Alan Biggs at Large: "No one should blame Dejphon Chansiri if Sheffield Wednesday don't succeed"

Blame has been a big part of the culture surrounding Sheffield Wednesday in recent years.
Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri.Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri.
Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri.

The finger has pointed mostly in one direction and understandably so. But something fundamental may be about to change.If Wednesday don’t live up to the surge in optimism generated this summer then, barring a recurrence of financial mismanagement, I feel no-one should blame Dejphon Chansiri.Let’s be fair. He has funded a whole new team spilling over to half the bench in allowing Darren Moore a free hand to rebuild the squad.The calibre of those signings has been universally saluted to the point where Moore tells me he’s “delighted” all had other options because it highlighted “the pull” of Hillsborough.So if the desired results are not achieved - and there are no certainties on that score despite promising signs - then it will not come back to the chairman this time.I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. This isn’t some rogue owner asset-stripping a football club; not one who plays with his toy and couldn’t care less.If anything, you could argue he cares too much, is too involved and should be more trusting of others. Maybe he is now seeing evidence of the truth of that both on and off the field. Most hospitality boxes are now filled and, with a new pricing structure, the stadium is becoming a life force again - and that is beyond price.There are signs of faults being corrected, more delegation and lessons learned, though I think - judging from daily contact with his manager - close involvement remains his essential style.That’s Chansiri’s prerogative, like it or not. You can’t whitewash history but now is a time for drawing a line and giving the benefit of doubt.Which doesn’t entirely apply to the owner because, for all his rightful current popularity, even Darren Moore is not immune to knee-jerk judgments.So it’s good that judgment of his results record to this point has been tempered by an understanding of the circumstances.And while all you hear is of Wednesday aiming for promotion and being accepting of that expectation, I hope that doesn’t invite the blame game should a new team fall short initially.Here’s how I see it. Top six equates to a relatively acceptable season for Moore, whether promotion is achieved or not.Halfway upwards represents a work in progress with the same manager in place.Only if the Owls dip below that should they even begin to consider deviating from a course of continuity.There is a sense of Chansiri going all out, within his restricted means, for an immediate bounce back and you can hardly knock him for that.But supporters can help by understanding that promotion from this level is not a gimme.In short, the blame game needs to beat a hasty retreat from Hillsborough as the club tries to do all in its power, on and off the pitch, to find a way back.