New Sheffield Wednesday stadium update labelled "shameful" - Many Owls fans in agreement | OneFootball

Things are going from bad to worse at Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday were recently handed a heavy blow regarding Hillsborough’s North Stand.

It was originally reported by the BBC that the section of the ground may not be open in time for the new season because of "extensive corrosion" in the roof.

Sheffield City Council's safety advisory group advised that until remedial work had been carried out, the authority would not be "in a position to approve the continuance of the existing general safety certificate".

This hasn’t happened and the Owls were subsequently handed a prohibition notice over their North Stand due to safety concerns.

Sheffield Wednesday have now provided an update on the matter, which hasn’t been received well by supporters.

Sheffield Wednesday fans react to North Stand update

In the update, the Owls stated that they are working with professional advisors and contractors to ensure the North Stand can operate as usual for the first game of the season.

Preliminary work has been carried out over the past week by a specialist team and the club stated that the North Stand has previously received letters of comfort from safety professionals to the end of last season.

However, supporters haven’t reacted well to this news.

Dejphon Chansiri was a popular target and was even criticised for his involvement in the situation by supporters of other clubs.

It’s understood that discussions have been ongoing between the club and Sheffield Council’s Safety Advisory Group since 2021, with second opinions brought in from a firm in Bangkok earlier this year.

Wednesday were instructed to start addressing several issues with the stand before the close of 2024, but by the start of this summer hadn’t begun to start work on solving a range of problems.

"A load of absolute drivel, you've known about issues and that it needed work since 2021," another supporter wrote. "Now you decide to do the bare minimum to try and keep it open.

"Shameful."

The Owls have stated that they have held back on issuing North Stand Season Tickets until they are completely certain about whether the area will be open or not for the start of the season.

This announcement has caused further outrage among supporters, who are crying out for more communication over the matter.

Sheffield Wednesday must reach North Stand decision sooner rather than later

After citing that they are waiting for the picture to become clearer before issuing North Stand season tickets, Wednesday are simply leaving their supporters in limbo.

Moving 9,000 people from one area of the ground to another is no easy task, but the worrying communication will leave many supporters with no clue over where they may be positioned for their side’s clash against Stoke City.

The Owls must reach a decision in the coming days to give everyone involved ample time to prepare, otherwise things could turn even uglier among the club’s fanbase.