Ex-Sunderland man to takeover Sheffield Wednesday? Owls told to avoid - 'he made a mess of it' | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit has given his verdict on Charlie Methven potentially buying 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…

Sheffield Wednesday are expecting takeover offers from interested parties in the coming days following the collapse of James Bord’s bid to buy the club.

The consortium led by the former poker player was named as the preferred choice to purchase the Championship side in December, but they pulled out of the deal in February.

The offer was reportedly worth £47.8 million, with £4 million being put straight into the Owls, and it’s expected they will have the funds to oversee the end of the season.

However, the Yorkshire outfit have been in administration since October, and supporters will be keen to see a resolution as swiftly as possible.

Henrik Pedersen’s side have already been officially relegated to League One, with the team currently on minus seven points after 35 games.

It’s been reported that Mike Ashley and David Storch are considered the front-runners to buy Sheffield Wednesday at the moment, with bids potentially arriving as soon as Friday this week.

Charlie Methven takeover must be avoided for Sheffield Wednesday

It has been reported by The Star that former Sunderland chief executive Charlie Methven has stepped forward as a potential takeover candidate at Hillsborough.

When asked about the group led by the former Black Cats figure, FLW’s Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit Patrick McKenna claimed that he was not portrayed in a positive light on the Netflix docu-series Sunderland Til I Die, where he routinely humiliated himself.

He is wary of the 49-year-old, suggesting that Mike Ashley might now be the most promising option available to the Championship side.

“That Sunderland Til I Die documentary certainly did not put him in a good light, and he didn’t come across as the sort of person you would particularly want at your football club, and certainly not at a football club which has been brought to its knees and has had staff very poorly treated for the past number of years by a narcissistic character,” McKenna told Football League World.

“So if it’s Charlie Methven, I could see that happening again.

“As a fan, I think we need the best for the staff as well, so I think if the Sunderland fans are wary of him — he came into them when they were in financial trouble for a big club and he made a mess of it — then it would indicate that he’s not the sort of guy to come in and try again with us.

“I’ve had my views about Mike Ashley, but if someone is going to come in and run us as a business and flip us for a profit, then Ashley seems like the kind of guy with the kind of knowledge for that.

“Charlie Methven seems a bit of a pound-hound Mike Ashley.”

McKenna has claimed that Methven’s attempts to buy the club have been harmed by his association with Symon Quick, and that this will have most supporters against his bid to buy Sheffield Wednesday.

“Obviously if he was taking over the club he would have to have the right backers, but this guy has totally shot himself in the foot in this regard when we saw, as a fanbase, who was pushing him, promoting him to take over, post-administration,” he added.

“Symon Quick, the flat-Earther, who is roundly despised by Sheffield Wednesday fans as someone who is desperate to get in with anybody to get a role at the club, while constantly stringing fans along with absolute in-the-know waffle, so he has certainly failed in that regard.

“So, I think he’s not the sort of guy we would really be wanting at the club.”

Sheffield Wednesday are bottom of the Championship table, and they are currently on a losing run of 12 games in the league.

The Owls have won just once all season, and have officially been relegated to League One already.

The team have received 18 points worth of deduction penalties from the EFL, which has left them with minus seven points to their name.

Next up for the Yorkshire outfit is a trip to face eighth place Derby County at Pride Park on 7 March in a 3pm kick-off.

Charlie Methven proposal will have Sheffield Wednesday fans wary

Methven has built a bad reputation among football supporters for his work at Sunderland, who only began their climb up the divisions after his exit.

Sheffield Wednesday need stability from their new owner, and Ashley might be their best option at providing that in the short-term, even if his long-term plans will likely be to sell the club at a profit.

The Owls will want a swift resolution to this new negotiating process, but that doesn’t mean that just anyone should be accepted as the new owner either.

Methven is not a promising option as a replacement to Dejphon Chansiri, and fans will be hoping that he has no association with whoever buys the club.