Sheffield Wednesday vs. Southampton The Decision
Although it wasn’t a flawless effort, it was the first in 17 months that we didn’t have to sweat in the closing minutes, so it was job done. Will Still’s two victories in three months were followed by two victories in three days, possibly indicating where our difficulties lie.There’s a good chance that Tonda Eckert won’t be in charge of the tea when we play Charlton in a few weeks. The Northam Red Wall’s supporters expressed their disapproval of Gary O’Neil at various points during the game. However, the Saints’ strategy worked well and their three points were well-earned, thus this was the only criticism heard. The only alteration to the starting lineup from the victory against QPR was the addition of Finn Azaz and the removal of Jay Robinson, who had cramped up before leaving at Loftus Road and was probably rested.In the preview, I stated that an early goal would be crucial to maintaining a positive crowd and boosting our confidence. After just nine minutes, Casper Jander’s shot looped up over the keeper, but despite his best efforts, it appeared to have been hacked off the line. Wednesday had to do this early on the second occasion, but this time the signal indicated that it had crossed the line, giving us the early lead we desired.
On minute 17, the lead was extended when Tom Fellows went on a wonderful little run. Finn Azaz started his Saints account with a well-placed shot across goal that left the keeper no chance, and Fellows slipped it neatly sideways as the visitors defence was anticipating a strike. Now that we were in control, Saints supporters anticipated a crushing victory, but that wasn’t quite the case as the Owls showed they didn’t care about the game plan by pulling a goal back on minute 25. The shot bounced just before it reached Gavin Bazunu, giving him little chance to stop it.
However, a few moments later, when Wednesday could have equalised, Saints supporters who felt he should have performed better were cheering him on, but Bazunu’s outstanding save kept the Saints ahead. However, Saints regained their composure and were on the verge of regaining the two-goal advantage, but they were thwarted by another goal line clearance on Wednesday. The game appeared comfortable at halftime, but there was uncertainty and the question of whether the Saints could lose this one remained.
However, while many Saints supporters were still on the concourses debating this exact matter, Taylor Harwood-Bellis scored the game-winning goal. Adam Armstrong shrugged off his marker on the halfway line, ran through, and skilfully placed the ball past the keeper to make it 3-1. Those Saints supporters who were anticipating a goal rush, however, would be let down. The lesson learnt from the first half, when a two-goal lead was cut in half, was that the goal was to score three points and regain confidence. Instead of rushing forward in large numbers and getting caught on the break, we stuck to that task.
At halftime, there was an odd change. Flynn Downes had played 90 minutes against QPR; most people would have brought Joe Aribo off the bench, but Eckert brought on 18-year-old Barnaby Williams. The stats that Will Still so much loved showed a much more even game than it was on the pitch, but we remained in complete control because we made the right substitutions and kept our shape. There was no scattergun approach.
Williams entered without much notice, and Eckert’s substitutions were more methodical and less haphazard than those of his predecessor. They made sense: Robinson for a worn-out Scienza, Roerslev for Fellows on the right, Downs for Finn Azaz, and finally a forced substitution when Quarshie entered after Roerslev had to leave due to an injury sustained in a tackle. Maintaining our form was crucial to winning this game, and we succeeded in doing so. A few more goals would have been nice, but we had already won, so we didn’t take any chances in the second half.
We haven’t played at our best in the past two games, but after the past several months, it would have been asking for a lot. Nevertheless, we have gradually increased our confidence and demonstrated that, with the proper manager, this team can contend for promotion. We are currently 7 points behind the play-off spots after this week’s games, and we’re getting off the hook. It’s a big ask to be 11 points below the automatic promotion spot, but you never know—keep winning games and see where we end up in April.
Tonda Eckert has done his job, he has won the two games in charge that take us to the international break, he has won them both and in doing so, has shown that he is potentially a future first team manager at this club, but possibly not just yet.The Northam supporters expressed their opinions that Gary O’Neil shouldn’t be in charge, and I felt the same way when I spoke to people before and after the game. Whether it’s right or wrong, his connections to Portsmouth are far too strong, and he wasn’t just a player; he was a crucial part of their success 20 years ago as we dropped down the League. Sport Republic now has a big decision to make after a string of managerial errors.
But is that a good enough reason to rule him out? Well, in the eyes of Saints supporters, it is right now. However, sometimes it is not a good thing for fans to influence a managerial decision. In 2004, Rupert Lowe (I should have said the Right Honourable Rupert Lowe MP for Great Yarmouth) wanted to bring Glenn Hoddle back to the club. However, due to a wave of fan protests, he was unable to convince the rest of the board to support Harry Redknapp instead. Relegation followed, and we had to endure a terrible four years before we started our ascent back to the top.
Therefore, we should evaluate O’Neil based on his managerial record rather than the team he played for. To be honest, that is not impressive—just three and a half years of experience—one as an assistant, one as manager at Bournemouth during a season of relegation, and one and a half at Wolves. We must now support the team and Johannes Spors’ judgement. To be fair, he has only been in charge of Will Still’s appointment; let’s hope he can do it correctly this time.
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