James Bord backed to fix big Sheffield Wednesday issue - 'it's far behind the standards' | OneFootball

The Owls boss has spoken about the need for the club's potential new owners to invest in improved training facilities

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…

Henrik Pedersen's comments stating that Sheffield Wednesday's prospective owners must invest in new facilities at the club's Middlewood Road training base have been backed up, with it being claimed that what is currently at the disposal of the Dane and his players have put the Owls at a 'disadvantage'.

It has been well-documented that Wednesday have been staring relegation to League One in the face from the very beginning of the Championship season.

The main reason behind the Owls' sorry state of affairs under Pedersen's management have come through a multitude of off-pitch controversies, none more so than the running of the club in the final weeks and months of Dejphon Chansiri's controversial ownership at Hillsborough, which was brought to an end on October 24th as the Steel City club entered administration, and were automatically docked 12 points as a result.

They were then docked a further six points on December 1st, leaving them marooned to the foot of the table for at least three quarters of the season.

At present, Pedersen's side have won just three competitive fixtures all season, with just one of those coming in the Championship against Portsmouth on September 20th.

As a result, the Owls are still on a minus number of points and are set to end the campaign on the division's lowest-ever points total whilst suffering its earliest relegation, which could be rubber-stamped on Sunday by Steel City rivals, Sheffield United, at Bramall Lane.

This comes whilst uncertainty remains in the boardroom, as preferred bidder, James Bord, is currently being sued by former business partner, Jonathan Cohen, over his investment in Spanish side, Córdoba, whilst the EFL are also believed to have concerns over the sourcing of Bord's funds in the sector of gambling and crypto-gambling.

However, that hasn't stopped Pedersen from issuing a clear plea to whoever takes over when it comes to which areas of the club need to be addressed first and foremost, albeit Football League World's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit, Patrick McKenna, believes on-pitch matters should still be the number one priority over the reinvestment of facilities.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post, the Owls boss expressed these thoughts on the matter of new pitches being installed: "It is one of the most important things.

"When we play against the other teams in the Championship, intensity is one of the most important things but to create this intensity we need a good pitch, so the ball can travel very quickly, and we can challenge each other defensively.

"But it is also an important thing offensively that we can move the ball so quickly that we challenge the brain and not only the technique (of the opponent). We cannot play quickly on the training pitch," he explained.

"So to challenge the intensity defensively or offensively you need a top pitch. If you don't have this then you get more tackles but you don't get this intensity you need to compete in the game.

"That is why it is a very important part. That is why we have to go to Hillsborough (to train) where we have a really good pitch," Pedersen added.

Reacting to those comments, McKenna told FLW: "I do agree with Henrik Pedersen that the training ground does need investment and improvement.

"Sadly, it has fallen by the wayside, and it's far behind the standards of many clubs in the EFL. It puts us at a disadvantage.

"For a club like Wednesday, we need better. So, I do think it will be within the plan of the new owners that they will want to look at the infrastructure and modernise it," he claimed.

"They won't want to come way behind time. However, it's probably not the first item on the agenda.

"I just think with the horrible, uncompetitive season we've had, the first priority is getting it right on the pitch and making us competitive, so fans can go to games and see us win, because that's what football is about in a sense. You want to go to games and see your team win," McKenna added.

"After seeing an absolute dearth of victories, getting back to winning ways next season with a competitive team on the pitch would be the first priority.

"But certainly, infrastructure like the stadium and training ground is important too."

Sheffield Wednesday's new owners must invest in upgrading Hillsborough and Middlewood Road facilities

As McKenna alluded to, the first priority for the new owners will be to instill a culture change as Wednesday look to rebuild themselves back to where they were almost a decade ago, which was one of the Championship's leading clubs.

However, there is no doubt that many supporters, as well as club staff, would like to see new investment come into Hillsborough and Middlewood Road to help attract a higher calibre of players and to improve the general feeling around the club, which has been, understandably, dour for several years.

It does remain to be seen, though, if Pedersen will be allowed to oversee the rebuilding job, with the 48-year-old receiving plenty of recent criticism for his on-pitch management and tactical ideas, irrespective of the Owls' overall predicament.