"From the moment he was there" Sheffield Wednesday man explains where 'incredible guy' Xisco went wrong

Coming off the back of an iconic promotion from League One, the Owls endured a miserable start to the 2023/24 season, battling through 10 league matches under the Spaniard without a win - the worst-ever start to a Championship campaign - before his sacking in October.

A remarkable turnaround inspired by Xisco’s replacement Danny Röhl saw Wednesday seal survival over the final day weekend with a breezy 2-0 win at Sunderland. The opening weeks of Röhl’s time at the club saw a marked upturn in intensity on the pitch, with the German coach praising the aptitude shown by his squad.

Josh Windass, one of the goal scorers in their win on Wearside, explained the newly-promoted Wednesday squad did not feel trusted by their new manager and that the belief of Röhl had played a huge part in a run of form over several months that had them in the upper parts of the form tables.

“Honestly I think it was just belief in the way we were playing,” Windass told Talksport when asked of the impact Röhl had been able to make. “The old manager had a great record with Watford when he came in, but I don’t think when he came in he believed in us to be honest and we sensed that from the moment he was there. He was an incredible guy but in terms of the team I don’t think he fully believed in us.

“When Danny Röhl came in he changed the style of play and showed us every day where we were improving. When we were losing games he would show us why we’ve lost. The lads all bought into what he was doing and if he told us to jump up in the air I think they all would.”