Sheffield Wednesday have been given two perfect examples to follow in relegation dogfight
Sheffield Wednesday are rock-bottom of the Championship and are the only side in all three divisions of the EFL yet to taste victory – but it’s not all doom and gloom
In terms of statistics, it’s the worst start a Championship team has ever had.
Following their loss to Watford last weekend, Sheffield Wednesday now sit atop the second division with just three points out of a possible thirty-six.
The Owls are nine points out of safety even at this early point in the season.
When you combine all of that with an embarrassing goal drought that has lasted longer than eight hours, it’s understandable why some fans are already accepting that they could be sent back to League One.
However, there is optimism that the club will be able to start improving its miserable state if a new management group is appointed.
While the match in Hertfordshire last weekend may not have had any obvious results, it was a better performance than previous matches. Even though things seem hopeless right now, new manager Danny Röhl and his team might draw inspiration from these two excellent instances.
Rewind to September 19, when the lowest two teams in the Championship met at home between the Owls and Middlesbrough.
After six games apiece, the two had exactly one point between them.
Unsurprisingly, the match proved to be close, with the points being shared in a 1-1 tie.
However, Michael Carrick’s side has had incredible form ever since that day. Six games in a row, five in the league and one in the League Cup, have been won by them.
During the run, there have been some impressive wins, but none more so than the crushing 4-0 victory over local rivals Sunderland before the most recent international break. With their most recent victory, a thrilling 1-0 victory over Wayne Rooney’s Birmingham at the weekend, Boro is now just two points out of the play-offs thanks to their rapid turnaround in form.
Swansea City is another team that was spurred into action following their encounter on Wednesday.
On September 23, the Swans hosted Wednesday, then led by Xisco Munoz, with Michael Duff’s team on three points, one more than the Owls at that stage. That day’s 3-0 victory started a four-game winning streak that was only broken last weekend by Leicester, the clear leaders.
What can we infer from this? It implies that teams can suddenly come to life, and for Wednesday, that is definitely the main hope.
It’s believed that if they want to stay afloat going into November, they need to win these next two games, which are on Sunday at home against Rotherham and away against Plymouth.
As demonstrated by others, achieving that first elusive victory can serve as a powerful launching pad for greater things.
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