"I spoke to them" Crystal clear message sent to out-of-favour Sheffield Wednesday players

The Owls are enjoying an uptick in fortunes after a four-point haul against tough opposition last week and head into their clash at Stoke City this weekend hopeful of achieving their first away win of the campaign.

Including cup matches, only two Championship sides have named more players in squads this season than Wednesday's 28 (Leeds with 29 and Stoke with 30), though Röhl made only one change to his side for Saturday's win over Blackburn Rovers with a possible view to retaining some consistency in selection with results having picked up.

Whatever happens in the short term, the 34-year-old has made it clear every player in the squad will be required to step up to his demand for high intensity football in what is a brutal December fixture schedule.

He said: "I spoke in the last weeks to a lot of my players about how we play as a team and how we go about things as a team. It's never just about 11 players, it's always about the squad and having players who sometimes need to be a little bit patient because they are not playing. I know this frustration and it is normal that they are disappointed."

The likes of Liam Palmer and Will Vaulks have battled back from time on the outside of Röhl's set-up, with Michael Ihiekwe and John Buckley having played an important cameo role in recent outings after stints on the sidelines. It leaves plenty of room for encouragement for others waiting their turn.

Röhl continued: "I always try to explain to them and tell them that we need them in this time. You saw again that the guys do everything. They come in for training the day after we play and they train hard even if they are a little bit disappointed, it is great to see this energy in this group and we go forward together."