On this week’s show, host Mark Singleton is joined by The YP’s Stuart Rayner and Leon Wobschall, who start off by assessing the below-par performance by Sheffield United against Bournemouth and how the players owe manager Paul Heckingbottom better performances in the coming weeks if they are to avoid an instant return to the Championship.
In the Championship, have Huddersfield Town turned a corner after a hard-earned point against Southampton and a 2-1 win at Sunderland?
Elsewhere, Leeds United maintained their push for promotion, while Hull City moved into the top six for the first time this season with an impressive 4-1 demolition of of Rotherham United.
And what about Sam Cosgrove’s bizarre winning goal for Barnsley in stoppage time at home to Wycombe Wanderers?
Finally, we get to hear who is regarded as ‘Team of the Week’ and ‘Player of the Week’.
In the Championship, have Huddersfield Town turned a corner after a hard-earned point against Southampton and a 2-1 win at Sunderland?
Elsewhere, Leeds United maintained their push for promotion, while Hull City moved into the top six for the first time this season with an impressive 4-1 demolition of of Rotherham United.
And what about Sam Cosgrove’s bizarre winning goal for Barnsley in stoppage time at home to Wycombe Wanderers?
Finally, we get to hear who is regarded as ‘Team of the Week’ and ‘Player of the Week’.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:10 Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Football Talk from the Yorkshire Post, where we will be discussing some of the latest talking points from the world of football with members of our football writing team.
00:18 On this week's episode, we're joined by Chief Football Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Stuart Rayner, and Football Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Bjorn Walshall, to discuss all of the latest developments affecting our local clubs.
00:28 Don't forget you can keep up to date with all the football news across Yorkshire and beyond by logging onto our website at yp.sport@nationalworld.com, as well as checking out our various Twitter feeds, the main one being @ypsport.
00:41 If you search for Yorkshire Post Sport, Yorkshire Post Football, or even Sheffield Sport on Facebook, you can find us there as well.
00:47 And if you have any questions for our writers, you can get in touch using those various Twitter or Facebook pages, or email us directly with a subject matter as football talk podcast at yp.sport@nationalworld.com.
00:58 YorkshirePost.co.uk
01:01 As mentioned earlier in the intro, this week we're joined by Chief Football Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Stuart Rayner, and Football Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Bjorn Walshall. Good morning, guys.
01:09 Morning.
01:11 So this week we saw Sheffield Wednesday fall to a 2-1 defeat when they visited Birmingham City, and we will cover them more in this podcast.
01:19 Middlesbrough recorded a 3-2 defeat on their visit to Bristol City.
01:24 Hull City claimed a point in their 2-2 draw against Swansea City.
01:28 Barnsley also claimed a point when they drew 2-2 against Lincoln City.
01:33 We'll be covering both Barnsley and Hull City in more detail later on in the podcast.
01:38 However, in League Two we also saw Bradford City claim all three points in their 1-0 victory over Accrington Stanley.
01:45 Harrogate Town and Doncaster Rovers fell to 2-1 and 3-2 away defeats, respectively.
01:51 Right, but this week we start with Sheffield United in the Premier League, who fell to a 3-1 defeat when Bournemouth paid a visit to Bramhall Lane.
01:59 The Blades are now four points away from safety.
02:02 With the game against Burnley coming up next, will there be much pressure on Paul Hickingbottom and his side going into December, Stuart?
02:10 Oh, of course, yes, absolutely.
02:13 I mean, you've got to put things in context.
02:18 I think there were only three teams on the planet that spent more money in the transfer market than Bournemouth over the calendar year.
02:24 And they've got some good players to show for it.
02:27 Antoine Semenya was very good on Saturday, Marcus Tamania scored a couple of goals, he was excellent.
02:35 Justin Cliver obviously has to live with being Patrick's son, but they signed him from Roma, he's no mug whatsoever.
02:46 And Dominic Solanke's a good player, so they were up against a good team in Bournemouth.
02:50 But we talk a lot about the sort of mini-league that Sheffield United are in.
02:55 And when you're in that mini-league, you've got to win at least some of your home games in that league.
03:02 And they've now dropped a couple of points against Everton and lost to Bournemouth.
03:08 But it wasn't so much the fact that they lost the game, it was the manner of how they lost the game.
03:15 I mean, really, they went into that match on the back of their first win of the season, followed up by a really good draw at Brighton.
03:24 They then had the further confidence boost of Everton's points deduction.
03:29 They've got a couple of key players back on the bench, McBurnie and Ahmed Hodzic.
03:35 For all that things were going well for Bournemouth, they were in decent shape to attack this game.
03:43 And they just weren't competitive at all. They didn't get in Bournemouth's faces, they stood off them too much.
03:50 It was a really lacklustre performance on a day when they needed a really good one.
03:55 Had they lost honourably, as it were? Had they put in a good performance?
04:02 You'd be saying, "Well, at least there was this, at least there was that." You'd be making the excuses.
04:07 But it was the fact that they were so limp. And now they've got another one of those games.
04:12 They're playing Burnie away on Saturday, as you've mentioned. That's another game they can't afford to let pass by.
04:19 So, I think, personally, I'm not entirely sure what Leon thinks, but personally I'm of the opinion that
04:27 Sheffield United should stay with Paul Heckingbottom.
04:31 Because I don't see anybody coming in and doing a better job with that squad of players.
04:36 But every match that his players go out and play like that, just makes it that much harder for the Sheffield United board.
04:44 And they owe it to him, as much as anything else. The players owe it to him to really go in and show it to them more.
04:52 The sort of fight that was missing against Bournemouth.
04:56 And if they're not good enough on the day, they're not good enough on the day.
04:59 But to say that you were outworked and outran in a game like that, particularly, is just not acceptable.
05:07 Yeah, I totally agree with what you've said there, Stuart. I mean, it's just so disappointing, isn't it?
05:14 A very difficult start to the season, for a lot of reasons.
05:19 Just clawing a little bit back, obviously, all the drama of the game against Wolves.
05:27 And shoulder meddling coming from behind against Brighton.
05:30 Even a little bit before that, against the loss to Manchester United, they weren't too far away.
05:36 There was a little kernel of hope there.
05:39 And they obviously come into it on the back of a decent-sized international break.
05:45 A couple of players coming back, as Stuart said.
05:49 Just so flat and disappointing.
05:53 They've had some kicks in the teeth, Sheffield United.
05:57 I was there for the Newcastle Munch Chronicle 1, the 8-0 one.
06:04 That was desperate.
06:06 I think in a different sort of way, I think that the game last Saturday was probably as disappointed as Paul Hagenbottom's probably been all season.
06:21 Certainly on the pitch.
06:24 There's probably a case for saying that throughout his time there, he probably didn't see it coming.
06:31 He was coming into it on the back of four points from six, one or two players coming back.
06:37 And just seeing the highlights, Stuart was there, just seeing the total no-show.
06:44 It's the worst preparation you can have going into, we keep saying huge games in Sheffield United this season.
06:52 This one is just ginormous for both teams, isn't it?
06:55 You look at Burnley last week, they were leading against West Ham.
07:01 A punishing blow there at the end.
07:04 A huge game for both managers really.
07:08 You just hope that...
07:10 Remember how well both of them, I'm not just talking about Paul Hagenbottom, but Vincent Kompany as well.
07:16 They performed outstandingly well last season in the Championship.
07:21 Taking aside from the Championship, the Premier League is a few levels up.
07:26 The side of me hopes that there will be some people who can give them some credit in the back of the bank.
07:34 There is patience, but it's not finite.
07:38 There's a lot of games going on in December.
07:41 By every passing bad performance, Sheffield United have had one or two now.
07:50 More and more, the music is going to turn against Paul Hagenbottom.
07:55 I've got a hell of a lot of sympathy, as I know Stuart has.
08:00 It does feel like a big game for them on Saturday.
08:04 Sheffield United fans aren't idiots.
08:07 They know how little they've had to spend.
08:10 They know what the clubs are up against.
08:12 They know that Sheffield United's best might not be good enough to stay up this season.
08:19 They're perfectly entitled to demand that they at least see Sheffield United's best.
08:23 Particularly in games like that, to an extent, though it goes against the grain to say it,
08:30 you can write off games like Newcastle and games like Carsonal.
08:33 Those sort of games are going to happen.
08:35 But this was a game where it really mattered.
08:38 There really was an opportunity.
08:39 As I said, Bournemouth are a good side, but there are 19 good sides in the Premier League.
08:44 You can't just accept defeat in all of them.
08:48 They are still in that battle.
08:50 They're in that bottom five.
08:52 They are one of the teams they had to target.
08:54 You at least wanted to see that intent.
08:57 Whereas for the first 15 minutes when the game was at 0-0,
09:00 you stood off them, they let them have the ball,
09:02 they basically killed the atmosphere at Bramall Lane,
09:05 which they talk about so much as being a strength of theirs.
09:08 Paul Heckingbottom talks all the time about wanting to play front foot football
09:12 to get the crowd involved, because that's the way he wants to play.
09:17 It was back foot all the way and it was really disappointing.
09:21 Hopefully it will just be a one-off, but it was a really, really bad time.
09:26 If you're going to have a one-off, two have it.
09:29 It's not just about the wins, it's about the manner of the performances as well,
09:41 isn't it, against teams that are down at the bottom as well
09:44 in terms of that public relations exercise with supporters.
09:48 Fans have done a thing.
09:50 We can't even beat Bournemouth, we can't even compete against them really.
09:57 That's the danger of it, not just looking at the games.
10:02 He's played a huge, huge game with Burnley and you look a little bit further down the line,
10:06 I know that you'll be doing that game as well, the Luton game as well.
10:10 For Paul's sake, you just think he can't afford, I mean who knows what's going to happen this week,
10:17 but two more performances of that ilk against Burnley or Luton.
10:22 Every week, and quite rightly, the Sheffield United manager and the players ask the fans
10:28 to turn up and give their absolute maximum at Bromwell Lane.
10:32 They're going to need that, but there's a deal in part of this.
10:35 If you're going to ask for that, you have to give that as well.
10:38 The players just didn't do that.
10:42 As Leo pointed out, they've been competitive in plenty of games this season.
10:46 There have been a few bad days, but only a few.
10:50 But nevertheless, as I say, terrible, terrible time to chuck one in like that.
10:56 Even if they don't beat Burnley, we have to see a reaction in attitude from them.
11:04 Yeah, totally right.
11:06 And next we turn to the Championship and Huddersfield Town,
11:10 who were able to battle hard against Southampton and claim an impressive point
11:14 thanks to Ben Jackson's shot going past everyone and into the back of the net in the 89th minute.
11:20 This was then followed up by an impressive 2-1 victory when they paid a visit to Sunderland.
11:24 This now leaves the Terriers six points off the drop zone, and they now face a trip to Swansea City.
11:30 What do you think we can expect from that game, and what were your thoughts on the performances, Leon?
11:38 Well, I think with a short turnaround, the last thing you want to do is...
11:43 I mean, it's a long, long trip to Swansea at the start of December.
11:48 But for any side, especially backing up... I put my Wednesday night away fixture.
11:54 You didn't want to be going there on the back of a defeat.
12:00 Full credit to Huddersfield. I wasn't working on Wednesday, but I watched most of the game against Sunderland.
12:08 There's a consistency to the way they've set up.
12:16 It's been forced by circumstance, really. There's a hell of a lot of players injured or unavailable.
12:26 I think they only had 13 fit players against Watford, and the numbers weren't much better for the Hull and the Southampton game.
12:39 So, I think we mentioned it before, on the back of those two lousy and heavy defeats that they had against Cardiff and Leeds.
12:49 They had to get back to basics and become hard to beat.
12:55 They played 3-10, essentially a five-man back line.
13:00 It's served them well. They have been very well organised.
13:05 They've done a lot of work on the training ground.
13:09 Three goals conceded in four games now. That's the right sort of consistency, especially when you have a team at the wrong end of the table.
13:18 It was just about adding that little bit extra and making themselves a bit more of a threat going forward.
13:27 They went and did the whole game, and that was primarily just a point.
13:33 They very, very nearly got one, to be quite honest.
13:36 I think that performance would probably be put into a bit more context by the fact that Hull have just walloped another team down there, Rotherham, at home this week.
13:47 For the first half against Southampton, it was sort of minded on organisation and keeping the shape.
13:55 They went a goal behind. There was a little at the other end of the pitch.
14:00 To be fair to Huddersfield, there was a little bit more dynamism, if you like, and being more proactive in the second half.
14:09 Southampton have got a little bit closer to Josh Karoma.
14:15 They got the goal near the end, and it was psychologically, it felt like a big moment for Huddersfield.
14:23 Importantly, they backed it up. Supporters all conscious, and Darren Morwill went into the game with one win in 11.
14:32 That precious currency of getting a victory, I think you put it, Stuart, the other day somewhere.
14:40 Paul Eggemont was talking about Sheffield United, saying it's all like chipping away at knicking points here and there.
14:46 You're almost better winning one than maybe losing two, than knicking a couple of draws.
14:55 It's just what Huddersfield needed. They had to close ranks a little bit.
15:02 Tough away game going up to the North East. The commitment organisation was terrific.
15:07 They had a threat on the counter-attack with Thomas, who gave everything on Saturday, and he certainly did again last night.
15:19 Plenty of others not far behind. That little bit of threat.
15:24 Birzog as well, he started the game, he had a little cameo against Southampton.
15:31 Stuart, who you know, he called a witness as well. He's a very, very frustrating player.
15:37 He does take the wrong option from time to time, and you're banging your fist thinking, "Why have you done that?"
15:45 But then he'll do what he did last night. He had one opportunity in the second half, and he nicked the goal.
15:51 Huge three points for town, just what everybody needed.
15:55 In contrast, there had been a certain amount of deflation, I would have thought, among Rotterdam supporters when they heard that result.
16:03 And probably Sheffield Wednesday as well, even though they got a heart beating point.
16:08 Fair play to Huddersfield. Chipped away, got a really important win.
16:13 They've shown the character after what happened at Leeds especially.
16:17 If you look at teams down there, they're showing the qualities that you need, and they're not feeling sorry for themselves.
16:25 Yeah, basically reading Leon's report of the Southampton game at the weekend,
16:32 it seemed like they did all the things that I've just been complaining about Sheffield United not doing.
16:37 The injuries are really mounted up there, but they're not feeling sorry for themselves.
16:44 They're getting on with it, and they are having to do things the ugly way, frankly.
16:49 Leon's outline, nail things down at the back, and work on the attacking bits as they go along.
16:57 But you look at what that's done to the league table, and all of a sudden they're level on points with Plymouth.
17:04 They're only a point behind Millwall and Swansea. They're only two behind Stoke.
17:08 The next two games are at home. They've created a bit of positivity where really, if they wanted to go down the excuses route,
17:17 there was a lot of negativity there to be had. You just can't give them enough credit for that.
17:25 I think it's fair to say that Darren Moore's football has been a hard sell at Huddersfield.
17:33 It's not been the most glamorous, the most beautiful football you'll ever see, that's for sure.
17:38 But that's circumstances. That's what happens when you've got a low budget, a high injury list, a new manager coming in.
17:48 I've written a piece in Thursday's Yorkshire Post about how Hull City have been a real building process over the last year,
17:58 and Deleon Mussini, and we'll talk about them later. But it'll be similar at Hull.
18:02 They went for the quick fix last year with Neil Warnock. It was the right thing to do at that stage of the season,
18:07 in the circumstances they're in. But it does tend to put you back to square one.
18:12 If you want to build anything, it does take a bit of time and it does take a bit of patience.
18:17 I think we're all guilty, fans and media, of rushing to judgement sometimes on managers.
18:23 I remember him being under a lot of pressure seven or eight games in after those four deals that Leon mentioned.
18:30 You could totally see why, but these things do take time.
18:39 It does seem as though he's getting that level of defensive organisation.
18:44 When you've got that, you can afford that sort of maverick like Bergsog, who, as Leon says, you really can't rely on.
18:52 But he can just produce that flicker of magic somewhere every now and then that just gives you that little bit extra.
18:59 We know that scoring goals in open play is difficult for Huddersfield.
19:04 If you've just got the structure that allows you to have a player like that, it does really give you something extra.
19:13 Now, all of a sudden, it could very quickly change. Don't get me wrong, they could easily get sucked back into it with a couple of bad results.
19:20 But at the moment, there's just a bit of positivity to build on.
19:24 There's plenty of games in December, isn't there, Stuart?
19:29 They can just chip away, can't they? They might have a bad day here and there, but as long as you just chip away and get a few wins this month,
19:37 I think they've got four home games as well in December, haven't they?
19:41 I do feel a little bit for Darren Moore in the respect he's had a bit of stick from supporters.
19:49 When you've got that many players out and how hard it is to compete against some of the sides that you're up against at a championship level with a squad of resources,
20:00 it was ridiculous on Saturday. Huddersfield couldn't fill the bench, they just had seven.
20:08 St. Anthony had six international. The gulf in terms of what each manager had at their disposal was huge.
20:20 For me, he can't really have done anything different in the last few games.
20:29 His critics have realised that he had to make them harder to beat and organise. He's done that, he's built a base again.
20:40 Hopefully, he'll get one or two other players back. Danny Ward came on at Sunderland on Wednesday night.
20:50 Moore was saying in his press conference last week that Zapparidone might be, there's no specific date, but he certainly sounded hopeful that he'll figure a game.
21:02 This calendar year adds a little bit more to their armoury, but in terms of a group of players giving everything for the shirt,
21:10 that's certainly been in evidence in the last few games. Some of the blocks that they put in at Sunderland were tremendous, led by, unsurprisingly, Jonathan Hart.
21:23 Next, our attention turns to promotion chasing Leeds United, who had to settle for a point when they were held to a one-all draw when they visited Rotherham United.
21:41 What were your thoughts on the two performances, Stuart?
21:53 Well, they were strange. They were a bit contrasting. They were actually pretty typical of what the championship is about at this stage of the season from a Leeds perspective.
22:06 We'll talk a bit more about Rotherham down the line, but in terms of Leeds' game there on the Friday night, I thought they played really well in the first half.
22:16 Or rather, they played really well in possession, but they didn't put the game away. When you're playing at the New York stadium, you can be punished for that.
22:25 The game against Swansea, they weren't as good, but they got the job done. In these three game weeks, at this time of the year, when you're really churning out games in the championship,
22:40 and when you're going for promotion, it's just about that really. Four points from two games, it's obviously not perfect, six points is, but it's basically job done.
22:52 Swansea are a good side. Michael Duff has turned them from a team that traditionally pass for the sake of passing into a team that plays with a bit more purpose now.
23:04 They caused Leeds some scares early on. You did wonder if it was going to be another one of those nights for Leeds as a half-time approach.
23:14 But absolutely gorgeous piece of skill from Georginio Ruta to take a pass out of the air and then a really calm finish.
23:21 One thing that strikes me about Leeds, I mentioned it to Farquhar after the game, and he talked a little bit about it,
23:28 but it seems to me that he was a bit critical of their finishing in general, but it seems to me that when players get through one-on-one at Leeds at the moment,
23:38 Dan James in particular, Somerville Ruta, there seems to be a real calmness in front of goal.
23:44 Personally, I just have that much more confidence that when I see them going through in those situations,
23:51 that they're going to put the ball in the back of the net. That was what did the job for them on the night. It was really good.
23:59 There certainly weren't two games that you would look back on with the utmost fondness or even remember unduly.
24:09 But as I say, it was just a case of getting the job done.
24:13 We saw, those of us who were at Ellen Road, when we heard the result come through from Hillsborough where Leicester had dropped two points at Sheffield Wednesday,
24:22 it was just a reminder that all teams, no matter how good they are, will drop points in this absolutely relentless championship.
24:32 When you do, it's just about dusting yourself off and coming back with a good result. That's what Leeds did, all credit to them.
24:39 I think Leeds are fine, aren't they? You look at them.
24:44 I think also there's these huge games that they've got before the end of the calendar year.
24:51 You look at some of the options that they've got. They can rotate and switch it around if need be.
25:00 You wonder, he might have pressured it up against Middles, but who knows?
25:04 He's got a few games after that, hasn't he? A midweek game at Sunderland, not long, far down the line.
25:12 You've got Pagano, Bamford, Jed Spence is back now. Liam Cooper was on the bench against Swansea.
25:23 They've got a real number of quality players to bring in and navigate this period that can find out teams at the top end of the table.
25:37 You find out who are the wannabes and the contenders. Leeds tick every box for me.
25:45 When they've had little setbacks so far this season, they've usually reacted, haven't they?
25:51 Pretty much straight away. I think they lost to Southampton, they won the next game.
25:57 Obviously, disappointing in that they threw away the game and allowed Rotherham back into it.
26:02 I've obviously got back straight on the horse against Swansea.
26:11 You look at them in games as well, they were 2-0 down at Norwich a couple of months ago.
26:20 They managed to win that, so it suggests as well as the talent, obviously we spoke before about the good spine in the team.
26:28 They've got Piero Root who's been playing really well, Brodon and Padu.
26:37 They've got good characters and a good dressing room.
26:43 They're led by a manager who's pretty much seen everything this division has to offer.
26:50 Leeds are in a very good place for me. They've got some interesting games coming up.
26:58 Borough, Blackburn, going to Sunderland. They've got it at Ipswich just before Christmas.
27:04 As Stuart said, it's a championship. Unless you're a pretty special team, you're going to have little things that don't go your way.
27:12 There's less to find out at Hillsborough and they've obviously lost at Borough relatively recently as well.
27:17 It makes it all interesting. Obviously Ipswich as well, they lost on Saturday at West Brom.
27:23 Provided an answer against Millwall, the trick in a championship.
27:28 I remember them saying it's good size, don't lose back-to-back games.
27:35 I wonder if Farke is wise to that notion because Leeds have been very consistent in that regard.
27:45 Whenever they've had a bit of a bump, they've usually reacted.
27:48 Just backing up what Leon was saying earlier with regards to Huddersfield and the contrast in resources in the championship.
27:57 Michael Duff was asked after the Swansea game, the Swansea manager, 'What did you make of Leeds' front four?'
28:05 Which his answer was, 'Well, which four?'
28:08 Because for all the players they had on the field at the start, they've then got an Italy international in Willy Nanto on the bench.
28:17 Leon's reeled off some of the other players they've got.
28:22 December should be their time because this is the time of year when you can really make squad depth count.
28:30 If you're fortunate enough to be playing a midweek game and suddenly you can bring in Jed Spence for his first game of the season.
28:43 Or you've got a centre-back who picks up five bookings but you can bring in Liam Cooper.
28:51 Or as I say, your wingers having a bad day and you can bring on Willy Nanto.
29:00 There's a lot of depth there and this is really the time for Leeds United to make the most of that.
29:08 They'll be hoping, with the greatest of respect to them, that teams like Ipswich just don't have that same squad depth to churn out that sort of consistency.
29:18 But it's not just about the quality they have, it's about what Leon said.
29:22 It's about that mental quality and the calmness that Daniel Farke brings.
29:26 I've mentioned before on this podcast that at the really big clubs with the big follow-ins,
29:32 in our Yorkshire respects we think of Leeds in the Championship and Sheffield Wednesday and Bradford in League 2.
29:40 A drama can very easily become a crisis.
29:43 He's very good, as Leon's pointed out, at stamping out things straight away and just making sure that they're no more than a wobble.
29:52 That, I think, is probably their biggest asset in the Championship.
29:58 It's about having a stamp of business, Stuart.
30:01 With the squad resources thing we've spoken about, it's never more than this period in a season
30:09 that you find out what you've got on the pitch and in the dressing room.
30:17 It's a real test your stamina, this schedule.
30:21 I think if Leeds can have a good month going into the new year and they don't mess up January,
30:28 I'm not going to put a target on their back, but I do think all bets are off in terms of what they can achieve this season.
30:35 Obviously, a long way to go until January 1st.
30:39 I don't know about you, Mark, I think they'll just put a target on their back.
30:42 [Laughter]
30:44 Well, we'll have to wait and see come January. It will be a very interesting period.
30:49 It will.
30:51 Next, our attention turns to Hull City, who hosted Rotherham United and claimed a thumping 4-1 victory over their visitors.
30:58 This sees the Tigers move into the top six.
31:01 The game saw goals from Tyler Morton, Scott Twine and a double from Jadon Philhijne and a consolation goal from Grant Hall.
31:09 This must be a huge boost to Hull City's confidence, but at the same time pushes Rotherham United closer to the drop zone, Stuart.
31:18 Yes, it was a strange game to be at as a neutral, particularly as a Yorkshire Post reporter on a derby day.
31:28 For a Hull City fan, it just reminded you how brilliant football is.
31:34 They were fantastic to watch. They really enjoyed themselves.
31:37 They really played with a smile on their face and really played some good stuff.
31:41 If you were a Rotherham fan, it reminded you what a stupid, horrible game this is.
31:46 In keeping with the rest of their season, they were so good on Friday to battle their way to a draw against Leeds United.
31:56 They were so feeble away from home. They're so Jekyll and Hyde.
32:02 It must be absolutely infuriating to be a Rotherham United fan at the moment.
32:08 I saw both the last two home draws against Ipswich and Leeds.
32:19 You come away from them thinking, 'This is a really good team here. There's something really there.'
32:25 But then I saw them capitulate at Sheffield Wednesday.
32:30 They obviously lost 5-0 to Watford in the meantime, costing Mark Taylor the job.
32:35 There was just nothing there against Hull. They were really poor.
32:40 I think what slim chances Wayne Carlyle had of going from caretaker manager to manager will have ended there.
32:48 They really need to crack on and get the management situation sorted.
32:54 I was saying to Leon in the week, more than a manager, they need a psychologist at the moment.
32:58 They're showing all the qualities at home that should serve them well away.
33:03 Being determined and good defensively and getting stuck in.
33:08 They just don't seem to be able to do it when they leave the New York stadium.
33:12 That's the negative. We should probably focus more on the positive, which is that Hull were brilliant.
33:17 You always have to caveat it in the back of your mind.
33:23 Be at home to Rotherham and we know what Rotherham are like away.
33:26 Nevertheless, there was just a joy about the way Hull played the football.
33:35 Jadon Fillington scoring a backheel goal after nine minutes just summed up the mood.
33:40 They were trying tricks and flicks and of course they were coming off because it was that kind of day.
33:45 Tyler Morton was excellent coming from midfield.
33:48 Jadon Fillington just looks a real quality player.
33:51 Liam De Latte was linking up brilliantly.
33:54 Scott Twain scored one of the easiest goals of his life.
33:57 But because it was his first goal for Hull City, that should be really important for him psychologically.
34:03 You could see the lift in him after that.
34:06 Jacob Greeves bursting out the back like he thought it was Franz Beckenbauer trying to score goals.
34:13 It was just a really good performance from Hull.
34:16 More importantly, their third home win on the chart.
34:19 They've got another home game to come on Saturday.
34:22 They're building a bit of momentum.
34:24 Leon mentioned quite rightly at a couple of Hull games earlier in the season that they were playing well
34:30 but they weren't killing teams off often enough.
34:32 They were drawing too many games.
34:34 Well, three games is too few to say they've got over that hurdle.
34:39 But they're showing signs of making that next step.
34:43 If they do, there's a lot of talent there.
34:46 They also have a lot of strength and depth on the bench.
34:50 I think if I was a Hull fan, I'd just be really looking forward to the next game and the game after that.
34:55 They're in good shape right now.
34:58 Yeah, they've had a... It's probably not the right word, really, adversity.
35:02 But I suppose bumps in the road at Hull, didn't they?
35:05 Earlier in the season, they had a bit of an annoying habit of not being able to kill teams off and drawing games.
35:14 I think they had a spell. They didn't win in five and then they've won the last three, haven't they?
35:19 So they've answered a few of the knockers there.
35:25 Probably Liam Messina as well. He spoke about being a bit more ruthless at both ends of the pitch.
35:32 Yeah, it looked like a spanking good performance against Rotherham.
35:39 I think the result that... I've been drawn to a little bit with Hull.
35:45 It was the game on Saturday. They were 2-0 down against Swansea.
35:52 It was a bit on the shoulders there and there must have been some harsh words at half-time.
35:59 But the players came together and summoned up a response.
36:03 Messina made a couple of tactical changes by all accounts.
36:08 Hull showed what they were about.
36:11 It was obviously impressive in midweek from what Stuart saw against Rotherham.
36:18 That result, manner and character of achieving it against Swansea from two goals behind,
36:26 suggests to me that Hull have a good chance to be sticking around in the top six this season.
36:34 They've bought well in the last window and bringing in Phil Hulme, who looks a terrific young player.
36:43 He's got recognition at under-21 level with England.
36:47 Tyler Morton looks really good at loan signing.
36:51 I know Liam Messina seems to think the world of him.
36:56 To be fair, he does of all his players, doesn't he?
37:00 I've been impressed with Hull as well. They've got back to that odd bump up.
37:04 That defensive set-up from last season has had a welcome reappearance.
37:13 I just think they're entitled to enjoy the ride.
37:18 This time last year, it was about keeping out of trouble at the other end of the table.
37:24 Building that foundation and being hard to beat this time last year.
37:30 Hull have moved it on a couple of notches.
37:34 There's talk that they'll be back in January to hopefully harden their play-off credentials.
37:41 It seems to be a really good, positive time to be a Hull fan.
37:48 We've mentioned a few times in this podcast, myself and Stuart, that if they want inspiration, Hull.
37:56 There's plenty of teams around them.
37:58 You look at Coventry, what they achieved last season, Luton as well.
38:03 It's all there for them and they can look forward to a vibrant and successful second half of the season.
38:13 They're just reaping the rewards of identifying a really good coach.
38:21 And sticking with him, letting him build the job.
38:24 In their own way, that's what Rotherham have got to do now, Leon.
38:30 The uncertainty around the club, the longer it goes on without a manager, is annoying, frustrating and potentially costly.
38:40 It's been confirmed that Wayne Carlyle will take the team.
38:49 He's doing best duties ahead of the game against Birmingham.
38:54 He'll be in charge for that one. He can understand Rotherham wanting to get everything right and the ducks in a row.
39:03 There's no excuses, Stuart. After this game at Birmingham, they've got seven days until the next.
39:11 They've got back-to-back home games. They've got Swansea and West Brom.
39:15 A week between Birmingham and Swansea.
39:18 They've simply got to get that sorted out by then. Supporters will be coming to the New York stadium.
39:26 They'll be wanting to, hopefully, let's hope they can get this millstone off the back away from home at Birmingham.
39:35 But if they don't, they're going to need something to buy into ahead of these two home games.
39:42 Let's be honest, it's been home form that's been propping Rotherham up.
39:48 You just thought a few weeks ago, whenever it was, they got that away point at Southampton.
39:56 They battled against adversity, a hell of a lot of players being unavailable.
40:01 They got a brilliant point there, but lo and behold, in the next away game, they go and they're a pity team against Sheffield.
40:10 It must be so infuriating for the supporters there at Rotherham.
40:17 Historically, I've mentioned before, their away record over the last five or six years at this level has been beyond bad.
40:30 It's been absolutely horrendous.
40:33 They went one calendar season when they went down without one win.
40:38 And another one, I think it was about March, when they won a few beyond.
40:42 That was the first away win, but they went down that season as well.
40:46 Rotherham have been wrestling with this for far, far too long.
40:53 I think whoever comes into the dugout, that is right at the top of the priority list.
40:59 To somehow give themselves a chance when they go to away games.
41:05 I look at them at the minute and they've conceded a lot of early goals as well, haven't they?
41:10 I don't know the exact stats, but there can't be many more teams who've conceded early goals away from home than Rotherham.
41:17 It seems to be as soon as the kit concedes one psychologically, the players maybe think, well, that's pretty much it then.
41:24 You wonder what the supporters think as well.
41:27 I think that's the key point, Leon. You do feel what they feel when they concede early.
41:34 Contrast with the Friday, when they conceded against Leeds six minutes in and they believe they can get back into it.
41:42 They just need somebody to get it to their heads and point out to them that they are actually better than they're giving themselves credit for.
41:49 To be fair, that's what they did against Southampton we're talking about.
41:55 They went behind early in that game and they got the way back into it.
42:03 They've not done it many times, but they certainly have done it a couple of times.
42:10 As you rightly say, I think there's a bit of psychology going on.
42:17 The one thing I do sympathise a little bit with Rotherham is they've had a hell of a lot of injuries and player unavailability.
42:26 These three game weeks are so, so hard for the likes of Rotherham to negotiate.
42:35 That's not patronising them, that's just reality, isn't it?
42:39 When you've got injury issues, players unavailable, just freshening it up and coping with this sort of schedule.
42:48 It's hard enough for most clubs, but in the bottom six, we've touched on Huddersfield and Rotherham.
42:57 God, it's so difficult.
43:00 Next, we travel to Oakwell, where Barnsley claimed a frankly bizarre 1-0 victory over visitors Wickham Wanderers through a stoppage time goal from Sam Crossgrove.
43:11 When it looked like both teams were destined to share the points on the night, the Tikes managed to secure all three points for themselves.
43:18 What did you make of the game and how could you see them going into their next league game against Reading, Leon?
43:24 Well, it was a pig-awful game to be quite honest, Mark.
43:30 I'll give Neil Collins his due, he did try and talk it up afterwards.
43:40 I think the general consensus was that it certainly wasn't the best.
43:46 It must have been something like the midway point of the second half when Barnsley actually had the first attempt on target.
43:54 To be fair, Wickham came, they were on a bad run and I think they got about nine or ten players out.
44:00 So they were only going to play one way and they were pretty well organised to be fair to them.
44:06 In fairness, we'll talk about the goal, all the headlines will be about that.
44:14 Credit to Neil Collins in the respect that he's had a little bit of stick from supporters of late.
44:24 He was criticised a little bit, especially in the game before at Lincoln, there was a sell-out away.
44:30 He had a chance if you don't know what you're doing, your football is rubbish this, that and the other.
44:37 It wasn't rubbish, it was another word but we'll not use that.
44:41 He'd been under the cosh a little bit and he brought on Sam Cosgrove at Lincoln and by all accounts he made a bit of a difference there.
44:51 Barnsley scored near the end but they gave it away when Lincoln managed to level.
44:58 But he'd been making a difference and to be fair to Collins he said consistently that he had a disrupted pre-season.
45:06 Sam Cosgrove at Birmingham, his future was up in the air and he came with a few niggles, probably had to work on his fitness.
45:15 Consistently said you'll see the best of him as he gets a bit of wool on his back at Barnsley and he gets assimilated.
45:24 He had a good cameo against Lincoln and he turned the game for me against Wickham, a game going nowhere.
45:30 He brought off Callum Stiles who is a big name player for Barnsley but it just wasn't happening for him.
45:36 He threw Cosgrove into the mix and he started to unsettle a few more of the Wickham defenders.
45:45 They had the best spell Barnsley and it just felt like a real big moment in the season potentially.
45:55 They've had a terrible November for one reason or the other. They've got a good pounding at Derby.
46:02 They've got a heavily beat at Bradford, albeit in an EFL game.
46:07 But you still don't want to lose 5-1 do you?
46:11 And obviously getting eliminated from the FA Cup, fielding an eligible player which was a totally embarrassing and regrettable affair.
46:22 They've done it tough and you just think that everyone connected with the club and certainly Neil Collins needed that moment at the end.
46:31 It was bizarre, it'll be one of those that will be shown on festive DVDs in years to come.
46:41 I don't know what Stuart thought of it. I thought it was a fair legitimate goal.
46:46 There was obviously a drop ball and the Wickham keeper had the ball at his feet.
46:52 He was trying to waste time. Fair play to Cosgrove.
46:56 He wasn't really chasing the Ross Gaws, he just thought 'I'll have a run and see what happens' and pressurised him.
47:05 At the last minute the Wickham keeper picked up the ball, got a very slight barge from Cosgrove
47:12 and then fell over and coughed up the ball. It was loose and to be fair to Cosgrove he stayed alive and he took the ball away.
47:21 Fair play to the officials as well. He probably wouldn't have been given would he in the Premier League with everything.
47:30 But the pressure that Cosgrove put on the keeper didn't force him to fall over and drop the ball.
47:38 It was active and in play and he finished it. Totally bizarre and wacky but in the final analysis it could be a big moment in Barnes this season.
47:54 Certainly the best moment in a really rough November.
47:59 I enjoyed watching it. It helped take away the identities of the team.
48:03 I'm sick of seeing it where somebody sneezes two yards away from the goalkeeper and the goalkeeper drops the ball and it's a foul.
48:09 We saw it in the Man City-Liverpool game at the weekend with Alisson.
48:14 They're ridiculously overprotected and sometimes you want to shake a referee and remind him this is a contact game and not a netball.
48:23 It was good to see and Barnsley needed that as a club for the reasons Leon's outlined.
48:33 It was lucky in the sense that plenty of other referees would have disallowed that even in League 1 and throughout the Football League.
48:42 But as Leon's outlined they probably earned that luck with that good substitution with Sam Cosgrove.
48:49 They had a difficult start to life at Barnsley forcing the issue and creating that pressure.
48:55 Sometimes you just need those moments and that's why I was saying earlier if clubs panic and sack managers,
49:02 not that Neil Collins was in danger of the sack but we've seen it at other clubs,
49:07 panic and sack managers before you get to that point.
49:10 Whole seasons can turn on moments like this and it's up to Barnsley now to make sure that this does turn things a bit.
49:19 I don't want to overplay things, it's not like they were in an absolute tailspin and things were in crisis.
49:26 It was one win in six and that was a cup win at that.
49:31 It was a bit of a wobble in the sense of a team going for promotion.
49:37 They've got some tough games coming over the horizon.
49:43 Everyone has in December, let's be honest about it.
49:46 But it's up to them now to realise that there's an opportunity for them to kick on again,
49:53 to seize it and to go ahead and do it.
49:56 They've got their issues like every club in the league but if you dwell on them too much
50:02 you'll end up at the bottom of the table if you roll up your sleeves like Barnsley did last season
50:09 and a couple of seasons before that under Bonaire and Ishmael and what have you.
50:14 Then you'll get your rewards and it seemed like that's what Barnsley did on the night
50:18 and that's what they've got to do over the course of December.
50:22 I think just a couple of quick points.
50:24 I totally agree with what Stuart said there.
50:26 Just a couple of quick points.
50:28 A clean sheet for Barnsley at Oakwell, they've had that annoying...
50:31 I was talking about Rotherham conceding early goals away.
50:34 It's been a real bugbear for Barnsley this season at home.
50:38 Especially conceding early goals, they managed to avoid that.
50:42 They managed to keep a clean sheet as well which is a tick in the box.
50:47 Luke O'Connell coming back as well.
50:50 He's a player we've spoken quite a lot about.
50:53 He's obviously got the PFA League One Team of the Year last year.
50:58 A player who really made Barnsley tick and showcased everything good about them last year.
51:04 He's been suffering from a worrying illness, post-viral fatigue.
51:08 He's now getting assimilated back into the team.
51:12 He had a couple of cup starts against Horsham, played in the game against Bradford City.
51:18 The EFL trophy, psychologically a big moment for him on Tuesday.
51:24 First home league start in the league since about May.
51:29 He came through, got some more miles in the tank.
51:33 More importantly, he showed leadership.
51:38 The sort of poise that Barnsley have probably been missing in some respects this season.
51:45 That was really welcome to see.
51:48 With Cosgrove, they've got an EFL trophy knockout game at Blackpool next week.
51:57 I think the biggest thing for Cosgrove may start that but I think he's certainly played his way until the start of the next league game at Reading.
52:07 Just to add, I think that's an important point Neil makes about O'Connell.
52:12 He's only 22 and I've only spoken to him once but you can really tell he's a leader.
52:18 You can never have too many of them.
52:21 In the long run as well, if he has a good December, he gets back into the groove.
52:34 It gives Barnsley the option to perhaps sell Callum Stiles if a championship club comes in for him and then reinvest that money.
52:41 They don't have to take the option but it's nice to have those options, isn't it?
52:45 Yeah, absolutely.
52:47 Finally for this week, we look at our Team and Player of the Week.
52:51 This week we turn to Stuart for his Player of the Week and then we'll ask Leon for the team that stood out for him most this week.
52:58 Stuart, which team has caught your eye this week?
53:02 In terms of my Player of the Week, we're often biased in terms of who we've watched that week.
53:11 I couldn't fail to be struck by Jadon Filler.
53:16 He scored an important goal in that comeback Leon was talking about at Swansea and then scored two at home to Rotherham.
53:26 He was so good on the night.
53:28 We're at that time of year where if you're playing well in a game and you've got a decent lead, you actually bring off your best players, not your worst players, to rest them up for Saturday.
53:38 He was so good. Liam McSinney apologised to the crowd for taking him off with half an hour to go.
53:44 There was probably a hat-trick there for the taking for him and it was just great to watch him.
53:51 He's a really exciting player. Leon alluded earlier to the fact that he's broken into the England U21s set-up.
53:58 I'm a big sucker for a good old-fashioned winger who takes people on and that's what he is.
54:06 Jason Lachilo was great on the opposite wing but it was really good to watch Jadon Filler.
54:12 He's the sort of player who gets fans' bums off seats and I can't wait to see him again, frankly.
54:18 Leon, which teams set out for you?
54:22 Stuart used the word 'biased' there and I'm probably going to be the same really.
54:28 I watched Huddersfield against Southampton and they've obviously backed it up with a huge win against Sunderland.
54:38 I will provide a caveat. I think it's worth mentioning Bradford City as well.
54:43 Graham Alexander has gone in there and disappointed me in the first game against Nottingham County.
54:51 They're getting their show on the road a little bit with back-to-back wins against Atherton and Forest Green.
54:58 I'm going to go for Huddersfield. I think given the number of players they've had out and where they were not so long ago after those big defeats we've mentioned,
55:09 they're showing the fight and a bit of a strong jaw.
55:16 A huge result for them in midweek against Sunderland and the commitment, the organisation and the spirit was outstanding.
55:26 The qualities that you need to show in any successful relegation fighter and let's hope Huddersfield can go out of it for their sake.
55:36 A little bit of a reminder of the Neil Warnock times at the end of last season.
55:42 You say you're biased, Liam, and I didn't see either of those games and I definitely have gone for Huddersfield as well.
55:48 With the caveat of Bradford, it's great to see them showing that sort of fight and creating a bit of positivity.
55:59 Well deserving of that choice, I would say.
56:02 Another point of a little caveat is Sheffield Wednesday, isn't it?
56:06 They got a great point against Leicester when many might have given up that one.
56:13 It's wins, isn't it, that are needed, let's be honest. Wednesday.
56:17 Fair play to Danny Rohn there. It's not been a ginormous improvement but they've made one or two baby steps and positive moves under him.
56:30 Let's hope that's a start of more to come.
56:34 Let's hope on next week's podcast we're talking about how that was so important to the result they got at home to Blackburn.
56:45 Good to see them picking up a point like that.
56:48 YorkshirePost.co.uk
56:51 YorkshirePost.co.uk
57:02 Many thanks to Stuart Rayner and Leon Wobbsall who will doubtless join us again soon for more discussions on the Yorkshire football scene.
57:07 But don't forget you can keep up to date with all the football news across Yorkshire and beyond by logging on to our website at yp.sport@nationalworld.com
57:15 or if you search for Yorkshire Post Sport, Yorkshire Post Football or even Sheffield Sport on Facebook, you can find us there as well.
57:21 If you have any questions for our writers you can get in touch using those various Twitter or Facebook pages or email us directly with a subject matter as football talk podcast at yp.sport@nationalworld.com
57:32 As ever, many thanks for listening, look after yourselves and bye for now.
57:36 [Music]