Barry Bannan salutes ‘special’ Sheffield Wednesday boss after dramatic Owls change

But things have taken a dramatic turn for the better in the eleven that have followed, with Röhl’s side picking up 13 from a possible 33 – including 10 from the last 15 available as they closed the gap on those above them.

Club captain, Barry Bannan, had already called the German the best manager that he’d worked with in his career, and he says that the speed with which he’s turned things around at Hillsborough is ‘special’.

Speaking after the last gasp win over Queens Park Rangers the Owls skipper said, “Obviously winning games breeds confidence and belief, but we’ve also got a top, top manager that has come in and added to it. I’ve worked under a lot of managers and thought that they were good, but there’s something different about this guy that - even at 34, having played for so many managers - I’m still learning.

“The things that he does, and shows us, happen in games and you just think, ‘Yeah, you told us that before the game’. You can see why he’s been where he’s been, because he’s a top manager and once you get a group of lads believing in that manager then, no matter what he asks, they’ll do it. And this is what happens.

“It’s his tactical side of the game, the things that he does with the shape of the team in training… We’re a team that has probably gone from 30% possession to having a lot possession, a lot of attacks, in the space of two or three months. To turn something around that quick is special in itself.”

He went on to say, “I can’t sit here and say that it’s one thing that is impressive, it’s loads of things that he’s brought to this club. The biggest, though, is that the boys believe in him and what he’s doing. Once you get everybody going in one direction it’s a powerful tool…

“I’ve been here for nearly 10 years now, and I’ve never seen this fanbase take to a manager the way they’ve taken to this one. We were bottom of the league a few weeks ago and they still loved him, so that shows you the job that he’s doing.”