Sheffield Wednesday supporters will back Josh Windass claim with Xisco Munoz, Tony Pulis in mind - View | OneFootball

Josh Windass has made an almighty claim on Danny Rohl, but it's certainly vindicated

Highlights

Danny Rohl is very much revered at Hillsborough right now, and with good reason after a brilliant impact at Sheffield Wednesday.

The German boss took over a beleaguered Sheffield Wednesday side last October that already appeared destined for the drop, having been seven points adrift of safety and without a victory in ten matches under the dismal stewardship of Xisco Munoz.

Admittedly there were some bumps in the road - Rohl won just one of his first seven games and the 4-0 defeat to Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town in February still lives in the memory, as does a 6-0 thumping at Portman Road the following month - but the ex-Bayern Munich and German national team assistant manager eventually guided Wednesday to survival against all odds, with a three-point margin separating them from 22nd-placed Birmingham City.

Indeed, the form table since Rohl's appointment has Wednesday situated ninth in the divisional standings and contesting for a push into the play-off positions, which now appears to be their ambitions for 2024/25. Rohl is rightly adored by Wednesdayites all over, and they simply can't get enough of him, even more so after he signed a fresh long-term contract upon completing the great escape.

The love-in across the blue-and-white side of Sheffield is felt among the players too, with Josh Windass lauding Rohl as the best manager he's ever played under after signing a new contract with the club.

Josh Windass' praise of Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl

At one point, it seemed as though Windass' four-and-a-half year association with the Owls had all but come to an end with his contract having expired at the end of June. However, the versatile forward has since put pen to paper on a new contract, the length of which is not disclosed, but the decision has nonetheless been extremely well-received among supporters.

His comments have received an equally-strong reception, with Windass heaping praise upon Rohl in the wake of his fresh Wednesday agreement.

"Danny made a big case to bring me back, so I'm very pleased," Windass explained during an interview with Rob Staton of BBC Radio Sheffield.

"Obviously I love the club anyway, since I've been here I feel like the fans have enjoyed watching me play, I've loved playing here and now I've probably got the best manager I've ever had.

"To leave would've been a big mistake on my part, I think."

Sheffield Wednesday supporters will struggle to disagree with Josh Windass' Danny Rohl claim

It's pretty hard to challenge Windass' verdict of Rohl being the best manager he's had, especially when you consider some of the ill-fated appointments that have been made by the club in years gone by. Xisco is undoubtedly the worst manager that Wednesday have had, and that's reflected in his 0% win percentage, but Tony Pulis was another blunder by the Owls and it's easy to see why Windass' praise of Rohl is so glowing.

Even if we look outside of South Yorkshire and towards some of the other managers that Windass has played under at Accrington Stanley, Rangers and Wigan Athletic, Rohl still stands out.

He was a big hit under Darren Moore in Wednesday's 2022/23 promotion-winning League One campaign, where he scored the match-winning goal in the 123rd minute against Barnsley in the play-off final. However, Moore is now in League Two with Port Vale, so there are very few tangible comparisons to be made between him and Rohl.

Steven Gerrard is perhaps the strongest second-place candidate behind Rohl and even that is open to interpretation, with the Liverpool legend having seen his managerial stock nosedive after swapping Ibrox for Aston Villa. It really didn't go well for Gerrard in the Midlands and he's now coaching Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Ettifaq.

All in all, Windass certainly hasn't played under some of the greats of the managerial world and he's perfectly right to declare Rohl as the best manager of his career, which will especially resonate well with Wednesday supporters who'd seen the likes of Pulis and Xisco leading the team during his time with the club.