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It’s been a torrid week for Sheffield Wednesday fans, from financial disaster off the pitch, to a bad result on it, but things just got ever so slightly better.
Last week, Sheffield Wednesday’s immediate future was plunged into doubt when it was revealed that the club chairman, Dejphon Chansiri, had not paid his players for the month of March.
With a mass of punishments awaiting Sheffield Wednesday if the matter wasn’t resolved, fans were worried that a transfer embargo and points deduction could utterly ruin the club’s progress.
Then, on Saturday, the Owls fell to a last minute defeat against Hull City at Hillsborough, and with results in the Championship over the weekend, it seems their play-off hopes are now dead in the water.
Dejphon Chansiri pays player wages just in time
The mess behind the scenes has left Danny Rohl’s future in serious doubt, with the young coach expected to pursue other opportunities in the summer.
But, at least for now, it looks like the issues have been resolved off the pitch, with Chansiri now paying the players just in time, ahead of the EFL’s deadline today.
As per a club statement, it has today been confirmed that “all outstanding player salaries have been satisfied for the month of March.”
According to Alan Nixon on Patreon, Chansiri put £2m into the club to fix the problem before any sanctions could be imposed.
Nixon added that Chansiri “has been unhappy” with the amount of funding he has had to give the club of late, and will “listen to offers” to relinquish control entirely in the summer. The problem is, the high asking price the chairman has set has left most interested parties walking away.
Sheffield Wednesday fans won’t be happy until Chansiri sells the club
The fact of the matter is, whether the wages have been paid or not, Sheffield Wednesday fans are heartbroken with the current situation, particularly as it appears to be driving Danny Rohl away.
Reacting to the news that the wage fiasco has been resolved, Owls fans took to social media to insist that the underlying problem is still very much in place, and will continue to be so until Chansiri leaves.
One relatively calm fan wrote: “It’s good to see they have been paid and now the club can move forward but this can’t keep happening and Chansiri has to acknowledge it. The club needs a lot of investment to move forward and I don’t think he’s the man to do it unless he brings someone in to invest as a partner.”
Another added, “Chansiri is the issue,” while a third said, “Not good enough. Changes nothing. He is destroying this club year by year. He gets the best manager in this league, and treats him and his staff like this. There is no turning back this time. He has to go immediately.”
Many have lamented the fact Chansiri has seemingly waited until the final hour to fix the problem, with one fan saying: “Chansiri to the rescue again… Saving us from the shambles he’s created. He doesn’t get it, he never will. With paying wages such an arduous task for him we can never truly progress.”
It is said it would take a ‘miracle’ for Chansiri to actually sell up, but Owls fans are desperate for him to go, clearly.
Rather emphatically, a very distressed Wednesday fan wrote: “Great news, until next time, because for as long as Chansiri is our owner, payment issues and his arrogant narcissistic ways will continue. All he is doing is bleeding the club dry and ripping the heart out of it. The sooner he is gone the better.”
It’s set to be a dramatic and potentially very painful summer for Sheffield Wednesday, especially if Rohl does leave and Chansiri stays put.