@AlanBiggs1 Agree..and if you keep trying the same experiment do not expect different results. Thought a return to stability and tried and tested was this seasons mantra
Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest football clubs in the world, their famous name woven into the tapestry of the game. Formed in 1867, elected to the Football League in 1892, founder members of the Premier League, four times champions of England, three times winners of the FA Cup, and the League Cup once. Such honours may be far back in history but Wednesday remain a powerful force in many lives, in families, communities, in Sheffield and beyond.
It would be devastating to Wednesday supporters and deeply damaging to the reputation of English football if Wednesday lost their membership of the EFL because of the behaviour of an owner in Dejphon Chansiri who passed initial EFL ownership tests, was welcomed (let’s not forget), but turned out to be shamelessly irresponsible. Wednesday fans fear the club's existence might be at risk if the EFL imposes further punishments and restrictions that deter potential buyers.
Stronger oversight of owners is clearly required and the EFL and PL did tighten their rules in 2023. The new Independent Football Regulator will introduce a proper licensing system for clubs and better oversight of owners. Unfortunately, the IFR did not come into force early enough to prevent Wednesday's downward slide under Chansiri.
Wednesday are currently in administration and threatened with further EFL sanctions – a 15-point deduction for next season. This season's 18-point deduction all but guaranteed relegation from the Championship (confirmed on Feb 22). The League applies sanctions as punishment for debts and also as a deterrent to other clubs/owners.
The EFL emphasises it is working with all parties to “try and find a solution that can see Sheffield Wednesday continue as a member of the League....but ultimately we have to also apply the terms of the League’s insolvency policy…which seeks to balance the interests, not only of Sheffield Wednesday, but also of the other 71 clubs”.
Sheffield Wednesday Supporters' Trust, fighting hard for their club’s survival, has now released a copy of the EFL’s insolvency policy and argues that it gives the League, in the Trust’s words, “absolute discretion when determining how to deal with clubs experiencing an insolvency event”.
The Trust argues that “…further punitive sanctions risk undermining the very factors the EFL states it must consider - including the effect on supporters, the impact on the local community and the wider credibility of the league itself.
“Sheffield Wednesday supporters are not seeking advantage over other clubs. It is entirely right that all EFL clubs should be treated fairly and consistently. That principle must include Sheffield Wednesday that has already suffered enormously during a decade in which the EFL’s own regulatory oversight failed to prevent the damage that unfolded.
“We urge the EFL to apply its own guidance responsibly and ensure that the focus now is on allowing the club to recover, stabilise and move forward under new ownership. Sheffield Wednesday supporters have suffered enough.” #SWFC #EFL @SWFCTrust
⏪ BLADES BACK IN TIME ⏪
Sheffield United manager John Harris with players Tony Wagstaff, Alan Birchenall, Mick Jones, and Len Badger in 1967.
#twitterblades#sufc
"We share a history and it's fantastic"
A group of Sheffield historians have endorsed the campaign to save the site of the first Hampden stadium from redevelopment.
Ending historic rivalry on “first” claims, Sheffield Home of Football joins forces with Scottish historians to “strongly endorse” their “campaign to save the site of the first Hampden Park Stadium.” A “shared privilege & responsibility for future generations”
Ever wondered what was the world’s first works football club? Well, it was formed here on Arundel Street close to Sheffield city centre. Lockwood Brothers FC. I’m attending the latest of 10 blue plaques unveiled by Sheffield Home of Football.
Astonished to hear that Lockwood Brothers FC (world’s first works team) actually reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in 1886-87.
Here’s historian Steve Wood, of Sheffield Home of Football, precariously setting up today’s blue plaque unveiling.
From the 1890s to the present day the football culture of the Don and Dearne Valleys has had a major impact on the Sheffield and Hallamshire region, proving players for title winning boys teams and the #Blades and the #Owls as well as other legendary top flight teams.