Sky Sports EFL pundit Keith Andrews has suggested that Sheffield Wednesday’s players should be taking some responsibility over the Owls’ recent performances, rather than the scrutiny just being placed on manager Garry Monk.

The Owls fell to another frustrating result on Saturday, with Monk’s side suffering a 3-0 defeat at home to Reading, which means that Sheffield Wednesday have gone six matches in the Championship without a win, while they have now also won just one of their last ten games.

That run of form has seen Sheffield Wednesday drop dramatically down the Championship table, with the Owls having sat as high as third place in the table in December, only to now be sitting down in 12^th place and nine points adrift of the play-off places.

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Speaking to Sky Sports’ latest EFL podcast, Andrews suggested that some of Sheffield Wednesday’s players deserve to take some criticism and responsibility for their recent form alongside Monk, who has become increasingly scrutinised over the last few matches.

He said: "I think too often players in this day and age get away with it, the performance levels. I mean we were quick to praise both Garry Monk and the players because of the position they found themselves in, they were very consistent and pragmatic type performances to get them up into fourth, fifth in the league.

"So on the flip side of that, they have to receive criticism when the performances tail off in such dramatic fashion as they have in recent weeks, because the performances and results against teams down at the bottom of the league have been very, very poor.

"You factor in that they've brought players in in January, the likes of Wickham and Windass that hasn't quite happened yet.

"Of course their missing Steven Fletcher and you've got Keiren Westwood and Sam Hutchinson not in the picture and it's the same old story, it's a little like ground hog day when it comes to those two again.

"Overall you feel it's an opportunity missed because the way the table has panned out this year there's a real hunt on for those top six positions, and when you look what they have at their disposal and where they were before Christmas they should be in the hunt, but it doesn't look like it's going to be possible now."

The verdict

Monk is a manager under ever growing pressure at Sheffield Wednesday, and if results continue to go the way they have been for the Owls over the last ten matches, then it could prove a challenge for him to hold onto his job and be given the time needed to turn things around on the field.

Andrews, though, is right to suggest that it is not just Monk who should be being scrutinised, with the Owls having enough talented players within their squad to be performing far better than they have been doing over the last few months now.

It has not just been the results that have been concerning over the last ten games, but also the way in which the Owls have been performing in those matches, with Sheffield Wednesday having been well beaten by Reading at the weekend and also falling to a deserved defeat against struggling Luton Town last time out on their travels.

Those sorts of performances will simply have to improve if Sheffield Wednesday are going to be able to get themselves out of this poor run of form, and Monk will be needing some of his key players to step up now and start to perform to their best over the next few weeks and months.