Henrik Pedersen 'respects all opinions' - serves strong response to Sheffield Wednesday criticism
Henrik Pedersen has provided a passionate response to ongoing criticism by some Sheffield Wednesday supporters.
Criticism of Henrik Pedersen from a section of the Sheffield Wednesday support on social media has not been lost on the Owls boss - who admitted he shares some of their frustrations while impressing the need for continued patience.
The Danish coach has taken in a monster summer overhaul of the squad and has overseen a haul of 15 points from their opening eight matches - collected amid a run of eight matches without a defeat across all competitions. Concerns have been raised however at performance levels, with back-to-back goalless draws at Hillsborough arriving ahead of a clash at Huddersfield Town on Saturday that saw Wednesday play out a passive first hour before coming back for a point.
Supporter concern on social media has bubbled but has not yet made its way into stadiums as Pedersen’s men look to start building momentum heading into a manic run of five matches in 15 days - starting with the visit of midtable AFC Wimbledon this weekend. Asked how aware he was of the social media conversation around the team’s fortunes, the 48-year-old responded passionately.
“First of all, I have respect for all opinions,” he said. “A very big respect. I know how much our fans are loving our club and how much we all love our club. And that we have got the points we have, I'm really pleased. I am the first man to evaluate every single game and to look at the stats behind the game to be more effective in our way of playing. I think, again, the second half (v Huddersfield) is a big, big credit to the boys for this mentality, this culture we have. It's really, really strong.
“And we have fought with this identity. And that's why this second half was maybe an opener again to open up for the heart. We need to play football from an open heart - Sheffield Wednesday is a heart club. We also need to play football with the heart.
“How we have trained this week, I can see how hard the boys are working on the pitch and also today when we have trained, how good it looks. And then I really, really hope and I believe that we can transfer also to Hillsborough tomorrow because there's nothing I want rather than to give them a great experience with a good performance where we think, ‘Wow, it was Sheffield Wednesday football’.
“But still, we're in the beginning of the process. Still, step by step. Last week, we got many players back two days before (the game v Huddersfield, from international duty). We had a small group. It will take time. It's not so easy. It's not so easy to be a dominant team on the ball.
“For me, it doesn't need to be perfect. But the thing that has to be perfect is the mindset to create and the mindset to play forward. And this is what we're working on. And then I'm sure that tomorrow again, we will make the next step in this direction.”
Beyond the nature of the need to bed-in a brand new squad built within restrictions, Wednesday have had their share of challenges in these early weeks of a long campaign. The likes of Max Lowe and star man Louie Barry have faced periods out through injury and have realigned how they’ve had to go about things.
Pressed on the fact that fan grumbles have been centred not only around the Huddersfield trip but also on a home record that has seen Wednesday fail to score outside the 7-2 routing of Bromley, Pedersen responded: “I share that we have not been the dominant team at home as we want to be. And we want much, much more. But I'm also... If it was so easy just to bring so many players together with the injuries, with now a national team break, then everyone will do it.
“We need a little bit of patience still. But I can see how the boys are working and I can see how my coaches are working. And I'm sure it will be really good.”