Wilko’s Owling with joy
HOWARD WILKINSON is delighted and amazed by Sheffield Wednesday’s turnaround after being on the brink of administration six years ago.
Wednesday are now one game away from returning to the top flight after a 16-year absence. They face Hull City in the Championship play-off final this Saturday – and no Owls fan is more excited than the man who guided them to promotion to the highest tier back in the 1980s.
“As a supporter, player, manager and chairman of Wednesday I think it would be fantastic if we went up,” Wilkinson said. “In fact it would be amazing, because we were on the brink of ‘doing a Portsmouth’ not all that long ago.”
In 2010, Wilko was Owls chairman when the club, then in League One, was under threat of administration – but he managed to stave off disaster by bringing in a group of investors led by Milan Mandaric.
Wilkinson recalled: “We had £26million of debts and were desperately trying to stay viable. It’s astonishing what’s been achieved since.”
As Owls manager, Wilko won promotion from the second tier 32 years ago, and then guided Wednesday to fifth in the top flight before moving on to win the last ‘First Division’ title, with Leeds.
He said: “Carlos Carvalhal has done a fantastic job as manager. But we need to think long-term and build.
“This is an enormous opportunity for the club – but it’s not just what you do, it’s how you do it.
“Playing at Wembley is fantastic but we need to build a solid foundation. That means the training ground, developing the academy, having a 10-year plan.
“Wembley will be a great day out, but for me it’s all about making long-term progress. It’s no good driving an old Rolls Royce with a Mini engine.”