Sheffield Wednesday are in trouble (as if they weren’t before).
Not only have the Owls secured relegation at the earliest point in the history of the EFL Championship, the consortium led by James Bord withdrew its interest in taking over the club.
For those who haven’t been following Wednesday’s season, let me give a brief recap. It actually stretches back to when Dejphon Chansiri bought the club in 2015 but it reached new lows this year.
The club was placed under a registration embargo in June after being charged with multiple breaches of EFL regulations on payment obligations, then placed under a three-window restriction ban just a couple weeks later. A group of players in July submitted notices to leave the club after delays in receiving their June wages, and the club was again placed on an embargo.
The EFL issued a statement on its concerns about Wednesday back in August and more embargoes were placed in September. They were given a 12-point deduction in October after entering administration. They were deducted another six points in December.
There’s a lot more that’s happened between June and today, but I think those are the highlights.
Where does that leave Sheffield Wednesday now?
Well, Sky Sports is reporting that former Newcastle owner Mike Ashley remains interested in buying the club. Considering how Newcastle fans felt about him, I’m a little concerned about Wednesday (as if I wasn’t before).
Now it’s to League One that Wednesday go, but there’s still a lot of football left this season. They still haven’t won a game since September and are currently on an 11-game winning streak - not a single point picked up this season.
So it’s all very, very bad. And I think the main concern for Wednesday shouldn’t be about a simple relegation, but perhaps something more existential.
Fitzie’s track of the day: Who’s That?, by Brother Wallace
And now for your links:
Alasdair Gold: “Every word Igor Tudor said on Dejan Kulusevski and the truth behind that Micky van de Ven moment”
BBC: “‘Don’t know what the fuss was about’ - chaotic Palace season could end in glory”
The Times: “Mike Ashley could revive bid to buy Sheffield Wednesday”