Positive outlook is needed to enable Sheffield Wednesday to halt slide

The Owls suffered a third consecutive defeat against Plymouth Argyle last weekend as the clock ticks towards possible administration.

Only major new investment – and soon – is likely to save the club from another date in the High Court after directors borrowed an extra 780,000 this month to settle a tax bill.

A consortium from the Middle East, which also held talks with Hartlepool United, has switched its attention to the Owls but is just one among a lengthy list of would-be investors currently circling Hillsborough.

O'Connor said: "From my point of view, there is no connection between the recent results and what's happening off the field. It would be easy to use that as an excuse but I don't go onto the pitch thinking about it and I am sure that goes for the rest of the lads.

"We have had three hugely disappointing results and, against Plymouth, we let the manager (Alan Irvine) and the supporters down which is not a nice feeling. They deserve better and it's no good feeling sorry for ourselves or crying about it – we have to show character and put things right."

Manager Irvine described the 3-2 defeat against Plymouth as 'unacceptable' and even accused his players of displaying the 'wrong mentality'.

O'Connor, one of the senior players in the Owls' side, agreed with his manager's assessment but is keen now to focus on positives ahead of a potentially crunch home game with Southampton this weekend.

The Owls have dropped to 11th position after topping the table with four games gone. Pressure is starting to mount and the patience of the club's supporters is again being tested.

"We have to go into these next two homes games with a positive attitude and we have to keep a steady head," said O'Connor who joined the Owls from Burnley two summers ago.

"I am a big believer in not getting too high when you are on a good run and not feeling too low when things are not going well. It's still early days and there is still all to play for.

"We know just how important it is for the club to win promotion this season. We have not done ourselves justice in the last few games but we are more than capable of putting another good run together."

The Owls, who were relegated from the Championship last season, invested heavily in new players this summer and were quite rightly ranked among the favourites to win promotion by bookmakers.

Saturday's opponents Southampton were also tipped as leading contenders but are currently in the relegation zone and sacked manager Alan Pardew, Scunthorpe United's Nigel Adkins being appointed as his replacement.

With another home date, against Oldham Athletic, three days later, Owls supporters will be looking for a six-point return in the next two games to settle the nerves and vastly improve their view of the league table.

"Hopefully, we will start to show what we can do this weekend," O'Connor said. "There was a multitude of things that we did wrong last Saturday. We have spoken about the mentality and we know that we need to do better. We have two back-to-back home games that we can really look forward to."

Winger Jermaine Johnson, who has not yet figured for the Owls this season due to a knee injury, could be available to strengthen Irvine's options. The Owls manager will also be considering the merits of other changes – summer signings Paul Heffernan and Daniel Jones, for example, have yet to make first league starts.

"I wouldn't blame any player for knocking on my door this week but they have to convince me by how they perform in training and what they do when they get the opportunity," said Irvine. "I was bitterly disappointed with Saturday's performance and I am learning about my players all the time.

"Some of the things that happened were just unacceptable; we conceded goals right after half-time and right after getting back in the game and some of it was down to poor defending and also not the right mentality.

"The only way I know to address it is by working hard. The staff and I work extremely hard and we will continue to do that. So do the players. But we have to make sure we take the right mentality into every game."

Irvine revealed that there had been an 'extremely heated atmosphere' in the dressing room after the game, saying: "I am not shy about saying what I think and I am not bothered about upsetting people."