Hillsborough fanfare convinced Danny Rohl he made right move - despite Sheffield Wednesday's off-field dramas

Danny Rohl says the reception he received on his Hillsborough managerial debut convinced him he made the right decision to join Sheffield Wednesday but now he is restless to push on from his first win.

Having started life as the Owls' manager with back-to-back away defeats his bottom-of-the-Championship side failed to score in, Rohl oversaw an excellent performance rewarded with a much-needed 2-0 win over Rotherham United on Sunday.

But the home fans did not wait for the first of Michael Smith's goals to get behind their rookie manager, or stop singing his name when the final whistle blew.

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It was a great introduction for Rohl, whose children were mascots, and a reminder of why his excitement at the club’s potential outweighed any concerns about financial problems which briefly reared their head this week.

"It was amazing, it was massive from the fans, during and after the match," he said. "In my heart I had the feeling I was in the right place.

"This is what I like when you go home and everybody's happy because we won. It was awesome on Sunday but now we work towards the next good result at the weekend.

"The Rotherham game is now our basic. This is what we expect from our players. It's about high intensity, good pressing, keeping the ball – this is what I demand every single day.

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"It's not, 'Okay we have the first win, that's it,' we need more and we have to develop our style of football.

FANFARE: Danny Rohl had his name sung throughout his first home game as Sheffield Wednesday managerFANFARE: Danny Rohl had his name sung throughout his first home game as Sheffield Wednesday manager
FANFARE: Danny Rohl had his name sung throughout his first home game as Sheffield Wednesday manager

"I said to the players it's not about leaning back and celebrating something. We have nothing to celebrate, it's just a first win. I'm a manager who always wants more."

Rohl must have needed that support and that win during a testing seven days off the field.

It kicked off with a transfer embargo imposed on Friday because the club failed to pay their tax bill and escalated on Tuesday morning when chairman Dejphon Chansiri asked fans to lend him £2m to pay that and wages due later that day. He said cashflow problems meant he was unable to.

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Some donations were made but with remarkably good timing, Chansiri announced on Wednesday his issues had been resolved and HMRC had been paid, as all staff were the previous day. The embargo was formally lifted on Thursday afternoon.

DUAL ROLE: Sheffield Wednesday coach Neil ThompsonDUAL ROLE: Sheffield Wednesday coach Neil Thompson
DUAL ROLE: Sheffield Wednesday coach Neil Thompson

Rohl downplayed the impact on team morale, or the effect the underlying problems which have surfaced before had on his decision to take the job two weeks ago.

"We had a short meeting with the team but every player was on the same page and it's about keeping the positive energy and looking forward," said Rohl. "It's clear and we can go forward. It's all fine.

"I always have good communication with the chairman, we have talks to think about what we can do in the future and how. It's important we have this, we're looking at the short-term and also the long-term.

"We have the direction we want."

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DIALOGUE: Sheffield Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri and manager Danny RohlDIALOGUE: Sheffield Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri and manager Danny Rohl
DIALOGUE: Sheffield Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri and manager Danny Rohl

Asked if he was aware of any money issues when he was offered the job, Rohl replied: "For me it was about looking at the potential of the club and I was not scared about financial problems because my focus was just how I can help the team and how can we move forward."

With the treatment room empty, Rohl must decide whether to change a winning team for Saturday's trip to managerless Bristol City.

He explained on Sunday he switched to a back three to counter Rotherham's direct style but it is hard to guess how the Robins will play, with Curtis Fleming taking control for the first time since the sacking of legendary former Owls skipper Nigel Pearson.

"Sometimes you have to keep the momentum and if you create something and it's a good shape for the next opponent you can stay in this but other times you have to change the shape because it's a better match for the opponent," said Rohl.

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"We've shown we can play very well in two shapes (3-4-2-1 and 4-4-2) and we were successful on Sunday but it's more about the style and the principles.

"Sometimes you have to adapt a little bit in how you press or build up but it's more about our performance, what we can do and how."

Rohl is hoping to appoint another coach – likely to be a goalkeeping specialist – before the trip to Ashton Gate and has co-opted Neil Thompson from the under-21s.

"I hope we will find a solution this week but at the moment I'm really happy with my staff," said Rohl. "I have Chris (Powell), Henrik (Pederson), Sascha (Lense) and Neil and we will look at how we can improve.

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"Chris is taking set pieces and he is very strong in this, as is Neil, and this is my option for the next weeks and months.

"Against Rotherham we were really good defensively on set-pieces and it's given me a good feeling.

"I want to have a link between the under-21s and the first team. (Thompson) is very close to us and hopefully will also stay with the first team and also work with the under-21s because he's done very well in the last two weeks."

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