Sheffield Wednesday supporters have endured a gruelling season so far but with five points separating 23rd and 15th place in the Championship, the club still have a great chance of staying up.
When former head coach Xisco Munoz was relieved of his duties back in October, after the Owls failed to win in any of his first 10 league games, not many pundits or fans alike would have given the side a chance of steering the ship in the right direction.
However, while there has not been much to credit Dejphon Chansiri with in recent years, his decision to appoint an impressive, yet inexperienced manager in Danny Rohl has become the turning point of the campaign for the club.
Prior to Friday night’s disappointing defeat at Hillsborough against a superior Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday had been on a four-game winning streak, sitting within merely a point of safety. Even the ill-advised confidence supporters had that Rohl’s men could put the title-chasers to the sword is a testament to the job the German has done since taking over at the helm.
The former Southampton and Bayern Munich assistant manager has guided his team to 11 wins and two draws in 26 games this season in the Championship. Furthermore, Wednesday have earned 35 of their 38 total points in England’s second tier with the 34-year-old in the dugout.
Every game is important now for Sheffield Wednesday, particularly upcoming matches against Swansea City, Queens Park Rangers, Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers. Winning these fixtures will be of paramount importance in keeping the South Yorkshire outfit in the division.
Unfortunately, the stats don’t look so good for the club. According to Opta’s latest projections, Rohl’s men have a 53.5% chance of being relegated from the Championship. Only Rotherham United have a higher percentage with 100%.
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: Updated Opta Projections 📈
After a midweek of Championship action, we look at how the results have changed the Opta supercomputer projections.
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) March 7, 2024
Nonetheless, the margins are expected to be tight. Opta’s supercomputer has predicted Sheffield Wednesday to finish on 48 points, with QPR ahead of them on 49, while both Huddersfield Town and Blackburn Rovers are locked on 50 points in the safe spots.
Writer’s View
It’s best to look at this positively rather than negatively. While Sheffield Wednesday have a 53.5% chance of being relegated straight back down to League One, the club also have a 46.5% chance of staying up which actually exceeds fan expectations after such a dismal start to the campaign.
Rohl has done a tremendous job so far and it’s a pity that the young coach hadn’t been placed in charge after Darren Moore resigned from his post. It is likely that the Owls may not have been in this mess to begin with, or would have at least had a few extra points on the table.
