UNCERTAIN TIMES FOR WILY OWLS
Points penalty may turn tables...
NOT many sides head into Christmas uncertain whether they are fighting for promotion or facing relegation.
Yet that is the strange predicament in which Sheffield Wednesday find themselves ahead of this afternoon’s clash with Bristol City.
On paper, the Owls look like contenders. Three wins from four matches. Unbeaten in five. At the start of the weekend, only Leeds, West Brom and Preston had more points on the board.
They are also, as Nottingham Forest boss Sabri Lamouchi said after his side’s 4-0 defeat at the City Ground last weekend, one of the toughest teams to face in the division.
Big. Physical. Direct. Though hardly route one, they play two big strikers, win headers and pick up seconds. Off the ball, they have committed more fouls than any other team in the division, with a card collection to match.
“Every game in the Championship is difficult,” added Lamouchi, whose side had lost just four times before the City Ground rout. “But especially against Sheffield Wednesday. They play with quality, with experience and with aggression.”
Though Wednesdayites will not relish the comparison, they often resemble a good Neil Warnock team – and we all know how his sides tend to fare in the second tier.
Yet for all the obvious positives, the shadow of a record-breaking points deduction looms over Hillsborough.
Wednesday have been charged with misconduct in relation to the sale of the stadium to owner Dejphon Chansiri, a transaction which turned a £35.4m loss for the 2017-18 season into a £2.5m profit.
Whilst legal under
EFL regulations, the governing body believe the sale was concluded too late for inclusion in the 2017-18 accounts and that the club is therefore in breach of Profit & Sustainability rules.
Wednesday, however, insist the purchase was authorised by the EFL and have pledged to take legal action unless the dispute can be resolved.
Barring some form of mediation, an independent disciplinary panel will meet to discuss punishment – with some sources suggesting the league will push for the maximum 21-point deduction. As it stands, that would leave the Owls dead last.
For his part, Garry Monk insists the uncertainty will not affect his players. “There’s no excuse for us, players or manager,” said the Owls boss, whose Birmingham side were deducted nine points under P&S rules last season.
“I understand fans will be worried and players will talk about it. But I’ve spoken to them from experience and it doesn’t directly affect what we can do in training or a match.”
Perhaps not, but in the interests of fairness and sporting integrity, a swift resolution would appear essential.
One player who will certainly not be fazed by the speculation is Jordan Rhodes. A forgotten man following his £10m switch from Middlesbrough in 2017, the striker’s classy hattrick against Forest last weekend suggested a long-awaited return to his predatory best.
With Monk reportedly tracking Bristol Rovers forward Jonson Clarke-Harris and another Championship striker, his resurgence couldn’t be more timely, and the 29-year-old is a certainty to start against City this afternoon.
“Form goes in and out but class is forever,” said EFL pundit Ian Holloway this week. “Jordan knows where the net is, he’s one of the best and he’s helping a great team get going again. It’s great to see and I think Sheffield Wednesday have a real chance this season.”
A chance of what, however, remains to be seen.