'Close to my heart’ - Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Tim Sherwood reacts to Sheffield Wednesday’s relegation
Tim Sherwood is confident that there’ll be brighter times at Sheffield Wednesday in the years to come
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood believes it’ll only be a matter of time before Sheffield Wednesday start climbing the leagues once again after a truly catastrophic period in the club’s history.
Wednesday were officially relegated on Sunday 22 February, marking the earliest date a team has even been relegated in Football League history.
Just about everything that feasibly could go wrong has over the course of the season. Former manager Danny Rohl departed over the summer along with a series of other big name players, the club were deducted 18 points after going into administration.
An avalanche of injuries has also resulted in as many as seven different players going in goal over the course of the campaign, and with the exception 2-0 away win at Portsmouth in the league, and a penalty shoot-out triumph over Leeds United in the Carabao Cup the club hasn’t had a single victory to shout about.
To describe all that as painful would be an understatement for this proud football club and fanbase, but the biggest blow of all came when Sheffield United of all teams came up with the final nail in the coffin to consign the club to relegation and a return to the third-tier of English football.
Tim Sherwood backs Sheffield Wednesday to return to where they belong
Sherwood, who made his professional debut against Wednesday all the way back in September 1988, says he is really sad to see the Owls suffer relegation.
The former midfielder, who captained Blackburn Rovers to the Premier League title in 1995, told Sky Sports: “It’s really really sad. Obviously it’s very close to my heart. It’s where it all started for me. I always remember players like Waddle and Hirst. Outstanding footballers back in the day.
“They’ll be back! The positive is they will be back. It’s one of the best jobs in League One for anyone that wants to take a manager's job. Because you’ve got new ownership now you’ve cleared the debts.
“And you’ll be back. You’ll be back where you belong. And where they belong is not in the Championship by the way, it’s the Premier League.”
What do Sheffield Wednesday supporters want to see from a new owner?
As it stands, the Owls are still searching for a new owner after controversial Thai businessman Dejphon Chansiri’s exit after more than a decade at the helm.
Fans will be hoping positive news about the takeover will follow soon ahead of what really needs to be a transformative pre-season ahead of next year’s League One campaign.
One supporter told The Star: “We need someone to stabilise the club. Put some money into it, improve the playing staff, and the stadium. It needs a lot of work putting in, but the short-term priority for sure has to be building a team, getting better players and getting us back up to the Championship as soon as possible.”