What Neil Lennon said about James Bord should reassure Sheffield Wednesday fans | OneFootball

Many Sheffield Wednesday fans are worried about James Bord becoming their new owner, but recent comments from Neil Lennon may ease their concerns.

A new era could soon be underway at Sheffield Wednesday after James Bord's consortium was selected as the preferred bidder for the club.

Wednesday have been on the market since former owner Dejphon Chansiri put the club and the company through which he owned the stadium into administration in late October, bringing his decade-long tenure at Hillsborough to an end.

Former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley and American businessman David Storch were said to be among the final candidates in the frame to take over the Owls, but Bord's consortium was chosen as the preferred bidder on Christmas Eve.

It is fair to say that the decision to grant Bord's group preferred bidder status has not gone down particularly well with many Wednesday supporters, particularly after his recent stint as an advisor to their Steel City rivals Sheffield United, during which he played a key role in the appointment of Ruben Selles as manager, as well as overseeing a host of disastrous signings through his data-driven transfer model.

With the EFL currently conducting the necessary checks on Bord's consortium and closely examining their funding, the approval process is expected to take several weeks, and there is no guarantee that they will be given the green light to complete their purchase of the Owls.

One of the main frustrations among the Wednesday fanbase in recent weeks has been the lack of information shared by the club's administrators about their prospective new owners, but comments from Dunfermline Athletic manager Neil Lennon have provided a little more insight into Bord.

Neil Lennon issues glowing James Bord verdict amid Sheffield Wednesday takeover wait

After his investment company Park Bench SFC LLC completed a takeover of the club last January, Bord is currently the majority shareholder of Scottish side Dunfermline, while he also holds stakes in Spanish club Córdoba and Bulgarian outfit Septemvri Sofia.

Just two months after taking over at East End Park, Bord sacked manager Michael Tidser and replaced him with former Celtic boss Neil Lennon, who initially signed a short-term contract until the end of the season.

After keeping the club in the Scottish Championship last season, Lennon signed a new two-year deal with the Pars in the summer, and speaking before his side's Scottish Cup win over top flight Hibernian on Saturday, the 54-year-old was full of praise for Bord.

"I mean, I took on this job because of the owner and what he wants to do with the club," Lennon told the BBC.

"I think the previous owners under James didn't do enough, didn't give him any help and didn't resource the club the way it should be.

"We've got an owner now, he's ambitious, but he wants to do it organically.

"You see we've got some young players, and the potential here is good, but we're still a long way off where we want to be.

"We want to get out of the Championship, but that's attritional as it is, and it's tough."

Given Bord's nightmare involvement with Sheffield United, he will be facing an uphill battle to win over Wednesday supporters if he becomes the new owner at Hillsborough, but Lennon's words suggest that they should perhaps be a little more open-minded about the former poker player.

After achieving his objective of keeping Dunfermline in the Scottish Championship last season, Lennon could have walked away in the summer at the end of his short-term contract, but the fact that he signed a new long-term deal proves that he has genuine belief in Bord and the project he has started at East End Park.

Indeed, it was something of a coup that Bord was even able to convince a manager like Lennon, who won multiple trophies during two spells in charge of Celtic, to drop down to the second tier in the first place, so he may have a greater pulling power than many Owls fans realise.

It has not all been plain sailing for the Pars this season, but they have remained well clear of any relegation danger after their narrow escape last term, and they are currently on the fringes of the play-off places, which underlines the clear progress the club have made in the first year of Bord's ownership.

Of course, Bord will be under significantly more pressure and scrutiny if he is given approval to take over Wednesday than he is in Scotland, but with their relegation to League One looming, the Owls are in desperate need of a clear vision and a long-term plan to help get them back on the right track, and it seems that is exactly what Bord has brought to Dunfermline.

It seems there are still plenty of hurdles for Bord to overcome as the EFL continue their due diligence, but Owls supporters may just be breathing a little easier about the prospect of his takeover after Lennon's comments.