Alex Miller's final word: The campaign for luke-warm optimism at Sheffield Wednesday
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It feels as though whether it’s politics, social movement or your take on a football team, it’s best to be up, be down, to be boiling hot or freezing cold, to choose outrage or blind defence. Just, for the love of god, be exciting. This life doesn’t have time for those in the middle anymore.
Garry Monk said at the very outset of his Sheffield Wednesday tenure that it was difficult to keep things level-headed in football, that while his task was to ensure his changing room didn’t get too high after wins or too low after defeats, he couldn’t control the world outside.
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Hide AdAnd after over a year of wildly polarised opinion on all matters Sheffield Wednesday – Fox, Monk, Bullen, Chansiri, Westwood, Hutchinson, Nuhiu – the reaction to the Owls’ glorious 2-0 opening day win at Cardiff City seemed fairly calm.
Sure, there were one or two impassioned debates over Jordan Rhodes’ standing at the club, the odd swipe here and there, but all in all the general social media reaction seemed fairly chilled. One down, 45 to go. Unity the message from the on-pitch huddle.
The Owls boss set the tone himself in the post-match press conference, using that exact countdown. If Wednesday had lost 2-0 you fancy there would have been something of a minor meltdown in some quarters, but the message from those within the camp would surely have been the same. It’s merely the first battle of a war that ends in May.
The temptation after any win as impressive as that is to shout it from the rooftops, that Wednesday are back and the addition of a forward or two is all they need to mount an all-out assault on the playoffs. Minus-nine? Pah, all aboard, the blue and white wizards are once again the best thing since bread came sliced.
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Hide AdThis will be a long season with the Owls. As Monk has said himself, there will be soaring highs and snake-belly lows. If a much-changed team lose at Rochdale tomorrow, it’ll sting a bit, but the message from the camp will be the same – remain calm, there’s a process to go through here.
Anyway, to less contentious matters. Leave or remain?