Sheffield Wednesday have someone special in Danny Röhl - Dejphon Chansiri must plan a future with and without him

It's a thought that everybody has pushed deep into the back of their minds but that nobody wants to dwell on; it's one that should be revolving round the forefront of Dejphon Chansiri's mind as a borderline obsession.

That Danny Röhl won't be manager of Sheffield Wednesday forever.

What the German and his coaches have overseen at S6 has been nothing short of magnificent, delivering hope to a club that had none. That the Owls sit three points shy of the safety spots with 12 matches to go leaves the season run-in pregnant with possibility months after it was felt things would long since have been decided by now.

It seemed a lost cause and it has taken something truly special for them just to be within a grasp at this stage; by Röhl, the coaching set-up he has put in place and - as has been sometimes overlooked - the players themselves.

There's no point further regaling the job he's done on these pages once again nor the depths of the situation he inherited; it's well-known just how impressive it's all been. This is the Sheffield Wednesday that won one of their first 18 league matches. That it sits eighth in a Championship table taken from December onwards is the stat that tells the tale of something remarkable.

But as should surely always be the case at any business or football club, there should be one eye on what comes next. What happens when Danny Röhl is no longer Sheffield Wednesday manager? And what can the club - centrally Dejphon Chansiri of course - do to ensure he is in situ for as long as possible?

Reports from Germany at the time of his unveiling suggested Röhl had signed a contract to take him to the end of the 2024/25 season. Quotes taken from an interview with respected German-language football outlet Kicker this week painted an interesting picture of where he's at. Depending on which translation you pick up he volunteered that the management vertical above matters football consists of himself and Chansiri - and that his tasks at the club include either approving or booking hotels on away games.

As translated by Owls fan Peter A. Løhmann, Röhl told Kicker: "Sheffield Wednesday has a very slim structure: It's the chairman, who is also the owner of the club, and then there's me. All decisions are made between the two of us. I'm involved in all transfers, all contract extensions, booking hotels. I have to sign off on it all. This short chain of command is, on the one hand, good to get things done quickly; but it's a lot of work. My very experienced coaching team help me out a lot.

He later answers: "I'm very satisfied at the moment to be an English style manager and having those kinds of tasks, after around ten years in different roles. I go into work every day with a smile on my face despite our challenging position in the table. I feel an enormous amount of positive energy; it's quite simply a lot of fun. I've still got a very confidential relationship with Hansi Flick and we have regular discussions. But my focus is entirely on my own development as a head coach."

Based on the above it would be highly speculative to surmise the hotel-booking responsibilities are seen by Röhl as the shocking direction of resources that many Wednesdayites on social media have taken it as - it's also worth noting other translations believe the task to be 'approving' hotel bookings rather than booking them himself - but you could never imagine Enzo Maresca or Daniel Farke having to take a scroll through booking.com. Rightly or wrongly, it makes you wonder.

It's merely a signpost into a wider point. If this is a task Röhl believes should be taken off him, then Chansiri must find someone else to do so. If Röhl wants his deeper backroom staff transforming in the coming months - as he did at dugout level on arrival in South Yorkshire - then Chansiri must find a way to make it so. If Röhl wants certain improvements to the training ground or matchday set-up, if Röhl wants a CEO or sporting director, well..

His is a generational talent that coaches and players want to work for, with a schooling at the most sophisticated set-ups in European football. Frankly, Sheffield Wednesday are lucky to have him and his insight on board - Chansiri should be praised for his work in getting him on board albeit at the second point of possibility - and it is through Röhl's vision that they should forge a future.

Asked on his future by Kicker, Röhl said: "Until May 5 and at the moment I'm fully focused on current season, so it ends the way we want to. Then we'll sit down and assess the situation." Not quite an ice bucket challenge, but surely a couple of drops of cold water to remind Wednesdayites that football is an uncertain game.

Given the job done so far, it's no shock-and-awe revelation that The Star has reason to believe Röhl is the subject of admiration from other clubs in the Championship, though there's no real suggestion they'll lead anywhere as things stand. It's no wild claim to suggest there will be clubs back home keeping a close eye on his progress, also.

In a whirlwind of injuries, mounting to-do lists and stop-start form, Röhl interviews during January delivered an image of a man frustrated with how they were able to get on in the transfer window and The Star has reason to believe that while social media suggestions he was set to walk out on the club were overshooting things by a far margin, his demeanour behind the scenes was at times equally downbeat as they were on camera. He's ambitious and wears his heart on his sleeve in good moods and, well, not-so-good moods.

What's also worn on his sleeve is that he loves the heart and tradition of the club and it's clear he has quickly forged a relationship with its supporters that he is enjoying. He has admitted that his first foray into the transfer window as the main man - negotiating with chess pieces belonging to Sheffield Wednesday and not Bayern Munich - left him considering whether he should be more patient with progress. He wanted more, that's no secret, but the passage of time has brought delight with how James Beadle, Ike Ugbo and Ian Poveda have injected new life into his quest to guide the Owls out of the mire. His mood appears to have lifted considerably.

Whether that quest is successful or not will not change the fact that Wednesday must do two things; keep Danny Röhl at the club for as long as possible by any means necessary and build on what he has implemented in his short time in South Yorkshire. In interviews past, Chansiri has on multiple occasions suggested the idea of a five-year plan is not possible in football; that's what must change. Be it in two-and-a-half months, be it two years or 20, there must be a succession plan should the worst happen, an improvement in infrastructure players expressed concerns about even in the wake of Wembley.

Wednesday must have their eye on not only their next manager, but the manager after that as others successful second tier clubs have had in years gone by. Röhl has rapidly instilled a tangible, progressive style of play both in and out of possession and whoever comes in next must have the skillset and football preferences to build on that. The transition must be a seamless as possible; flip-flapping to the next-best CV regardless of football philosophy won't do.

With Danny Röhl locked in at the helm Sheffield Wednesday have an opportunity to not only stay in the Championship but to build a club capable of challenging higher plains. Without Danny Röhl at the helm they must build on the 'high performance culture' and football ideals he has begun to put in place.

To do neither would be negligent.