Nobody really knows what Henrik Pedersen can do at Sheffield Wednesday
There isn’t a straw short enough to describe what Henrik Pedersen was dealt at Sheffield Wednesday.
Wednesday are heading to League One and nothing that happens between now and the end of this season will change that. Pedersen is the one that’s overseen this calamity of a season, and he’s the one who has drawn the ire of so many Owls fans looking for somebody to blame.
But we all know where that blame lies. It’s not with the manager, who’s doing his best to keep morale up and avoid getting battered. It’s not on the players who have continually run themselves into the ground in the most unpleasant of situations. It’s not the fault of anybody who still turns up at Middlewood Road every day trying to keep this football club ticking over.
The winless run is miserable, as was the torrid spell without a goal. Speaking to people within the game, though, there’s nothing but praise for the way that the Dane has gone about his business with Wednesday.
People can complain about his subs. But what options does he really have? They can question his tactics. But often it’s just been damage limitation. This football team isn’t managing games badly; they’re simply running out of steam… It’s why we see the same movie so often. Compete, hold their own, concede, lose.
The fact of the matter is that Pedersen does not deserve to be judged on this season at Hillsborough. Nobody from the outside really knows if he’s a good manager or not, because nothing about his first season has been even close to normal. The 48-year-old has been playing catch-up since his first day on the job, and has had hurdles placed in front of him at every turn.
Pedersen is regarded highly in football circles. He’s a big reason why so many clubs were so willing to work with the Owls in recent transfer windows despite their hugely restrictive limitations. There’s been no sniping from behind the scenes - which is common if a changing room is ‘lost’ - and there has been plenty of praise for the way that he’s kept this sinking ship bobbing along.
Relegation may have been confirmed last month, but it’s been a certainty for months. Despite all that, the Wednesday boss didn’t let standards drop. Players were reprimanded for lateness, individual meetings to talk about improvement continued, and it’s been drilled into players that a lack of effort would not be tolerated.
An entire summer rebuild is on the cards, one that will – hopefully – be overseen by a new owner. David Storch has already met with Pedersen and by all accounts liked what he heard – a decision will have to be made one way or another come June. For what he’s done over the last year, I reckon the Owls boss has earned himself a crack at doing this job in a functioning and supportive environment.
If it doesn’t work out, then fair enough. But let him succeed or fail on his own merits, not the actions of a Thai businessman who left one of England’s oldest football clubs to fall into absolute and complete disrepair.
Rumi, a 13th-century Persian philosopher, once said, “Where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure.” Henrik Pedersen took over a Wednesday side destined for ruin - he at least deserves a chance to pursue the treasure that could lie ahead.