WHO TOOK TOP MARKS?
Leon Wobschall’s end-of-season report on Yorkshire’s League clubs
WITH football in summer recess, this does not make particularly edifying reading for some but for plenty of others the reports are pretty glowing, with several clubs enjoying wholly positive reports.
Here are The Yorkshire Post’s summer reports for our clubs to digest:
BARNSLEY
League position: 14th (Championship). Report/grade: C. Pound for pound, Barnsley’s results – with the exception of Huddersfield’s – were as good as anyone’s in the Championship up to late January. But then the season unravelled alarmingly as the Reds struggled to cope with the loss of captain Conor Hourihane and topscorer Sam Winnall.
Must do better: Recruitment and organisation. Barnsley have been a bit of a rudderless ship for several months following the departure of chief executive officer Linton Brown. Gauthier Ganaye has stepped in from Racing Club de Lens this week and has his work cut out. Summer homework: Forward options and a midfield enforcer following the exit of Matty James. Big holes in the Reds squad also need to be filled elsewhere across the pitch; as it stands their options are seriously light in several areas. A big summer ahead.
BRADFORD CITY
League position: 5th (League One – playoff final losers). Report/grade: B+. Given City’s situation this time last year, when their squad options were far from plentiful and their backroom staff was seriously depleted, to come within 90 minutes of returning to the Championship was an impressive achievement.
Must do better: Turning their plethora of draws into wins and finding a ruthless edge, especially in the final third. Plenty to build on after a strong campaign with Stuart McCall’s side also winning points for artistic merit. City are a much better watch, these days.
Summer homework: Getting Rory McArdle, and Mark Marshall to re-sign – they have been offered fresh terms – after losing James Meredith to Millwall. City also require a midfield general to step into the considerable shoes of West Ham departing loanee Josh Cullen, and another quality attacker.
DONCASTER ROVERS
League position: 3rd (League Two, promoted).
Report/grade: A. Would have been an A+ if Rovers had not hit the buffers in their final few matches of the season which scuppered their hopes of lifting the title, which they firmly had one hand on. Still, the season’s aim was always promotion and Darren Ferguson’s side did that. Job done, in many respects. Must do better: In the main, Rovers were excellent; they showed adaptability in terms of their game management and formations and were smart. Up front, topscorer John Marquis performed heroics, but needs back-up. The end to the season was a tad deflating – they really should have been celebrating silverware.
Summer homework: Quality as opposed to quantity, with Rovers having the backbone of a side who should compete in League One. Ferguson has already been ruthless in transfer-listing several players whom he feels will not be able to step up and promotion in early April has also enabled him and the board to get a head-start in terms of recruitment on their rivals.
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN
League position: 5th (Championship, play-off final winners)
Report/grade: A+. A golden season of renaissance for Town, which no-one will ever forget, young and old. Hard to find fault in both the management and squad, who have exceeded expectations massively in a season that followers will speak about for many years to come. A dream of a season as the big time now awaits.
Must do better: Harsh to criticise Town in any way, shape or form. Let’s be honest. A wonderful campaign.
Summer homework: Persuading star turn Aaron Mooy to sign for Town permanently, with the likes of Brighton also very keen on the classy Aussie. Getting Izzy Brown to return to the club. Premier League quality costs and Town will have to be smart in their transfer moves and it promises to be a huge summer for their recruitment team. A whole new ball game now. Several priority areas, especially in midfield and the goalkeeping department.
HULL CITY
League position: 18th (Premier League, relegated).
Report/grade: E. The one thing Hull got right was to roll the dice and bring in Marco Silva – if it was not for that, they would have probably gone down with a whimper. But the gamble ultimately failed to pay off, despite him giving Hull hope with some strong displays at the KCOM Stadium. The Portuguese coach is moving on to pastures new at Watford.
Must do better: In the final analysis, a desperate second half of 2016 caught up with the Tigers with the club paying the price for a horrendous summer when recruitment was tardy and scattergun. Leadership was also palpably lacking and pre-season was pretty much a write-off. Off-the-field instability reigned then and many expect it to be another fraught summer for the Tigers, unless things seriously change. Summer homework: Getting a new management team – again – and somehow getting a squad fit for purpose next season. A number of stars are likely to leave including Harry Maguire, Andy Robertson and Abel Hernandez. This is a job for an experienced head and not a novice.
LEEDS UNITED
League position: 7th (Championship). Report/grade: B. A solid B for Leeds, although it would have been higher, but for an April implosion which saw the club dramatically fall out of the playoff places, to the disappointment of their loyal supporters.
Must do better: Leeds’ poor recruitment in January proved their downfall as it did in the ‘nearly season’ of 2010-11. The lack of backup for main man Chris Wood was glaringly obvious and their moves in the window did not work at all. Some key players went missing in the final month of the season, unfortunately, and they were overly reliant on Wood.
Summer homework: Finding a suitable replacement to build on the work of head coach Garry Monk, who decided to quit the club recently despite having the backing of the Elland Road fans. Some significant moves in the transfer market are required – with bringing back Kyle Bartley being high on the list – and the addition of some proven Championship quality in the final third can see Leeds challenge at the business end again and build on a decent campaign.
MIDDLESBROUGH
League position: 19th (Premier League, relegated).
Report/grade: F. A write-off of a season for Boro, which all fans at the Riverside would prefer to forget. It was not so much that relegation was galling for the fans, more the meek and insipid ‘safety-first’ way which Boro approached their first season in the top flight since 2008-09. They failed to lay a glove on most sides and were deservedly relegated without much of a fight.
Must do better: Where do you start? Recruitment is high on the list following some lamentable purchases, particularly in the January transfer window. Boro’s balance between attack and defence was also skewed too much towards the latter, with the Teessiders’ goal-scoring output being pitiful and their risk-averse football being tedious to watch.
Summer homework: First of all, a headturning managerial appointment is required to re-energise supporters who have been scarred by an horrendous campaign among football’s elite. Sorting out the squad will be a massive task with Boro lacking both energy and firepower – two essential ingredients for any aspiring Championship side.
ROTHERHAM UNITED
League position: 24th (Championship). Report/grade: F. Shocking campaign, with the Millers behind the eight-ball following some wretched recruitment in the summer. The season started off alarmingly under Alan Stubbs and left the club on the back foot and they never recovered. It was a campaign when all of the on-pitch and off-the-field deficiencies which had built over the course of the previous two campaigns caught up with the club in spectacular fashion. Must do better: Across the board. The club have entrusted Paul Warne and Richie Barker – who both have the Millers in their blood – to rebuild and recruitment will be massive, following some disastrous signings over the past couple of years. The Millers need young, hungry and talented players to help redefine the club’s identity.
Summer homework: The Millers are trying to rebuild from the bottom up with plenty of painstaking work ahead in terms of making their training ground fit for purpose and addressing other key areas – player recruitment and the academy set-up being high on the list. At first-team level, Warne is entrusted with turning the Millers into a competitive force in League One. While it looks to be a big rebuilding job, the hopes are that results will also arrive to enable the club to push at least for the play-offs.
SHEFFIELD UNITED
League position: 1st (League 1 champions). Report/grade: A+ If a well-known brand of continental lager could do vintage football seasons, the Blades enjoyed one in 2016-17. Records galore tumbled as a proud football club put themselves back on the footballing map led by two of their own in Chris Wilder and Billy Sharp. Results, togetherness, organisation and team spirit were all top-notch.
Must do better: It would be churlish to say the Blades did anything wrong, let’s be honest, with everything that Wilder set out to do being achieved in magnificent and intoxicating fashion.
Summer homework: All comes down to recruitment. The signs are that the Blades will not deviate from their policy of signing the right types, namely hungry and fully committed players and good characters, which harks back to their successful days under the likes of Neil Warnock and Dave Bassett. Paying that little bit more for quality could well be an issue and it will be interesting to see how many of the Blades’ remarkable class of 2016-17 can step up. One thing is for sure, the Blades are blessed with an iron togetherness and a seriously potent winning mentality.
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY
League position: 4th (Championship, play-off semi-finals).
Report/grade: B. The bar had been raised after last season’s run to the play-off final and while ensuring qualification for the end-of-season lottery for the second successive year was no mean feat, it represented a minimum requirement. Hopes were justifiably high that Wednesday would go all the way, fortified by the impressive way that they ended the season. Alas, it was not to be.
Must do better: Wednesday’s striking pool was the envy of many in the division, but they lacked a successful partnership and chemistry, right up until Steven Fletcher and Gary Hooper were paired together towards the end of the season. Getting the best out of Jordan Rhodes remains an issue; the striker arrived amid considerable fanfare in January, but his record has been underwhelming. A big season for the forward in 2017-18.
Summer homework: Wednesday’s squad looks strong, but an injection of pace and quality looks high on the ‘to-do list’. The Owls’ performances were stodgy for much of last season and they need some more dynamism, energy and urgency. They do have a strong base to build upon although finding another senior central defensive option is also a big requirement, with their back-up options looking thin.