The English city of Sheffield can look back on a football history rich in tradition. However, the sporting future of the city currently looks anything but rosy.
A look at the English Championship table shows the serious sporting situation for the city of Sheffield. It is represented twice in the lower part of the table. Both Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday are in the middle of a relegation battle in the second English league.
This threatens not only the disappearance of two absolute original clubs from the scene on the island, but an entire football city at once. Together, clubs with five championship titles inevitably belong to English football history – a legacy that now seems to be fading for good.
After narrow playoff exit: Sheffield United with disastrous start
For Sheffield United, the development in recent years clearly pointed downward: After direct promotion to the Premier League in the 2022/23 season, they hopelessly dropped back down from the top flight as bottom of the table the following year.
Last season, the “Blades” fought their way to the playoff final, but against AFC Sunderland, the club had to bury their dreams of immediate promotion. Subsequently, coach Chris Wilder was fired.
Under his successor Rubén Sellés, however, the sporting disaster at the ambitious second division club really gained momentum. After five games, five defeats, and an embarrassing 5-0 thrashing by Ipswich, the Spaniard had to leave his post due to the catastrophic start to the season.
Coach rehired four months after dismissal
Reason enough for the club management to rethink and a curious decision resulting from it: Just four months after his dismissal due to the failed promotion, they brought former coach Wilder back to his old place of work.
The 58-year-old was not resentful about his dismissal. After taking over the bottom-placed team, Wilder said in response to a question from BBC Radio Sheffield : “For me, this club is something very special and unique. I don’t want to come here and speak complacently about the situation. It’s my football club, and we’re at the bottom of the table.”
After a 0-1 defeat against Charlton Athletic, the returnee actually managed to get the first points of the season against Oxford United (1-0). With three wins from the last seven games, there is at least an upward trend visible at Bramall Lane. Even though they have left the last place in the table, the English champion from 1898 is still in a relegation battle.
Insolvency application and double-digit points deduction
About 20 minutes away at Hillsborough Stadium, where Sheffield Wednesday is at home, the perspective looks even gloomier. The club, founded in 1867 and thus one of the oldest active football clubs in England, recently filed for insolvency and consequently received a deduction of twelve points.
After the traditional club managed to secure only one win in the league so far this season, they were already at the bottom of the table before the points deduction. Responsible for the financial problems of the second division club is the Thai former owner Dejphon Chansiri, who took over the club in 2015. Since then, Sheffield Wednesday has repeatedly made high losses – they were already sentenced to a twelve-point deduction in 2020.
Subsequently, the situation at the “Owls” escalated more and more. After clear criticism from their own fans, Chansiri decided not to invest any more money in the club. In recent months, salaries were therefore not paid on time, leading to protests and threats of lawsuits from the players. In response, they boycotted a friendly match against Burnley FC.
“Administrators appointed after significant efforts”
To make matters worse, Sheffield Wednesday then also received a transfer ban, which prevents the club from signing new players until the winter of 2026/27. The second division club was also unable to pay the salary of former German coach Danny Röhl, who now works for Glasgow Rangers, in the summer.
An official statement from the club said: “The administrators were appointed after significant efforts in recent weeks to arrange a sale to a credible future owner, which unfortunately did not materialize, given the increasing pressure from creditors.”
Fans happy about Chansiri’s departure
Despite the difficult sporting situation, Sheffield Wednesday fans were happy that the hated club owner had to leave his post. “Today is one of the most bittersweet days in our club’s proud 158-year history. The insolvency was the inevitable result of years of financial mismanagement, lack of accountability, and repeated failures to find credible buyers,” an official statement said.
“We are overjoyed that Dejphon Chansiri has finally left our club. Since the club has now been completely taken out of Chansiri’s hands, this could be the first step to getting our Wednesday back,” the Owls supporters continued.
Despite the satisfaction about the end of the Chansiri era, relegation to League One seems almost unavoidable. Due to the points deduction, Sheffield Wednesday are currently 16 points away from a place that would not mean relegation.