Garry Monk's Birmingham City escape should give heart to Sheffield Wednesday fans after 12-points deduction
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Garry Monk has dealt with this kind of situation before, as it happens. Back in 2018/19 with Birmingham City, the current Owls boss found himself in difficult circumstances in the Midlands as his then side waited to find out what their punishment would be for failing to comply with the English Football League’s Profitability and Sustainability Regulations.
So that season, after winning five of his 10 Championship games to keep the Blues up following his appointment in March 2018, Monk found himself in a tight spot as they started their campaign under transfer restrictions imposed by the EFL, and then found out – seven months after being charged – that they’d been docked nine points.
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Hide AdDespite the transfer restrictions and points deduction, Monk’s Birmingham finished 12 points clear of the bottom three that year, comfortably mid-table and actually with six points more than they’d gotten the season before.
Now this challenge is different for Monk as this time around his side starts the season on -12, which will no doubt be a mental hurdle for his players to overcome, but one plus is the fact that the Owls aren’t under a transfer embargo, so he can strengthen his team for the battle that lies ahead in 2020/21.
Had his Birmingham side been docked 12 points in 2018/19, they would still have comfortably stayed in the Championship that year, and the manager’s success in manoeuvring that minefield should give some heart to Owls fans worried about the season ahead.
Wednesday have already dipped into the transfer market with the signing of young Manchester City talent, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, and are expected to bolster further in the coming weeks now that their Championship status has been confirmed.
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Hide AdOne thing Monk did have at Birmingham was a top striker in Che Adams who scored 22 goals in that successful 2018/19 campaign, and it’s certainly a position he’ll be looking at in the coming weeks as he aims for a similar outcome at Hillsborough.