On this week’s show, The YP football writers Stuart Rayner and Leon Wobschall assess how the first half of the 2024-25 campaign has gone for our 11 EFL clubs.
From Leeds United at the top of the Championship to Harrogate Town in the lower reaches of League Two, our panel give their verdict on the performances so far and what will need to happen at each club in the January Transfer Window to enhance their respective chances of success.
From Leeds United at the top of the Championship to Harrogate Town in the lower reaches of League Two, our panel give their verdict on the performances so far and what will need to happen at each club in the January Transfer Window to enhance their respective chances of success.
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SportsTranscript
00:00Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of Football Talk from the Yorkshire Post, where
00:15we will be discussing some of the latest talking points from the world of football with members
00:18of our football writing team. On this week's episode, we're joined by Chief Football
00:22Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Stuart Rayner, and Football Writer for the Yorkshire Post,
00:26discuss all of the latest developments affecting our local clubs. Don't forget you can keep
00:30up to date with all the football news across Yorkshire and beyond by logging onto our website
00:34at yp.sport at nationalworld.com, as well as checking out our various Twitter feeds,
00:39the main one being at ypsport. If you search for Yorkshire Post Sport, Yorkshire Post Football,
00:45or even Sheffield Sport on Facebook, you can find us there as well. And if you have any
00:49questions for our writers, you can get in touch using those various Twitter or Facebook
00:52pages, or email us directly with a subject matter at footballtalkpodcast at yp.sport
00:58at nationalworld.com. YorkshirePost.co.uk.
01:02As mentioned earlier in the intro, this week we're joined by Chief Football Writer for
01:05the Yorkshire Post, Stuart Rayner, and Football Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Liam Wobshaw.
01:09Good morning, guys. Morning. Hello. Morning. Right, this week we'll be looking at how the
01:14first half of the season has gone for our Yorkshire clubs before looking at how they
01:18should be heading into the start of the new year, especially with the transfer window
01:21opening and giving them a chance to strengthen their odds of having a better season. Let's
01:27start with Sheffield United, who so far have had a very dominant and productive first half
01:32of the season. Now, I can't see the Blades having to spend massive amounts of money during
01:37the transfer window, but what would you say could help them improve their chances of promotion,
01:43Leon?
01:44They just need some help, don't they, Chris Wilder's done an outstanding job there. Look
01:47at where they were in the summer. They were, you know, a real big overhaul, a lot of psychological
01:54scar in there. We've spoken about that many times on the podcast. To do what he's done,
02:00build that foundation, that Sheffield United sort of mentality almost, in double quick
02:05time, a lot of ticks in the box. But, you know, you look at their sort of bench, you
02:11know, they're at the sharp end with Leeds and Burnley. Anyone who has a sort of glance
02:16at the bench in terms of the sort of quality levels on paper with the championship experience,
02:23seniority, you know, Leeds and Burnley have it, especially they have a bit more, don't
02:28they? So Sheffield United, they've done terrificly well. A lot of the young players have come
02:32in and fair play, they've put their hand up and contributions there, but they just need
02:37that bit of hardened quality that you'll need at the sharp end in the final third of the
02:44season when, you know, when the heat is really on and there's an expectation to perform and
02:50not just perform, but, you know, it could be that Leeds have played a day earlier or
02:54Burnley have played a day earlier. Deal with that pressure as well. And, yeah, looking
03:00at them, I think, you know, that's certainly another option up front. You know, Kiefer
03:06Moore and, I mean, Tyrese Campbell's been in a real good lick of form, hasn't he? But
03:12there's one or two sort of fitness issues as well. And Moore as well, he's obviously
03:18brought back in the fray for the Millwall game in the middle of December after a calf
03:25issue. But, you know, they look like they need another option there. I'd say somebody
03:30perhaps on the left-hand side as well. And, you know, look at what they've lost in the
03:36middle of the park with Al Blaster, who, you know, a young lad, but, you know, potential
03:42to be a real sort of talisman for them. And Chris Wilder's not the sort who hands the
03:48captain's armband out regularly and he showed his faith in Al Blaster, but he's going to
03:52be out for, it looks like the season, doesn't it? So, you know, some midfield reinforcement
03:58there. But, yeah, it's, I mean, straightforward was the right word. But, you know, you look
04:05at Sheffield, you know, they just need two or three really hardened, proper players,
04:10proper championship players, if you like. And then I think they'll be fine and Wilder
04:16will be happy.
04:17I think more than anything, they just need to send a signal to everyone, the fans, the
04:21players, we're up for this. You know, because in recent years, you know, Prince Abdullah
04:27has had this sort of moniker, the Poundland Prince. There's been a bit of a feeling that
04:32he doesn't have the wherewithal to really go the extra mile. But they're going to have
04:36to if they're going to keep up with Leeds and Burnley. So as we're talking, this takeover
04:42by COH Sports hasn't gone through. You know, the Christmas wish for Sheffield United fans
04:48would be that that has gone through in time to, as Leon says, just make some serious signings
04:54that make people sit up and say, yeah, you know, they're up for this. And, you know,
05:00I take Leon's point about hardened championship quality. I think they've got a lot of that
05:04mentality already. So if they could find a Makati type player who could just sprinkle
05:09that stardust, you know, that the likes of Ben Dope brings to Middlesbrough, if they
05:14could find a loan signing like that as well in one of the attacking positions, I think
05:20that would definitely just, you know, lift the mood and give belief. Because at the moment,
05:26Sheffield United have shown a lot of resilience and, you know, no shortage of quality. But
05:33as Leon says, you do worry. We've worried all season about the depth of them. And so
05:37far in the first half, they have answered the questions. But you look at the personnel
05:42and you do wonder if there will come a point where they just need that reinforcement.
05:48I think the good thing is Underwood. He knows what they'll need, doesn't he? And he can
05:52be trusted in terms of bringing in the right players. I mean, you look at the signings
05:57of Hart, you know, Koop has been, you know, he's come in to me as the best goalkeeper
06:01in that division. Havisu has come in and he's been, you know, he's been just what they've
06:06needed in the defence, rock solid. O'Hare, look at number 10s in the division on his
06:12day, he's right up there. And yeah, I think Wilder can be trusted. He knows what they'll
06:18need to sort of stay in this position. And he just needs to be back, doesn't it?
06:23And he seems to have found the balance that he perhaps hasn't had at certain times at
06:27previous clubs in terms of pushing for what he needs. But the toy is not coming out of
06:31the prime if he doesn't get it. He didn't get everything he wanted in August, but there
06:35was no, you know, he just got his head down and got on with it. And I say, hopefully again,
06:39he is pushing strongly for the right players, but it doesn't upset the apple cart.
06:43Exactly, that's what I mean. You know, it's been a failing in the past, but he does seem
06:49to have got a better balance now.
06:52And next we turn to Leeds United, who have also had a fairly enjoyable first half of
06:56the season, with a number of their new additions to the squad having a very noticeable impact
07:01on results. Now, with that in mind, how would you see Daniel Farquhar's side approaching
07:06the January transfer window, Stuart?
07:09Well, I think probably Leeds are the only team we might talk about in this podcast who
07:13don't need anything. They'll want, you know, so recently I was at Old City press conference
07:23where they announced Ruben Seles' arrival and Jarrod Bowen, Jarrod Dublin, their sporting
07:31director said, I think every one in the championship sat in my chair will say we need a striker
07:38in January. You could probably take that for the whole football league. So for every club
07:42you ask me, yeah, they could probably do with another striker. And certainly Leeds United,
07:47if they could just get that alternative to Joel Peru, it wouldn't do them any harm. But
07:51I think they're in a very luxurious position where they can just look around, see what
07:55there is. If there's nothing that will improve them, not panic and not make things. But,
08:02you know, if there is someone who can strengthen them at centre back, give them an extra option,
08:06maybe at full back or centre back, then yeah, go for it. But if not, they've got such squad
08:12depth that they're better off not upsetting the apple cart and just sticking with what
08:16they've got than going with somebody substandard. Yeah, I think Stuart's spot on there. In the
08:24words of Paul Daniels, not a lot. They don't need anything, do they? In a great position,
08:30I think could be one of those where, you know, maybe at the end of the window, a player who,
08:36you know, a top class player that they didn't think could become available might be. And there
08:41might be a bonus ball where you're now there. And, you know, yeah, Stuart said another,
08:46perhaps another option in number 10 might be nice. But yeah, he seems to have got all these pieces
08:55where he wants them at the minute. Daniel Farker, obviously, you have to hope for Leeds to say that,
09:01you know, significant injuries and the like don't muddy the waters. But yeah,
09:06they're in a great position. They don't have to do too much at all. The squad depth
09:14for a championship side is pretty outstanding, isn't it? So yeah, they're in the position where
09:21you want to be in January. Yeah, I really didn't think we were going to get a Paul Daniels quote
09:26in this podcast. Certainly not with regards to Leeds United. There's a few clubs need a bit of
09:31magic, but these are in a pretty good way right now. Yeah, absolutely. And Middlesbrough is where
09:37our attention turns to now, who have seen a recent run of form, which has helped put themselves in
09:44playoff contention, which has featured several convincing victories along the way. Now, that's
09:49not to say there isn't room for improvement, but where do you think those improvements could come
09:54from at the start of the new year, Leon? I think, to be honest, there's not too much,
09:59not a lot, I'm talking about Paul Daniels. And he's from Middlesbrough, funnily enough,
10:03if anyone knew that. But their squad's sort of, it's full as it stands, isn't it? So they could
10:10bring in under 21 players that they wouldn't need to register. But it looks like to bring a senior
10:16player in, they'd have to sort of deregister someone potentially. But yeah, I don't think
10:22they have to do too much really. I think the big thing perhaps on their mind will be the
10:29bend-out situation. Liverpool do have a recall, but you would imagine that, I mean, if this lad's
10:35development continues, you could see him having a nibble there in two or three years' time. He's
10:41only a young lad, isn't he? You know, 19 years old. You'd think his interests are best served
10:47at Middlesbrough. He's spoken repeatedly about how he's really enjoying it, enjoying the
10:53environment. Yeah, Middlesbrough, we'll talk about there are some inconsistencies there,
11:03but it's a happy camp there, isn't it, really? They play really nice football. So, you know,
11:08if Borja can get the green light from Liverpool, keeping hold of Dover, which I think is pretty
11:16sensible for everyone, isn't it? For the lad, for Liverpool, he'll get games in a team who are,
11:22you know, going for the play-offs in the Championship and that'll be probably the
11:27most significant thing. Maybe one or two, could be one or two sort of fringy players going out.
11:34I look at Isaiah Jones and he's sort of, obviously he's playing second fiddle to
11:38Dover and you don't see, you maybe don't see him having, if Dover stays fit, having a lot of game
11:46time. You wonder if they might sort of, Middlesbrough might look to, you know, if someone
11:52comes in for him because he's not been playing too much, you know, maybe he goes out, maybe that
11:56frees up a spot. I think the one thing maybe to watch is he's potentially left back. They've had
12:03a problem there, Middlesbrough, they've obviously had injuries to Banguera. I think he's out for
12:09most of this season. Engles seems to be totally out of favour. Borges, I think he's done okay,
12:18I think is the best sort of phrase and they do like, they've had a long-standing interest in
12:23Ryan Giles at Hull, a player that Carrick really likes. He fits into his way of playing, you know,
12:28that buccaneering left back, very good going forward. You wonder if that one might get
12:37revisited, but I don't really see Middlesbrough doing, you never know, but doing a great deal,
12:44obviously outlining the issue with the squad. I think keeping him would be significant and
12:52maybe if Carrick brings someone in, the Giles situation might be one to watch.
12:57Yeah, I think the good thing from a Middlesbrough perspective is if we were talking about Liverpool
13:01in this conversation, one thing we would not be saying, at least for the next six months,
13:06is that they could quite do with a right-sided forward. They've got a pretty decent one at the
13:09moment in Mo Salah. So as Leon says, it's in everyone's best interest that he stays at
13:15Middlesbrough and continues his development and say the fact that Liverpool are flying and they've
13:22got the depth they've got, I would be optimistic, let's put it that way, if I was with McGregor,
13:27well though Doak is playing, that they can hang on to him. I think Middlesbrough just need to find
13:34that extra ingredient really, those sort of house and S qualities of resilience and leadership,
13:42but that's a very difficult thing to pick up in the January transfer window. But yeah,
13:47if they could just, whether it be a defender or a defensive midfield player, it could just...
13:54I think Meris coming back as well, Stuart, that would be,
13:57it's not news, but that'll steady him down hopefully.
14:01Absolutely, yeah. But yeah, as Leon says, they're not far away and it's just intangible qualities.
14:09And again, as Leon makes the point, it's not like they've got a lot of wriggle room in terms of
14:14in terms of the squad. So again, a bit like Leeds, it might be a bit,
14:17it might be a bit wait and see and Middlesbrough fans might be a bit frustrated that, you know,
14:22they ultimately don't sign player X or player, or a player in position X or position Y. But
14:30I think they've got to be very selective because they do have a good thing going there and you
14:34don't want to, you don't want to disrupt that with a bad choice. But I say if they could just,
14:39if they could just find someone of that ilk, that would be brilliant, but it will be difficult
14:44to find, you know, the right sort of character to, to round that squad off really.
14:50And let's now have a look at Sheffield Wednesday, who have also seen a fairly decent first half of
14:55the season, which sees them stay within touching distance of the playoff spots.
14:59Now, how could you see Danny Roll going about trying to maintain his side's chances of getting
15:03a ticket to the playoffs this season, Stuart? They need some stardust. They need some stardust
15:08at the top end of the field, and that's probably going to have to come from the loan market.
15:13I mentioned, I mentioned James McAteer at the other side of the city the last time,
15:18the last time they went up. They could, they just lack a bit of inspiration up front. You know,
15:22they've got some, they've got some good, you know, they've got Shea Charles, who's a great
15:27holding midfielder for them. Again, we talk about Ben Doak, they'll be keen to keep hold of him,
15:32but hopefully that, that will be, that will be doable. You know, they've got DeSean Bernards
15:37gone up another level. You know, they've got players like Marvin Johnson, who bring sort of
15:42unglamorous qualities to the squad, but you know, you don't need to be a brain surgeon to work it
15:47out. Iko Ogbo's lack of goals, Jamal Lowe's lack of goals, you know, Josh Windass is, is, is quite
15:56mercurial at the best of times, you know, has his hamstring issues and what have you. And anyway,
16:00he's kind of more of a 10 than a number nine. They could just do, do with someone, you know,
16:06the wingers Masaba and Kusama, great on the day, but you know, like many of your wingers,
16:12there's many a day where they just, they just do your head in. So they could, they could just do
16:18with it, do with a couple of players. I mean, I think they're, I think they're a good club to do
16:23that. I think if I was a Premier League club and I had Danny Rowe on the, on the phone saying,
16:27look, you know, I've taken Shea Charles and done this with him. I've taken James Beedle and done
16:32that with him. You know, could I have one of your most promising young attacking players?
16:37I think I'd be, I think I'd be looking to do that, but yeah, if they could,
16:42it's every, probably every championship club will be saying it. If they could just get a Ben Doak
16:47or someone, not Ben Doak, but someone of that ilk, that would, that could make such, such a
16:54difference for them because there's a real solidity there about them, but they just,
16:58they just need to, need to make that next step. And then they've got a difficult decision. You
17:03know, I mentioned Beedle. They've got Pierce Charles who, it looks like he's got a really big
17:09future at Sheffield Wednesday, but there'll be vultures all over him because not only is he,
17:12is a good goalkeeper, he's a very fashionable type of good goalkeeper in that, you know,
17:18he's great with his feet and all this sort of stuff. Now he's in the Northern Ireland team,
17:22there'll be clubs crawling all over him and they need to, they need to strike the right
17:25balance with him. I think they'd be, I think they'd be well advised to get him out on loan
17:31for six months and tell him, look, you know, James Beedle's only on loan. You'll be back next season
17:36challenging to be our first choice, but they, you know, they need to make the right decision
17:40with him because there could be some head turning off us in terms of, in terms of the lad himself.
17:46So yeah, that's, that's a difficult one for them.
17:49I think that's the next part of their evolution, Sheffield Wednesday, isn't it? You know,
17:53they've got back in the division consolidated of sorts, but now they're, they've probably pitched
17:58into a, into a market, you know, bringing in loan players from, you know, the Premier League,
18:04ones who could make a difference at the top end of the pitch. You know, they're going to, they'll
18:09pitch, they're pitched in with some serious championship clubs, aren't they? And they've
18:12got to get everything right. You know, Stuart rightly said, he's, if you're a, you know,
18:18a Premier League club, you've got to, you know, a talented young player wanting to get some,
18:24you know, experience and develop some wool on the back and tactical understanding. He's
18:28a perfect choice, he's needed a Danny role. But yeah, it's everything else as well. And
18:35that's, you know, that's the thing Sheffield Wednesday have got to do. They're going to be
18:38pitching in with some, say some serious clubs and, you know, they can get a little bit of
18:46the stardust, couple of, couple of, you know, real strong young talents from the,
18:51from the Premier League. And that will energise the crowd as well, doesn't it? You know,
18:55Sheffield Wednesday found that, you know, historically, you know, brought upon that
18:59entertaining, dynamic attacking football, you know, would be invigorate the crowd as well,
19:05and be timely in that regard in the season. I think, I think there's a few boxes Sheffield
19:10Wednesday have got to take and some of them are quite easy and some of them,
19:14the last ones were difficult. Finance is obviously one, but you, if you're, if you're a Liverpool and
19:21Arsenal, whatever, you want somebody to go to a big club with a demanding fan base, big tick.
19:27You want somebody to, you want to, you want to place your player at a club with a good,
19:32innovative coaching staff, you know, that plays the right brand of football, big tick. You want
19:39to put your young player under pressure by sending him to a team that's in a relegation battle or
19:44preferably fighting for promotion. So Sheffield Wednesday have to put themselves in a position to
19:50say, look, we can make a push for these players. You're not just sending them to play six months
19:55of fairly meaningless mid-table football. And I think that's, that along with the finances
20:01are the, are the big challenges that Sheffield Wednesday have to meet and keep up with as
20:06January goes on, I think. Yeah. And now we turn to Hull City, who I think it's fair to say,
20:12have not had a good first half of the season by any means. You're sticking your neck out on that
20:16one, are you? And now they have a manager in charge in the form of Ruben Seles. Now, do you think
20:26he'll be given a, a sizable amount of money to work with when it comes to the transfer window?
20:31And if so, what do you think the club would have to invest in, Stuart? I don't think he'll get
20:38bottom of this pit purely because of financial fair play. I think, I shouldn't think Charlie
20:42would quite happily throw as much money at him as he can, as he can muster. But, you know, we live
20:49in a world now where you have to be sensible about these things, but he's got a big squad as well.
20:54He's got a lot of players to, to trade. And he mentioned when he first came in, he likes working
20:58with a small squad. So, you know, immediately you would expect more players going out than coming
21:02in. That gives you a, gives you a bit to work with. It's about balance. I mean, I don't know
21:07about Leon. Leon's seen even more new managers come in across clubs than I do, but pretty much
21:14everyone in the history of football has come in and said, this squad isn't fit enough and this
21:17squad is unbalanced. And certainly I feel this, this whole squad is unbalanced. It's too tilted
21:24towards fancy players and tacky players. I mean, that said, they've lost two wingers to crucially
21:30knee ligament injury. So that's an area they'll need to look at. But I think it's about showing
21:36a bit of TLC to the, to the, to the back end of the team, getting some quality defensive players
21:42in that doesn't necessarily just mean defenders. That can mean midfield bodyguards as well. They
21:47haven't really replaced Jean-Michel Sarri. And they do need some more ruthless up front. So really
21:53they need pretty much every department of the team. Ivor Pando has, has exceeded my expectations
22:00this season. So I think they're in reasonably good shape in goal. I wonder if Karl Rushworth
22:05will be recalled by Brighton, but all the outfield areas they really need to look at.
22:11I think another good thing, you know, talked about Danny Roller. I think Ruben Seles is also
22:16the sort of manager that clubs would probably trust their, trust their young players with.
22:22If they don't mind pitching them into a relegation battle, but Hull are going to have to work hard.
22:27You know, I think there's going to be a lot of discussions and probably, probably a few
22:34fights, dare I say it, behind the scenes, because you've, you've got these,
22:37you've got these different voices involved in the conversation. It's not one of those clubs where
22:42the manager will go out and pick the players. He's a head, he's a head coach. He's got to work
22:46with Jared Dublin, who he's worked with before. So that shouldn't be an issue. He's also got to
22:51persuade Adrian Ilagioli that look, this might not be the most glamorous player in the world,
22:56but actually we really need a centre-back or whatever it is. Yeah, I think they need,
23:01I think they need more quality. I think they need more depth. I think they need to look at
23:05every area of the window. So Hull are one of those clubs where really a window goes by where it's not
23:13busy. I don't think this is going to be any exception to be honest with you.
23:19I think if you, Stuart's touched on it there, a couple of short-term, even pragmatic signings,
23:25unsexy signings almost, you know, ones who really know the level and just be an appreciation of
23:31Hull acknowledging where they are, which is, you know, they're down among the dead men at the
23:37minute, aren't they? They're in a relegation battle and they need to respect the division
23:42and where they are in it. And, you know, the bottom line is, you know, I've spoken about this
23:47before, it's 50 points, isn't it, really? You know, and staying up and then I'm sure all the
23:53other things can come into play and Hull can go again, but they just lack a bit of, you look at
24:00them and they just lack a bit of backbone, don't they? And Knaus and, you know, they've got talents
24:08as well in other areas of the pitch. But it just looks to me, I've not seen loads and loads of
24:13Hull, but some of the players there just need a little bit of help. That's the point as well,
24:18a little bit of help. You can have talented players, but you need someone to win the ball for
24:21them. You have the best teams in the world. There's a reason Rodri has been so missed by
24:27Manchester City. You know, you need, as Leon says, it's about respecting the game, it's about
24:33respecting the division. And sometimes with Hull, you think they try, they run a bit too much along
24:38fantasy football lines. Well, I mean, you know, the ambition in itself is no problem, but you have
24:47to be realistic about how you get there, don't you? And that's, I think that's the perennial
24:51challenge at Hull to sort of strike that right balance. They do want to please the crowd and
24:56they should want to please the crowd and we can't knock them for that. But, you know, sometimes
25:02playing entertaining football is not all about having entertaining footballers. Bizarre though
25:07that may sound. Sometimes, as I say, you need a Rodri, you know, you need a Virgil van Dijk or
25:14whatever to do the ugly side of the game and let the flair players play. And that's what I just feel
25:19that's what Hull need to address. Yeah, they know the football and they're here and now they need
25:23some ugly wins, don't they? Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. And what do you make of our clubs
25:29in League One in terms of how things have gone so far and how they should approach the start
25:35of the new year, Stuart? Well, I think obviously there's one outlier in terms of the League One
25:40teams. I think, you know, at the start of the season, we're expecting all three to be in the
25:44picture. Rotherham aren't at this moment in time, such is the nature of the Football League. You can
25:50almost always make up ground, but they're another club with a lot to do. And some of what they have
25:56to do, I'm sure, will actually be bombing out players who they signed not that long ago in
26:02August, you know, and admitting some mistakes. But again, they need to find a balance. They
26:08seem like they've had a good window last season, last window in terms of getting in the right
26:14types of players, players with the, you know, the nous at this level, but they just haven't found
26:20the right mix. And it's pretty clear. I mean, Steve Evans has been talking about it from
26:27months away, frankly, that they are going to make changes. He's talking about two or three
26:32rather than a big overhaul, but they just need... I mean, one thing, and this goes for a lot of
26:37clubs to be fair, is they're having an uncomfortable number of injuries. So I think they need to really
26:42look hard at the physical resilience of the players they come in and not be signing, you know,
26:48players who have got patchy fitness records. I think that's important. But I think they just
26:53need to emerge from this with a clear idea of where they're going and just with a squad that
27:00has Steve Evans full faith, because you get the impression at the moment that he's not entirely
27:05sold on all of the players in there. And, you know, again, it's different circumstances, but
27:12it feels like that's the case at Barnsley as well. There's players there, in his case,
27:17that Darrell Clarke's inherited, but that he doesn't fully believe in. So I think Barnsley
27:23have got a fair bit of trading to do. I think Huddersfield are probably getting to a more
27:29comfortable place in terms of players that Michael Duff trusts. And it's maybe just a case of adding
27:36a bit more quality. He's made no secret whatsoever of the fact that he's not really happy with his
27:41options at centre-forward. So I think that's an area they'll look at. But I think he's got the
27:48squad of the three where he probably trusts more of those players. And to be honest, Michael Duff
27:54is the sort of guy who, without naming names, would be quite open about saying if he didn't
28:00trust some of them. So I think they've got at least to do. I think the other two will probably
28:05have to be quite busy. Yeah, that's spot on. You look at Huddersfield, I mean, it's well
28:10documented. They had Alfie May in the building before getting gazumped by Birmingham back in
28:17the summer. He's exactly the sort of player that they need up front. Someone to hang the hat on
28:24in the final. Someone to come in and maybe get eight, nine goals to nail down a play-off spot.
28:33I suppose the best case scenario is having a push for top two, but that remains to be seen. But
28:39yeah, that looks to be a big priority for me. They've really liked the lad at
28:44Luton-Taylor, whether he comes back into the thoughts. And apart from that at Huddersfield,
28:49maybe they've got a decent-sized squad when players are, most of them are fit and available.
28:57Maybe chopping one or two. Down there, there's someone I haven't featured. I'm
29:01picking it off the top of my head, the likes of Hedley, that sort of thing. But in terms of
29:06players coming in, the big deficiency that stands out at the minute is
29:12the goalscoring department. I think that's where their energies will be concentrated.
29:18Barnes is an interesting one, isn't he? I think they're going to have to address the
29:24loan future, the couple of the players there. Torleone has got a finger injury,
29:29which is problematic for a goalkeeper, isn't it? He's been having treatment. He could well go back
29:35to his parent club, Chelsea. Matty Craig, who I like, he's a good young player, but he's struggled
29:43for opportunities, hasn't he, in recent times? You could probably look at that. Tottenham,
29:50you'd think, might look at recalling him to send him back out on loan there. But yeah,
29:54Stewart's touched him on. Clark's been quite forceful, isn't he, in some of his criticism
30:00of his squad and what he's inherited. Speaking about players he can trust,
30:07he'll be on the journey with him. He spoke about two or three windows to get it in his own
30:12image. So yeah, I think there could possibly be some interesting developments there.
30:19There's a few players who seem to have dropped out of favour, the likes of Cotter and Cosgrove,
30:26one or two others as well. And I just wonder as well, even one or two of the
30:32more senior players who've been around, if there's interest in them, the likes of
30:39Adam Phillips. If Barza get a decent offer from a Championship club, would they be tempted there?
30:45Luke Connell. I mean, it's hypothesising a little bit, but it wouldn't totally surprise me if one
30:52of those players go. But yeah, there's sort of work to do there as well. I'd like to maybe bring
31:02another forward option for sure as well. Max Watters, his fitness record has been up and down
31:10and obviously Cosgrove struggle for opportunities. But there's work to do. I think with Rotherham,
31:17I think the issue there could well be finance, couldn't it? They've still got quite a few players
31:23who they've brought in on pretty decent money by their standards at a Championship level,
31:29the likes of Hugo, Nombé, probably Thierry as well. And they're probably on good money for
31:39certainly where Rotherham find themselves in League One. So he might have to generate a
31:45bit himself, Steve Evans, but he loves his time here, doesn't he? Sort of wheeling and dealing,
31:52getting the agents ears and getting his contacts book out. But I don't think he'll have a lot to
31:58play with, but he enjoys his time here and comes into his own. I'm sure there'll be a little bit of
32:07activity both inward and outward. But as Stuart rightly pointed out, I think the more
32:14straightforward scenario of the clubs in League One, it seems to be Huddersfield,
32:18they need a striker to get eight, nine goals to nail down their place in the table.
32:28Just on Rotherham, I asked Steve Evans about this fairly recently. He was talking about
32:32two or three out, two or three in, same number each way. And I did make that point to him,
32:38how easy would it be to get those two or three out when they're on good money?
32:42His attitude was very much, well, footballers want to play and players who aren't playing,
32:48he was pretty confident he could get them out. It does seem to be a bit of a problem
32:52for some clubs nowadays, actually shifting on players. But in fairness, as Leon's sort of
32:58outlined, Steve Evans is very good at wheeling and dealing and sometimes getting players out
33:03is as much of a skill as bringing players in. It's a skill he has. I think that is the thing
33:10for Barnsley and Rotherham. They do have players they can trade with in terms of going out
33:15as well as going in. Barnsley are some quite attractive ones,
33:19so hopefully that works in their favour because obviously we're not talking about Birmingham City
33:24in either case. They are going to have to bring a bit in as well as taking players out.
33:32Finally for this week, we look at League Two. What do you make of the season so far and how
33:37could we see our Yorkshire sides in the division attack this crucial time of the season, Leon?
33:44Well, I mean, he's spoken pretty early. Grant McKenna termed Doncaster that he's spoken in
33:51terms of lining up another forward, by all accounts, maybe at the start of the new year.
33:57And you look at them at the start of 2024, they were quick out of the blocks, weren't they? They
34:03got two or three in. They got Matty Craig, they were speaking about him on Barnsley, but
34:10obviously at the start of the year he had a spell at Doncaster as well. And I mean,
34:15Billy Watters came in and a couple of others, I think, as well. So he's obviously become the
34:20school of thought. He's getting them in nice and early in January, if at all possible.
34:24He doesn't want to be, unless something comes up, messing about right at the end of the window.
34:30You know, that sort of makes sense, doesn't it? Get them assimilated into the squad
34:35as quick as you can in January, you know, so they can be used pretty much straight away.
34:41And obviously Doncaster are pushing for promotion. So, you know, in terms of forwards as well,
34:49I mean, they've got good options, but they've sort of hit a little bit of it in terms of scoring at
34:55home and a little bit of a brick wall. So another option nice and early at the start of January to
35:01maybe help in some of those home games would be good. I think Bradford as well, they'll probably
35:06be looking at perhaps another forward as well. They've arguably got, well, I think they probably
35:12have the best striker of his type, if you like, in Andy Cook, that target man. You know, he looks
35:19nailed on again for 20 plus goals. But, you know, it's what about when he doesn't score?
35:25And, you know, the opposition have got him all wrapped up. What about this second striker
35:29chipping in? Can Alexander hang his hat on, you know, Kavanagh and, you know, one or two others?
35:37You know, it's missing what, you know, happens with people like Oliver. But they seem to be
35:42lacking a bit of a consistent second striker, someone to sort of chip in with that. You know,
35:47we've spoken about Huddersfield, eight or nine goals to hammer down a playoff spot,
35:51while with Bradford, you know, five, six, seven to get them into the playoffs. And perhaps maybe
35:59a look at them, perhaps a wing-back as well on the left potentially. But in terms of Bradford,
36:06it looks more, I would say, bringing in another striking addition to sort of maybe offer a bit
36:13of another problem for teams and not just be totally relying on Andy Cook. And I think with
36:21Harrogate, they don't score enough goals, do they? So I think Simon Weaver will be looking at things
36:28there and he'll be maybe wanting to bring another forward option with decent experience at that
36:35level in terms of getting a few goals. Yeah, I think with all three of those
36:40two clubs, they just won't let the grass grow under their feet. You know, if anybody could,
36:44it was Don Cafster. And as Leon says, Grant McCann's already made perfectly clear he isn't
36:50going to. I mean, it's interesting. Exactly. Leon talking then just set a little light bulb over my
36:57head. I'd not really thought about it before, but Barnsley possibly looking to send back Matty Craig.
37:05Well, I think in fairness, Matty Craig's performances last season marked him out as
37:12a player ready to play in League One this season. So it might be a difficult sell to
37:15Tottenham Hotspur. But, you know, if he's struggling for game time this season,
37:20I would not put it past Grant McCann to be making a sneaky little phone call to
37:24whoever is Tottenham's loan manager and whispering in his ear about Matty Craig.
37:29That would obviously be... I mean, Barnsley and Don Cafster are very well blessed at the
37:35moment in terms of midfielders. But it wouldn't half give the club a bit of a lift to see a player
37:41of that quality returning. They seem in a very good place, Don Cafster, in terms of the depth
37:50they've got all over that squad. But it's a high bar at the moment. Teams like Port Vale and
37:59teams up there are setting a real ferocious pace and Don Cafster are in the mix rather than
38:04leading the pack. So they're going to look to kick on and look to make the most of this position.
38:11Harrogate, I think they've got some FA Cup money in the bank. So again, I think they'll be quick
38:19to act. You know, they've had two games on television already in the competition. Third
38:26game is on iPlayer, so that'll be a bit more cash. They've got the prize money from winning
38:31these rounds. And yeah, I was at Salford recently when Simon Weaver was very critical of the
38:38attitude of some of these players. I think it's not something that's easy to identify in the
38:45transfer market, but they need a bit more consistency. So they may just need a few more
38:49leaders. Josh Fulkingham, their captain, is near the end of his career. He's spending a bit more
38:55time on the bench. So they may just need to look to replacing, maybe not directly,
39:00even as a player, but just in terms of those leadership qualities in the squad to help the
39:04likes of Anthony O'Connor. As Leon says, it's pretty obvious they need goals. Any team on a
39:10small budget is going to struggle to get those type of players. But if they can get a lone player or
39:18never in, that will make a big difference. Bradford, a bit like I mentioned about Hull,
39:23they've had very few quiet transfer windows. The squad was left a bit short by injuries that
39:31caused them to bring in Huntington and Evans on short-term deals. They probably just feel like
39:36they need a little bit of extra insurance and they need those goals Leon was talking about.
39:41Not just from the second striker, but probably from midfield as well, because Alex Patterson,
39:47for all that we know what he can do, getting him out on the pitch on a regular basis is a struggle.
39:55I think that's where Bradford need to look.
39:58I suppose Sarsovic is coming back as well. He's only had a few games for Masni,
40:02Touchwood. That might have a bit of a new signing effect if you like as well.
40:17Thanks to Stuart Rayner and Leon Wobshall who will doubtless join us again soon for
40:25more discussions on the Yorkshire football scene. But don't forget you can keep up to
40:28date with all the football news across Yorkshire and beyond by logging onto our website at yp.sport
40:33at nationalworld.com, or if you search for Yorkshire Post Sport, Yorkshire Post Football
40:37or even Sheffield Sport on Facebook, you can find us there as well. If you have any questions for
40:42our writers, you can get in touch using those various Twitter or Facebook pages, or email us
40:47with a subject matter at footballtalkpodcast at yp.sport at nationalworld.com. As ever,
40:52many thanks for listening, look after yourselves, and bye for now.