Sheffield Wednesday-linked Paul Cook praises Neil Thompson and assesses the Owls' position in the Championship table

Thompson has been in temporary charge at Hillsborough since Tony Pulis was sacked in late-December with a new manager yet to be appointed by Dejphon Chansiri.

One of the people who has been linked with the vacancy is of course 53-year-old Cook, who is out of work after leaving the DW Stadium at the end of last season.

The Star understands that former Wednesday advisor Erik Alonso spoke to Cook about the job. It was also revealed on Monday night that Alonso was behind a bid to buy the club.

Unlike previous, Cook was not asked about his own future on his latest Sky Sports appearance, instead questioned on the Owls’ position in the Championship table.

Cook again praised the job Thompson is doing.

He said: "Sheffield Wednesday have had their points deduction reduced to six and I think the brutal reality is, a club of Sheffield Wednesday’s size and the calibre on players they have, they should be able to overcome a six points deduction.

“Neil Thompson has gone in, he’s caretaker as we speak. I think from Sheffield Wednesday’s point of view, bringing some sanity to that situation is important. It’s important to show support for Neil and showing it’s important for the players.

"He managed to beat Preston on Saturday, then went down and won at Bournemouth, I feel like a trip to Millwall has probably been a step too far that week for the squad.

"It’s a lot of travelling, it’s a lot of everything else – I think Neil’s doing great. They beat Derby County and Middlesbrough at home, he’s actually making the management game look quite easy, so he needs to slow down a bit with the victories!

“Teams at the bottom are winning regular now. Rotherham are on a great run, Notts Forest, Derby, Sheffield Wednesday are winning, so that’s dragging a couple of teams into a situation that they probably never thought they were in.”

On Cook’s media activity in recent weeks, Chansiri said: “I think the way he has done things is unprofessional.

“How can I trust and believe someone who is unprofessional and then call them to interview? If you want me to interview, you can do it the correct way but that does not mean to say it outside.”

In one interview with a national radio station, Cook had suggested he had reservations over the managerial control afforded to Wednesday bosses.

“If they think like that, they should come out and talk to me face to face,” Chansiri fired back to Yorkshire Live. “It is not fair to me when all coaches have more time to talk to the media. They can say whatever they like. I don't have too much time to talk to the media. It is unprofessional and not fair.”