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… Even the harshest of critics would admit to the fact that it’d take time for them to hit their straps.
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’s also fair to say that many of their performances have left a lot to be desired. Multiple things can be true at once.
The Owls haven’t been good to watch, I don’t think many people will disagree with that as a statement. There have been some good patches, sure, and the Bromley game – as an outlier – was brilliant. But on the whole, Wednesday have played in fits and starts…
This is no defence of Pedersen, but I’ve seen this movie before. It’s an almost carbon copy of the script that we saw when Darren Moore was in charge. If results are good, it’s the players dragging the team through, if they’re bad, it’s because the manager isn’t good enough. He’s a ‘nice guy’, and that’s a bad thing, apparently.
For what it’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’t mean the other team shouldn’t be considered. I also think it’s overly simplistic to suggest that Wednesday’s struggles going forward are at the door of the manager and has nothing to do with the players.
I’d suggest that Pedersen feels the same way, too, because there was a tinge of anger to his voice when discussing the first half – and start of the second – against Huddersfield, something that we’ve not seen too much of from him before.
Ultimately, right now, Wednesday are getting decent results. They’re unbeaten in eight, and it’s not like they’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.
“He wants us to be progressive when we have possession,” the midfielder told me recently. “Especially in this league. He doesn’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.
“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’s front-footed, definitely, and ‘full power’ as he always says.”
So that’s what Pedersen wants – but is it what he’s getting right now? I’d say not. Is there an element of PTSD for those who battled through last season? Maybe. What’s the psychological effect of going from getting beat every week to being expected to win – and win well.
I don’t know the answers, but you can’t tell me that there’s not a fight in this side, a desire to battle for the man at the helm. Saturday was proof that they’re up for a scrap.
My big question remains the same, because at the end of the day what matters more? Results or performances. It’s difficult, because in many ways it’s both. With positivity comes expectation, with expectation comes pressure… And Wednesday will need to be better as time goes on.
Louie Barry’s absence is felt, as is Max Lowe’s. With everyone fit I’d wager that Wednesday would be more expansive, more threatening. And while I completely believe – as I’m sure those internally agree – 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?
I don’t know the answers, but you can’t tell me that there’s not a fight in this side, a desire to battle for the man at the helm. Saturday was proof that they’re up for a scrap. I also can’t see that those in charge at Wednesday simply decided to keep Pedersen around because ‘he’s a nice bloke’.
Pedersen’s Wednesday have to improve, and with every game that they don’t look more cohesive, more threatening, more impressive, the pressure will continue to mount on the man in the dugout.
That’s entirely fair, and I’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’d be nice if we didn’t have to choose.
This article is available for free, but if you like what you’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’re doing in the TWW universe. We want to keep improving, and growing, and for that we need your support! Thank you!
The frustration is that performances seem to be getting worse and there is little to no evidence of what he talks about materialising on the pitch. Yes we are unbeaten in however many, but recent results have got worse with 2 consecutive 0-0 draws at home, both of which we could easily have lost and never looked like winning, and then a rather fortunate draw at the weekend. I don’t want to wait until we have dropped into the bottom half of the table before reacting when we can see the direction of travel already. We’ve got a decent run of games coming up. I think it’s fair that if there isn’t some clear progress by the end of that run then it might be time up.
Xisco could also describe his system, but on the pitch it was a car crash.