Sheffield Wednesday stalwart on changing Danny Röhl's mind and fighting to the end

The Wednesday stalwart played 30+ games in all of the last five seasons prior to this one, but at one stage early into Danny Röhl’s campaign it looked like this year was the one that ended the run. That was until late November.

‘Palms’ has missed just three Championship matches since coming on to help them draw 1-1 with Leicester City last year, and on Saturday - in his 430th Owls outing - he got another 90 minutes to his name in his club’s colours after being asked to step into midfield again.

In 2023/24 the 32-year-old has played right back, right centre back, right wingback, defensive midfield and central midfield - and even though Röhl said a few months back that he saw him as a fullback alone, the long-serving Owl is going to have to play his part in the battle for survival, and he’s not too bothered what position he’s in.

“I’ve always said that I’ll play wherever I’m asked to play,” he said after helping Wednesday to a 2-0 win against Queens Park Rangers. “I’ll do a job where I can as long as it can help the team, and I try to give a bit of balance in there with Baz - I don’t think the manager wanted me to be too adventurous at QPR, it was about plugging the gaps, getting the cutbacks when the crosses were coming in, and using my experience to try and coach the people around me and keep them in the right positions. I’ve constantly got my arms out pointing, and sometimes just saying something keeps their mind going during the game rather than switching off.

“It’s difficult being in the middle, then in the back three, then as a full back, so it’s something you have to just switch your brain with. It’s about focusing on what the job is today. And it’s the same with all the positions, because the gaffer has so much detail and likes to tweak certain things. You have to stick to the plan and do your job, then rely on your teammates to do theirs.”

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He went on to say, “I know when he first came he said that he didn’t see me as a number six, so I’ve changed his mind there, which is always something that you can do in football. Going back to when the manager first came in, I wasn’t playing much but I kept plugging away and changed his opinion - showed him what I can do in different positions.

“It’s the same with anyone, you’ve just got to take your chance when you come in, whether it’s for one minute, five minutes or 90 - that’s something we’ll continue to try and do right until the end.”