Sheffield Wednesday fans slammed for 'premature' Henrik Pedersen sack calls | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit has given his verdict on the increasing calls from supporters for manager Henrik Pedersen to be replaced.

It has been a strong start to life back in League One for Sheffield Wednesday, but it is fair to say not all Owls supporters are fully behind manager Henrik Pedersen.

A new era is underway at Hillsborough after David Storch's Arise Capital Partners consortium completed their takeover of Wednesday in May, and after a busy summer, the South Yorkshire outfit are among the early front-runners in League One.

Henrik Pedersen under increasing Sheffield Wednesday pressure after Stockport County stalemate

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Wednesday brought in 18 new signings this summer as they rebuilt their squad, but while it was expected that their new-look team would take time to gel, they made an excellent start to the season, winning four of their first five league games.

However, the Owls were held to a 0-0 draw by struggling Wigan Athletic at Hillsborough in their sixth game, and that was followed by another goalless home stalemate against Stockport County on Saturday.

The Hatters dominated for much of the game, but Jimmy McNulty's side missed a host of good chances, particularly in the first half, as they were forced to settle for a point, and the result saw Wednesday drop down to second in the League One table, with Bradford City replacing them at the summit.

After another underwhelming performance on their own patch, many Owls supporters took to social media after the game to debate whether Pedersen is the right man to lead them to promotion this season, with some already calling for the 48-year-old to be replaced just seven games into the campaign.

Sheffield Wednesday fan verdict issued on Henrik Pedersen's future

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When asked if the Owls should consider parting company with Pedersen, FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit Patrick McKenna insisted that the Dane's job should not be under threat while his side are sitting second in the table, but he admitted that he must find a way to solve the current goalscoring problems.

"I think the calls for Henrik Pedersen to be replaced are too premature," Patrick told FLW.

"Quite frankly, those who are shouting are calling for a manager of the team who are second in the league to be sacked, and sacked so early in the season.

"I'm not saying that things are perfect with Pedersen at the moment, and I do think there will need to be improvements to keep us in the promotion hunt.

"In three of the four home league games, we haven't scored a goal, and that is a problem that will have to be addressed because it's not sustainable going forward.

"In a few of those games, we've looked quite toothless, and you got the impression we wouldn't have scored if we kept playing for another 90 minutes, so that's for Pedersen to work on.

"He's going to have to figure out with his squad how he can utilise it and decide on a starting XI that can play more on the front foot because we are quite rigid at the minute.

"He's been playing some players out of position, so it's really on him to figure it out.

"Ultimately, Simon Wilson (sporting director) will be monitoring the situation, he will have his expectations, and, at the end of the day, if he feels they are not being met, that's when Pedersen will depart."

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Having won just two of his 50 games in charge of Wednesday last season, albeit in difficult circumstances, many were surprised when Storch made the decision to stick with Pedersen after taking over at Hillsborough this summer.

While Owls supporters have plenty of respect for Pedersen and the way he led the club through a turbulent period, large sections of the fanbase have reservations about his managerial ability, and it is little surprise that those doubts have surfaced early in the season, despite the lofty league position.

Wednesday brought in a number of new attackers this summer, but they have lost star man Louie Barry until December due to injury, while their transfer restrictions made it tough for them to recruit a prolific striker, so Pedersen should not be entirely blamed for his side's goalscoring woes.

With the Owls sitting second, it would be incredibly harsh to dismiss Pedersen at this stage, but with the mood of the fans already beginning to sour after two goalless draws at home, it will not take much for the calls for his dismissal to grow even louder.