I wish I was surprised… - Apathy over anger as so many Sheffield Wednesday fans shrug shoulders at League One relegation
Relegation from the Championship has been coming for a long time. Many supporters have made peace with it at different points of the season, and it was a select few that genuinely thought they’d take it to the final day.
For me it was the 3-2 Luton Town reversal. That was the day that broke my spirits. For others it might have been the 12-point deduction, or the Brentford capitulation, or the second Rotherham United defeat. Maybe they hung on long enough to be broken by that late Bristol City equaliser.
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Hide AdWhenever it might have been, the only certainty at Sheffield Wednesday this season has been uncertainty itself.
They’ve dropped 29 points from losing positions now, and picked up one – on the final day – after falling behind. So how surprised can we be that the very game that became the final nail in the coffin was one in which their season was pretty much encapsulated.
Individual errors. Sloppy goals conceded. And not once, but TWICE, blowing a lead that would ultimately have kept them in the division. Sadly, it’s all very predictable. The Wednesday Way, you could say.
But couple that with the off-the-field issues, and it’s been a recipe for disaster. The disillusionment at Wednesday has probably never been greater than it is now with regards to the relationship between the fans and the chairman, and Dejphon Chansiri has to take responsibility for that.
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Hide AdNot being allowed in stadiums hasn’t helped, it’s driven a wedge between fans and clubs that – after a relegation especially – is going to be difficult to fix, but that’s what Chansiri has to do now. It won’t be easy.
It’s the lack of connection, coupled with the lack of faith in the management and lack of faith in the players that has ultimately led to the worrying situation that a lot of fans now find themselves in.
In the past a relegation has been the cause of tears that has resulted in a strop of epic proportions, but now it just all feels a bit ‘yeah, well that’s happened’.
This is now a huge, huge summer for Sheffield Wednesday. And for the chairman specifically.
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Hide AdThe only positive to come out of today was the fact that Darren Moore confirmed to me that he’ll be here next season. Now it’s up to Chansiri to give him what he wants. Let him build a team that fans can be proud of, that they can get behind again. Because for too long now that’s not been the case.
The Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust have called for the chairman to take a step back, and I personally think the club is crying out for a Chief Executive or a Director of Football or whatever you want to call it. But that isn’t the only issue to sort out.
Chansiri, if he’s to turn this around, has serious work to do. Because the only thing worse than angry fans are fans that just don’t care anymore.