Why Trevor Francis felt let down by how his sacking as Sheffield Wednesday boss was handled

And the man at the centre of it all was Trevor Francis, whose four-year managerial stint at the club was coming to an end.

Francis, who had made 76 appearances as a player for the Owls and won the 1991 League Cup along the way, was mounting a cultural shift at the club that would see the great sides of the early 90s phased out in favour of a new-look changing room.

But a 13th-place finish was deemed unworthy of a club of Sheffield Wednesday’s size and amid rumours of changing room unrest, Francis was sacked on FA Cup final day in 1995.

As the season rolled on, Francis knew his time at the club was up, despite boardroom assurances to the contrary.

“As we worked forwards the end of the season, I had to remain as professional as possible and see it through,” he told Tom Whitworth some years later in his book Owls: Sheffield Wednesday Through the Modern Era.

“After the Ipswich game [the last game of the season, a 4-1 Hillsborough win] I invited some close friends and staff into my office for a few glasses of wine. One or two directors even came in. It was like and end-of-season party, but also a sort of thankyou or going away party.

“But, strangely, after the season had finished, a week passed and there was just silence. Nothing at all. So I started to think, 'Have I misread the situation? Surely I haven't?'”

He hadn’t. Francis, who would later be replaced by David Pleat amid rumours of interest in Sir Bobby Robson, Danny Wilson and Ron Atkinson, has settled in front of the television for a day watching the FA Cup final between Everton and Manchester United when he received a call asking him to report to Hillsborough.

It was a calculated move designed to usher him out of the door with little fuss. And it hurt him deeply.

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“I went down and they informed me that they were going to make a change,” Francis said. “The board felt that because of the club's lowly position, and it was a poorish season in their eyes, a change had to be made.

“I said ‘Okay, I have to accept that, but did you have to do it on FA Cup Final Day?’ They said a member of the board felt it was the most appropriate day to do it on. It would receive minimal publicity because everyone would have their eye on the FA Cup Final.

“I was hugely disappointed with that. It could have been done in a better way than it was. Having played for the club and then had four years as a manager, it could have ended in better circumstances. But it was their decision. I didn't agree with it.

“I think it was the wrong decision to sack me. I would have like to have been given the chance to change things a little and make changes to the team.”

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