Sheffield Wednesday

Image source, Getty Images

Sheffield Wednesday first-team coach Andy Parslow has announced he has terminated his contract with the side amid the financial turmoil at the club.

The club have failed to pay wages on time on five occasions in the last seven months, with September's pay packet being the latest to be delayed.

"It was a really difficult decision. It's not one that I took lightly at all and not something that I really wanted to do either," Parslow told BBC Radio 5Live.

"The tipping point was the uncertainty and not knowing when payment was likely to come.

"The bit that pushed me to this decision this time was when we were told we were going to get a certain amount of our salary but the information of when the rest was going to be paid was unknown.

"That made me think there's going to be another pay day a few weeks in the future and if we don't know when this one is going to come, when is that one going to come?

"When you don't know when the end of the line is going to be, it makes it a lot more challenging, a lot more complicated and that's where the stress will come into it."

Parslow announced his departure with a statement on his LinkedIn profile, external, in which he thanked former boss Danny Rohl, head coach Henrik Pedersen, the players, staff and fans.

"All the players, all the staff - it's created a real mentality in the group, it's like a band of brothers," he added.

"It's been phenomenal to see. It's been a very challenging season so far and I'm sure it will continue to be that way but within the group, there's such a tremendous spirit."

Image source, Getty Images

Charlton Athletic and Ipswich Town lead the manager and player of the month awards for September after both sides have remained undefeated and climbed up the Championship table.

Tractor Boys winger Jaden Philogene has been nominated for player of the month after finding the net four times across the side's three completed matches in September, including a hat-trick during their 5-0 drubbing over Sheffield United.

Charlton's James Bree bagged two goals and two assists over their four games to earn his nod.

Addicks boss Nathan Jones and Ipswich's Kieran McKenna both earn manager of the month nominations for their roles in their unbeaten months but face tough competition against Preston North End's Paul Heckingbottom and Queens Park Rangers' Julien Stephen.

Both also enjoyed an undefeated September, with Preston and QPR currently residing in the top six.

Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan and Hull City's Ollie McBurnie round out the player nominations.

McBurnie scored in each of the side's four games to produce five goals in September, while Bannan helped earn Wednesday five points with an opening goal in their first league win of the season against Portsmouth and two assists.

Rob Staton
BBC Radio Sheffield

Image source, Getty Images

The 10th minute came, and this time you could feel the anger.

The stands, although sparse with many staying away, were full of black and gold protest scarves, produced by the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust. Fans lifted those scarves into the air and chanted with gusto for owner Dejphon Chansiri to go.

The Coventry City fans stood and applauded, the latest show of solidarity. They know all too well what this is like and backed the Wednesday fans, just as supporters at Leicester, Wrexham, Bristol City and others have done this season. Football, clearly, can still produce the occasional moving moment.

Some fans ran onto the pitch. Initially it was a handful, before others joined. It might not have been hundreds but it was still more than most expected. Those not participating cheered. The only boos were reserved for stewards who tried to intervene.

For all the concerns voiced about this form of protest, it all passed off peacefully. The game stopped for about five minutes. No players were impacted. Wednesday captain Barry Bannan spoke to some of the protestors but, eventually, they headed back to the stands and the game continued.

As the game prepared to restart, three sides of the stadium belted out a chorus of 'Wednesday 'Til I Die'. It was by far the loudest Hillsborough has been this season. This was the biggest display so far of 'enough is enough' at a Sheffield Wednesday home game.

Now the Supporters Trust are trying to increase the pressure.

They have called for fans to stay away for the Middlesbrough game on 22 October, even those with season tickets.

They have called on people to watch somewhere else with the game televised, such as a local pub.

They believe refusing to give Chansiri money will make it increasingly difficult for him to cling on until the new year, when TV money comes in and the transfer window could provide an opportunity to raise funds.

The appointment today of David Kogan as the first chair of the new football regulator is noteworthy. He says: "There are urgent and critical issues that need addressing in football, and I look forward to working with all stakeholders to achieve the right solutions for a more sustainable industry."

How high will Sheffield Wednesday be on his to-do list?

Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen spoke to BBC Radio Sheffield after their 5-0 home defeat by Coventry:

"They're a very, very strong team and we gave ourselves a difficult beginning by being one down in three minutes.

"I still thought after the second goal we had the belief and we continued, but we didn't have the clinical level they had, and then the third goal was a clear offside goal and it took the belief out of the team.

"We have to remember that we have to perform at our maximum level every time to get something.

[On the protest] "The general protest I understand, and I'm happy that it didn't take longer than it did and we could come back to play the game."

Image source, Opta

Coventry could go top of the Championship, for a few hours at least, with a win at second-bottom Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday lunchtime (12:30 BST).

The unbeaten Sky Blues romped to a 4-0 win at Millwall on Wednesday night to go second, two points behind Middlesbrough, who visit Portsmouth later on Saturday afternoon.

City's 22 goals scored in eight games, and +15 goal difference are by far the best, not forgetting they have played out two 0-0 draws already.

Wednesday were seconds away from an eye-catching win at Birmingham on Tuesday, which would have hauled them out of the relegation zone, only for a 99th-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw to extend Blues unbeaten home run to 28 matches.

They have taken four points from their past two away games, but last Saturday's 1-1 draw against QPR was their first point, and first goal of the season at Hillsborough after three straight defeats to begin their home campaign.

• Sheffield Wednesday have lost just three of their past 11 home league games against Coventry City (W6 D2), though the Owls have lost both in the past two seasons.

• Coventry City have won four of their last five league games against Sheffield Wednesday (L1), scoring exactly two goals in each victory during that time.

• Sheffield Wednesday are unbeaten in their past three Championship matches (W1 D2), and will be looking to go four in a row without defeat for the first time since December 2024 (4).

• Coventry City have only won one of their past four Championship away games against Yorkshire sides (D1 L2), although that one victory did come in this fixture last season (2-1 in February).

• Frank Lampard is unbeaten against Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship (P3 W2 D1), only facing Hull City (5) and QPR (4) more often without losing as a manager in the division.

Image source, Rex Features

Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen said he had to look at the big picture after the disappointment of conceding a late equaliser at Birmingham City.

He told BBC Radio Sheffield:"We deserved more. When you are 2-1 up and we've played 99 minutes, of course you can be disappointed, but in the big picture you have to be proud of one point away at Birmingham.

"We had a good beginning but then conceded when Harry [Amass] should have tackled a little bit harder with his right foot, but how we worked after they scored, and how we stayed together, fought for each other and stayed in the game …

"We came back in the game, 1-1 after good pressing, quick transition and great goal from Jamal [Lowe].

"George [Brown] cannot play all the time because it's too much for him, but he came in and it's fantastic that he scored again."

Rob Staton
BBC Sheffield Sports Editor

Image source, Getty Images

Another month and another crisis moment at Sheffield Wednesday. The players have been informed they won't be paid on time for September.

They already faced delayed wages for March, May, June and July.

They deserve better. This is a group who have had to face all sorts. A shambles of a pre-season, including not being able to use the training ground initially and no typical pre-season friendlies.

The decimation of the squad with key players leaving or being sold for peanuts. Having to play extended minutes because the squad is so small.

Established pros are giving their all. Young players, who probably had no expectation of playing in the Championship weeks ago, are now being relied on as they produce heroic performances belying their inexperience.

I believe some of the players have also gone above and beyond to support staff behind the scenes who have faced similar problems with their salaries.

Wednesday are now under five EFL embargoes., external Just when fans thought things could not get any worse behind the scenes, they are.

Is there a crumb of comfort, though, for those want a change of ownership?

It's believed by multiple sources we have spoken to recently that Dejphon Chansiri's intention was to try to continue as owner.

However, if the owner cannot pay the bills, doesn't it make it harder to do that?

It seems the boycotting of Carabao Cup games, food and merchandise are having an impact.

Whilst this is clearly bringing short-term pain in terms of payroll, is it possibly making it more likely that Chansiri will have to consider his options?

There is no way of asking him about it and he hasn't said anything publicly since releasing a statement in June.

Typically, when you suggest this cannot go on, you're sent the Mick McCarthy meme in response: "It can."

With the new football regulator lurking, the embargoes stacking up and no sign of any fresh money arriving, perhaps the new response should be, "it can't"?

Image source, Opta

Birmingham will seek to get back on track when they welcome Sheffield Wednesday to St Andrew's on Tuesday night (19:45 BST).

Blues went down 3-0 at Coventry on Saturday to fall to 11th in the Championship, though remain within striking distance of the play-offs.

They are seeking to extend the longest unbeaten home record in the top four tiers of English football as the second-bottom Owls come to town.

Chris Davies' men will need to be wary, however, Wednesday have picked up five points from their past four league fixtures, with four of those coming in their two most recent away games.

• Birmingham City have lost just one of their past six home league games against Sheffield Wednesday (W4 D1), a 0-1 reverse in October 2020.

• After their 2-0 win in February 2024, Sheffield Wednesday could win back-to-back league meetings with Birmingham City for the first time since February 2016.

• Birmingham are unbeaten in their past 28 home league games (W23 D5), their second-longest ever such run, after a spell of 36 games from October 1970 to April 1972.

• Sheffield Wednesday have won just one of their past seven away league games (D4 L2), though that was their last at Portsmouth (2-0).

• Sheffield Wednesday have only lost one of their past 13 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games (W6 D6), a 0-1 defeat to Blackburn in December 2024.

Image source, Getty Images

Sheffield Wednesday head coach Henrik Pedersen said his side's resilience impressed him as they followed up their first league win of the season with a 1-1 draw at home against QPR.

Pedersen told BBC Radio Sheffield: "It was a generally strong performance. It has been very difficult at home but we played with strong discipline and showed strong belief.

"Defensively we were very solid with good discipline and we showed the next step on the ball and created chances

"The second half we had a difficult 10 minutes at the start but we worked back. Altogether, it was a strong home game.

"We have showed we can compete with teams. The boys showed a big, big mentality. But we cannot have 14 shots and create five big chances and have only one goal."

Image source, Opta

After securing their first win of the season last weekend at Portsmouth, Sheffield Wednesday be targeting another three points against Queens Park Rangers on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Queens Park Rangers are 14 places above Wednesday in ninth and are seeking a fourth win on the bounce having beaten Stoke City, Wrexham and Charlton Athletic in recent weeks.

• Sheffield Wednesday have won just one of their last six home league games against QPR (D3 L2), beating them 2-1 in December 2023.

• After winning four consecutive league games against Sheffield Wednesday in 2018 and 2019, QPR have now won just one of their last seven against the Owls (D2 L4).

• Sheffield Wednesday have lost eight of their last 10 home league games (W1 D1), including all three without scoring this season. Only in the 1999-00 Premier League campaign have the Owls ever lost each of their first four at Hillsborough to start a league season.

• Having failed to win any of their first three league games this season, QPR have now won each of their last three by an aggregate score of 7-2.

• QPR's Championship games have seen 22 goals so far this season (10 for, 12 against), with only Wrexham's matches producing more (23).

Image source, BBC Sport

A potential move to take the Championship play-offs down to eighth place would damage the competition's credibility, according to former Huddersfield, Stoke and Middlesbrough defender Tommy Smith.

The EFL board is set to discuss proposals to increase the number of teams in the end-of-season play-offs from four to six but Smith, who was promoted to the Premier League with Huddersfield via the play-offs in 2017 is not a fan of the idea.

"It's not for me - I think it suits teams who don't really have a chance to get in the top six," he told the BBC's EFL podcast 72+.

"From a credibility point of view the top six is there to be aimed at and you have to earn your place in it."

The play-offs were first introduced for the 1986-87 season where sides finishing third down to fifth were involved along with the team third-from-bottom in the top flight.

After two seasons the format was changed to be played out between teams finishing third to sixth in the second tier.

"To finish eighth in the Championship and potentially get promoted to the Premier League it just doesn't sit right with me," added Smith.

"Notoriously over the past years getting into the top six is tough and when you get in there after a long hard season it feels brilliant, so to make it a top eight it dilutes it."