Sheffield Wednesday are about to discover the extent of the damage Dejphon Chansiri has left behind
Sheffield Wednesday’s clash with Derby County on Monday night will mark the beginning of a jam-packed schedule.
Tonight’s visit of Derby County will mark the beginning of a relentless period in Sheffield Wednesday’s season.
After having five full days to prepare for the visit of John Eustace’s men, the Owls’ schedule is about to become slightly more unforgiving, with tonight’s Championship clash marking the first of six games Wednesday must navigate their way through in the space of just 21 days.
Already struggling to cope with the relentless nature of the Championship’s schedule with a threadbare squad, the Owls’ ranks will shrink even further following tonight’s tussle with the Rams, as Sean Fusire will jet off to link up with his Zimbabwe teammates ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) starting on Sunday.
Clubs were given an extended deadline of December 15 to release players for AFCON, meaning Owls boss Henrik Pedersen will be delighted to have Fusire available this evening. However, Tunisia were not prepared to follow suit, meaning Yan Valery will be absent against the Rams.
How far both countries progress at AFCON will, of course, determine how long both players will be missing from Hillsborough. The group stage is not scheduled to conclude until New Year’s Eve, meaning even if Zimbabwe and Tunisia are to exit the tournament at the first hurdle, Fusire and Valery are likely to be missing until the trip to QPR on January 4 at the very earliest.
The trip to Loftus Road, albeit just four days into January, will mark Wednesday’s second outing of 2026, with a trip to Deepdale to face Preston North End penciled in for New Year’s Day. The trip to QPR will be the Owls’ sixth outing in just 21 days.
The Christmas and New Year schedule, despite it being demanding and draining for players, is a key part of tradition for millions over the festive period, meaning many would not have it any other way.
However, Wednesday’s current situation means they really could do without it this year because of the size of the squad Pedersen is having to work with. A disastrous summer saw 16 members of last season’s first-team squad, including the club’s three loanees, depart, with only two replacements, in the form of Ethan Horvath and Harry Amass, coming in.
Liam Cooper and Nathan Redmond arrived last month, filling two free agent slots Wednesday were granted permission to fill, but the latter is already sidelined with a groin issue and is set to miss the rest of December’s action.
The thought of playing six games in just 21 days with such a small squad will almost certainly be a daunting prospect for Pedersen, who is already having to manage his players’ loads extremely carefully. The Star understands medical staff are advising that up to five senior players could be limited in how many minutes they are able to play against Derby, highlighting just how careful Wednesday’s staff are having to be.
Wednesday must be braced for a difficult Christmas period
With the Christmas fixture schedule about to intensify, managers up and down the country will already be plotting how they are going to manage such a demanding period. Most of them will have the luxury of being able to rotate their teams to ensure everyone remains as fit as possible.
Pedersen, unfortunately, does not have that luxury. The Dane, courtesy of former owner Dejphon Chansiri’s disastrous running of the club, has been left having to rely on the same players week-in, week-out to try and get results. There is virtually no squad depth, and the players who have been playing have already been worked to the bone.
Signs of fatigue have often crept in at the end of three-game weeks, meaning it is impossible to imagine how Wednesday’s players will be feeling at the end of this six-game block. Player welfare is going to have to be at the forefront of Pedersen’s mind, meaning he will probably be left with no choice but to award minutes to some of the club’s academy players, who have often filled out the bench in recent months.
Chansiri’s refusal to sell the club earlier this year was a disaster waiting to happen, and it eventually led to the Owls going into administration. Had he decided to cash-in earlier in the year, Wednesday would have probably avoided the mess they now find themselves in.
Just as they have throughout the season so far, you can guarantee Wednesday’s players, likewise Pedersen and his coaching staff, will continue to pull out all the stops over the festive period in the hope of picking up some positive results to lift the mood, but it is going to be an enormous challenge because of the size of the squad and the relentless nature of the schedule.
Six games in 21 days is going to take its toll on this group of players and supporters must be prepared to accept not all that much Christmas cheer may be spread in the blue & white half of Sheffield this festive period.