Winless, hapless and without a paddle - Sheffield Wednesday is a club in crisis

That was the takeaway at full-time of their latest humbling, a miserable 3-0 defeat against a Sunderland side on whom they never laid a punch, against a squad and set-up that looked several classes above them.

It was an evening set to the backdrop of chants against owner Dejphon Chansiri and manager Xisco, high in volume and passion until the claws of quiet, down-trodden apathy sunk into the terraces.

Hundreds of supporters wandered their way out of the ground after half an hour safe in the knowledge they had better things to do. They were 3-0 down by that stage. Those remaining watched a group of players scrambling for a semblance of professional pride before they too hit the road.

To describe the football would be to copy and paste from previous match reports in what has been a painful start to their return to the Championship, so we won’t bother. It was disjointed, confused and uncompetitive. The only difference was that there won’t be the 20 or 30 passable minutes for club figures to cling to.

This is a club in crisis, of that we can be increasingly sure. Wednesday are winless on the field and hapless off it, with their woes being played out to the background carnage of petulant club statements and threats of financial decay by the man meant to lead them.

The release of a confused and by this stage entirely unsurprising club statement by Chansiri just 12 hours before the first whistle delivered a mood of anger and fear to the stands before a ball had even been kicked. It was the latest display of madness that painted an uneasy picture of what could come.

What becomes of Xisco? It’s clear this isn’t working and is showing no signs of a turnaround.

Nine league matches without a win sit alongside cup draws against League Two opposition and though senior players have made the case for the Spaniard to be given more time, it’s hard to see any clear way forward given the yawning gulf in quality that has been apparent between his Owls set-up and the rest of the division. On the night, Sunderland eased off the gas and did so early.

Wednesday have scored just once in their last five outings.

For what it’s worth, The Star had up to Friday evening heard no suggestion that Xisco’s job was under immediate threat.

The match ended with stretching spaces of empty seats and a mood fluctating between sadness and anger. It came after a final, defiant rendition of Hi Ho Sheffield Wednesday from the North Stand - and strains of more anti-Chansiri sentiment.

Sheffield Wednesday is a club bewildered, rudderless and rattling with problems.