appears to be being taken by football clubs with visiting fans.

An event held by the Football Supporters Federation (FSF) in London this week devoted a significant proportion of time to discussing attending away matches. The football fans body has spent much of this season campaigning for it's Twenty's Plenty initiative - it demands away fans should not pay more than £20 for an adult ticket or £15 for concessions - and has rolled that into a wider drive called Away Fans Matter. 

The campaign aims to highlight the difficulties facing away fans including sky-high ticket prices, eye-watering train prices, inconvenient kick-off times moved at short notice for television and facilities at away grounds. The FSF note that the raft of problems, as well as the economy over the last six years, has hit attendances - in the Premier League 9.6% fewer away fans attended last season than the one before and figures were even harsher lower down the football pyramid. 

It's a campaign which strikes a chord with me. As an 'exiled' Sheffield Wednesday fan living in London, I go to as many away matches as home. I love the pack mentality of arriving at an away game and for a bellowing singer like me, it's a buzz often missing at Hillsborough. But it does cost a fair bit with trains, food and a pint or two - and I usually grimace at the facilities or poor spot in the ground we're allocated. For fans visiting Hillsborough it's even worse. Most visiting fans tell me the Leppings Lane end is horribly antiquated and unpleasant, a fact made all the more mortifying by the tragedy on April 15, 1989 - 25 years to the day before the FSF event.

FSF chief executive Kevin Miles did, however, outline some interesting progress in improving the away experience. The Premier League has awarded each club £200,000 to spend on away fans for three seasons and clubs have approached the initiative in different ways. Some have spent it on refurbishing away ends, some discounts on train travel or free buses - which interestingly proved controversial as many small, independent bus firms rely on football business. 

Miles argued discounts on tickets was the only fair use of the funds  "Not everybody wants to go to a game on a bus, get money off a pint or DVDs of their own team playing on the away concourse," he said. "The only thing that every fan does is buy a ticket."

The advent of reciprocal pricing as a result of campaigning appears to represent some progress. Following banners and marches, Newcastle United have discounted ticket prices for visiting West Bromwich Albion and Swansea fans and received the same treatment at The Hawthorns and Liberty Stadium. The FSF's next campaign is an attempt to break down price categorisation whereby fans of top teams such as Chelsea and Manchester City have to pay 'category A' prices wherever they go while lower profile teams enjoy cheaper prices.

"Could another drastic drop in the number of away fans damage the price of the next lucrative TV rights deal?"

But do the Premier League's clubs really have an appetite to improve the experience for away fans? For those visiting from the big clubs, allocations quickly sell out every season so price is unlikely to be a factor in filling the ground. As players wages continue to balloon, a reduction in the price of tickets for fans who visit infrequently is unlikely to be appealing. FA rules stipulate away fans must be charged equivalent prices to home fans but then often take other measures to justify charging more. 

Perhaps a surprising contrast is the Premier League's stance. Miles claims that chief executive Richard Scudamore is concerned about the reduction in numbers of away fans. Away fans obviously punch above their weight in adding atmosphere to proceedings and as such a lack of them could, Miles claims, damage the chances of another huge hike in the next TV broadcasting deal. But is that true? For many clubs, a televised match has meant swathes of empty seats for years. A TV game on a chilly Friday night has often kept home supporters not owning season tickets and away fans at home. Would another 10% drop in attendance really stop a broadcaster shelling out for the rights?

Miles is more concerned by the clubs' approach. "The clubs are less keen to see that big picture," he said. "Some of the clubs only see the away fans as people who come once a year, don't spend in the club shop and cost more to police." As TV money has become far greater than ticket sales in the Premier League, so fans actually being in the ground has slipped down the agenda. 

Clearly football clubs are businesses and many will prioritise their biggest customer, TV, over fans. But an acknowledgement is needed that away fans are not simply a bunch of drunk idiots arriving in a city to intimidate the public, buy a few pies and leave but the essence of why we attend matches rather than become armchair fans is vital. 

The FSF's goals are largely admirable and a refreshingly realistic approach is being taken to much of the issue. However, if the £20 ticket target is achievable, the impact on attendances at lower league clubs where ticket revenue is far more important and prices not much cheaper, needs to be carefully studied.

Yes, away fans matter and their voice needs to be heard.

Article originally appeared on Footymatters.com