Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen has confirmed that everyone at the club will be paid for August and says that everyone is happy.

Pedersen adds that the club is working with the EFL and that he has told the players that they will be receiving their salary for the month but has had no new information on whether there will be any new additions before deadline day.

Wednesday host Swansea City on Saturday (15:00 BST) with another protest planned by the fans that could disrupt the game.

"I understand the protests, as long as it has no influence on the game, I understand," he told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"I have a big respect for Swansea, they have a good manager with a clear style of play, it's a team who are very clear offensively, I'm looking forward to this test.

"I think we have some good weeks behind us, there were some really good things in the games this week."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

Wrexham striker Ollie Palmer, 33, is wanted by Sheffield Wednesday, with Bristol Rovers, Crawley, Cambridge United and Salford also interested in his services. (Football League World), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Wednesday's gossip column here.

Steven Wyeth
Final Score reporter

Image source, PA Media

In a crisis leadership is vital. And, despite their chronic off-field issues, Sheffield Wednesday have a figurehead.

Captain Barry Bannan's decision to remain with the Owls this summer was admirable, the "offers from elsewhere" must have been extremely tempting considering the uncertainty and stretched resources at Hillsborough.

Judging by Saturday's 2-2 draw at Wrexham, he's setting a talismanic example on the field too.

Bannan was the outstanding player on both sides, first to every loose ball and necessary challenge, and at the heart of every Wednesday attack until his endeavours and cramp took their toll in stoppage time.

It was a contribution exemplified by a perfectly timed arrival in the penalty area to score the goal that began the Wednesday fightback.

After a turbulent pre-season with a threadbare squad, the 35-year-old can be forgiven for his slightly premature departure - but Wednesday must hope he is fit to contribute as much and as often as possible to overcome the club's potentially crippling adversity.

Rob Staton
BBC Radio Sheffield reporter

Image source, PA Media

I don't think Dejphon Chansiri wants to sell Sheffield Wednesday.

Numerous people have voiced this opinion privately over the past few months, even amid talk of suitors and offers.

You never quite knew what to believe at the time but all the evidence is now pointing to a chairman who isn't planning to depart.

Short of an offer well above the actual valuation of the club, I don't think he's going anywhere.

This will be an interesting week. If everyone is paid on time for August, it will suggest the owner has the funds to keep going at least on a short-term basis. Match day revenue, for example, will be a source of income.

Whilst Chansiri can keep things ticking along, there's a good chance he'll crack on.

This is despite growing protests by away supporters, backed by fans of Leicester City and Wrexham in a poignant show of solidarity.

This is despite the likelihood of a whopping points deduction that could make it nearly impossible to stay up, despite the heroic efforts of a threadbare squad.

This is despite supporter fears of no real future for the club under the status quo.

It's starting to feel like Chansiri will only depart by being removed. There's been chatter, including by EFL chairman Ricky Parry on the Today programme over the weekend, that the new football regulator could have the power to do this.

It's such an unknown though. The regulator will have Sheffield Wednesday in their sights now that Morecambe has been sold. What will they actually be able to do, though? That remains to be seen.

The Supporters' Trust have called for 'not a pound in the ground' to be spent by fans, plus their members voted in favour of boycotting the Carabao Cup game against Leeds United.

Are fans prepared to do this though? Fans on the BBC Radio Sheffield Football Heaven phone-in say they intend to carry on as usual, complaining that they feel like they're being told what to do.

The reason Sheffield Wednesday hasn't been sold is not down to a lack of interested buyers. The problem is an owner who appears unwilling to sell.

It's unclear what Chansiri's motives are at this point. If he's dissatisfied with the offers he is receiving, the value of the club is not going to grow in its current state.

There are barely any assets to purchase and the club is threatened by a future in League One after losing so much talent and having no ability to sign players.

Is he unable to sell? Some supporters are so unsure what his actual plan is they've started to speculate whether he just wants to watch everything crash and burn.

Chansiri could make it clear what his intentions actually are by communicating. Yet there's only been one statement all summer.

He hasn't done an interview with the BBC in years. Here's another request to end that run. Explain the situation in a broadcast interview.

Stop all the wondering and speculating by fronting up and speaking to the media. When a club has gone through such a chaotic last few months, doesn't an owner have to face the music, however uncomfortable that may be?

You can listen to the Today programme's segment on Sheffield Wednesday here.

Image source, PA Media

Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen said he was "very, very proud" of his side after they fought back from 2-0 down to earn their first Championship point of the season at Wrexham.

Two Kieffer Moore goals had put Wrexham in control, but second-half efforts from Barry Bannan and Bailey Cadamarteri secured the Owls a draw.

"After we conceded we struggled so we changed things and were able to put in a strong defensive performance and helped us to a great second half," said Pedersen.

"We had nearly 60% of possession in the second half and created a lot. I really think the boys showed what they are standing for.

"They were 2-0 down but they stayed together, the belief was there. How they expressed themselves in a difficult period and trust they showed, it was impressive.

"It showed our culture is strong and our players are ready to do everything for our club."

Listen to Henrik Pedersen's interview with BBC Radio Sheffield on BBC Sounds

Image source, PA Media

Can a new independent football regulator force the sale of a struggling club? That's what some Sheffield Wednesday fans are hoping.

The club have failed to pay wages on time for a third successive month and have been hit with several sanctions from the EFL.

The Today Programme spoke to former Home Secretary David Blunkett about the Owls' situation.

"For me it's like a Greek tragedy. I'm sad rather than angry. Going into administration would be a disaster," he said.

"I hope a sale is engineered before the regulator comes in. If they are in administration and the club is still under the existing ownership then the regulator will have to intervene."

As for the detail over how the regulator will work, Blunkett said it would only intervene if a club's survival is directly at risk rather than being used as a way of removing owners that might happen to be unpopular with a club's fanbase.

"It won't be able to interfere if a club is being run properly so this isn't about whether we are in favour of a particular person owning or running a club, this is about whether a club can survive at all," he added.

"If you're not paying wages and the club is on the edge of going into administration, that's what the regulator is all about."

You can listen to the Today Programme's segment on Sheffield Wednesday here.

Newly-promoted Wrexham will look for their first points of the Championship season when they face fellow strugglers Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday (15:00 BST).

With the Owls still in deep financial trouble, they will aim to build on what manager Henrik Pedersen described as "a good learning" during the 3-0 loss to Stoke City as they target their first points of the season.

• This will be the first league meeting between Wrexham and Sheffield Wednesday since the Yorkshire side won 4-0 at Hillsborough in the third tier in January 2005.

• Sheffield Wednesday have won each of their last three away league games against Wrexham, after failing to win on any of their first four visits to the Racecourse Ground (D2 L2).

• Wrexham will be looking to avoid losing their opening three league games of a Football League season for the first time since 1981-82.

• Sheffield Wednesday have won each of their last three away league games against newly promoted opposition, as many victories as across their prior 23 fixtures combined between April 2017 and March 2024.

• Wrexham's Kieffer Moore has won more duels than any other player in the Championship this season (25/41), but has managed to find the back of the net just once in eight prior meetings with the Owls in the Football League.

Sheffield Wednesday are close to signing former Norwich winger Onel Hernandez, with Birmingham and Wrexham having also shown interest in the 32-year-old Cuba international after his release by the Canaries. (SportsBoom, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Wednesday's gossip column here.

Rob Staton
BBC Radio Sheffield reporter

Image source, Getty Images

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.

Naz Premji
Final Score reporter

Image source, Getty Images

How important will veterans Barry Bannan and Liam Palmer be for Sheffield Wednesday going forward?

Amid all the turmoil with Wednesday, both are doing their best to try to galvanise a threadbare squad made up of youngsters from the Under-21s and Under-18s.

There are only 12 senior players left and if Dejphon Chansiri doesn't sell the club, Bannan and Palmer deserve so much praise for sticking around.

Rumours of a deduction up to 15 points could pretty much mean relegation to League One.

With more than 800 club appearances between them, Bannan and Palmer will be pivotal in the recovery at Hillsborough - whenever that may happen.

Henrik Pedersen believes his side's first three games of the campaign have been a good learning opportunity for his squad.

Speaking after the Owls' 3-0 home defeat to Stoke City - their second defeat from two Championship games this season - Pedersen told BBC Radio Sheffield: "It was a tough beginning, but we came back into the game well, were well organised, and had good intensity in our pressing.

"I thought we cold get something from the game at half-time, but we conceded again early after the break. We had more chances after that but then they got a third and that was too much.

"We had 15 shots and 10 on target so we showed we can have that intensity and compete, but we need more training time, so we can train how we want to play at the weekend.

"Everything so far has been a good learning for the boys. We are doing everything we can to get more players because we need a bigger squad, but we need more games at this level so that the players we do have can get used to playing with this intensity again."