Sheffield Wednesday's rivals welcome Hollywood investment amid Birmingham City man's damning relegation point

Sheffield Wednesday confirmed their place in next season’s Championship after producing another brilliant performance to win 2-0 at Sunderland on Saturday. Two goals in nine first-half minutes from Liam Palmer and Josh Windass secured all three points to cap off an excellent campaign for Danny Rohl’s men.

Wednesday looked doomed for the drop when Rohl took over in October but 16 wins in 38 games saw them finish two places and three points above the bottom three. The Championship’s final day threw up plenty of drama across the league and the Star has rounded up some of the latest stories surrounding those in the second-tier.

New Leeds investor

Hollywood star Will Ferrell is the latest high-profile star to invest in Leeds United, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post. Ferrell, 56, has bought a minority stake in Wednesday’s Yorkshire rivals ahead of their push for promotion via the play-offs.

A number of celebrities have emerged as stakeholders at Elland Road after 49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of NFL team San Francisco 49ers, upped their own share to buy out previous owner Andrea Radrizzani. The likes of actor Russell Crowe and multi-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps are all known investors.

Ferrell will hope to see his new club in the Premier League next season but a woeful run of form since the March international break leaves Leeds with a mountain to climb going into the play-offs. They face Norwich City in the semi-finals, with victory pitting them against one of Southampton or West Brom at Wembley.

Ruddy’s relegation verdict

Birmingham City goalkeeper John Ruddy insists everyone involved with the club must be held accountable for relegation. The Blues dropped into the third-tier for the first time in 30 years, with the key drop in form coming after they decided to sack John Eustace while sixth in October.

“We didn’t do enough leading up to this game in the two games previous to this,” said Ruddy, who captained Birmingham in their final three league games. “To only pick up two points… I think we’re the only team in the league that hasn’t scored against Rotherham. It’s those games where the damage is done.

“I hope everyone takes accountability. We certainly do as players, I certainly do as an individual. There was a lot of change and, as I said previously, some of it was enforced and some of it was self-inflicted. I hope everybody who made those decisions is held accountable and takes responsibility for it.”