Tuned in to a season of ups and downs across the Broad Acres

One was ‘bouncebackability’, the term then Crystal Palace manager Iain Dowie coined to underline his side’s ability to bounce back from conceding early goals.

The other was ‘squeaky-bum time’, a phrase Sir Alex Ferguson had jokingly used a year or so earlier when talking about the emotions of a tense title race. There is little doubt which of the two has endured through the intervening years with the Manchester United manager’s words often being trotted out at this time of year by fans and pundits alike when discussion turns to a season’s run-in.

For a handful of Yorkshire’s clubs, the term is fitting with the patrons of Elland Road, Bramall Lane, Don Valley Stadium and the Galpharm Stadium all likely to be fidgeting in their seats more than usual in the coming four or so weeks.

With that in mind, we have sought out the views of the ex-players who spend their winter Saturdays – and a fair few Tuesdays – travelling up and down the country covering our clubs for the county’s various radio stations.

Whether it be the three local BBC stations whose catchment area includes at least one Football League team or the various commercial stations, the likes of Peter Swan, John Pearson and Kieran O’Regan are the ex-professionals entrusted to pass comment on the considerable ups and downs of Yorkshire football.

For instance, leading the challenge in the Championship on behalf of the Broad Acres is Leeds United.

The title may be all but settled in QPR’s favour, but there is still plenty for the chasing pack to fight over.

Leeds are arguably the division’s surprise package and Eddie Gray has followed every kick on behalf of Yorkshire Radio. He admits to having enjoyed a season that has seen his former club emerge as the second tier’s top scorers.

In contrast, Keith Edwards has witnessed a year of struggle at Sheffield United. Seven points separate the Blades from safety following Monday’s defeat at Loftus Road, meaning time is starting to run out.

It means a nervy run-in awaits the Blades, who are desperate to retain the bragging rights over Wednesday by remaining a division above their Steel City neighbours.

A similarly tense final few weeks await faltering Rotherham United and in-form Huddersfield Town as the pair chase promotion just a year after suffering play-off heartache.

Here, the Yorkshire Post’s Richard Sutcliffe and Ian Appleyard speak to nine of the county’s expert summarisers to ascertain just what sort of season White Rose football is having. And, more importantly, how it is all going to end as the 2010-11 campaign enters squeaky-bum time.

HULL CITY

Peter Swan, BBC Radio Humberside: “This season has been a really strange one. It kicked off with everyone in Hull concerned about the finances following relegation from the Premier League. I feared a relegation fight, if I am honest. Thankfully, Nigel Pearson did a really good job in stabilising the club and making the team hard to beat in the first few months of the season. Then, once the Allam family had completed their takeover, money was found that the manager has used wisely. The football may not be the most thrilling at times but the progress City have made is there for all to see. Losing to Millwall was a big blow but I don’t think missing out on the play-offs this season will do Hull any harm in the long run, as next season they should be in a position to make a real challenge.”

Are Hull exceeding expectations or under-achieving: To me, they are exceeding expectations by still being in the hunt for the play-offs.

Key player: Anthony Gerrard has been outstanding, no matter who he has been alongside at the back.

Biggest disappointment: Not a player as such, more the home form. Only six wins at the KC Stadium says it all.

Best moment: The takeover by the Allam family in December.

Worst moment: Cameron Stewart getting injured has left the team lacking width.

Where has it gone right/wrong: The manager has done a good job in turning the club around.

Advice to manager: Sort the midfield out for next season.

How easy/tough is the run in for Hull: It isn’t too bad with only QPR and Swansea of the top sides still to play.

Final position: Three or four points adrift of the play-offs.

LEEDS UNITED

Eddie Gray, Yorkshire Radio: “This season has been terrific and the fans have really had value-for-money. Just being back in the Championship has been great with each week seeing Leeds take on big football clubs, as last Saturday showed – Leeds v Forest was one of the most attractive fixtures in the country. What has been really pleasing for Leeds is how many players have chipped in with goals. Jermaine Beckford leaving last summer may have had some supporters questioning where the goals would come from but Luciano Becchio and a few others have really stepped up to the plate. I am still hoping Leeds can claim second place. It will be tough as Norwich are in a great position. They are also the sort of team who can grind out results even when not playing well. But, if they lose at Swansea this weekend and Leeds win at Millwall, then it might just be possible.”

Are Leeds exceeding expectations or under-achieving: Pretty much as I expected.

Key player: Max Gradel. In the summer, I thought he would have been a bit-part player.

Biggest disappointment: I don’t think anyone has let the team down. Everyone has played a part.

Best moment: The trip to Arsenal in the FA Cup. Leeds were very unfortunate not to win.

Worst moment: Losing 6-4 at home to Preston from being 4-1 up will take some beating.

Where has it gone right/wrong: Simon Grayson’s recruitment has been excellent this season.

Advice to manager: He doesn’t need advice from me, though I would tell the players to treat every game like it is the one that will take Leeds back into the Premier League.

How easy/tough is the run in for Leeds: Every game is tough at this stage of a season.

Final position: Hopefully, second, but it is going to be tough.

SHEFFIELD UNITED

Keith Edwards, BBC Radio Sheffield: “For a club that has always been in the top six to end up in a battle for survival is awfully disappointing. Micky Adams inherited a lot of problems as manager and needs time to sort things out. Given the right support and help, he can take the club forward. You have to take into account the loss of important players this season such as Paddy Kenny, who was sold in the summer, and Chris Morgan who has been out injured but, unfortunately, a lot of players have simply not performed.”

Are the Blades exceeding expectations or under-achieving: We have under-achieved in terms of what a club like Sheffield United should be producing.

Key player: Ched Evans or Darius Henderson – because we are relying on goals to stay up.

Biggest disappointment: The basic errors which have cost us games. Too many times, we have competed well and come away with nothing and that’s not down to the manager.

Best moment: Beating Leeds at home last month because the players showed the fans that they can compete for 90 minutes.

Worst moment: Losing at Hartlepool in the Carling Cup first round – a few days later Kevin Blackwell lost his job.

Where has it gone right/wrong: Individual errors and players not getting into the right positions to score goals.

Advice to manager: Keep the belief that what you are doing is right because you have proved you can do this job at other clubs.

How easy/tough is the run in for Sheffield United: We have a great opportunity because three of the next four games are at home.

Final position: 21st.

BARNSLEY

Derrick Parker, BBC Radio Sheffield: “It’s not quite happened for us this season and we are mid-table having been unable to consistently string results together. When we beat Leeds at home early on in the season, we hoped great things might happen. But overall, I think if you had offered the majority of Barnsley supporters a mid-table finish and victories in most of the derby games (which we have achieved) they would have settled for that.

Are Barnsley exceeding expectations or under-achieving: Exceeded – but only slightly – after the relegation battles of the last few seasons.

Key player: Jason Shackell. I will be surprised if he doesn’t win club Player of the Year.

Biggest disappointment: Garry O’Connor. The striker had a stormer on debut but is capable of far better than he has shown.

Best moment: Beating Leeds early in the season. It was a night match, a great atmosphere, and we over-ran them.

Worst moment: Losing 3-0 at Burnley in October. Very poor.

Where has it gone right/wrong: Mark Robins has done the best he can with the finances at his disposal, juggling to keep us competitive.

Advice to manager: Let’s try and get the best out of Jacob Butterfield.

How easy/tough is the run in for Barnsley: With seven to play, I think we are capable of getting 10 more points and I also expect us to beat Doncaster and Sheffield United.

Final position: 14th.

DONCASTER ROVERS

John Buckley, BBC Radio Sheffield: “Once again, I feel the club has progressed despite massive bad luck with injuries over the course of the season. We have never been worried about going down and the guy in charge, Sean O’Driscoll, knows what he is doing. On our day, we are capable of beating any team in this league but that has not been possible due to the injury problems.

Are Doncaster exceeding expectations or under-achieving: We have under-achieved because, when everyone is fit, we have a team that could definitely finish in the top six.

Key player: Brian Stock. When fit and firing, he is like a conductor in the middle of the park.

Biggest disappointment: Shelton Martis. I don’t feel he is as comfortable on the ball as you need to be playing for Doncaster.

Best moment: Victory over Norwich early in the season. Proof that we could beat the best teams when players are fit.

Worst moment: Losing 6-0 at home to Ipswich – and people had a dig at me for criticising those who left before the end.

Where has it gone right/wrong: Although the players have a sense of belief in how the team should play, there have been times when we should have played a percentage game.

Advice to manager: Smile a bit more. He is as good a coach as there is.

How easy/tough is the run in for Doncaster: There are some tough games against Cardiff and Preston but I don’t see any danger of going down.

Final position: 18th.

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN

Kieran O’Regan, BBC Radio Leeds: “Huddersfield Town are in a great position, even allowing for Southampton having two games in hand. Lee Clark has a really strong squad and they deserve to be in second place. What many forget is that they have had to cope with serious injuries to two of their better players – Damian Johnson and Anthony Pilkington. There are going to be a lot of twists and turns before the season is over with the games against Peterborough and MK Dons likely to have a huge bearing on where Town finish.

Are Huddersfield exceeding expectations or under-achieving: Town are where we thought they would be.

Key player: Peter Clarke has been superb.

Biggest disappointment: We are yet to see the best of some players but, overall, I don’t think there have been any major disappointments.

Best moment: The FA Cup tie at Arsenal. Town deserved a replay.

Worst moment: Losing 4-0 at Carlisle United in the JP Trophy was a night to forget.

Where has it gone right/wrong: The manager has been supported by the chairman and allowed to bring in quality players.

Advice to manager: Lee Clark has seen it all before so doesn’t need any advice from me.

How easy/tough is the run in for Huddersfield: No games are easy at this stage, even Dagenham & Rebridge will be tough at the Galpharm due to them scrapping for their lives.

Final position: Hopefully, we will finish second.

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY

John Pearson, Wednesday Player (available via club website): “You only have to look at the league table to realise this season has been a massive disappointment. It started full of hope and expectation and the minimum target was play-off qualification. We had a good start and, at one stage, we could have gone five points clear at the top. However a rot set in and, with seven games to go, we are still at the wrong end of the table. Gary Megson, who took over as manager two months ago, must be tearing his hair out.”

Are Wednesday exceeding expectations or under-achieving?: I don’t think anyone can say we are exceeding expectations.

Key player: It is about the whole squad coming together for the rest of the season.

Biggest disappointment: Knowing that we are going to be in this division another year.

Best moment: When goalkeeper, Nicky Weaver, scored the winning penalty in the JP Trophy game with Chesterfield.

Worst moment: Losing to Huddersfield at Hillsborough in the Yorkshire derby.

Where has it gone right/wrong?: There are a collection of reasons and only those on the inside probably know the truth.

Advice to manager: Gary Megson has enough on his plate without taking advice from me.

How easy/tough is the run in for Owls: No-one will say it is going to be easy but it doesn’t matter who we are playing, it is about what we do.

Final position: 14th.

BRADFORD CITY

John Hendrie, BBC Radio Leeds: “Where do you start with a season like this? I was speaking to a couple of long-time supporters of the club last month and they said this was the worst Bradford City side they had seen since the early Eighties. I am not qualified to say whether that is right or not but the team has certainly struggled. I must admit before the season started I was worried about where the goals were going to come from. Unfortunately, it has proved to be the case with Bradford having scored just 38 goals in 39 games. Peter Taylor arrived with a great reputation and five promotions on his CV but, sadly, it didn’t work out. I just hope Bradford can get the points needed to secure safety and then re-build for next season.

Are Bradford exceeding expectations or under-achieving: I think that is obvious. It has been an awful season.

Key player: David Syers has had a good season.

Biggest disappointment: There have been too many players who have under-performed.

Best moment: Knocking Nottingham Forest out of the Carling Cup was a big scalp.

Worst moment: The 3-1 home defeat to Barnet was a low point.

Where has it gone right/wrong: The squad just hasn’t had enough goals in it.

Advice to manager: Keep City in the Football League.

How easy/tough is the run in for Bradford: Bradford should be able to get the points needed.

Final position: Anywhere but the bottom two and I will be happy.

ROTHERHAM UNITED

Richard Finney, BBC Radio Sheffield: “After last season’s trip to Wembley for the play-off final, the club was looking to go straight up this time around and, to some extent, it still is. The effort is there but we are making it difficult for ourselves by not winning games that we should be. There has been a change of manager, which was probably right at the time, and now we have to see where that takes us. The league table is close and if any of the top ten manage to win four-or-five games between now and the end of the season they could be in the top three.”

Are Rotherham exceeding expectations or under-achieving: The jury is still out. We expected to have a good season and it still could be.

Key player: Adam Le Fondre. The man that scores all the goals.

Biggest disappointment: Home form. The Don Valley Stadium is not an easy place to play but we should have won more games.

Best moment: Winning 6-0 at Lincoln just a week after losing 5-0 at Chesterfield.

Worst moment: Losing the next game at home to Shrewsbury.

Where has it gone right/wrong: Things will have gone right if we win the next six games and get promotion.

Advice to manager: Stay positive and a stick together.

How easy/tough is the run in for Rotherham: There are no easy games but we have long away trips (Cheltenham, Northampton, and Aldershot) which look difficult.

Final position: 6th.