"I protect the Chairman" - Danny Rohl drops Sheffield Wednesday claim on Dejphon Chansiri | OneFootball

The Owls boss pulls no punches in honest assessment of club's current struggles

Sheffield Wednesday fell to their third consecutive defeat against Sunderland on Friday night.

With the Owls’ unexpected play-off push crumbling at the hands of recent form and injuries, a moment has arisen for introspection on the blue side of Sheffield.

In a candid post-match press conference, manager Danny Röhl delivered a nuanced and passionate defence of both his players and club chairman Dejphon Chansiri.

Sheffield Wednesday’s margins of disappointment

"We should be honest, I am not lying, I am not looking for excuses.” Rohl offered, speaking immediately after the Owls’ 2-1 defeat to Sunderland. “We played at West Brom, we came back and it was a corner. We played an outstanding game against Coventry who have seven wins in eight, we dominated them. We go to Burnley and until the 60 minutes that do what they did. Maybe we should speak about this. Maybe there is a limit for the squad at the moment and we should not forget this.”

"We play on our limit - compare this game with the first game of the season against Sunderland and you see a big, big difference. But this team has a limit and since I am here, 17 months now, we have played sometimes over our limit with mentality, with attitude, with a plan, a great mindset.” Rohl told reporters. “But there is a reason why [Sheffield Wednesday lost]. I cannot remember this year that we had a bad game, a really bad game? Maybe I am wrong, but I cannot remember.”

The manager alluded to bad luck in Wednesday’s recent results: “We can go through all the games and this is hard for me because I see my players and what they are doing, how they invest, how they push. They go again and again and they never give up.”

"I wish we had the momentum in the game where we get a good save, we get a pen, where we score the first goal or get the important block and then win this game."

Danny Rohl’s defence of Dejphon Chansiri

The transfer window saw both Röhl and Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri publicly address issues with communication during the initial stages of the process.

The German coach stated he wished to 'protect' the chairman while reflecting on how the window had shaped his squad, subtly suggesting a need for clarity regarding the Owls' financial standing in comparison to other teams vying for a spot in the play-off race.

He continued in the press conference: "Go through all the positions on where these teams were in the last 10 years, in which area we played in the last five or six years. We cannot expect. It is easy to say it is the transfer window or January. Some teams signed players in January with a value of what we invest in a whole season - and there is no blaming on anyone.”

"As a club we have to know where we are and from which position we are coming. In this case I protect the Chairman. Yes, you can say what would have happened if me and the Chairman were better connected? But even then we did everything that we could do in this moment. It is not easy in January. I know a lot of numbers on what teams invest in salaries, in loan fees. There is a difference at the moment.”

"We have to do it with our tools. For this we are doing well. It is the same that we stay in the league and now we are trying to play for the Champions League or a Europa League position. It shows where we are. I am not sure if it is so easy or possible."

"We make steps and steps, we have identity, how we want to play, how we press, how we play football, how we entertained. But there comes a point for the future and if we want this step then we have to think about what we can do, what is possible and what is not possible."

Röhl's comments go beyond a simple post-match analysis - they are a calculated message about the club's current state, its constraints, and its potential.

By addressing the challenges head-on, he shows not only transparency but also a determination to push Sheffield Wednesday forward in a steady, sustainable manner.