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Wednesday Thrashings


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These come from a longer article on the topic of thrashings from The Athletic, but there are two sections relevant to Wednesday.

 

Firstly, a memory we'd all rather forget:

 

Newcastle United 8 Sheffield Wednesday 0, September 1999


Jon Newsome recalls…

 

An awful day from start to finish. We were the bottom two in the Premier League, so this was a big opportunity for us to get some points on the board.

 

But Alan Shearer was unplayable. Everything he hit went in and it turned into a total nightmare. No professional team should ever lose by that margin but it was a sign of where the club was at. There was no togetherness in the dressing room. Too many cliques here and there, and too much “them” and “us”. Wednesday went down that season and I doubt anyone was surprised.

 

On a personal level, that day finished my career. I took a whack on the knee as someone ran past and caught me. A nothing incident, really. But I ended up having two or three operations and never played again. I was 28.

 

I played on in that game against Newcastle, mind. Mainly because me and the manager, Danny Wilson, weren’t getting on. He kept playing me at right-back but I didn’t want to play there. Who’s ever heard of a 6ft 4in right-back?

 

We were at loggerheads over it, so there was no way I was coming off. Not even at half-time, when the score was already 4-0 and I was in real trouble with the knee. I wasn’t giving the manager the opportunity to think I was ducking out.

 

That second half was embarrassing. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me as Newcastle made it six, seven and then eight (all between the 78th and 84th minutes). Shearer ended up with five goals. I remember looking at the clock and thinking, “Has it stopped?” I just wanted the afternoon to end.

 

And secondly, a much fonder recent memory:

 

Sheffield Wednesday 6 Leeds United 0, January 2014


Matt Smith recalls…

 

The first thing to say is that if it hadn’t been for my red card, I don’t think people would talk much about the game so much. It would have been 3-0 or 4-0 rather than six but as it was, it felt as bad as it looked. To this day, it’s the only game I’ve played in which my mum and dad have left early. The abuse I was getting was too much for them. But it was kind of hard to blame the away supporters for being so irate.

 

I came on at half-time and was out there for about a minute. There was no malice in my challenge, genuinely, but I caught Reda Johnson with my elbow as I went for a header and Lee Probert, the referee, came across straight away and said, “Smithy, that’s a red card.” I couldn’t believe it. I’ve still got a picture on my phone of the mock-up someone did on Twitter afterwards: the Gone In 60 Seconds movie poster with me and (then Leeds manager) Brian McDermott as Nicolas Cage and whoever else was on it originally.

 

A few weeks later, I saw Reda Johnson in Manchester. He apologised for making a meal of the challenge and offered to buy me a drink, which tells you everything. But sitting in the dressing room, you feel like an absolute idiot.

 

A week earlier, we’d lost at Rochdale in the FA Cup and if I’m being honest, that was worse. Brian sent us over to applaud the crowd at full-time and understandably, they battered us. It was quiet in the dressing room after Rochdale and not much was said. Without going into detail, at Hillsborough, a lot was said. It becomes a matter of personal pride. You can’t really hold back when it gets that bad.

 

We were never going to recover as a squad. The events of that January tore the wheels of the club clean off. There was the attempt to sack Brian, Massimo Cellino arrived, people were being treated terribly and it went from a bouncy club before Christmas to being like a graveyard.

 

The game at Sheffield Wednesday summed it all up. There was no coming back from that.

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Just now, areNOTwhatTHEYseem said:

  

 

I played on in that game against Newcastle, mind. Mainly because me and the manager, Danny Wilson, weren’t getting on. He kept playing me at right-back but I didn’t want to play there. Who’s ever heard of a 6ft 4in right-back?  




*cough* Tony Pulis *cough*

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Owlstalk Shop

 

 

 

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5 minutes ago, Harrysgame said:

Seem to remember going to Ewood Park early 2000's on a Sunday and getting stuffed. Make matters worse sat with bloody home fans and live on TV. Think we shipped 7 that day.

 

1997-98 season, 7-2. Carbone scored a cracker and got sent off. 

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6 minutes ago, Harrysgame said:

Seem to remember going to Ewood Park early 2000's on a Sunday and getting stuffed. Make matters worse sat with bloody home fans and live on TV. Think we shipped 7 that day.

I was in Majorca , by the time I’d sat down with my first pint we were 2-0 down. 

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1 hour ago, areNOTwhatTHEYseem said:

These come from a longer article on the topic of thrashings from The Athletic, but there are two sections relevant to Wednesday.

 

Firstly, a memory we'd all rather forget:

 

Newcastle United 8 Sheffield Wednesday 0, September 1999


Jon Newsome recalls…

 

An awful day from start to finish. We were the bottom two in the Premier League, so this was a big opportunity for us to get some points on the board.

 

But Alan Shearer was unplayable. Everything he hit went in and it turned into a total nightmare. No professional team should ever lose by that margin but it was a sign of where the club was at. There was no togetherness in the dressing room. Too many cliques here and there, and too much “them” and “us”. Wednesday went down that season and I doubt anyone was surprised.

 

On a personal level, that day finished my career. I took a whack on the knee as someone ran past and caught me. A nothing incident, really. But I ended up having two or three operations and never played again. I was 28.

 

I played on in that game against Newcastle, mind. Mainly because me and the manager, Danny Wilson, weren’t getting on. He kept playing me at right-back but I didn’t want to play there. Who’s ever heard of a 6ft 4in right-back?

 

We were at loggerheads over it, so there was no way I was coming off. Not even at half-time, when the score was already 4-0 and I was in real trouble with the knee. I wasn’t giving the manager the opportunity to think I was ducking out.

 

That second half was embarrassing. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me as Newcastle made it six, seven and then eight (all between the 78th and 84th minutes). Shearer ended up with five goals. I remember looking at the clock and thinking, “Has it stopped?” I just wanted the afternoon to end.

 

And secondly, a much fonder recent memory:

 

Sheffield Wednesday 6 Leeds United 0, January 2014


Matt Smith recalls…

 

The first thing to say is that if it hadn’t been for my red card, I don’t think people would talk much about the game so much. It would have been 3-0 or 4-0 rather than six but as it was, it felt as bad as it looked. To this day, it’s the only game I’ve played in which my mum and dad have left early. The abuse I was getting was too much for them. But it was kind of hard to blame the away supporters for being so irate.

 

I came on at half-time and was out there for about a minute. There was no malice in my challenge, genuinely, but I caught Reda Johnson with my elbow as I went for a header and Lee Probert, the referee, came across straight away and said, “Smithy, that’s a red card.” I couldn’t believe it. I’ve still got a picture on my phone of the mock-up someone did on Twitter afterwards: the Gone In 60 Seconds movie poster with me and (then Leeds manager) Brian McDermott as Nicolas Cage and whoever else was on it originally.

 

A few weeks later, I saw Reda Johnson in Manchester. He apologised for making a meal of the challenge and offered to buy me a drink, which tells you everything. But sitting in the dressing room, you feel like an absolute idiot.

 

A week earlier, we’d lost at Rochdale in the FA Cup and if I’m being honest, that was worse. Brian sent us over to applaud the crowd at full-time and understandably, they battered us. It was quiet in the dressing room after Rochdale and not much was said. Without going into detail, at Hillsborough, a lot was said. It becomes a matter of personal pride. You can’t really hold back when it gets that bad.

 

We were never going to recover as a squad. The events of that January tore the wheels of the club clean off. There was the attempt to sack Brian, Massimo Cellino arrived, people were being treated terribly and it went from a bouncy club before Christmas to being like a graveyard.

 

The game at Sheffield Wednesday summed it all up. There was no coming back from that.

 

Newsome's take on the dressing room makes for sorry reading.

Wilson had already got rid of the 'fancy dans' by the time of the Newcastle game yet still the dressing room was split and he couldn't even appease local hard-working honest pro's like Newsome. Out of his depth. 

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3 minutes ago, Paddyowl said:

The 7-1 defeat at Highbury was hard to take, we were still in the game after an hour, never seen a team crumble like that so quickly.

 

Sat directly behind the Arsenal fans as well, got a little heated as you can imagine.

 

Sure it was still 1-1 with less than 20 minutes to go. 

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How Wilson didn't get sacked after the 8-0 at Newcastle still beggars belief. I remember driving round in my car the next day tuning in to the Sports News on the radio every half hour and nothing happened. 

 

Another one of the literally dozens of "what if" moments in our history...

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24 minutes ago, Harrysgame said:

Seem to remember going to Ewood Park early 2000's on a Sunday and getting stuffed. Make matters worse sat with bloody home fans and live on TV. Think we shipped 7 that day.

 

2-1 after 4 minites I think, then 5-1 down after 25 minutes 😁

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26 minutes ago, hirstyboywonder said:

 

1997-98 season, 7-2. Carbone scored a cracker and got sent off. 

That game summed Carbone up for me. He scored an unbelievable goal but gave away the ball when in good control in his own half trying tricks. He did this several times leaving our defence flat footed and leading directly to conceding goals. it certainly was at least two or three in that game. He did this consistently throughout his time at Hillsborough.

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31 minutes ago, Paddyowl said:

The 7-1 defeat at Highbury was hard to take, we were still in the game after an hour, never seen a team crumble like that so quickly.

 

Sat directly behind the Arsenal fans as well, got a little heated as you can imagine.

Was there at the games.
Thought it was a total freak result, was 1-1 with 20 mins left and after that everything Arsenal tried are off.
Finished 3rd in the Top Division that season so dont think it was an indication of the team at the time.

 

Was also at the 8-0 Newcastle loss which wasn't very pleasant but I think the most embarrassing thrashing was 7-1 at home to Forest in the mid 90s.

Think Forest were having a good season and we just seemed to give up. 

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7 minutes ago, mark1948 said:

That game summed Carbone up for me. He scored an unbelievable goal but gave away the ball when in good control in his own half trying tricks. He did this several times leaving our defence flat footed and leading directly to conceding goals. it certainly was at least two or three in that game. He did this consistently throughout his time at Hillsborough.

 

He was brilliant in 1996-97 and 1998-99, played second fiddle to Di Canio somewhat in 1997-98. 

 

Wilson managed to get the fancy dans out, and as soon as they were both gone we plummeted. 

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52 minutes ago, Harrysgame said:

Seem to remember going to Ewood Park early 2000's on a Sunday and getting stuffed. Make matters worse sat with bloody home fans and live on TV. Think we shipped 7 that day.

You’re thinking of the 7-2 game I think. When carbone scored a cracker?

 

edit: can see that’s already been discussed 

Edited by FreshOwl
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2 minutes ago, hirstyboywonder said:

 

He was brilliant in 1996-97 and 1998-99, played second fiddle to Di Canio somewhat in 1997-98. 

 

Wilson managed to get the fancy dans out, and as soon as they were both gone we plummeted. 

I agree with you regarding Di Canio he was a class unto himself. Carbone though totally overrated for me, made too many unforced errors. 

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1 minute ago, mark1948 said:

I agree with you regarding Di Canio he was a class unto himself. Carbone though totally overrated for me, made too many unforced errors. 

 

Disagree. He carried the main attacking threat in 98/99 and when he first came he forged a surprisingly good partnership with Booth. We went downhill after Wilson saw him off. 

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