Sheffield Wednesday comment: Division and disharmony - a sorry state of affairs at a pivotal part of the Championship season

JANUARY is a month in footballing circles for keeping your heads down and getting on with the job.

On the pitch, it’s about not belly-aching about injury issues, congested schedules, weather disruption and the like. It is about trying to clear a path to securing valuable points and/or cup progression.

Off it, the successful clubs say nowt to fans - not to mention inquisitive journalists - and work away quietly in the background and do everything that is humanely possible to bring in some key winter window recruits without distractions, side-shows. You invariably do that by singing from the same hymnsheet and being together.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sheffield Wednesday are doing the exact opposite, unfortunately as a sense of soap opera again surrounds one of the game’s grand old clubs, whose tired supporters deserve much, much better.

Owls boss Danny Rohl with chairman Dejphon Chansiri. Picture: Steve EllisOwls boss Danny Rohl with chairman Dejphon Chansiri. Picture: Steve Ellis
Owls boss Danny Rohl with chairman Dejphon Chansiri. Picture: Steve Ellis

Owner Delphon Chansiri held a fans forum in midweek. A fans’ forum; all very open and egalitarian, some might think from the outside.

Instead of bringing supporters together and ensuring the mood music was harmonious and providing hope ahead of a final third of the season which has the potential for Wednesday to break into the top six, if all goes well, it left a sour taste, sadly. Not for the first time.

It is hard to know what it actually achieved and was it really necessary in the first place? To most, it has inflamed tensions and fanned the flames of discontent.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Chansiri, as is his wont, tackled things head on in his inimitable way. On the subject of dissenting fans angry at aspects of his stewardship, he said they had no right to protest if they had bought a ticket for the game. A customer as opposed to someone with deep-rooted connections, given the above statement.

Questioned about selling the club, his answer was blunt. ‘Find me a buyer’.

Asked about the club’s plans for the future, he effectively said that the supporters didn’t need to know them because they don’t impact them.

Them and us and not everyone together, then. As an exercise in galvanising supporters and presenting a united front, it was disastrous.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And then there is Chansiri’s increasingly-strained looking relationship with Danny Rohl after claims by the chairman that he had not been presented with a list of January transfer targets.

‘If nothing comes to me, what do you want me to do?, Chansiri opined after being questioned about the Owls head coach’s public desire to bring in some key signings to help take the club to the next level.

Regarding transfers, there have reportedly been no lines of communication between the pair since December.

It was all the worst possible look at a critical time in the season of Wednesday. A club who have lost just twice in their last 11 Championship matches and are fifth in the division’s 10-match form guide and are just four points off the top six.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

To put the tin lid on things, it was revealed late on Wednesday that key loanee Shea Charles had been recalled by parent club Southampton.

Penny for the thoughts of Rohl on Thursday morning with the tension between himself and his boss now out in the open and exacerbated by events on Wednesday when the need was for calm.

In a month when Wednesday needed quiet, order and clarity, there currently appears to be little. Not the best preparation for a Yorkshire derby at league leaders Leeds United on Sunday.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1754
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice