David Cameron Walker

Archive for the ‘Sheffield Wednesday’ Category

The deposed King

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

How hard must someone work to stay in a job?

A win in the Steel City derby, third in the league and a group of players who appear to love working with you, none of these things are good enough apparently.

There was confusion when Megson let Clinton Morrison go out on loan to MK Dons only to bring in McGoldrick on loan from Nottingham Forest. There was disenchantment when Wednesday lost 5-1 to Stevenage and more recently there was worry when Wednesday lost 1-0 to Chesterfield. The Wednesday fans believed though; they believed that in Gary Megson there was a man at the helm who could drive us forward. His fierce attitude towards the media, his straight-talking pre and post-match comments on how the team performed and his the honest appraisal of what was deserved from the game, as well as his unbridled passion for the club all proved that he was the man to take Wednesday forward.

It seems meaningless to discuss the Steel City derby now with the sweetness of the victory seemingly snatched away by the bitterness of losing the manager.

The players have said little other than they will move on and go forward but players often would not dream of lamenting such a decision because criticism of the removal of the previous boss may leave them out of favour with the new boss. I don’t blame them because the goal of promotion is still very much in the crosshair but can Dave Jones, a manager of a very different ilk, get the team playing in his style or will he decide to leave any tinkering until the season is over.

If Jones comes in and does nothing, then why change managers at all, if he changes things and we go up, was it not inevitable anyway? Equally if he changes things and we don’t go up, what has changing manager really achieved? The general consensus amongst the fans is that Megson should have stayed but that now he has gone, Jones will have their full support.

It is true that the fans support Sheffield Wednesday Football Club not the individuals that make up the staff but when someone brings all that Gary Megson did, it is hard to disassociate the two. Sheffield Wednesday was Gary Megson and for a while, Gary Megson was Sheffield Wednesday.

Dave Jones, in complete contrast to Megson, has a reputation for not becoming emotionally attached to the clubs he manages but employment in football is not like employment in most other areas. You have to live and breathe the club you work for, you have to ache when they lose and soar to the skies when they win.

Be proud Gary because you did what so few have achieved in many years, you gave us hope, you gave us a future and we will miss you. You are always welcome on the Kop.

The King is dead, long live the non-committal replacement.

Written by Dominic Stevenson, We Are Going Up’s Sheffield Wednesday Blogger

Dominic tweets at @dom_stevenson

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Posted in League One, Sheffield Wednesday | 1 Comment »

The Steel City Derby – The future is bright, the future is blue & white

Friday, October 14th, 2011

“We will fight forever, because of Boxing Day.”

The Steel City Derby of 1979 is folklore to Sheffield Wednesday fans. For those who were there it was an incredible day of football and for those of us who have heard about it through parents, friends and songs on the Kop, we feel like we were there. Nearly fifty thousand were at Hillsborough that day to watch first versus fourth place in Division Three. Now once again, the two teams of Sheffield meet in the third tier of the Football League to battle for the glory of the city.

Both Wednesday and United have seen better days but both teams are having a slight renaissance under new stewardship. Gary Megson, with the aid of Gary Madine goal machine and the rest of the squad are sitting in second place whilst United, with Danny ‘Judas’ Wilson at the helm are in seventh place.

A few weeks ago Wednesday fans were dreading going to Bramall Lane because the team’s away form was, at very best, patchy. Only one draw from the first four away games, including a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Stevenage led to much trepidation at the possibility of facing the club’s biggest rivals on their own turf. Since the Stevenage game Wednesday have put together a respectable run of four wins on the trot with two of those being away from home; optimism once again is on the rise.

Lessons were learnt following the game against Stevenage and this could be seen at Yeovil. A woeful first half was followed by a second half where some of the eleven on the pitch showed what it really meant to wear the blue and white. It wasn’t pretty but it was determined. Gary Madine shone that day as he has on so many others and with ten goals this season, you wouldn’t like to bet against him securing his place in Wednesday history with a few goals on Sunday.

There was seemingly no reason for the appalling away form as fortress Hillsborough was being created at the same time with six wins from six at home. Chris Lines could be one explanation as he has well and truly stamped his authority on the first team with a string of sterling performances. It could be down to Madine and continuing good form or it could even be down to Megson’s very obvious passion for the job that he is now making his own. I don’t think there is a Wednesday fan that cares though. As long as the team are putting in their all, the fans will respect them.

Sunday will see two teams, who arguably should be playing at a higher level, take each other on but not all of the action will take place on the wrong side of Sheffield. Over 6,000 tickets have been sold for a live broadcast of the match at Hillsborough, which is more than the majority of League One games had in attendance last week.

Titles are not won by history or a perceived injustice at a club’s current position, they are earned by hard work and dedication to the cause and this is what Gary Megson has drummed into his team. League One is packed full of teams who by rights should be in the Championship and every League One club that I have seen play have fans who only deserve the very best.

Sunday will be an exhibition of what the lower leagues really offer; glorious fans, hard-working professional footballers and hopefully a score line that everyone who bleeds blue and white can go into work on Monday morning happy with.

This season has seen more than one star born at Hillsborough though. Gary Madine may be winning the plaudits at the moment but Richard O’Donnell, the goalkeeper who valiantly stood in for Nicky Weaver, will become a Wednesday hero in time and Chris Lines is already making his mark after his move from Bristol Rovers. In addition Liam Palmer, a Scotland Under 21 international, is proving his international status on a weekly basis and loanees Danny Batth and Ben Marshall are making compelling arguments for Milan Mandaric’s chequebook to be brought out come January. In addition to this there are the relatively new signings of Chris O’Grady and Ryan Lowe fighting for a spot in the first eleven.

For the first time in years the future seems to be genuinely bright at Hillsborough and whatever the result on Sunday, the Wednesday squad have the capabilities to bring glory come May.The glory of a derby victory will see you through Monday, maybe a whole week but the tears of joy that run down your face when you see your club promoted will last a lifetime.

I think that a well fought 2-1 victory will go Wednesday’s way with Gary Madine grabbing a brace.

Written by Dom Stevenson, We Are Going Up’s Sheffield Wednesday Blogger

Dom tweets at @dom_stevenson

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Posted in Featured, League One, Sheffield Wednesday | 1 Comment »

Has anyone ever liked Gary Megson?

Friday, July 29th, 2011

However unfair it may seem, the general feeling around Hillsborough is that Gary Megson must bring the dizzying heights of Championship football back to Hillsborough this season or he risks condemning Sheffield Wednesday to the lower leagues once and for all.

It’s a huge ask, and his path could well be decided by the time the 126th Steel City derby takes place at Bramall Lane on 16th October. During August and September Wednesday go up against Bournemouth, Notts County, Scunthorpe, Charlton, MK Dons and Exeter. If Wednesday do not convincingly beat at least four out of the aforementioned six teams, then it will be a struggle to make the playoffs.

However, if they arrive at the Lane with at least nine victories from the 13 preceding games then they arrive with a confidence that they carry into the rest of the season. A run of form and a victory over United then other teams will start to flounder and fear the Owls. Without that kind of form, momentum will be hard to find, confidence will drop and, as much as it saddens me to say, Wednesday have never been famous for making that final surge towards the finishing line.

Pre-season friendlies haven’t been inspiring but it rarely is given the level of opponents and squad rotation. To date we have beaten Worksop Town and Rotherham United and drawn with FC Volga Novgorod of Russia. With six pre-season games left, the Owls still have tough tests against Leeds United,Barnsley and Stoke City to overcome.

Newcomers Rob Jones and Julian Bennett will hopefully reinforce a reasonably strong backline and help keep the ‘goals against’ tally low. The main worry for the Owls is up front, after the seemingly negligible decision to sell Marcus Tudgay last year and Neil Mellor returning to Preston, this has left Wednesday with currently only two recognised strikers. Clinton Morrison appears to be a shadow of his former self despite the continuous pledge that his time is coming and it is doubtful as to whether Gary Madine will ever reach the 20 goal a season benchmark that Mellor left behind.

Wednesday have been linked with a succession of players that are about as unaffordable to us as Messi would be. These players have predominantly been attackers and the rumours have varied from the ridiculous, Jason Scotland, to the even more ridiculous, Benni McCarthy! Call me old fashioned but consistency must be the key and I fervently hope that Mellor is soon back in blue and white stripes.

For Owls, Blades and neutrals, the Steel City derbies will be the highlights of League One. If a disappointing start to the season is made by either side, the pressure will be unbearable, if not intolerable, and has the potential to crush either side into oblivion. So far there have been 125 steel city derbies with Wednesday winning 41, United winning 45 leaving 39 draws.

People may suggest that there is something inherently wrong with both Sheffield sides being in League One, but ultimately, both have been masters of their own destiny and do not deserve any better for the time being. Neither side has a right to Championship and Premiership football, although Gary Megson will be working his heart out to make the Owls feel like they deserve it. They don’t call him ‘The ginger Mourinho’ for nothing.

Sheffield Wednesday are the last of the fallen giants remaining in League one, with nine league titles, three FA cups and a league cup versus Sheffield United, with three league titles and four FA cups. Only League one’s Preston North End come close to matching Wednesday’s trophy cabinet with eight league titles, two FA cups and the football league War Cup.

At this point though, history means nothing and this year, in addition to the usual excitement, there is the added spice of Danny Wilson, former Wednesday player and manager, now managing Sheffield United. In the eyes of many, this displayed a combination of betrayal on the part of Danny Wilson and downright stupidity on the part of the United board. Whatever the circumstances, it only provides Wednesday with extra ammunition when October 16th comes around. One must wonder as to what Wilson’s reaction will be if United win one or both of the derby matches, but that is a story for a different day.

However obvious it may be, my favourite Steel City derby took place far away from Sheffield. 3 April 1993 saw Wednesday play United in the FA cup semi final, beneath the twin towers of Wembley stadium. It was my first ever trip to Wembley and Chris Waddle scored a goal of almost divine quality to help Wednesday reach the final. For a seven year old, there was nothing like it, the stadium erupted and we all screamed and shouted as the heroes in blue and white marched to victory.

Ok, so it may not come close to that game, but when I watch this years derby, I’m looking for an Owls side ready to re-write their own history with a manager at the helm who can lead them back to the glories of old.

Written by Dom Stevenson, We Are Going Up’s Sheffield Wednesday Blogger

Dom tweets at @dom_stevenson

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Posted in League One, Sheffield Wednesday | No Comments »