On this week’s show, host Mark Singleton is joined by YP football writer Leon Wobschall to look ahead to the start of the 2023-24 season for our 10 Football League clubs.
The pair cast their eye over the pre-season expectations placed on our six Championship rivals, relegated Leeds United, promoted Sheffield Wednesday, as well as Huddersfield Town, Hull City, Middlesbrough and Rotherham United.
Can Barnsley go one better than last season and clinch promotion to the second-tier at the second time of asking and can one or more of Bradford City, Doncaster Rovers and Harrogate Town earn their promotion stripes in League Two?
The pair cast their eye over the pre-season expectations placed on our six Championship rivals, relegated Leeds United, promoted Sheffield Wednesday, as well as Huddersfield Town, Hull City, Middlesbrough and Rotherham United.
Can Barnsley go one better than last season and clinch promotion to the second-tier at the second time of asking and can one or more of Bradford City, Doncaster Rovers and Harrogate Town earn their promotion stripes in League Two?
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SportsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:21 Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Football Talk from the Yorkshire Post, where
00:24 we'll be discussing some of the latest talking points from the world of football with members
00:28 of our football writing team. On this week's episode we're joined by football writer for
00:32 the Yorkshire Post, Leon Wobbshaw, to discuss all of the latest developments affecting our
00:35 local clubs. Don't forget you can keep up to date with all the football news across
00:39 Yorkshire and beyond by logging on to our website at yp.sport@nationalworld.com, as
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01:02 footballtalkpodcast@yp.sport@nationalworld.com.
01:06 YorkshirePost.co.uk
01:09 As mentioned earlier in the intro, this week we're joined by football writer for the Yorkshire
01:12 Post, Leon Wobbshaw. Good morning, Leon.
01:14 Good morning, Mark.
01:15 Morning, morning. Firstly, this week we're going to be conducting a preview of the upcoming
01:24 EFL season for all three EFL divisions. But firstly, I just want to get your thoughts
01:30 on the new proposed rule changes regarding time wasting and how coaches and players interact
01:37 with the referee. Regarding the time changes and time wasting, I saw a statistic which
01:46 basically spoke about the average minutes the ball was in play last season. In the Premier
01:52 League it was 55 minutes, Championship it was 52 minutes, League 1 50 minutes and League
01:59 2 was 48 minutes. I must admit, when I saw that I was thinking, if that's how much time
02:06 they're wasting, we might as well get rid of the second half altogether and give the
02:11 fans what they actually pay for. What are your thoughts, Leon?
02:17 Well, it's going to be, to my understanding, from the EFL, it's going to be a significant
02:24 season of change. There's been all sorts of change in terms of the leadership. Howard
02:30 coming from the EG MOL and personal issues on the table. One of them has been the time
02:39 wasting. We obviously saw the last World Cup, there were far more stringent measures to
02:46 do with time wasting, with subs coming on and stoppages in play. Obviously some of the
02:55 games were having 12, 13, 14 minutes. I think you're going to look at the Saturday games
03:04 and midweek games, it'll be a two-hour window really. I don't think too many are going to
03:09 be finishing until before five. It's all to do with the paying people who come in, they
03:19 want to see more action and less stoppages. There's a hell of a lot of players' gamesmanship
03:27 aspects that are stopping the flow of the game, which is frustrating for everybody.
03:33 So, yeah, there'll be a bit of noise about it. We'll have to see how it goes in practice.
03:38 But, yeah, I commend them for what they're doing. I don't know if it'll be too good for
03:44 us journalists on some of our midweek deadlines, tight schedules, but the more important thing
03:51 is paying public and allowing the game to flow and not be disrupted as much. There's
03:59 obviously going to be more cards and punishments for the players who perpetrate that. It'll
04:09 be interesting to see how it works in practice. But in terms of the time aspect, everyone's
04:16 got to be thought of that, haven't they? They seem to work quite well in the World Cup,
04:20 don't they? And the behaviour thing is quite interesting as well, what the fellow want
04:29 as well. So, yeah, big season of change.
04:32 Because that behavioural aspect really caught my eye because let's not forget what happened
04:38 last season with Mitrovic and Marco Silva during, I believe it was the FA Cup.
04:44 Yeah, all over.
04:46 So, I'm thinking that really does have to be stamped on and basically shown, right,
04:53 you cannot do this. The referee is there to do the job and he cannot be influenced by
04:59 anyone whatsoever in any way, shape or form.
05:02 Yeah, I think there's just a feeling in the corridors of power of the EFL and across
05:07 football really that enough's enough and it's obviously prompted this new charter there.
05:16 There has been an increase in cases of misconduct and behaviour. Obviously, referees do get
05:25 the decisions wrong but the amount of high-profile incidents is on the increase and it obviously
05:33 filters down, doesn't it? There's a copycat element, filters down not to the lower divisions
05:38 but recreational football on a weekend and kids football as well with kids copying the
05:48 senior players and the bad elements of that we want stamped out.
05:55 So, it's going to be interesting to see how it actually works in practice. There's a hell
05:59 of a lot of new changes that have been suggested. There's a lot of things about regulations,
06:06 about managers in technical areas. I think before you could get something like four yellow
06:15 cards before you incurred a suspension. Now it's down to three. I think before as well
06:23 you could get five bookings on the field of play and another one for somebody in the technical
06:30 area and there'd be no sanction. Now I think it's going to be amalgamated. So, if you get
06:36 five bookings and another one in the technical area there could be a disciplinary action.
06:42 The feeling is enough but they're coming up with guidelines to back it up.
06:51 Obviously a lot of people watch rugby matches as well and there's a hell of a lot of more
06:57 discipline from players and respect towards the officials. So, it shows that a top level
07:02 sport can be done. So, yeah, I'm all for it. It'll just be interesting to see in some games
07:12 where there are some big flashpoints and players do converge. It could be an element of an
07:18 official handing out a real plethora of bookings and then ultimately players get all the bookings
07:25 during the action of the game, for a foul or whatever. In theory you could have a scenario
07:31 where there's quite a lot of send-ins off so that could be a team in trouble. Nobody
07:39 really wants to see seven players against six players in a match, that sort of thing.
07:44 But yeah, there is a real intention to clamp down on it and I think a lot of supporters
07:52 will be in agreement. There's nothing worse than, we've all played football at a recreational
07:59 level, why get involved? Why intimidate the referee and get in other players' personal
08:06 space? There's no real need for it. We've seen in rugby there's a lot more discipline
08:12 there for the officials. They're making a big effort to clamp it down and there's going
08:20 to be bookings for if you run at the referee or you invade someone's personal space. Obviously
08:28 the higher penalties, discriminatory language and offensive behaviour, that's going to be
08:36 dealt with severely with red cards and rightly so. I think a lot more managers are going
08:42 to have to be on, not just players as well, they're going to have to be on the best behaviour
08:46 in the technical area. I think there's rules, changes regarding that as well. You're only
08:53 allowed to have one at the front of the technical area. The days of seeing three or four in
09:01 the technical area haranguing referees or opposing managers, that's going to be snapped
09:06 down and outlawed and rightly so really. There's going to be a big role for the captains as
09:11 well in policing their own side on the pitch. A real added layer of responsibility on captains
09:19 and obviously coaching staff and managers as well who are going to be a lot more brief
09:25 before games and officials going out in the working week to speak with clubs which is
09:31 what they've been doing throughout the summer. So yeah, they've been warned and they've been
09:35 told under no uncertain terms what's acceptable and what isn't.
09:39 So now we turn back to our Yorkshire clubs and we start with Huddersfield Town who with
09:46 the guidance of Neil Warnock were able to survive the drop last season. What do you
09:50 make of their chances going into this season as Neil Warnock will take charge for the full
09:58 season and we've also seen a change in ownership as well as new players joining the club and
10:04 a fair few departures Leon?
10:06 Yeah I think first of all you've got to have a bit of perspective. You sort of look at
10:10 Huddersfield this time last year that obviously brought in a rookie coach in Danny Schofield
10:19 and there was a surprising departure of Carlos Cobrón just before the start of the last
10:25 pre-season which obviously caught everybody by surprise. Yeah it was a difficult summer
10:31 the last summer for Huddersfield. This time around they've completed the takeover and
10:39 the hope is it's going to be a lot more of a stable, settled year. Very sensible to get
10:44 Neil Warnock in for another year. He obviously worked wonders didn't he in the final third
10:50 of last season to save Huddersfield when most people were writing their obituaries. So yeah
10:57 they haven't done a lot in the transfer market so far. There's just one or two little bits
11:03 that brought in Tom Edwards from Stoke. He was at Barnsley last year. A versatile defender
11:08 with a long throw. I think he'll fit straight into the Warnock way of playing and an ethic.
11:17 Chris Maxwell as well is going to add some back-up as a goalkeeping option behind Lee
11:25 Nicholls as well. But I think the main thing is with Warnock he does like a striker doesn't
11:29 he and just creating a little bit of room on the FFP to bring in a few strikers because
11:36 that's the main pulley. Efficiency last season with Huddersfield was the regular supply of
11:42 goals. I can't remember what the top scorer was. It must have been only something like
11:47 seven or eight. I think Matty Pearson at one point was the second highest scorer wasn't
11:51 he with about four or five goals. So getting a little bit more from the forwards. But don't
11:56 forget as well that Danny Walter he signed and Josh Kuroma as well. So not new signings
12:04 in the truest sense of the word but obviously they were out of contact and they've signed
12:10 new deals so they're back on board which is good. Yeah I mean a lot of the, we're getting
12:16 all sorts of these pre-season forecasts now. A lot are saying that Huddersfield will struggle
12:21 in the bottom three. I just don't see that at all. And it's all fuel to the fire for
12:25 Neil Warnock isn't it. I'm sure he's, well I know for a fact he'll have spotted them
12:29 and he'll be sort of drumming that home to the players saying nobody race you. They're
12:34 saying we're going to finish in the bottom three. That'll serve as handy inspiration.
12:38 I mean he sort of did that last season in saying that everyone had sort of written Huddersfield
12:45 off and the players used that to their advantage as well and the close ranks brilliantly. You
12:51 know you look at some of the wins they had as well in the grey escape. They beat Middlesbrough,
12:56 they beat Watford, they won at Millwall. They had some terrific results. Galvanised as a
13:02 group and without sort of bringing a lot of players in the market you just look at what
13:08 they've got. They've got some real good strong championship operators. I mentioned Danny
13:14 Ward, there's Tom Lees, there's Mikkel Hellig, there's Matty Pearson who looks strong defensively,
13:20 Lee Nicholls. Obviously got Ward and Jérôme, Jacques Redon, he did well. I thought under
13:27 Warnock last season. Don't forget there's one or two kids and players who are coming
13:32 back from injury as well. Yusuf Nakayama, he looks a Neil Warnock type of player doesn't
13:37 he? He's aggressive, quick, strong in the tackle. He's back on deck. Like I said, Kehan
13:44 Harrett and Kyle Huddle as well. They've done well in pre-season. Huddersfield have been
13:49 unbeaten. Even accounting for the fact they haven't done a great deal of business, pre-season
13:55 has been encouraging. They've got the right man at the helm. It's steady behind the scenes.
14:00 Obviously they've created a little bit of room on FFP. They obviously sold Etienne
14:07 Kamara, got a decent fee for him. So I think there will be a little bit there hopefully
14:12 for the right player and a couple of striking options up front that don't need to do too
14:17 much. Hopefully it will be a lot steadier season for Huddersfield and hopefully they'll
14:23 have a bit of fun as well.
14:25 I remember us saying on this podcast and on a number of occasions that we should expect
14:33 a number of ins and particularly outs at the club. We have seen both so far. How do you
14:40 think Liam Rossini will want to set up his squad as this is his first proper transfer
14:45 window as Tigers boss?
14:47 To be honest it's been nothing like last summer hasn't it? There was a hell of a lot of players
14:56 coming in. I think it was almost up to about 20 wasn't it? It was seemingly every day.
15:01 Last summer all were linked with a different player usually from the constant. It does
15:08 take time for players to come in and all gel, especially when a lot of them were coming
15:13 from continental football, a lot of them in Turkey. I'm a little bit wary of that whole.
15:20 It's more choosing the right player if possible. There were a few teams on the Yorkshire patch
15:28 that struggled for a little bit of ruthlessness in the final third. That will be one of the
15:35 things that they are addressing. Rossini has said he wants to be more quality as opposed
15:43 to quantity. It's been quite a summer of recruitment in fairness. He obviously brought one or two
15:53 in. The likes of Liam Dillap coming on low. It will be interesting to see how he fares.
15:58 He didn't really crack any pots at Brest and he's had a couple of Championship loan spells.
16:06 He's still quite young and there's time on his side. I think there will probably be a
16:11 little bit more activity in August than there probably has been already. He's got to get
16:17 one or two more players out from the squad to do a little bit like Huddersfield and create
16:22 a bit of room with FFP to bring players in. Ryan Longman has been linked with Moves Abroad,
16:30 Benjamin Tetty as well and Ryan Woods. Some of the fringe squad players will go to free
16:39 up a bit of room. Obviously they've got a strong interest in Aaron Connolly. By the
16:44 time the podcast is out, he's good. That could be over the line. Max Bird as well, who Rossini
16:49 knows from his Derby days. A quality player and he managed to get that signing over the
16:58 line. That would be impressive. They don't have to do too much, Hull, to be fair, in
17:04 comparison to the last summer. They look fairly settled defensive-wise. They've got decent
17:11 options there. Alfie Jones and McLaughlin with a decent partnership. Jacob Greaves as well.
17:16 They're all nice and settled, under contract. One or two young ones, Harry Vaughan came
17:23 through. I think they'll benefit as well from the fact that quite a lot of the players last
17:28 summer have settled and had that year of Championship experience. Ozan Tufan and Seri as well, one
17:37 or two others. They're not going to get caught on the hop again and they know what Championship
17:42 football really entails. I think they'll benefit from that. I think Hull are like a few clubs
17:48 in the Championship that are in for a small market of quality players. Hopefully, their
17:55 pitch can win out and attract them to the club. The thing with Hull is just getting
18:05 that ruthless clinical edge in front of goal and finishing off teams. If they can manage
18:12 to do that more on a consistent basis, they should have a healthy season.
18:15 And now we turn our attention to Leeds United, who after three seasons in the top flight
18:21 return to the Championship following their relegation. We've seen a number of changes
18:26 at the club, which include the acquisition of the club by the 49ers Enterprises, Daniel
18:31 Farker being introduced as the new manager, and we've also seen a number of players leave
18:36 on loan deals. What are your thoughts on how Farker could structure the team for hopefully
18:41 a quick return to the top division and is there any news regarding new additions to
18:46 the squad, Leon?
18:47 I think when you look at Leeds and Daniel Farker, I went to the recent friendly against
18:53 Monaco at York. I thought they played reasonably well certainly in the first half and I thought
19:00 there were some quite sensible things afterwards. You've got to really judge Leeds. As a manager,
19:06 I don't think he really can't wait until September 1st when he'll actually know what he's got
19:13 to play with. There'll be a good chance that a few more senior players will arrive, I think
19:21 at the minute, Leeds are one of several Championship clubs. Until the Premier League clubs have
19:26 been on the tour, they've finalised who they want, who they don't want and who they'll
19:30 let out. We're waiting on that really and then you'd think with the club of the cachet
19:35 of Leeds and that they should be able to offer decent wage levels, they'll be able to attract
19:41 good quality Premier League players, whether that's on loan or permanent. But as Farker
19:49 said after that game at York, there's a good chance there'll be more outs as well before
19:56 the deadline. He's had a difficult situation to come into as a manager, huge club Leeds,
20:03 everybody knows that. In terms of the contracts and the exit clauses, a hell of a lot of the
20:09 players, he's having to operate a little bit of one hand behind his back at the minute
20:14 in terms of getting those players being able to leave. Nothing he can really do about it.
20:21 Quite a few of them, there's an actual turnover isn't there when teams get relegated, you
20:27 know, Rokker and Aaronson, Christensen, the likes of those have gone, the wages are off
20:32 the wage bill for a year. It's just a shame I know that Farker wanted to keep Manxwerth
20:39 further. He's got obviously an option at left back but also at central defence and
20:46 I think he would have been a leader at Championship level. So that is disappointing and ongoing
20:52 speculation about Danto which never seems to go away and Meslier too. So yeah, we'll
20:59 have to wait and see who will be at Leeds by the time that the window closes. I'm sure
21:04 we'll get a few pieces of business in as well. Obviously the Lug Lye up front, there's certainly
21:11 another central defender as well. It's decent news that Charlie Creswell signed a new deal.
21:18 There's certain areas that Leeds need to target and recruit but obviously on the other way
21:25 it's seeing which players are going to be there by the time that the window closes.
21:28 And then I think for the first part of the season, certainly the first month for Leeds,
21:34 it's just going to be about game results really isn't it? However they call them. If they
21:37 can just get a decent quota of wins and find the feet in the division. I don't think it's
21:46 going to be one of those scenarios like it was under Marcelo Bielsa where straight away
21:53 from day one it's going to be flowing football all the way and taking teams to the cleaners.
22:00 I'd be surprised if it wasn't. To be quite honest, they're going to have to find the
22:05 feet in the division, get some early results, get to the window, get it closed, hopefully
22:10 there's some decent recruitment. Leeds know what they're going to work with and then we
22:14 can have a more accurate gauge of them when the autumn starts.
22:17 And Middlesbrough is where we head to next. Michael Carrick left a really good impression
22:22 after he took over and led the team to the playoffs last season, which compared to where
22:26 the team were when he took charge, I don't think many Middlesbrough fans complained about it.
22:31 What do you think Carrick will focus on with regards to his squad seeing as he has so far
22:38 been able to keep a number of core players at the club?
22:41 Well it's been quite a difficult season in some respects for Middlesbrough, the big thing
22:48 has almost become a bit of an elephant in the room almost is the future of Tuba Akpom.
22:54 Obviously an outstanding campaign last year, wasn't it? You rewind the clock 12 months
23:01 and it looked like he would be, to all intents and purposes, on the way out of Middlesbrough.
23:06 There wasn't really much encouragement from Chris Wilder but to be fair, Akpom got his
23:14 head down and once Carrick came in he's just flown, hasn't he? He's got the golden boot
23:20 in the championship. But within that, he created some problems as well with his contractual
23:25 situation, being out of contract. So there's been a lot of talk, will he sign, won't he?
23:30 I do think he'll be one of those Akpom that I think he'll be a name on the radar of quite
23:36 a few Premier League teams but maybe not necessarily the top. So he could be one of those Premier
23:43 League teams. He's missed out on a target or two. He comes into play late in the window
23:48 but that certainly doesn't help Middlesbrough, does it really? If they lose Akpom right at
23:56 the end of the window and they don't get a replacement, he could set the narrative of
24:02 the season. He's actually had a niggle so far in pre-season so he hasn't featured and
24:08 another influential player as well in Johnny House hasn't. So it would be unlikely that
24:14 they'll feature in the opening game against Millwall. I think Middlesbrough as well, a
24:20 lot of people are talking about Huddersfield with the predictions of Pundits and the like.
24:28 Nearly everyone that you're actually seeing is predicting Middlesbrough to finish, certainly
24:33 in the playoffs, even higher as runners-up. They've got that sense of expectation and
24:40 that will be shared by the supporters. They've done some business but it's been more bringing
24:49 in squad players early on in pre-season. One or two have made some nice early introductions.
24:59 Sam Silvera, a winger from Australia, football's done well. Morgan Rodgers as well, he's a
25:05 name maybe to watch. He had a spell at Blackpool last season and he's shown decent flashes
25:11 in the number 10 role but all the while the future of Akpom hasn't been resolved yet.
25:17 He's not signed a new deal and obviously a lot of speculation about his future. That
25:25 will carry on until the window closes unless he signs a new deal. It's been in some respects
25:36 quite a tricky pre-season for Middlesbrough. I think their only real front-line signing
25:41 is Senny Dieng. He's come in at goalkeeper. Obviously Zac Steffen has gone back to Manchester
25:49 City. Dieng will fit into the way that Middlesbrough like to play in terms of goalkeepers playing
25:55 out from the back. They've got bits of work to do. They missed out on Ryan Giles, he was
26:00 a big player on loan last season. He's gone to Luton. They'll definitely need at least
26:07 one striker if Akpom does go but I think anyway they could be doing with another striking
26:13 option as well. It doesn't look like Cameron Arch will be coming back either. He was obviously
26:18 another player that if there was any sort of encouragement, Buddha would be desperate
26:24 to see him come back but it looks like he's staying at Aston Villa. There's work to do
26:30 for Middlesbrough. It's not been straightforward but it's important as well to remember the
26:34 progress that they made under Carrick last season. They played some excellent football
26:39 and you would have thought that if you're a young Premier League player, whether it's
26:44 on loan or coming to a club on a permanent basis, the attraction of playing for Carrick
26:49 would be quite high.
26:51 It'll be interesting to see how things develop as the window continues. To Rotherham United
26:57 now who will spend their second season in the Championship after staying six points
27:02 above the drop zone. The Millers have been able to keep the likes of Sean Morrison and
27:07 Lee Peltier but can we expect much activity from the Millers to build Matt Taylor's squad
27:13 up?
27:14 They're trying their best but as ever at this level it's not doing Rotherham a disservice.
27:20 It's so hard to compete financially with the teams in the Championship. You've got to look
27:27 at the make-up of the division now. You look at the teams that have come up. Ipswich, a
27:34 big club for League One level. Dave, last summer they spent £1 million on a full-back
27:40 when they brought in Leith Davies from Leeds. That's money that Rotherham United don't spend
27:48 at the division above. Sheffield Wednesday as well, it might not necessarily be a club
27:54 at the minute that are spending a lot in terms of transfer fees but in terms of the wage
27:59 budget it'll be far in excess of what Rotherham will pay. There's two big clubs that have
28:07 come up there and Plymouth as well. It's their first season back in the Championship for
28:14 God knows how long and Dave, I think they've already brought in a million pound player
28:18 this summer. Others as well spending money who've been at the wrong end of the Championship
28:24 last season. Birmingham, they've had an ownership change. They're spending a bit of cash and
28:31 as Matt Taylor said the other week when I spoke to him in the press, they're in a club
28:38 of one at the minute. Rotherham, they can't pay what virtually every other Championship
28:45 club will pay, especially in terms of wage budget. That's just the reality of the fact
28:54 but I think you've got to remember what Rotherham have got as well. They've got one of the best
28:59 goalkeepers in the division, Victor Johansen. They've lost Doug Benny which is obviously
29:06 a blow and they'll have to try and replace him somehow but they've got other good players
29:12 in the building. They've got that togetherness and camaraderie and organisation and resolve
29:20 that I don't think you should underestimate. Cameron Humphries had a good season. Ben Wiles
29:27 will be fit again after his injury. They've got a front line striker in Jordan who they've
29:34 brought in. A fair bit will be on his shoulders next season. I think with Rotherham as well,
29:42 they're the sort of club, going back to speaking to Taylor again, if they have a bit of a unique
29:48 selling point is that they can potentially say to young Premier League players whose
29:54 clubs want to get them out into the EFL and especially the Championship League, they can
29:59 come and play for Rotherham for a season. You'll get game time, you'll get experience
30:05 and a bit of a pathway. They've obviously brought in Dexter Lubiski from Wolves. There
30:14 was a bit of interest in him apparently. He's a full Jamaican international already. He's
30:19 only 19. So he'll hopefully come in, have a chance at wing-back to prove himself before
30:25 going back to Wolves. He just hopes that Rotherham can utilise that, tap into that to get a few
30:32 more of these young, up-and-coming Premier League players. The other clubs in the Championship
30:39 might just put in the squad and not necessarily give opportunities to week in, week out.
30:44 Hopefully Rotherham can get a few of those in, allied to some more experience as well.
30:50 They've brought one or two in. There's one or two encouraging signs from the midfielder
30:54 Kafu, who they brought in. He used to play for Nottingham Forest. He's done well in pre-season
31:00 by all accounts. But not for the first time they'll need to do some key bits of business
31:07 before the deadline. I think that's always been the case with Rotherham. It's never straightforward
31:13 at Championship level. If they can manage to replicate last season and retain their
31:21 place in the division, for me that's akin to say a Norwich or a Burnley getting promoted
31:26 to the Premier League and staying up. It's important to recognise the sense of achievement
31:32 of Rotherham last season. While everybody will no doubt write them off, I wouldn't underestimate
31:39 them either.
31:41 Finally in the Championship, we turn our attention to newly promoted Sheffield Wednesday,
31:46 who following the shock departure of Darren Moore, have appointed former Watford manager
31:50 Chisco Munoz. What type of football could we expect from him? Is there any news about
31:56 new potential arrivals at the Owls, Leon?
32:00 They've made one or two in-rows haven't they in the last week or so? And desperately needed
32:06 ones as well. They just got over the line in the nick of time in the most dramatic way
32:14 possible at the end of last season. It was a squad built for getting out of League One
32:25 wasn't it really? The likes of Michael Smith and Michael Ekoe who got previous at that
32:29 level, winners in terms of promotion. Ultimately they did the job but they do look a little
32:38 bit short for me Wednesday at the minute. They need to bring a bit more energy and dynamism
32:47 in, especially in the final third and also in the middle of the park. I'm interested
32:54 in buying Ashley Fletcher. I did a piece with him recently. You look at his career, six
33:02 or seven years ago, he was really destined for the big things wasn't he? He signed for
33:07 West Ham for about £6 or £7 million after leaving Man Utd. It didn't really happen at
33:14 West Ham. The big money moved to Middlesbrough and didn't work. He's still relatively young,
33:19 27, a player of great promise in his younger years and with ability as well. He's got a
33:28 goal to have him at Watford as well. Hopefully he can re-light his fires and get the best
33:35 out of him. I think they're going to have to do a bit more work as well before the deadline.
33:43 It's obviously a tough start at home to Southampton. I think a good season for Wednesday would
33:50 be a huge club and the supporters will expect a decent amount of success. If they can consolidate
33:57 in the Championship, obviously the first year back, that would be a decent achievement.
34:03 I think the club we mentioned, Leeds, with the wage resources, they should be able to
34:10 get decent players as things maybe open up in the market a bit more in August when Premier
34:16 League clubs know what they've got. I think there's a fair chance they should be able
34:20 to attract a decent calibre of player. Obviously Zisco will know the market on the continent
34:28 pretty well as well and know what he wants. I think it's going to be quite a busy month
34:32 in August at Wednesday.
34:34 Now we turn our attention to Barnsley in League 1. The Tikes missed out on promotion when
34:41 they clashed with fellow South Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday in the play-off final.
34:45 There have been a number of new faces that have joined the side, such as Corey O'Keefe
34:49 from Forest Green Rovers, along with Max Waters and Andy Dallas, who have both signed three-year
34:56 deals. How do you feel Barnsley could fare this season, knowing how close they came to
35:01 promotion last time around?
35:03 I think first of all they've got a bucket of trend haven't they? You look at Barnsley
35:06 in recent years, it's been a little bit feast or famine hasn't it? You remember a few years
35:11 ago they got into the Championship play-offs and let's not forget they were only a couple
35:18 of games away from potentially getting in the Premier League. That was in 2020/21. The
35:27 season after they lost Valerian Ismail in the close season to West Brom, ended up being
35:32 an absolutely horrific season and ended up being relegated in pretty pitiful fashion.
35:40 Obviously they bounced back last season, a season that not too many would have been predicting
35:47 under Michael Duff. A lot of people thought it would be a season of transition. It turned
35:51 out to be a hell of a lot more than that and just one game away from an instant return
35:57 to the Championship. It's obviously been a disruptive summer in terms of Duff leaving
36:07 for Swansea. They brought in Neil Collins, he's obviously done well over in the States.
36:12 I think the encouraging thing in terms of the appointment is it seems to be pretty joined
36:18 up and it's not necessarily been the case before with Barnsley where managers have been
36:21 replaced or gone on their own volition. Ismail went and brought in Marcus Sharp whose football
36:30 was nothing like the intense way that Ismail's side played. He ended up paying the price.
36:40 I think he was sacked after about 17 or 18 games and there was a real lack of clarity
36:45 there. Obviously coming in Neil Collins is not going to be like for like totally the
36:51 same as Duff but I think he shares similar principles in terms of that aggressive style
36:58 of play. So that's encouraging in that regard. I think the thing with Barnsley is that you've
37:06 said that one or two signings that you've mentioned there, Mark Delance and Dallas and
37:12 Max Watters. The thing with Barnsley for me is going to be the defence this season. A
37:18 lot of people spoke about the midfield last season being one of the best in League 1 and
37:22 it was and I'm sure it will be again. Herbie Kane, Luca Connells, a fine player and he's
37:30 obviously signed the new deal recently, earlier in the summer, long-term deal. Other goals
37:38 from Adam Phillips as well. They look fairly well catered for in that regard. Up front
37:43 not too bad although there's obviously speculation about James Norwood and Wrexham but they've
37:50 managed to feed Norwood. They've obviously got Dallas and Watters. Divante Coe was great
37:56 last season and he had a real renaissance under Michael Duff. But it's just that backline
38:01 isn't it? It was a big part for them last season. A lot of clean sheets. A lot of clean
38:07 sheets especially on the road as well. They were really hard to break down as a team and
38:11 strong. But they've lost two thirds of arguably the best defence in League 1. Obviously Mads
38:16 Andersen's got his move to Luton Town which I don't think too many people will begrudge
38:22 him that. A tremendous servant for Barnsley. By a lot of people's view, not just in Barnsley,
38:31 he was probably the best defender in League 1 last season. But they've also lost Bobby
38:37 Thomas as well who was a big figure in that run. That sort of charge in the second half
38:43 of last season. He's obviously got a permanent move to Coventry. There was only one way he
38:51 was going to potentially stay at Barnsley and that's if they got from Owen and unfortunately
38:56 they didn't. They have brought some defenders in but unproven at this level. The likes of
39:04 Batters who played. He's done pretty well in the National League with Southend and Woking
39:11 but to do it at League 1 level is a different thing entirely. So they do look a bit short
39:18 in terms of bonafidey, League 1 ready experience at the back. That's the thing that worries
39:26 me a little bit at Barnsley. But they are making moves and they are hopefully working
39:31 towards bringing another senior central defender in which is what they'll need. I think when
39:38 you look at League 1, probably on paper it might not be as tough as it was last season
39:46 with Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich out of it and probably Plymouth as well because they
39:53 had a good season the previous year. There's some teams there who have got decent sized
39:58 budgets who underachieved but will be going again to rectify. The likes of Charlton and
40:05 Portsmouth and Oxford. The relegated sized Blackpool as well. I think it's a decent budget
40:10 there. Bolton as well. There's still a very big club at that level in Derby County and
40:16 there will be a lot of expectation on their shoulders in the forthcoming season. There's
40:22 been a bit of talk as we talk about middles but there will be an expectation that a lot
40:26 of people are tipping Barnsley to do well so they won't fly under the radar as much.
40:30 They've got a new manager so he's going to have to find his feet a little bit and find
40:38 his best side in that regard. It's not going to be as straightforward as a lot of the pundits
40:46 are predicting for Barnsley but if they can manage to get a couple of proper senior defensive
40:51 signings I'd be a lot more enthused about the chances.
40:56 Now we turn our attention to League 2 and we start with Bradford City who will start
41:04 another season in League 2 following their unsuccessful run in the playoffs last season.
41:09 The Bantams saw themselves slip out of contention for automatic promotion and almost found themselves
41:14 missing out on the playoffs as well as the season drew to a close. What do you feel Mark
41:20 Hughes and his side have to improve on to hopefully go a step further this year Leon?
41:25 I think we've probably spoken about this before Mark and I know we have. We mentioned it with
41:29 Paul in terms of finding that ruthless edge to turn more of those draws into wins and
41:37 be a bit more clinical and that's what Bradford have got to do. In the final analysis I think
41:45 they got 15 or 16 draws last season and that was what really cost them. Not so much the
41:51 defeats, they weren't beaten too much when you look at the statistics certainly in the
41:56 second half of the season. It was the draws and specifically sharing the goals out a bit
42:02 more. Andy Cook, 28 goals last season and I think he was 31 in all competitions. He's
42:09 probably entitled at the end of the season when they got knocked out at Carlisle to turn
42:14 around and say 'hey I did my bit, what about a few others?' They need more from other areas
42:24 of the pitch, certainly in midfield and defence as well. That could be the ultimate trick
42:31 for Bradford this time around if they can just get more from that supporting cast. They've
42:37 got players on paper capable of doing that. If they can keep Jamie Walker fit he can play
42:43 in a few different positions at the top end of the pitch. He's got a goal or two in his
42:48 favour. Harry Chapman, the interesting one they brought in Alex Patterson who's garnered
42:55 a reputation for being a box to box goal scorer in midfield, a four harriger and he's done
43:01 well in that regard. So hopefully touch wood he'll add to Bradford in that department.
43:08 They've obviously got another striker as well in Tyler Smith who's come with a little bit
43:13 of a point to prove after spells at Sheffield United and Hull. He's not really cut the mustard
43:22 and had a long sustained run in the side. He's now 24, he'll need to be proving himself
43:29 and trying to get in the goals. I just hope for Bradford to say that they can manage to
43:37 do that. It'll be interesting to see this approach defensively. They've had a look at
43:41 the centre-halves in the pre-season. I don't think that'll be too bad a thing going forward
43:47 because they do lack a little bit of pace in those central defensive positions. So if
43:53 you have three central defenders that can compensate for it a little bit.
44:00 I just mentioned when talking about Barsley, the make-up of League One, I think a lot of
44:07 people are saying that League Two will probably be as hard as it's been for a few years. When
44:13 you look at the teams there, a hell of a lot of people are going to be talking about Wrexham.
44:17 Don't forget Norse County too. There'll obviously be expectation on Bradford but maybe the fact
44:24 there'll be a bit more expectation on the shoulders of Wrexham might take the heat off
44:28 Bradford a little bit. I don't know but what I will say is it's a massively important season
44:36 for them. I suppose they all are at Bradford. They had that taste of success last season.
44:42 OK, disappointment that they missed out in the semi-finals but still a decent year of
44:48 relative progress in terms of getting into the playoffs because in the previous two seasons
44:54 they were obviously missed out on pretty forgettable seasons. So it's about building on that. They've
45:00 made some half-decent signings. I'm looking forward to seeing how Kevin McDonnell goes.
45:04 If he can stay fit and injury-free, he's a real nice, easy-on-the-eye footballer, progressive
45:11 footballer, great range of passing skills. He's shown that for the likes of Sheffield
45:16 United, Wolves, Fulham. At the top of his game he's a player who's far too good for
45:21 League Two. I just hope City can get him in pristine condition because I think he can
45:28 be a big player for them.
45:32 Now we turn our attention to Doncaster Rovers who found themselves missing out on promotion
45:38 last season as their results saw them slip further and further down the league. Now the
45:44 Donny fans will see a familiar face in the dugout with the club having reappointed Grant
45:48 McCann after his departure from Peterborough. What do you think Grant McCann will concentrate
45:54 on to help his side have a more positive season, Leon?
45:58 I think first of all him coming back is just a big positive, isn't it? Doncaster have had
46:03 a couple of pretty difficult seasons, certainly in the second half of the season. I went to
46:10 a game towards the end of last season at Donny and the mood music was terrible. There was
46:17 little to infuse about on the pitch. You looked at Saidu, the lack of direction, lacked identity
46:24 and there was just a sense of apathy there. Supporters were getting angry with the board.
46:32 I think the first thing to say is in credit to the board, they realised that something
46:37 had to be done and they were proactive. They got in McCann pretty quickly and they've increased
46:44 the playing budget at the club and they've been able to do some good business and some
46:51 good early business while getting players in to integrate them pretty quickly. They
46:57 brought in Richard Woods, a defensive leader, he goes without saying his experience in lower
47:07 divisions. Hopefully he'll be the defensive lieutenant that Doncaster are lacking. They've
47:12 got Ian Lawlor, another experienced goalkeeper. I think the signing of Joe Einstein is a really
47:20 good one. I think there's obviously going to be expectation that Doncaster and McCann
47:26 have done well at that level before they took them to the League One play-off semi-finals.
47:32 There's going to be an expectation that they can at least get in the play-offs this season.
47:37 I think first of all, when you look at Doncaster from the last few seasons, I would temper
47:44 a slight note of caution. I think results will come but he's just got to make them hard,
47:52 durable and tougher to beat and break down. That was a big problem at Doncaster last season.
47:59 They were just too soft in both boxes and easy to play against. I think that was a thing.
48:08 The opposing manager saying to the team, "Look, they're passing it around in the middle of
48:14 the pitch but you can get at them physically." For me, that's the first thing that McCann
48:22 will need to do. If it's at the expense of results early on, the Rovers might grind out
48:28 a few nil-nil draws here and there. That's going to be important in the development in
48:34 the season. You need to build a solid foundation. The signings that McCann's made show to me
48:41 he knows what he needs to be a success at this level. The likes of Ward and Ironside.
48:46 He's building that spine of the team again. Lawler as well. I think if they have a good
48:53 solid start, for me it doesn't have to be overly spectacular. If they can just grind
48:59 away, get some partnerships in the defence and across the pitch, I think they'll be OK.
49:08 I think they'll grow into the season and kick on. I like what he's done, not just in terms
49:13 of the senior players I mentioned, Ward and Ironside. They've signed some hungry players
49:19 as well. One or two have been on the non-league circuit for a bit. Jack Senior, Halifax captain,
49:27 he's got another chance at league level. It didn't work out for George Broadbent at Sheffield
49:33 United. He's come in and got some youth fighting energy and players really keen to prove themselves
49:40 in league football alongside the senior players and top operators at League 2 level. They'll
49:48 need to hopefully go all the way in the likes of Ward and Ironside. I've got confidence
49:54 that it'll be a good season for Doncaster when it comes to spring. Initially I think
50:02 it's about building those foundations.
50:05 Finally for this week, we look at Harrogate Town, who at the time of recording are one
50:12 of the bookies' favourites for relegation. With a few arrivals on the playing staff,
50:17 how do you feel the Solverights' chances are and do you feel the bookies may have a point?
50:24 I think they've obviously lost one or two players in the likes of Patterson and Eastman.
50:33 Big players, Dattery Carver for Harrogate. But they've still got Luke Armstrong haven't
50:41 they? I think the main look at Harrogate before the end of the window closes on the main priorities
50:49 there. We'll be keeping him won't we really? By all accounts he's got some interest in
50:53 rival teams in the lower divisions. Big player in terms of his goals last season, I think
50:58 his presence and his assists as well. He's a real fulcrum for that side. If Harrogate
51:05 can get to the end of the window and he's still there at the start of the season, there'll
51:11 be a lot more unsolved and happy about things really. I think they've made some half decent
51:18 signings looking at them. They've obviously brought Matty Foulds who was a regular in
51:23 the first team at Bradford in the first half of last season before going on loan to Harrogate.
51:29 He's proven at this level and a good player. Liam Gibson as well, he did well at Morecambe
51:36 and that was a bit of a coup to land him. Steve Matty-Daly as well, they've got him
51:42 on a permanent basis from Huddersfield. He knows the place well from his loan spells,
51:48 he's not just going in blind to a new club. He's a good age so you just hope Harrogate
51:54 can have a few good early season results. They had one at the start of last season if
52:01 I remember correctly against Swindon. They maintained their positivity early on and it
52:10 soon became a difficult season. You just hope Harrogate can have a consistently bright start
52:18 to the season to set the tone and stay away from trouble.
52:23 YorkshirePost.co.uk
52:25 Many thanks to Liam Wobbshaw who has joined us again soon for more discussions on the
52:39 Yorkshire football scene. But don't forget you can keep up to date with all the football
52:43 news across Yorkshire and beyond by logging onto our website at yp.sport@nationalworld.com
52:48 or if you search for Yorkshire Post Sport, Yorkshire Post Football or even Sheffield
52:52 on Facebook you can find us there as well. If you have any questions for our writers
52:56 you can get in touch using those various Twitter or Facebook pages or email us directly with
53:01 a subject matter as footballtalkpodcast@yp.sport@nationalworld.com. As ever, many thanks for listening, look after
53:09 yourselves and bye for now.
53:11 [Music]