When a 'little' means such a lot
If one man can achieve so much by apparently doing so little, Sheffield Wednesday are on the fast track to the Premier League, paradise and beyond.
Actually, 'little' is not quite fair. There are smiles on faces everywhere you look . . . Hillsborough is bathed in hope and optimism. . . everyone is pulling in the same direction with manager and players relishing the feel-good factor.
If that is doing little, there'll be absolutely no stopping Lee Strafford when he is doing a lot.
Less than three weeks with a new chairman and Sheffield Wednesday have got body and soul back together. That's more than enough for now - all accomplished on the fundamental restoration of unity between club and fans.
In time, of course, everyone will want to see some flesh on the bones of the new regime through a delivery of promised investment. But Strafford and chief executive Nick Parker have already earned a generous dollop of time, faith and patience - simply by re-engaging with supporters and restoring a sense of pride in the club.
It's simple and it works. Whatever the financial complexities to come - no Hillsborough takeover could ever be straightforward - Strafford is rapidly emerging as the right man at the right time. Just as, in my view, Dave Allen was the right chairman in his time. And before I get howled down by some people, there is no mischief or hidden agenda here.
I'd simply be grateful to be allowed what I hope will be my final word on a subject that has left me in the crossfire and, incidentally, still banned from Elland Road by Leeds chairman Ken Bates more than three years after a certain, well chronicled episode. Time for us all to move on, I think.
There's no going back now and rightly so. But history will recall that when Allen joined the board in 2000, the club was lumbered with large, unsustainable salaries that made further losses inevitable. He stepped up as a tough chairman in tough times following a further drop to League One. . . and left a respectably placed Championship outfit in 2007 having put a sinking ship on an even keel.
Although the rancorous atmosphere surrounding Hillsborough made a regime change right for all concerned (Allen did the right things but not always in the right way), Strafford made his move because he felt the club had bottomed out. As a result, he and Parker have inherited a much more stable base than the meltdown scenario following Wednesday's relegation from the Premier League.
And that is not to denigrate them. Quite the opposite. More power to them in recognising the optimum moment to clear the air.
Cue a change of tack and a unison with fans that is long overdue and much needed. With perfect timing, Strafford recognised that drawing a line under the infighting was equally - if not more - pressing than hooking investors. Your correspondent now draws the same line with thanks for hearing me out!
With no political baggage to carry, Strafford made a key change in the management of the club before approaching the task with vigour and enterprise. It is a well-intentioned initiative that deserves to succeed.
Yes, it is a honeymoon period. Certainly, there is cash to deliver in due course. But there has been enough positive intent - not least the smart move to gain the endorsement and support of Howard Wilkinson - to be hugely encouraged.
Recent history is always relevant as a link to the present and future, which is why I make no apologies for referring to it. But the past is the past. Here's to the future.
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What do you think? Add your comments below.
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