The ACN Match Review – Sheffield Wednesday (a)

The line-up

A Sheffield Wednesday fan posted a thread yesterday which looked at ‘fatigued matches’. “When teams play away fatigued (playing away after a game within the last 3 or 4 days), the away win ratio over the season drops by 15% vs baseline. Norwich have played the most away fatigued games in the champ, 9, they haven’t won any of them.” 

The inability to rotate in any meaningful way, other than bringing Batth into the starting line up felt risky and ominous in equal measure and very frustrating. But we were clearly not as frustrated as David Wagner. 

The atmosphere

Strong showing by the travelling fans. Loud from the off despite the high roof and being surrounded by home fans. Sustained throughout, or until the home fans perked up with their first goal. 

The home fans were woeful. Understandably so, given how poor they were in the first half. But we didn’t know they even had a drum until the 80th minute. 

Negative points also awarded here for the shocking facilities. Hillsborough is a poor ground at the best of times but bottled Carling as the single offering to away fans is just embarrassing. 

Hurrah moment

Goals! Early goals! A first half full of potential! A feeling that might be on the cusp of a statement win to put those we-never-win-after-beating-Ipswich demons to bed and to turn the page on a season of poor away form! Hurrah for the first half!

Boooo moment

Game management. Such poor game management. We played like we had actually take our chances and needed to see things out at 4-0 up. But we weren’t 4-0 up lads. 

The Sargent substitution changed things. If Wagner wanted to kill the game off it didn’t work. If Sarge was just a bit knackered but didn’t feel able to bring on an attacking threat, why the hell is van Hooijdonk still taking up space on the bench?

Hero of the match

The fan a few rows behind us berating anyone who got their phones out to film any set pieces at our end. He wanted to tell everyone to LIVE IN THE MOMENT, not on their phone and in all frankness maybe he had a point. There’s more to life than content, you know (but not much more. Not much more).

Our post-match takeaway

Wagner isn’t to blame for squad thinness but he is to blame for poor decisions made during games. He’s cracked how to win the matches at Carrow Road and he deserves a tonne of credit for that. But we’re not dropping points away by accident – it’s because of poorly designed setup and in-game decisions. 

I last reviewed the Plymouth game and asked for two points and 15 years from the Leicester and Ipswich games. We got the 15 years, and we came away with three points. A good week in anyone’s books. 

Coventry lost last night, so the net result was progress towards the playoffs. But I walked away from Hillsborough annoyed by the result. Annoyed because we cost ourselves important points and let down travelling fans who deserved a better outcome. 

For many, the turnaround in form and the march into a playoff spot has given Wagner the right to expect to keep his job at the end of this season. Last night’s performance is why the jury should still be out on who takes us into the next.