David Storch is already succeeding where Dejphon Chansiri failed at Sheffield Wednesday
David Storch and Sheffield Wednesday’s new ownership group are determined to hit the ground running at Hillsborough.
As David Storch has acknowledged himself, actions will speak louder than words.
The new Sheffield Wednesday chairman had not even secured control of the club when he made that admission during an interview with BBC Radio Sheffield in March after his consortium - Arise Capital Partners LLC - had been granted preferred bidder status.
Alongside his son, Michael, and business partner Tom Costin, Storch knows he has taken on a mammoth challenge that is going to require both time and money. A lot of money.
Wednesdayites are understandably eager to hear more from the new ownership group and discover what their plans are to take the club forward. No formal press conference to mark their arrival at Hillsborough took place as it is understood Storch was determined to use his time in the country to get on with job and put plans in place.
Alongside his son, Storch is now back in the US, and it is currently unknown how long it will be before his next visit to Sheffield. However, Wednesday’s supporters need not worry, with Storch confirming on social media on Sunday that newly appointed chief executive David Bruce, who was introduced to the fans on the pitch ahead of last weekend’s victory over West Bromwich Albion at Hillsborough, is leading matters on the ground.
“David B, Michael and I met with the leadership team advancing our plans for the training pitch, summer training schedule for the squad, spent time assessing current squad, addressed multiple work plans for Hillsborough, starting with critical safety items work beginning this Monday and more,” Storch said on X.
“Our countdown till start of Cup series [Carabao Cup first round] is 91 calendar days. Lots to do in [a] short window, but the team led by David Bruce is committed to do so. We will keep you updated on our progress.”
A little over a week into his premiership and news that Storch is allowing Bruce to oversee matters from his position as chief executive is a huge tick in the box for the new Wednesday chairman.
Former Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri was repeatedly criticised for not assembling a proper off-field structure during his time at the helm. Prior to Bruce’s appointment, Wednesday had not had a CEO in place since Katrien Meire's departure back in February 2019.
Even then, Meire’s responsibilities were not as widespread as they should have been for a person in a CEO role. Her primary focus was the academy, and she did some good work in that department, tying down some of Wednesday’s most promising youngsters.
However, Chansiri was reluctant to give her the free rein to do her job. It was another sign of his obsession of trying to control as many aspects of the club, both on and off the pitch, as he possibly could.
Storch, it feels, is going to operate with a completely different approach. Bruce is the man tasked with overseeing a number of improvements Arise want to implement at Hillsborough this summer, such as the installation of world-class Wi-Fi.
Bruce is understood to have been in and out of meetings over the last few days, highlighting how central he will be to this summer’s plans. Having a figure of his experience in such a pivotal role is a massive step in the right direction.
Everyone connected with the club has an endless list of jobs that need to conducted, both on and off the pitch, and Bruce is set to play a leading role in addressing matters away from the field.
Ultimately, actions will speak louder than words for Storch and his Arise colleagues. At this stage, though, words are all we have. Fortunately, those words are driving optimism and encouragement.
It might not be long, though, before actions start to filter through.