Sheffield Wednesday warned against James Bord's Sheffield United 'red flag' as takeover bid placed | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit has given his verdict on James Bord's plans for the club

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

James Bord has emerged as one of the three remaining bidders for Sheffield Wednesday as a final decision on a preferred buyer edges closer.

According to The Athletic, the Dunfermline owner is in the mix to take over the Championship side.

Bord has worked with the new owners at Sheffield United through his consultancy firm Short Circuit Science, where his aim is to use his background in data analytics, along with AI, to finance clubs through player trading profits and on-field success.

It remains to be seen whether he will win the race to purchase Sheffield Wednesday, with Mike Ashley providing one rival bid, as well as a consortium made up of John McEvoy and the Storch family.

The Owls are currently in administration, and are facing relegation to League One in 2026 after being deducted a total of 18 points by the EFL.

James Bord’s Sheffield Wednesday red flags

When asked about Bord’s plans for the club, FLW’s Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit Patrick McKenna claimed that there are a lot of red flags surrounding his work at Sheffield United.

He believes that the businessman’s plans don’t fit the ambitions that the Owls should have under new owners, suggesting that he is not wanted at Hillsborough as the replacement for Dejphon Chansiri.

“Absolutely not what we want here,” McKenna told Football League World.

“He was behind the Sheffield United disastrous summer transfer policy, and it has set them back on the club and has had a detrimental effect on his season.

“His AI methods failed at Sheffield United, and there’s no reason why it would be any different at Wednesday.

“The man is a professional gambler, and he is also looking to finance us with player trading profits, and no it’s just a red flag.

“So, you just wonder if he is the sort of person you want at the club.

“We need someone coming in with ambitions to fully invest in the club at all levels, and his sort of attitude just makes you think no, wouldn’t be the case.”

Sheffield Wednesday are likely to suffer relegation to League One this season, with Henrik Pedersen’s side rooted to the bottom of the Championship table.

The Yorkshire outfit still have a negative points tally, and are incredibly far away from safety already, as the halfway point approaches.

James Bord takeover is least appealing option for Sheffield Wednesday

The consortium of McEvoy and Storch, as well as the prospect of Ashley, both look more appealing on paper than Bord’s plans for the Owls.

His record from his work at Sheffield United is quite damning, with Sheffield Wednesday’s bitter rivals going backwards over the summer with his recruitment plans.

While McEvoy and the Storch family have a lack of football experience, their resources are quite vast and the potential is there for them to build the Yorkshire outfit back up from this low point they’ve reached under Chansiri.

Meanwhile, Ashley does have experience running a football club, and will know what it takes and costs to get the team back to where supporters want them to be.