Sheffield Wednesday

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."

Sheffield Wednesday have reportedly ignored bids from West Ham and Rangers for £1m-rated keeper Pierce Charles, 20. (Mike McGrath, external)

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

Sheffield Wednesday's return to Hillsborough for the first time this season after a summer of financial disarray as they welcome Stoke City on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Planned protests against Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri went well at the King Power Stadium during the side's 2-1 loss to Leicester City last weekend and the fans will continue to apply pressure on the Thai business man on home soil.

The Potters won't want to be distracted by the noise around the club however, as they won both their Championship and Carabao Cup matches across the past week and will want to keep the winning momentum going.

• Sheffield Wednesday are unbeaten across their last seven home league games against Stoke City (W2 D5), keeping clean sheets in three of their last four meetings with the Potters at Hillsborough.

• After beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 in their last league meeting in April, Stoke City could win successive league matches against the Owls for the first time since winning three in a row between 1969 and 1984.

• Sheffield Wednesday have lost their opening home game in just one of the last 11 league campaigns (W5 D5), with that defeat coming against Southampton in 2023-24 (1-2).

• Stoke have failed to win their opening away game in any of the last 17 league campaigns (D7 L10), failing to score in each of the last five. Indeed, Stoke last won their first away league game in a season back in 2007-08 in the Championship (1-0 v Cardiff).

• Sheffield Wednesday's Barry Bannan was sent off v Leicester on MD1, since his debut for the Owls in September 2015, the club holds a 40.7% win-rate when he's featured in league matches compared to 31.2% without.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United would be prepared to let Harry Amass and Toby Collyer join Sheffield Wednesday on loan despite the Championship club's much-publicised off-field problems.

Both youngsters are set for spells away from Old Trafford this season despite breaking into the United first-team last term.

Interest in the pair is high and no decision has been made yet around either player.

However, eyebrows were raised when it was confirmed Wednesday were interested in signing Amass, while it has also been established the South Yorkshire outfit are one of the options Collyer is assessing.

Earlier this month, the Football League said it was speaking to Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri about potentially selling the club following a succession of late wage payments.

There was uncertainty over the club's ability to fulfil their opening league game of the season at Leicester, although that did eventually go ahead, with Wednesday supporters refusing to enter the stadium until five minutes into the 2-1 defeat in protest at Chansiri's running of the club.

However, there are concerns over the depth of the first-team squad and while Premier League solidarity payments have finally allowed wages to be paid, there is no guarantee of any external funding that would ensure future salaries are not missed.

It would be against that backdrop United would release Amass and Collyer if that was the choice of the players.

Their rationale for that is that the key point for both players this season is to further their careers by building on their United appearances and being exposed to regular first-team football, which there is more chance of at Wednesday due to the lack of depth in their squad.

The wage issues are not felt to be a specific concern as United could carry on paying the players, with Wednesday fulfilling any agreement reached at a point when either Chansiri's financial commitments change or new owners come in with access to greater funding. As a development loan, there would be no fee involved either.

It is also felt the general situation at Wednesday could have an additional positive element in terms of exposing Amass and Collyer to experiences that do not exist at United, taking them out of what is accepted to be a 'first-class bubble' at one of England's richest clubs.

It is being stressed both players have a number of options. Although there has been mentions of PSV Eindhoven, it is felt Amass' loan will be a domestic one.

Neither player was involved in the National League Cup opener at Tamworth on Wednesday, which was abandoned due to lack of ambulance cover after United midfielder Sekou Kone had to be taken to hospital after taking a hefty blow to the head that required lengthy on-field treatment.

As the game was a competitive fixture, it would have prevented either Amass or Collyer going out on loan and then being recalled in January and sent elsewhere as no player is allowed to play competitive matches for more than two clubs in a single season.