Kadeem Harris ‘raring to go’ on Sheffield Wednesday return
THE art of management is not necessarily when to pick players, but when not to.
Already, Sheffield Wednesday caretaker manager Neil Thompson’s decision to take Kadeem Harris out of the starting line-up, ostensibly to hand him a bit of ‘rest’, has bore fruit.
It could also be construed as a ploy to maybe provide a touch of food for thought for the winger in a bid to instigate a response and it certainly worked if Harris’s performance on his return against Wycombe was anything to go by.
Operating in a right-sided wing-back role which seemed to suit him in being able to run from deep, Harris – against one of his former clubs – impressed, particularly in the first half when he set up Jordan Rhodes’s opener.
Harris, who was restored to the line-up for his first league start since New Year’s Day, said: “I was very disappointed to be on the sidelines for those few weeks, but I think any professional footballer is when they are on the bench.
“But I think it has worked. It has helped and I think I needed that little rest and I have come back now and I am raring to go.
“Not that I was not raring to go before. But that little rest has maybe helped me. Going forward now, I can maybe take that on and continue on with my performances to help the team.”
Tuesday was a night when Harris and his team-mates produced a professional performance with sound tactics in difficult conditions and a good game plan to secure a vital victory over a direct relegation rival in Wycombe.
It was an evening which produced individual moments to savour for the likes of the wingman and Rhodes.
But above all, it was an occasion for the team, who showed character after their weekend thrashing at Millwall.
Perhaps the most pertinent word that Harris used in describing the win was courage.
He added: “I think we needed the reaction after Saturday and we owed that to ourselves and the fans.
“Wycombe are a tough team, despite where they are in the league and we showed courage and quality.
“We matched their energy and came out at 100 per cent and brought the game to them rather than Wycombe bring it to us and get the ball out wide and put crosses in the box and I think it worked for us.”