Sheffield Wednesday fans slammed over 'ridiculous' Barry Bannan situation | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit has given his verdict on the criticism Barry Bannan has received after Saturday's draw with Wigan Athletic.

It has been an excellent start to the season for Sheffield Wednesday in League One as they begin life under new owner David Storch.

A new era is underway at Hillsborough after Storch's Arise Capital Partners consortium completed their takeover of Wednesday in May, and despite a significant overhaul of the squad this summer, Henrik Pedersen's new-look side have not taken long to gel.

Barry Bannan criticised as Sheffield Wednesday held to surprise Wigan Athletic stalemate

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After making a total of 18 new signings during the summer transfer window, many expected Wednesday to make a slow start to the season, but the South Yorkshire outfit won four of their first five games to climb to the top of the League One table.

However, the Owls were held to a surprise 0-0 draw by Wigan Athletic, who sat bottom of the table coming into the game, at Hillsborough on Saturday, and the Latics would have been disappointed to only come away with a point after an impressive display.

Wednesday remain at the summit despite dropping two points, but it was a frustrating afternoon for supporters, and midfielder Barry Bannan came in for particular criticism on social media after the match.

Bannan scored 37 goals and provided 75 assists in 477 appearances during his first spell with the Owls before departing for Millwall in January, but he made an emotional return to the club this summer after less than six months at The Den.

However, Bannan is yet to get on the scoresheet for Wednesday this season and has registered just two assists in eight appearances so far, and it is fair to say that some fans were less than impressed with the 36-year-old's performance against Wigan at the weekend.

Sheffield Wednesday fan reaction given to Barry Bannan social media backlash

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When asked for his thoughts on the criticism levelled at Bannan, FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit Patrick McKenna hit out at those who blame the Scot when the Owls fail to secure a positive result, insisting that he still has plenty to offer at League One level.

"I think the criticism Bannan got after the game on Saturday was rather predictable and tiresome," Patrick told FLW.

"For years now, any time we don't get a result, there always seems to be people offering an edgy opinion about Bannan, insisting that he's over the hill or he's done, and that continues not to be true.

"I'm not saying that he had a brilliant game on Saturday, but a lot of the team were below par, and it wasn't a good team performance.

"However, to focus on Bannan just seems a bit strange to me.

"Since he's come back, I've had no complaints about his performance.

"If it's not working for him, I think that Pedersen will rotate him.

"Yes, it wasn't his greatest day on Saturday, the same as it was against Bradford in the second half as well, but that wasn't just Bannan's fault.

"I just think that this whole thing of blaming Bannan when things don't go well is ridiculous.

"He is going to be a huge benefit to us this season, so let's just stop with the nonsense and get behind him."

Barry Bannan must face new Sheffield Wednesday reality after Hillsborough return

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While there were some who felt it was the right time to move on from Bannan, the vast majority of Wednesday supporters were firmly in favour of bringing him back to the club this summer.

However, given the previous standards that Bannan has set at Hillsborough, he is likely to receive stronger criticism when he puts in a below-par performance, particularly as he is the most high-profile player at the club and often wears the captain's armband.

As Bannan enters the latter stages of his career, he may not be able to consistently reach his usual levels, and Pedersen should consider using him from the bench on occasions, but there is no doubt that he will still be one of the best players in League One this season.