Exclusive – Tony Strudwick’s praise for ‘proper club’ Sheffield Wednesday, and his thoughts on his Owls role and the mental aspect of injuries

Tony Strudwick has some real pedigree in what he does, and the man with Sir Alex Ferguson and a World Cup on his CV certainly brings plenty of expertise to Sheffield Wednesday – who he calls a ‘proper club’.
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‘Struds’ as he’s affectionately known, has worked with the English national team, Fergie’s Manchester United and some of the best footballers in the world over the course of his career, but he says that he’s loving his time with the Owls.

“The great thing about Sheffield Wednesday…” he told The Star. “Is that it’s a ‘proper club’. What I mean by that is that it’s a traditional club, with its heart and roots in the community.

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“On a Saturday morning sometimes I’d come in and there would be a community-based programme at 9am, then the academy would come in, and the U18s, then the first team would arrive for prematch, and it was a hub.

“For me, if I had a vision of what a football club should be like, with real links to the local community, that would’ve been it.

“The expectations are high, but with a club with this kind of potential then expectations should be high. But there’s a good feel about the club, it’s got good people and the working class values – everybody works really hard for the cause – make sure it’s fresh.

“I’ve been lucky to work at a number of clubs, but what I like about here is the intimacy. You’re only ever 30 seconds away from bumping into anyone.”

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Strudwick was brought into Hillsborough by Steve Bruce in 2019, but – with a wife from the area and almost two decades in nearby Worksop – maybe a spell with the Owls was predestined for the 46-year-old.

And he likens his role now under Neil Thompson to the one he held alongside Ferguson at Old Trafford, admitting that the current setup at Middlewood Road is something that’s been a real pleasure to work in.

He explained, “My role now is probably similar to the one I had at Manchester United - in terms of it being the grass-based stuff, the day-to-day training and supporting the coaches and players.

“It’s about working across the technical department and medical department.

Tony Strudwick is Sheffield Wednesday's Head of Sports Science and Medicine. (Images courtesy of Steve Ellis and SWFC)Tony Strudwick is Sheffield Wednesday's Head of Sports Science and Medicine. (Images courtesy of Steve Ellis and SWFC)
Tony Strudwick is Sheffield Wednesday's Head of Sports Science and Medicine. (Images courtesy of Steve Ellis and SWFC)
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“I think that because of the familiarity and intimacy of the staff - especially now under Neil - the levels of communication are very fluid and it’s really easy.

“We’ve all been working with each other for two years now, so there’s no dramas there. Decisions on what we do in training has always been collaborative between the coaches.”

And they’ve been busy… Strudwick has seen Bruce, Garry Monk and Tony Pulis come and go since he was appointed into his role as Head of Sports Science and Medicine, and there has been a fair share of injuries to deal with for various different players – some more serious than others.

And with that in mind, he opened up on the way that the mental aspect of dealing with continuous injury knocks or long spells on the sidelines can impact the players involved.

Tony Strudwick has worked with a number of managers at Wednesday already.Tony Strudwick has worked with a number of managers at Wednesday already.
Tony Strudwick has worked with a number of managers at Wednesday already.
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“From our perspective, there are four key areas to an injury,” he said. “There’s the physical, the physiological and the career piece, but the mental piece is really big... Every professional footballer I’ve ever worked with, wants to play football. So when they’re injured, it’s a triple whammy.

“Not only are they not playing, but if it’s an extended period of time then by the time they’re back they’re six months older, the game has moved on and when you look back on your career you don’t want those interruptions. You want to play as much as you can.

“Some players are quite philosophical, but others find it really difficult. The role of a Sports Science and Medical department is to support – to support the athletes. Yes, we’re there for the coaching process, but it’s more about the athletes for us. We try to make it fresh and fun and engaging, but you have to look at the human side of it as well.”

So that means talking to players, finding out where their headspace is at, and finding the best way to manage that to get the best out of them. For Strudwick, he says that more research needs to be done on how anxiety can affect a footballer’s career.

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He said, “If somebody is having a tough day, you have to use your intuition and manage them through it. But the mental side of it is something that there’s hardly any research on. I’ve worked with athletes before where the psychological impact of a series of breakdowns can be serious.

“It makes the athlete tense, anxious, and that anxiety is a massive area that needs to be explored. The idea that, if you think you might get injured then invariably you will. And the research has not caught up with that yet – I’m sure it’s a contributing factor though.”

Sheffield Wednesday's Tony Strudwick is highly-regarded in football circles. (Pic Steve Ellis)Sheffield Wednesday's Tony Strudwick is highly-regarded in football circles. (Pic Steve Ellis)
Sheffield Wednesday's Tony Strudwick is highly-regarded in football circles. (Pic Steve Ellis)

So when a fan calls a player a ‘crock’ or makes jokes about their lack of availability, they might want to think about all of the work that’s going on behind the scenes – from the player, from his coaches, and from the medical department and people like Strudwick as they look to make sure that their next injury isn’t the one that ends a career.

At least for the Owls, in Strudwick they have a man who understands those complexities, and who has seen up close how the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes and so many others work.

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So for that, Wednesday still owe a thank you to ‘Brucie’ for getting him involved.

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