Pre-match brandies and runs through the woods: Former Sheffield Wednesday defender tells hilarious tale of Gary Megson's time as manager

The Liverpool youth product, who signed for the Hillsborough club in 2010 on a free transfer from Southampton, was part of the squad that won promotion from League One with Dave Jones.

But it was Megson who signed him and Ostemobor – painted as a ‘bad boy’ figure for much of his career – spoke highly of his former manager.

“I never actually had any altercations with Gary Megson,” he said.

“He's a Sheffield lad, he's a Sheffield Wednesday supporter so I understand why he was so enthusiastic in training and why he wanted to win all the time. It was his club and his city and so I understood that.

“I think his judgement was clouded a lot of the time because of that. We had a laugh with Megson, some of his rants and his raves.”

Ostemobor was released by Wednesday after two seasons but looks back fondly of his time at the club – if not every moment – and speaking on the Undr The Cosh podcast, also revealed a curious pre-match routine.

“I remember doing a pre-season round Sheffield. One of the pre-seasons I did with him, I've never been the same since!

“He had us running through these woodlands in Sheffield, it was how Sheffield Wednesday used to train when he used to play.

“It was all mad terrain and rocks and that and it must have been about six miles every other day. My knee and my ankle have never been the same since - it absolute wrote me off!

“He used to drink brandy before the f***ing game! We'd be there and he'd be drinking straight brandy before the game, giving us a team talk.

“I felt like saying, 'give us one of them!' But it was to calm his nerves because he got that amped up and that pepped up, it would calm him down a bit.”