Sean McAuley

Mr. Sean McAuley (I may have spelt that wrong) begins his stint as Sheffield Wednesday manager with a home game against Swansea City in about 2 1/2 hours.

I'm hoping he rings the changes and gets our players believing again. If his spell this time round is anything like last time (3 wins, 1 draw) we're in for a good few games.

Sean McAuley's Barmy Army!

It will also be nice to see Steve Watson back at the club as Mr. McAuley's assistant.

Well i've just criticised Mr. McAuley on Owlstalk and have been slated. Let's see what happens on here.

McAuley made a ridiculous decision today playing the same team who lost 3-0 last week. When I saw the team my heart sank because it was just obvious what would happen. An experienced manager in Brian Laws couldn't get those players playing (and not for lack of trying), McAuley surely knew he had no chance?

Yeah i understand what your saying.
If your team is getting beat that badly each week you obviously need a change.


Was your performance any good today or poor again.

It was dreadful. They're just not interested, and haven't been for a while now. What's worse is Purse and McAuley said on RS they thought we played ok. They were clearly at a different game as we were shocking. The players don't deserve to wear the shirt.

The Wednesday wrote:It was dreadful. They're just not interested, and haven't been for a while now. What's worse is Purse and McAuley said on RS they thought we played ok. They were clearly at a different game as we were shocking. The players don't deserve to wear the shirt.

They aren't as bad as you have stated in anger, appears to me they need just a bit of luck to get the confidence going again. When you have your 'backs to the wall' it can seem that they aren't interested .............give them a break they don't become crap overnight and I'm sure they would want their win bonuses. It will come , somebody is due for a thrashing at your hands.

But the problem is it hasn't been overnight. We have won 4 games this season, no wins in the last 10, and no goals in the last 6. This isn't just one bad performance.

Apart from a couple of good saves from De Vries in the first 20 minutes, we never looked like scoring.

It really is not looking good for next week.

Hopefully McAuley will have the sense to play someone else.

hoolahoop wrote:

They aren't as bad as you have stated in anger, appears to me they need just a bit of luck to get the confidence going again. When you have your 'backs to the wall' it can seem that they aren't interested .............give them a break they don't become crap overnight and I'm sure they would want their win bonuses. It will come , somebody is due for a thrashing at your hands.

When do you play us again?

FevTyke wrote:

When do you play us again?

The Wednesday wrote:Well i've just criticised Mr. McAuley on Owlstalk and have been slated. Let's see what happens on here.

You did get slated, but things tend to go that way over there if your opinion isn't a popular one. Some people took it way too far, I actually thought that the basic points you made were entirely valid. Particularly the fact that if you'd somehow missed the fact that Laws was gone, you certainly wouldn't have noticed when you turned up at last weekend's game. McAuley hadn't changed anything, so it certainly wasn't surprising to go down so easily to yet another defeat. He desperately needs to shake things up for Boxing Day, since even a vastly improved performance could see us gain no points, and I believe he'll be ringing the changes. Fingers crossed.

I'd personally be looking at playing McAllister in the middle (he's no Makelele, but I reckon he's better than JOC), finding a way to rest Tommy Spurr (Gray perhaps?), and getting Simek back in too. Tudgay's looked lost recently, and has failed to forge any sort of partnership with Varney, so a move out right where he was decent last season might not be a bad idea. Normally I'd be advocating playing both JJ and EE (if I remember correctly, you've also been calling for this, Claire), but against as good a side as Newcastle, I don't think that would be wise. What changes would you like to see?

The Wendies need to play to their strengths, you have two bloody good wingers and a centre forward ( even if Jeffers won't make more than three games!) Do what Derby were doing last weekend, get the wingers down to the byline and put some decent crosses in going back towards your striker. It has always been a great tactic. If they try to play football instead of hoofing it up like they did at Rovers they will start to win a few games at least and get out of the bottom three.

Dan_the_Owl wrote:

You did get slated, but things tend to go that way over there if your opinion isn't a popular one. Some people took it way too far, I actually thought that the basic points you made were entirely valid. Particularly the fact that if you'd somehow missed the fact that Laws was gone, you certainly wouldn't have noticed when you turned up at last weekend's game. McAuley hadn't changed anything, so it certainly wasn't surprising to go down so easily to yet another defeat. He desperately needs to shake things up for Boxing Day, since even a vastly improved performance could see us gain no points, and I believe he'll be ringing the changes. Fingers crossed.

I'd personally be looking at playing McAllister in the middle (he's no Makelele, but I reckon he's better than JOC), finding a way to rest Tommy Spurr (Gray perhaps?), and getting Simek back in too. Tudgay's looked lost recently, and has failed to forge any sort of partnership with Varney, so a move out right where he was decent last season might not be a bad idea. Normally I'd be advocating playing both JJ and EE (if I remember correctly, you've also been calling for this, Claire), but against as good a side as Newcastle, I don't think that would be wise. What changes would you like to see?

McAllister has to play in the middle. He is not, and will never be, a right midfielder. Despite being played out of position I still thought he was one of our better players last week (which I don't suppose is saying much), so I assume he was injured when he was brought off.

As for JJ and EE I definitely would like to see them played together (even against Newcastle). I understand the reluctance of Laws and McAuley to play two wingers, which is why i'd like to see a 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation. It gives us defensive back-up, and still allows JJ and EE to get forward and affect the game. Either that or EE on the left with JJ up front, which allows for Tudgay to be moved out right. As you say he was more successful there last season, and JJ's early season good form was mainly with him playing up front.

Similarly to Sean McAllister, Lewis Buxton is not a good right back. Both can do a job on the right if required, but both are much better in the centre. So Simek is the logical choice. The Spurr situation is a tough one, I would like to see Spurr dropped, however I don't know who could replace him. Gray is the only other option at left back, but he hasn't played there for a while, and he is 35.

My team for Saturday:

Grant

Simek
Purse
Beevers
Spurr - Only because i'm equally as unsure about Gray there.

McAllister
Soares - Potter has been awful recently
JOC - I still think he is a good player to have in the team, despite his limitations.

Johnson
Tudgay
Esajas

I don't believe this will be the team as for a start I can't see McAuley not playing a 4-4-2.

I really don't know what Sean McAuley will do. Last time his short spell was easy, we didn't lose and we were not in the disarray we are now.