Wednesdays with Brewer, part 18
This is Wednesdays with Brewer, a Road to Glory save on EA Sports FC 24 that follows in the footsteps of last year’s Yellow and Blue Crusade. WRB’s Brewer takes the dual role of author and manager of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club in an attempt to rebuild one of the oldest football clubs in English history … and document the journey from beginning to end.
November-December 2026
Off the field
We were handing out youth contracts like Oprah in November and December.
First off was our November class, which included striker Jason Doyle, right winger Dylan Bennett, right winger Ollie Powell, attacking midfielder Archie Lowe, and goalkeeper Sebastian Forrest. A lot of these guys didn’t fit the profile I normally look for in youth prospects (solid current overall rating with high potential), but I took some chances. Forrest, Bennett, and Doyle each have a pretty low overall rating right now — they’re three of the five lowest-rated players we have in the academy — but all of them have sky high potential. Lowe doesn’t have the potential some of his peers in the youth program possess but he’s an incredibly talented player who isn’t far away from being able to contribute to the senior team. It will be interesting to watch all five of these guys develop to see if they stick around.
December’s list of arrivals was a little shorter, with striker Philip McAuley, central midfielder George Wilson, and right winger Harley Frost all signing youth agreements with us. Wilson and Frost were more of the low overall rating/high potential guys like I signed last month and McAuley is a work-in-progress that has the best potential of the trio.
All those arrivals meant we had to cut some fat. Central midfielder Jasper Leonard and striker Daniel Parkin were the first two to leave, having their youth contracts terminated after the arrival of our November class of prospects. Both players’ potential was dropping quickly, with neither profiling as anything more than a Premier League-level bench player. Those guys are a dime a dozen. I wasn’t going to waste their time or ours by keeping Leonard and Parkin around any longer.
Attacking midfielder Mason Kelly was our third and final release due to a combination of low rating (he’s the worst player in the academy) and low potential.
Business was not limited to the youth academy. Movement on the senior team began on Nov. 29 when central midfielder Leighton Clarkson reached out to inform me that he was submitting a transfer request. I wasn’t terribly surprised since he lost his starting spot to Tommy Doyle and probably wouldn’t be happy sitting on the bench. Clarkson has done well enough in that role but both Doyle and Josh Dasilva have outplayed Clarkson on a match-to-match basis. With no path to the starting lineup, Clarkson decided his future would lie elsewhere.
“Elsewhere” became Nottingham Forest about a week after we received Clarkson’s request to move. The fee was $24 million, nearly double what we paid to bring Clarkson to the club 18 months ago. That’s a good piece of business, although I would need to use some of that money to bring in a replacement.
A new midfielder would have to wait at least until January. In the meantime, we agreed to a four-year deal with free agent fullback Kaine Kesler-Hayden. He has the ability to play both the left and right side, giving us some quality cover for Nathan Patterson and Ryan Sessegnon. Our previous options were the aging Reece James and longtime reserve Pol Valentin, who has barely made the matchday squad since I took over the club.
Shortly after Christmas, our last two pieces of business came across my desk. First came right winger Zachary Harris’ request to be promoted out of the youth program. He was still only 16 but his overall rating and superstar potential made his promotion a no-brainer. Harris was immediately listed for loan, as my youth academy grads almost always are, so he can begin developing his skills as a pro.
Our last bit of player movement came when center back Ben Cabango submitted a transfer request. Like Clarkson, Cabango was sent to the bench because of his ineffectiveness on the field and, like Clarkson, Cabango didn’t like his secondary role in the squad.
Match results
Nov. 1: L 1–2 v. Wolverhampton Wanderers
Nov. 4: W 1–0 v. Nottingham Forest (Carabao Cup)
Nov. 7: L 1–2 v. Crystal Palace
Nov. 15: L 1–2 v. Brentford
Nov. 28: D 1–1 v. Tottenham Hotspur
The goal we scored in our 2–1 loss to Wolverhampton Nov. 1 was a crucial one, as it marked the 10th consecutive match in which we scored. That ticked off the second of our two Brand Exposure goals, and more importantly, took a huge weight off of my shoulders. The board valued Brand Exposure higher than anything, and to have both goals completed before Thanksgiving was a big victory.
Matchday 14: Sheffield Wednesday 3, Aston Villa 2
Dike 8', 38', 65'
Chermiti 20'
Diaby 49'
A good result here was badly needed after we dropped three Premier League matches on the spin. Villa were just a point behind us in the table, with this game giving us a fine opportunity to put some distance between us and the rest of the mid-table teams.
Sometimes, it feels like EA buffs the hell out of teams and makes them impossible to play. Aston Villa is that team for me. The Villans can’t be broken down, know exactly what pass to play at all times, and walk the ball so close to our goal that they can practically pass it right into the net and past our helpless goalkeeper.
We were blown off the pitch right out of the gates, with Villa passing circles around us. After three shots in quick succession, goalkeeper Mark Travers got us started on a counterattack that ended at the feet of striker Daryl Dike. Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez appeared to have the angles covered, but Dike’s shot was too powerful for the Argentinian to stop and, against the run of play, we led 1–0.
Nothing changed in the proceeding 15 minutes except the score line. Villa continued slicing our midfield and defense apart with ease, eventually tying the game at 1–1 when Youssef Chermiti was left all alone in the middle of the penalty area. Four defenders watched as Chermiti blasted a shot past Travers to even the game. If only they could have done something to prevent the goal!
Another counter attack on 38 minutes gave us the lead going into halftime. Right back Nathan Patterson found a little room near the outside edge of the 18-yard box and chipped a pass in to Dike, who had a defender draped all over him. Dike chested the ball down in front of him and struck a volley that Martinez had no chance to stop. Villa were still in firm control of the game but we led 2–1.
Villa winger Moussa Diaby, who must have recently transformed into peak Lionel Messi, tied the game right after halftime with one of the easiest shots you’ll ever see. Both our center backs stood around and watched as Diaby moved into position in front of goal and continued watching as he scored a goal that felt inevitable. Had I known our back line wanted to watch, I would have bought them a ticket instead of including them in my starting lineup.
The only man who seemed on Villa’s level was Dike, who bagged his hat trick in the 65th minute, giving us the lead for the third time and final time. At this point of the match, Dike was relying on his physicality to create opportunities in front of goal. It’s a good thing, too — our team’s leading scorer this season, right winger Osman Bukari, had been completely invisible all day and left winger Michael Johnston looked increasingly unable to handle the rigors of regularly starting in the Premier League.
We barely touched the ball in the last 10 minutes of the game, and on two occasions, I was sure Villa had scored yet another equalizer. The second one happened so fast I didn’t even have time to process what happened before Travers came away with the ball. Diaby, who you may remember from kicking our ass for the preceding 90 minutes, sent a 40-yard cross that somehow landed perfectly in front of Chermiti. Thankfully, Travers was right there and gathered the ball before Villas’ striker could level the contest.
Wins shouldn’t be this exhausting.
Other results
Dec. 8: W 2–1 v. Chelsea
Dec. 12: L 1–4 v. Leeds United
Dec. 19: D 1–1 v. Fulham
Dec. 23: L 0–2 v. Manchester United (Carabao Cup)
Matchday 18: Sheffield Wednesday 1, Manchester United 0
Dike 62'
Time to get a little payback on the Red Devils for knocking us out of the Carabao Cup earlier in the week.
The first half was a tale of inability — our inability to complete a pass and Manchester United’s inability to take advantage of their shots that were on target. United took seven shots in the first half but goalkeeper Mark Travers ended the half with zero saves and zero conceded goals. Seven-for-seven in missing the mark is likely not what Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag wanted from his crew.
We were just as miserable with our possession, committing 11 turnovers in the first 45 minutes. Once we pieced enough passes together to formulate some sort of offense, we put Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana to the test. Unfortunately for us, the Cameroonian shot-stopper saved all four of our shots on target.
United must have caught our passing bug during the halftime break, as their passing really fell apart. The breakthrough goal came because of one such error, which saw right winger Osman Bukari dispossess Manchester United left back Alvaro Fernandez and quickly pass the ball to striker Daryl Dike. It was a two-on-one situation but Dike decided to take care of things himself, sending a powerful shot beyond Onana and inside the far post for his seventh goal of the season.
Attacking midfielder Callum O’Hare had a golden opportunity to double our lead in the 73rd minute when substitute striker Djeidi Gassama provided him an inch-perfect pass. O’Hare completely whiffed on his first-time attempt and the ball fluttered harmlessly away from goal. That should have been the game.
Even though we let the visitors hang around, they could not take advantage. Manchester United would finish the game with 10 shots on goal, none of which would hit the target, giving Travers a clean sheet that required no saves. That’s a rare achievement against any team, especially one with the quality that Manchester United put on the pitch.
Other results
Dec. 30: L 0–2 v. Nottingham Forest
Wrap up
Results were up and down over the last two months but I need to look at the forest instead of the trees here — we’re in seventh at the halfway point of the Premier League season, three points off Europa League qualification. We started strong last year (10th at this same point) and struggled mightily in the second half. Our -1 goal differential suggests we might have issues moving forward — good teams don’t get outscored on the season — although it might just be a case of some attacking issues. I have a plan to help that, however, one I plan to implement in January.
