'Why would they punish us again?' Henrik Pedersen shocked by Sheffield Wednesday EFL sanction wrangle
Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen has joined the voices expressing anguish at sanctions proposed to be placed on the beleaguered club heading into next season.
News broke this week that the Owls were set to face stringent recruitment sanctions on top of a 15-point deduction and an ongoing transfer fee ban as they set about attempting to recover from the mess outgoing owner Dejphon Chansiri has left them in.
In what has been a troubling week, the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust have fired back at the EFL for what they have described as ‘vindictive’ sanctions that could serve to colour the takeover effort of newly-named preferred bidders Arise. The Star reported its understanding yesterday that while a 15-point deduction is set to remain, negotiations on the recruitment constraints are to be had.
“Let’s see what happens in the next week,” said Pedersen with a look of concern. “But of course it would be bad to end up with 15 points deduction and the salary caps in wages and the full amount. Let’s see what happens. I really hope for the best.”
Asked for his initial reaction to the news, the Dane said: “Like all Sheffield Wednesday fans, I thought ‘Why should we be punished again?’ But let’s see what happens. It is all out of my control, but I know people are working and I just hope for all the best.”
Battling Wednesday fell to another Championship defeat at the hands of promotion-chasing Ipswich Town on Saturday to further extend their woes at the bottom of the table. The Owls stayed in the game until the 78th minute when Iván Azón put the Tractor Boys ahead, with Jack Clarke earning and scoring a penalty five minutes later - for which many Wednesdayite onlookers felt aggrieved.
“We really gave it a go today,” Pedersen said. “We knew to play against Ipswich, they have such individual quality - what a team. They are maybe the most interesting and the best individual team in the league. They have a top manager and a really, really good cocktail. It was a big job for the boys today and we also knew intensity would be a key thing.
“The third game in a week, to have that mentality together with the body, it could be a challenge. After the first few minutes the body started to work and I think we came well into the game and played a strong defensive game in the first half. We made it hard for them in the first half and we could have created something.
“We had some good periods and after the goal they were strong, especially after the subs they made on 60 or 65 minutes... After this it is so difficult to come back against such a strong team. The boys gave everything on the pitch and as I said in the dressing room, I love to see that they are disappointed because they want more. But I also think they must be proud to have competed against such a strong team for such a long time.”