"Tricky customer" - TalkSPORT's Simon Jordan issues Chansiri claim amid Sheffield Wednesday protests | OneFootball

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Former Crystal Palace owner and talkSPORT pundit Simon Jordan has criticised Sheffield Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri after fans protested against him during their game against Middlesbrough.

Wednesday supporters threw tennis balls onto the pitch in the 15th minute of the 1-1 draw against Boro at Hillsborough on Tuesday night and chants were heard calling for Chansiri to sell the club.

It has been a turbulent time for the Owls since their promotion from League One last season, with former manager Darren Moore leaving the club just weeks after the win over Barnsley in the play-off final at Wembley due to a disagreement with Chansiri over a wage increase and length of a new contract.

Moore and Chansiri have engaged in a public war of words since his departure, with Moore insisting that his exit was purely down to football rather than financial reasons.

Chansiri appointed Xisco Munoz as Moore's replacement and he allowed the Spaniard to bring in 12 new signings this summer, but many of those were loans or free transfers, with fans expressing frustration at Chansiri's lack of investment, particularly considering the club's high ticket prices.

Wednesday have endured a poor start to the Championship season and they currently sit 23rd in the table, with just two points from their opening seven games.

What did Simon Jordan say?

Jordan revealed that he has had long-standing concerns about Chansiri's ownership of Wednesday, describing him as a "tricky customer".

"Bottom of the league is the bigger problem for them right now," Jordan said on talkSPORT.

"They've gone into the division full of enthusiasm after that remarkable recovery after the mauling they got by Peterborough in the first leg, they overturned it a moment of euphoria, and went on to achieve something that Darren (Moore) was well deserving of.

"For whatever reason, the owner and he went on different journeys which is always disappointing because I think that Darren had earned the right to take that team into the Championship.

"As a former owner, I understand there's a lot more nuance behind the scenes that people won't often see, but this guy seems like a tricky customer to me and has seemed like a tricky customer for some time.

"I'm not entirely sure what you achieve by throwing a bunch of tennis balls on a pitch, but they are expressing their dissatisfaction and primarily that's because the team is bottom of the league."

What next for Sheffield Wednesday?

It is an incredibly concerning time for the Owls on and off the pitch.

While it was a relatively small protest against Chansiri during the game against Boro, the discontent among Wednesday fans is increasing and it is likely there will be similar displays of frustration over the coming weeks.

It was a poor performance from the Owls on Tuesday night and they face a huge game against another side who are yet to register a win this season, Swansea City, on Saturday.

With question marks over Munoz and a squad that looks short on the quality needed to survive in the Championship, it could be a difficult season for Wednesday and they desperately need a result in South Wales this weekend.