View from Wednesday

[terryr]

Not much so far but a few interesting tidbits

"Couple of badly designed forums to view
http://www.cottagecorner.org/forum/forumd isplay.php?fid=7

http://www.voy.com/13865/

Jokanovic seems to be getting things turned around, Chris Martin is finally hitting some form and Sone Aluko is creating all sorts of problems, won their local derby at Brentford 2-0 before the international break and will look to back that up against us.
Where to Booze
For those coming in by train, have a few beers round Hammersmith where there is a Wetherspoons amongst others, bit of a walk to Craven Cottage mind alternatively if you feel adventurous try going past Fulham to Putney Bridge. "

" You ain't kidding. The second one just ruined my eyes. Pinch
The other might be worth a re-visit closer to our game. Roll on next week. "

" I do like Craven Cottage even though the away/neutral end feels like you're in one of those temporary stands they put for Ashes Test matches.
It's a nice little stroll through Bishop's Park to the ground as well if you're boozing in Putney Bridge."

"  Fulham look a much better team than last season. Could do with Brentford getting something, Fulham go above us with a win."

"  was banging on about Tom Cairney on here all summer , he is a class act but probably out of our reach now , wouldnt be surprised to see someone in premier league snap him up in January.................his performance for Fulham last night was exactly the type of display i was expecting from Abdi this season , just hasn`t happened yet."

" 
Glad I bet on Fulham to go down. "

" I think Fulham will surprise a few. I see them play off candidates at least"

"Very unpredictable Fulham, had some great results this season and some shockers as well. "

" Fulham look a much better team than last season. Could do with Brentford getting something, Fulham go above us with a win"

The owlstalk forum had a game day commentary on the Fulham Newcastle 1st game of the season- quite entertaining. The "Rivals watch" page has commentary on pretty much every game ( a selection of which I put above)

"http://www.owlstalk.co.uk/forums/topic/243708-rival-watch/?page=1

That's it so far. It will probably heat up the closer we get to Saturday.
I will update as and when
Updated below

"What will happen if we lose against Fulham? Surely it could be the end of the road for Carlos or will Chansiri keep hope of a top 2-6 finish. Surely there will have to be changes in the team after consecutive losses? Surely something would have to change to keep our valiant fans stay hopeful ahead of one of the trickiest Christmas periods we've had in years? What do you think would happen?"

" Lose these next two and I think he could definitely be on his way. "
"I really want Carlos to get some wins and get back on track as sick to death of switching managers at this football club, and even worse sick to death of hearing fans whinging after the odd loss or two.
Let's get some stability and stop scrapping managers and then getting linked with idiots
And let's not forget it wasn't long ago some of our less intelligent fans were calling for Neil Warnock to be manager here"

" Who said football is a simple game that's complicated by idiots (or something similar)
Get back to basics instead of trying to be too clever for own good like a poor man's Arsenal. Oh and shoot occasionally."

" Lots of rumours suggesting that Saturday has to go right...."

" Be harsh if Saturday seals his fate. Fulham are big favorite's to win comfortably"

"Honestly think next year will be our year. Chairman wanting us up by end if this season has got fans thinking its guaranteed. If we finish 6th this year it would be an amazing achievement considering teams in it. Stick with carlos n same players n watch us go next year. Uto"

" Can't see us changing anything now. If Carlos can't figure out how to use these players, and bought them, what chance has anyone else got
Pick a team where you stop shunting central midfielders on to the wing and leaving us totally lopsided would be a starting point for a new manager
Then address the glaringly obvious lack of pace in the team next.
Carlos won't learn these lessons and therefore I'd rather see him gone before its to late. It may sound harsh but I think we've seen the best of him, and it was agonisingly close to being good enough, but now it's going backwards "

"The only possible replacement,  if the worst happens, is Keegan."

" It's based on the season as a whole not one game.
Its just my opinion we will not finish top 6 (our target) under Carlos and therefore he should be sacked now, to give the new manager December to look at the squad and make plans for January
I no longer trust Carlos to buy the right players. This seasons performance is purely down to a shambolic transfer window  "

" Fulham will be our toughest test yet"

" 16 games in and quite honestly, I can't think of a game where we have absolutely dominated. However, that said, a couple of points from the playoffs, and we haven't hit our stride yet. I'll take that, all day every day. We won't be too far away from the top 6 by the end of the year, probably in amongst it, so no need to panic."

" Joao to feature agains Fulham?
http://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/s heffield-wednesday/sheffield-wednesday-fi t-again-striker-lucas-joao-bids-to-return -against-fulham-1-8236398?"

" Perfect to bring on for last 20mins -- the Fulham back four have looked a bit frazzeled when faced with pace over the top.
Now wether we can force ourselves to pass it long is another thing "

" Great news that "

Will update again tomorrow
Updated below

" Given Fulham's recent upturn , even a point here would be good which we may need to bear in mind tomorrow."

" Kings cross then Picadilly line and stop off at a few boozers before heading down for East Putney,
Problem being there's twenty of us and the usual numpties will wanna go covent garden even though between hammersmith and fulham there's shed loads of smart boozers,
Earl's court int too bad either,
Happens every london away game,  'av we to go to Covent Garden lads?,'
Coat and Badge then over the bridge to the ones mentioned above for this giddy lad,"

" The Crabtree on the Thames, halfway between Hammersmith and Craven Cottage, 12 minute walk to ground."

" 2,600 sold, we have now received the full allocation of 3,896."

" Sheffield Wednesday's trip to Craven Cottage later this month has sold out to Owls fans.
Wednesday face Fulham in the capital on Saturday 19 November and the full allocation of 3,900 tickets have been snapped up."

"Just bought a ticket in the mixed fan zone. Block P2 in the Putney Stand is the one next to our fans so we can basically extend our allocation if everyone aims for that one. Easy to purchase from the fulham website. "

"  As above. Just bought two no problem.
Next time I will just buy four in the mixed zone direct from Fulham"

" Ordered two from Fulham yesterday pm arrived this morning
Ordered two from the shop - not here yet"

" Just ordered from Fulham website in the mixed area - P2. Appear to be plenty left in there.
No need to wait for ticket you can print it out at home.
I've seen the future..."

" Match preview- Fulham

A trip to the capital is what awaits the Wednesday after the two week international break. Fulham will welcome the Owls to Craven Cottage who according to Carlos Carvalhal don't need any extra motivation to get things back on track.

Wednesday haven't lost three games on the bounce since Carvalhal took over the reins over a season ago, with the lure of the top six just a win away it should make things interesting on Saturday..

Our hosts come into the game after two successive victories, scoring seven goals in the process, their most recent outing was a West London derby win over Brentford, 2-0 but before that came a 5-0 thumping of Huddersfield Town the last time they played in front of their own supporters. So, a repeat of last season's one-nil win against the Cottagers wouldn't go amiss, that's for sure.

Owls News....

There could be changes for the Wednesday this weekend as the international break has given Lucas Joao more time to recover from injury, the Portuguese striker has been out since the game against Brentford in August and is now pushing for a return to action. Whether he is thrown straight back into the starting eleven is a completely different thing though! Unfortunately the game has come too quick for his countryman, Marco Matias, however he is inching ever closer to being involved for the first time this season.

It has also been noted by the Wednesday head coach that Fernando Forestieri is gunning for the Cottagers as he looks very sharp in training and we would certainly welcome a return to form for the talented attacker.

Wednesday Comments...

The Wednesday head coach answered questions about the form of Fernando Forestieri to the assembled press on Thursday afternoon, and Carvalhal said we should see a more familiar version of our number 45 this weekend.

"Let me tell you about Fernando – I think we have Fernando really back again.

"These two weeks - but especially this last week - he is back very, very strong, very powerful with a fantastic attitude. I am sure that if he expresses on Saturday what he has been doing during these two weeks, we will be with a better Fernando again, for sure.

"I am very happy about that. All of us are waiting for the best from Fernando and in reality, he is back 100%."

Midfielder, David Jones, is looking forward to the test that Fulham will bring but he says the Owls have nothing to fear this weekend.

"It will be a tough game (against Fulham) but we are more than capable of getting a result anywhere in the Championship.

"It's a game we will be up for and looking forward to and we will be wanting to get back to winning ways. We have got some good experience in the team and I think we have put in some really good away performances."

Fulham News....

The home side trained this week at Craven Cottage to prepare for the visit of the Wednesday and their gaffer Slavisa Jokanovic is said to keep the same side which defeated Brentford in their last game before the international break.

A few of the Fulham players were off involved on international duty and all have come back without incident, so Austrian debutant defender Michael Madl and Tomas Kalas and Ragnar Sigurdsson are also set to face the Owls. Meanwhile, Floyd Ayite, has scored for Togo in the last two weeks so he should keep his place in the Fulham matchday squad.

Cottager Comment....

Slavisa Jokanovic spoke of his delight at the recent form of their Chelsea loanee, Lucas Piazon, and he told Get West London that he's becoming a vital cog in the Fulham wheel.

"Lucas Piazon, in the last few games, has started to be a very important player for us. He is very fast and has experience playing in this competition.

"He stayed with us during the international break, when we are not working with a complete team. Step by step, without any game, we try to detect what these players can offer us, how they can help us."

Piazon took time to look forward to this weekend's clash against Wednesday who he expects will be in and around the playoff spots by the end of the season.

"It will be difficult for us but if we keep pushing, keep going like we have been, then there's no reason why we can't get the win. To get three wins in a row would be fantastic for us.

"It's always tough against Sheffield Wednesday, but we're playing at home so I expect us to play well, put in a good shift, and get the three points." He told FulhamFC.com

"I believe they will fight for the top-six, as they did last year. They almost got promoted, they lost to Hull City in the Play-Off Final. That was a close game, I remember watching it."

Head To Head V Fulham....

Wednesday have the nod when it comes to wins in games between the sides over the course of history, picking up 31 wins to Fulham's 25 with 15 games ending in a draw.

The 1959/60 1960/61 and 1961/62 seasons were the last time Wednesday picked up consecutive wins at the Cottage from season to season and there have been 16 games between the sides in West London since then.

However, expect at least one goal to be scored this weekend as there has been only ONE game between Wednesday and Fulham over the course of history that has ended goalless. There have also been a few high scoring games in the past with Wednesday winning 6-1 at Fulham's home, as well as the hosts winning 6-2.
Last time out at the Cottage....
Our last visit to West London was the first of two games in a week against the Cottagers, Wednesday winning both of them and both of them had stunning goals from the Owls in them... The first was a cracker from Ross Wallace which you can see below..... And the second was at Hillsborough from Barry Bannan... Oh go on then, we'll put that below too...

Final Thoughts....

Once again we go into the game with talk amongst some supporters being Carlos Carvalhal's future, Fernando Forestieri's form or we're letting the top six slip away. Hopefully this weekend we can put those issues back to bed for at least another seven days until we go to Wolves!!!
The home side are in decent nick at the moment, seemingly full of confidence and normally we do stand up when our backs are against the wall. As mentioned we've not lost more than two consecutive games for more in the last two seasons, so there's no reason to see why we won't do that now.
Will we win though? As an almost forever optimistic Owl (but not hopefully unrealistically so), I struggle to predict a loss for the Wednesday so I won't be altering that trend today. We need a win, a draw isn't the end of the world by any stretch, but we need a win and I think we'll get it.

Score prediction....

A scrappy 1-0 win for the Wednesday please... "
"

" How many points do you reckon we will get in the next three matches?
Fulham despite an indifferent start are now above us in the table and our recent record at Craven Cottage includes last seasons 0-1 win and a 4-0 reverse the term before.
We have an appalling record away at Wolves, but they are struggling in the league at the moment. I thought we would shake off our Derby away hoodoo given their recent form but we didn't. However, our fortune at Molineux has to change sometime?
Finally, Preston, who sit one place and one point below us in the table at present, we've beaten them on their last three visits to Hillsborough.
So, if we got 6 points would that be good enough to put us back on track? "

" Draw at Fulham, beat Wolves and Preston...so 7"

" lose at Fulham, draw at Wolves, beat Preston, so 4 points."

"CARLOS says we need More from the boys

Carlos Carvalhal is looking for an improvement in performance from some players as we prepare for a tough trip to Fulham on Saturday.
Two successive defeats has seen Wednesday drop back to 10th place but we are only two points from the play-off positions, as are Fulham.
Carvalhal said three or four players, including Fernando Forestieri, have been under performing but the head coach said today: "I believe we will get an upgrade from these players and the signals have been very good in training this week."
Regarding Forestieri, Carvalhal said: "These two weeks – but especially this last week – he is back very, very strong, very powerful with a fantastic attitude.
"I am sure that if he expresses on Saturday what he has been doing during these two weeks, we will be with a better Fernando again.
"I am very happy about that. All of us are waiting for the best from Fernando and, in reality, he is back 100 per cent."
Referring to some other players who have not shown their best form this season, Carvalhal said he expects more from them, adding: "Their value is more than they are showing so far. We know the team can improve a little more when all the individuals play to their best.
"They will do this, for sure, and when they do this will improve the performance of both the individuals and the team."
Wednesday have no new injury problems for the Fulham game. Forestieri is likely to be back in the starting line-up after dropping to the bench in the last match and Lucas Joao may be in the squad after being back in training for almost two weeks.

However, Carvalhal has underlined that England under-18 striker George Hirst is one for the future – not the present – as far as the Wednesday first team is concerned, saying: "He has a bright future with Sheffield Wednesday but we need to be careful with his development."

Thats it for this game. Their boards are really quiet and I really had to hunt around for what little I got.
I'll be listening to GJ from Dubai tomorrow and cheering on the team. Why do I always yell encouragement when I'm not at the game? Strange but I bet I'm not the only one.
COYWs!!!!!
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[Bronaldinho]

Nice to see Tom Cairney getting praised from another set of fans to be honest.

Doesn't surprise me that rival fans had us to go down this year considering the last 2 years of tosh. But on the upside, we had a decent summer and we're seeing that on the pitch now.

Really good recruitment, quality throughout and Wednesday will be a big test for us, especially when they were play-off finalists last year.

I've recently looked at the next two fixtures on my blog for anyone who fancies a read:

thecravencorner.wordpress.com

[Mince n Tatties]

Cheers Terry.

[Bronaldinho]

+

Cheers Terry.

+1

+1!

[terryr]

Small update today

[terryr]

Last update....they dont post much on their boards I can tell you that much....

[Chesh]

Last update....they dont post much on their boards I can tell you that much....

Thing is, there is nothing on FoF  either in terms of upcoming matches.

One good thing Brentford's GPG does is have a dedicated 'Big Match' section, with a pre and post thread on every match.

I do find our board very haphazard with the number of threads, and misleading headings etc.

It's a shame, but there's a 5 page thread headed Brighton Away, which is now on page 5 of this board and consigned to history already...

Can I suggest the mods look at a 'sticky' perhaps, starting two weeks before, and finishing a week after each match. It can include travel preparations and experiences, as well as opinions etc. on the opponents and match, all in one thread.

I know we have the matchday thread, which is good, but that only lasts for an hour either side of the 90 mins.

Anyway, just a thought.....

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[dannyboi-ffc]

Great effort Terry. I always read these threads with great interest. It must take a lot of your time so thank you.  082.gif   :54: