Jos Luhukay was always dignified but in the end he was the architect of his own downfall at Sheffield Wednesday

But the level of abuse aimed at the Dutchman by angry Wednesdayites in the last three matches of his doomed Owls tenure truly shocked him.

Supporters called for him to be axed, chanting '˜we want Jos out' and '˜you're getting sacked in the morning'.

Luhukay, a three-time promotion winner in Germany, described the abuse he received as 'not nice' or 'respectful'.

He said: 'I never thought it would be so negative and so hard, the criticism the fans gave me or the team.

'But I know how football works with the emotion and passion. The fans love the club so you must accept that [the abuse] and try to be calm.'

Luhukay's wife and two children regularly flew over from his native Holland to support him and watch the team in action.

But I understand Luhukay was deeply concerned at the prospect of his partner attending the Preston North End fixture. Luhukay would have feared for his wife's safety had he still been in the managerial dugout on Saturday.

What is the world coming to when a manager does not feel comfortable enough to invite their partner to watch a football match? No one should ever be made to feel like that.

It is always unpleasant seeing someone lose their job, particularly so close to Christmas.

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Luhukay, a quiet, dignified gentleman, was as surprised as anyone to land the Owls role. In a recent interview with a Dutch publication, Luhukay suggested he was contemplating retirement before Wednesday came calling (although he later claimed he had been misquoted). Luhukay said he could have stayed in Germany.

'I had a lot of options when I decided to leave Germany, some really serious offers,' he told me. 'I thank Mr Chansiri that he gave me the chance to work in the Championship for Sheffield Wednesday.

'I know this is not as high a level as the Premier League but it is a strong league with traditional clubs.

'I came not just for a job, but maybe to have the success that I had in Germany. That was behind my dream to come to Wednesday.'

English football was a steep, sharp learning curve for Luhukay. His knowledge of the Championship was limited.

Luhukay was also dealt a bad hand. He inherited a bloated, ageing squad.

Regarded as a strict disciplinarian, Luhukay wiped the slate clean after succeeding Carlos Carvalhal. He focused his energy on raising standards, introducing double training sessions, adding extra team meetings and spending more time on video analysis work.

Luhukay regularly changed their training times to keep the players on their toes.

Certain foods, such as mushrooms, were banned from the training ground canteen.

There was nothing flashy about Luhukay. A keen runner and ice hockey enthusiast, Luhukay drove a modest car compared to his players'. He enjoyed the simple things in life.

Luhukay was normally quite reserved and unflappable, but from time to time he lost his cool. We did not always see eye to eye.

I remember him giving a very tetchy post-match interview to myself and BBC journalist Rob Staton after Wednesday's 2-1 defeat at Millwall last season. He was visibly agitated and vehemently defended his decision to not field a recognised striker at The Den and play Ross Wallace in the false nine position.

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It was not the first or last major tactical mistake of Luhukay's reign.

Fast forward to 2018/19 where Luhukay constantly tinkered with his team selection and tactics. Luhukay averaged around three changes per match and altered their shape non-stop.

Luhukay fielded players' out of position. If it was not Sam Hutchinson playing as an attacking midfielder, it was Jordan Thorniley playing at full-back.

Their performances on the road at Brentford, Nottingham Forest, Queens Park Rangers and Blackburn Rovers were awful. Luhukay's baffling substitutions also cost them two points at home to West Bromwich Albion.

There were also some happy moments.

Luhukay was as animated as anyone, jumping around, arms aloft, joy illuminating his face after their thrilling home draw to Stoke City.

He then departed with smiles, pats on the back and handshakes after a superb 2-1 triumph at Aston Villa.

And I vividly recall Luhukay laughing and joking around in the Bristol City mixed zone after the Owls' moved into the play-off positions in October. Luhukay playfully tapped me on my shoulder as he waited to speak to me post match.

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While Luhukay's predecessor Carvalhal knew, by and large, how to keep the fans on board and work the local media, Luhukay struggled. His grasp of English was not great and, at times, it did not help him effectively communicate his message to the players, the press or the fans.

Supporters were unenthused by their leader. Luhukay is an amiable, unassuming man but he lacked Carvalhal's charisma. He never won over the fan-base. In truth, Luhukay never seemed that bothered about winning their approval.

Fans accused Luhukay of lacking passion in his pre-match press conferences and on the touchline during matches. There was no connection between them and Luhukay.

He said few words to the side pre match. That was not his style.

Luhukay was a big believer in players thinking for themselves out on the pitch. He expected them to take responsibility to fix problems during matches.

But on the back of four straight defeats, including a humiliating 4-0 home drubbing to Norwich City, influential midfielder Barry Bannan took matters into his own hands before the Sheffield derby. He gave the squad a rousing team talk in the dressing room as Wednesday restored some much-needed pride by coming away from Bramall Lane with a rare clean sheet and point.

Win, lose or draw, Luhukay hardly spoke or interacted with his players after a match. Usually he was quick out of the dressing room to conduct his press duties.

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If Luhukay's man-management was dubious, then so was his tactical nous. After the United draw, Wednesday had the opportunity over the third and final international break of 2018 to work on their 5-3-2 formation. It was a chance to address their weaknesses after a poor run of results.

But a day before the next fixture against Derby County, Luhukay ditched the five at the back. Fresh from keeping their maiden clean sheet of the campaign, the Owls lined up with a flat back four at S6. Derby triumphed 2-1.

Luhukay, in his own undemonstrative way, could never be accused of taking the easy option. He was prepared to ruffle a few feathers and shake up the natural order.

But Luhukay was the architect of his own downfall with how he treated some of the club's established stars.

Several high-profile players, including goalkeeper Keiren Westwood and Hutchinson, were frozen out. George Boyd, David Jones and Almen Abdi were also exiled and forced to train with the Under-23s.

It was Luhukay's choice to ruthlessly discard the old guard. He alienated the group, creating a split in the camp.

One of the senior pros not considered for selection told me Luhukay last spoke to him in pre-season. 

Luhukay's bold call to leave out supporters' favourites Westwood and Hutchinson divided the fan-base. It fuelled several conspiracy theories and did Luhukay few favours.

I understand Luhukay handed Cameron Dawson the No 1 jersey over Westwood because he believed Dawson was the best goalkeeper on their books at playing out from the back.

Luhukay was loyal to Dawson and never dropped him.

Luhukay's faith in the next generation was admirable but he never successfully managed to get the balance right between youth and experience.

He wanted a team for the future but he forgot about the here and now.

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