Football League World
·17 December 2024
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·17 December 2024
FLW pinpoints three managers that should appear on the Owls radar if Danny Rohl is to make a South Coast return
Sheffield Wednesday could potentially find themselves searching for a new manager amid reports that Danny Rohl and Southampton have entered negotiations with each other.
The 35-year-old was appointed as Owls boss in October 2023 with the club firmly rooted to the bottom of the Championship table after Xisco Munoz's disastrous 10-game spell at Hillsborough.
But, the former Saints assistant - who has also enjoyed spells on the coaching team of RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and the German national team - was able to mastermind one of the greatest relegation escapes in second tier history, as the South Yorkshire side went on to record 50 points in 35 games, confirming survival with a 2-0 away success at Sunderland on the final day of the campaign.
Wednesday have also continued to progress this campaign, having won eight of their first 21 games, currently sitting in ninth place with 29 points to their name - just five points behind Middlesbrough, who occupy the final play-off place.
However, the South Coast side are searching for Russell Martin's successor after the former Swansea City boss was dismissed immediately after a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday night, and after Rohl emerged as one of the "leading candidates" to take over the reins at St Mary's, Florian Plettenberg has since reported that talks between the Premier League outfit and the German are ongoing.
With that being said, Football League World have pinpointed three replacements Wednesday must consider if their current boss is to depart.
It perhaps comes as no surprise that former Coventry City boss Mark Robins features on this list.
The 54-year-old's second stint at the CBS Arena was well-documented, as across seven-and-a-half years of service in the West Midlands, he was able to guide the Sky Blues from a fall into League Two to within a penalty kick from the Premier League, as well as an FA Cup Semi-Final in his final full season with the club.
His dismissal in November sent shockwaves across the EFL landscape, having earned so much credit for the unprecedented progression he was able to mastermind across a lengthy spell of 386 games, highlighting his commitment towards a long-term project.
Similarly to a lengthy period of his time in charge of the Sky Blues, there is a backdrop of discontent between Wednesday fans and owner, Dejphon Chansiri, but Robins has demonstrated that he is able to galvanise a squad and fanbase in the face of adversity in order to achieve a plethora of standout results and respectable league finishes.
Given that the Owls currently find themselves on the coattails of the play-off race, Robins would be an ideal replacement from this point of view too, as the club have failed to hit such heights since the 2016/17 campaign.
Again, another manager who has been linked with a whole host of recent vacancies comes in the form of Wycombe Wanderers boss, Matt Bloomfield.
The 40-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable start to this season with the Chairboys, as they currently find themselves top of League One, having accumulated 43 points in just 19 games, edging ahead of free-spending Birmingham City in the standings.
Across 80 matches in the third tier since his appointment at Adams Park back in February 2023, the club legend has overseen 34 wins in that timeframe, which equates to an average of 1.55 points per game.
Of course, there may be some reservations that Bloomfield is yet to manage at Championship level, but given the fact that Rohl was also untested in the second tier at the time of his appointment last term, Chansiri could look to go down the same route once more, with the hope of continuing the momentum which has been fostered in S6.
Like Bloomfield, Steven Schumacher has also seen his name linked with the vacancy at Millwall in recent days, which proves how highly-rated the 40-year-old is, despite his controversial dismissal at Stoke City on September 16th.
Across 32 games in charge at the Bet365 Stadium, the former League One title-winner with Plymouth Argyle was able to steer the Potters well clear of relegation danger towards the back end of last season, before being relieved of his duties just five games into the current campaign with Stoke sat in 13th place at the time.
The Potters have since regressed under Narcis Pelach, who has a far worse win percentage than that of his predecessor, which highlights Schumacher's capabilities at Championship level.
With a front-footed ideology, the Liverpudlian would definitely fancy his chances of being able to build on the foundations which Rohl has put in place.