‘Keeps me hungry’ – Sheffield Wednesday coach on final day drama, hard work and Röhlvolution

He’s a very matter of fact man, is ‘Thommo’. He makes light of the surroundings as we head through the corridors at OEC Sheffield in Hillsborough, and he and his colleagues are in suits rather than tracksuits as they attend The Star’s Football Awards in which Danny Röhl is being honoured.

Thompson has been to a few nights like this over the course of his career, but at the start of this season he probably didn’t expect to be sitting at Röhl’s table as a key member of his technical team – but that’s the nature of the beast at S6.

In the space of six months he’s gone from being in charge of the U21s to reprising his role as interim first team manager to playing a big part of the German Röhlvolution at Middlewood Road. And he’s made pretty clear that he’s enjoying himself.

“I’m quite adaptable,” he tells The Star, which is perhaps an understatement. “And when I get asked to do different roles like when I’ve been caretaker or on different staffs, you’re always intrigued about what lies ahead and how the new manager is going to do things. And I’ve been more than impressed with what’s been going on - as others have been saying as well.

“You’ve heard the messages from people like Baz (Barry Bannan), and it’s been really impressive to watch. The detail, the way it’s been bought into, the lines of how Danny wants to do things - and not just the gameplans either, it’s the training and everything. The gaffer challenges us, too. He sorts the training out, but we are the ones who have to go and deliver it. That’s been really motivating for us, and it’s been a real team effort.”

Thompson joined the Owls as part of Gary Megson’s team almost a decade and a half ago having spent time as player-manager for the likes of York City, Scarborough and Boston United – and has served the club ever since. He’s guided Wednesday youth teams to silverware and worked with a whole plethora of managers, but something about the new man in charge – who is almost half his age - has got him energised.

“He’s managed to motivate me...”

“He’s a really impressive young man,” ‘Thommo’ says with a smile. “His detail, his work ethic, the staff that have been put in place and the way they’ve gelled together - and the players have really bought into what he wants. We can see the results of it, and those results are not by luck, it’s by preparation and knowing what he wants out of his team. I’m getting on in years, and certainly he’s managed to motivate me - that’s great, because it keeps me hungry as well…

“It’s been incredibly interesting these last six months… His knowledge and how he delivers stuff belies his age, that’s for sure. And it’s stuff that you don’t see, sometimes, and that’s really motivating for us and keeps us on our toes.

“Lets be right, too… He’s worked at the top level, with top people. With his background at Bayern, Leipzig, the German national team, Southampton there’s a lot there, and a lot of work. And he continues to put the work in.”

Not for the first time Thompson sees himself heading into the final game of the season with something on the line. It’s not often that Wednesday are wrapped up come the last day, regardless of which end they’re fighting at, and the long-serving Owls coach believes that he’s got experience on his side nowadays – which helps heading into a crunch match like Sunderland.

“Do you know what? Because I’m a little bit older I think I’m able to keep my levels a bit. Yes you get excited, but I think the older you get the more balanced you become with your emotions. That’s how I’ve felt over the last six or seven years. I’m able to park things a little bit - not get too high or too low. You’re only as good as your next result…

“We’re not over the line, that’s one thing that’s been made really clear, and one of the good things this year - I think - is that when we’ve had setbacks we’ve been able to bounce back. That’s been absolutely key. The meetings we have are very detailed, Danny does all that, and he’s very clear - that gives players clarity on the way forward.”

Röhl has spoken highly about the former Ipswich Town player, plucking him from his role in the academy early into his tenure after spotting what he was capable of. The German has also spoken about how Thompson can act as a link between the first team and the youth setup, something that he sees as vital going forward.

The 60-year-old also brings with him a wealth of knowledge of the club’s inner workings that is almost incomparable to anyone else at Middlewood Road, and that sort of insight can be priceless as Röhl navigates what could do gown as one of the Championship’s greatest of escapes.

“They’re absolutely huge for us...”

Wednesday need a point at the Stadium of Light this weekend to secure their second tier status for next season, it’s a remarkable achievement considering where they were when Thompson took charge of that 0-0 draw with Huddersfield Town back in October before Röhl came in. He’s not surprised by the upturn, though.

When asked about the atmosphere in the final home game, the 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion, he replied, “It was incredible, and to be honest the last two performances - and I think the manager has alluded to it - you can see the intensity that’s come from the training in the last two weeks. There has been a real concentration because the players have known that’s needed.

“The Blackburn game we didn’t know what was going to happen, because it’s a football match and we knew Blackburn are a capable team, but we went about our jobs really well. West Brom are a team that are flying high in the division, but they looked more apprehensive than we did. I think that game was probably as complete a performance as we’ve had this season in terms of all facets of the game - the players did a great job.

“The atmosphere at the end was… yeah. You know what these fans are like, they’re absolutely huge for us. The make such a noise, and people buy into it if they see that commitment, which they’ve seen recently and they’ll get behind you.”

So here we are again. Final day drama for Sheffield Wednesday, it’s nothing new – not for the fans, the players, and certainly not for Neil Thompson. But as he sits down on that bench alongside Röhl, and Chris Powell, and Henrik Pedersen, and Sascha Lense, he’ll know that they’ve done everything they can to help the players finish the job.

“It’s a big game this weekend but we’re looking forward to it,” he said as our chat wraps up. “It’s not nice being in the position we’ve been in all season, but that’s the challenge - to get out of it. That challenge is always there, no matter what department you're in, staff or players, you have a role to play and everyone has been right in tune with that. Lets hope we can get it over the line now.”