Work is long since underway on Sheffield Wednesday’s preparations for the 2024/25 season.

The Owls travelled south to undertake a behind-closed-doors training match with Brighton on Wednesday ahead of this weekend’s training camp in Germany, which will take in two more formal friendlies against RB Salzburg and Werder Bremen a hop over the border in Austria.

A great deal of intense physical work has already taken place at St George’s Park alongside long, highly technical sessions designed to further mould the squad towards the style of play Danny Röhl and his staff are looking to implement heading into the new campaign. Röhl’s brand of high intensity, front-foot football inspired a historic survival effort last time out, though concessions were made at certain points of the campaign given the suitability of the squad and where they were at physically.

With a full pre-season programme to work with and with the bulk of their squad in the door in plenty of time, it is hoped further steps can be made towards the footballing ideals the coaching staff are hoping will become an identity for the side longer-term. Röhl spoke to The Star last week to describe the physical and on-the-ball work the squad have already got under their belt in the early stages of the summer.

Asked of the shifts and tweaks Wednesday fans should expect to see from their side when the season proper comes around, senior man Josh Windass said: “I think you’ll see a team that takes risks playing out from the back and that’s something we’ve been working on literally every single day until we get it right. It’s about the movements and patterns that they want us to play and then there’s the pressing game; everybody saw how high up the pitch we won the ball so often.

“There’s a detail to the way we want to play out and the way we want to play against the ball in the opposition half, when we beat the press and stuff like that. The detail in it is unbelievable and the lads seem to be picking up on it. Look, if we’re playing that way we’re going to make mistakes, we might concede goals, but hopefully if we can implement it the way Danny wants us to - and we’ve got a very good team, trust me - we will win more than we lose for sure.”

Wednesday employed a progressive ‘playing out from the back’ style as Röhl-ball was implemented to great success. I drew harsh criticism from a section of supporters in moments it got the side into trouble, but Windass has encouraged patience and faith in the process the Owls coaching staff began bringing to life last season. He’s confident of an exciting campaign for Wednesday.

The former Rangers man continued: “Luckily for me, I stand up the pitch and wait for the ball to come to me, so when them lot give the ball away and the fans start booing I’ll just get involved! But to be serious, when the fans get frustrated and say we’re having a bad game or we do lose the ball at the back, I think they’ve got to realise this is the way we’re going to play.

“I’m sure they’d prefer watching us do that then just booting balls up the pitch and not having any idea what we’re doing. If they can see it working first and foremost, that’s important. If we’re getting beaten five and six then obviously it’s a problem. But I know for a fact it will be very good as it was at the end of last season and if we can get it nailed down we’ll be very much up there in the league that’s for sure.”