FFP, Garry Monk and the season end: The big talking points from Sheffield Wednesday's first weekend without football

With Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough clash against Nottingham Forest sidelined as the first of at least three matches to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, there is still much to mull over as we look tentatively towards the unlikely resumption date of April 4.

But what are the key talking points from a surreal weekend? Let’s take a look.

The show goes on

It is understood that there have been positive tests of coronavirus at Sheffield Wednesday this weekend and that training has been taken by Garry Monk as normal at their Middlewood Road training ground.

The Owls boss is keen to prepare for that trip to Swansea and will roll with the punches of whatever comes next.

One or two non-football staff members are believed to have worked from home at their discretion, but otherwise it seems to be business as usual at Sheffield Wednesday.

How will the season end?

The multi-billion-dollar question. Who knows? Every possible option has deeply flawed factors.

Scrap it altogether? Finish where they are? Start again when it’s safe to do so? It’s a headache better left to the authorities, for sure.

From a footballing perspective, could this be good for Wednesday?

In a nutshell, of course. The in-form teams will have seen it as disruptive, those out of form will surely see it as a chance to regroup and go again.

Wednesday, of course, fall into the latter camp and should have four senior players back from injury if and when the league re-starts.

Garry Monk has time and again spoken about the need for more time with his players. If players and staff can stay fit and the training ground open, this could be a seminal moment in Monk’s Wednesday journey.

FFP

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire told The Star he believes any result to the Owls’ FFP arm wrestle with the EFL is likely to be even further delayed as the league will rightly be placing time and resources into assisting clubs up and down the football league.

He also believes given the extraordinary nature of the revenue lost from empty matchdays, P&S rules for this season will be overlooked.