On this week’s show, host Mark Singleton is joined by YP football writer Leon Wobschall to discuss a variety of topics in Yorkshire football, starting with Sheffield United inching their way off the foot of the Premier League table after a 1-1 draw at Brighton.
Rotherham United’s decision to fire manager Matt Taylor after the team’s 5-0 loss at Watford comes under the spotlight, as does the task of who is most likely to replace him in the Millers dugout.
How does Danny Rohl turn around the Sheffield Wednesday’s fortunes after a heavy 4-0 home defeat to Millwall, with former Owls’ boss Darren Moore also facing a tough job at new club Huddersfield Town after a 1-0 defeat at Yorkshire rivals Hull City, who continue to prosper under the highly-rated Liam Rosenior.
In League One, Barnsley also come under discussion as their good start to the season under Neill Collins continued when they avoided an FAS Cup upset in their first round replay at Horsham.
Also, Leon picks out his player of the week.
Rotherham United’s decision to fire manager Matt Taylor after the team’s 5-0 loss at Watford comes under the spotlight, as does the task of who is most likely to replace him in the Millers dugout.
How does Danny Rohl turn around the Sheffield Wednesday’s fortunes after a heavy 4-0 home defeat to Millwall, with former Owls’ boss Darren Moore also facing a tough job at new club Huddersfield Town after a 1-0 defeat at Yorkshire rivals Hull City, who continue to prosper under the highly-rated Liam Rosenior.
In League One, Barnsley also come under discussion as their good start to the season under Neill Collins continued when they avoided an FAS Cup upset in their first round replay at Horsham.
Also, Leon picks out his player of the week.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Football Talk from the Yorkshire Post, where
00:15 we will be discussing some of the latest talking points from the world of football with members
00:18 of our football writing team. On this week's episode, we are joined by football writer
00:21 for the Yorkshire Post, Neil Moshall, to discuss all of the latest developments affecting our
00:25 local clubs. Don't forget you can keep up to date with all the football news across
00:29 Yorkshire and beyond by logging onto our website at yp.sport@nationalworld.com, as well as
00:35 checking out our various Twitter feeds, the main one being @ypsport. If you search for
00:40 Yorkshire Post Sport, Yorkshire Post Football or even Sheffield Sport on Facebook, you can
00:44 find us there as well. And if you have any questions for our writers, you can get in
00:47 touch using those various Twitter or Facebook pages, or email us directly with a subject
00:52 matter as Football Talk Podcast at yp.sport@nationalworld.com.
00:57 As mentioned earlier in the intro, this week we're joined by football writer for the
01:02 Yorkshire Post, Leon Wopshaw. Good morning, Leon.
01:05 Good morning.
01:06 Good morning. So, this week was a fairly mixed bag when it came to results for our Yorkshire
01:11 teams. We saw Leeds United claim a useful 2-1 victory over Plymouth Argyle in their
01:16 chase for promotion. Middlesbrough overcame tabletopping Leicester City in a 1-0 victory.
01:22 Rotherham United fell to a heavy 5-0 defeat away at Watford, which we will cover later
01:27 in this podcast, as well as the developments after that game.
01:31 Barnes' unbeaten away run came to an end in their 3-0 defeat away at Derby County.
01:36 Doncaster Rovers fell to a 2-0 defeat when they visited AFC Wimbledon.
01:41 Graham Alexander's reign at Bradford City started with a 2-1 defeat against Barrow.
01:46 And Harrogate Town claimed a 1-0 victory when they visited Walsall. But this week we first
01:53 turn to the Premier League and Sheffield United, who played out a 1-1 draw when they visited
01:58 Brighton-on-Hove Albion. This has now lifted the blades off the foot of the table and are
02:03 just four points away from safety.
02:06 What did you make of the performance and how should they approach their game against Bournemouth,
02:11 which is after the international break, Leon?
02:13 Yeah, I just think it was psychologically important, Mark, that obviously have a huge
02:21 winning moment in the context of the season. I think the circumstances of the game as well,
02:27 in winning it so late against Walsall Bramall Lane. The first home win of the, well, first
02:35 league win of the season. First sort of, I know Paul Higginbottom had a couple of wins
02:39 as caretaker in the dying embers of Sheffield United's relegation season. But the first
02:46 real true win for him, if you like, at top flight level. It was just important to try
02:52 and back that up with something, obviously going to Brighton. Sometimes when you're playing
03:00 in Europe on the Thursday in Brighton, that next result against Dyax, it can test you
03:06 going into the next league game on the weekend a few days later. So it proved, and I think
03:15 it speaks volumes about the character that Sheffield United have got in the building.
03:20 They took a lot of brickbats this season and criticism. They've had some hard results,
03:27 but let's be honest, there's none more so than the Newcastle game. But as we've said
03:33 consistently on this podcast over the last couple of years, they're a side who usually
03:41 possess a strong jaw and they've got a strong dressing room. And the questions were asked
03:49 after the Newcastle game in terms of seeing what the mettle is like. But to be fair, they've
03:58 closed ranks and come up with a half-decent response, beating Wolves at a huge three points.
04:06 And then Cyclos are getting that first away point as well, back into a prompt. The milestone
04:11 first league win of the season. We've spoken about the difficulties that Sheffield United
04:18 have had on the road and that sort of uplifting and getting something and stopping that run
04:24 of defeat. So yeah, there's small steps. It's obviously important not to get too excited.
04:32 It's hardly the word is it? There's still second from bottom in the table. Four points
04:39 adrift of Bournemouth and one win in their opening 12 games. But yeah, I suppose a kernel
04:46 of mood is the best way to say it. And they did it the hard way as well. They went 1-0
04:51 behind but they kept persevering. Got an equaliser. And yeah, Brighton are a possession-based
05:01 side as well. They had a lot of the ball in the game. It was a time when Sheffield United
05:06 had to show the discipline and the concentration and stick in there. And they did that. You
05:14 look at some of the defensive performances that took a fair amount of criticism at times
05:22 this season. But they've also shown in some games as well, they've shown what they're
05:28 all about. They did that at Brighton. You think of the Manchester United game not so
05:31 long back. They obviously got just edged out in that and Manchester City as well. But you
05:37 couldn't really criticise them for the sort of heart and attitude and organisation in
05:44 those games. So yeah, it was a positive step and obviously a time to recharge batteries
05:52 ahead of a huge two games in the season now. We've spoken about this consistently haven't
05:57 we? They're at home to Bournemouth who got a good win against Newcastle on Saturday.
06:06 And I suppose that's another part of the Sheffield United character. That must have been a real
06:10 blow for the players when they were looking at the results on Saturday and saw that. The
06:16 side that United are trying to catch at the minute. Great result and performance against
06:22 Newcastle but Sheffield United can only take care of their own business and they've got
06:28 an important point at Brighton and it sets them up for the Bournemouth game and then
06:35 the Burnley one.
06:36 It should be very interesting to see how they take this energy into that game against Bournemouth
06:44 because like you said, there are two very important games coming up now. They've now
06:49 got a chance to recharge during the international break and then hopefully they'll be able to
06:55 build on it.
06:56 Yeah, I think it was just important for them to get some sort of positivity going into
07:01 this running game. It's obviously Bournemouth and Burnley but you look at the turn of the
07:08 year, they've got another home game with Brentford, they've got Luton to play over Christmas.
07:14 So yeah, it just feels like it's a real key point in the season for Sheffield United.
07:18 As I said before, it's just maintaining that little bit of hope for them to take into January
07:25 and then they can, I mean there obviously won't be a great deal of money around at all
07:31 but hope for poor Higginbottom's sake he's able to just wheel and deal a little bit and
07:36 maybe get a couple of loans in but we'll have to see on that regard. But at least for our
07:41 all concerned there, just a little bit of positivity and something to cling on to.
07:47 Exactly, exactly.
07:48 And now we turn our attention to the Championship and we start with Brotherham United who following
07:53 their final 5-0 defeat when they paid a visit to Watford announced through a statement on
08:01 the team's website that Matt Taylor had been relieved of his duties as Miller's head coach.
08:07 What did you make of his time at the club and has there been any news with regards to
08:12 who is in frame to take over Leon?
08:14 Yeah, I mean first of all, from a personal basis I enjoyed dealing with Matt. He was
08:22 a good talker and a talented young coach and you do feel for especially the young coaches
08:31 when they lose their jobs. Obviously he came up from Exeter just over a year ago, only
08:39 relatively recently, celebrated his first anniversary in charge. A northern lad coming
08:45 back up north, he's got a young family and they've settled in South Yorkshire. So yeah,
08:53 first of all on a human personal level it's disappointing and I sympathise with Matt.
09:01 It was a tough gig, we've spoken many times before, in terms of budget it's nothing like
09:09 the overwhelming majority of clubs in the Championship, perhaps only Plymouth compares
09:16 to be quite honest. Some of the specials have got one arm behind your back a little bit
09:24 and in terms of for Rotherham, what they can hope to achieve, being pragmatic and realistic,
09:33 just staying in the Championship is an achievement in itself every year for me. You look at the
09:40 teams who go up into the Premier League and they're armed with lots of television money
09:45 but Rotherham don't have that luxury and they need certain things looked at to fall for
09:52 them and they've had a horrendous run injury-wise, especially at the back. When you look at the
10:01 make-up of teams you really want a consistent back four if possible. They've had countless
10:07 injuries almost, Cameron Humphries and Tyler Blackett are going to be out until the new
10:13 year with pretty serious hamstring issues and it's compounded by the fact that it's
10:18 been difficult to get Leap LTA and Grant Hall on deck consistently. So he's had that to
10:26 contact but they've not really been able to field a settled back line. There's been some
10:35 decent moments this season, you look at the victory over Coventry, showed a lot of character
10:40 against Ipswich, a good win against Norwich but it's been mixed in, it's been the good
10:48 and the bad really hasn't it? Took some hammerings against Stoke, I saw the game against Huddersfield,
10:56 early autumn, they were dreadful that day, I thought Robben, and they were similarly
11:02 bad against Sheffield Wednesday. So for all of the sympathy you've got with Taylor, they've
11:11 had some pretty bad moments as well. First of all you've got to give him credit for keeping
11:18 Robben United up last season, which was in the context of what I've said a fair achievement
11:27 but just not managed to kick on really this season a little bit and push that little bit
11:39 higher up looking at the bottom six area. It looks like a real season of a major slog
11:48 and a lot's been talking about psychologically the fact they haven't won away from home now
11:55 for just over a calendar year, it was at Sheffield United last November. So there's that stick
12:01 that's continued to be used to beat Taylor with. So I just think it was probably one
12:09 cut too many really, a heavy defeat at Watford. I think if it had been with respect against
12:20 Leeds or Leicester there might have been a little bit of mitigation because obviously
12:24 the Leeds side are in the division but Watford have been very up and down this season, I've
12:29 seen them a couple of times and yeah that was a bruising result. I think what I'll say
12:36 is that I hope and tell this year that Robben United have taken the decision lightly, he
12:39 got on pretty well with Taylor and always spoke well of him but I think he's also conscious
12:47 of the situation. There's probably about 30 games left, two thirds of the season, you
12:53 bring a manager in at this juncture of the season there's still enough games to turn
13:01 it round and also the sort of argument of being able to assess the squad before going
13:06 into January and doing a bit of business as well. So yeah I'm unfortunate for Matt Taylor
13:14 but he's young enough and I'm sure he'll be back and I do have sympathy in terms of particularly
13:20 the injuries and the disruption he's had more especially in the back four but the results
13:26 especially away from home have been pretty damning.
13:32 I was just going to say that it's never an easy time when a manager is told to leave
13:44 but for Rotherham in particular at the moment I believe their next game is against Leeds
13:51 United and the fact that you've got Christmas coming up then a transfer window in January
13:58 so the next manager whoever that may be has got their work cut out.
14:04 Yeah absolutely I'm sort of led to believe that it looks like there'll be a caretaker
14:12 team in charge for the Leeds game. Matt Taylor's assistant Wayne Carlyle and a couple of coaches
14:19 remain at the club. The players have been given some time off this week, they're back
14:24 training on Sunday and as it stands the club have compiled a shortlist of candidates and
14:33 I've spoken to Tony Stewart and they've been quite surprised at the quality of the candidates
14:41 and certainly a fair number who've got a fair amount of experience at championship level
14:47 and I did speak to Tony and sometimes chairmen say this sort of thing and you think you would
14:55 say that wouldn't you but it's genuine in the fact that they are surprised by some of
15:02 the high quality of the candidates who seem to have thrown the hats into the ring and
15:08 by all accounts I think it's going to be somebody with a change of tack it'll be from what I
15:15 can gather it'll be somebody who does have championship experience. They obviously went
15:21 down the up and coming route promising lower division manager in Brigham and Taylor. I
15:26 think they see the situation now where they are in the table and they've obviously put
15:31 in a fair investment as regards Rotherham United that it needs somebody with experience
15:38 so yeah they'll get a shortlist together then and they'll start interviewing but it looks
15:44 like there'll be a caretaker team in charge for the Leeds game and yeah there's been some
15:50 interesting candidates mentioned and Steve Evans that would be a dramatic one wouldn't
15:55 it? He obviously had an outstanding time to be fair he's had his critics in good faith
16:03 but his record at Rotherham was excellent wasn't he? He got them back to back promotions
16:09 he kept them up in 2014/15. He's a name that has been mentioned as a potential candidate
16:18 and mooting over a possible return. We'll have to see there but like I said by all accounts
16:26 there's been quite a few managers with bona fide championship experience who have expressed
16:33 interest so we'll have to wait and see how it pans out but it's quite interesting.
16:38 Yeah, yeah it is. And next we turn our attention to Hull City who claimed all three points
16:44 when they played out a 1-0 victory against Huddersfield Town whose stubborn defence was
16:49 able to hold out until the 92nd minute when Liam De Lappe's strike found its way through
16:54 and secured the victory for the Tigers. Now how do both managers go about this result
17:00 and are there positives that they can both draw from it Leon?
17:04 I think the first thing to say is I think the break, I speak about the international
17:12 break coming at right or wrong times, I think for both of them it's a decent time to sort
17:19 of take stock especially for Huddersfield. We've spoken before about the fact that they
17:27 can get the first 11 out and there's not necessarily any injuries. They look like they can be reasonably
17:33 competitive but it's sort of what lies beneath and when they do get a few injuries as they've
17:37 got now they just look very thin don't they and obviously on Saturday Darren Moore to
17:43 be fair he named Josh Kuroma and David Kosumo on the road back from injury on the bench
17:51 but they only really declared themselves potentially available on the Friday so Moore didn't want
17:58 to risk them and in the event they, no bones about it, they went to Hull for a point and
18:07 as an away side that's the want isn't it really and they very nearly got it. It was by no
18:13 means an offensive performance but in terms of organisation and character and resolve
18:20 it was a tick in the box for Huddersfield and we know they were very close to matching
18:24 the result of the previous week against Watford. A lot of defensive discipline and a couple
18:32 of points given the fact they've got a hell of a lot of players who are unavailable would
18:37 have been credit in the bank after the top two Morlins against Leeds and Watford so yeah
18:46 it was a real blow for them at the death there and the break will give them a chance to get
18:54 some quality work into the likes of Kuroma and Kosumo and Keane Harrett only came on
19:01 for a couple of minutes and Danny Ward on his way back a little bit as well so you just
19:07 hope from their perspective that the team sheet and the squad they put out against Southampton
19:16 has a few more options because undeniably they're doing it tough at the minute, Huddersfield
19:20 1-9 and fans are particularly enamoured by what's been happening so far and this period
19:30 of games now is going to come thick and fast when we resume after the international break.
19:38 A lot of it is going to be game, recovery game and Huddersfield have to get some hope
19:46 really and then hopefully address things in the January transfer window because they do
19:50 look very thin in some departments so I wouldn't necessarily say lots of hope for Huddersfield
20:00 but they have at least, I think they had to do really was show their stubborn side and
20:08 the defensive and organisational side after those two maulings against Leeds and Cardiff
20:14 so they have done that but I think it's just about taking it on a little bit now in this
20:19 block of games and just trying to chisel out a win or two. I think their home games will
20:24 be particularly important, I think they've got something like four or five now before
20:30 the end of 2023 and you just hope for their sake they're going to get a couple of wins
20:40 in there and good results because they're the team that I think the bottom three will
20:43 be looking at and thinking 'Aye aye, we're going to catch a team at the minute, it looks
20:48 like it will be Huddersfield'. I think it's important that there was a little bit of noise
20:56 not so long back about the home form, not necessarily in terms of, you look at it twice
21:05 in the league in the last calendar year but proliferation of draws and it was becoming
21:11 a little bit of an issue but back to back wins now at home, I've attended both the games,
21:18 they had to break down well organised sides in Preston and Huddersfield and you look at
21:28 Hull, they don't score a bag load of goals, I think they're at the ruthless side, Liam
21:33 Massini has spoken about that a lot and that's what he'll be wanting to see more in the,
21:38 after the international break in the second half of the season but they've found a way
21:44 in the last few home games, Jadon Filigin, he has scored a wonderful goal to win the
21:51 game against Preston, he was a bit more in the shade against Huddersfield but credibly
21:57 it's about other players stepping up and Liam Dillard has done that, he's really enjoyed
22:01 himself at Hull, a talented young player, an absolute workaholic, he sort of marries
22:08 that with threat, I think he's scored three goals in the last four or five games and offers
22:15 versatility as well, he came out wide in the second half and he can operate down the middle
22:22 as well so, and then he persevered on the day as well, he missed a chance early in the
22:27 second half at the bar, kept going, got his rewards, got a goal and yeah, it's a good
22:34 time to be a Hull City fan at the minute, Dilap and Filigin have gone off to England
22:40 on the 21s with Tyler Morton and yeah, you look at their opening third of the season
22:46 and you know, they're in the play-off mix and you know, a time now to hopefully rest
22:55 for some of the players and recharge the batteries, obviously one or two are on international
23:01 duty, refresh your minds ahead of the big run of games up until the end of the year
23:08 which can sort of, it's a time when it can sort of sort the contenders from the wannabes
23:15 and I think if Hull can get a decent return of points in this, I think you can say they
23:21 really are play-off candidates this season going into the second half of the year but
23:27 there's been a lot of good work going on at Hull and yeah, it's been impressive to see,
23:36 they play with a nice football inside with a good style, they've got some decent defensive
23:44 solidity which they got last year from when Rossinya came in and they've got some nice
23:51 players going forward, I mentioned Filigin, Dilap, Ozan Tufan, he's a threat as well so
23:58 yeah it's a decent time to be a Hull fan.
24:01 Yeah, I mean like you said, it is a good time to be a Hull fan and Liam Rossinya and the
24:06 team just seem to be creating a real positive sort of aura about the place at the moment
24:12 so I mean there can't be many complaints if I'm honest.
24:17 No, no I think one thing, Huddersfield and Preston have gone there and they've sort of
24:22 said well break us down if you can, I think there's going to be a fair bit more of that,
24:29 the teams who go to Hull, some of the games they've got coming up, they've got Rotherham
24:34 at home, they've got Watford at home, I don't see, I think a bit further they've got Cardiff
24:39 as well, I don't see those sort of teams taking Hull on in a football match and it'll be about
24:44 them, I think it'll be about them solving the puzzle Mark and to be fair, like I say
24:50 they've persevered against Huddersfield but they've also changed the system two or three
24:53 times as well and I think that's going to be important as well, showing that sort of
24:58 tactical adaptability but yeah, good signs for Hull so far this season for sure.
25:06 Yeah definitely, definitely and next we turn to Sheffield Wednesday who fell to a heavy
25:11 4-0 defeat when they welcomed Millwall to Hillsborough, the Owls are now nine points
25:17 off safety and with a trip to Birmingham City on the cards after the international break,
25:23 what does Danny Roll do to help his side Leon?
25:26 Well I probably should take a bit of the blame for this, I did a piece ahead of the Millwall
25:33 game and you know it's difficult when you're covering sides who are struggling, you do
25:39 try and insinuate the positives and I did a piece mentioning about how it's been difficult
25:44 for Wednesday but the fact that they've been quite hard at home, the defensive goals against
25:52 record was pretty good considering really, not necessarily the amount of goals they've
25:56 scored but I was suggesting that they weren't doing too badly in terms of the defensive
26:04 record and then lo and behold they let four in against Millwall so that gave them a little
26:11 bit of a curse there unfortunately and yeah I think you just sort of look at Wednesday
26:17 and Stewart was right, he put it in his match report, it just seems to be when they go,
26:22 they've taken a lot of punishment this season and when they go a goal down you think psychologically
26:28 heads drop and just don't seem to be able to have the wherewithal to come back into
26:33 it and I think they've lost, the games have lost under Danny Roll, they've not managed
26:40 to score in any of them and you know it's been an endemic problem this season hasn't
26:44 it and it's almost as if you get the first goal against Wednesday and you're pretty much
26:50 halfway there to getting a win but yeah it was very disappointing obviously coming off
26:55 the back of the previous home performance as well where they had really good value and
27:02 an uplifting performance and result against Rotherham and I suppose the clock sort of
27:10 came round for Anthony Massaba as well, he was excellent in the derby against Rotherham
27:15 but missed a big chance when the game was goalless and it proved a big moment in the
27:22 context of the game against Millwall and I say I wasn't there but I've seen footage of
27:27 it and some sloppy goals, the concession to allow Murray Wallace to head home was really
27:35 poor, it was basic lack of organisation and that certainly would have pleased Danny Roll
27:42 so yeah it's nothing but a horrendous afternoon and obviously got a regroup now and they take
27:53 on another side who certainly aren't in great form at all and made a pretty poor start under
27:59 Wayne Rooney in Birmingham City so yeah that's got the makings of a big game for Wednesday,
28:06 they're going to have to show a reaction to that and it looks to be quite a big game in
28:14 the context of the season but yeah in terms of Rom it's been a bit of a one step forward
28:19 two back hasn't it, they obviously beat Rotherham and the performances in his first two games
28:26 were even though the loss were incremental they were a little bit better, they were a
28:31 bit unlucky against Bristol City and obviously a very controversial sending off that was
28:35 rescinded but there's no mitigation for what happened against Millwall, that was a dreadful
28:41 result and they're just going to have to respond against Birmingham, it's a big game in the
28:50 context of the season.
28:53 And next this week we shine a spotlight on Barnsley who played out a 3-0 victory in their
28:59 replay against Horsham in the FA Cup and will now face a trip to Sutton United, what was
29:06 your assessment of the match and how do you think they're going to go into their game
29:10 against Lincoln City?
29:14 Yeah I mean it was a professional performance from Barnsley certainly in the first half
29:21 and obviously about righting the wrongs of having the replay in the first place obviously
29:28 drew the 3-0 at Oatwell against Horsham, a bit of a helter-skelter game and I think as
29:37 well a bit of a character examination for teams.
29:42 Barnsley had a little bit of a bit of a run, not just because of what happened in the first
29:47 game but also what happened on Saturday, they were very well beaten at Derby County, lost
29:52 3-0 and continued that little worrying streak if you're going to be picky about Barnsley.
30:01 When they played the leading side they expected to be up there at the top of league one they've
30:08 been second best.
30:09 I did the game against Peterborough earlier this season and that was the case, they lost
30:14 at home to Oxford, they've lost to Portsmouth and now they've lost to Derby although even
30:21 though Derby haven't started the season like a house on fire you'd expect them to be in
30:26 the top six mix.
30:27 So it was quite critical, Neil Collins after the weekend game so I think in some regards
30:34 having a game relatively soon after wasn't necessarily a bad thing even though it was
30:39 a replay, a long trip to West Sussex potentially could have done without it but I think it
30:45 served its purpose in the event, a professional job in the first half and three goals and
30:54 an excellent goal from John McAtee, the third one, it was a real stunning first touch and
31:01 an even better chip finish.
31:04 He got two goals to his account so I think the second half was probably a bit more muted
31:13 and to be fair Horsham had a bit more of a go but the tie was effectively done at half
31:19 time but a decent night's work for Barnsley.
31:23 I think the big plus as well individually was seeing Luka Connell, a huge player for
31:30 Barnsley last season, a classy midfielder, pulls the strings, settles down Barnsley.
31:36 He's been out since the summer with a debilitating illness, he'd been some small steps on the
31:45 road to recovery and he'd actually played in the first game against Horsham, he came
31:49 on as a substitute but this was his first start since the play-off final so great for
31:55 all and sundry to see Luka back, he's a big player for Barnsley and that was another big
32:03 tick in the box.
32:05 They're obviously not playing this weekend now with the Jamaica call-ups, the game against
32:10 Carlisle has been postponed, they've got an EFL trophy game next Tuesday against Bradford
32:19 but like you say the next league game is against Lincoln on Saturday week and they'll be using
32:28 that time, I'm sure they'll have a few days off to mentally refresh and then turn their
32:39 attentions to Lincoln because it's been a pretty decent start to the season for Barnsley
32:46 but still plenty of work to be done and as I've mentioned the struggle against some of
32:54 the sides at the top end of the table.
32:58 Well I think to be fair there's been one or two candidates as you said Mark at the outset
33:15 it has been definitely a mixed weekend for Yorkshire teams, a great result for Middlesbrough
33:23 against Leicester and it didn't have to do with Leeds United as well.
33:28 Sam Greenwood on loan at Borough on Leeds, a great free kick and it was obviously applauded
33:36 on T-side but I think there was a few cheers in West Yorkshire as well and obviously on
33:41 the back of Leeds getting another three points and looking strong at home against Plymouth.
33:47 I think looking at Leeds, Archie Gray is a player that myself and Stuart have regularly
33:54 spoken about and this column is hard to believe, he's only 17, a fine young footballer, seems
34:02 to have a great attitude and he's only 17 years old, it's mad to think that really and
34:09 what he's capable of.
34:11 He's excelled at right back and also in the centre of the park.
34:17 He had another strong game against Plymouth and Joe Rodland as well, he showed his class
34:24 in recent times, he was a great performance against Leicester and he's been solid as a
34:31 rock of late, for Middlesbrough I've mentioned Greenwood.
34:37 Jonathan Howson, still going that old stage, he marked Dewsbury Hall out with a game of
34:43 big player for Leicester apparently and Dale Frye as well had a great game by all accounts.
34:50 I think I mentioned we've spoken about Liam Dillatt, he had another good game against
34:57 Huddersfield, got his goal and obviously gone on to England duties now with a bit of a spring
35:02 in his step.
35:03 I think in terms of a player of the week I'm going to go for Jack Robinson, it's been a
35:09 tough time and a tough season for Sheffield United and the players, they've took some
35:15 kicks in the teeth, none more so than against Newcastle, they have a huge character examination
35:24 and Robinson's one of those who's stepped up, he was strong, commanding and resolute
35:30 again at Brighton, I'll mention also for Austin Trustee, he's come into the side and shown
35:37 what he's about and also shown organisational qualities.
35:43 I'm going to go for Jack Robinson, he's the sort of solid, proper professional that every
35:49 side in a position like Sheffield United need, so he's got the nod for my player of the week.
35:55 What you said there is very true, unfortunately it takes situations where clubs find themselves
36:03 in real strife during a season for players to really take a long hard look at themselves
36:11 and think 'right, I can do something here' and they step forward.
36:17 Yeah absolutely, I mean you look at Sheffield United last season, the tail of their tape
36:22 is they got promoted and finished second but there was just so much going on wasn't there?
36:26 There was talk of takeover talk and uncertainty in that regard and there were issues with
36:35 transfer embargoes and there was a couple of periods in the season where they lost form
36:41 and one or two sides were chasing them and they showed a strong jaw and held the nerve
36:47 and they've got a strong core of, they've brought one or two players in, but that strong
36:53 core of senior players, the Norwoods of this world, the Robinsons, the Eagans, they're
37:00 not just important players but good people and the police, the dressing room.
37:07 As well with Robinson, you have to look at Sheffield United, they've got a couple of
37:12 senior defenders out as well, John Egan's out, Chris Basham's as well, so that takes
37:17 responsibility on the shoulders doesn't it? Yeah, they're going to need them in the weeks
37:23 and months ahead for sure.
37:27 Many thanks to Leon Wobbshaw who will doubtless join us again soon for more discussions on
37:41 the Yorkshire football scene, but don't forget you can keep up to date with all the
37:43 football news across Yorkshire and beyond by logging onto our website at yp.sport@nationalworld.com
37:49 or if you search for Yorkshire Post Sport, Yorkshire Post Football or even Sheffield
37:52 Sport on Facebook you can find us there as well. If you have any questions for our writers
37:56 you can get in touch using those various Twitter or Facebook pages or email us directly with
38:00 a subject matter as footballtalkpodcast@yp.sport@nationalworld.com. As ever, many thanks for listening, look
38:08 after yourselves and bye for now.
38:10 (upbeat music)