Sheffield Wednesday 0 Sunderland 3: Owls' self-inflicted misery goes on in televised hammering

What made it sadder is that it has been self-inflicted. Ironically as the crowd began to thin – which began when Sheffield Wednesday conceded their second sloppy goal in the eighth minute – the name of the architect of this omnishambles was presented to the television viewers.

The Kop was sparsely occupied from the start but there were quite a few bums on North Stand seats. The worse things got, the clearer you could see the name Chansiri.`

This is not, as captain Barry Bannan candidly acknowledged pre-match, a big club in there here and now but four league titles and three FA Cups, however distant – and some of us still remember the League Cup win and European campaigns – qualify them as one of this country's great clubs. They are a million miles from being one of its great or even good teams and were lucky to only lose 3-0.

It was only four months to the day from winning promotion at Wembley that Sheffield Wednesday hosted Sunderland in the Championship, but it feels like a liftetime ago.

First chairman Dejphon Chansiri fell out with Darren Moore, the man who led the Owls to a remarkable League One play-off campaign. Then he appointed Munoz, whose time in the Championship had been brief but successful with Watford, and allowed him to rip up and rebuild the team with players less familiar with English football than he is.

Seven of Munoz's 13 signings started the game.

Then, on the morning of a huge game for a club without a win yet this season, a 1,466-word statement on the official website which amounted to: "I'm sick of you lot criticising me, I'm turning off the taps."

In the messed-up world of the Championship, unless you have a parachute payment, you cannot make ends meet without a benefactor.

"If you want me to leave, then show me how to run the club and invest the money before I do that", he wrote. Do not hold your breath.

With a warm-up act like that, not to mention a team-sheet minus the injured Bannan and Josh Windass, there was a sense of inevitability.

The game was three minutes old when Devis Vasquez played a hospital pass to George Byers and Jobe Bellingham nicked the ball. All Byers could do was concede a free-kick.

Alex Pritchard hit it against the wall and whilst Sunderland took a corner, the Owls played musical statues as Dan Ballard headed into the net. The "Chansiri out!" chants began.

Soon it was two, Bellingham switching the ball to Jack Clarke, who all too easily stepped inside and found the bottom corner.

The black balloon protest fell flatter than the tennis ball demonstration of the previous home game but there was no disguising the unrest.

"We want Xisco out!" they yelled.

A brilliant Mason Burstow turn on the half-hour met with a clumsy tackle from Bambo Diaby, Ballard's alleged marker at the early corner.

Clarke sent Vasquez the wrong way from the penalty spot.

When Vasquez gave the ball away after 45 minutes, Clarke won another corner Ballard should have converted.

As Cameron Dawson watched on from the bench, Vasquez hit a goalkick out aiming for Callum Paterson.

A minute later the makeshift left wing-back in a matchday squad Reece James – an actual, good left wing-back – was not considered good enough for, was turned too easily, only to waste the chance.

At least Paterson works hard, forcing a second-half save from Nathan Patterson.

Booked for a foul in the second half, Diaby went off concussed after clashing heads with a team-mate seconds after Munoz belatedly turned to his bench. Michael Ihiekwe could have replaced him had he been in the squad.

The only saving grace was that the scoreline did not get worse considering Sunday's Premier League game in the city was also 3-0 at half-time and ended 8-0.

The official attendance was 25,987 but goodness how many were left at full-time, staying only to chant their anger at Chansiri and Munoz, and boo the bedraggled players.

Chansiri says Hillsborough prices have to be extortionately high because not enough people are turning up, but fewer and fewer are willing to pay them to watch this dross.

The Sunderland fans gave their usual burst of "Don't worry about a thing, cos every little thing's gonna be all right."

Bottom of the table in a battle against relegation they look ill-equipped for, with a chairman no longer willing to fund them, Wednesday have every reason to worry.

Sheffield Wednesday: Vasquez; Valentin (Delgado 73), Bernard, B Diaby (Palmer 79), Famewo; Paterson, Byers, Hendrick; Buckley (Gassama 73), Musaba, Gregory (Fletcher 79). Unused substitutes: Dawson, Smith, Iorfa, Vaulks, Bakinson.

Sunderland: Patterson; Hume (Seelt 85), O'Nien, Ballard, Huggins; Neil; Roberts (Ba 66), Bellingham, Pritchard (Aouchiche 66), Clarke (Rigg 77); Burstow (Rusyn 77). Unused substitutes: Silva, Taylor, Triantis, Bishop.

Referee: S Barrott (West Yorkshire).