Sheffield Wednesday

Adam Cottier
BBC Final Score reporter

Image source, Getty Images

When Sheffield Wednesday begin the League One season in August they will not be sure of many things.

But what they will be certain of is unwavering support from their fans - fans who could be forgiven for feeling downtrodden and bereft of hope as this most distressing of seasons edges towards its conclusion.

On Saturday, that same support helped galvanise their team as they threatened a second-half fightback against Southampton that sadly, for them, never fully materialised.

The loudest of cheers greeted Jerry Yates' first goal for the club, only Wednesday's third of the calendar year. The encouragement was audible every time the hosts threatened.

It was noticeable in the upper section of Hillsborough's South Stand - the area which houses the press box - that there were lots of young Wednesday fans, enjoying activities in the concourse put on by the club, there to enjoy the simple joy of a football match with parents, guardians and those closest to them.

They all joined in with the shouts of encouragement when Wednesday summoned some quality on the pitch. There was no expression of disdain for a team on its way to a 12th successive Championship loss.

The Owls may not win another game this season. They might start next season on minus 15 points. But their fans will likely still swell their old stadium with that kind of support and sell out away ends up and down the land.

Wednesday need a viable buyer soon, no question.

But there is also, it appears, no doubt fans will remain loyal, however difficult things are at the moment or how bleak the future may look.

The spirited display on and off the pitch on Saturday also gave an indication as to why Henrik Pedersen wants to remain in charge.

Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen was "proud" of his players despite their 3-1 defeat by Southampton at Hillsborough.

Goals from James Bree, Ryan Manning and Taylor Harwood-Bellis secured victory for the Saints, despite Jerry Yates initially halving the deficit.

Pedersen praised his players for not dropping their efforts against a strong side.

"I think they put all on the pitch what they could today," he said. "We played a fantastic team in Southampton with strong individuals and a strong team.

"The boys played a really strong second half and at 2-1, we had possibilities, then again [conceded] a set-piece goal for 3-1. But at 3-1, we still had a go, we still had chances and put pressure on them.

"I hate to lose but I'm so proud of the players."

He added that the already-relegated Owls showed grit and determination having had fewer days to prepare than recent opponents.

"It's easy to show who you are when everything is smooth, everything goes well and you win football games," Pedersen said.

"But to show who you are, in a third game in six days when [midweek hosts] Norwich had one day extra, when Southampton had one day extra, to show so much character, so much personality, I can only be proud of them."

Image source, Coventry City FC

You might not hear the old terrace refrain of 'you're not fit to wear the shirt' as often as you used to, but it still has a better ring than 'the shirt's not fit for you to wear'.

Championship leaders Coventry City launched a new collection on Friday, proudly taking inspiration from a kit widely dubbed the 'Worst of All Time'.

A take on the club's infamous brown change strip worn away from Highfield Road from 1978 to 1981, the modern reinvention features what the club calls "a deeper chocolate plum colour with sky blue elements".

Many would suggest it sounds tastier than it looks.

But it's got us thinking... what are actually the worst EFL kits of all time? Let us know which of your club's shirts is hiding in the back of the wardrobe, or even if they were too ugly for you to even part money for them.

We'll collate a list of the biggest eyesores and will give you the chance to vote on the ghastliest of all next week.

Click here to let us know your suggestion, and you can even attach a picture if you really want to convey the horror.

Image source, Opta

In-form Southampton will look to continue their surge towards the Championship play-off places when they visit already-relegated Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

The Saints have put together a seven-game unbeaten run (W5 D2) to climb from 15th and 10 points adrift of the play-offs up to seventh and within four points of Wrexham in sixth.

Off-field issues have completely overshadowed this season for the Owls, who have lost 11 games in a row - scoring only two goals in that run - and won just one of their 34 league games.

• Sheffield Wednesday have lost their past five league games against Southampton, their joint-longest losing run against the Saints (also five between 1999 and 2006).

• Southampton have won their previous two away league games against Sheffield Wednesday, never before winning three consecutive visits to Hillsborough.

• Sheffield Wednesday are winless in their 17 home league games this season – only Sunderland (18 in the Premier League in 2005-06) have had a longer winless run at home from the start of a campaign in English league history.

• Southampton have won their past two away league games, last winning more consecutively in December 2019/January 2020 (4).

• Southampton's Leo Scienza has been directly involved in three goals in his past three Championship away games (1 goal, 2 assists), as many as in his first 10 league games on the road for the Saints (2 goals, 1 assist).

Image source, PA Media

The consortium led by James Bord confirmed on Wednesday it was pulling out of its attempted takeover of Sheffield Wednesday, two months after being named as the preferred bidder.

We asked for your thoughts on the latest situation. This is what some of you said:

John: We want the best owners who offer us stability. Cryptocurrency and gambling firms are the complete opposite of this. It is probably, long term, the best outcome but boy it's tough being a Wednesday fan right now.

Simon: Terrified by the prospect of a 15-point deduction to kick-off League One. Makes the rebuild even harder than it already is. Hopefully someone comes in, understands the scale of the challenge and is committed to seeing through. Still feeling positive about the future though - anything is better than where we were prior to October!

Graham: SWFC's rich history, former pedigree and large and loyal fan base all point to a club that, with a suitably ambitious vision, the right level of investment and strategic acumen, can be a major success again. Simon Jordan should front a joint venture of interested consortia.

Rob: I was hoping this would be sorted in time for decent pre-season for next term. Given how long it has taken to get to here, I am now preparing myself for another season of misery!

Anthony W: Was disappointed that the Bord consortium was the preferred bidder in the first place. Their rationale however seems strange. I assume it is on the basis that a few hundred million needs spending over the next few years.

Paul: Appalling to hear that this has happened, the administration team should burden some responsibility for this. Giving preferred bidder status to a group who now we now see were obviously not fully committed is atrocious.

Mike: Elements of the Bord approach sounded exciting but there was so little to go on. It didn't feel like there was loads of enthusiasm among the fanbase - although we obviously never got to hear from them.

It raises concerns about a points deduction next season and potentially an even longer period of uncertainty and lack of time for planning for next season. We could really do with the boost of a takeover completing and new owners exciting fans about the future.

Paul: Glad the Bord consortium has pulled out. Their overpricing shows they did not do their initial due diligence properly and are not the right fit to bring some stability.

Mike Ashley as a hard headed businessman decreased his bid as he could see how he needs to spend putting the club right rather than paying Chansiri as a creditor.

The administrators do not look good and need to up their game. Wednesday are an embarrassment to all their fans breaking more and more records to becoming the worst EFL team ever. Enough please!

Mat the Sheffield Owl: In the long term the action of pulling out speaks volumes of a group of individuals who clearly don't have sufficient funds and ambition to take it forward. For once they have seen that this would be too much of a bite to swallow.

I know that Mr Ashley is not without his own back story, however, he is a businessman who knows how to revive failing businesses and has experience of running football clubs.

Although Newcastle supporters would disagree, the one thing they can't deny is that he stabilised and moved them on to bigger and better things. Hopefully he is still interested all but of a more knocked down price.

Steve: The administrator accepted an implausibly high offer. They would say their first duty was to the creditors. But this outcome was inevitable. Can we please select an experienced and competent preferred bidder?

Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen hopes to find out the next steps in the club's takeover saga on Thursday after seeing his side beaten at Norwich City.

The match kicked-off just hours after the James Bord consortium, named as preferred bidders just before Christmas, ended their interest in the club.

"I had to focus on the game the whole day so I only heard (about the consortium) like the other employees at the club," he told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"I only know the administrator should have a plan B for how we can come quick to the next step so I look forward to further progress.

"I will speak tomorrow so I can update the players and then we can take it from there."

Joe Emery, 19, came closest to a goal for Wednesday with a second-half header in only his second league appearance for the Owls, who also sent on 17-year-old Will Grainger as a late substitute.

The players and staff gathered together after the final whistle to applaud the travelling Owls support.

"We're just relegated and so many fans are coming down on a long trip to Norwich, the most important thing was to make them proud," Pedersen added.

"The boys played for the shirt and the last moment where we were all together because we want to say thank you for this amazing support - it shows why we are the club we are and can have a bright future."

Rob Staton
BBC Radio Sheffield reporter

Image source, PA

Maybe this is for the best?

The James Bord-led consortium told the media today they were pulling out of their attempt to buy Sheffield Wednesday.

It follows two months of fans wondering if this would happen, or whether they were the right people to follow Dejphon Chansiri's disastrous reign.

Better to know now that this isn't going any further. It could've easily been dragged out longer.

Word was doing the rounds in the past few days that this would be the eventual conclusion. There wasn't as much clarity that it would happen so swiftly.

Many people had reservations, including those of us in local media who observed some of Bord's influences at Sheffield United when he acted as a consultant.

The Bord group said in a statement: "The figure we offered is significantly higher than that justified by the findings of a lengthy due diligence process."

Fans can be forgiven for asking - "really?"

Everyone can see how much infrastructure work is required at Sheffield Wednesday.

An incredible amount of investment is needed to get the squad, ground and training ground up to scratch.

You could argue other buyers didn't compete with the Bord bid, revealed by the club to be worth an astonishing £47.8 million, because they were well aware of what needed to be spent once they'd signed the deal.

So what now?

The joint administrators say they've been in contact with other participants in the sales process.

The David Storch bid team sent me a statement last night reiterating their desire to buy the club.

They said: "We remain incredibly passionate about the opportunity at Sheffield Wednesday and seeing the club return to its former glory."

It'll also be a relief to fans to hear the administrators say the club is funded for the remainder of the season.

A quick solution is needed. But it also has to be the right people. I can't remember a club of this size that has so badly needed the right owner to take over.

Wednesday fans have a half-joke they like to use. They relentlessly call the club "massive" to wind up their neighbours. Some take it too seriously and genuinely believe it.

I'd say to those people that a more appropriate 'M' word to describe Sheffield Wednesday is "mess".

It needs someone with the right plan, the right ideas. And money, or the contacts to bring investment in.

It needs major work done to the whole of the club, not just a bob or two spent on the team.

It needs someone who gets the fans, the history, the city.

If you're out there, step forward - take on the challenge and give these long suffering supporters the club many of them deserve.

If you can't do it, don't waste any more of their time.

Image source, Shutterstock

The consortium that was looking to complete a takeover of Sheffield Wednesday has withdrawn from the process, meaning administrators need to find another buyer.

Former professional poker player and Dunfermline co-owner James Bord was named as the preferred bidder alongside Felix Romer and Alsharif Faisal Bin Jamil two months ago.

Romer is a German-born entrepreneur best known for his achievements in the online consumer sector, including finance technology, gambling and software.

Bin Jamil is said to be a member of the Jordanian royal family who is a board member at Dunfermline and Spanish second division club Cordoba.

The trio are all involved in Bord's sports analytics business Short Circuit Science.

Another consortium led by American businessman David Storch said on Tuesday it was still interested in buying the club, which has been in administration since October following 10 years under the ownership of Dejphon Chansiri.

• Are you pleased or disappointed that the consortium led by Bord has pulled out?

• Which direction would you like the club ownership to take?

Let us know your thoughts here and check back later to see a selection of your responses.

Image source, Opta

While Sheffield Wednesday prepare for life in League One, Norwich will seek to put further ground between themselves and the drop-zone on Wednesday (19:45 GMT).

Sunday's derby defeat at Sheffield United was a 10th straight loss for the Owls and confirmed their relegation, though seven of the 11 points they have earned on the pitch this season have come away from Hillsborough, including their only win of the season at Portsmouth in September.

After a run of five wins in six games, the Canaries went down 2-1 at home to Birmingham on Saturday but remain four places and six points ahead of the bottom three.

• Norwich are winless in their past four league games against Sheffield Wednesday (D2 L2), having won three in a row against them before this.

• Sheffield Wednesday won this exact fixture 3-2 last season, last winning consecutive away league games against Norwich between 2005 and 2009 (4 in a row).

• Norwich have only failed to score in one of their past 12 league games against Sheffield Wednesday, though they've also only kept one clean sheet in that run.

• Norwich have won their past three midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games by an aggregate score of 10-1, having been winless in nine before this (D4 L5).

• Sheffield Wednesday are winless in their past nine midweek (Tues, Weds, Thurs) league games (D4 L5), with their last win coming at Norwich in this exact fixture last season.

Image source, Shutterstock

Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen praised his side's togetherness but called it a "tough day" after they made unwanted English Football League history.

The 2-1 Steel City derby loss to Sheffield United means Wednesday have suffered the earliest ever relegation.

Going down to League One has been inevitable for most of the season but it was confirmed at Bramall Lane with 13 games remaining.

The damage was done early on as goals from Patrick Bamford and Harrison Burrows put the game beyond Wednesday on an afternoon when they needed to win to postpone their relegation.

"It was a tough day and we made the mountain bigger," Pedersen told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"Again the boys showed that they will stand together.

"They worked very hard to get back into it, we invested a lot. At 2-0 after 20 minutes you thought it could be a long day in the office today.

"The boys kept the organisation and lifted their chests up again. We changed a few things at half-time and were much stronger.

"We all believed and hoped that we could make the second goal and the boys did everything.

"The boys did everything that they could but it was not enough today."