A year on, how Carlos Carvalhal won the hearts of Sheffield Wednesday fans

For those who hadn't been doing their homework while rumours circulated of the imminent arrival of the Portuguese, the resounding response to the news was 'Carlos, who?'

The 50 year old would arrive at Hillsborough clutching a CV only heavy in the weight of the number of jobs he had before heading to England for the first time.

Carvalhal had presided over 14 clubs since first delving into coaching in 1998 with Portuguguese minnows S.C. Espinho. In that time, he'd picked up one trophy, Portugal's equivalent of the League Cup, with Vitória Setúbal in 2008.

As well as what appeared, on face value, to be a somewhat patchy coaching past (he would eventually go on to explain that in countries like Portugal and Turkey where he had managed, it was not normal for the coach to hang around for too long, no matter how well they appear to be doing), a quick search threw up a book written by Carvalhal, entitled Soccer: Developing A Know-How. It drew, not so much ridicule, but mild bemusement, though in fairness, as wordy as it was, it really wasn't meant to be light bedtime read.

The book though would offer a slight insight into the mind of Carvalhal and what we would come to expect from him in the coming months. A meticulous planner, immersed in the game, the team, the squad, the ethos of the club.

The official announcement a year ago today split opinion.

Some Wednesday fans maintained the belief that Gray had been treated unfairly and deserved the chance to attempt to push the Owls up the table with some financial backing, which he had been denied during his spell in charge.

Others had been hoping for a more well-known name, with a poll conducted by The Star indicating that then out-of-work Sam Allardyce was a preferred pick.

Meanwhile, the more reserved Wednesdayites were preparing to sit back and wait to see how the new man would do.

The latter option would prove to be the best...eventually.

Given how Carvalhal's maiden campaign would pan out, it seems like a lifetime ago that some question marks were placed on the appointment. After a 2-0 win over Bristol City on the opening day, August 8, it would take until September 19 - seven more games - before the next 'W' would be placed on the tally.

However, a week later there arrived the moment which showed that fans had been won over by the charismatic coach, even despite the sketchy start. The birth of the 'Carlos had a dream' terrace favourite at Brentford. Now immortalised in song, Carvalhal had arrived and he had conquered.

Watch: Carlos Carvalhal is immortalised in song at Brentford

After that, bar the odd hiccup here and there - defeats to struggling teams punctuated good form - there was no turning back with a League Cup run also lifting the spirits thanks to victory over Newcastle at St James' Park and a memorable Hillsborough night against Arsenal.

Stand-out quotes dominated his pre and post-match press conferences with talk of 'putting meat on the fire' and comparing his team to to an orchestra bringing life to briefings.

Carvalhal could get a little prickly, too, at times, not least when faced with the term 'squad rotation' - one that he dismissed, preferring to explain his team selection as a long-term strategy to have the team at maximum fitness at the end of the campaign. It would prove a successful approach.

Ultimately the season would end in disappointment after a flat performance at Wembley against Hull City denied what would have been a surprise promotion, but the past 12 months brought more positivity to S6 than had been felt for years, perhaps decades.

Carlos had a dream and the team has been built. More importantly though, that year in charge has got the fan dreaming again. And they still do.