Sport Circuit

By Ewan Jackson

7th February 2025

In October 2023, sitting rock bottom of the Championship on a 10-game winless run, Sheffield Wednesday Football Club made the decision to move on from at-the-time manager Xisco Munoz and to start again with a new man at the helm. Enter Danny Röhl- a 34-year old from Zwickau, whose last role in football came as the assistant manager of the German national team. With a glittering CV as the right-hand man to the likes of Hansi Flick and Ralph Hasenhüttl, the hiring of Röhl represented an exciting left-field appointment. But having had no experience as head coach in any of his previous roles, there were many question marks around what he could get out of a struggling Wednesday side who were rooted at the bottom of the table. Fast forward to February 2025 and Röhl has revolutionised the Owls. Idolised by the fanbase, he has transformed the club back into play-off contenders.

Röhl’s first victory at Wednesday came in a 2-0 Hillsborough win over Yorkshire-rivals Rotherham Utd, thanks to a Michael Smith brace, but the German had initially found positive results hard to come by in his start to life as Owls boss. Heavy defeats at the hands of Plymouth and Millwall as well as narrow away losses to Bristol City and Birmingham meant that Wednesday would have to wait until the visit of Blackburn Rovers in December for their next championship victory. After this faltering start the Owls were able pick up points as they slowly clawed their way back into contention with teams around them. Although still inconsistent, Wednesdayites were beginning to enjoy watching their team play and compete once more. With the pace of Djeidi Gassama and Anthony Musaba, the renaissance of creative playmaker Barry Bannan and their January signing talisman Ike Ugbo, there was an identity once more to Wednesday- and an exciting one at that. A six-game unbeaten run to end the season, culminating in a 2-0 final day win against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, saw Wednesday stay up by the skin of their teeth. An achievement accomplished by Röhl and his squad which will live long in the memory for everyone associated with the club. Finally there was a sense amongst Wednesday fans that they had the right man in charge to take them back to the top flight of English football.

Fears of relegation had transformed into hopes of promotion under Röhl and the next evolution of his Wednesday side was eagerly anticipated coming into this season. Recruitment in the summer saw further evidence of Röhl’s intent to further impose his high-octane style of football on Wednesday. The arrival of Max Lowe and Yan Valery perhaps represented the biggest signs of tactical evolution going into the opening game against Plymouth. A systematic shift with the inversion of the fullback position, as well as a relentless press at the top of the pitch, were just two of the hallmarks of a new Sheffield Wednesday side which had been implemented by Röhl and his team. In terms of personnel, a statement loan signing of Shea Charles from Southampton, adding to a squad with an abundance of potential, did nothing to discourage optimism ahead of a new season in S6. A 4-0 opening day dismantling of Plymouth Argyle represented the perfect start to Röhl’s first full season in the championship as positivity and ambition continued to grow at Hillsborough.

However, progression in the championship is never so straight-forward. It is an unforgiving division that is constantly getting stronger with each season and Sheffield Wednesday’s promising start was soon brought back down to earth the following week at the hands of high-flying Sunderland. After such a resounding victory against Plymouth, a 4-0 defeat to the Black Cats on match-day two had, in many ways, represented a micrcocosm to Wednesday’s 24/25 campaign. Brilliant one week and awful the next. The consistency needed to compete at the top end of the table has been the one real ingredient that has been missing from Röhl’s time at the Owls. He has made Wednesday a formidable outfit on their day, but Wednesday fans will no doubt be hoping that Röhl can instil a week-to-week consistency going forward. Sitting 10th, just two points off the play-offs, Wednesday travel to West Brom on Saturday lunch-time with hopes of breaking into the top-six. In a pivotal month for Röhl and the Owls, the blue side of Sheffield will be hoping to kick on and establish themselves in the play-off positions. Their German gaffer has awoken one of English football’s sleeping giants and whilst he remains in charge, Wednesdayites will be dreaming of returning to England’s top division very soon.