Sheffield Wednesday players spoke-up in 'emotional' team meeting that could save their season

It was a reasonable belief for the outsiders to hold. The Owls had been beaten 4-0 at Huddersfield Town after a 12-minute flurry of soft Terriers goals left them beaten-up, eight points below their rejuvenated West Yorkshire relegation rivals and flailing in the wake of what then felt like a disappointing transfer window.

A team meting was called. It's not an unusual practice at Middlewood Road, Danny Röhl's dedication to meticulous preparation a thread of the week-to-week goings on behind the scenes. While the nitty-fritty details of who said what and how will remain close to his chest for the time being at least, the German coach was happy to reveal the nature of an honest talk between players and staff that he believes provided the basis for a run of two wins in three that has given them a fighting chance heading into the season run-in.

"We spoke about our mindset and what we needed to do," he told The Star. "We had a very emotional meeting after the Huddersfield game, we were very honest and took a clear message and a lot of energy. I look back at the last three games in five halves we have a clean sheet, only the first half against Leicester we conceded goals. I think this (the meeting) is the basis for our results and is the key, it is the key for this weekend, being clinical.

"I started to talk, we prepared a video for them. The dynamic in the group was fantastic, you cannot plan everything but the dynamic was good, some coaches spoke, some players then spoke and it was fantastic to see. It showed the life of the group, the belief and some energy. When the players have the trust to say something that is a good sign, it shows they have the feeling they are welcome to speak their opinions. Sometimes you need it to not be a tactical meeting, it has to be different. That was our choice and when you look back it was helpful. We have taken some steps forward but we have to keep in our momentum. At the end of the season I will be able to speak some more about this meeting, maybe."

Though a fringe Wednesday side fell to a 4-1 FA Cup defeat at Coventry City in the days after Huddersfield - and the meeting that followed - noises from the camp suggested a renewed sense of vigour. Club captain Barry Bannan took to his programme notes to warn those outside not to write them off, pointing to glorious comebacks past as an example of how the Owls can draw upon themselves to pull off what others might not have thought possible.

The nature of football and this Wednesday season in particular can fluctuate quickly. On the other side of their next three matches - Bristol City at home on Saturday, then back-to-back clashes at Rotherham United and against Plymouth Argyle - we'll know much more about where the club's chances stand. Röhl has admitted as much.

But after wins against Birmingham and at Millwall, after the nature of their second half showing at champions-elect Leicester City, there is real belief that after their worst-ever start to a league season, Sheffield Wednesday can pull this off; it's a belief growing outside the camp as well as in it.

Röhl said: "I spoke to people who said that after the Huddersfield game and the Coventry game in the cup, that our momentum maybe goes in the other direction. Maybe we would drop down. Looking back, our reaction was well as a team and we showed everybody immediately we were still alive. It was the key message from the meeting. It was about my players, their belief.

"This is not normal, you can expect teams to drop in such a moment. But we took energy from this to turn a negative into a positive. We have a great opportunity between now and the international break, five matches and then we can look at where we are. Hopefully we will be in the right position to make the last steps."