Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen hopes to find out the next steps in the club's takeover saga on Thursday after seeing his side beaten at Norwich City.

The match kicked-off just hours after the James Bord consortium, named as preferred bidders just before Christmas, ended their interest in the club.

"I had to focus on the game the whole day so I only heard (about the consortium) like the other employees at the club," he told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"I only know the administrator should have a plan B for how we can come quick to the next step so I look forward to further progress.

"I will speak tomorrow so I can update the players and then we can take it from there."

Joe Emery, 19, came closest to a goal for Wednesday with a second-half header in only his second league appearance for the Owls, who also sent on 17-year-old Will Grainger as a late substitute.

The players and staff gathered together after the final whistle to applaud the travelling Owls support.

"We're just relegated and so many fans are coming down on a long trip to Norwich, the most important thing was to make them proud," Pedersen added.

"The boys played for the shirt and the last moment where we were all together because we want to say thank you for this amazing support - it shows why we are the club we are and can have a bright future."

Rob Staton
BBC Radio Sheffield reporter

Image source, PA

Maybe this is for the best?

The James Bord-led consortium told the media today they were pulling out of their attempt to buy Sheffield Wednesday.

It follows two months of fans wondering if this would happen, or whether they were the right people to follow Dejphon Chansiri's disastrous reign.

Better to know now that this isn't going any further. It could've easily been dragged out longer.

Word was doing the rounds in the past few days that this would be the eventual conclusion. There wasn't as much clarity that it would happen so swiftly.

Many people had reservations, including those of us in local media who observed some of Bord's influences at Sheffield United when he acted as a consultant.

The Bord group said in a statement: "The figure we offered is significantly higher than that justified by the findings of a lengthy due diligence process."

Fans can be forgiven for asking - "really?"

Everyone can see how much infrastructure work is required at Sheffield Wednesday.

An incredible amount of investment is needed to get the squad, ground and training ground up to scratch.

You could argue other buyers didn't compete with the Bord bid, revealed by the club to be worth an astonishing £47.8 million, because they were well aware of what needed to be spent once they'd signed the deal.

So what now?

The joint administrators say they've been in contact with other participants in the sales process.

The David Storch bid team sent me a statement last night reiterating their desire to buy the club.

They said: "We remain incredibly passionate about the opportunity at Sheffield Wednesday and seeing the club return to its former glory."

It'll also be a relief to fans to hear the administrators say the club is funded for the remainder of the season.

A quick solution is needed. But it also has to be the right people. I can't remember a club of this size that has so badly needed the right owner to take over.

Wednesday fans have a half-joke they like to use. They relentlessly call the club "massive" to wind up their neighbours. Some take it too seriously and genuinely believe it.

I'd say to those people that a more appropriate 'M' word to describe Sheffield Wednesday is "mess".

It needs someone with the right plan, the right ideas. And money, or the contacts to bring investment in.

It needs major work done to the whole of the club, not just a bob or two spent on the team.

It needs someone who gets the fans, the history, the city.

If you're out there, step forward - take on the challenge and give these long suffering supporters the club many of them deserve.

If you can't do it, don't waste any more of their time.

Image source, Shutterstock

The consortium that was looking to complete a takeover of Sheffield Wednesday has withdrawn from the process, meaning administrators need to find another buyer.

Former professional poker player and Dunfermline co-owner James Bord was named as the preferred bidder alongside Felix Romer and Alsharif Faisal Bin Jamil two months ago.

Romer is a German-born entrepreneur best known for his achievements in the online consumer sector, including finance technology, gambling and software.

Bin Jamil is said to be a member of the Jordanian royal family who is a board member at Dunfermline and Spanish second division club Cordoba.

The trio are all involved in Bord's sports analytics business Short Circuit Science.

Another consortium led by American businessman David Storch said on Tuesday it was still interested in buying the club, which has been in administration since October following 10 years under the ownership of Dejphon Chansiri.

• Are you pleased or disappointed that the consortium led by Bord has pulled out?

• Which direction would you like the club ownership to take?

Let us know your thoughts here and check back later to see a selection of your responses.

Image source, Opta

While Sheffield Wednesday prepare for life in League One, Norwich will seek to put further ground between themselves and the drop-zone on Wednesday (19:45 GMT).

Sunday's derby defeat at Sheffield United was a 10th straight loss for the Owls and confirmed their relegation, though seven of the 11 points they have earned on the pitch this season have come away from Hillsborough, including their only win of the season at Portsmouth in September.

After a run of five wins in six games, the Canaries went down 2-1 at home to Birmingham on Saturday but remain four places and six points ahead of the bottom three.

• Norwich are winless in their past four league games against Sheffield Wednesday (D2 L2), having won three in a row against them before this.

• Sheffield Wednesday won this exact fixture 3-2 last season, last winning consecutive away league games against Norwich between 2005 and 2009 (4 in a row).

• Norwich have only failed to score in one of their past 12 league games against Sheffield Wednesday, though they've also only kept one clean sheet in that run.

• Norwich have won their past three midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games by an aggregate score of 10-1, having been winless in nine before this (D4 L5).

• Sheffield Wednesday are winless in their past nine midweek (Tues, Weds, Thurs) league games (D4 L5), with their last win coming at Norwich in this exact fixture last season.

Image source, Shutterstock

Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen praised his side's togetherness but called it a "tough day" after they made unwanted English Football League history.

The 2-1 Steel City derby loss to Sheffield United means Wednesday have suffered the earliest ever relegation.

Going down to League One has been inevitable for most of the season but it was confirmed at Bramall Lane with 13 games remaining.

The damage was done early on as goals from Patrick Bamford and Harrison Burrows put the game beyond Wednesday on an afternoon when they needed to win to postpone their relegation.

"It was a tough day and we made the mountain bigger," Pedersen told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"Again the boys showed that they will stand together.

"They worked very hard to get back into it, we invested a lot. At 2-0 after 20 minutes you thought it could be a long day in the office today.

"The boys kept the organisation and lifted their chests up again. We changed a few things at half-time and were much stronger.

"We all believed and hoped that we could make the second goal and the boys did everything.

"The boys did everything that they could but it was not enough today."

Sheffield Wednesday could be relegated by their city rivals United on Sunday.

Defeat at Bramall Lane would consign the Owls to League One for next season, although a win for West Brom over Coventry on Saturday and at least a point for Blackburn on Friday against Preston would seal their fate before they even kick a ball.

Sheffield United were bottom of the table and below Wednesday when Chris Wilder returned to the club in September but have since moved 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

• Sheffield United have won each of their past three league games against Sheffield Wednesday, and last won four in a row against their rivals in September 1953 (4).

• Sheffield Wednesday have not scored in any of their past six matches against Sheffield United – across all competitions, only against one other side have they had a longer run of meetings without scoring (7 v Oxford between 1971 and 1974).

• Sheffield United have lost their past two home league games against fellow Yorkshire opponents (0-3 v Hull and 1-3 v Leeds). The last time they lost three in a row at home to Yorkshire sides was over a century ago, suffering defeats against Bradford (twice) and Sheffield Wednesday between 1910 and 1911.

• Sheffield Wednesday could become just the second team to lose 10+ consecutive games in the Championship (lost their past nine), after Rotherham between February and April 2017 (10).

• Patrick Bamford has scored five goals in seven home league games for Sheffield United so far. His minutes per goal ratio at Bramall Lane (89) is the best by any Blades player in a single Championship campaign (minimum 3 goals scored).

Image source, EFL

Puma's Rainbow ball will return to the English Football League as part of an on-going campaign against discrimination and homophobia.

The special edition rainbow ball was introduced in 2024 to mark LGBTQ+ History Month and will be used at every EFL game from 20 February until 1 March.

Manufacturers Puma will make a donation to Football v Homophobia for every goal scored with their rainbow ball across the Championship, League One and League Two.

The donations will help support education against homophobia and promote inclusion across the season.

The EFL have released a video, external to coincide with the campaign which features a Preston North End fan who was charged with a hate crime following homophobic chanting during an FA Cup fixture against Chelsea.

The rainbow ball will also feature in EFL partner EA Sports' FC 26 video game.

"The rainbow ball is a powerful symbol of the values we uphold across the EFL all season long," EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch said.

"It not only reflects our longstanding commitment to ensuring the League is representative of all its diverse communities, but also reminds us that we all have a role to play in creating an environment in which everyone feels they truly belong."

Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen believes his side are heading in the "right direction" despite losing at home to promotion chasers Millwall 1-2 on Saturday.

Although Millwall dominated the majority of the game, Jamal Lowe tapped in for the Owls after Charlie McNeill's long-range effort was spilled to give the Championship's bottom side a surprise advantage on the hour mark.

However, an own goal from Cole McGhee and Lions substitute Macaulay Langstaff's close-range finish from Femi Azeez's low cross completed a swift turnaround for the visitors who succumbed Wednesday to their 23rd league loss of the season.

"I think it was a fantastic game for the boys," said Pedersen to BBC Radio Sheffield. We played against a strong Millwall team, a top team in the Championship, and we knew they are maybe the most physical team in the league for set-pieces, long balls, second balls and duels.

"How we managed this game today, big respect to our guys. For the defensive stuff, we were really well organised and we managed all the long balls, and we also managed to win a lot of the second balls.

"Today, compared to some of the other games, we also had some power when we won the ball to play forward, to run forward, to get high up on the pitch and to create something so it's a big step in the right direction."