Alan Biggs' Sheffield Wednesday column: New boss Garry Monk setting out his principles

But Garry Monk felt it was needed at Sheffield Wednesday and that is interesting.

Something, indeed, that manifested itself in stoppage time last Saturday when team and fans shared as riotously together a moment as Hillsborough has seen in a long time.

To Monk, it was a touch incidental that substitute Atdhe Nuhiu’s diving header found the bottom corner for an equaliser against Fulham, rather than being saved or scraping wide.

What mattered even more to the new boss was the energy fused by players and fans in a hitherto deeply frustrating match.

Monk is clearly conscious of a need to change the narrative at Hillsborough, that long-established perception that here is a squad of under-performing talent.

He’s identified something early and put his finger on it.

The new boss might not change the outcome, in terms of the promotion everyone craves, but he can alter the view - for better or worse - that this group is capable of more.

A consistently all-out effort, of the type Wednesday produced in that second half against Fulham, will return a judgement on this one way or the other.

But let’s be careful here. Players not trying is something this column seldom, if ever, buys into. It may look that way at times but players don’t set out to lose and I’ve never detected an uncaring attitude in any member of this squad.

However, the collective output, allied to an apparent lack of drive and leadership at times, has occasionally given some supporters this impression.

From a conversation after last Saturday’s game, it is something Monk is evidently keen to address.

Taking a fans’ eye view (and on message with his terminology), Monk told me: “Even when you’re a massive club like Sheffield Wednesday, it’ll always come back to the first thing; they’ll always appreciate the effort and fight.

“If that’s there in a Sheffield Wednesday shirt you can live with it regardless of the result. I’ve tried to make the players realise that since I’ve come in here and try to bring that more to the fore.”

It wasn’t an outstanding overall performance against Fulham.

Nor was it a particularly outstanding result, as I thought Fulham largely punished themselves and deservedly so.

But the mood generated by such a spirited and resilient display was a huge positive.

Ahead of Saturday’s trip to former club Middlesbrough, Monk summed up: “It was important to show what we showed; that fight. “The fans saw it and were right behind the team all the way through. You saw the reaction at the end - they appreciated the effort.”

A changed team also showed some resilience in the Carabao Cup tie with Everton.

It’s a tone well set by Monk in his start to the job.

We’ll only find out how good, or not, this team can be if it is maintained.​​​​​​​