353 days on from Garry Monk's 'deep-rooted culture' press conference - what's changed at Sheffield Wednesday?

It’s been 353 days.
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That’s 353 days since Sheffield Wednesday supporters were allowed to attend a football match, a passive 5-0 defeat in which their hosts Brentford barely stepped into second gear.

It’s also 353 days since then-manager Garry Monk delivered the most emotional and unfiltered post-match press conference in his 14-month reign as Owls boss, tearing into not only the ‘embarrassing’ performance of his side, but a ‘deep-rooted culture’ at the club that he said could never be successful.

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One transfer window and two sackings later, it is difficult to see what scale of change Monk saw to be necessary. His desire to move towards a ‘younger, hungrier, more dynamic’ squad profile was clear but hampered by a shifting financial landscape brought about by the coronavirus crisis.

Garry Monk said he was embarrassed by the performance of his Sheffield Wednesday side at Brentford almost a year ago.Garry Monk said he was embarrassed by the performance of his Sheffield Wednesday side at Brentford almost a year ago.
Garry Monk said he was embarrassed by the performance of his Sheffield Wednesday side at Brentford almost a year ago.

Two key players he froze out of his plans in order to modernise the squad, Keiren Westwood and Sam Hutchinson, are now back in the side via the under-23s and Cyprus respectively and have been among the very best performers in a side that has given itself a fighting chance of survival.

Both are out of contract in the summer, though Hutchinson’s deal will be renewed if he plays a certain number of games.

What any longer-term plans are, for individuals and for the make-up of the squad itself, remain locked behind closed doors for now. In terms of personnel at least, you would have to think Monk, one of the few people to have a clear idea of the problems standing in Wednesday’s way, would be dissatisfied with the rotation of the squad given the club’s tentative transfer activity.

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“There’s not enough desire, determination, strength of character,” Monk said. “If you want to be successful there has to be a determination and a fight that is lit underneath you.

“It’s not just from the whole group but from individually and within. As I’ve said many times there’s not enough of that.

“There are broader issues I don’t want to get into right now but regardless of who is sat here doing that they’re going to have the same problems.

“That change will come in the summer, for sure, whether that’s me or anyone else.”

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It was suggested to him in a radio interview that discussion of what those ‘broader issues’ were might help his cause. Monk paused for a moment or two, pregnant in thought, before refusing further comment.

Some 353 days on, on the eve of a return to Brentford – if not the exact scene of the crime – there are far more questions than answers when it comes to the deep-rooted culture Garry Monk felt he saw at Sheffield Wednesday and how, if needed, the club going about changing it.

With huge uncertainty looming over the future of the squad and indeed the future direction of the club, it seems not a huge amount has changed.

Circumstances have stood in the way and survival at-all-costs is understandably priority number one, but the club may well benefit from choosing and indeed instilling a clear roadmap for success at the club before long.

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It’ll be interesting to see what Sheffield Wednesday looks like in another 353 days time.

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