Chris Waddle issues Sheffield Wednesday demand after "woeful" Sunderland defeat | OneFootball

Chris Waddle has given his reaction to Sheffield Wednesday's 4-0 defeat at Sunderland on Sunday.

Sheffield Wednesday legend and pundit Chris Waddle believes the Owls need to show more consistency if they are to challenge for the play-offs in the Championship this season.

Wednesday secured survival last season following a remarkable turnaround under Danny Rohl, and optimism was high at Hillsborough heading into the new campaign after a strong summer of transfer business.

The Owls made an excellent start to the season with a 4-0 win over Plymouth Argyle on the opening weekend before a 2-1 victory at Hull City in the EFL Cup, but they suffered a comprehensive 4-0 defeat at Sunderland on Sunday.

Goals from Dennis Cirkin, Eliezer Mayenda and Luke O'Nien gave the Black Cats a three-goal lead inside 24 minutes, and Mayenda added his second just after the break to extend the hosts' advantage.

Wednesday are back in action when they host Leeds United, who have drawn both of their opening two league games, on Friday night, and Rohl will be keen for his side to return to winning ways against their Yorkshire rivals.

Waddle: Sheffield Wednesday must be more consistent

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, via NewBettingSites.uk, Waddle admitted he was shocked by the Owls' performance against Sunderland, and he said they will need to be more consistent if they are to be among the play-off contenders in the Championship this season.

"The blue side of the city was buzzing a bit at the start of the season," Waddle said.

"They finished well, and Chansiri, the chairman, backed Danny Rohl to go and get some players.

"They obviously signed a lot on frees, but he's had to give them contracts and wages, which balances it out.

"Chansiri has backed him, which I was quite surprised about, but I think Danny Rohl had the upper hand as he finished the season well and the fans were right behind him. "He could call the shots, and I'm sure he had a few offers behind the scenes to leave, but he wanted to stay and finish the job. "On the first day against Plymouth, I've got to say I was really disappointed in Plymouth, but Wednesday came out of the blocks quickly, they looked very entertaining and on the front foot. "It was good to watch, they basically blitzed Plymouth away. "At Hull they changed the team and had a positive performance again, but then they went to Sunderland, who are one of the teams you would look at for the play-offs, and I've got to say they were absolutely woeful. "I watched it and I couldn't believe the performance from a team which was so high on confidence. "It's probably what they needed, it was a shock to the system. "Danny Rohl said he'll take the blame, but they just looked half asleep, they couldn't control it, they didn't have any vision, there was no awareness about them. "They didn't do all the basics of the game like simple marking, the first goal was a terrible goal to give away. "For the second, Windass tried the flick that got cut out, then there's nobody marking the centre forward. "It was something they needed I think and let's see how they respond, they've got Leeds on Friday, and that's going to be a hard game. "Everybody thought they we're looking like play-offs, but it's made people think again. "I think the thing Danny Rohl will want from this team is consistency. "What we've seen so far is two league games with that team and there's no consistency, they were brilliant, then they were poor. "If you want to be in the play-offs, you've got to have consistency. "I'm not taking anything away from Sunderland, they played very well and had a good game plan, but I couldn't believe how poor Sheffield Wednesday played.

"Let's hope that's a one-off performance, but Danny Rohl will be looking at it and I'm sure he'll be working hard on the training ground this week before the Leeds game on Friday night because that's a massive game now."

Sunderland defeat could be a wake-up call for Sheffield Wednesday

It is difficult to disagree with Waddle that it was a woeful performance from Wednesday against Sunderland.

Given the strong start the Owls had made to the season, it was a surprise to see them emphatically beaten at the Stadium of Light, and there is plenty for Rohl to work on ahead of the game against Leeds, particularly his side's defending from set pieces.

As Waddle says, the defeat could act as a wake-up call for any Wednesday players who got carried away after their opening game against Plymouth, but they have responded well to setbacks during Rohl's tenure, and they will need to do the same again on Friday night.