Why Sheffield Wednesday coach Lee Bullen feels the 2018/19 season was a ‘missed opportunity’

There are plenty of Wednesdayites who will argue that the 2018/19 Championship season was a step forward.
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Many would have gladly taken a top half finish had that been offered just before Christmas.

And the Owls, ultimately, finished 12th in the table, three places higher and seven points better off than the year before.

Not a big leap but still progress.

Sheffield Wednesday coach Lee BullenSheffield Wednesday coach Lee Bullen
Sheffield Wednesday coach Lee Bullen
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But for first-team coach Lee Bullen, it was a case of what might have been.

Bullen, who enjoyed a successful period in caretaker charge of the team following Jos Luhukay’s sacking in December, told The Star: "The beginning of the season was very good and we were sitting in the top six at the second international break.

"But then, obviously, we started to struggle a little bit.

"I think it was an opportunity lost when you look at it over the piece with the way the lads performed in the second half of the season. It is a shame because the lads proved at the beginning and end of the season they could go on a good run.

"It was the bit in between that really caused us a lot of problems.

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"The Championship is such a tough league and you are never guaranteed anything but I think it was a missed opportunity."

Signing the right types of players over the summer will be pivotal to Wednesday's hopes of launching a promotion challenge next season, according to Bullen.

He said: "Recruitment is the most important thing in football these days and the gaffer (Steve Bruce) has brought in a head of recruitment to help from that point of view. He is somebody who he knows and has lots of contacts. He will be able to go out and watch individual players and that is something we have not had for a long, long time.

"It will be interesting to see what deals we can get over the line.

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"The gaffer has his own high quality personal contacts from his time in the game. The two Steve's (Steve Agnew and Stephen Clemence) say he always seems to produce a rabbit out of the hat so it will be exciting to see what happens."

Bruce, a four-time promotion winner, is targeting six new faces to revamp his Owls squad.

Former Wednesday skipper Bullen said: "We probably need some younger legs in the group. I think we are crying out for genuine pace in the wide areas and, obviously, with losing Daniel (Pudil) and Michael (Hector) at the moment, we need cover at centre-back.

"We possibly need cover at left-back, a couple of centre-backs, a couple of wingers and maybe someone in midfield.

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"If we can get the right ones at the right age who are hungry and ready to go, we will be in good shape.

"The gaffer is very big on playing a high intensity game so I think we need to recruit accordingly to the way he wants to play.

"Fingers crossed we can get things done but seven or eight clubs will all looking at the same players. It just depends where we are financially."

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