Sheffield Wednesday: Why discipline matters so much to Owls boss Jos Luhukay

The Dutchman has a reputation for being a strict disciplinarian.

It is clear Sheffield Wednesday’s new manager has high standards and expects the players to buy into his methods.

There will be no special treatment for anyone.

Luhukay said: “At Augsburg, two players came late to a meeting. They were late by two minutes so I said to them, ‘You are not on time, you can sit on the bench’.

“The players looked at me surprised. Discipline is important.

“When we have a meeting, you should be on time. Discipline is needed in everything you do.

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“When you have no discipline in a team, it is very difficult to be successful.”

It is early into Luhukay’s Hillsborough reign but it has not taken him long to make his presence felt at Hillsborough. The 54-year-old, who has managed extensively in the German Bundesliga with Hertha Berlin, Stuttgart and Borussia Monchengladbach, put his squad through their paces in a double training session yesterday.

Luhukay said: “The mentality is very important and I think it is also a base that you have to be successful.

“Character is one of the most important things players can have.

“You can have a lot of quality but if you don’t have a good mentality, it is not so easy. When you have both, it is perfect.”

After watching from the stands the team fire a third successive blank in Saturday’s goalless draw at Carlisle United, Luhukay officially took over the reins on Monday and was introduced to the media.

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“The message (to the players) is we must work hard together for the situation that we have now,” he said. “When the trust comes a little more back, it can also give you more per cent to come back to your best performance.

“The team is not so stable right now so I think that is the base to come back to success. You must have good stability in the team. You must defend well and not give away easy goals.

“It is a hard situation at the moment but I’m delighted to help the team.”

As he continues to familiarise himself with his new surroundings, Luhukay claims he has “studied a lot of games in the Championship in the last few weeks”.

He said: “I have seen a lot of games in England and in the Premier League.

“This team is my focus. I must focus on the players and that is my job at this moment.

“I have met the players and seen a little bit of their quality and now I will learn the players as people. How is the mentality? How is the character and what shape they are?”

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