Often Partisan

The Acid Test – Sheffield Wednesday Preview

Birmingham City face fellow strugglers Sheffield Wednesday at St Andrews today looking to arrest a sequence that has seen them win only once this season and only three times this calendar year at home.

Sheffield Wednesday

Dave Jones’ men come into the game on the same points with Blues, albeit with a better goal difference record and having played one game less. However, the Owls have not won yet this season having drawn four of their six games and have not kept a clean sheet yet this season either.

Former Blue Roger Johnson could make his debut for the Owls after signing on loan from Wolves; Anthony Gardner and Lewis Buxton both miss out through injury.

Blues

Blues welcome back skipper Paul Robinson after his one match suspension kept him out of the 3-0 defeat to Burnley; Akwasi Asante and David Murphy are also both fit and could be included but Nikola Zigic requires one more u21 game to get back to speed. New loan signing Jesse Lingard will go straight into the side.

Clark could well shake up the eleven after the disappointing defeat to Burnley, with the manager stating that the only player who could be happy with his performance at Turf Moor being the seventeen year old debutant Reece Brown. I suspect that we will see changes up front as Lee Novak has been struggling for form and has picked up a niggle; I wouldn’t be surprised to see a shock inclusion somewhere of one of the younger fringe players either as a pointed reminder to the older players that Clark will drop anyone regardless of their standing at the club.

This game is the acid test and a must win. Wednesday aren’t in great form, can’t stop conceding and can’t win. If Blues are to pull away from the bottom three it’s imperative that they deliver today; not just a good performance but three points – anything else and I fear that we really will be struggling.

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65 Responses to “The Acid Test – Sheffield Wednesday Preview”

  • Mark Galloway says:

    I already fear but at least today might release some fans from their slumber should we lose!

  • sutton apex says:

    genuine six pointer – must win game 4 4 2 and attack them !!

  • Frankie says:

    4-4-2, 1-8-1, 10-0-0 is irrelevent.
    Formation is a nonsense .. players can MOVE !
    Am sure Blues will be up for this after Tuesday, which WAs disappointing.
    Get there, get behind them, even if we fall behind.
    We need something today but if it did go wrong, remember who the REAL villains are and they won’t be at the game.

  • mike b says:

    HI ALL……so fed up with ziggy not playing…..

    let us hope that the manager has shown them a diagram of the goals and told them to shoot on sight……….

  • StaffsBlue says:

    In my opinion, at this moment in time, the performance is secondary. It’s the result that counts. We can sort out performance once we start winning.

  • carlos says:

    “Clark could well shake up the eleven ”
    I don’t think there is any doubt about that, he shakes it up even if we win! Time to pick a basic 442/451, pick his best eleven and give them a settled run of games. We have a team of kids and lads inexperienced at this level, they need encouragement and strong leadership, not to be undermined by given the hook and discarded for weeks when things don’t go the managers way. They are now all pretty much Clark’s players, I would like to think he had a role in mind for each of them when he signed them. He needs to have the courage of his convictions and stand by them to give them a bit of confidence. At this rate it won’t be long before the “he has lost the dressing room ” rumours start again.

  • GoodyBlueShoes says:

    442 shape.

    Blues. 2

    Owls. 1

    Simples!

  • Chris W says:

    Though still not doom and gloom I do feel that if we don’t win today the young team will begin to lose any hope rapidly.
    I am giving the team 12/13 games before I begin to get really concerned as to us staying up this season.
    LC may still be able to pull a rabbit out of the loan window, I sincerely hope so.
    Sheffield Wednesday do not have a good record against us, but that sometimes has a habit of backfiring on us.
    Time for the supporters to get behind the team AND management, like it or not it is the best we can hope for for the foreseeable future.
    KRO

  • StaffsBlue says:

    I would think that, without Zigic and Novak almost surely out, we don’t have a focal point up front. So, I think he could play Lindgard up with either Green or Asante… which means we’ll have to go through or around them, instead of bombing long balls into the box, which the likes of Roger Johnson will swallow up all day long.

    Or, If you take the QPR formation, put Robbo in the back 3 instead of Bartley, stick Ferguson where Robbo was, put Asante and Lindgard, where Novak and Shinnie were, it would look something like this.

    Randolph

    Spector Burn Robinson

    Caddis Adeyemi Elliott Ferguson

    Burke Asante Lindgard

    (You could even swap Reece Brown for Elliott)

    Either way, we need to stay tight at the back and in the middle… and let the flair players play.

  • mark says:

    hope bell gets a game today as he other one putting in great performances…….. is this a sink or swim match i doubt it. But for the team it about getting some pride back, maybe now the time to hammer someone,and take out all that frustration today…………at home in front of our adoring fans……….see you later……………………kro

    • StaffsBlue says:

      Realistically, it won’t affect our season dramatically if we lose… it’s far too early in the season for that. It’s all about confidence and morale at the moment. If we win the match, both will be boosted, if we lose, both will take another knock. Even a 1-0 win will be good. It will mean someone has actually scored and we’ve kept a clean sheet into the bargain.

  • blewnozejohn says:

    you have to include your best players, which means Burke. The formation at QPR worked for that game, it was an away game against a so called top team. We absorbed pressure and then hit them on the counter, we will not be able to do this at home, so LC has to come up with a more attacking side. I would play 4-2-3-1, especially when Murph is fit, this would mean Cadd and Murph providing an attacking threat, Adeyami/Spector sitting in front of the back four. To use a great football cliché. at the end of the day, I would take a goal off the backside of one of our players and win 1-0. Yer man is right we cannot let our anxiety get to the players. Don’t forget, it is the Blues…….. KRO

  • Sh*t on the villa says:

    Colin Tattum ‏@colintattum
    No Novak (knee/dead leg in training), Asante (slight hamstring) or Zigic (back) for #bcfc this afternoon

    so…… Lingard up front with green?

  • StaffsBlue says:

    I said we were going to wallop someone soon. :-)

  • BlueSwan says:

    At least he made one good signing :)

    Premiership quality through and through!

  • StaffsBlue says:

    Just needed a good striker to finish off all the good work. Well done Lee Clark.

  • mark says:

    So we had the good the bad so where the ugly…….. Absolutely cuffed to bits. At this moment in time cannot someone scoring 4……. Can someone remind me. I have got the biggest smile on my face, this is gonna last a week……….. I dont know about month him staying……can we keep him for the bloody season…….lol

  • mark says:

    Hopefully this is the moment our season can be galvanized by this result…..

  • StaffsBlue says:

    We won, but isn’t it quiet in here?

  • Bluehobba says:

    Quality finishing today from Lingard and a hardworking performance anyway from the Blues. Burke was a constant menace down the wing but I thoght Adeyemi broke up a lot in the middle of the park, probably his best game so far in a Blues shirt, very happy today #KRO

    • StaffsBlue says:

      Definitely Adeyemi’s best game. I think the whole team was determined to put Tuesday behind them. On to Reading now, then Millwall and Bolton at home. 6 or 7 points from those and things will look a whole lot different.

      Well done Lee Clark and the boys.

  • steve says:

    Right,here we go. Lingard’s finishing was absolute quality. Today was the first time i’ve seen us completely control the whole 90 minutes of a game. Despite Lingards goals,Adeyemi was my man of the match.He was top draw from start to finish. I was a bit worried when i saw Murphy playing in that position but he grew into it as the game went on and it’s great to have him back.I just hope he stays fit because it’s never a minor niggle with him,he’s always out for month’s.Matt Green worked hard and i hope he gets a few games now to see how he does because he can,t be worse than Novak.BUT,i,m not getting carried away because Sheffield Wednesday were the worst team i,ve seen down at St Andrews for a long time.I hope this result gives our confidence the boost we needed and that we can build on it.A great result and a good performance,but let’s wait and see how we go on from here.Hopefully it’s upwards. I still want Clark out.

  • mark says:

    Dan the acid test been passed with flying colours………

    • steve says:

      Your’e getting carried away Mark.We’ve comfortably beaten a piss poor team. Let’s see how we get on at Reading next week

      • StaffsBlue says:

        People got carried away after the defeat at Burnley, so is it any surprise that people might get carried away with a good win?

        • steve says:

          Rubbish.One win all season caused peoples reactions after the Burnley debacle.Lee Clark’s tinkering caused peoples reactions after the Burnley debacle.It wouldn’t surprise me if he put Lingard on the bench next week because Lovenkrands looked better in training.Let’s see what happens against Swansea and Reading before we think we’ve turned the corner.

          • StaffsBlue says:

            Lindegard on the bench next week? Now who’s talking rubbish?

          • steve says:

            I never said he would be on the bench.Read it again.And it’s Lingard.

          • StaffsBlue says:

            You said it wouldn’t surprise you if he put LINDGARD on the bench next week. Well it would flipping well surprise me.

          • StaffsBlue says:

            My mistake, Lingard

          • steve says:

            I was being facetious regarding Elsies reasons for playing certain players.

          • dablu says:

            staffs u quoted him but missed the most important part of the quote ..”next week because Lovenkrands looked better in training”.. i found it to be funny within context. clarks choice but he said if they train well he will play them.. not me having a go or anything .. but u just misunderstood his point

          • steve says:

            Thanks dablu.It wasn’t difficult to understand was it /

      • mark says:

        And if we had been more clinical against some of the top team. My point is you beat what ever team in front of you. Must have been my lucky day lingard scores on his debut and we hand out a hammering…….lovely bubbly………

  • RichardM says:

    Just proves it – all we were missing was a decent striker!

  • sutton apex says:

    great display – the new TF is born !!

  • Chris W says:

    Well who would have expected that, most of us would have been happy with a 1-0?
    Jesse Lingard deserved his man of the match, but so did a few others. David Murphy, surprised he started and even more surprised seeing him complete 90 mins, Dan Burn was solid as usual along with Robbo, and Adeyemi probably had his best game so far.
    There were certainly more positives for LC but it is the negatives we have to improve. Lets be honest Sheffield were pretty poor.
    We are now 8 games into the 10/12 of expecting the team to be gelling, I would have thought that by now most players would be having a sound understanding, my worry is with Novak looking totally out of his depth Matt Green would be seizing his chance.
    He works hard but today he kept running up the proverbial cul–de–sac, this is a basic thing worked on at training, even the local pub team who train one night a week get this right, I like Matt Green, but do worry he is not going to step up, or maybe it is just too much too soon.
    Another black spot was giving away such a sloppy goal and what is Lovenkrands doing in training to get on the pitch, imp, he does not show the shirt, badge or supporters any respect.
    My only other moan is if most of the players can applaud the supporters then so can ALL the players, those that just walk off show now respect either.

  • Toy says:

    Good result but we need more, Lingard looks the business it should read Lingard4 Sheff wed 1 Wed were as bad a side as I have seen for years. Like i have been saying get rid of Novak and you have a chance
    Having said all that it was a very strange side Clark picked

  • bluenoserob says:

    would manu let us keep him here for more than a month? , suppose they want a fee for his services .Maybe we should have a whip round, all i know is if we had had him since the start of the season we would have another 7 or 8 points.

    • StaffsBlue says:

      If I had to guess, I’d say that Utd are paying all, or most, of his wages. Even as a youth player, he must still be on a fair wedge. I’m hoping that Utd will see him progressing well, and leave him be.

  • StaffsBlue says:

    That’s 2 excellent performances using 3-4-3. Has Lee Clark hit on a formula earlier than he did last season? I hope so. Tbh, I couldn’t give a monkeys what formation we play, as long as we win… but this one appears to work.

  • Frankie says:

    Laughable isn’t it, still some people second guessing Lee Clark after that performance.
    They’d be just the sort of people you sit by at the ground who wouldn’t know football if one was being inserted up them. The 4-4-2 merchants .. Despair …

    • StaffsBlue says:

      I have to say, I’ve always been a 4-4-2 man, but we’ve not played that well using it so far this season. SO fair dos to Clark for trying something different.

  • anon says:

    club will be announced as sold on Thursday, you heard it here first!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • StaffsBlue says:

    Did anyone see the Paul Tait article in the BM today? A very good piece.

  • mike b says:

    hi all….a good performance all round… burn played well…the captain great…

    adeyemi had his best game….worry about our original two best players burke and elliot just dont seem to be at the races…lingard well what can you say…has he saved our season…fantastic!!!!

  • StaffsBlue says:

    Amari’i Bell gets recalled from Nuneaton .. and they lose their first game in 10. Meanwhile, Emmit Delfouneso has joined Borough. Good luck to him.

  • bluenose says:

    Blown away by the result today…Knew that Lingard looked something special as I mentioned in a previous post but to hit 4, wow!!! not to get too carried away..but this could be the pivotal to the start of our season!

    KRO!!


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