Dejphon Chansiri needs extra-time to discuss all things Sheffield Wednesday

A one-on-one question-and-answer session apart, it is the first time Sheffield Wednesday’s owner has spoken to the media for 13 months, and a lot has happened. It was just after 8.45am when his Zoom press conference started, nearly three hours later he logged off.

Since he introduced Garry Monk as his latest manager in September 2019 another season has been wasted, trapped in Championship purgatory after a campaign which teased at the play-offs but delivered a relegation battle.

Financially, the Championship is a nonsense – close enough to the Premier League to demand big investment to compete, far enough away to be unable to generate it. If, as a man who made hundreds of millions of pounds from canned tuna rightly points out more than once, football does not follow the rules of business logic, the business of Championship football is more illogical still.

The league table tells you Sheffield Wednesday should perhaps be grateful to stay in the second tier this season, bottom after 10 matches. Chansiri is nothing if not a dreamer.

“If I just tried to keep the club in the middle of the Championship I don’t know why I need to be here,” he argues. “We still hope we can push for the play-offs or even go up automatically.”

Clearly he feels he is fighting an uphill battle at times, against people offering problems, but not solutions – the Government, a “negative minority” of fans whose social media criticism he claims kyboshed a huge sponsorship deal, and the Football League (EFL).

Chansiri has been at loggerheads with the latter for around a year but hours earlier – coincidence, the club insists, having had no inkling of what was coming when the briefing was arranged – another skirmish was resolved.

On Wednesday evening the Owls’ appeal against what Chansiri sees as an “unlawful” misconduct charge for breaking Football League financial rules was rejected but their 12-point punishment halved, so they could be out of the relegation zone tomorrow.

Chansiri is unhappy about the damage done, but will not decide on legal action until written reasons are published.

The extra points added to three earned 24 hours earlier in a first home win since February. Defeating previously-unbeaten Bournemouth after losing to previously-winless Wycombe Wanderers, the club’s fourth straight defeat, justifies Chansiri’s assertion that: “The problem with our players is mentality and consistency.”

It is not them he is gunning for, though.

“I don’t know what the EFL is going to do or if the Government will support us,” he says of the (non-)response to the coronavirus crisis.

“We’ve had this situation for nearly a year but we don’t see any direction, they just postpone things but the clubs can’t wait.

“Some people say you can still recruit players and pay wages. We have no choice because the EFL say you need to play.

“I don’t see the EFL trying to support clubs, just punish them.

“The Government, the EFL, it’s your chance to show leadership. The EFL say they’re trying to negotiate but they’ve been doing it for six or seven months. You talk about a wage cap? Nothing happened.

“Before every match we need to test everyone (for Covid-19). For an away game we need to use two coaches instead of one. If I start to pay the wages the EFL will punish me.

“I will be here as long as I can but if no one helps, I don’t know how long I can survive.”

He is also unhappy with supporters, or rather a small minority, whose negativity and distrust of him he believes is damaging the club. He claims it cost them a 10-year sponsorship deal which could have stretched to “eight or nine figures” (in pounds) in the Premier League.

“If you don’t like me, it’s fine, but don’t damage the club,” he pleads. “Before Covid I helped set up a sponsor, a very big one like the club’s never had before. They’d almost agreed in principle but they asked why social media was all negative to me and the club. If you support the club don’t damage it, keep quiet. Sometimes it makes me tired and think I shouldn’t do it any more.

“Even when we have a positive thing some people still try to see the negative side.”

Those fans worry. They worry the club has gone backwards on Chansiri’s five-year watch – he insists not. They worry coupling his lofty ambitions with bad decisions and rule-breaking – despite his protestations an independent commission and appeal panel decided the Owls transgressed by prematurely declaring the purchase of Hillsborough – threatens a 153-year-old institution.

Chansiri says the club has taken “a step back” to start a new cycle in the team’s evolution, but transfer funds will be available to Monk in January if needed. All the players have relegation clauses if the worst happens and Monk has his backing.

That ownership of the club and its home have been split – albeit both owned by Chansiri – troubles some.

“If I’d sold the club why would I keep the stadium?” he asks. “Are you going to make money from the stadium? I don’t see it.

“If the fans are scared to lose the stadium I’m quite happy for them to buy it back.

“Some people don’t like to listen to the truth.”

Once again, he has made his case and others will pass judgement.

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