Sheffield Wednesday are understood to have had no contact with takeover middle-man Geoff Sheard for over a month.
This has sparked fears within Hillsborough that the deal could be dumped amid conflicting versions of a delay that has left the ball in Sheard's court.
Reports believed to have emanated from the Lancashire businessman have referred to an unexplained "hitch" rather than a total breakdown. Fan group Wednesdayite's optimism does not seem to be shared by the club at this stage, as it was a month ago.
But, though the Owls won't want to be left dangling, while ever there is hope of a resolution Wednesday won't do anything to jeopardise the earlier negotiations.
One theory is that the timetable for the Russian-backed venture has shifted to the end of the season. If so, the need to stay in the Championship becomes even more pressing.
Owls can handle pressureThe full article contains 156 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
