Everton v Sheffield Wednesday - Neil Thompson has brought smiles back to Hillsborough

For Sheffield Wednesday’s players, a trip to Goodison Park is something to enjoy tomorrow. Putting smiles back onto their faces has been one of Neil Thompson’s key tasks as caretaker-manager.
Owls captain Barry Bannan.    Picture: Steve EllisOwls captain Barry Bannan.    Picture: Steve Ellis
Owls captain Barry Bannan. Picture: Steve Ellis

The Owls have not been to the grand if long past its best old home of Everton since they were last a Premier League club in 2000. It will be yet another occasion to make you sad that for supporters, the wait goes on.

For 31-year-old Barry Bannan, it is no exaggeration to say this could be his last chance to play on this or any other top-flight pitch. The captain says a new Hillsborough contract should only be weeks away and will not be affected by the identity of the manager or even, he has insisted before, the division the club he has fallen in love with is playing in next season, but we can say for absolutely certain it will not be the Premier League.

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Bannan, though, is a happy chappy, and Thompson takes a fair share of the credit.

Owls caretaker boss Neil Thompson.     PIcture: Steve EllisOwls caretaker boss Neil Thompson.     PIcture: Steve Ellis
Owls caretaker boss Neil Thompson. PIcture: Steve Ellis

The Owls are winning again, albeit a spell of Covid-19 – which the midfielder dodged – has slowed their momentum. Bannan has found the positives even from that.

The sequence of four wins out of five stretches back to the final days of Tony Pulis but three under Thompson have really lifted morale.

After the intense, defence-obsessed organisation of Pulis, not to mention the faint praise he constantly heaped on a squad he saw as hard-working but ultimately nowhere near good enough to keep the club in the Championship, the friendly and familiar face now in charge has brought a freedom of expression to the Middlewood Road training ground. It is hardly surprising a creative player like Bannan is enjoying it.

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“We’ve been allowed to try and assert ourselves,” he says. “Beforehand we probably worried a bit too much about other teams and went away from what we’re really good at.

“Tommo’s come in and done really well. He wants to win games and have a right go at teams and that’s benefited us.”

For all the technical skills Thompson has picked up over 41 seasons in (mainly) professional football, keeping people happy is perhaps the most vital. Pulis quickly gave the impression he would rather not be at Hillsborough and soon got his wish. Thompson is fast approaching a decade there.

“It is very important (to keep spirits up) because when people are confident they express themselves and they’re going to perform better,” he argues. “We’ve got to realise we’re privileged at the minute playing football for a living still and doing our job when a lot of people can’t.”

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Bannan clearly does, because he brought it up too, more than once.

“Players get disappointed when they get left out or subbed but that’s your job, that’s life as a footballer,” says Thompson, who had playing spells with Barnsley, York City and Scarborough, as well as managing the last two.

“You can only affect what you can affect and that’s yourself, your football and your attitude towards it.

“Since I’ve been doing the caretaker role the lads have been terrific in terms of that.

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“No doubt between now and the end of the season whether I’m in charge or it’s another manager we’ll have ups and downs. It’s important if there is a down we react in the right manner.

“If we have a good run we don’t get too carried away, we keep level. That’s what everyone gets paid to do and we have a responsibility to do that.

“I read an article the other day about people’s performances, whether it be sport or anywhere else, and 70 per cent of it is the mentality. It’s a given that they’ve got the ability because that’s why they’re here.

“If you get the frame of mind right and your motivation right, more often than not you’re going to get good performances.”

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There is, though, serious business to be done, facing the side sixth in the Premier League before returning to the grind of a Championship relegation battle made more punishing by the pile-up of postponements.

“There’s only one way of enjoying it, and that’s winning games,” stresses Bannan. “You can’t enjoy football if you’re losing.”

The Scot can see the bright side of no league football since New Year’s Day.

“I’ve played a lot of games and a lot of the boys have so it’s probably been beneficial to have a rest,” he says. “When you’re winning games you don’t want to stop but when you look back, it has probably been more beneficial for us than we maybe thought. Come March we’ll probably think this was a good break for us.”

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Weighing up how those who did go down with the virus have recovered could be the trickiest part of Thompson’s team selection this weekend although he has un-named injuries to contend with too.

“We’re still getting there and that’s a process that will continue I’m sure for the next week or two,” he says of the recoveries.

“I got over the initial bit quite quickly but I’m still not 100 per cent in terms of feeling totally with it.

“It’s weird how it affects people, we’ve just got to monitor that as we go along and be very careful and respectful of everybody. We’ve got to see how people train and have constant communication with the individual, then it’s down to the medical team here.”

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They are, though, playing football again, and on a great stage at that. No wonder the smiles are back.

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