Biggs - Bruce - Not a cure all

[Lord Snooty]

Alan Biggs’ Sheffield Wednesday column: Changing one person is not a cure-all

 

 

Leave Jos Luhukay out of the equation for a moment. You can change the manager. The fact is Sheffield Wednesday’s squad has to change also – whoever is boss. And the same would apply to a vastly experienced one of Championship pedigree.

 

Steve Bruce, for instance. Bruce – as suggested here last week – IS, I understand, the target of soundings via a third party. Would he be interested in the event of a change? I am satisfied he would be; also aware he was struck by the Owls incredible support at Wembley when his Hull side won the 2016 play-off final. It could well develop, albeit other candidates will be under review and the former Aston Villa boss might wish to enjoy a rare Christmas with his family first. That’s where the timing is on a knifedge.

 

 Asking fans to dip into almost empty reserves of patience seems futile. Yet it is in everyone’s interests for under-fire Luhukay to arrest the slide – with longer-term contingencies clearly being formulated if necessary. Some might think the owner is just sitting back accepting the situation. I can categorically assure them that is not the case.

 

Bruce’s early management venture with Sheffield United is a tribal irrelevance. He has won promotion to the Premier League four times, twice each with Birmingham and Hull, and took Villa to the play-offs last season. His credentials are impeccable along with the respect he would command in any dressing room.

 

That’s where a Wednesday shake-up is long overdue, dating to the summer of 2017. The only way that can happen is players going out, something all too infrequent compared to arrivals. Of the latter, there have been only three in the beleaguered Luhukay’s reign, two of them loans. Of departures, only three have been notable – Ross Wallace, Glenn Loovens and Jack Hunt (none of whom have been effectively replaced), the latter for the rarity of a fee. More of both are needed to revive a tired-looking, lacklustre squad. And there are times when the only offer you get is the best that you can get. The grapevine has it, for instance, that last summer Wednesday had opportunities to part with Keiren Westwood and David Jones. Of which more later. 

 

First, Luhukay. One win in nine matches and performances of recent level are, in tandem, indefensible. The Owls were fortunate to draw 2-2 last Saturday with Rotherham, a team costing relative peanuts but a functioning TEAM for all that. Having been reliant on spectacular individual goals from Adam Reach and Barry Bannan in early season, Luhukay leaned here on a brilliant brace from Lucas Joao.

 

The margins are fine in that given six or seven more points the sacking question ought not to be asked. This is not a top six outfit.

 

But current standards won’t do. Where I feel Luhukay has a case in his defence is in asserting to me that the squad is virtually the same as the one he inherited. He pointed to the league position being almost identical to when he arrived in January, saying: “Only the manager has changed. I’m very realistic and try to do my work the best I can. But the team is the same and the players are the same.” More outgoings were needed to change that situation amid FFP issues. Were there possibilities?

 

Sources outside Hillsborough have suggested for some time that a Premier League club (Cardiff) tabled around £3m for frozen-out goalkeeper Westwood last summer. Wednesday are said to have asked for up to £6m. Plainly hugely unrealistic if they did. Westwood has become, controversially, a big earner on the sidelines at 34. He’s linked with Leeds but the Owls would do well to get any kind of January fee offer – only, at best, an approach to take over Westwood’s wages on loan.

 

Midfielder Jones, too, is said to have been wanted on loan by a Championship outfit (Bolton). Again, no deal, for whatever reason. He, too, is treading water. As are Wednesday.

 

There will be no queue for either player, or others on the fringe, in January. Only for the ones you’d rather keep. But at least there are three, rather than two, likely to attract big offers after Joao’s brace taking him to eight goals for the season. He, Reach and Bannan are all marketable. You’d want to keep all three but at least one may have to go. Those are the ones to be picky over on offers made, not those for offloading.

 

In fairness, though, Wednesday did well in driving a hard bargain for Jordan Rhodes’ loan at Norwich City. Fernando Forestieri would also have been on the coveted list but another injury, diminishing a value once as high as a supposedly rejected £13m bid and ruling him out until the New Year, might discount that.

 

Keeping players is admirable if a club is healthy and firing. Even then, trading is an intrinsic and normal part of the game at all levels, even for the wealthiest. When a club is not performing on the field, it is the only solution.

 

So the the management issue is far from the only one. Anyone in charge would have to face the same reality. Changing one person – even to someone of Bruce’s stature – cannot be the single simple answer. And if that one person were to be central to the solution then I feel he, as the professional, would need a strong handle on the situation – or rely on a level of football expertise not currently evident in the running of the club

 

[steveger]

I agree, we have an over the hill crap squad who are past it...

 

and

 

some youngsters who aint quite there yet... and possibly never will be

Edited December 12, 2018 by steveger

[Bluesteel]

The rejected bids upset me 

[keepitsteel89]

I feel somone like Bruce could quite easily walk in here look over the squad and numbers on the books re ffp and do abit of loan dealing to not just sure us up at the back but to have a real go next season.. we don't really have ANYONE who has vast experience running a club in the EFL right now and it shows

[Owl Rly]

7 minutes ago, Bluesteel said:

The rejected bids upset me 

 

3 million for Westwood and we held out for 6? Jesus

[EcclesallOwl]

1 minute ago, Owl Rly said:

 

3 million for Westwood and we held out for 6? Jesus

£6m is peanuts for Premier League clubs to be fair

[Owl Rly]

1 minute ago, EcclesallOwl said:

£6m is peanuts for Premier League clubs to be fair

 

The words beggars and choosers comes to mind. He is also 34 and a big earner and we don’t have a pot to wee wee in

Edited December 12, 2018 by Owl Rly
Spelling

[i used to be sc_owl]

If we rejected bids for Westwood and Jones, that is outrageous.  

 

Knowing what we know now about our finances, which the club would have known about for longer, rejecting £3M for Westwood is mental.

 

Then there is the continued wages we have paid him that would have been freed had we sold him. 

 

Nothing surprises me anymore. 

[billyblack]

9 minutes ago, EcclesallOwl said:

£6m is peanuts for Premier League clubs to be fair

True, but we cant afford to turn down 3. Pure vanity

[billyblack]

7 minutes ago, i used to be sc_owl said:

If we rejected bids for Westwood and Jones, that is outrageous.  

 

Knowing what we know now about our finances, which the club would have known about for longer, rejecting £3M for Westwood is mental.

 

Then there is the continued wages we have paid him that would have been freed had we sold him. 

 

Nothing surprises me anymore. 

Clueless, what a bunch of muppets

[Suzuki_San]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing,

[BlueBloodedOwl]

Not to mention the 2 million for Hirst. We could be financially a lot better off. At least we would have been able to sort out problematic areas on the pitch. 

[slightlybruisedman]

Summer 2016 something felt really off.  Poor recruitment. Ridiculous shirt numbers. 

 

The previous manager fked up badly and this guy has if anything made an average side a poor one.

[Blatter]

Agree with most of that except for one major point.

It has to be recognised that although the squad is virtually the same as the one he inherited Jos has far more players at his disposal. Yes Loovens Wallace and Hunt have gone, but in have come Hector Onomah and Pelupessy. Furthermore, at this time last year there were as many as 14 injured players. This time around there are four, Forestieri, Hooper Winnal and Lee.

 

What I find inexplicable is that with as many as 10 more players to choose from the league position is roughly the same whilst the current form is worse than last season.

 

To me that hat suggests that far more just than a shake up of the squad is required.

[bobness]

12 minutes ago, i used to be sc_owl said:

If we rejected bids for Westwood and Jones, that is outrageous.

Heard we accepted the Jones bid, but the deal fell through when Jones demanded they match the billions he's on per week.

 

[Mr Farrell]

To confirm Biggsy, not only do we have a crap manager, we are also badly run ?

 

Tell us something we didn't know.

[slightlybruisedman]

David Jones has to be one of the worst signings in recent history.

 

I'm so sick and tired of the likes of Jones, Matias, Nuhiu.

 

just poo players for this level, like the days when we inexplicably had Potter playing CM for 3 years

[ReadingOwl]

Biggs does what he does. He is what he is.

 

Dont understand the hate for him, Newsome, Howson or Radio Sheffield.

 

People just want to blame the messenger.

 

And, in this instance he is correct. Taking into account the current status and unsustainability of the Club - Bruce isn’t the answer.

 

.

Edited December 12, 2018 by ReadingOwl

[sMacLean]

We should have cashed in after our 2nd failure to go up. Probably missed out on £50m of fees.

[WhiteOwl91]

The fact we turned down a £3m bid for Westwood, to then freeze him out is absolutely shambolic. 

 

The cost of the fee, plus wages to sit at home, the following circus around why he's not playing, fan divide, shocking treatment of a fan favourite etc. 

 

What a complete and utter disaster.