'Wednesday fans torn between protests and apathy'

Stoke City weren't the only winners at the weekend. You could argue Dejphon Chansiri will feel like he gained a minor victory too.

Some Sheffield Wednesday fans protested in Hillsborough Park, with calls for the owner to sell and a passionate speech from MP Clive Betts. The club's Supporters Trust have done a good job keeping the protests peaceful and well organised.

However, there was one thing those attending kept saying to me as I walked among the protestors. Where's everyone else?

It's hard to say how many fans actually attended. It might've been about 1500 to 2,000 fans. From a declared attendance of nearly 20,000 fans at Hillsborough, though, it wasn't as many as some expected given everything that's happened this summer.

One supporter put it to me this way – if non-playing staff not being paid on time for three months, a squad totally decimated, a summer of drama about the North Stand, a distinct lack of communication from the top, EFL charges, a likely points deduction, possible (probable?) relegation and a bleak looking future for the club isn't enough to motivate people to join the protests, what will?

The feeling of apathy was in the air. That continued in the ground. The whistle protests in the first five minutes didn't really land, not helped perhaps by the fact Stoke scored within 60 seconds of kick-off. After that, there were a few strangled chants calling for Chansiri to go but not much else.

There was no real feeling of anger within Hillsborough. More resignation. Deflation. Helplessness.

It highlights again that for many Sheffield Wednesday fans, protesting simply isn't in their DNA. As we've heard from some of our callers and texters, some seem to have no interest in it, irrespective of what happens at their club.

Protesting alone won't remove the owner and none of the protestors I spoke to on Saturday believe that's why they need to speak out. They told me they want to raise further awareness, keep the pressure on and try to portray a collective show of strength to say that what has been happening isn't acceptable.

Chansiri may well think – and who knows what he truly thinks, because he's been virtually silent throughout the chaos this summer – that this was a victory. If the majority aren't protesting, if they're still turning up and in some cases continuing as normal, he could be empowered by that at a time when it's unclear whether he's motivated to actually sell or not. There's a distinct possibility he'll try to carry on.

The Trust has called for a boycott of the League Cup game against Leeds next Tuesday, 26 August after polling their near-5,000 members. The club have announced only the South Stand will be open to home fans, and theoretically they can still sell a lot of tickets to Leeds fans, but it will be interesting to see if home supporters stay away.

Saturday's 3-0 defeat at home will likely be repeated this season. That type of game – with plenty of effort from blameless players who give everything and simply cannot compete as part of a threadbare squad – is going to be a regular occurrence. Soon it is expected that a points deduction will be slapped on the club.

If things become more bleak on the pitch, it's hard to say whether that will move more fans to protest or whether it will simply lead to more apathy.