Henrik Pedersen on how Sheffield Wednesday's fans energise him – 'if you sit alone, it can be difficult to come out of this little world'
Few if any managers in English football can be as positive as Sheffield Wednesday's Henrik Pedersen, and the Dane says it is the support of the club's fans which allows him to think that way.
The Owls are 39 points from Championship safety with 48 to play for – a position that will get worse before Sunday ‘s game at Swansea City if two from Leicester City, Blackburn Rovers and West Bromwich Albion avoid defeat on Saturday.
Yet there will still be plenty of fans in the away end at Swansea's Liberty Stadium, even at the very unfriendly kick-off time of 12.01pm.
It is their energy which Pedersen says has allowed him to make the most of a season from hell for one of England's oldest clubs.
Financial problems have dogged it throughout and even after spending most of the campaign in administration, 18 points deducted over financial issues, and with a preferred bidder currently undergoing vetting to take over, the hits keep on coming.
In the transfer window which shut on Monday evening the Owls sold club legend Barry Bannan and academy products Yisa Alao and Bailey Cadamateri in cut-price deals.
"Last week was a tough week for everyone with Barry, with Bailey, with all the question marks for many players' futures," admitted Pedersen. "We all know when we have a lot of thoughts, then we are (mentally) in the past, (or) we are in the future. It is difficult to just be in the moment where you have to perform."
He says the fanbase played a huge part in getting him through.
"All people have difficult phases in life," he continued, "and if you sit alone, it can be difficult to come out of this little world, this little bubble, to start to think positively.
"If you have one person who can support you, who can see something you can see and you feel, 'Oh, I'm not going to be judged here – he or she can see something I can see, they'll show me a way out of this crisis’...
"We have some fantastic fans in general who have been fantastic for the boys. They push us when we are tired. We can only be thankful."
The Owls have lost their last eight matches and their only win of the season was 26 games ago. As things stand, their best chance of not being relegated at Bramall Lane on February 22 is other endangered teams to put them out of their misery by picking the points up which makes it happen earlier.
So Pedersen is determined to do all he can to give those supporters at least something back.
"We all want to do the best for the club" he said. "And who is the club? This is our fans.
"So, of course, we do everything from getting up in the morning to when we go to bed to do the best possible job for Sheffield Wednesday, because then we can make the best possible job for our fans.
"Sheffield Wednesday, without the fans, we would not be a big club.
"This is (the effect of) our fans. They are amazing. And that's why all what we're doing is to do the best we can to make them happy, to make them proud."
A further lift to Pedersen has been the addition of six new players to the squad, even if it came at the cost of Bannan, Cadamarteri, Alao and Harry Amass, whose season-long loan from Manchester United was cancelled.
"The squad is our squad now," he said. "I do not know if there are still some transfer windows that are open (globally) so we can still sell players but right now we cannot get any new loan players.
"We can get transfer-free players, but right now there is no spot. So I see it as a closed transfer window.
"I am really happy that now we have our squad, now we can concentrate for this."
And on his additions, he said: "They're looking at the world with fresh pictures.
"And it's also means competition now. It is not if you are fit, you are playing. There can be consequences if you don't perform."
All this weekend's Football League games are scheduled to start a minute later to raise awareness of the 'Every Minute Matters' campaign in conjunction with Sky Bet and The British Heart Foundation.