'You won't see it in football again' - Sheffield Wednesday coach on 'really difficult' season
Sheffield Wednesday’s fate was effectively decided off the pitch this season
Owls coach Gile Coke does not think the situation at Sheffield Wednesday this season will ever happen again in football.
Wednesday broke a number of unwanted records on the pitch but their fate was effectively decided off it after being placed into administration. Players handed their notice in after going unpaid and others were sold at the start and in the middle of the season. They did not have a proper pre-season, did not know who the manager was going to be for a while and were deduced 18 points. They had a squad consisting of fringe players from the previous campaign, their own academy products and youth loans from other clubs.
Relegation in February was a record in English Football League history, as was their 39-game winless run, and they did not score a single goal for 10 matches. But considering everything they had to deal with, first-team coach Coke believes they can hold their heads up high.
He said: “It was really, really difficult, but we tried to make everyone stick together. I think we tried our best. Yes, results could have been better, but I don't think you ever see this in football again. So considering the circumstances, I think with the young players coming through, I think we've done very well.”
Wednesday’s winless run finally came to an end on the last day of the season against West Brom when new owners Arise Capital Partners were introduced to the crowd. It was marketed as the club being ‘reborn’ and they have instantly given everyone a boost.
“They've been in the dressing room,” Coke continued. “I haven't had a lot to do with them, but they've introduced themselves. They seem like really, really good people. They want the best for the club. They want to push the club forward. So hopefully they do that. We can start looking forward rather than backwards.”
Coke, who played for Wednesday between 2010 and 2015, was bumped up the coaching ranks this season to the first-team, combining his duties with his previous role in the academy. Coaching was not necessarily something he saw himself doing but he was given an opportunity by Paul Hurst at Grimsby Town and he has enjoyed it ever since.
He added: “I don't get the same buzz as playing. But yeah, it's second best. when you see what you're trying to implement in training on a Saturday, it's a nice feeling. “