'21-'22 Sheffield Wednesday FC

Nice one, Wednesday. Despite the loss at Wycombe, one has to say that Wednesday will be going into the playoffs in pretty good form. Fair to say there'll be excellent atmospheres by League 1 standards for both legs of their playoff tie. If I were a Sunderland fan, I'd be more than a little concerned.

I very much prefer Wycombe (and pretty much everybody) to MKDons and would much prefer to see them emerge from that tie ... though I'm not sure that'd be the best thing for Wednesday, should they make it to Wembley.

At any rate, congrats to Sheffield Wednesday on their run in. It took a bit longer than one had hoped, but Darren Moore's eventually got them firing on all cylinders and looking worthy of promotion.

 

Wycombe 2-0 MKDons in the first leg of the other semi.

I very much like the idea of MK staying in the third tier, and you'd think that they would be the stronger opposition should Wednesday reach the final. But Wycombe have given Wednesday trouble this season, and I'd think most Owls fans would prefer seeing MK in the final, should Wednesday get there.

Best to worry about Sunderland 'til then, I suppose.

 

From the sound of comments I'm hearing, it could've been a lot worse. But 1-0 isn't too bad.

If Sunderland score first, it'll be tough, and yeah, I'd not fancy a happy ending. But Hillsborough will be rocking. They'll have a far better chance of getting on the front foot Monday than they did up there. Get the goal and it's 'game on'.

 

2nd leg this afternoon. Winner gets Wycombe in the final, as they saw off MKDons yesterday.

I'll be working - at least through the first half - and won't be home in time to see any of it (if it's even on). Come on Wednesday!

UTO! FTB!

 

It's a other year in the third tier for Sheffield Wednesday.

They kept going and going, and finally got the goal to level the tie at 74' ... only to concede in injury time. 1-1 sees Sunderland through to the final on aggregate. It's a cruel ending to '21-'22 for Wednesday.

I hope Darren Moore keeps his job. Starting from scratch is the last thing they need; but a lot will be saying it's a failed season. And I suppose it is, in a large sense. Frustrating.

 

That's where I'm at, too. Folks bitching about his tactical nous are way off base, to my mind. From where he started, he's done a damn good job. Keep the key players and make one or two good signings, and they'll be heavy favorites for the top two next season.

 

I'm hearing Sol Campbell to QPR, but have no idea if there's anything to it.

Not crazy about either of those, to be honest. Prefer the starus quo - Moore stay at Wednesday and Sol stay out of football.

 

Good stuff, fellas. Millmoor is one of the many grounds that was still in use well after I'd started going over, but which came down before I ever got there. If I'd started going to Sheffield earlier I'd've probably gotten there, but I didn't start spending time in South Yorkshire until around 2007, which wasn't much of a window to see either Millmoor or Belle Vue (Donny Rovers). What's really frustrating is that I didn't get to Saltergate (Chesterfield); more than the others because I had a bit more time, and because I knew I really wanted to go there, but I just didn't do it. Of course there are grounds like these all over England that have come down since1996 (my first time over) which I never got to, but any of them around Sheffield or London (the two places that I've tended to base myself out of when over) really feels like opportunity squandered.

If one looks closely at that Europlan video, one can just about make out the Our Lady of the Bridge Chapel when the drone pauses at around 50 seconds ... if one knows where to look. Chapel bridges are cool as hell, for history/architecture dorks such as myself. It's one of my favorite things about Rov'rum. Wakefield has one, too. It's right up there with the Pie Hole and the Rhubarb Statue as Wakey's primary attractions. Ok, just kidding ... it's waaaaaay better than the Rhubarb Statue.

Anyway, as to exploring around in abandoned grounds ... that's really, really neat. I spent a chunk of an afternoon walking around the old Bush Stadium in Indianapolis about 10-15 years after the Indians had moved to their new downtown stadium. I used to go there a lot as a kid, and then went back a lot in the 80s - when the Indians were quite good - with my pals Joe and Donut Boy. I think Ivan went with us once or twice, no? A gate hadn't been secured and I was able to squeeze in. This youtube vid is from someone who did roughly the same thing at roughly the same time.

Abandoned Bush stadium Indianapolis - YouTube

When I got in there were cars parked in the outfield - a lot of 'em - as some salvage company had secured the use of the old stadium to temporarily hold some inventory there. But other than that, it all looked very much like the photos in the video. It was mesmerizing. I didn't want to leave, as it was obvious that the stadium was beyond renovation (there had been continuous rumors that it would be, but I could tell otherwise), and I knew I'd never be back in it. I must have been in there a couple hours, at least. I'm getting all nostalgic just thinking about it.

 

Back when I was collecting game worn jerseys in the college days, one of those mustard Padres jerseys was my holy grail. No, that's not true - the '72-'74 White Sox home was the holy grail, but unlike the real grail, I got one ... and once I'd obtained one of those, this went to the top of my list. I love those unis. Brett Perkins must take some of the blame, but I liked them back in the actual day, as well.

The key is the matching pants. Those shirts with white pants - like so many of the colored jerseys that came later in the 70s and 80s - wouldn't have worked the same way. Like, at all. And granted, belts would've been better than those elastic waistbands ... but still ... what a baseball uni. Oh, and the caps are atrocious, too. But beyond that ...

... of course, packing Don Zimmer in one doesn't hurt, either. I'll rep that photo, even on a Sheffield Wednesday forum.

 

Never so much as saw one for sale. Those were pre-internet days, and you'd just get these jersey lists in the mail from the one or two guys that dealt with them. I never spent much, so could only afford a small percentage of what was available, but I never saw one of those at any price. The dealers just never had one.

 

Whoa! Big news coming out of S6. Wednesday have signed both Michael Smith and Michael Ihiekwe from Rotherham. Both are out of contract at the first of the month and they'll both be signing with Wednesday according to the official site. One presumes that Rotherham have been trying to re-sign both of them, and you'd think that promotion might have given them a bit more to spend. Furthermore, you'd think (hope?) that players of that calibre would want to test themselves in a higher division, having played their roles in earning Rov'rum their place in the second tier. It's got to be money, though, doesn't it? Wednesday can probably pay more the League1 than RUFC in the Championship. Or perhaps Wednesday will be able to pay more in the Championship is the thing. You wouldn't bet against those two clubs switching divisions come '23-'24, would you? Whatever. The bigger clubs take from the smaller clubs. It sucks, but that's just the way it's always been.

Anyway, great news for Wednesday, and you've gotta think equally as bad for the Millers. Two players proven in League1, and who should fit nicely into how Darren Moore is trying to play. Of course, last year around this time, I was saying the same thing about Lewis Wing, and he really didn't work out at S6. But every signing's a roll of the dice, and you've got to like the odds of those two working out in Darren Moore's Wednesday promotion push. Smith and Gregory ... there'll be some goals coming in '22-'23.

On the other side of the coin, I have no idea how Rotherham are going to go about making a fist of it in the Championship. They've lost two of their best players from their promotion team, and haven't gotten a dime for them. Presumably the fact that they hadn't re-signed must've had Millers fans fearing the worst (or at least that they'd leave - not sure Rov'rum fans would've seen them going to Wednesday ... that's gotta hurt). What's the word, @Myshoe? How're folks taking it in Toytown?

 

And perhaps Myshoe can give us some information on Will Vaulks, as well. The out-of-contract at Cardiff City midfielder has signed for Wednesday, as well; and having spent a few seasons at Rotherham before the Bluebirds, I'm sure he'll have seen plenty of him at this level. Plenty of positivity about him amongst Owls fans at the moment, but I can't recall having seen much of him, despite having been a regular in the League for a good five or six years now.