"I love this" Norwich City boss on incredible Sheffield Wednesday fan moment - makes Owls point
Sheffield Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat at Norwich City on Wednesday evening will not live long in the memory from a football perspective - but there was a moment to add to the growing list of off-field exchanges that raised the goosebumps.
Late on in the clash Wednesday fans broke into passionate song from the away end, defiant in the face of a miserable season that hasn’t seen them win a game since September and saw them become the fastest-relegated side in EFL history. The Owls’ threadbare team fell to their 12th defeat on the spin on another uncertain day in which the club’s preferred bidder consortium withdrew from the takeover process - not that you could have told given sight of the terraces.
With the travelling Wednesdayites serenading their players through the final minutes with a rapid-fire flick through the Owls songbook, thousands of the Norwich home contingent rose to their feet to applaud their counterparts. The scene was reminiscent of displays of affection shown across segregations at many stages of the campaign and brought back memories of trips to Leicester City, Wrexham and others in which home supporters registered their support for their Wednesday equivalents.
One person the sight was not lost on was Canaries boss Philippe Clement, who made clear his admiration for those who had made a seven-hour round trip on a weeknight to continue their support for their club. “I have a lot of respect for all these fans travelling so far, coming to support their team in this situation,” Clement, who took time to clap the travelling fans himself, told The Star.
“It's really hard for them. The reaction from our fans is also what I expect, living now three months in this community, because it's a community with people with their heart at the right place. I think in some stadium it would have been a different reaction. So, I love this, the respect for each other, for big teams who have a big history in British football, that they have respect for each other.”
Norwich won out comfortably thanks to first-half goals from Mathais Kvistgaarden and Paris Maghoma. A decimated Wednesday side seemingly further impacted by the after-effects of an energetic Steel City derby performance on Sunday had periods of life between the boxes but failed to deliver much of a threat in front of goal against the in-form home side.
Despite the disparity between the two teams, former Rangers boss Clement said there was never any danger of Norwich taking the task lightly - not least due to the narrow nature of so many of Wednesday’s defeats this season.
He said: “We knew it was a tricky game, I know a lot of people will say, what is he saying now? Because Sheffield Wednesday didn't take a lot of points this season, but they took at least already one point against Norwich in this first game. Also, they lost 12 games with only one goal difference.
“So, a lot of their games were tight. If you see also the derby a few days ago, against Sheffield United was a game until the last nine seconds. So, I think they need to be very proud about what their players are, keep on giving in the situation that they are in.”
Asked how much sympathy he held for opposite man Henrik Pedersen and his coaching staff, Clement replied: “A lot, because it's a hard situation, and I'm lucky that I've never been in that situation as a manager. Maybe a little bit as a player in the beginning of my career, so I have an idea what that gives in the dressing room and how hard it is to manage all those things.
“So, yeah. You wish for all your colleagues always the best, never when you play against them about points, of course. But we know we are in a tough business, where sometimes hard decisions are made, and maybe really too fast decisions out of emotions and everything. So, somebody working that hard, because I know it's hard working every day with the squad, but in this situation it's really hard. I have a lot of respect for him, the positivity that he still transmits in all his interviews.”