Sky Bet Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday have made a slow start to the 2016/17 campaign and currently lie in 16th place after two wins, two draws and two defeats from their six games so far.
Following last season’s determined run to the Championship Play-Off Final many expected big things from the Owls during this campaign and the club will hope to turn things around pretty quickly.
Portuguese boss Carlos Carvalhal has assembled a steady squad since arriving just over a year ago and his group of players are the envy of several of the Championship’s other managers.
The likes of Gary Hooper, Fernando Forestieri, Barry Bannan and Tom Lees are all proven second tier performers and despite a sluggish start to the campaign, ambitions remain high around Hillsborough.
After several years of mediocrity there is a real sign that Sheffield Wednesday are on the way back to the Premier League, where a club of their size rightly belongs.
Football League World writer Lee Clarke takes a look at the three best things Sheffield Wednesday have done in the last five years.
Promotion to the Championship
Sheffield Wednesday secured promotion back to the Championship after just two years in the third tier, when they defeated Wycombe Wanderers 2-0 on the final day of the 2011/12 campaign.
Gary Megson had started the ball rolling towards promotion but three successive defeats in February had threatened to derail their advance towards the Championship and the former Forest boss was sacked, replaced by ex-Wolves boss Dave Jones.
Jones oversaw 12 unbeaten games – 10 wins and two draws – to ensure that it was a speedy return to the second tier, where the club has gone from strength to strength ever since.
Reaching the Championship Play-Off Final
Carlos Carvalhal arrived at Hillsborough at the start of last season as an unknown quantity having never worked in the UK before.
With a quality squad assembled Wednesday were expected to improve upon the season previous, although even the most ardent of supporters could have expected such a consistent campaign.
The Owls secured the final play-off place before beating Brighton and Hove Albion, who had only missed out on automatic promotion via goal difference, over two legs to set up a final with Hull City.
Although the Owls were defeated 1-0 in a cagey affair it still sent out a message that Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are back in business and the club’s players will naturally look to use the loss as inspiration to go one better this season.
Signing Fernando Forestieri
When Sheffield Wednesday secured the services of Fernando Forestieri from Watford last season it sent out a statement of intent to their Championship rivals.
The club took the forward for a relatively cheap £3 million and he established himself as one of the very best players in the Championship last season, netting 15 goals for the club to fire them into the play-offs.
Wednesday fought off some stiff competition from other second tier clubs for the 26-year-old and he is a massive part of the way in which Carlos Carvalhal wants his team to play.
Despite refusing to play for the club earlier in the campaign Forestieri has since apologised and will be seen as the focal point of the Owls’ attack again during this season.
Sheffield Wednesday fans, do you believe these are the three best things you have done in the last five years? What else should be included? Let us know in the comments below!!!