STEW'S PREVIEWS
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY v MIDDLESBROUGH
Stewart Flaherty, 15 Sep 2009
BORO EYE VIEW
It is a quick turnaround this week after waiting so long between games during the
international break.
These games are so close together, it will be interesting to
see if two or three unexpected changes are made by either team to keep legs fresh. This is something that will become more common as the season goes on.
Boro will be high on confidence
after a good win at the weekend and the security of knowing these are our players
until at least Christmas will put the squad in a good place mentally.
Boro will look to go on long winning streaks in order to
separate themselves from the teams below them in the play-off melee as the season
develops.
Automatic promotion will likely be the goal for the squad now.
A minor
concern may be the conceding of late goals in the last two games as this indicates
mental weakness, lack of focus, or lack of stamina. Either way, it is a bad habit to
develop and one we saw only too often in our relegation last season.
Our first post-Huth
clean sheet will be a little boost mentally and they will hope to get that, along
with three points, here.
Column Continues Below...
OWLS' EYE VIEW
The Owls are in the play-off chasing pack and may remain so for the rest of the
season.
They have some good players, are capable of scoring goals, and may have the
firepower to stay in the hunt right to the season's end.
That said, I feel that they do not have
enough quality to sustain a bid for automatic promotion.
They do have an
outstanding player in Marcus Tudgay though. Both he and defender Richard Wood were subbed due to injury at the weekend and Wednesday fans will hope that both will be able to feature tonight. Tudgay's health, or lack of it, could have a major
bearing in the outcome of this game.
Whilst Boro will be viewed as a difficult opponent for all teams in this division,
any promotion contender will be looking to pick up three points from their home
games.
I think firepower gives you confidence and the Owls will come into this game
looking for the win. They are unbeaten at home so far this season and former Boro boy Brian
Laws will look to maintain that record.
Goalkeepers
It looks like Danny Coyne has won the battle for the number one jersey this season and
I am thrilled about this.
Whilst lacking top flight experience, he has seen it
all in the Football League and seems to be a solidifying presence at the
back.
For the Owls, Lee Grant is a former England Under-21 international who has
twice won the club's Players' Player of the Year award.
Edge: Even. Two quality goalkeepers with little to choose between them.
Boro Defence v Ipswich Attack
Hines had mixed reviews at centre-back but I certainly like him there a lot more
than I liked Grounds.
Wheater, as ever, was a fixture and has earned the captain's
armband.
I believe Boro's defence has a psychological hurdle to clear. They had a
rock solid start to the season but anyone who thinks Robert Huth was not a big part
of that is kidding themselves.
In the two games since his departure, we have conceded
a sloppy late winner and a late penalty.
We now have a young and relatively
inexperienced back four who need to forge their own identity as a unit.
This
includes stopping the late goals. Confidence will not come from motivational
speeches from the manager, it will come from stepping out onto the field, focusing
to the end of the game and getting clean sheets.
In the words of Gareth after the Ipswich game,
"we need to be more ruthless". We all know it, but it must actually be done before true
belief will be there.
In Marcus Tudgay, they will face one of the more dangerous
goalscorers in the division (four goals in six games so far this season) and he will be
a big challenge.
Former Everton striker Francis Jeffers is still banned and will
miss the game.
Edge: Sheff Wed. Boro have yet to find a solid partner for Wheater and Tudgay is a real
threat.
Midfield
One of the most pleasant surprises for me this season has not only been the fact
that Gary O'Neil has actually stayed, but that his performances have been truly
outstanding.
If he has recovered from his surgery and plays from here
on out, he is a massive addition to the engine room and (cliché alert!) the
equivalent of a new signing.
Yeates appears to have cooled off after a strong start
but Johnson is truly razor sharp and is a threat in every single game. He can provide
both goals and assists.
However, Sheff Wed have a pacy, attacking wide midfield
threat of their own. He is also named Johnson, how is that for a commentator's nightmare!
Jamaican international Jermaine Johnson has four goals of his own from midfield this
season and will keep the Boro full-backs busy.
The rest of the Owls midield unit is
fairly workmanlike, or as others may put it, "average".
Edge: Boro. O'Neil is capable of stamping his authority in the middle and Boro are capable of wreaking havoc down the flanks.
Boro Attack v Sheff Wed Defence
Boro are in the goalscoring habit and have some real confidence going
forward.
Lita and Emnes started the Ipswich game but I
personally think that Aliadiere has earned a recall after scoring two goals after coming off the bench in that game.
Many fans give him a hard time and I was personally ridiculed on this site
for picking him to be top scorer for the season in my pre-season predictions. However, he has scored goals against better teams than Sheff Wed and he can be a real threat in this league.
For the Owls, Darren Purse is a quality centre-back with Premier League experience. They have a decent back four, including Richard Wood, who has also contributed with two
goals this season.
Edge: Boro. We are becoming one of the better attacking teams in the division.
Sheff Wed will get some clean sheets this season, but not against us.
Verdict
DRAW. I think Boro will score past the Owls and cause them problems, but I am not
convinced we can keep them, and specifically Tudgay, off the score sheet.
