Burnley
Blackburn Rovers
Coventry City
Derby County
Leeds United
Luton Town
Middlesbrough
Millwall
Norwich City
Portsmouth
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield United
QPR
After achieving the great escape last season, many had hoped and expected Danny Rohl to take Sheffield Wednesday to the next level this year, but that hasn’t quite worked out.
Danny Rohl arrived in S6 last season to save Sheffield Wednesday from near-certain relegation, and ended up lifting the Owls to 20th place in the table.
This season, Sheffield Wednesday have flirted with a play-off push, but three consecutive defeats have left the Yorkshire outfit languishing in 13th place, seven points away from West Brom in sixth with 11 games to go.
It has been suggested that Sheffield Wednesday will miss out on the play-offs now, but the fact they were even in contention surely proves Rohl has improved the team substantially this year, right?
Danny Rohl is taking on too much responsibility at Sheffield Wednesday
Well, according to Sheffield Wednesday expert TW Football on Twitter/X, there is one concern around the club that may be holding Rohl back, and the numbers prove it.
They looked at the points tally from Rohl’s first 35 Championship games last season (50 points), compared to the 35 games he has managed this term, and interestingly, Wednesday have actually gained less points now (45 points).
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 11 |  NorwichNorwich | 35 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 56 | 48 | 8 | 48 |
| 12 |  MillwallMillwall | 34 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 45 |
| 13 |  Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday | 35 | 12 | 9 | 14 | 47 | 56 | -9 | 45 |
| 14 |  QPRQPR | 35 | 11 | 11 | 13 | 41 | 45 | -4 | 44 |
| 15 |  PrestonPreston | 34 | 9 | 15 | 10 | 36 | 41 | -5 | 42 |
So, what’s gone wrong? TW Football suggested Rohl has taken on too big a role at the club, dealing with things like recruitment, which has perhaps distracted him from matters on the pitch ever so slightly.
They wrote: “Danny is a fantastic coach and we are playing better football than last season. Danny has taken on the role of an old school manager within the club, managing the recruitment and other off the field situations. And I think he likes having his power.
“Reality is, it is to his detriment. He needs a structure above him where he just coaches. Recruitment should be taken away from his control. I don’t think it’s a strength of Danny’s. He approaches it from a coach view wanting specific technical aspects. Rather than seeing the bigger picture.”
As we know, this kind of structure goes against how football clubs normally operate these days. With this in mind, TW Football say Sheffield Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri should build a hierarchy above Rohl, giving him the freedom to let the football flourish while someone else handles transfers for him based on his needs and wishes.
But, it’s not all bad. In fact, the football is a lot better now, and TW Football claims Wednesday are better off in the grand scheme of things with those 45 points, as the gameplan and style of play is more sustainable and certainly more entertaining.
Will this all pay off in the long-run for Sheffield Wednesday and Danny Rohl?
Essentially, Danny Rohl has laid brilliant foundations at Sheffield Wednesday in terms of the football they play, and indeed, the general spirit and positivity around the club, too (at least when it comes to on-the-pitch matters).
The squad is in decent shape, and with a handful of additions in the summer, we could and should see Wednesday putting together a much stronger push for the play-offs next season.
It’s now down to the much-maligned Dejphon Chansiri to make the necessary changes at the top of the club to unleash Rohl’s full potential as a coach and get this team thriving.
Wednesday have made huge progress under Rohl. They’ve found a resilience and the ability to grind out results against tough teams, and there’s a clear identity there now.
But, if Chansiri doesn’t ease the pressure on Rohl’s shoulders, the whole house of cards could very quickly collapse. This summer is going to be crucial for Sheffield Wednesday, and Rohl simply must be given the tools he needs to achieve the success this sleeping giant deserves.