Sheffield Wednesday's Danny Rohl not interested in top-six talk as he looks down first

Middlesbrough's 3-1 defeat at Elland Road meant the Owls did not lose any ground on the top six despite falling 1-0 at home to Blackburn Rovers.

But Rohl was keen not to get carried away, saying his side should be more focussed on escaping relegation than reaching the play-offs for now. His comments should perhaps be seen in the context of his public battle to extract investment from owner/chairman Dejphon Chansiri in the January transfer window.

"I think we should not speak about the top six if I am honest," he said when asked about it. "To come to this level we have had to be calm, do everything right, get some luck.

"The first goal should be as soon as possible to get 50 points, then we will see what is possible, but to achieve this on 26 points now, it is a tough thing in this division.

"Blackburn came with four wins in a row, you did not get the feeling that they were so much ahead of us, but in both boxes they took the step and this is what we must improve."

The Owls have not finished in the top half of the Championship since 2019, or the play-offs since 2017, when they lost on penalties to Huddersfield Town in the semi-finals.

Although 50 points is the accepted safety mark in the Championship, Birmingham City went down with that tally last season. Before Wednesday’s game, the Owls were nine points above the bottom three.

Rohl is keen to add players a level above those currently in his squad to make the difference in tight games, which on a Championship budget will almost certainly mean they come on loan.

An ambitious and highly-rated manager seems unsure if he will be allowed to, but appears to be trying to put pressure on Chansiri.

"We have in some positions a lot of players that you can change in and out and there is not a big difference between them, the daily performance is sometimes a little bit better or not, but it is not a huge step or a huge upgrade," he reflected.

"On Tuesday we were better with the counter-press but this is just what we can create as a team, not as individuals. I don’t see enough of the one player who can score without a chance.

"When I see these games and the journey in the last months, I see how close we are, but it's not close enough.

"The data is similar, but it’s a similar story in these tight games, especially when we play against teams that are ahead of us. There is a difference between a mid-table position and top of the table.

”Not all the things that I recommended are possible. Not all the things are easy in the market.

"In January we will see in which direction we want to go.

“At the moment I don't really know what is possible for the budget, what is possible for the players – who wants to come, who doesn't.

"But we need extra and everybody can see this, or should see this.

"I think everybody knows my ambition but the final decision is not my final decision. You can ask me after January what is the ambition of the club and my ambition.”