On this week’s show, YP football writers Stuart Rayner and Leon Wobschall join host Mark Singleton to assess a busy week which could prove pivotal to the Championship automatic promotion hopes of both Leeds United and Sheffield United, PLUS where does a Steel City derby home defeat Sheffield Wednesday leaves their 2024-25 campaign.
Elsewhere, the immediate of interim coach Jon Worthington on Huddersfield Town was evident as the team hammered Crawley Town 5-1 in his first game in charge, while Barnsley and Rotherham United seem stuck in a rut in League One after both suffered defeats.
And the panel discuss whether there is cause for concern over Bradford City’s push for automatic promotion after a second successive defeat.
Elsewhere, the immediate of interim coach Jon Worthington on Huddersfield Town was evident as the team hammered Crawley Town 5-1 in his first game in charge, while Barnsley and Rotherham United seem stuck in a rut in League One after both suffered defeats.
And the panel discuss whether there is cause for concern over Bradford City’s push for automatic promotion after a second successive defeat.
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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
00:21Writer for the Yorkshire Post, Stuart Rayner, and Football Writer for the Yorkshire Post,
00:25Ian Wombshaw, to discuss all of the latest developments affecting our local clubs. Don't
00:29forget you can keep up to date with all the football news across Yorkshire and beyond
00:32by logging onto our website at yp.sport at nationalworld.com, as well as checking out
00:38our various Twitter feeds, the main one being at ypsport. If you search for Yorkshire Post
00:43Sport, Yorkshire Post Football, or even Sheffield Sport on Facebook, you can find us there as
00:47well. And if you have any questions for our writers, you can get in touch using those
00:51various Twitter or Facebook pages, or email us directly with a subject matter at footballtalkpodcast
00:56at yp.sport at nationalworld.com.
00:59YorkshirePost.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, Leon Wombshaw.
01:08Good morning guys.
01:09Morning. Hello.
01:10Morning. Right, this week in the Championship, we saw Middlesbrough settle for a point in
01:15their 0-0 draw with Luton Town, and Hull City claimed a 2-1 win over Oxford United before
01:20showing the points in a 1-0 draw with West Bromwich Albion.
01:24In League One, Barnsley fell to a 2-1 defeat when they clashed with Mansfield Town, and
01:28we'll be covering them later on in the show, and Rotherham United drew 1-1 with Exeter
01:34City and in League Two, Doncaster Rovers recorded their second successive draw when they met
01:40with Crewe Alexandra, and drew 1-1 with Crewe, and Harrogate Town suffered a 3-0 defeat against
01:52Newport County.
01:53However, let's get this week started with Leeds United, who were able to rescue a valuable
02:01point after going 2-0 down inside 30 minutes against Queen's Park Rangers.
02:06Now, with Daniel Farker's side level on points at the top of the table with Sheffield United,
02:12who we'll discuss later on, do you think it's just a case of keep calm and carry on, Leon?
02:17Yeah, I think, well, it was a good point in the circumstances, wasn't it? I mean, ideally
02:22in Leeds United's position, you want to be getting wins, but 2-0 down, a horrible venue
02:29for Leeds, I mean, they got beat 4-0 last year, there's all sorts of bad memories there,
02:36you know, Marcelo Bielsa sitting down the corridors, not knowing what to do, looking
02:41totally beaten, this, that and the other, it's just psychologically, it's always been
02:45a problematic ground, QPR. So, in the end, it was, they'd certainly taken that half-time
02:53being 2-0 down, but obviously, a terrific result for Sheffield United the following
02:58day, Burnley did their bit as well, it just reinforced, to me, I don't know what Stuart
03:04thinks, it's probably going to go right down to the wire, this one, isn't it, really?
03:10We spoke about it last week, lots of interesting sub-plots, we've seen Leeds and Sheffield
03:15United both go to Oxford, both go to Plymouth. The one thing I was, it's probably easy to
03:23say it with hindsight, I suppose, I thought in a three-game week, he would have made a
03:29couple of, Farka would have made a couple of changes for the game at QPR. I did the
03:35game against Millwall and, I mean, rightly so, we've probably praised a lot of Leeds
03:40United's players, they've been terrific most of this year. I thought Dan James looked a
03:46little bit, looked a little bit leggy against Millwall, I'd have been tempted to start him
03:52from the bench. Leeds do have options there to bring in other ones, they can switch around
03:59the wingers if you like, they didn't do that. To be fair, Gonto came on and he made a big
04:04difference from what I saw, it wasn't the best game for Aronson but, yeah, I just think
04:10he probably got it slightly wrong there and I would have made a couple of changes to freshen
04:17it up but it was a good change to bring Gonto on and, you know, he helped turn it around
04:23and a good point there. I think probably the other thing as well I'd mention is, Aronson's
04:30lead seems to be missing the presence of Ampadu as well, he's, you know, he just had that
04:35solidity in that, in the defence and that relationship he had with Rodon. I think they'd
04:41only conceded something like a goal in, was it eight games or something like that when,
04:45in the league when they were both together so, as I mentioned, he could have done with
04:51freshening it up a little bit perhaps but they'll be, I think Farka will be really,
04:56really happy when Ampadu gets back into play and hopefully sooner rather than later they've
05:01got this international break to focus on the fitness of certain players and, you know,
05:06I think top of the list will be Ampadu and Farka will be really pleased to get him back
05:11in the play sometime in April because it's going to be a, you know, I won't say tense,
05:16it's going to be ultra tense really isn't it really, the margins are so tight between the,
05:21between the sides we'll probably speak about Sheffield United later. So, yeah, I mean it
05:27looking, certainly looking better than it was at half time but, obviously not picture perfect
05:32given what happened with the two rivals and it's going to be, it just looks so tight margins
05:38doesn't it and we've spoken a lot about Leeds United's home form which is, which is tremendous
05:43isn't it, there's 48 points they've got at home, I think it's the, it must be the best in the
05:49country, I mean it's, it's remarkable isn't it and they're away form, it's hardly terrible,
05:54I mean look at, look at some of the wins they've had this year, they've gone to Coventry at form
05:57side, won there, terrific result, great result at Sheffield United obviously, they blitzed Watford
06:03but, you know, you look at their points, they've got 32 away from home which is, which is pretty
06:08good isn't it, let's be honest but, it's not as good as Sheffield United or Burnley, I think Burnley
06:12have got 39, Sheffield United have got 40, so that's six, seven points in a very, very tight
06:20race for, you know, three horse race for the top two, you know, those little margins could be all
06:26important and, you know, you've got to be hyper critical at this stage haven't you really because
06:32it's going to be so, so tight and, you know, you've got to be, especially at this time here,
06:36you've got to try and be, try and sort of sort those margins out so, yeah, one or two issues
06:41for these and I think it'll be, or Stuart thinks, I think it'd be very interesting to see what
06:45side he picks for the first game after the international break, obviously he made changes
06:51the second half in bringing Gonto on, what will it, what will his team look like against Swansea?
06:57Yeah, I definitely think there's a growing case for Gonto, you know, especially as,
07:02you know, with Aronson being so far away on international duty, you know,
07:07back to that inn haven't you, but I mean it's a strange one Leeds because
07:11we often talk about the squad depth being a big strength and it is really, but at the same time
07:17really apart from chopping and changing central midfield, he's had a very settled side hasn't he,
07:22that's kind of the basis he's worked on and I say sometimes it can catch up with you and it's
07:27been ahead of the game isn't it, making those changes before that fatigue really is really
07:33noticeable on the field and just freshening it up from time to time but, you know, I suppose on the
07:40back of the Millwall game it was just, you know, when they went 2-0 down at QPR, you're just
07:46thinking back-to-back defeats, this is bad, you know, this is really going to reawaken the ghosts
07:53of last season sort of thing so coming away with something was very important but yeah, I mean,
08:00I agree with everything Leon said really, I think when they had that incredible February in
08:06particular, I'll be honest, I would kind of thought this would be them kicking away now
08:11but, you know, all credit to Sheffield United and Burnley, they just will not be shaken off.
08:16You know, and as Leon says, that waveform that both of them are showing, that defensive resolve
08:21that they've both got, just makes it such a formidable title race and, you know, all the
08:28teams are going to have to be as close to the best as possible, you know, they won't be, they won't
08:33be at their best because nerves play a part and injuries and all this sort of thing but they need
08:40to, as I said, they need to be as close as possible so VARCA's going to be quite ruthless I guess in
08:46saying well this, this player's not performing, I can't remember if it was before the Millwall or
08:51the QPR game but he was basically, VARCA was basically saying oh this player hasn't played
08:57well for the last couple of games and that player hasn't but I trust them, you know, I'm not going
09:02to panic just on the back of two or three games, well maybe it's getting to the stage where he just
09:06needs to be that little bit firmer with it even if it's just for a game or two, wait to see what,
09:12how that player responds in training because he, it's not like he doesn't have the options,
09:17you know, when you've got people like Ramazani and you've got Nantou and, you know, even the
09:22fullbacks, I mean the fullbacks to be honest seem to be playing extremely well for them at the
09:26moment but it's a really demanding job, you know, there might be the argument somewhere along the
09:33line to give Bogle or Firpo just a one game, one game rest to refresh them to see what the other
09:38guy can do to see how they respond sort of thing, so it's a difficult balancing act because you
09:43don't, you know, you don't want to change for the sake of it, you don't want to change too much,
09:47you don't want to panic at one or two bad performances but he's, you know, he's got the
09:52experience and it's down to him to use it as to when the right time to bring these people in but
09:58as I say I do think Nantou's time is coming certainly. Yeah, yeah and let's now turn to
10:04the Steel City derby which saw Chris Wilder's side come out on top thanks to a 64th minute goal
10:10from Rhian Brewster. Now, like I said, this seems, this sees them go level on points at the top of
10:16the table and what was your assessment of the game and what can Danny Roll's side take from
10:21this encounter, Stuart? Well, in some ways, let's put it this way, if you were watching,
10:27if it was the first championship game you'd seen this season or the first game by those
10:31two teams, it would seem like a bit of an odd one but it kind of fits into the pattern
10:37for both of them. Sheffield United are a team who are very good at winning when they don't play well,
10:44Sheffield Wednesday are a team who are very good at not winning when they do play well,
10:49especially at home, that's kind of the pattern of it. I mean, you know, the difference between
10:54Leeds and Sheffield United is that Leeds kind of, their whole thing is about playing well over 90
11:01minutes and wearing you down. Sheffield United, it's about being defensively solid and taking the
11:07moments and that's what they did. I think they only had, I think I'm right in saying they only
11:12had one touch in the opposition penalty area in the second half, they only had two shots on target
11:17all game but bang, they've done it, you know, whereas Sheffield Wednesday were really good for
11:23the first 15-20 minutes, all over Sheffield United, you know, really up and at them but it was just,
11:30you know, you'd say what does Danny Rowell take out of it? It was difficult for Danny Rowell to
11:35take anything out of it, it was a really difficult post-match press conference because there was just
11:39nothing new to say, you know, it was exactly the same as Coventry and, you know, numerous other
11:48home games. We played well, we didn't take our chances, normally there was a defensive mistake
11:53in there, I wouldn't say they were particularly defensively culpable although, you know, you'd
11:58look at how much space Brewster had but it was just the same pattern of mistakes, the same positives
12:03were there and the same negatives were there and that must be really frustrating for Danny Rowell.
12:08You know, from Chris Wilder's perspective, again, the same really good signs were there sort
12:15of things so they just want to keep that ball rolling but I think it showed
12:20the ruthlessness of Sheffield United and where they are right now and, you know, we don't
12:26associate Ian Brewster with that, let's be frank about it, you know, his
12:31goal-scoring record the last couple of years is not that of a, you know, a dead-eyed centre-forward
12:36but when the moment came he delivered and that could be big for him, you know, he's in the last
12:40few months of his contract so whether he's going to stay at Sheffield United or not,
12:45he's got a lot to play for individually in the next couple of months. Hopefully that really gives
12:50him a kick because I think a lot of people at the club, a lot of supporters really want to see him
12:55do well, they can see how much he's trying, how much he wants it and how many injury problems he's
13:02had. The ball's in his court but what better way to sort of go into that period than with the
13:09confidence boost of what was his, actually bizarrely, the first goal he scored in Sheffield
13:14in three years, you know, one of those quirky stats but yeah, I still think, you know, Chris
13:22Wilder was very emotional and very polished afterwards as you'd probably expect and one of
13:28the things he came out with was that Sheffield Wednesday season is over. I think in terms of
13:32the playoffs it is but there's still plenty for them to play for. I think a top-half finish
13:38is a big tick in the box for them and I think a top-ten finish is very achievable and that would
13:45be a very big success for them. So while they won't give up on the playoffs, I still think
13:51there's lots of sort of realistic things for them to aim for but they just need to break this cycle
13:56and I think there's a danger of it becoming mental as much as anything that when they're at home
14:01they're almost expecting not to win games, not to bury their chances and to give, you know,
14:08give opportunities at the other end and that's a worry for them. Yeah, it's been a problem,
14:12hasn't it, in, you know, over a good few years at this level that home front for Sheffield
14:18Wednesday and they're just a little bit, I mean the record, we've spoken about this before,
14:23the record against the sort of leading side of the top, even the top ten, it was a, you know,
14:27you sort of thought it was a real big step in the direct, you know, in the right direction against
14:32Norwich, wasn't it, obviously with the, you know, the incredible comeback 2-0 down, this and that
14:37but they're just a little bit short, aren't they, against the sort of, you know, the best sides in
14:44the division and, yes, one or two big players didn't, you thought, might turn up on the day,
14:51good players that they are in the barrier balance of this world and Shea Charles didn't
14:55step up in the way that you wanted and, you know, it was all about, as derbies are,
15:02they're all about the result, aren't they, and, you know, Sheffield United, I think it's the first
15:06double in about 20 years, isn't it, and I think the thing I'd take away about Sheffield United
15:13is that they're just not going to go away, are they, they're just, by hook or by crook,
15:18they might not be a classic side in the best traditions and that's not doing them necessarily
15:24a disservice, you know, a classic side, you know, you see teams that go up and are memorable but
15:31by hell they've got a strong jaw, haven't they, and, you know, six away wins on the spin and
15:37different sorts of wins, it's like, wow, they said they find different ways to win
15:41but the one thing about them is you can never sort of write off their togetherness,
15:47their character, their fight, their organisation, that all comes from the manager and I'm sure his
15:52team talk would have been pretty Churchillian, wouldn't it, before. I think we got most of it
15:58afterwards, yeah. Yeah, absolutely but, yeah, they're together, they're a driven group and,
16:03as we've mentioned many times, that they've come together in a pretty short space of time,
16:07haven't they, you're talking about seven or eight months, we know how Sheffield United have lost
16:12some huge characters in the past, sort of, you know, year or so, you know, retirements,
16:19Noel would go in and bash him, this, that and the other but, you know, to forge that, you know,
16:24a really strong dressing room in a quick amount of time is just tribute to the work of Wilder,
16:30they're just, you know, they're not going away, look at the wins, I mean,
16:34Sheffield Wednesdays, you know, holding the nerve in single goal wins away from home, that's,
16:40you know, we've spoken about it all, many people have talked about it over the years,
16:45the secret to a successful team is going away, not playing well and nicking a 1-0 or a 2-1 and,
16:50you know, they've done that, Sheffield Wednesday, we went to Derby, did a similar thing not so long
16:56back, Luton holding the nerve at QPR, they're a side who, you know, this is a really, you know,
17:05probably another classic ability to have in a promoted side is, you know, you lose a game and
17:11you hit back straight away and they've been really good at doing that, I think some of the setbacks
17:17they've had, even the Leeds game recently, the Hull City game, they lost a couple of games in
17:21the autumn, big games at Leeds and Middlesbrough, then I think they reeled off, you know, was it
17:26five or six wins after that? I think it was more than that, yeah, I think it was something like
17:30nine out of ten, yeah, yeah, long run anyway. Yeah, I mean, you know, Stewart's done a lot
17:36more Blaise games than me, but they just seem to don't go away and find a way, it might not always
17:44be terrific on the eye, but there's a hell of a lot of substance there, isn't there?
17:49I think with any team, you know, whether you're in the relegation battle, promotion,
17:52mid-table, I think the big thing is just, do we get the most out of ourselves? And that's what,
17:58as Leon says, that's what Sheffield United do every week and, you know, if they end up not
18:05going up, which is quite possible because as I said, Burnley and Leeds are so good,
18:10I don't think you'd be able to say, I don't think they'll be able to say it's because we didn't
18:14perform. No, they'll look each other in the eye, won't they? Exactly, I think they'll be able to
18:19say, well, we gave everything and we just came up against two better teams. I'm not by any means
18:25saying that they won't go up, it's that tight, but yeah, I think that was a disappointing thing
18:33for Leeds last season, you know, you kind of look at it and think, we're better than that,
18:38unless something drastic happens in the last eight games, I don't think Sheffield United
18:43will be in that boat and to be fair to Sheffield Wednesday, I don't think they're, you know,
18:47I don't think, as I say, I think a top 10 finish for them, a top 12 finish for them would be a
18:52really good season. I don't think they're drastically underperforming, I just don't
18:56think they have that quality of player in the areas that matter and that's a finance thing
19:03as much as anything. I mean, Danny Roll, you know, stirred things up and got some stick for his talk
19:09about the value of this squad and that squad, I'm not sure that was very wise, poking the tiger like
19:14that, but there were some valid points in there, you know, what realistically can you expect of,
19:21you know, any of these mid-table teams who don't have a parachute money competing with
19:26the top end, it's about maxing out and I think, I say, you couldn't say Sheffield
19:33Wednesday maxed out on Sunday because, as Leon said, a couple of the big players were just not
19:38quite on it, you know, a couple of the players will look back and think, well, I could have
19:43finished this, I could have done that, but they're not, they played well, you know, they couldn't go
19:49away and say, we didn't turn up on derby day, they just have to say, well, we just weren't quite good
19:55enough in the moments and, as I say, it's the moments that make Sheffield United a special team
20:02rather than, as Leon says, flowing football and beautiful stuff, but it's about getting the job
20:09done and nobody, you know, looking back in 10, 15 years' time, if Sheffield United were to win
20:15promotion, they'll say, ah, but, you know, it wasn't the most beautiful football we've ever
20:20seen, it's just, they're back in the Premier League and what they do from there.
20:25It was a lovely, from a player's perspective, it was a lovely story with Brewster, wasn't it?
20:31We know how highly regarded everyone is, a really popular lad in the dressing room by
20:36the side of it, always got a smile on his face and desperate for a bit of
20:41luck, obviously much-documented issues regarding, you know, some pretty rough injuries and form
20:48spells and, yeah, a terrific, you know, great moment for him and while they spoke recently,
20:56didn't they, that they're speaking to him in regards to potentially keeping him beyond his
21:00contract, well, that'll have certainly done him no harm and I think whatever happens,
21:05he'll be remembered, you know, on the red side of the steel, the City fondly and a nice personal
21:10story after what happened, akin to the first derby as well, with Tyrese Campbell, obviously
21:15everybody knew about the tragic death of his father last summer, obviously he had a lot of
21:20injury problems and a few issues as well at his previous club, Stoke, and he got released, so
21:26two really, not from a Sheffield Wednesday perspective, of course, but two sort of
21:32heartwarming football tales to go along with derby day. And nice as well, I mean, you know,
21:40there'll be, there's certainly areas of Chris Wilder's enjoyment of derby wins that
21:46overstepped the mark, but nice to see him with the George Bulldog shirt and, you know, holding
21:52that memory dear, that's clearly a big motivation for them this season and, yeah, you mustn't forget
21:58that element in terms of what they're dealing with, that was a big sort of mental blow to the
22:03squad but, you know, they're using it as an inspiration and, yeah, just good that at times
22:09like that they don't lose sight of Bulldog and all that he did along the journey.
22:16And next we look to Huddersfield Town, who put on a stunning display when they thrashed Crawley
22:21Town 5-1 and with it they found themselves back in the playoff spots. Now, what were your thoughts
22:26on the game and is this just the sort of result that the Terriers needed, Stuart?
22:31Oh, absolutely, just the sort of result they needed, I mean, not to do them down in any way,
22:37but just the sort of opposition they needed as well. Crawley were hopeless, but Huddersfield
22:43took full advantage of it, that's the important thing. You know, Leon did the press conference
22:48beforehand, there was lots of talk, as there was the last time John Worthington was caretaker about
22:54strap yourself in, be front-footed and all this sort of thing, so to be 4-0 up after half an hour,
23:00well, it's dreamland stuff from a team that hadn't scored a goal, never mind won a game at home
23:06all season. And I think this time around, I think there are two different jobs for John
23:12Worthington to be honest with you. I think last time when you're just doing it from game to game
23:16and you're just basically keeping the seat warm for somebody, it's really about the morale of the
23:22group and getting them in the right frame of mind. When you've got the job for 10 games and hopefully
23:2713 from his perspective, it's a bit more about putting his stamp on things and coaching him to
23:35be a John Worthington team. And therefore this fortnight's international break, which they've got
23:40because of international call-ups, it's going to be really important for them. But the fact that
23:45they've been able to go into it with the validation of a 5-1 win to say, look, what I'm telling you
23:52works, I know what I'm doing sort of thing, particularly with those guys who didn't work
23:56with him last season, because bear in mind, he's been in the academy, not coaching with the first
24:00team. I think that was really important. Little things like, well, not little things, big things
24:08really. Joe Taylor getting his first goal at home, obviously that's huge for him as a centre forward.
24:14He scored on his debut, but that was a long time ago now, what with injuries and what have you and
24:20away from home. Ruben Ruskin getting his first goal full stop, that was big as well. I'd say
24:27just the feel-good factor and the belief that it spread around the place, so important in terms of
24:35reinforcing the important work they've done. And of course, going back into the play-offs,
24:40just added to that. So yeah, a really good day for him, a really good day for the club and for the team.
24:48Yeah, I mean, I think the cards fell nicely for him, Stuart, didn't they? I mean, you mentioned
24:52the opposition, and by all accounts, probably were terrible. It was a good,
24:56the perfect game to start with. If you take a manager, you've got a clear run in the week at
25:02it to prepare. Obviously, Michael Duff had left on the Sunday. There's no midweek game.
25:09Really get your ideas across, four or five good days in training against a side stuck in the
25:15bottom four who didn't have much to offer on the day. I mean, I think Michael Duff would have wished
25:22that, that preparation time and to have that sort of game. It would have come a bit more fraught
25:26with danger with him. He couldn't have lost that one shortly, but it was, yeah, it looked a good
25:32game for Worthington. So it proved, and he's got a great window for himself, hasn't he? He's got
25:4010 games to really get his teeth into it. And I think we mentioned last week that the itinerary
25:46catching up with Huddersfield with injuries, with Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Saturday,
25:49Tuesday, Saturday. You know, the schedule now is a lot kinder, isn't it really? There's more
25:55clear weeks, and as Stuart said, they've got two weeks now in the international break. I know that
26:01one or two have gone off on international business, but he can really sort of get his ethos
26:07across and hopefully get one or two, obviously one or two players back as well. He had Joe Taylor
26:14starting up front on Saturday and going back to Michael Duff again, he looked to have had
26:21that luxury a few weeks ago and Matty Pearson as well. But yeah, I mean, for the powers that be
26:28that made the decision, they'll look at it and think, well, yeah, we've got a really good sort
26:31of response there and it's reinvigorated everything. I think psychologically as well,
26:36you look at the statistics at home in terms of, you know, they haven't scored had this since
26:42December the 29th. And I think I said the other week that I don't think a home player had scored
26:49because they had their own goal against Stockport. He hadn't scored since, I think it was about the
26:52end of November or December or something like that. And that home player was Michael Hellick,
26:56who's no longer there. It was another two games back since someone who was still there had scored,
27:04yeah. I think the first half as well, I mean, they've been really struggling to get goals in
27:08the first half of home games and you sort of sense everybody really needed that at Huddersfield. And
27:17I think the two, you know, one swallow doesn't make the summer a better gauge,
27:23will be in the next game. They've got a tough game going to Charlton who I think they'll still
27:28have a little eye on, maybe even breaking into the top two, even though it will be a bit of a,
27:34perhaps a big call, but it's not over for them yet. But going to the Valley,
27:38they've been a really, really strong side at League One level lately,
27:42like you Charlton. We'll find out a little bit more about Worthington then. Will he,
27:47it's a big call to just go gung-ho in that sort of game, isn't it? You might be a little bit more
27:51pragmatic, but we'll wait and see. But it's just a terrific opportunity for him. As Stuart said,
27:56he was just holding the fort last time, wasn't he? Trying to buy Huddersfield a bit of time,
28:03but he's certainly enjoyed his home games, hasn't he? I mean, I've seen a few of them.
28:07Stuart was there last week. I did the Sheffield Wednesday game last year,
28:12the 4-0 game. They also beat Sunderland. So, yeah, he's certainly had memorable occasions
28:18in temporary charge of Huddersfield at the John Smiths in his time so far. And, you know,
28:24the hope will be that that can continue for the rest of the season. Huddersfield's home form was
28:31okay in the first half of the season, but it wasn't sort of sparkling, wasn't it? It was a
28:35case of sort of just doing the job and then a bit of game management. But, you know, it looked like
28:41there was a bit of stardust there on Saturday, even though Crawley were lousy. And, yeah,
28:48just some really good ticks in the box. Obviously, Joe Taylor,
28:54Ruben Ruskin got a goal, didn't he? And he's played really well as well. Yeah, he's shown
29:00some good flashes, hasn't he? And I think one of the next ones we'll be trying to just
29:05get a psychological lift to Dion Charles, won't it? I mean, he obviously arrived at a fair outlay
29:11along with Taylor in January and he's been taking out the firing line. He's had some
29:16much publicised issues in front of the goal. He's desperate for a goal. He's trying his hardest,
29:22perhaps trying too hard. And I think we're going to be conscious somewhere down the line and,
29:28you know, getting that sort of monkey off his back, whether it's starting off the bench or
29:33whatever really. But, you know, you can't do everything in one day, can you? And I think
29:38he'll have gone to bed on Saturday night after a glass of wine being pretty satisfied about things
29:45after a great week for him. Yeah, I mean, Charles had a slight hamstring problem on Saturday.
29:50Otherwise, surely they'd have thrown him off the bench when you foured a lot to try and... But
29:58it was hard to get too much concrete information as it often is nowadays. I don't think it was
30:02that serious. No, he's sponsored the internationals, hasn't he, as well? Exactly, exactly.
30:08Yeah. As Leon says, he had a great time the last time. I mean, funnily enough,
30:14last season that 4-0 was the club's biggest win of the season. This 5-1 was the biggest win of
30:20this season. That's some going from a caretaker manager, isn't it, to be able to tick those off?
30:25But the interesting one last year, you know, when Leon mentions Charlton, is of course,
30:29they went to Southampton and they lost 5-3. So when Leon spoke about Ian Togung-Ho,
30:33it'd be interesting to see how he reflects on that and if, you know, if that shapes his thinking.
30:38Because there's a few, you know, there's not just Charlton, they're away at Lincoln on the
30:44Tuesday. That's never the easiest place to go. And they've got Wickham coming up at home soon. So
30:52there's some difficult tests coming. But what better way to go into it than with that confidence
31:00boost and, you know, hopefully the confidence... Well, he was pretty bullish that there'd be the
31:05confidence boost of more players back out of the treatment room by the time that Charlton
31:10game goes ahead. I think it's just really positive. I think everyone at Huddersfield
31:17will be really keen for John Worthington to do well, you know, taking away the fact,
31:23you know, the fact that it means the team's doing well. There's just, there's a lot of
31:26goodwill behind him and hopefully that can take them a long way. Because as we said last week,
31:32they weren't a million miles away when they sacked Michael Duff. So hopefully this can get
31:39them over the line. But as Leon says, one swallow doesn't make a spring. There's a lot of work to do.
31:45We really know a lot more about John Worthington's managerial credentials by the end of this season
31:51and hopefully it's all good news. This is his chance though, Stuart, isn't it? He's got 10
31:55games. He's not one of those players who's just retired relatively recently. He's done a few,
32:02you know, background jobs. He knows how football works. He's got 10 games to propel himself into
32:08contention as a firm candidate for the full-time job. I think I mentioned it in the piece last
32:14week. There's history before of this sort of thing and, you know, coaches stepping up after
32:21a good interim period. You think about Paul Higginbottom, you think about Paul Warren,
32:26and get the club, get the clubs together, get a bit of a vibe going, get the fans on the side and
32:32they can stick around and build something over a longer period of time. That's the aim for
32:39Worthington. You know, 10 games, it's almost a quarter of the season really, isn't it?
32:43Well, it's as much as some managers get when they're federally in charge, isn't it?
32:48Yeah, absolutely. Hopefully, he'll be thinking about it positively. 13 games going all the way to
32:57Wembley. He's been part of a side who, you know, a playing side. I did a piece as well about 20
33:05years ago. Huddersfield got promoted and they were something like 12th at Christmas and had
33:09bumps in the road and just managed to haul themselves over the line and got promoted,
33:13I remember, on penalties at Cardiff. So, I'm sure he'll have memories of that in the back of his
33:20mind. Yeah, I'd say his approach in the next games will be interesting. He sort of took the
33:26handbrake off a little bit against Crawley. I suppose their position in the table, you're at
33:31home and fans wanting to see a bit of boldness. That was perhaps always going to be the case and,
33:38you know, the trick is doing it at some of the tougher venues and better sides in League One and
33:42if you can do that, you really are onto something, aren't you? I mean, it's a big, big ask when you
33:47look at all the teams they're in competition with but, you know, if they go up, they can't
33:51not give him the job. It's as simple as that. So, you know, it's barely clear-cut from him in that
33:58respect. And we now look to Bradford City who fell to a second successive defeat when they recorded
34:03a 1-0 loss against visiting Tranmere Rovers. Now, they are still in the automatic promotion spots
34:09but what do they need to do before they host playoff-chasing Colchester United,
34:14who I'm right in saying are undefeated in their last 13 games, Leon? Yeah, it's a huge game,
34:20Mark. They've won five in a row at Colchester. They're doing a very passable impersonation of
34:25Doncaster Rovers 12 months ago, aren't they? So, they're coming from nowhere and, you know,
34:31if they, you know, hopefully not from a Bradford perspective but if they actually win at Bradford
34:35on Saturday, Bradford are second. They're only five points behind them and there's, what,
34:39seven or eight games left. You know, that's doable, isn't it? They'll be really fancying
34:43it but obviously we all, you know, we don't want that to happen. It's, you know, we mentioned
34:48earlier about the Championship, how fascinating it is with wafer-thin margins and things going
34:56down to the wire. You know, I'd be very, very surprised if it wasn't the case in
35:02League Two as well. You know, for at least a couple of the promotion slots, there's all sorts
35:07of games going on. There's Bradford going to Doncaster, Doncaster going to Notts County on
35:12the last day. There's probably other ones as well but this has got the feeling of a big game,
35:17I think, for Bradford on Saturday and it was, yeah, it was a shot result against
35:25Trammier. It was one of those, you know, classic phrase, it was one of those days, really.
35:32You know, it was, you know, we had frustrations with the referee. I don't really
35:38like to call referees too much but he didn't have the best day, I've got to be quite
35:42honest, and it looked a really, really soft penalty, I thought, and I thought the reaction
35:48of the Trammier player was telling. He did a little jig of delight and dance when the
35:53penalty was awarded and it looked a real soft one but they actually played, I thought they
35:59played all right in the first half, Bradford, but you've just got to, when you're on top,
36:03just take those chances and they never took one. I think if they'd have taken one,
36:08I could have seen them, you know, perhaps seeing it out relatively comfortably and,
36:14yeah, afterwards it was interesting, it was asked, Graeme Alexander, you know, how much
36:17they were missing. They're missing some big players, aren't they? Everybody knows about
36:20Andy Cutt but, you know, they've had to make do without him for a good while now, haven't they?
36:27And they've had a fair few wins without him but, you know, in the more recent past you've got
36:31Paterson, you've got Sarcevic, you've got players there who can nip in, who are match winners,
36:37who can get you goals, Bobby Poynton as well, you know, we're missing all those players and,
36:42sort of, Alexander says, well, you know, we sort of missed them in the previous game against
36:48Cheltenham and we still managed to win 3-0 but, you know, he's sort of backing his players and
36:53saying you've got to take the chances when they come along. There were chances in the first half
36:57but I just think they did lack a little bit of authority there, especially with Cutt sort of
37:04being out in the final third and, yeah, they're just going to have to try and find a way on
37:13Saturday and they're probably going to be without those players again as well.
37:17I think he'll have a decision to make up front. Will he start with Callum Cavanagh who came off
37:21the bench? Mellon was kept quiet. Will he put him on the bench? Will he play Lee? So there's some
37:27decisions there and he's not prone to panic, Graeme Alexander. I mean, he's been big on saying
37:34if we do go up, this is going to be a really big squad effort and everyone's going to put
37:38their hand up and, in fairness, they have. But, yeah, it feels like a big game. I think the fans
37:44were very good, I thought, on Saturday. Well, they should be, really. They wouldn't turn on
37:49the trot but I think there was an appreciation that it was just one of those days that you get
37:54in football every now and again for whatever reason. There were a dodgy penalty, opponents
38:01sat in and they tried to eat. You know, you would do in Trammier's position, they're fighting for
38:05their lives. You're going to go down at the nearest contact, you're going to eat into the
38:10clock, you're going to frustrate. And the fans kept with them but it could be another one of
38:15those days on Saturday. It's a tight game and it could be nil-nil after, I don't know, 55, 60
38:22minutes. The fans are really going to, I think the players there are going to really need them on
38:27Saturday against a good side and there'll be a little bit of holding of nerve as well as they've
38:33done. Bradford have done brilliantly at home, haven't they? Ten wins on the trot. The narrative
38:37can soon change in football. They've lost back-to-back games, they haven't scored a goal
38:41and suddenly people forget about the ten home wins and it's, oh, we haven't scored in three games,
38:46that sort of thing. It's not just Bradford-centric, it's every club does it and this is the worst time
38:53of year for those things to materialise. It just feels like a big afternoon in Bradford's season
39:05against a good side. They've obviously not scored for a couple of games, they're missing one or two
39:10players. I think if they find a way on Saturday it'll be as significant as probably anything this
39:16season. There's no better division to prove Lyon's point about, it's not just a Bradford-centric
39:22thing than they do this season. You look at the run Paul Bale were on before Christmas
39:27and the way that dropped away and you look at the way Walsall's form has evaporated since Bradford
39:32gave them a good doing at Valley Parade. It's really important to stop that and I think it's
39:36going to be a bit of a test of the supporters. It was the biggest crowd of the season, I think,
39:41wasn't it, Lyon, on Saturday? They need them all back this Saturday and they need that same
39:48positive mindset because it's going to be tough. I think they've been quite lucky during the run.
39:55Nothing wrong with being lucky during a good run but they seem to be quite lucky in the sense that
40:00Sarcevic and Paterson seem to take it in turns to get injured rather than both getting injured at
40:05once now that they're both out. It's a psychological thing as much as anything else but
40:13probably no coincidence that Graeme Alexander was pointing out that Cheltenham win.
40:17It's certainly doable for them to win without both, they just have to believe. More than anything,
40:24it's just getting back on the horse quickly so they don't have one of those Paul Bale's
40:29stroke Walsall type fall-offs because they looked so good until then. As Lyon says,
40:39it's not that they played badly, it's just that they lost. Sometimes you need to look at one
40:45perspective. When you're talking about the Derby, you need to just look at the result
40:51and sometimes you need to just look at the performance and Bradford are in that position
40:57right now. It's a little bit like Leeds in the Championship, isn't it? They really shouldn't be
41:07there but they are and they're desperate to get out. Every bad result or slip-up is magnified
41:17isn't it really and you have to contend with that. Obviously, it felt like a long week at Bradford
41:23this week but it shouldn't be. It's easy to put it outside of it to say there's got to be
41:30perspective but we're actually the ones who pay the ticket and watch Bradford at venues where
41:35they don't think they should be playing so it's easy for us to say that.
41:41The top and bottom of it is if Bradford get a win on Saturday, however it comes,
41:46that'll be a really big psychological moment I think.
41:51Now, as mentioned at the top of the episode, we look at Barnsley who following their 3-0
41:55defeat to Blackpool announced the departure of Darrell Clarke and following this news,
42:00they then fell to a 2-1 defeat when they paid a visit to Mansfield Town.
42:04Now, what did you make of his time at the club and what do you make of the club's decision Leon?
42:11Yeah, I think he's ultimately proved to be a little bit of a fall guy. Obviously,
42:17the results weren't brilliant over the course of the season but they weren't terrible as well.
42:23I think there were a few mitigating factors there. I think towards the end,
42:28it got a bit of a perfect storm didn't it? They had a lot of injuries. I think the Blackpool
42:33game there were eight players out, missing some big players and I think that was sort of magnified
42:39by, you know, there's no point in dressing it up. It was a difficult winter window for Barnsley,
42:43wasn't it? You look at who they brought in. They lost a goalkeeper but basically brought
42:48another goalkeeper, just a sort of loan keeper to step into the breach and replace what they'd
42:55sort of lost. But some of their other loan signings, it didn't really smack of a team who
43:01were saying they didn't expect them to spend millions or anything like that but
43:05it didn't smack me of a ball to say, here you are, go and get us in the play-offs,
43:09get X, Y and Z. But it was just sort of, you know, they've got Rodriguez from French football
43:15who's very unproven, obviously doesn't even speak English as well and it's a big call
43:24to get him to assimilate into English football straight away. And, you know, a couple of the
43:31other buys as well, they were pretty underwhelming ones really. So I've got
43:37sympathy for Clarke in that respect and then the injuries. But yeah, home form, that's a stick that
43:46you can sort of beat them with all season really, isn't it? They've only won, I think it was like
43:52five home games this season, conceded all manner of goals in the second half of games. And
43:58it was interesting, the board saying that it was a style of football but I sort of personally think
44:06it was more, you know, game management, that was the big sort of problem and seeing out games and
44:12a bit of a sort of softness mentally really. I think if they'd have shown that side of it more,
44:17they'd perhaps be in a better position. But I just think with Connor Horihan,
44:26he was always perceived to be a bit of a go-to if they had to sort of, you know, get rid of Clarke,
44:32maybe have a look at him over a spell and that's basically what they've done, isn't it really? And
44:38he's got a chance to throw himself into contention for the full-time job, we'll have to sort of wait
44:45and see there. But I don't know what Stuart thinks, I think it just smacks of me of a board
44:49we're looking at, I think possibly at Huddersfield as well and maybe this is where it'll come into
44:56the equation at Rotherham, a board we're looking at perspective season ticket sales next season and
45:02thinking, I'm not sure how many we're going to sell if we don't do anything. And I personally
45:10think that was a pretty big driver in the decision made and he wasn't perfect, Darrell
45:15Clarke, and he certainly had a quiet start and there was a lot of talk about what's the identity
45:23and I thought, to be fair, they sort of grew into the season a little bit but it's never really got
45:29going, hasn't it really? The away form's been decent but there's been sort of problems along
45:35the way, I've mentioned the January window wasn't particularly satisfactory in terms of the squad
45:42depth, then you've sort of got injuries as well and former shoes at home, he wasn't blameless
45:49Clarke but I think there were other problems at the club as well and they just weren't willing
45:57to show enough faith and other changes made and they can have a look at Orhan and then
46:03we'll see what happens and if he's going to put his hand up and be a candidate for the full-time
46:08job, we'll have to sort of see on that count. I think if it really was style of football,
46:15I think that's on the board. I mean, that was one of the reasons they gave for sacking Neil Collins,
46:21so it was obviously high in their mind when they appointed Clarke and it's not like they appointed
46:26Ange Postacoglu and he turned into Jose Mourinho, Darrell Clarke played the same sort of football
46:30that he'd always played so they knew what they were getting style-wise or they should have done
46:35the research. So I don't think you can really beat them with that stake, the fans are perfectly
46:44entitled to complain about the style of football but the bards they bought if they did their job
46:49properly should have known that's what they were getting. I think in terms of the transfer window
46:53as well, as Leon says, it's not about spending sack loads of money but I just think they should
47:00have got more out as well. I mean, Clarke talked a bit about having a good eye for players who
47:06didn't suit him or weren't up to his demands and they clearly weren't some of those in their squad,
47:13he needed more of those out so he could get more in. It was about the turnover of players rather
47:18than the cost of players I think and that's why it was a disappointing window. I think like I said
47:24about Worthington, even more so Hurrahan, I think Barnsley fans will be desperate for him to succeed,
47:32this is a really good opportunity for him, his first grade management. Worthington was very coy
47:37last time around, seemed to warm to management, Hurrahan we know wants to be a manager.
47:42Exactly, so this is a full-on audition for him and hopefully the fact that he's got that ready-made
47:49popularity with the home fans just lifts the mood so that he was away last week, the first
47:55home game against Cambridge is more like the sort of mood I saw at Huddersfield on Saturday
48:01and it provides a bit of a take-off point to improve that home form because that really is
48:06where things need to be sorted out first and foremost. There's no magic wand,
48:12we'll have to wait and see how he does but it won't be for lack of goodwill, that's for sure.
48:16No, well I mean he gave them a decision, if he can get a good run at it and he can sort of turn
48:23the mood around can't he and they might have a decision to make there but yeah I don't think
48:29it's as simple as pinning it all on Daryl Clarke for how Barnsley have done, I think the culpability
48:36needs to be shared there and be collective as I think it does at Huddersfield Town as well.
48:42But I feel with Barnsley that they almost just need an excuse to give it to Conor Horan,
48:47no disrespect because everyone really wants him to do well, any sort of form that would
48:53justify getting him the job I think will get him the job so let's hope they find it.
48:58I think he was always there wasn't he?
49:00Yeah, Blanco's ghost wasn't he?
49:03Yeah, I mean he's not being sort of nasty about it but he was always there wasn't he,
49:09when Barnsley have a sort of bad run can they, what are the options to change it,
49:14oh we've just brought an ex-captain back who started on his coaching journey, who is obviously
49:20driven and determined to have his chance in the hot seat over time and so it's proved.
49:27And next we look to Rotherham United who fell to a frustrating 3-2 defeat when they clashed
49:32with Wickham Wanderers. This now takes their run of games without a win to three and with a visit
49:37from Crawley Town next on the horizon, what do you think the Millers should improve on ahead of it?
49:43Yeah, it was a funny game really, it was a bit cagey in the first half, I actually thought
49:49Rotherham played reasonably well in the second half and merited something and you know all hell
49:57sort of broke loose at the end, there were actually three goals from the 90th minute onwards
50:03and you know Wickham's remarkable run of goals that they've scored late in games and that's the
50:09one thing I would criticise you know Rotherham for certainly defensively, you know Wickham are
50:16a side who go to the end, they've scored something like I think it's 16 or 17 goals now in the last
50:22quarter of games, I did a game at Barnsley earlier this season, they weren't great but they just kept
50:26going and going, they throw subs on and you know it's never over until it's over against them and
50:34they were disappointing in that regard Rotherham that they didn't switch on at the end so yeah it
50:40was a half, I thought it was a half decent performance in the you know in the second half,
50:46they had a go but I just think the reaction at the end it was a really, the crowd was giving us
50:53I think it was just under 8,000 but a lot of the cynics on social media were Rotherham United
50:58singers were saying well it was nothing like that and it didn't, it looked very, very,
51:02very sparsely populated and you know at the final whistle there were
51:06there were jeers and it was a little bit, a little bit harsh given how their side performed in the
51:12first half but sorry the the second half but it just smacked of a fan base who were just tired
51:17and ready for the end of the season and then then with that will surely come a decision about
51:22about Steve Evans, I mean is there any sort of there's probably arguments that there's not
51:26really much point doing anything to it, you might as well wait till the end of the season then you
51:31will have a have a you know sit down have a little think and then you will have a decision to make,
51:36do you want to go forward with it or do you do you change and then we go back to the old
51:41season ticket sort of argument how many Rotherham United fans are going to renew if Steve Evans is
51:47still there, it's as simple as that and I think the danger as well is in the last few games,
51:52home games it could get I think it's got the potential to to start getting a little bit toxic
51:57there were obviously there were a few boos last night and you know one or two one of our
52:02photographers caught a few pictures of banners so yeah as often happens you know the moods
52:09the moods getting a little bit a little bit mutinous and again a little bit tired after a
52:15rough season so yeah that's the that's the sort of issue at the minute for Rotherham obviously
52:21desperate to the season to sort of finish really it's been nothing like nobody thought it was going
52:26to be and um and it happens you know they played okay last night the second half decent but
52:32you know fans are just it's more of an issue will be what's happened over the course of the season
52:38yeah I mean it's it feels well it is wrong to say really about professional footballers in some
52:42senses but it's it's harder to go to the well to the last few minutes when you're not desperate
52:47for the points like Wycombe are yeah the points don't make such a difference for Rotherham but
52:51the flip side of that is it's easier to play with freedom and really put on a show for the fans you
52:57know in the early part of the game and that's what they've got to do they've got to give the fans
53:00something that they want to come back and watch again because it's it's just not happened enough
53:05at all at the New York Stadium for but for a good few years now obviously since certainly since last
53:10time they're in league one so they need to they need to put on a bit of a show as Leon says with
53:14season tickets in mind and that sort of thing and just just give people a bit of hope yeah yeah
53:19and finally for this week I will look to Leon for his team of the week before turning to Stuart
53:24Stuart for his player of the week so Leon who have you decided deserves the team of the week title
53:30well one or two candidates where they mentioned I mean a good another good away point from
53:36the hole they went to West Brom you know when you when you're down battling the bottom
53:41getting a point at a side in the playoffs is very good isn't it and obviously they did that
53:45at Bristol City as well backing up from what happened against Oxford Huddersfield time you
53:50got to mention John Worthington you know five goals he hadn't scored for god knows how long
53:55on home soil but you can't you can't ignore Sheffield United can you obviously first Derby
54:00double since 05 06 six away wins on the on the spin for the first time in since 1890 90 something
54:10so yeah all the talk was was about Sheffield United on Sunday afternoon Monday morning's
54:16paper so it's got to be them hasn't it yeah yeah and Stuart who have you decided deserves
54:21the player of the week title yeah well I mean with that in mind for the zillionth time this
54:27season got to mention Michael Cooper he made a really big yes really you know really important
54:33obviously we and Brewster we've touched on you know did he did his job that's that's what you
54:37pay this the centre forwards the big books all really well done mentioned Leeds' fullbacks I
54:42mean Jadon Bogle important for them again going forward as well as back Hull's substitutes were
54:50massive in that draw Casey Palmer and Abu Kamra linking for the goal but as I was at Huddersfield
55:00and I said it was such an important win I'm going to look to them and you know there were three
55:04really outstanding players uh there was Joe Taylor um there was Callum Marshall who could
55:10easily have got the nod but I'm going to go with uh Ruben Ruskins who was involved in about three
55:14or four of the goals and scored his first for the club it felt like um it felt like a big step
55:20forward for him personally as well as for the team playing on the on the left wing in a four two
55:25three one so yeah hopefully it isn't a false dawn and this is uh this is the start of really seeing
55:30the best of him as a Huddersfield player yorkshirepost.co.uk
55:46many thanks to Stuart Rayner and Leon Wobtrell who will doubtless join us again soon for more
55:49discussions on the Yorkshire football scene but don't forget you can keep up to date with all the
55:53football news across Yorkshire and beyond by logging on to our website at yp.sport at national
55:58world.com or if you search for Yorkshire post sport Yorkshire post football or even Sheffield
56:02sport on facebook you can find us there as well if you have any questions for our writers you
56:07can get in touch using those various twitter or facebook pages or email us directly with
56:11the subject matter as football talk podcast at yp.sport at national world.com as ever many
56:17thanks for listening look after yourselves and bye for now
56:36you