James Bord told the two key issues he must fix as Sheffield Wednesday owner | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit has named the two main priorities the new owners should have

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…

The consortium led by James Bord is awaiting ratification from the EFL to complete their takeover of Sheffield Wednesday.

The Owls went into administration in October, and a number of parties showed interest in purchasing the club.

The former poker player’s offer was named as the preferred bidder on 24 December, and they are now waiting for the deal to be finalised

Previous owner Dejphon Chansiri received a lot of criticism from supporters for how he ran the club, and there will now be a big in-tray for Bord when the deal finally closes.

The Yorkshire outfit are all but guaranteed to be relegated to League One, having been handed 18 points worth of deductions by the EFL this season.

Next Sheffield Wednesday owners must win back fans

When asked what Bord and co’s top two priorities should be once they take over the club, FLW’s Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit Patrick McKenna claimed that winning over the fans will be key, especially those who have stopped going to games this campaign.

He also believes that it will be crucial that they can have an immediate impact on their transfer activity, particularly in bringing in players at the start of the summer market.

“The first thing he’d need to do is try and get the fans back, who have given up going because of the poor prices,” McKenna told Football League World.

“So maybe see if they can get fans back with reasonable tickets, either for season tickets or whatever.

“So that is something that they need to look at because we just have fans who have completely got out of the way.

“I think, as well, possibly they need to see if they can get into the transfer market early and see if we can get going in that, and not leave it to the end of the transfer window in the summer to get new players, because we need new players in as soon as possible.

“So, by the time the new season comes in, players will have been in and will have been able to work together, train together because certainly that’s something they didn’t have this summer and that’s still causing issues for us.”

Sheffield Wednesday have struggled for results all Championship season under Henrik Pedersen, who has been left with a barebones squad.

The Owls have been reduced to free agents and loan deals due to transfer restrictions, with the club also relying heavily on younger players.

But injuries have only made matters worse, and the team have a total of just minus seven points to their name.

Next up for Sheffield Wednesday is a trip to face Bristol City on 24 January in a 3pm kick-off.

Sheffield Wednesday's new owners have a long road ahead of them

Turning things around at Hillsborough will not be an overnight fix, and Bord will have a lot of work on his hands when this deal goes through.

Investment is needed in the first team squad, the stadium and other infrastructure and the fans need to be convinced of a path forward.

Lowering ticket prices would be a gesture of goodwill towards the fans that would be a good first step for the new ownership, although it remains unclear whether their financial situation could allow for such a move.

The summer transfer window will also be very important, as the team needs to be reinforced for life in League One, especially if they have promotion ambitions.