<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Wednesday Word: Opinions]]></title><description><![CDATA[Where you find me waxing lyrical or having a rant]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/s/opinions</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O7TW!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F71deafb6-6dbf-4a4d-b8a3-e434394ae105_1280x1280.png</url><title>The Wednesday Word: Opinions</title><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/s/opinions</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 13 Nov 2026 11:07:30 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Joe Crann]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[thewednesdayword@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[thewednesdayword@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Joe Crann]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Joe Crann]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[thewednesdayword@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[thewednesdayword@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Joe Crann]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Predicted Sheffield Wednesday XI vs Accrington Stanley with Dave Challinor set to ring the changes]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dave Challinor will take charge of his first home match as Sheffield Wednesday manager tomorrow night when Accrington Stanley visit Hillsborough in the Jersey Mike&#8217;s Trophy (7pm kick-off).]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/predicted-sheffield-wednesday-xi-accrington-stanley</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/predicted-sheffield-wednesday-xi-accrington-stanley</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2026 11:26:15 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RNDr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09367a68-3992-46cd-9ed5-9636615bb9ed_2918x1657.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RNDr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09367a68-3992-46cd-9ed5-9636615bb9ed_2918x1657.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RNDr!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09367a68-3992-46cd-9ed5-9636615bb9ed_2918x1657.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RNDr!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09367a68-3992-46cd-9ed5-9636615bb9ed_2918x1657.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RNDr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09367a68-3992-46cd-9ed5-9636615bb9ed_2918x1657.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RNDr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09367a68-3992-46cd-9ed5-9636615bb9ed_2918x1657.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RNDr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09367a68-3992-46cd-9ed5-9636615bb9ed_2918x1657.jpeg" width="2918" height="1657" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/09367a68-3992-46cd-9ed5-9636615bb9ed_2918x1657.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1657,&quot;width&quot;:2918,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1582879,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/i/224284914?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fad891b46-eb7e-4820-8233-8a9b8931418c_2918x4377.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RNDr!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09367a68-3992-46cd-9ed5-9636615bb9ed_2918x1657.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RNDr!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09367a68-3992-46cd-9ed5-9636615bb9ed_2918x1657.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RNDr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09367a68-3992-46cd-9ed5-9636615bb9ed_2918x1657.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RNDr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F09367a68-3992-46cd-9ed5-9636615bb9ed_2918x1657.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Owls striker George Brown. Image: Alex Young</figcaption></figure></div><p>The 51-year-old is set to ring the changes to the starting XI, with Wednesday having already secured their place in the last 32 after victories over Salford and Sunderland Under-21s.</p><p>Connal Trueman is poised to start in goal after coming off the bench in Sunday&#8217;s <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/oldham-athletic-vs-sheffield-wednesday-reaction">disappointing FA Cup defeat at Oldham Athletic</a>. With Ashley Maynard-Brewer battling illness at the weekend and involved in a heavy collision with Latics striker Mike Fondop, it would be a surprise if he was risked in effectively a dead rubber. There is a possibility Joe Lumley could return to the matchday squad after missing the last six matches with an elbow injury.</p><p>Challinor has already stressed the importance of Saturday&#8217;s league showdown with promotion rivals Plymouth Argyle, strongly hinting he will rotate where possible. The problem is his options are limited. </p><p>Wednesday&#8217;s squad has been stretched by a <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-mason-burstow-injury">lengthy injury list </a>and several international call-ups while Sunday&#8217;s 120-minute outing at Boundary Park was far from ideal given the quick turnaround.</p><p>Competition rules also mean Challinor cannot field an entirely youthful side. Experienced duo Liam Palmer and Max Lowe may therefore be required in the wing back positions.</p><p>Centre-half Sil Swinkels is available again after serving a one-match suspension and could slot into a youthful back three alongside Ernie Weaver and Gabriel Otegbayo.</p><p>A change in central midfield is on the cards. Barry Bannan is expected to be rested, potentially opening the door ajar for Jarvis Thornton to make a rare start. The game may come too soon for Billy Mitchell while Jaden Heskey and Callum Slattery could be asked to shoulder the workload once again.</p><p>It feels like an opportune moment to give George Brown a run-out in attack. Brown, an unused substitute at Oldham, will be keen to make up for lost time, having not played in 11 months. Wednesday are particularly short of attacking options, with <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-mason-burstow-injury">Ali Al-Hamadi and Mason Burstow </a>both unavailable through injury. Al-Hamadi and Mitchell are set to step up their recovery from injury this week.</p><p>In-form forward Davis Keillor-Dunn could be afforded a well-earned rest and start among the substitutes as Jamal Lowe aims to get back amongst the goals.</p><p>A draw or victory would guarantee Wednesday top spot in the group and secure home advantage in the next round.</p><p><strong>Predicted Owls XI vs Accrington (3-4-3):</strong> Trueman; Weaver, Otegbayo, Swinkels, Palmer, Thornton, Heskey, M Lowe; Slattery, J Lowe, Brown.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>This article is available for free, but if you like what you&#8217;ve seen from The Wednesday Word, then a paid subscription would mean the world to us - and allow us to keep doing everything that we&#8217;re doing in the TWW universe. We want to keep improving, and growing, and for that we need your support! Thank you!</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sheffield Wednesday’s underperforming squad now have nowhere to hide]]></title><description><![CDATA[Dave Challinor knows what good looks like - and it could take time before his Sheffield Wednesday squad can get to where he needs them to be.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesdays-underperforming-squad-nowhere-hide</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesdays-underperforming-squad-nowhere-hide</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2026 10:11:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aaS0!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb1e2035-4b87-4efa-b4e1-09e0040667dd_1600x1066.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aaS0!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb1e2035-4b87-4efa-b4e1-09e0040667dd_1600x1066.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aaS0!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb1e2035-4b87-4efa-b4e1-09e0040667dd_1600x1066.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aaS0!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb1e2035-4b87-4efa-b4e1-09e0040667dd_1600x1066.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aaS0!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb1e2035-4b87-4efa-b4e1-09e0040667dd_1600x1066.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aaS0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb1e2035-4b87-4efa-b4e1-09e0040667dd_1600x1066.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aaS0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb1e2035-4b87-4efa-b4e1-09e0040667dd_1600x1066.jpeg" width="1456" height="970" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/fb1e2035-4b87-4efa-b4e1-09e0040667dd_1600x1066.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:970,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:388977,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/i/224127649?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb1e2035-4b87-4efa-b4e1-09e0040667dd_1600x1066.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aaS0!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb1e2035-4b87-4efa-b4e1-09e0040667dd_1600x1066.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aaS0!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb1e2035-4b87-4efa-b4e1-09e0040667dd_1600x1066.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aaS0!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb1e2035-4b87-4efa-b4e1-09e0040667dd_1600x1066.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aaS0!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ffb1e2035-4b87-4efa-b4e1-09e0040667dd_1600x1066.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Dave Challinor wants more from his Sheffield Wednesday squad. Image: Steve Ellis</figcaption></figure></div><p>The new Sheffield Wednesday boss is a serial promotion winner who has enjoyed success everywhere he has managed. Every club he has left has been in a better place than when he arrived.</p><div class="subscription-widget-wrap-editor" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}" data-component-name="SubscribeWidgetToDOM"><div class="subscription-widget show-subscribe"><div class="preamble"><p class="cta-caption">The Wednesday Word is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.</p></div><form class="subscription-widget-subscribe"><input type="email" class="email-input" name="email" placeholder="Type your email&#8230;" tabindex="-1"><input type="submit" class="button primary" value="Subscribe"><div class="fake-input-wrapper"><div class="fake-input"></div><div class="fake-button"></div></div></form></div></div><p>The Owls job comes with enormous pressure, but everything Challinor has said during his first week in charge suggests he is well-equipped to handle the demands that come with it.</p><p>Yet <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/miles-too-slow-dave-challinor-sheffield-wednesday">Challinor is not a miracle worker, </a>and Sunday&#8217;s disappointing FC Cup defeat at Oldham Athletic was a stark reminder of the scale of the challenge he has inherited and the work required to turn Wednesday&#8217;s fortunes around.</p><p>Challinor selected a strong, experienced XI. Several players have performed in the Championship or higher. While injuries deprived him of several important options, the team he sent out at Boundary Park should have possessed more than quality to get the job done. Those players should have been desperate to impress the manager.</p>
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          <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesdays-underperforming-squad-nowhere-hide">
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Predicted Sheffield Wednesday XI vs Oldham Athletic as new boss Dave Challinor outlines priorities]]></title><description><![CDATA[Don't expect Dave Challinor to be wearing a suit in the away dugout this weekend.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/predicted-sheffield-wednesday-xi-oldham-challinor</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/predicted-sheffield-wednesday-xi-oldham-challinor</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2026 17:12:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yM-s!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48fee87d-9bb9-4323-ae53-5e72b14acbde_1600x1066.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yM-s!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48fee87d-9bb9-4323-ae53-5e72b14acbde_1600x1066.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yM-s!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48fee87d-9bb9-4323-ae53-5e72b14acbde_1600x1066.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yM-s!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48fee87d-9bb9-4323-ae53-5e72b14acbde_1600x1066.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yM-s!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48fee87d-9bb9-4323-ae53-5e72b14acbde_1600x1066.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yM-s!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48fee87d-9bb9-4323-ae53-5e72b14acbde_1600x1066.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yM-s!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48fee87d-9bb9-4323-ae53-5e72b14acbde_1600x1066.jpeg" width="1456" height="970" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/48fee87d-9bb9-4323-ae53-5e72b14acbde_1600x1066.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:970,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:288888,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/i/223751958?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48fee87d-9bb9-4323-ae53-5e72b14acbde_1600x1066.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yM-s!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48fee87d-9bb9-4323-ae53-5e72b14acbde_1600x1066.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yM-s!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48fee87d-9bb9-4323-ae53-5e72b14acbde_1600x1066.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yM-s!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48fee87d-9bb9-4323-ae53-5e72b14acbde_1600x1066.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yM-s!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F48fee87d-9bb9-4323-ae53-5e72b14acbde_1600x1066.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Di&#8217;Shon Bernard could start against Oldham Athletic. Photo credit: Steve Ellis</figcaption></figure></div><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m a tracksuit manager based on my wardrobe being horrendous!&#8221; he joked to The Wednesday Word.</p><p>The new S<a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/dave-challinor-clear-message-sheffield-wednesday">heffield Wednesday boss </a>will be hoping to make a winning start to his tenure when his side face Oldham Athletic at Boundary Park on Sunday.</p><p>On his first match in charge, <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/dave-challinor-clear-message-sheffield-wednesday">Challinor </a>said: &#8220;I&#8217;m really looking forward to it, mainly because it gives me the chance to get my first real eyes on the team from a dugout position.</p><p>&#8220;There will be information that we&#8217;ve given the players and I want to see how that has landed and whether they can carry those things out.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a competitive FA Cup tie and a game we would love to win to progress to the next round.</p><p>&#8220;Things then turn around really quickly. Between now and Christmas, we have got a run of Saturday-Tuesday matches and games against teams you expect to be near the top of the division competition for promotion.</p><p>&#8220;We have to hit the ground running. We&#8217;ve got to continue developing whilst winning to give ourselves a really good chance of being involved at the right end of the table.&#8221;</p><p>The tea-time FA Cup first round clash will be screened live on TNT Sports and Wednesday will be desperate to avoid an upset. Oldham have slipped to 18th in League Two, having have won just one of their last four matches. They are only three points above the relegation zone.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>We&#8217;ve got to continue developing whilst winning to give ourselves a really good chance of being involved at the right end of the table.</p></div><p>But Challinor is taking nothing for granted against the Latics. &#8220;They&#8217;ve been a little up and down in terms of their results,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But they had a good result on Tuesday going to Northampton and winning.</p><p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t imagine playing on a Sunday at 5.15pm would have been the case if they (TNT Sports) thought it was going to be a walkover. It&#8217;s the FA Cup and everyone knows that can bring. There is always the potential for shocks. </p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve got to be Sheffield Wednesday. That&#8217;s the most important thing. We&#8217;ve got to concentrate on the bits that we need to do. </p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve got really good players and we need to go and perform for ourselves first and foremost and for the supporters. Undoubtedly, we&#8217;ll have a full away end behind us so we need to go show and show what we&#8217;re about. </p><p>&#8220;There will have been comments and things said about the team recently that aren&#8217;t nice. Let&#8217;s use that as motivation. The players should want to show the real version of themselves, a better version of themselves every single day. If we do that, hopefully we will progress the next round.&#8221;</p><p>All eyes will be on Challinor and it will be fascinating to see the team he selects in his first match in charge. But the former Stockport County chief insists the focus should remain firmly on the players.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>If you can&#8217;t enjoy being a footballer, then you probably need to do something else. </p></div><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not about me,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I will speak to all the players. Everyone has different drivers and different markers. We&#8217;ll do something with them as we as we get further down the line around their motivations and why they do it. We all do it for different reasons. For most people, family is a huge part and there are always special memories that you grow up holding onto.</p><p>&#8220;But it&#8217;s about going out and performing. We&#8217;re are in a brilliant job. If you can&#8217;t enjoy being a footballer, then you probably need to do something else. If you can&#8217;t enjoy being a footballer at Sheffield Wednesday and playing in front of 30,000 people, then I&#8217;d worry for you. </p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s brilliant for us. The lads will go out there and perform and do their best. They will make some mistakes, of course, but I&#8217;m really intrigued to see what we&#8217;ve got from a pitch-side and dugout perspective. I&#8217;ve got true belief that we will produce a performance that will be fitting of everything that does happen on Sunday in terms of travel and the support we will get.&#8221;</p><p>So how will Wednesday line up? We know Challinor&#8217;s preferred system is a back three and he will be forced to make at least one change in defence, with Sil Swinkels suspended.</p><p>Di&#8217;Shon Bernard is expected to be involved after shrugging off a minor knee issue. He could join Ernie Weaver and Liam Palmer in the back three, with Liam Cooper unlikely to be risked. Ricardo Santos may have to settle for a place on the bench as Wednesday continue to carefully manage his return to full fitness.</p><p>Yan Valery and Max Lowe are poised to retain their wing-back berths while Jaden Heskey looks set to partner Barry Bannan in central midfield once again. </p><p>Further forward, Callum Slattery and Davis Keillor-Dunn were excellent for long stretches in supporting lone front man Mason Burstow against Blackpool last time out. Jamal Lowe is in line to return to the matchday squad after completing a three-match ban but he might have to bide his time before getting the chance to impress the new boss. Burstow has performed well in his last three outings and there are growing signs he could prove a major asset in in Wednesday&#8217;s promotion charge.</p><p>Challinor watched the Seasiders clash from the directors&#8217; box. After a whirlwind few days in charge, he may be reluctant to make wholesale changes as he looks to transform Wednesday&#8217;s fortunes.</p><p><strong>Predicted Owls XI vs Oldham Athletic (3-4-3):</strong> Maynard-Brewer; Palmer, Weaver, Bernard; Valery, Heskey, Bannan, M Lowe; Slattery, Keillor-Dunn, Burstow.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>This article is available for free, but if you like what you&#8217;ve seen from The Wednesday Word, then a paid subscription would mean the world to us - and allow us to keep doing everything that we&#8217;re doing in the TWW universe. We want to keep improving, and growing, and for that we need your support! Thank you!</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Four things we learned from Sheffield Wednesday’s Blackpool draw as incoming boss Dave Challinor watches on]]></title><description><![CDATA[New boss Dave Challinor watched on as Sheffield Wednesday were held to a 1-1 draw by Blackpool.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/four-things-learned-sheffield-wednesday-challinor</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/four-things-learned-sheffield-wednesday-challinor</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2026 08:00:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uu3D!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6cdbbf2-2e40-44c7-a470-6b986465a556_5832x3029.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uu3D!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6cdbbf2-2e40-44c7-a470-6b986465a556_5832x3029.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uu3D!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6cdbbf2-2e40-44c7-a470-6b986465a556_5832x3029.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uu3D!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6cdbbf2-2e40-44c7-a470-6b986465a556_5832x3029.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uu3D!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6cdbbf2-2e40-44c7-a470-6b986465a556_5832x3029.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uu3D!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6cdbbf2-2e40-44c7-a470-6b986465a556_5832x3029.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uu3D!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6cdbbf2-2e40-44c7-a470-6b986465a556_5832x3029.jpeg" width="5832" height="3029" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e6cdbbf2-2e40-44c7-a470-6b986465a556_5832x3029.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:3029,&quot;width&quot;:5832,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3583696,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/i/223043356?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc7efcbd8-e463-4f3f-9ba2-63a7bc37b5c4_5832x3888.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uu3D!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6cdbbf2-2e40-44c7-a470-6b986465a556_5832x3029.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uu3D!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6cdbbf2-2e40-44c7-a470-6b986465a556_5832x3029.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uu3D!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6cdbbf2-2e40-44c7-a470-6b986465a556_5832x3029.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Uu3D!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe6cdbbf2-2e40-44c7-a470-6b986465a556_5832x3029.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">A lovely tribute at Hillsborough. Image: Getty</figcaption></figure></div><p>Chester-born Challinor, a serial promotion winner, was <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-match-report-blackpool-dave-challinor">named the Owls&#8217; new manager just hours before today&#8217;s clash</a>. He takes over from Henrik Pedersen, who was relied of his duties a week ago following back-to-back away defeats to Notts County and Doncaster Rovers.</p><p>The move sees <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-match-report-blackpool-dave-challinor">Challinor reunited with sporting director Simon Wilso</a>n, who he enjoyed big success with at Stockport County. Challinor is expected to be joined by long-time assistant Clint Hill at S6.</p><p>He was in the directors&#8217; box as Jerry Yates grabbed a late equaliser to extend Wednesday&#8217;s winless run to four matches. Here are four things he will have learned from the League One clash:</p><p><strong>Attacking riches</strong></p><p>Challinor will inherit a side who have been on a poor run of late but possess a plethora of attacking talent. Many League One teams would love to be able to upon players of the calibre of Barry Bannan, Callum Slattery, Davis Keillor-Dunn and Mason Burstow.</p><p>After a slow start against the Tangerines, Wednesday gradually settled down and took a grip of the midfield battle. Their patterns of play of constant rotations on the front line kept Blackpool guessing. It was a joy to watch the way Slattery, Keillor-Dunn and Burstow linked up in the first half. Slattery and Keillor-Dunn thrived in the advanced midfield roles, offering excellent support to Burstow in Wednesday&#8217;s 3-4-2-1 formation. </p><p>What is exciting for Challinor as he looks to quickly implement his philosophy and ideas is Louie Barry, Jamal Lowe and Ali-Al Hamadi will significantly increase their attacking firepower when they return from injury and suspension.</p><p><strong>Sort out Keillor-Dunn&#8217;s future</strong></p><p>He is just a classy player, isn&#8217;t he? Leighton Clarkson turned the ball over cheaply and Keillor-Dunn made the most of the gift, picking up the loose ball and bursting forward at pace before finding the bottom corner with an unerring right foot finish. It was poetry in motion and Keillor-Dunn&#8217;s fourth goal in his past seven outings. He could have scored earlier but it took some heroic last-ditch defending to keep him at bay.</p><p>It took a great save from former Owls shot-stopper Bailey Peacock-Farrell to prevent Keillor-Dunn from scoring after the restart as he continued to be a thorn in Blackpool&#8217;s side.</p><p>As things stand, Keillor-Dunn is due to head back to parent club Wrexham in the New Year. But the 28-year-old has already <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/henrik-pedersen-sheffield-wednesday-davis-keillor-dunn-future">dropped a big hint he would be open to extending his Wednesday loan</a>. Will he stay or will he go?</p><p><strong>Disciplinary issues</strong></p><p>Wednesday have lost two players to red cards in the last four matches. While Jamal Lowe can have no complaints over his sending off at Notts County, Sil Swinkels can count himself a tad unfortunate to see red on his return to the starting XI.</p><p>The Dutch centre-back was given his marching orders after being adjudged to have brought down Tom Bloxham and denied a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Bloxham appeared to be going away from goal but referee Simon Mather felt it was worthy of a red. Swinkels&#8217; dismissal forced Wednesday into a tactical reshuffle, with interim boss Matt Hamshaw switching to a back four.</p><p>Given Callum Slattery also recently sat-out a match due to collecting five yellow cards, it is crystal clear Wednesday need to improve their disciplinary record.</p><p><strong>Character test</strong></p><p>It was a big test of Wednesday&#8217;s character after Swinkels&#8217; red card. The 10 men battled so hard, giving everything for the cause. They were well-organised, defended in numbers and continued to create opportunities on the counter attack. </p><p>Blackpool emptied their bench and struggled to find a way through. The visitors huffed and puffed, rescuing a point with nine minutes to go after Wednesday sacrificed the outstanding Keillor-Dunn and rejigged their backline. Old boy Jerry Yates came back to haunt the Owls, prodding home Albie Morgan&#8217;s high cross.</p><p>Although Wednesday have now gone four matches without a win, it was an encouraging performance. They showed bags of grit, determination and spirit to grind out a result. You would imagine Challinor will have been impressed with a lot of what he saw in an entertaining encounter.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>This article is available for free, but if you like what you&#8217;ve seen from The Wednesday Word, then a paid subscription would mean the world to us - and allow us to keep doing everything that we&#8217;re doing in the TWW universe. We want to keep improving, and growing, and for that we need your support! Thank you!</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Predicted Sheffield Wednesday XI for Blackpool as Matt Hamshaw faces Liam Cooper decision ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to halt their three-match winless run when they welcome Blackpool to Hillsborough tomorrow afternoon, kick-off 2pm.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/predicted-sheffield-wednesday-xi-blackpool-cooper</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/predicted-sheffield-wednesday-xi-blackpool-cooper</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 31 Oct 2026 08:01:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dqUa!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba0290fb-ad71-4843-9a7a-816cc5e770c5_5118x2831.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dqUa!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba0290fb-ad71-4843-9a7a-816cc5e770c5_5118x2831.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dqUa!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba0290fb-ad71-4843-9a7a-816cc5e770c5_5118x2831.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dqUa!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba0290fb-ad71-4843-9a7a-816cc5e770c5_5118x2831.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dqUa!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba0290fb-ad71-4843-9a7a-816cc5e770c5_5118x2831.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dqUa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba0290fb-ad71-4843-9a7a-816cc5e770c5_5118x2831.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dqUa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba0290fb-ad71-4843-9a7a-816cc5e770c5_5118x2831.png" width="1456" height="805" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ba0290fb-ad71-4843-9a7a-816cc5e770c5_5118x2831.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:805,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:18014254,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/i/222802706?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba0290fb-ad71-4843-9a7a-816cc5e770c5_5118x2831.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dqUa!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba0290fb-ad71-4843-9a7a-816cc5e770c5_5118x2831.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dqUa!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba0290fb-ad71-4843-9a7a-816cc5e770c5_5118x2831.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dqUa!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba0290fb-ad71-4843-9a7a-816cc5e770c5_5118x2831.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dqUa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba0290fb-ad71-4843-9a7a-816cc5e770c5_5118x2831.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Mason Burstow for the Owls. Image: Alex Young</figcaption></figure></div><p>It is expected to be <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/matt-hamshaw-sheffield-wednesday-manager-search">Matt Hamshaw&#8217;s final match in interim charge</a>. The Wednesday Word understands the Owls are keen to appoint a new manager before their FA Cup first round trip to Oldham Athletic on November 8, with Dave Challinor among the candidates in contention to succeed<a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/henrik-pedersen-silence-sheffield-wednesday-sacking"> Henrik Pedersen</a>.</p><p>Hamshaw will be desperate to sign off his caretaker spell on a winning note and could make changes to the side that were held to a draw by Cambridge United in midweek.</p><p>Ashley Maynard-Brewer is expected to continue in goal but there may be a change at centre-back. Liam Cooper, a model of consistency throughout the campaign, is poised to return to the starting XI and partner Ernie Weaver at the heart of Wednesday&#8217;s rearguard.</p><p>The clash is likely to come too soon for Ricardo Santos (groin) and Di&#8217;Shon Bernard (hamstring). A succession of niggly injury problems have limited the summer recruit Santos to just five starts.</p><p>&#8220;I know Rico is frustrated; I had a chat with him on Friday morning,&#8221; he said. &#8220;He&#8217;s borderline for the weekend and we will have to wait and see on Sunday.</p><p>&#8220;I know he&#8217;s frustrated because, as any player does, you want to play regularly. When Rico has played, he&#8217;s done well. When Dish has played, he&#8217;s done well.<br><br>&#8220;I think you could argue Coops [Liam Cooper] has been one of his best players this season so far. They are big players for us.&#8221;</p><div class="pullquote"><p>Jaden Heskey will hope to return after missing out against Cambridge due to Wednesday&#8217;s loan-player restrictions on matchdays</p></div><p>The biggest selection may come at left-back. Does Hamshaw stick with Reece James after his industrious and adventurous display against Cambridge or restore Max Lowe? Dropping James would seem harsh given his performance, but Max Lowe remains the Owls&#8217; recognised first-choice option in that position and could be given the nod.</p><p>In midfield, Jaden Heskey will hope to return after missing out against Cambridge due to Wednesday&#8217;s loan-player restrictions on matchdays. Although Billy Mitchell did not cover himself in glory for Cambridge&#8217;s equaliser, the former Millwall man is likely to be paired again with Barry Bannan in the double midfield pivot.</p><p>It is not beyond the realms of possibility that Hamshaw will freshen up his wide options. Kieran Morrison is pushing hard for a start and could come in on the right, with Harry Gray shifted to the left. Questions persist over Morrison&#8217;s defensive work but there is little doubt about the threat he carries in possession. The Liverpool starlet&#8217;s ability to drive at defenders and create something out of nothing gives Wednesday an extra dimension in the final third.</p><p>Davis Keillor-Dunn&#8217;s place could come under scrutiny after a quiet and ineffective outing on Tuesday. Callum Slattery looks set to keep hold of the No 10 role after producing a moment of genuine quality to set up Mason Burstow&#8217;s goal.</p><p>Burstow has done enough to earn a second consecutive start. While his finishing let him down at times against Cambridge, he put in a tireless shift and the goal will have done his confidence a power of goal. With Jamal Lowe serving the final game of his three-match suspension and Ali Al-Hamadi yet to make a compelling case of his inclusion, sticking with Burstow feels the obvious call.</p><p><strong>Predicted Owls XI vs Blackpool (4-2-3-1):</strong> Maynard-Brewer; Valery, Weaver, Cooper, M Lowe; Bannan, Mitchell; Morrison, Slattery, Gray; Burstow.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>This article is available for free, but if you like what you&#8217;ve seen from The Wednesday Word, then a paid subscription would mean the world to us - and allow us to keep doing everything that we&#8217;re doing in the TWW universe. We want to keep improving, and growing, and for that we need your support! Thank you!</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Five Sheffield Wednesday talking points after frustrating Cambridge United draw]]></title><description><![CDATA[Managerless Sheffield Wednesday were held to a 1-1 draw by Cambridge United in their first match since Henrik Pedersen&#8217;s departure.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/five-sheffield-wednesday-talking-points-cambridge</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/five-sheffield-wednesday-talking-points-cambridge</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2026 08:02:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t48W!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4980b62b-dbde-4d53-8b04-3957d326cd95_3392x2013.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t48W!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4980b62b-dbde-4d53-8b04-3957d326cd95_3392x2013.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t48W!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4980b62b-dbde-4d53-8b04-3957d326cd95_3392x2013.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t48W!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4980b62b-dbde-4d53-8b04-3957d326cd95_3392x2013.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t48W!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4980b62b-dbde-4d53-8b04-3957d326cd95_3392x2013.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t48W!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4980b62b-dbde-4d53-8b04-3957d326cd95_3392x2013.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t48W!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4980b62b-dbde-4d53-8b04-3957d326cd95_3392x2013.jpeg" width="3392" height="2013" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4980b62b-dbde-4d53-8b04-3957d326cd95_3392x2013.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2013,&quot;width&quot;:3392,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1680253,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/i/222405882?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd2b263f1-82f9-494f-8e8e-958c1d917a49_3392x2264.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t48W!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4980b62b-dbde-4d53-8b04-3957d326cd95_3392x2013.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t48W!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4980b62b-dbde-4d53-8b04-3957d326cd95_3392x2013.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t48W!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4980b62b-dbde-4d53-8b04-3957d326cd95_3392x2013.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!t48W!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4980b62b-dbde-4d53-8b04-3957d326cd95_3392x2013.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Callum Slattery for the Owls. Image: Alex Young</figcaption></figure></div><p>Substitute Sullay Kaikai&#8217;s strike cancelled out Mason Burstow&#8217;s 50th minute opener to help Cambridge picked up a deserve point. It is now three matches without a win for Wednesday, who have slipped to ninth in the table.</p><p>Here are five talking points after the Hillsborough clash:</p><p><strong>Centre-back shortage</strong></p><p>No Ricardo Santos. No Di&#8217;Shon Bernard. No Liam Cooper. Far from an ideal situation for interim boss Matt Hamshaw to be without three senior centre-backs heading into a difficult assignment. Cooper was rested following a manic period.</p><p>With Cooper given a well-deserved night off, Hamshaw handed Ernie Weaver his first league start in almost 13 months. Weaver was one of five changes and partnered Max Lowe at centre-back. It did not take Weaver long to make his presence felt as he hooked Cathel Heffernan&#8217;s shot off the line inside the opening 30 seconds.</p><p>Cambridge, sitting in sixth position before kick-off, looked a side full of confidence. They were well-organised and attacked with pace in transition. Ben Knight dragged an effort well wide after nipping in behind Wednesday&#8217;s back line before Ashley Maynard-Brewer pulled off a smart save to foil Liam Bennett from close range.</p><p>It took Wednesday a long time to get going. It was not the fast start Hamshaw would have wanted. Too often Wednesday&#8217;s players were guilty of taking the safe option in the early skirmishes. It was all slow and predictable.</p><p><strong>Harry Gray</strong></p><p>As Wednesday gradually worked their way into the contest, the Leeds United loanee and Reece James got plenty of joy down the flanks and whipped in several teasing crosses. Restored to the starting XI, Gray was a bright spark and looked to make things happen in the final third. He linked well with Callum Slattery in the No 10 role and tried his best to take the fight to Cambridge.</p><p>Gray had Wednesday&#8217;s chance of the half, diverting a shot over on the stretch at the back post. It was a tough chance but he will have been disappointed that he did not make the goalkeeper work.</p><p><strong>Mason Burstow</strong></p><p>It has been a tough start to life at S6 for the forward. He has been in and out of the side. Henrik Pedersen often rotated his forwards, meaning Burstow struggled to get regular game time.</p><p>But Hamshaw rewarded Burstow for his positive showing at Doncaster with a start. Burstow repaid his faith by breaking the deadlock in the 50th minute after latching onto Slattery&#8217;s exquisite pass. He shrugged off the attentions of his marker before rifling a ferocious right foot shot past Jake Eastwood. It went in off the post and Burstow wheeled away in celebration after scoring just his second goal in Wednesday colours. The relief was etched all over Burstow&#8217;s faith. It felt a significant moment and could be the springboard to kickstart his Wednesday career.</p><p>Burstow came desperately close to grabbing a second but Eastwood produced a stunning save to palm over his shot from eight yards. It proved a big turning point.</p><p><strong>The equaliser</strong></p><p>Billy Mitchell&#8217;s costly error let in Shayne Lavery down the left. Lavery fed fellow substitute Sullay Kaikai, who emphatically fired home from just outside the penalty area. It was a clinical finish.</p><p>Wednesday continue to get punished for defensive lapses. They are too easy to play through. Cambridge kept going even when they were under the cosh and frequently asked questions of Hamshaw&#8217;s makeshift back four. It took some heroic last-ditch stuff to stop United from grabbing a late winner. Ashley Maynard-Brewer also produced several excellent saves. </p><p>Wednesday urgently have to get back to basics and tighten up at the back to reverse their poor run of form.</p><p><strong>A difficult week</strong></p><p>Two defeats. One draw. Not the points haul of a team with promotion aspirations.</p><p>It is worth stressing Cambridge are a good side. It is easy to see why they have not lost on their travels this season. They showed no fear and played with freedom and energy. It is no fluke they find themselves in seventh position.</p><p>But Wednesday have to be better in and out of possession. Only playing well in fits and starts won&#8217;t cut it at this level. Inconsistent performances will not get them to where they want to go. A new manager can&#8217;t come in soon enough.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>This article is available for free, but if you like what you&#8217;ve seen from The Wednesday Word, then a paid subscription would mean the world to us - and allow us to keep doing everything that we&#8217;re doing in the TWW universe. We want to keep improving, and growing, and for that we need your support! Thank you!</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Predicted Sheffield Wednesday XI vs Cambridge United as Matt Hamshaw rings the changes]]></title><description><![CDATA[It will be intriguing to see how Sheffield Wednesday line up under interim boss Matt Hamshaw tonight as they look to reignite their promotion push.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/predicted-sheffield-wednesday-xi-cambridge-united</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/predicted-sheffield-wednesday-xi-cambridge-united</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 27 Oct 2026 12:13:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VkOp!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F65c77667-41f0-452b-b4d2-9852da9b55ab_4096x2731.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VkOp!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F65c77667-41f0-452b-b4d2-9852da9b55ab_4096x2731.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VkOp!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F65c77667-41f0-452b-b4d2-9852da9b55ab_4096x2731.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VkOp!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F65c77667-41f0-452b-b4d2-9852da9b55ab_4096x2731.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VkOp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F65c77667-41f0-452b-b4d2-9852da9b55ab_4096x2731.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VkOp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F65c77667-41f0-452b-b4d2-9852da9b55ab_4096x2731.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VkOp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F65c77667-41f0-452b-b4d2-9852da9b55ab_4096x2731.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/65c77667-41f0-452b-b4d2-9852da9b55ab_4096x2731.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:927760,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/i/222314404?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F65c77667-41f0-452b-b4d2-9852da9b55ab_4096x2731.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VkOp!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F65c77667-41f0-452b-b4d2-9852da9b55ab_4096x2731.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VkOp!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F65c77667-41f0-452b-b4d2-9852da9b55ab_4096x2731.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VkOp!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F65c77667-41f0-452b-b4d2-9852da9b55ab_4096x2731.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!VkOp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F65c77667-41f0-452b-b4d2-9852da9b55ab_4096x2731.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Sheffield Wednesday face Cambridge United tonight. Image: Alex Young</figcaption></figure></div><p>Wednesday entertain sixth-placed Cambridge United looking to bounce back following successive away defeats against Notts County and Doncaster Rovers. <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/henrik-pedersen-gone-how-it-happened-sheffield-wednesday">Henrik Pedersen lost his job</a> less than 24 hours after the Rovers debacle, having overseen a run of just one win in six matches.</p><div><hr></div><p style="text-align: center;"><em>You&#8217;ve got just five days left to get your annual TWW subscription for only &#163;37.50 - that&#8217;s about &#163;3 a month for the year!</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?coupon=f0d7eae6&amp;utm_content=222314404&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;The Balls Are Out Discount&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?coupon=f0d7eae6&amp;utm_content=222314404"><span>The Balls Are Out Discount</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p>More than 29,000 fans are expected at Hillsborough and <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/liam-cooper-blunt-sheffield-wednesday-assessment">Liam Cooper has challenged himself and his team-mates to shoulder greater responsibility </a>for Wednesday&#8217;s worrying dip in form. &#8220;We all have to stay together when you have a challenge,&#8221; said the experienced centre-back. &#8220;Now we have two (home) games and we have to stay all together and deliver.</p><p>&#8220;We have to fight to come into the fight. It&#8217;s a real fight. And here we have to be stronger in this battle, in this dogfight.</p><p>&#8220;Right now we have a problem in games where you (must) take this battle, this dogfight from the beginning. We have struggled here and this is primarily where we have to step up.&#8221;</p><p>Hamshaw, a highly respected coach and former Wednesday midfielder, is expected to shuffle the pack. Sil Swinkels, an unused substitute at Doncaster, could be handed his first start in two months and may slot in alongside Cooper at the heart of their defence. Yan Valery and Max Lowe look set to retain their places at full-back while Ashley Maynard-Brewer should continue in goal once again with Joe Lumley still sidelined by a rib injury.</p><p>Wednesday are boosted by the return of <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/next-sheffield-wednesday-manager-in-tray">Callum Slattery from suspension</a>. Although Slattery has often operated in the No 10 position, Hamshaw may decide to deploy him in a deeper role to provide greater control in possession. Billy Mitchell and Jaden Heskey are among those whose places could come under threat after disappointing displays in the South Yorkshire derby.</p><p>Assuming Wednesday stick with a 4-2-3-1 system, Kieran Morrison is likely to move back into his preferred role on the right flank after bizarrely lining up at left wing back last time out. Davis Keillor-Dunn remains at his most dangerous when given licence to roam behind the striker while Harry Gray is poised to return on the left wing. Gray knows Hamshaw well, having closely worked with him at Rotherham United last term.</p><p>Options are limited up front. Leading marksman Jamal Lowe serves the second of a three-match suspension, leaving Ali Al-Hamadi and Mason Burstow as the club&#8217;s recognised centre-forward options. Burstow made a positive impact from the bench at Doncaster, troubling the Rovers defence and going close on several occasions. He failed to nail down a regular starting spot under Pedersen but perhaps this is the moment where the Hull City loanee finally announces himself in a Wednesday shirt.</p><p><strong>Predicted Owls XI vs Cambridge United (4-2-3-1)</strong>: Maynard-Brewer; Valery, Swinkels, Cooper, M Lowe; Slattery, Bannan; Morrison, Keillor-Dunn, Gray; Burstow.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>This article is available for free, but if you like what you&#8217;ve seen from The Wednesday Word, then a paid subscription would mean the world to us - and allow us to keep doing everything that we&#8217;re doing in the TWW universe. We want to keep improving, and growing, and for that we need your support! Thank you!</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[From Callum Slattery’s role to defining a clear identity - Next Sheffield Wednesday manager’s in-tray]]></title><description><![CDATA[The search for Sheffield Wednesday&#8217;s next manager has begun in earnest.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/next-sheffield-wednesday-manager-in-tray</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/next-sheffield-wednesday-manager-in-tray</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:31:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8NZA!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89bfa6f-d907-4817-8726-711e3bc7e4fb_5712x4284.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8NZA!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89bfa6f-d907-4817-8726-711e3bc7e4fb_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8NZA!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89bfa6f-d907-4817-8726-711e3bc7e4fb_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8NZA!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89bfa6f-d907-4817-8726-711e3bc7e4fb_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8NZA!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89bfa6f-d907-4817-8726-711e3bc7e4fb_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8NZA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89bfa6f-d907-4817-8726-711e3bc7e4fb_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8NZA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89bfa6f-d907-4817-8726-711e3bc7e4fb_5712x4284.jpeg" width="1456" height="1092" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c89bfa6f-d907-4817-8726-711e3bc7e4fb_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1092,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:7857440,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/i/222167886?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89bfa6f-d907-4817-8726-711e3bc7e4fb_5712x4284.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8NZA!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89bfa6f-d907-4817-8726-711e3bc7e4fb_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8NZA!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89bfa6f-d907-4817-8726-711e3bc7e4fb_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8NZA!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89bfa6f-d907-4817-8726-711e3bc7e4fb_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8NZA!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc89bfa6f-d907-4817-8726-711e3bc7e4fb_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The League One club parted company with <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/henrik-pedersen-gone-how-it-happened-sheffield-wednesday">Henrik Pedersen after a series of host of underwhelming performances and disappointing results</a>. Saturday&#8217;s 2-0 defeat to Doncaster Rovers proved the final straw, with supporters calling for change after Wednesday fell two goals behind inside the opening 16 minutes&#8230;</p><p>Former Rotherham United manager <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-fire-henrik-pedersen">Matt Hamshaw, who joined Pedersen&#8217;s coaching staff in August, has been promoted to the role of interim boss</a> and is expected to take charge of tomorrow&#8217;s home clash with Cambridge United.</p><div><hr></div><p style="text-align: center;"><em>Get 25% off an annual Wednesday Word subscription for the rest of the week, taking the price to just &#163;37.50 for 12 months.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?coupon=f0d7eae6&amp;utm_content=222167886&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;The Balls Are Out Discount&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?coupon=f0d7eae6&amp;utm_content=222167886"><span>The Balls Are Out Discount</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p>Finding the right replacement represents the first major footballing decision of the Arise era. Sporting director Simon Wilson will lead the search for Pedersen&#8217;s successor, with Dave Challinor, Paul Heckingbottom, Dean Holden, Liam Manning, Rob Edwards and Sean Dyche among the early names linked with the vacancy.</p><p>The Wednesday Word has examined five of the biggest challenges awaiting the club&#8217;s next manager:</p>
      <p>
          <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/next-sheffield-wednesday-manager-in-tray">
              Read more
          </a>
      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Arise act decisively after first major misstep of new Sheffield Wednesday era]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sheffield Wednesday fans today finally got their wish.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/arise-act-decisively-misstep-sheffield-wednesday</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/arise-act-decisively-misstep-sheffield-wednesday</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2026 14:53:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iW2P!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faaad109d-bde1-47a9-94f1-1d0c8c1e9015_6000x4000.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iW2P!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faaad109d-bde1-47a9-94f1-1d0c8c1e9015_6000x4000.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iW2P!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faaad109d-bde1-47a9-94f1-1d0c8c1e9015_6000x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iW2P!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faaad109d-bde1-47a9-94f1-1d0c8c1e9015_6000x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iW2P!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faaad109d-bde1-47a9-94f1-1d0c8c1e9015_6000x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iW2P!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faaad109d-bde1-47a9-94f1-1d0c8c1e9015_6000x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iW2P!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faaad109d-bde1-47a9-94f1-1d0c8c1e9015_6000x4000.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/aaad109d-bde1-47a9-94f1-1d0c8c1e9015_6000x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:19707235,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/i/222046328?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faaad109d-bde1-47a9-94f1-1d0c8c1e9015_6000x4000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iW2P!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faaad109d-bde1-47a9-94f1-1d0c8c1e9015_6000x4000.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iW2P!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faaad109d-bde1-47a9-94f1-1d0c8c1e9015_6000x4000.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iW2P!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faaad109d-bde1-47a9-94f1-1d0c8c1e9015_6000x4000.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iW2P!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faaad109d-bde1-47a9-94f1-1d0c8c1e9015_6000x4000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p><a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-fire-henrik-pedersen">Henrik Pedersen has been relieved of his duties after less than 15 months in charge</a>. The Dane led the club through an &#8220;exceptional period in the club&#8217;s history, providing stability and leadership during a time of significant uncertainty and change&#8221;.</p><p>Retaining Pedersen in the summer after the worst season in the club&#8217;s history was the safe option. Arise needed to rip up and change so much after buying the club that continuity in the dugout was viewed as a valuable asset. Senior figures admired the professionalism he displayed throughout a difficult transitional period and felt he deserved the opportunity to prove his credentials. The ruthless decision would have been to sack Pedersen and bring in their own man from the outset.</p><p>The problem for Pedersen was that he little credit in the bank. A strong start was essential if he was to turn the doubters into believers.</p><p>For a while, it looked like he might achieve exactly that. Wednesday climbed to the summit after winning four of their opening five matches. There appeared to be a growing bond between Pedersen and the fan-base after the 2-1 triumph at Peterborough. He received warm applause at full-time and huge cheers from the travelling support as he acknowledged them with fist bumps.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>What Pedersen promised and what he delivered were two different things. </p></div><p>The loss of marquee signing Louie Barry proved a fatal blow and derailed their early season momentum. Wednesday&#8217;s most potent attacking weapon had just found his goal-scoring touch and was starting to hit top form.</p><p>Pedersen was afforded some leeway after overseeing a major squad rebuild. Nobody expected perfection overnight following the arrival of 18 new signings.</p><p>Yet what Pedersen promised and what he delivered were two different things. Verticality, swarm and intensity became familiar buzzwords whenever he discussed his footballing philosophy. Wednesdayites were told to expect front foot, attacking football with excitement at its core. Instead, evidence of that approach was fleeting at best.</p><p>The warning signs were there early. A 4-0 pre-season defeat to League Two side Oldham Athletic raised eyebrows and it proved to be a sign of things to come.</p><p>There have been far too many turgid performances. Bromley and AFC Wimbledon were the exceptions rather than the rule. The fun and joie de vivre have gradually been drained from this team.</p><p>His decision to switch to a back four failed to deliver the desired improvement or consistency in performance. Too often players were asked to operate outside their best position. Callum Slattery has been moved around midfield to the detriment of his form. Kieran Morrison is not a left wing-back and never will be, yet he was bizarrely deployed there in Pedersen&#8217;s final game in charge at Doncaster Rovers. Jamal Lowe, despite scoring seven goals, has too often flattered to deceive.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>There have been too many limp, lifeless displays and too many occasions when the basics have not been executed well enough.</p></div><p>For long stretches of the season Wednesday have looked disjointed and lacked cohesion. That ultimately falls at the manager&#8217;s door. There have been too many limp, lifeless displays and too many occasions when the basics have not been executed well enough. Against a struggling Doncaster side, the players looked confused and uncertain of their roles and responsibilities.</p><p>Performances deteriorated rather than improved and Pedersen failed to make either the team or individual players better. Once supporters turned on him at Notts County and then Doncaster, his position became increasingly untenable. Repeated chants of &#8216;We want Pedersen out&#8217; echoed around the stadium.</p><p>Pedersen is a good man who stood by Wednesday during some of the darkest moments in the club&#8217;s history. But ultimately he looked out of his depth and tactically short of answers. He departs having won just 10 of his 65 matches in charge.</p><p>Persisting with <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-fire-henrik-pedersen">Pedersen was the first major misstep of the Arise era</a>. However, credit should go to the ownership group for recognising the mistake and acting decisively. Their willingness to make a difficult call now gives Wednesday the best possible chance of salvaging what remains a hugely important season.</p><p>A fresh voice and a new set of ideas could provide the spark this talented squad desperately needs. There is still a long way to go and Wednesday remain within touching distance of the automatic promotion places. The opportunity is still there. The challenge now is the for the right person to seize it.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Thanks for being part of The Wednesday Word family. Your fiver a month helps fund the entire project - whether it&#8217;s the articles, the YouTube or the social media platforms. Your support is hugely appreciated! Don&#8217;t forget you can get 10% off at the TWW store - just drop me a message for your code!</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MiqO!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4794b-d499-4f9b-ac00-c16bddf6a583_4096x1152.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset image2-full-screen"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MiqO!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4794b-d499-4f9b-ac00-c16bddf6a583_4096x1152.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MiqO!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4794b-d499-4f9b-ac00-c16bddf6a583_4096x1152.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MiqO!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4794b-d499-4f9b-ac00-c16bddf6a583_4096x1152.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MiqO!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4794b-d499-4f9b-ac00-c16bddf6a583_4096x1152.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MiqO!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4794b-d499-4f9b-ac00-c16bddf6a583_4096x1152.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MiqO!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4794b-d499-4f9b-ac00-c16bddf6a583_4096x1152.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MiqO!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4794b-d499-4f9b-ac00-c16bddf6a583_4096x1152.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MiqO!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F31d4794b-d499-4f9b-ac00-c16bddf6a583_4096x1152.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Five Sheffield Wednesday talking points after awful Doncaster Rovers defeat as Owls make their Henrik Pedersen thoughts known]]></title><description><![CDATA[Disgruntled Sheffield Wednesday fans called for Henrik Pedersen to be sacked after their 2-0 defeat Doncaster Rovers.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/five-sheffield-wednesday-talking-points-doncaster</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/five-sheffield-wednesday-talking-points-doncaster</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 24 Oct 2026 16:30:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qwrR!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08d9a52f-3020-47fc-8a72-baf7ca04ea3a_1878x1140.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fmhv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd8c98f29-7a55-4917-9b0e-569d08a64348_3614x2093.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fmhv!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd8c98f29-7a55-4917-9b0e-569d08a64348_3614x2093.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fmhv!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd8c98f29-7a55-4917-9b0e-569d08a64348_3614x2093.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fmhv!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd8c98f29-7a55-4917-9b0e-569d08a64348_3614x2093.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fmhv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd8c98f29-7a55-4917-9b0e-569d08a64348_3614x2093.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fmhv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd8c98f29-7a55-4917-9b0e-569d08a64348_3614x2093.jpeg" width="3614" height="2093" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fmhv!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd8c98f29-7a55-4917-9b0e-569d08a64348_3614x2093.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fmhv!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd8c98f29-7a55-4917-9b0e-569d08a64348_3614x2093.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fmhv!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd8c98f29-7a55-4917-9b0e-569d08a64348_3614x2093.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fmhv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd8c98f29-7a55-4917-9b0e-569d08a64348_3614x2093.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Sheffield Wednesday chants chanted for Henrik Pedersen&#8217;s exit. Image: Steve Ellis</figcaption></figure></div><p>A first half brace from Owen Bailey sentenced Wednesday to back-to-back losses. The result leaves Pedersen&#8217;s side in eighth position, two points shy of the play-off places and seven adrift of leaders Huddersfield Town after 11 matches.</p><p>Here are five talking points from the Y&#8230;</p>
      <p>
          <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/five-sheffield-wednesday-talking-points-doncaster">
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      </p>
   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[How depleted Sheffield Wednesday should line up against Doncaster Rovers]]></title><description><![CDATA[Local bragging rights will be at stake when Sheffield Wednesday travel to Doncaster Rovers this afternoon.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-line-up-doncaster-rovers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-line-up-doncaster-rovers</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 24 Oct 2026 07:01:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLxb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a6c3c78-3115-4fab-beea-29c98f790926_1787x1029.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLxb!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a6c3c78-3115-4fab-beea-29c98f790926_1787x1029.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLxb!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a6c3c78-3115-4fab-beea-29c98f790926_1787x1029.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLxb!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a6c3c78-3115-4fab-beea-29c98f790926_1787x1029.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLxb!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a6c3c78-3115-4fab-beea-29c98f790926_1787x1029.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLxb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a6c3c78-3115-4fab-beea-29c98f790926_1787x1029.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLxb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a6c3c78-3115-4fab-beea-29c98f790926_1787x1029.png" width="1456" height="838" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5a6c3c78-3115-4fab-beea-29c98f790926_1787x1029.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:838,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3703846,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/i/221787669?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a6c3c78-3115-4fab-beea-29c98f790926_1787x1029.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLxb!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a6c3c78-3115-4fab-beea-29c98f790926_1787x1029.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLxb!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a6c3c78-3115-4fab-beea-29c98f790926_1787x1029.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLxb!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a6c3c78-3115-4fab-beea-29c98f790926_1787x1029.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zLxb!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5a6c3c78-3115-4fab-beea-29c98f790926_1787x1029.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Sheffield Wednesday huddle up. Image: Alex Young</figcaption></figure></div><p><a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-chief-addresses-david-bruce">Under-fire Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen</a> will be keen to see a reaction from his players after their dismal showing at Notts County in midweek. The performance at Meadow Lane drew significant criticism from supporters, with some calling for a change in the dugout following the 2-0 defeat.</p><p>Although Wednesday remain firmly in the promotion picture, a run of just one victory from their past five matches has increased the scrutiny on Pedersen. They sit just outside the League One play-off places on goal difference and still have a game in on hand on the teams immediately above them.</p><p>Pedersen will have to make several changes to his starting XI. <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-injury-update-doncaster-rovers">Di&#8217;Shon Bernard has been ruled out</a> after suffering a minor knee injury against Notts County, Callum Slattery misses out through suspension after collecting five bookings while Jamal Lowe also starts a three-match ban after his needless red card on Tuesday evening.</p><p>With Joe Lumley still nursing a rib problem, Ashley Maynard-Brewer looks set to retain his place in goal. He was arguably Wednesday&#8217;s standout performer in Nottingham.</p><p>Pedersen could freshen things up on the left side of his defence, with Max Lowe pushing for a recall after two encouraging appearances from the bench. Yan Valery is likely to continue on the right.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>Sil Swinkels has recovered from a hamstring problem and may be included on the bench</p></div><p>Central defence remains an area of concern. Bernard has joined Ricardo Santos and Cole McGhee on the injury list while Gabriel Otegbayo has endured a difficult season. Sil Swinkels has recovered from a hamstring problem and may be included on the bench. Given the talented young Dutch defender has not featured in two months, it would be a huge gamble to throw him straight back into the team.</p><p>Instead, Pedersen could opt to hand Ernie Weaver his first league start of the season alongside veteran defender Liam Cooper. &#8220;He [Weaver] has started to be more match fit match fit and he&#8217;s a theme now for the squad and playing time,&#8221; confirmed Pedersen at his press briefing.</p><p>As first revealed by The Wednesday Word, <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/exclusive-sheffield-wednesday-ernie-weaver-sil-swinkels">Weaver looked set to go out on loan to National League side AFC Hornchurch earlier this week </a>but that plan was scrapped after Bernard sustained his minor knee injury. &#8220;It&#8217;s on hold because we are down on centre-backs,&#8221; admitted Pedersen. &#8220;We made it on hold because we also think he can be in the squad and he has chance for game-time.&#8221;</p><p>Billy Mitchell is expected to return to midfield. His experience, energy and combative qualities could be vital in what promises to be a fiercely contested derby. The big question is who partners him: Jaden Heskey or Barry Bannan? Both have struggled for consistency, but Bannan&#8217;s ability to dictate the tempo of the game may give him the edge. Wednesday&#8217;s shortcomings in possession at Notts County highlighted the need for greater control in midfield.</p><p>Further forward, Kieran Morrison is poised to start on the right flank while Davis Keillor-Dunn should operate in the No 10 role. Harry Gray could keep his place on the left.</p><p>Jamal Lowe&#8217;s suspension presents Ali Al-Hamadi with a significant opportunity to establish himself as the club&#8217;s first-choice striker. Top-scorer Jamal Lowe will miss the Doncaster, Cambridge United and Blackpool fixtures so the Ipswich loanee has to seize his chance with both hands and give Pedersen a major selection headache.</p><p>Pedersen is also likely to want attacking reinforcements on the bench. That could open the door for Mason Burstow to return to the squad, although another loan player may have to make way, with Heskey potentially the man to miss out.</p><p>On Rovers, Pedersen said: &#8220;It will be a tough, intense derby. They are a team who can play very direct, but can also really be strong in possession. </p><p>&#8220;It will be a test for our pressing again, for us to handle the direct long balls, the intensity and also to handle when they have the strong possession phases.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Predicted Owls line-up vs Doncaster Rovers (4-2-3-1)</strong>: Maynard-Brewer; Valery, Weaver, Cooper, Lowe; Mitchell, Bannan; Morrison, Keillor-Dunn, Gray; Al-Hamadi.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>This article is available for free, but if you like what you&#8217;ve seen from The Wednesday Word, then a paid subscription would mean the world to us - and allow us to keep doing everything that we&#8217;re doing in the TWW universe. We want to keep improving, and growing, and for that we need your support! Thank you!</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Analysing Sheffield Wednesday after 10 matches of the League One season as Henrik Pedersen bids to prove critics wrong]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ten matches into the 2026/27 season and Sheffield Wednesday find themselves in a relatively healthy position in the League One table.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/analysing-sheffield-wednesday-10-matches-pedersen</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/analysing-sheffield-wednesday-10-matches-pedersen</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2026 10:16:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6cc7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffaeb2d1-8ee9-4dbd-9bd9-fe59ffdec537_3444x1811.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6cc7!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffaeb2d1-8ee9-4dbd-9bd9-fe59ffdec537_3444x1811.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6cc7!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffaeb2d1-8ee9-4dbd-9bd9-fe59ffdec537_3444x1811.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6cc7!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffaeb2d1-8ee9-4dbd-9bd9-fe59ffdec537_3444x1811.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6cc7!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffaeb2d1-8ee9-4dbd-9bd9-fe59ffdec537_3444x1811.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6cc7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffaeb2d1-8ee9-4dbd-9bd9-fe59ffdec537_3444x1811.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6cc7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffaeb2d1-8ee9-4dbd-9bd9-fe59ffdec537_3444x1811.png" width="1456" height="766" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ffaeb2d1-8ee9-4dbd-9bd9-fe59ffdec537_3444x1811.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:766,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:5296209,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/i/221404717?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffaeb2d1-8ee9-4dbd-9bd9-fe59ffdec537_3444x1811.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6cc7!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffaeb2d1-8ee9-4dbd-9bd9-fe59ffdec537_3444x1811.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6cc7!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffaeb2d1-8ee9-4dbd-9bd9-fe59ffdec537_3444x1811.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6cc7!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffaeb2d1-8ee9-4dbd-9bd9-fe59ffdec537_3444x1811.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!6cc7!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fffaeb2d1-8ee9-4dbd-9bd9-fe59ffdec537_3444x1811.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Henrik Pedersen. Image: Alex Young</figcaption></figure></div><p>Henrik Pedersen&#8217;s side occupy the final play-off place with 18 points on the board. Win their game hand and they will move up to third on goal difference. What&#8217;s more, their points haul is only two shy of the total amassed by Darren Moore&#8217;s 2023 promotion-winning side at the same stage of the 2022/23 campaign.</p>
      <p>
          <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/analysing-sheffield-wednesday-10-matches-pedersen">
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Predicted Sheffield Wednesday XI for Notts County as Harry Gray drops out]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sheffield Wednesday will make their first trip to Meadow Lane in 14 years tonight when they go head-to-head with struggling Notts County.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/predicted-sheffield-wednesday-xi-notts-county</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/predicted-sheffield-wednesday-xi-notts-county</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 20 Oct 2026 07:02:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uC18!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67039758-aa35-4ba6-b595-ba2aa0b85b8d_1600x1200.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uC18!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67039758-aa35-4ba6-b595-ba2aa0b85b8d_1600x1200.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uC18!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67039758-aa35-4ba6-b595-ba2aa0b85b8d_1600x1200.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uC18!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67039758-aa35-4ba6-b595-ba2aa0b85b8d_1600x1200.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uC18!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67039758-aa35-4ba6-b595-ba2aa0b85b8d_1600x1200.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uC18!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67039758-aa35-4ba6-b595-ba2aa0b85b8d_1600x1200.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uC18!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67039758-aa35-4ba6-b595-ba2aa0b85b8d_1600x1200.jpeg" width="1456" height="1092" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/67039758-aa35-4ba6-b595-ba2aa0b85b8d_1600x1200.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1092,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:661080,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/i/221120021?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67039758-aa35-4ba6-b595-ba2aa0b85b8d_1600x1200.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uC18!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67039758-aa35-4ba6-b595-ba2aa0b85b8d_1600x1200.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uC18!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67039758-aa35-4ba6-b595-ba2aa0b85b8d_1600x1200.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uC18!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67039758-aa35-4ba6-b595-ba2aa0b85b8d_1600x1200.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uC18!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F67039758-aa35-4ba6-b595-ba2aa0b85b8d_1600x1200.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">How will Sheffield Wednesday line up away at Notts County? Image: Steve Ellis</figcaption></figure></div><p>Buoyed after <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/four-sheffield-wednesday-talking-points-wimbledon">Saturday&#8217;s 5-0 thumping of AFC Wimbledon</a>, Henrik Pedersen&#8217;s side will fancy their chances of picking up another positive result on the road.</p><p>Wednesday are sixth in League One and remain unbeaten away from Hillsborough this season, accruing 10 points from four outings. Their last defeat came at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 25.</p><p>&#8220;The boys had a big confidence, trust and belief before the AFC Wimbledon game but, of course, to win 5-0 helps for confidence and the fundamentals for the next games,&#8221; boss <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/henrik-pedersen-sheffield-wednesday-davis-keillor-dunn-future">Henrik Pedersen</a> told The Wednesday Word. &#8220;We are building momentum and it&#8217;s strong to be unbeaten for nine matches.&#8221;</p><p>Will Pedersen make any changes to his starting XI for their next assignment? With Joe Lumley ruled out for two to three weeks because of a rib injury, Ashley Maynard-Brewer looks set for an extended run in the team.</p><p>Max Lowe&#8217;s return to action was a welcome sight at the weekend, replacing Di&#8217;Shon Bernard in the 74th minute. Given Reece James&#8217; reliable performances at left-back, Pedersen can afford to ease Lowe back in.</p><p>&#8220;It was nice to see him [Lowe] again on the pitch,&#8221; he said. &#8220;He came in as a left centre-back instead of a left-back, but he did well and I&#8217;m happy that he&#8217;s back.</p><p>&#8220;Reece has been really, really strong, and it&#8217;s a good challenge for the manager. It&#8217;s positive and to have Max back is fantastic.&#8221;</p><div class="pullquote"><p>The double pivot of Jaden Heskey and Bannan earned the right to stay in place after Saturday&#8217;s dominant win. </p></div><p>The Dane emptied his bench once Saturday&#8217;s match was safe, giving Liam Cooper, Bernard and Barry Bannan a valuable rest. Cooper and Bernard look likely to continue as the centre-back pairing, with Yan Valery nailed on at right-back. Ricardo Santos (groin) remains unavailable for selection. &#8220;He&#8217;s not on the training pitches; I&#8217;m not sure when he will be back,&#8221; said Pedersen after the Wimbledon rout.</p><p>Pedersen has made it clear rotation will be a theme from &#8220;from game to game&#8221; and that they will also make changes &#8220;early in games&#8221; to combat the relentless schedule.</p><p>The double pivot of Jaden Heskey and Bannan earned the right to stay in place after Saturday&#8217;s dominant win. But further forward, Pedersen may freshen things up.</p><p>Liverpool loanee Kieran Morrison is pushing hard for a recall after a lively cameo. He could come in on the right wing, with Callum Slattery switching to the left. It would be incredibly harsh on Harry Gray to miss out but Pedersen will be mindful of managing minutes. Gray&#8217;s pace and energy could be a useful weapon off the bench.</p><p>After scoring a brace and claiming an assist on Saturday, <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/four-sheffield-wednesday-talking-points-wimbledon">Davis Keillor-Dunn is undroppable in the No 10 role</a>. Notts County are in the relegation zone and a team low on confidence, having lost four league matches on the bounce, and Keillor-Dunn&#8217;s ability to find pockets of space in between the lines could be decisive.</p><p>Jamal Lowe looks a certainty to start up top. He brilliantly teed Gray up for his first Wednesday goal. His link up play and all-round contribution has been critical to the team&#8217;s success.</p><p><strong>Predicted Owls XI vs Notts County (4-2-3-1</strong>): Maynard-Brewer; Valery, Bernard, Cooper, James; Heskey, Bannan; Morrison, Keillor-Dunn, Slattery; J Lowe.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>This article is available for free, but if you like what you&#8217;ve seen from The Wednesday Word, then a paid subscription would mean the world to us - and allow us to keep doing everything that we&#8217;re doing in the TWW universe. We want to keep improving, and growing, and for that we need your support! Thank you!</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Four Sheffield Wednesday talking points after AFC Wimbledon rout as Davis Keillor-Dunn sparkles]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sheffield Wednesday underlined their League One promotion credentials, hammering AFC Wimbledon 5-0 at Hillsborough.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/four-sheffield-wednesday-talking-points-wimbledon</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/four-sheffield-wednesday-talking-points-wimbledon</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 18 Oct 2026 16:41:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RftK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb06c34ed-e99a-4d20-a3a4-5796ad9da439_1730x937.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RftK!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb06c34ed-e99a-4d20-a3a4-5796ad9da439_1730x937.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RftK!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb06c34ed-e99a-4d20-a3a4-5796ad9da439_1730x937.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RftK!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb06c34ed-e99a-4d20-a3a4-5796ad9da439_1730x937.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RftK!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb06c34ed-e99a-4d20-a3a4-5796ad9da439_1730x937.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RftK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb06c34ed-e99a-4d20-a3a4-5796ad9da439_1730x937.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RftK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb06c34ed-e99a-4d20-a3a4-5796ad9da439_1730x937.png" width="1456" height="789" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b06c34ed-e99a-4d20-a3a4-5796ad9da439_1730x937.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:789,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2456313,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/i/220858215?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb06c34ed-e99a-4d20-a3a4-5796ad9da439_1730x937.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RftK!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb06c34ed-e99a-4d20-a3a4-5796ad9da439_1730x937.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RftK!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb06c34ed-e99a-4d20-a3a4-5796ad9da439_1730x937.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RftK!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb06c34ed-e99a-4d20-a3a4-5796ad9da439_1730x937.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RftK!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb06c34ed-e99a-4d20-a3a4-5796ad9da439_1730x937.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Henrik Pedersen was all smiles. Image: Alex Young</figcaption></figure></div><p>Goals either side of half-time from Barry Bannan, Davis Keillor-Dunn (2), Harry Gray and Callum Slattery eased <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-match-report-wimbledon">Wednesday to a resounding home win</a>.</p><p>Victory helped Henrik Pedersen&#8217;s side climb back into the play-off positions and the result stretched their unbeaten run to nine matches. Here are four talking points after the Hillsborough clash&#8230;</p><div><hr></div><p style="text-align: center;"><em>For the next two weeks only we&#8217;ve reduced the price of an annual TWW subscription to just &#163;37.50. Make the most of it by clicking the link below.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?coupon=f0d7eae6&amp;utm_content=220858215&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;The Balls Are Out Discount&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?coupon=f0d7eae6&amp;utm_content=220858215"><span>The Balls Are Out Discount</span></a></p><div><hr></div>
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   ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Crunch time for Henrik Pedersen as Sheffield Wednesday boss looks to deliver on key David Storch pledge]]></title><description><![CDATA[After a chaotic summer of change at Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday have yet to find top gear in League One.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/henrik-pedersen-david-storch-sheffield-wednesday-pledge</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/henrik-pedersen-david-storch-sheffield-wednesday-pledge</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2026 15:01:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bxJU!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc29e2076-ee36-447e-bdc0-aed5cd462b8e_2401x1414.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bxJU!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc29e2076-ee36-447e-bdc0-aed5cd462b8e_2401x1414.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bxJU!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc29e2076-ee36-447e-bdc0-aed5cd462b8e_2401x1414.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bxJU!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc29e2076-ee36-447e-bdc0-aed5cd462b8e_2401x1414.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bxJU!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc29e2076-ee36-447e-bdc0-aed5cd462b8e_2401x1414.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bxJU!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc29e2076-ee36-447e-bdc0-aed5cd462b8e_2401x1414.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bxJU!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc29e2076-ee36-447e-bdc0-aed5cd462b8e_2401x1414.png" width="1456" height="857" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bxJU!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc29e2076-ee36-447e-bdc0-aed5cd462b8e_2401x1414.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bxJU!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc29e2076-ee36-447e-bdc0-aed5cd462b8e_2401x1414.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bxJU!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc29e2076-ee36-447e-bdc0-aed5cd462b8e_2401x1414.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bxJU!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc29e2076-ee36-447e-bdc0-aed5cd462b8e_2401x1414.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">David Storch sees a bright future for Sheffield Wednesday. Image: Alex Young</figcaption></figure></div><p>Their inconsistent performances and results are, to a degree, understandable. It was unrealistic to expect everything to fall into place immediately after a major squad rebuild. Teething problems were inevitable. Creating a coherent team takes time, repetition and hard graft on the training pitch.</p><div><hr></div><p style="text-align: center;"><em>Get 25% off an annual Wednesday Word subscription, taking the price to just &#163;37.50 for 12 months.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?coupon=f0d7eae6&amp;utm_content=220512362&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;The Balls Are Out Discount&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?coupon=f0d7eae6&amp;utm_content=220512362"><span>The Balls Are Out Discount</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p>Off the pitch, Wednesdayites have witnessed huge progress since Arise took charge. Now they want to see a confident, vibrant team on it.</p><p>No one was fooled by <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-show-huddersfield">Saturday&#8217;s draw at Huddersfield Town</a>. Although Henrik Pedersen&#8217;s side showed bags of character, resilience and spirit to come back from two goals down to salvage a point, it was another poor, underwhelming display. They were outplayed for long stretches until <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-show-huddersfield">Huddersfield inexplicably eased off and retreated into their defensive shell</a>.</p><p>No one expected perfection from day one. After an extensive summer recruitment drive, ups and downs were to be expected. Pedersen has focused on making Wednesday hard to beat. One defeat in eight is a solid foundation to build on after the misery of 2025/26.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>David Storch has repeatedly spoken of his determination and desire to bring the &#8220;excitement and fun factor&#8221; back to Wednesday</p></div><p>But it took Wednesday almost an hour to register a shot at goal at Huddersfield. And it was a similar story against Salford City in the EFL Trophy. Where is the front foot, vertical football Pedersen promised? Too often Wednesday have served up turgid, uninspiring fare. Their disjointed, unconvincing performances have understandably unsettled the fanbase.</p><p>Supporters want to see shoots of progress. They want to be entertained. They want to see chances be created. They want their team to play at a high tempo and intensity. They want to feel part of something that is building towards a clear identity.</p><p>Owner David Storch has repeatedly spoken of his determination and desire to bring the &#8220;excitement and fun factor&#8221; back to Wednesday. He asked Wednesdayites to judge Arise on their actions, not words &#8211; and Arise have delivered. They have stabalised the club, invested heavily and rebuilt infrastructure on and off the pitch. &#8220;We are dreamers working around the clock to bring our dreams, our shared dreams to life,&#8221; Storch said in July.</p><p>Storch and Arise have held up their end of the bargain. Chief executive David Bruce and sporting director Simon Wilson have assembled a competitive squad. But supporters have yet to see free-flowing, attacking football. It has been a dull watch and fans have been short-changed thus far.</p><p>Questions linger over the team&#8217;s style of play. What is their playing identity? Why are they so slow and methodical in build-up play? Where is the purpose, flair and imagination?</p><p>The product on the pitch has to improve. The shackles need to come off. The overcomplication - in and out of possession &#8211; has to stop. It&#8217;s time to see what this group can really do in an attacking sense.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>This article is available for free, but if you like what you&#8217;ve seen from The Wednesday Word, then a paid subscription would mean the world to us - and allow us to keep doing everything that we&#8217;re doing in the TWW universe. We want to keep improving, and growing, and for that we need your support! Thank you!</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sheffield Wednesday predicted line-up vs AFC Wimbledon as loan duo return]]></title><description><![CDATA[The strength and depth of Sheffield Wednesday&#8217;s squad will be severely tested over the coming weeks.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-predicted-xi-afc-wimbledon</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-predicted-xi-afc-wimbledon</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:03:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_Sd!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4776613b-104e-4068-ac82-f73564796d54_1787x1040.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_Sd!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4776613b-104e-4068-ac82-f73564796d54_1787x1040.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_Sd!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4776613b-104e-4068-ac82-f73564796d54_1787x1040.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_Sd!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4776613b-104e-4068-ac82-f73564796d54_1787x1040.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_Sd!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4776613b-104e-4068-ac82-f73564796d54_1787x1040.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_Sd!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4776613b-104e-4068-ac82-f73564796d54_1787x1040.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_Sd!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4776613b-104e-4068-ac82-f73564796d54_1787x1040.png" width="1456" height="847" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4776613b-104e-4068-ac82-f73564796d54_1787x1040.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:847,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3792882,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/i/220504650?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4776613b-104e-4068-ac82-f73564796d54_1787x1040.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_Sd!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4776613b-104e-4068-ac82-f73564796d54_1787x1040.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_Sd!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4776613b-104e-4068-ac82-f73564796d54_1787x1040.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_Sd!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4776613b-104e-4068-ac82-f73564796d54_1787x1040.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!U_Sd!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4776613b-104e-4068-ac82-f73564796d54_1787x1040.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Sheffield Wednesday huddle up. Image: Alex Young</figcaption></figure></div><p>Henrik Pedersen&#8217;s troops play five times in 16 days, starting with Saturday&#8217;s home clash against mid-table AFC Wimbledon. It is a run of matches that could define Pedersen&#8217;s tenure.</p><p>What is undeniable is that Wednesday must improve their home form if they are to be considered serious promotion contenders. They have taken only five points from four Hillsborough fixtures and failed to score in three of them.</p><div><hr></div><p style="text-align: center;"><em>Get 25% off an annual Wednesday Word subscription, taking the price to just &#163;37.50 for 12 months.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?coupon=f0d7eae6&amp;utm_content=220504650&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;The Balls Are Out Discount&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:&quot;button-wrapper&quot;}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary button-wrapper" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?coupon=f0d7eae6&amp;utm_content=220504650"><span>The Balls Are Out Discount</span></a></p><div><hr></div><p>Another big crowd is expected this weekend and all eyes will be on Pedersen&#8217;s team selection. Their <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-show-huddersfield">dramatic late fightback at Huddersfield Town</a> extended Wednesday&#8217;s unbeaten run to eight matches across all competitions but the performance also raised more concerns than answers. Individually and collectively Wednesday were second best for the majority of the contest and the result papered over the cracks of another disappointing display. Pedersen blasted his side&#8217;s first half showing at the Accu Stadium, describing their work in possession as &#8220;unacceptable&#8221;.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>Wednesday&#8217;s performance at Huddersfield raised more concerns than answers</p></div><p>So what changes might he make?</p><p>The Wimbledon tussle is likely to come too soon for Max Lowe nor Sil Swinkels. The pair are progressing well from their respective hamstring problems, but have not played since August. Ricardo Santos is expected to miss out again with a groin issue, meaning Pedersen will almost certainly stick with Yan Valery, Di&#8217;Shon Bernard, Liam Cooper and Reece James as his back four.</p><p>Midfield is where the smart money is on a tweak. Jaden Heskey is pushing hard to start after his influential cameo at Huddersfield and could replace Billy Mitchell. The Manchester City loanee offers greater athleticism and running power in the centre.</p><p>Expect Pedersen to also freshen things up out wide. There is a strong possibility Davis Keillor-Dunn will be handed a recall after making a positive impact off the bench last weekend. Is he an orthodox winger? No, but he carries a goal threat and would be given the licence to drift inside from the left flank into central areas to receive the ball on the half turn and make things happen. His ability to interchange with Callum Slattery in the No 10 role adds another layer of flexibility. As for the right wing, Kieran Morrison should get another opportunity to showcase his pace and directness.</p><p>Then there is the loan puzzle. Ali Al-Hamadi set to be fit and available to face his former club. With Mason Burstow having failed to impress since moving to S6, this could be the week he drops out of the matchday squad.</p><p>Jamal Lowe has to start in attack, having notched seven goals in 12 appearances this season.</p><p><strong>Predicted Owls line-up vs AFC Wimbledon (4-2-3-1):</strong> Lumley; Valery, Bernard, Cooper, James; Heskey, Bannan; Morrison, Slattery, Keillor-Dunn; Lowe.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>This article is available for free, but if you like what you&#8217;ve seen from The Wednesday Word, then a paid subscription would mean the world to us - and allow us to keep doing everything that we&#8217;re doing in the TWW universe. We want to keep improving, and growing, and for that we need your support! Thank you!</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Style or substance: The big question as stuttering Sheffield Wednesday extend their unbeaten run]]></title><description><![CDATA[Bar a blistering demolition of Bromley, Henrik Pedersen&#8217;s new-look Sheffield Wednesday have struggled to impress this season.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/style-or-substance-sheffield-wednesday</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/style-or-substance-sheffield-wednesday</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Joe Crann]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2026 20:16:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JMu4!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe42c30c1-b937-4209-9b06-a8ffcecca93c_1600x945.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JMu4!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe42c30c1-b937-4209-9b06-a8ffcecca93c_1600x945.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JMu4!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe42c30c1-b937-4209-9b06-a8ffcecca93c_1600x945.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JMu4!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe42c30c1-b937-4209-9b06-a8ffcecca93c_1600x945.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JMu4!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe42c30c1-b937-4209-9b06-a8ffcecca93c_1600x945.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JMu4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe42c30c1-b937-4209-9b06-a8ffcecca93c_1600x945.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JMu4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe42c30c1-b937-4209-9b06-a8ffcecca93c_1600x945.png" width="1600" height="945" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JMu4!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe42c30c1-b937-4209-9b06-a8ffcecca93c_1600x945.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JMu4!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe42c30c1-b937-4209-9b06-a8ffcecca93c_1600x945.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JMu4!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe42c30c1-b937-4209-9b06-a8ffcecca93c_1600x945.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JMu4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe42c30c1-b937-4209-9b06-a8ffcecca93c_1600x945.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Sheffield Wednesday have only lost once in League One this season. Image: Steve Ellis</figcaption></figure></div><p>With a raft of signings, a new era of ownership and a fresh division to get their heads around, it was never going to be plain sailing for the Owls as they embarked on their 2026/27 League One journey&#8230; Even the harshest of critics would admit to the fact that it&#8217;d take time for them to hit their straps.</p><p>After eight games Wednesday have been beaten only once, and are just one win away from being in the automatic promotion places. Their points haul is solid, as is their defensive record, but it&#8217;s also fair to say that many of their performances have left a lot to be desired. Multiple things can be true at once.</p><p>The Owls haven&#8217;t been good to watch, I don&#8217;t think many people will disagree with that as a statement. There have been some good patches, sure, and the Bromley game &#8211; as an outlier &#8211; was brilliant. But on the whole, Wednesday have played in fits and starts&#8230; </p><p>This is no defence of Pedersen, but I&#8217;ve seen this movie before. It&#8217;s an almost carbon copy of the script that we saw when Darren Moore was in charge. If results are good, it&#8217;s the players dragging the team through, if they&#8217;re bad, it&#8217;s because the manager isn&#8217;t good enough. He&#8217;s a &#8216;nice guy&#8217;, and that&#8217;s a bad thing, apparently.</p><p>For what it&#8217;s worth, I do think the Dane maybe focuses a bit too much on the opponent rather than what his team are capable of, but that doesn&#8217;t mean the other team shouldn&#8217;t be considered. I also think it&#8217;s overly simplistic to suggest that Wednesday&#8217;s struggles going forward are at the door of the manager and has nothing to do with the players.</p><p>I&#8217;d suggest that Pedersen feels the same way, too, because there was a tinge of anger to his voice when discussing the first half &#8211; and start of the second &#8211; against Huddersfield, something that we&#8217;ve not seen too much of from him before.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UKCv!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc760cacb-fd75-408d-930e-6dc6ab1aef93_4096x2731.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UKCv!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc760cacb-fd75-408d-930e-6dc6ab1aef93_4096x2731.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UKCv!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc760cacb-fd75-408d-930e-6dc6ab1aef93_4096x2731.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UKCv!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc760cacb-fd75-408d-930e-6dc6ab1aef93_4096x2731.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UKCv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc760cacb-fd75-408d-930e-6dc6ab1aef93_4096x2731.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UKCv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc760cacb-fd75-408d-930e-6dc6ab1aef93_4096x2731.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c760cacb-fd75-408d-930e-6dc6ab1aef93_4096x2731.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:927760,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/i/220088545?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc760cacb-fd75-408d-930e-6dc6ab1aef93_4096x2731.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UKCv!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc760cacb-fd75-408d-930e-6dc6ab1aef93_4096x2731.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UKCv!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc760cacb-fd75-408d-930e-6dc6ab1aef93_4096x2731.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UKCv!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc760cacb-fd75-408d-930e-6dc6ab1aef93_4096x2731.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!UKCv!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc760cacb-fd75-408d-930e-6dc6ab1aef93_4096x2731.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Wednesday&#8217;s players line up. Image: Alex Young</figcaption></figure></div><p>Ultimately, right now, Wednesday are getting decent results. They&#8217;re unbeaten in eight, and it&#8217;s not like they&#8217;re trying to be a negative side. Jaden Heskey tried to give a bit of a breakdown on the way that the Dane wants to play.</p><p>&#8220;He wants us to be progressive when we have possession,&#8221; the midfielder told me recently. &#8220;Especially in this league. He doesn&#8217;t want us to be passing the ball for no reason, and slowing the game down. Like I said, especially at Hillsborough, we want the fans to be on our side.</p><p>&#8220;So if we regain the ball, rather than, you know, playing a safe pass, he wants us to play it forward. We want to attack quickly because we know that we have the quality going forward and in midfield to progress into the final third. So it&#8217;s front-footed, definitely, and &#8216;full power&#8217; as he always says.&#8221;</p><p>So that&#8217;s what Pedersen wants &#8211; but is it what he&#8217;s getting right now? I&#8217;d say not. Is there an element of PTSD for those who battled through last season? Maybe. What&#8217;s the psychological effect of going from getting beat every week to being expected to win &#8211; and win well.</p><div class="pullquote"><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>I don&#8217;t know the answers, but you can&#8217;t tell me that there&#8217;s not a fight in this side, a desire to battle for the man at the helm. Saturday was proof that they&#8217;re up for a scrap.</strong> </p></div><p>My big question remains the same, because at the end of the day what matters more? Results or performances. It&#8217;s difficult, because in many ways it&#8217;s both. With positivity comes expectation, with expectation comes pressure&#8230; And Wednesday will need to be better as time goes on.</p><p>Louie Barry&#8217;s absence is felt, as is Max Lowe&#8217;s. With everyone fit I&#8217;d wager that Wednesday would be more expansive, more threatening. And while I completely believe &#8211; as I&#8217;m sure those internally agree &#8211; that 18 new signings were never going to click straight away, how long do you give it before you wonder what the next step is?</p><p>I don&#8217;t know the answers, but you can&#8217;t tell me that there&#8217;s not a fight in this side, a desire to battle for the man at the helm. Saturday was proof that they&#8217;re up for a scrap. I also can&#8217;t see that those in charge at Wednesday simply decided to keep Pedersen around because &#8216;he&#8217;s a nice bloke&#8217;.</p><p>Pedersen&#8217;s Wednesday have to improve, and with every game that they don&#8217;t look more cohesive, more threatening, more impressive, the pressure will continue to mount on the man in the dugout.</p><p>That&#8217;s entirely fair, and I&#8217;m sure the man himself will agree, but what matters more in League One? Style or substance? After 26 years outside the top flight of English football, it&#8217;d be nice if we didn&#8217;t have to choose.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>This article is available for free, but if you like what you&#8217;ve seen from The Wednesday Word, then a paid subscription would mean the world to us - and allow us to keep doing everything that we&#8217;re doing in the TWW universe. We want to keep improving, and growing, and for that we need your support! Thank you!</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The hard truth about Sheffield Wednesday’s current academy situation]]></title><description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s not a stretch to say that Sheffield Wednesday&#8217;s academy played a humongous role in keeping the football club afloat over the last year.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/the-hard-truth-about-the-sheffield-wednesday-academy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/the-hard-truth-about-the-sheffield-wednesday-academy</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Joe Crann]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 05 Oct 2026 16:15:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!csI5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F87b42984-7c1d-4b14-8509-ed1af86b0277_2542x1576.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!csI5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F87b42984-7c1d-4b14-8509-ed1af86b0277_2542x1576.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!csI5!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F87b42984-7c1d-4b14-8509-ed1af86b0277_2542x1576.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!csI5!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F87b42984-7c1d-4b14-8509-ed1af86b0277_2542x1576.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!csI5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F87b42984-7c1d-4b14-8509-ed1af86b0277_2542x1576.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!csI5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F87b42984-7c1d-4b14-8509-ed1af86b0277_2542x1576.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!csI5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F87b42984-7c1d-4b14-8509-ed1af86b0277_2542x1576.jpeg" width="1456" height="903" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/87b42984-7c1d-4b14-8509-ed1af86b0277_2542x1576.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:903,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1120703,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/i/218907063?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F87b42984-7c1d-4b14-8509-ed1af86b0277_2542x1576.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!csI5!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F87b42984-7c1d-4b14-8509-ed1af86b0277_2542x1576.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!csI5!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F87b42984-7c1d-4b14-8509-ed1af86b0277_2542x1576.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!csI5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F87b42984-7c1d-4b14-8509-ed1af86b0277_2542x1576.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!csI5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F87b42984-7c1d-4b14-8509-ed1af86b0277_2542x1576.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Sheffield Wednesday&#8217;s Middlewood Road training ground. Image: Alex Young</figcaption></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?coupon=f0d7eae6&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;A full 12-month TWW sub for &#163;37.50&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?coupon=f0d7eae6"><span>A full 12-month TWW sub for &#163;37.50</span></a></p><p>There were the sales of players such as Caelan-Kole Cadamarteri, Yisa Alao and Romario Collins, and the compensation that has come in for youngsters like Sutura Kakay. And that&#8217;s before we mention the fact that there were points last season where the Owls wouldn&#8217;t have had a team to put out had it not been for their academy graduates. </p><p>Were they all ready for senior football? Definitely not. Were they thrust into a difficult position? Absolutely. Did they perform admirably when fast-tracked to a level that &#8211; in normal circumstances &#8211; they wouldn&#8217;t have been near? I&#8217;d say so.</p><p>Henrik Pedersen has done an excellent job nurturing those that came up through the ranks. We&#8217;ve seen progress in so many of the young players, and those that remain around the first team are there on merit now rather than necessity.</p><p>But despite the positives, and the deserved plaudits for those in the academy, it all comes at a cost that could mean some difficult results for the U21s and U18s in particular over the course of the 2026/27 season.</p><p>Cadamarteri, Alao and Collins were sold to Manchester City and Chelsea, sales that effectively paid people&#8217;s wages at the club. But with the latter gone and Will Grainger now with the first team, one of the deadliest duos from the U18s is no longer available at youth level.</p><p>There&#8217;s also the element of continuous development. Having played in the Championship now, it&#8217;ll be hard for some of Wednesday&#8217;s younger players to drop back into being U21 footballers. Mentally they&#8217;ll be past that point, which is why it&#8217;s been important to send several of them out on loan to play senior football elsewhere. Logan Stretch, Devlan Moses, Joe Emery and Reece Johnson would all be starting for Mark Burton&#8217;s side otherwise.</p><div class="pullquote"><p><strong>Two years might not mean much in your mid-20s, but as a teenager it can result in big mismatches in terms of physicality and know-how.</strong></p></div><p>The same goes for Ernie Weaver and Jarvis Thornton had they not established themselves as part of the first team over the last 12 months.</p><p>Departures meant a raft of new arrivals over the summer, and they need to click as well. But with several U21s needed by the seniors, we&#8217;re seeing U18s being pushed up a level and U16s being asked to step up as well. So first-year scholars are turning out for the U18s, and playing against footballers two years older than them. Two years might not mean much in your mid-20s, but as a teenager it can result in big mismatches in terms of physicality and know-how.</p><div><hr></div><div class="digest-post-embed" data-attrs="{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;89a19d44-67be-411b-ac30-29b146a9168a&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;With many departures from the youth setup this summer as scholarships come to an end and contracts expire, there&#8217;s an opportunity for the next wave of young Owls to try and make their mark.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;lg&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;'Mini-Busquets' 'Tackle a wall' - Meet the next generation of Sheffield Wednesday hopefuls&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:91737568,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Joe Crann&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;I&#8217;m a Sheffield Wednesday obsessive who lives and breathes the Owls... Here for transfer rumours, reports and the art of over-analysing a 1&#8211;0 win. After covering SWFC for years, mixing in news, opinion, and the occasional rant, I'm going it alone.&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5ed71c55-c5c3-4fcd-a76e-7d1df4bc63a8_719x719.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:1000}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-05-22T12:25:15.850Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!SkzA!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e5e6f4b-4fc0-439d-9dbb-d777cb756183_3300x1733.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;cover_image_crop&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-new-scholars-academy&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:&quot;Young Owls&quot;,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:198596513,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:9,&quot;comment_count&quot;:5,&quot;publication_id&quot;:8005819,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;The Wednesday Word&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O7TW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F71deafb6-6dbf-4a4d-b8a3-e434394ae105_1280x1280.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}"></div><div><hr></div><p>Wednesday have some highly rated players in their academy still, and the likes of Oliver Bramhall, Jamie Darley, Logan Scott and Charlie Liddell have been part of the U21s despite only signing their first scholarship deals over the summer.</p><p>Ultimately the current situation could be fantastic for their respective development going forward, and could lead to a number of them being moulded into Owls of the future, but there is a sense of short-term pain for long-term gain.</p><p>SWFC&#8217;s academy has played a huge role in keeping the club ticking in spite of Dejphon Chansiri&#8217;s disregard&#8230; Now, with Arise taking a keen interest in creating more future first-teamers, imagine what could be achieved.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>We&#8217;re running a TWW sale at the moment, giving you a full year of our content for just &#163;37.50. That works out at around &#163;3 a month.</strong></em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?coupon=f0d7eae6&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;25% off The Wednesday Word&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?coupon=f0d7eae6"><span>25% off The Wednesday Word</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sheffield Wednesday’s January transfer need is glaringly obvious ]]></title><description><![CDATA[There is a lot of football to be played before the transfer market reopens on January 1.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-january-transfer-need</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-january-transfer-need</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 03 Oct 2026 15:46:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7jK1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91e3d9c5-1375-4cba-865c-6e3ca16df4e0_5712x4284.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7jK1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91e3d9c5-1375-4cba-865c-6e3ca16df4e0_5712x4284.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7jK1!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91e3d9c5-1375-4cba-865c-6e3ca16df4e0_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7jK1!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91e3d9c5-1375-4cba-865c-6e3ca16df4e0_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7jK1!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91e3d9c5-1375-4cba-865c-6e3ca16df4e0_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7jK1!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91e3d9c5-1375-4cba-865c-6e3ca16df4e0_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7jK1!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91e3d9c5-1375-4cba-865c-6e3ca16df4e0_5712x4284.jpeg" width="1456" height="1092" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7jK1!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91e3d9c5-1375-4cba-865c-6e3ca16df4e0_5712x4284.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7jK1!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91e3d9c5-1375-4cba-865c-6e3ca16df4e0_5712x4284.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7jK1!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91e3d9c5-1375-4cba-865c-6e3ca16df4e0_5712x4284.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7jK1!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91e3d9c5-1375-4cba-865c-6e3ca16df4e0_5712x4284.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Sheffield Wednesday are scheduled to play at least 17 matches between now and the end of 2026 &#8211; potentially 18 if they reach last 32 of the Jersey Mike&#8217;s Trophy.</p><p>Whatever unfolds in the coming months, the January transfer window is still shaping up to be a relatively quiet one at Hillsborough. The heavy lifting was done in the summer: 18 new signings, Championship-level experience dropping into League One and genuine competition for places across most areas of the pitch.</p><p>And while valid concerns linger over the team&#8217;s conservative style of play, Henrik Pedersen has made Wednesday difficult to beat. One defeat in seven, 14 points from a possible 21 &#8211; <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-underwhelming-performances-catch-up">supporters may be split on &#8216;Pedersen-ball&#8217;, but Wednesday have found a way to grind out results</a>.</p><p>So do they actually need reinforcements required in January? The squad is well stocked in most departments. But one area still feels light: attacking firepower. Losing marquee signing Louie Barry has had a significant impact on their creativity and goal threat. Barry had just hit top form when his ankle ligament injury at Wycombe Wanderers derailed everything.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>Supporters may be split on &#8216;Pedersen-ball&#8217;, but Wednesday have found a way to grind out results</p></div><p>No one has truly claimed the No 10 role in Pedersen&#8217;s fluid 4-2-3-1 system. Callum Slattery and Davis Keillor-Dunn have shown flashes, but <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-vs-wycombe-wanderers-match-report">Wednesday have lacked invention and penetration since Barry&#8217;s setback</a>. Replacing Barry was always going to be difficult and Jamal Lowe, Harry Gray and Kieran Morrison have all tried to plug the gap on the left with mixed success. Northern Ireland international Morrison, in truth, is far more natural on the right.</p><p>The bigger question is whether Wednesday have enough goals in the squad to sustain a promotion challenge. More chances must be created for the front line. Pedersen talks constantly about verticality, but Wednesday do not have an out-and-out number nine. They can&#8217;t go direct, can&#8217;t hit a big target man and can&#8217;t play with a striker who pins two centre-backs. Jamal Lowe and Mason Burstow aren&#8217;t suited to playing with their back to goal. Ali Al-Hamadi is the closest thing they have but he has endured a frustrating start to his Wednesday career. Foot/ankle injuries have disrupted his rhythm. It is unclear whether he will be fully fit after the elongated break.</p><p>Right now, Wednesday lack a physical focal point &#8211; a battering ram who can hold the ball up, relieve pressure and give them a different route to goal. The last time Wednesday were promoted from this division, they had Michael Smith and Lee Gregory. Before that, Chris O&#8217;Grady and Gary Madine. There&#8217;s no shame in going long when Plan A is not working. Sometimes you need variety to keep opponents guessing.</p><p>The recruitment team did outstanding work in a whirlwind summer, transforming the squad at remarkable speed. But it will be fascinating to see whether they do try to upgrade their attacking options. We are yet to see the best of Keillor-Dunn in a Wednesday shirt and his short-term contract expires in January. He is playing for his future. If he impresses, there is a strong possibility Wednesday may look to extend his loan.</p><p>But the club is operating under transfer restrictions. They already have six loan players and only five can be named in a matchday squad. The budget will be tight. Creativity in the market will be essential. To bring in a striker, a loanee may have to return to their parent club.</p><p>Even so, an out-and-out number nine feels like the missing piece of the jigsaw.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>This article is available for free, but if you like what you&#8217;ve seen from The Wednesday Word, then a paid subscription would mean the world to us - and allow us to keep doing everything that we&#8217;re doing in the TWW universe. We want to keep improving, and growing, and for that we need your support! Thank you!</strong></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sheffield Wednesday’s underwhelming performances will eventually catch up with them]]></title><description><![CDATA[Four consecutive away wins for the first time in 15 years. Second in League One after seven matches. Only two defeats in 10 competitive matches this season.]]></description><link>https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-underwhelming-performances-catch-up</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-underwhelming-performances-catch-up</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Dom Howson]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:04:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kC_U!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feaff36c9-45c2-4e76-bb6d-85c3d5bb12a4_5568x3156.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kC_U!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feaff36c9-45c2-4e76-bb6d-85c3d5bb12a4_5568x3156.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kC_U!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feaff36c9-45c2-4e76-bb6d-85c3d5bb12a4_5568x3156.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kC_U!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feaff36c9-45c2-4e76-bb6d-85c3d5bb12a4_5568x3156.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!kC_U!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Feaff36c9-45c2-4e76-bb6d-85c3d5bb12a4_5568x3156.jpeg 1272w, 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class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="icon-noB79L"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2 icon-noB79L"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Everything should be rosy in the Wednesday garden, right? You would be wrong.</p><p>Despite the strong start, the underlying numbers are a growing cause for concern heading into the international break.</p><p>Expected goals (xG) has its critics, but it remains one of the clearest indicators of chance creation and territorial dominance. And right now, there are alarm bells with Wednesday&#8217;s xG figures.</p><p>Wednesday have posted inferior xG to Peterborough United, Wigan Athletic and Stockport County in their past three matches. They somehow escaped with five points but only because those opponents failed to convert gilt-edged chances. That luck won&#8217;t last forever.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>The problem is that Wednesday&#8217;s identity remains unclear. </p></div><p>Stats, of course, are not everything. Far from it.</p><p>But Wednesday have not passed the eye test either. Supporters have been vocal about the dip in performance levels since the 7-2 demolition of Bromley.</p><p><a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/sheffield-wednesday-henrik-pedersen-reaction-salford">Henrik Pedersen</a> is not blind to their shortcomings. He knows the team is not perfect and has repeatedly called for patience after a summer overhaul of unprecedented scale. Bedding in 18 new players will take time and Wednesday have shown character and resilience to grind out results in this transitional period. Pedersen remains confident the team will sharpen up with more training time and expects their attacking cohesion to improve over the next three to four weeks.</p><p>&#8220;We have had a good start to the season,&#8221; centre-back <a href="https://www.thewednesdayword.com/p/inside-dishon-bernard-sheffield-wednesday-return">Di&#8217;Shon Bernard</a> told The Wednesday Word. &#8220;Before the season, I think we would have snapped your hands off to be where we are now. We can only get better.</p><div class="pullquote"><p>&#8220;We can&#8217;t get carried away but we&#8217;re definitely aiming high.&#8221;</p></div><p>&#8220;All the new lads have gelled pretty quickly, especially the attacking players. They&#8217;ve got goals already which is always good. Once they get their confidence, they are ready to fire. We can&#8217;t get carried away but we&#8217;re definitely aiming high.&#8221;</p><p>The problem is that Wednesday&#8217;s identity remains unclear. What exactly do they want to be? A strong pressing side? More possession-based?</p><p>A youthful-Wednesday team were outplayed, outfought and outthought by a League Two side for 55 minutes last Tuesday. Yes, Pedersen made eight changes. Yes, key players were rested. But that does not excuse a desperately poor first half. Salford changed their entire XI and were quicker, sharper and more cohesive. It was embarrassingly one-sided. Wednesday were second best in every department.</p><p>Salford had nearly four times as many shots and registered 28 touches in the Wednesday box compared to 17. That imbalance feels unsustainable.</p><p>There was a reaction after the break. Pedersen&#8217;s changes paid off and Wednesday got the job done. Everyone knows going deep in the Jersey Mike&#8217;s Trophy is not the priority. Promotion is.</p><p>But sooner or later, Wednesday must start performing better - or the results that have papered over the cracks will begin to turn.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>This article is available for free, but if you like what you&#8217;ve seen from The Wednesday Word, then a paid subscription would mean the world to us - and allow us to keep doing everything that we&#8217;re doing in the TWW universe. We want to keep improving, and growing, and for that we need your support! 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