Chris Powell praises Sheffield Wednesday fans' Leicester City protests and asks Dejphon Chansiri 'How do you carry on?'

Powell was part of the coaching staff who left the Championship club at the end of June as financial problems began to escalate.

After failing to pay wages in full and on time for four of the last five months, triggering a chain reaction of negative consequences, it has become clear chairman/owner Dejphon Chansiri is unwilling and/or unable to fund the club, and supporters are trying to force him to sell it at a fair price.

As part of that, the vast majority of a sold-out away end for Sunday's televised opening game of the season did not take their seats until five minutes into the game, with many denied entry into the stadium until that point because of the congestion it caused on the concourses.

Powell, who spoke out about the "dysfunctional" situation before the game, has praised the protesters in another podcast appearance – this time with Sam Allardyce's Footy Accumulators No Tippy Tappy Football podcast.

“I’m full of admiration for what they did at the Leicester game and the protest, that has really put it on the map for everyone," said Powell. "Everyone’s been reading about it, but seeing those fans stay away from the game for five minutes before coming in – and they actually missed the goal some of them – because enough is enough.

“The owner has been there 10 years, there’s been no investment into the community, the training centre, the stadium, but they keep turning up.

"It's a captive audience, they want to support their team but I’m full of admiration for how the supporters are handling such a unique situation."

Djeidi Gassama and Anthony Musaba were sold to pay overdue wages for June, and July's bill was eventually settled when the club received Premier League solidarity payments and scheduled Football League funding.

The next wages are due at the end of the month and the fear is that goalkeeper Pierce Charles – exceptional in the first two games of the season – might have to be the next to go, with reports of outrageously low bids from West Ham United and Rangers.

Beyond re-signing captain Barry Bannan, the Owls have been unable to add to their skeletal and now injury-hit squad or to provide manager Henrik Pedersen with any senior coaches because they have been unable to convince the Football League they can pay the wages of the prospective new arrivals.

Powell wonders where it will end.

“They’ve sold a couple of players, under value definitely," he said. "Gassama went to Rangers and was an exceptional player, he was sold to pay the wages.

"There’s the young goalkeeper Pierce Charles, who’s another asset who might go.

"They’ve had money from the Premier League so they've been able to settle a few debts, but if it’s not sold and he’s not funding it, how do you carry on? I don't know.”