Henrik Pedersen has been relieved of his duties after less than 15 months in charge. The Dane led the club through an “exceptional period in the club’s history, providing stability and leadership during a time of significant uncertainty and change”.
Retaining Pedersen in the summer after the worst season in the club’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.
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.
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.
What Pedersen promised and what he delivered were two different things.
The loss of marquee signing Louie Barry proved a fatal blow and derailed their early season momentum. Wednesday’s most potent attacking weapon had just found his goal-scoring touch and was starting to hit top form.
Pedersen was afforded some leeway after overseeing a major squad rebuild. Nobody expected perfection overnight following the arrival of 18 new signings.
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.
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.
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.
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’s final game in charge at Doncaster Rovers. Jamal Lowe, despite scoring seven goals, has too often flattered to deceive.
There have been too many limp, lifeless displays and too many occasions when the basics have not been executed well enough.
For long stretches of the season Wednesday have looked disjointed and lacked cohesion. That ultimately falls at the manager’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.
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 ‘We want Pedersen out’ echoed around the stadium.
Pedersen is a good man who stood by Wednesday during some of the darkest moments in the club’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.
Persisting with Pedersen was the first major misstep of the Arise era. 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.
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.
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Personally, I disagree with the concept that Arise have made a mistake (or misstep) persisting with HP.
We’ve had some better results than others, and there have been some good results, and he’s been sacked on the basis that his improvements have not been quick enough, or delivered more consistently.
There is also the process that is as important, every unemployed manager in the country will have been looking at how he has been treated, how much time he was given, and how this might influence their appointment. There is more to it that saying - they have stuck with him too long.