HMRC worry deepens Sheffield Wednesday chaos as Henrik Pedersen hopes for better
The latest development in Sheffield Wednesday’s spiralling 2025 has not knocked Henrik Pedersen from his focus on the job at hand - though it’s clear he’d like the outside pressures of that job to ease.
The Star understands the club are in imminent threat of being handed a winding-up order by HMRC over an unpaid debt believed to total somewhere in the region of £1m. Other creditors have debts outstanding and workforce salary payments were settled this week, a fortnight on from their expected payday.
The next steps in Wednesday’s chaotic downfall are as of yet unknown, with administration and liquidation both understood to be potential avenues depending on what plays out. News broke of the HMRC threat just an hour or two before Henrik Pedersen’s pre-match press conference ahead of the Owls’ trip to Charlton Athletic on Saturday, leaving the Dane once again left to glean what little knowledge he had of the situation in Dejphon Chansiri’s continued public silence.
Pedersen and Chansiri have been in some form of contact in recent days but do not appear to have discussed the ultimate HMRC threat. The Thai has been the subject of mass protest by Owls supporters in recent months, with sources close to any takeover process having told The Star of huge confusion.
“He says he does the best he can,” Pedersen said. “The other things are not so big things. We have been in contact about the set-up, the under-21s, the first team, different structures for things. It has been short and sharp for how we can use the potential we have with the personnel that we have. When I have spoken to him about the future (of the club), he has said he does the best that he can.”
“I cannot tell what other people have to do. I can only tell what I can do, what the players and what the staff and coaches are all doing. We try to do the best every day for the football club. This is my responsibility. What others have to do for the football club is up to them.”
Pedersen has done his damnedest to retain a sense of positivity throughout public engagements despite the madness of what has been going on around the football side. At times since his appointment in mid-July he has spoken about a desire to bring in new players and it was made clear he had expected to be able to assemble a coaching team much sooner. Asked whether he had expected the pressure of the wider situation to have eased by this point, Pedersen said simply: “Nobody likes the situation that we are in right now.
“Of course we all hoped it would be better, but it is what it is and we have to make the best out of what we have. I honestly do not lose so much focus now on what could have been. That makes no sense. But of course when I took over we all hoped we would be further on with things than we are now. But I use my energy with my players, staff and coaches. This gives me energy.”
To the continuing soundtrack of noise from above, a trip to The Valley offers Wednesday the opportunity to bounce back from a heavy home defeat to table-topping Coventry City last time out. The Owls showed huge togetherness in battling to three unbeaten matches ahead of that defeat and will hope the refreshment of an international break can help inspire the continuation of decent away from.
Pedersen offered a confidence his players could continue in that vein and said: “I cannot say we are used to it, but this has happened for a long time, so we are really well focused on what we can control. I have not heard today any negative things in the dressing room. There has been a great atmosphere with the players for a good training and seeing the national team players that came back. There is a lot (going on), but our boys, the staff and coaches do really well to put things away. We have no control over those things.
“In the beginning it was tough. And then with the salaries it was tough. Now we have all got the salaries and that helps a lot. But the players are really good to keep their chest up, head up, their courage to have a vibe and an energy in the dressing room that is positive. I do not say it is easy. Of course it is difficult and this is not the question. The players are quite good at being in this environment.”