There was also unrest on the coaching bench. Manager Danny Röhl, who only took over the club last October and led to relegation in his first season, left the club at the end of July, shortly before the start of the season.
It was only on Thursday that Sheffield presented a new head coach with Henrik Pedersen, previously Röhl’s assistant. Friendship games or a season preparation tour were not set – which is hardly surprising in view of the personnel emergency.
“Absolute chaos. It is not an end in sight,” Ian Bennett, chairman of the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust, a fan organization, told Sky Sports News. “The problems don’t end. You think the next day cannot get worse, and it is. We don’t even know if we play the first game at all. The fans will support everything the players do.”
The Pfa player union also condemned the conditions at the club. Chairman Maheta Molango spoke of “shocking” and “unacceptable” conditions last week after players and employees were not paid in time.