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  1. Hi, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer this morning – an aggressive version. I'm posting this because I'm guessing that most of the users on here are blokes around the age of 50 and over (I'm 60). Apologies if you are not (you can ignore). I was reading a post the other day when one user said he's been weeing in morse code for ages – it made me laugh – but this is a symptom. Just to add that I've never smoked, I've never been overweight and I'm vegetarian so my diet is generally healthy, cycled hundreds of miles etc – it appears I'm just genetically unlucky. If you have any 'changes' in your bladder – uneasy feeling, difficulty starting, urgency, frequency, nocturnal urination (visiting toilet two or three times a night) and any issues with ED etc, get yourself checked by a doctor. You should ask for a PSA test. Mine was 5.5 – which is high but not too high. After urine tests, further blood tests, pressure tests, an MRI and a biopsy (not for the faint hearted), here I am. Bone scan and CT scan to come so I can get a proper prognosis. Not asking for sympathy – I only know a few of you – just raising awareness. Here's hoping I'll see The Owls in the premiership in my lifetime (not too optimistic now;–) Mick (B. Respect)
    232 points
  2. Hi Kris. I just wanted to say a huge congratulations and THANK YOU for your efforts (along with your colleagues) to close the deal you have done today. I am filled with cautious optimism, and I sincerely hope neither you or Begbies Traynor ever darken the doors of Hillsborough again In the nicest possible way of course Enjoy your champagne. You've earned it. Regards Nannan (off of Owlstalk)
    170 points
  3. Apologies in advance - this is a long one. Now that the transaction is complete, I wanted to take a moment to thank the people who made what many thought was impossible… possible. This has been one of the most complex, demanding and important processes I’ve ever been involved in. It simply does not get done without a huge number of people going above and beyond. A few key aspects defined whether this club had a future: 1. Bringing S3 Limited into Administration alongside the Club - This allowed us to market and sell the Club and stadium together. Without it, the outcome could have been terminal. Thank you to New Avenue Projects for working with us to make this happen. 2. Funding the Club through the process Cash was critical. To the fans - thank you. You backed the Club when it mattered most, buying tickets and merchandise in huge numbers. To the individual who loaned £1 million - incredible support at a critical time. And to Henrik Pedersen - for his understanding and leadership when difficult football decisions had to be made. 3. Securing the outcome with the EFL A huge amount of work went into finding a solution that worked for all parties and protected the Club’s future. I want to thank a colleague (who would absolutely want to remain anonymous) for the creativity, technical expertise and, quite frankly, one of the most effective pieces of work I’ve ever seen in delivering a solution everyone could get behind. A number of advisers were outstanding: Wiggin LLP — David Hinchliffe and team. Relentless, often working through the night. Freeths (Sheffield Insolvency Team) - led by Oliver Jackson, assisting throughout but crucial in the final weeks. MD Law - Matthew Dixon (despite his football allegiances…), stepping in to solve a late-stage issue. BTG Eddisons, BTG Insurance Services & BTG Forensics - supporting throughout. Shorts Accountants - Scott Burkinshaw and team on tax. ⸻ My BTG team - quite simply exceptional. Jo Hammond, Mark Weekes, Paul Stanley, Julian Pitts, Phil Stone, Karis Cordery, Ben, Aidan, Niamh, Harry and many others. And the wider Sheffield office who picked up the slack while we lived and breathed Hillsborough for six months. ⸻ The Sheffield Wednesday staff have been nothing short of incredible. Henrik Pedersen - one of the best leaders and people I’ve worked with. We were competitive throughout - that’s down to him. Lindsey - “Mrs Sheffield Wednesday”. Tireless. ‘Stan’ - Mr Safety. Outstanding. Rob, Louise, James and so many more behind the scenes. I also want to mention Trevor Braithwaite and Alastair Wilson. Both have taken unfair criticism. They did their jobs professionally in extremely difficult circumstances, and the Club would not have functioned without them. James Wheelhouse - for answering our SOS when appointed and keeping the IT infrastructure together under real pressure. ⸻ A few others who played important roles: Lee Strafford - trusted counsel throughout. Alex Miller and Rob Staton - responsible journalism when it mattered. Lee Wildgoose, Matt Bruce, Chris Cotterill and many more. From the Trust - James Silverwood, Rob Brooke, Steven Chu. And finally, Asher Simons - he was on the other side of the deal but was a huge driving force and without a Wednesday fan either side, I’m not sure it would have got done.I’m proud to now call him a friend. ⸻ This has been a collective effort - but one driven by a clear objective from day one: to protect Sheffield Wednesday and give it a future. There is still a lot of work ahead (thankfully not for me ) But today, the Club has stability, a new owner, and a real platform to move forward. WAWAW
    147 points
  4. I waa honoured to be at the game today and so much to take in but I wanted to share something that I heard in the toilet queue at halftime! We were on the kop and an old fella was complaining to his mate about all the plastic fans and how they should bugger off because he needed a ******** and didnt want to wait. A throw away comment perhaps but it touched a nerve for me. I am what many would say is a plastic fan. I dont live in Sheffield, and despite growing up watching us be good in the early 90s I didnt get to watch the Owls live until I was in my 30s. I get to maybe a couple of games a season, maybe a cheap cup game. It might seem plastic but for many of us the option of being there more often isn't an easy one. For me its usually cost, for others maybe distance or work. That doesnt mean we dont bleed blue and white, that we dont find joy in a last minute winner or get annoyed at losing. We feel those things just as much and maybe because we cannot attend as often it feels more potent when we do. Walking into the Cathedral that is Hillsborough, where our hope and prayers are cast but often go unanswered. We tingle at the roar of the kop, we shrug at a dreary 0-0. We are still Owls and we still are a part of the fabric. As many of you know my daughter has struggled and I will be honest there are times when I wondered if I would ever get to take her to another game. Today was her first time on the Kop, and I worried the noise would be too much for some of her issues but they were not. I watched a 17 year old girl, that struggled to offer affection to me or others sing and dance and get swept up in the moment for 2 hours. 2 hours of exuberance and sheer unbridled passion. A moment I could share with her. A moment I would cherish forever. I wept a tear as the old crest was revealed and I wept a tear that I could share this moment with someone precious to me, someone who like me, might be a plastic fan, but one in the early years of her Wednesday journey. Who knows where that will lead? 2 people, just 2 dots in a sea of blue and white, nothing in the greater picture but at that moment it was our entire world. So I dont care if it makes the queues longer, for me its worth it for those precious memories. Thank you to all you owls who continue to make this such a wonderful club and I apologise for the long post!
    127 points
  5. Some of the threads on here: “Pedersen isn’t good enough”, “Adaramola isn’t good enough” and so on. We’re on our arses FFS. Our previous owner ran us into the ground and either sold our assets or let them go for free. Temper your expectations for heavens sake.
    122 points
  6. Thank you everybody - even Rachel Adams. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster! But we’ve got there and I’m extremely confident we are in for the most exciting ride this Club has had in 35 years. Enjoy it!
    116 points
  7. Note these things that have happened (in no particularly order) to us this season: We had no preseason games other than one “behind closed doors” game that may or may not have involved most of the players Players were unable to start preseason training at Middlewood Road on time and had to train at home - some organised their own group training sessions elsewhere Pedersen was put in temporary charge while Röhl and Chansiri wrangled about the former leaving. Röhl came back for a week or two and took training, Pedersen went back to being Assistant Manager. Röhl left and Pedersen became manager on 31st July with the new season almost upon us. Wages weren’t paid to all staff three time over closed/preseason (four times in five months) Several key first team players exercised their right to leave and were not replaced The EFL imposed a points deduction, numerous embargoes and recruitment conditions on the club. We could/can only sign players with EFL permission and against strict conditions Remaining first team regulars picked up long-term injuries Young players were/are having to be played; five or six per game at times Young players pick up long-term injuries Our first choice goalkeeper became injured twice and was out for several weeks both times. He was replaced by substandard goalkeepers Replacement keepers were injured and had to be replaced leading to us playing seven different keepers thus far this season Chansiri ran the club to the absolute brink of extinction before being forced into Administration. As a result, further sanctions and a points deduction is placed on the club. The Bord consortium were selected as preferred bidders, disappeared for a couple of months then pulled out thus leaving the club without any transfer fund for this season. Barry Bannan left the club in what is thought to be a book-balancing exercise but could have been his own choice Bailey Cademarteri is sold We are now left with a squad of players well past their prime, last season's fringe players and youngsters. Some have stepped up a notch in quality (notably Ingelsson) but most haven’t (notably Ugbo) I could probably list more. Given all of the above, some on here are pointing the finger at Pedersen for not bringing about more wins/points than what we have thus far. Such assertions are unreasonable and unrealistic. The vast majority of our squad is either too young and not ready, too old and past it, not good enough for the Championship, recently returning from injury, out injured, or carrying an injury which le playing. The fact that we aren’t overrun by teams each week amazes me, and the fact that we’ve been making chances recently (but, unfortunately, not taking them) amazes me further. Given our limited playing resources, Pederson is having to fit a system around our players rather than fit players into a system (which he would do in normal conditions). What we should not do as fans is judge Pedersen on this season’s results and points total - that would be unreasonable. For the record, I would like to see Pedersen retained next season. It’s the practical and sensible thing to do given the takeover timescales. Whether he is retained or not by the new owners is a choice for them but changing the manager at such a late stage when any new manager would have had little or no chance of assessing the squad before the season end is reckless given the fact that we have to build up the squad to operate as a normal functioning squad to stay in League One never mind one that can challenge at the top end of the league. Anyone advocating a management change based upon results this season needs to give their head a wobble IMO, particularly considering the timescales and point in time when a new manager can actually be brought in. Think clearly and sensibly for heaven’s sake!
    96 points
  8. Won the FIFPRO Award, donated the prize money to assist Sheffield Wednesday to look after the staff and players during the difficult last 12 months. Listen to the interview where he discusses this: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0nfkpm6 Incredible human.
    87 points
  9. Gone a bit OTT with the plane though
    86 points
  10. Get the negative clown gone no excuses no tactical awareness, so negative. and just plain awful to watch. Get everyone on the same page new start next season new team and squad new owners. Reset. Go and get Paul Warne. UTO
    82 points
  11. THIS is the highlight of the day for me. He had umpteen opportunities to recoup some money over the course of several years where he's been told to sell. He then had opportunities to engage with the administrator. He gets nowt. *Chefs kiss*
    71 points
  12. I'd like to see that crap looking Owl that looks like it's rimming arrse removed from leppings lane Once you see it, you can't unsee it...
    69 points
  13. Ironically enough, it might be his greatest achievement for us. And no doubt, as befitting his entire tenure, one seemingly born of entitlement, arrogance, incompetence and stupidity.
    69 points
  14. All they want is for the EFL to keep slapping us with deductions, forever, until we go bust - because that’s all that matters to them. A Sheffield Wednesday that’s still alive, stable - and who knows, maybe even thriving - puts all of them into complete irrelevance. They’ve had 26 years of us floundering to make something of their own clubs and repeatedly failed. Back in your f*cking boxes, lads.
    65 points
  15. Almost 34,000 at Hillsborough for a party in the sunshine; new owners announced; an experienced CEO...great stuff. And then it somehow got better. We'd all heard the rumours of a reduced points deduction, but as that number on the scoreboard kept dropping all the way to zero, I felt genuinely emotional. I didn't see that coming. The perfect day. We couldn't then put the cherry on top with a first home win of the season, could we? Today felt so cathartic, like the whole club had finally had the weight of this season lifted from our shoulders, and a bright future had opened up ahead of us at long last.
    63 points
  16. I’m sorry but in that first season, right up to Wembley , we had the biggest feel good factor around the club we’ve had in years . Most people genuinely thought that this was the moment Yes it unravelled in the end but I’ll always remember Carlos for giving us those moments We were the media darlings and they were taken up by his charisma . They were good days and hindsight is a fantastic thing The same things get churned out every time his names mentioned
    62 points
  17. It was interesting to read through the 35 pages of the Matchday thread versus Stoke City yesterday evening and I think the tide has turned. Yes, there is still a largey polite respect towards Pederson for sticking with it but many many more are critical of his in-game management of the team. From the volume of growing criticism It is clear that appointing Pederson would be both unambitious and uninspiring. To sell season tickets the club needs to energise and excite the fan base and imo a Pederson appointment will go down like a damp squib. With the EFL payments virtually gone income from season ticket sales will be critical to the new owners. We need a new start!!!
    60 points
  18. You'd been punished enough this season. Having to endure that and then starting on minus 15 would be taking the pi33 I'm glad the EFL have saw sense and not put the fans through more torment
    58 points
  19. He ain't good enough and don't start that sht he stood in when needed, he's useless and same sht playing from back when we're not good enough to do that..subs always late to react and if you think he's the man to do a total rebuild then you're as clueless as him
    58 points
  20. I’ve not moaned all season about Pederson but he’s really annoyed me today. 1-0 down against a crap Charlton team and he’s about to bring on another forward (possibly for one of our 5 defender) it goes 1-1 he sits the sub back down. Does nothing until 15 minutes or so later as we start injury time. He then swaps a holding midfielder for another holding midfielder and takes off our only slight goal threat. He’s so negative. I’ve not seen us win a game for 1 game short of a full season. Just have a sodding go. Rather lose today then settle for a point
    57 points
  21. Storch and co. weren't on the scene whilst Chansiri ran our club into the ground; the EFL were. In fact, they were responsible for the governance of the game during that period, and they enabled him to continue wreaking havoc. And yet it's the EFL who want to punish our new owners for not sufficiently rewarding the bloke who burned everything to the ground. They've shown themselves up as incompetent at best, and vindictive at worst.
    57 points
  22. The staff who worked without getting paid
    56 points
  23. Weather forecast for Saturday....
    54 points
  24. Not a player of course but my goodness what a signing he's been. The pitch yesterday looked as good as it did in the first game of the season! Stunning. Note to Arise. If we haven't got him on a long contract please sort that out as a matter of urgency.
    52 points
  25. I know, I know, as signings go he has been a shocker based on appearances alone, but He would be immense if we could get him on the pitch for 30 games next season. if we were to “gamble” with one contract this summer, it would be Chalobah for me.
    52 points
  26. On the 23rd May I’ll be doing the Yorkshire 3 peaks challenge. That’s 3 peaks and 24 miles in 12 hours. I’m doing it for the charity Mental Health Matters, an amazing charity that my wonderful daughter works for part time. She’s had her own mental health problems growing up and I couldn’t be more proud of her in how she’s now decided to help others struggling with MH problems. If you could spare a quid or two I’d be eternally grateful. thanks https://www.justgiving.com/page/deanibbotson?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=lc_frp_share_transaction_transactional_--_donation_received_--_first_donation
    51 points
  27. 51 points
  28. 1 million of them are me.
    50 points
  29. Agreed, I was okay with it yesterday, it sort of made sense, but I don't want it to become the norm, it reminds me of those Trump Maga morons !
    50 points
  30. Honolulu Wednesday Where'd You Get Those Eyes..... https://youtu.be/eAQplAZ5GcA?si=0ttyCJ03aFQ2boUD
    50 points
  31. Can't remember any other season quite like it honestly Everything just went out of the window really didn't it and the team have had to just do the best they can under the circumstances Our fans? They've been unbelievable. Unreal. What a fanbase Really hoping that the next era of our club gives our fans everything they deserve and that we can have happier times again where it's fun to head to Hillsborough. Fingers crossed Up the Owls
    50 points
  32. Anybody else notice the enthusiasm amongst storchs family and entourage during the game …They were going barmy when we scored ..limbs in the air at every chant …the ladies seemed the worse !!! But seeing such passion and enthusiasm coming from the directors box was amazing to see
    49 points
  33. I know its been done to death but the idea of sanctioning a club because the man who tried to kill it isn't getting paid enough is mental.
    49 points
  34. If we're definitely taking the minus 15- make the smallest payment possible so that Chansiri gets fk all Hes absolutely confirmed everything I ever thought of him there. Still can't believe people who call themselves Wednesday fans supported him to the end.
    49 points
  35. Way over the top,at entrance to north at west stand end today Mate takes grandson ,aged 10 ,to games home and away,he likes to take his Wednesday flag to matches,he as taken same flag ,since Barnsley game at Wembley Today a woman fire steward marched over to him and said as that got a fire certificate,admit it didn't,but was bought from megastore,so you would assume it was ok,then 3 more stewards joined in, causing the young lad to cry,they took flag away with no apology to lad,way over the top With how bad this season as been we should be encouraging young uns to come,not treating them like this
    49 points
  36. ...when he was told about us having no points deduction next season. Say what you want about the bloke, but he clearly cares massively about our club. So chuffed that he got that victory today. https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-wednesday/henrik-pedersen-sheffield-wednesday-points-8481660
    48 points
  37. Even if you take this season out of the equation (which you shouldn’t because this side is better than 1 win all season), there is absolutely nothing in this guys CV prior to joining the club that suggests he’s the man to take us forward next season, especially considering if we started next season on minus 15. Start next season with Pedersen and all these fans who are trying to shout down anyone who dares to challenge the narrative that nobody else could do any better with this group of players will be joining those calling for him to go by late September.
    48 points
  38. It will be nice for his boyhood team Coventry to get promoted.
    48 points
  39. Stupid to the end. Such an arrogant, obnoxious, entitled , stubborn little turd of a man.
    47 points
  40. Reight, here we go. My ideas for next seasons kits. Go easy one me, yer b'stards! Right, now I know occasionally a ball goes out of play off someone ar$e so you might need a change of shorts to stop liner getting confused if home team have same colours. So I've allowed for that too. Away kit - alternative shorts Ok So we probably wont be needing this 4th one... the European kit while I'm still on this mortal coil. But still. I think it's all right. And no, I wont apologise for late 70s early 80s collars!! Apologies in advance if I dont reply.... Me Chinese has just arrived.
    46 points
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