Owls administration a double-edged sword, say fans

Sheffield Wednesday fans have described news of the club's administration as a "double-edged sword", but remain cautiously optimistic over the club's future.

Administrators were called in to run the Championship strugglers on Friday after it was revealed HM Revenue & Customs were set to issue a winding-up petition against the club.

While the end of Dejphon Chansiri's controversial 10-year reign at the club has been welcomed by fans, on the pitch the team has been hit with a 12-point deduction.

"Any other time we would be heartbroken with administration, but I think it's been known for a long time now that this is going to be the only way out for us," said supporter Scott Cain.

Administrators have been called in to run Sheffield Wednesday

Wednesday were already bottom of the division prior to the points deduction and unable to sign new players because of a transfer embargo due to repeated failures to pay wages on time.

They now sit on minus six points and are 15 points from safety.

Paris-based Owl James Howlitt admitted relegation back to the third tier was now "likely", but said he and his fellow fans could "allow themselves to feel like there's something positive to come from the next few months".

Kris Wigfield, who has been appointed as one of the club's joint administrators along with Julian Pitts and Paul Stanley, said they would "seek a new owner as swiftly as possible".

He added: "Like many football clubs, it has been trading at a significant loss for several years, with those losses historically funded by the former owner Mr Chansiri."

Thousands of supporters had boycotted the club's fixtures in recent months in an attempt to starve Chansiri of income and force him into either selling the club or putting the 158-year-old institution into administration.

Ian Bennett, who chairs the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust, said Friday's development was a "double-edged sword".

"It's sad that the club has got to the stage where we have had to go into administration, but there's celebrations that we have got rid of the chairman."

Mr Bennett said Chansiri had "run the club into the ground".

The Thai businessman's tenure started brightly and the club made the Championship play-offs in his first two seasons at the helm.

But they were relegated to League One in 2020-21 after a six-point deduction for breaking spending rules.

They returned to the second tier in 2023, but currently find themselves under five EFL embargoes, with wages paid late in five of the past seven months.

Chansiri has remained silent throughout the latest period of turmoil under his ownership.

"We need to get behind the club now," said Mr Bennett, who said the boycott of matches was now over.

Sheffield Wednesday host Oxford United at Hillsborough on Saturday, with fans expected to flock back to the stadium.

Mr Bennett said: "If we can get some money back into the club, we can survive and tick along."

Mr Stanley said the club would be able to cover its day-to-day costs if more fans returned to Hillsborough, "and move towards a viable sale to a new ownership capable of restoring long-term stability".

"With the right ownership structure, we are confident that the club has a bright future," he added.

"Hopefully a new owner can come in and push it on and really take us back to where we belong," said Mr Bennett.

In a joint statement from Sheffield MPs, Gill Furniss, Abtisam Mohamed, Olivia Blake, Louise Haigh, Clive Betts and Marie Tidball, the news was described as a "blow for the club and fans" but a first step in ensuring future certainty for the club.

"For too long Chansiri has been allowed to dictate the club's future as he repeatedly proved unable to finance the ongoing operations of Wednesday," it said.

"Fans must now come forward to ensure the club is supported through this transition.

"It is clear that no money being spent now will go into Chansiri's pocket. Wednesday need immediate cash flow to be in the best possible position for a new owner who will work with us as a community and secure the longevity of the club."

They added it was vital that any new owner had a long-term plan for the stability of the club and the commitment to work hand in hand with supporters and the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust.