Football League World
·9 November 2023
Football League World
·9 November 2023
It has been an incredibly disappointing start to life back in the Championship for Sheffield Wednesday.
The Owls were promoted from League One after beating Barnsley in the play-off final in May, but it has been a turbulent few months at Hillsborough.
After Wednesday made their worst ever start to a season in their history, Xisco Munoz was sacked in October after just three months in charge and replaced by Danny Rohl.
Performances have significantly improved under Rohl, but the German has lost three of his first four games.
The Owls remain bottom of the table after the 1-0 defeat to Bristol City at Ashton Gate on Saturday, and they are now nine points from safety.
There have also been protests against owner Dejphon Chansiri in recent months, with the controversial departure of promotion-winning manager Darren Moore, high ticket prices, the lack of investment in the summer transfer window and the late payment of a HMRC bill attracting the ire of the fan base.
Wednesday will be looking to return to winning ways when they host Millwall on Saturday, but Rohl is facing a big decision over who to start in goal against the Lions.
Cameron Dawson and Devis Vasquez have both had spells in goal for the Owls so far this season.
Dawson started the opening game against Southampton, but Vasquez assumed the number one role following his arrival on loan from AC Milan in August.
Vasquez made a strong start to life in South Yorkshire, but after some unconvincing displays towards the end of Munoz's tenure, caretaker manager Neil Thompson opted to replace him with Dawson against Huddersfield Town in early October.
Rohl has stuck with Dawson since his arrival at the club, but that decision is coming under scrunity after Dawson's error in the defeat against Bristol City on Saturday.
It was Dawson's misplaced pass that to Barry Bannan's red card against the Robins, but Rohl defended the 28-year-old after the game.
"If you want to play football, and to play out from the goalkeeper then sometimes this can happen. There can be a mistake, or the pass may not be right. But we’ll analyse this... For me I see a process, also with ball possession - even with one man less we have some solutions and it wasn’t easy for them to press us. And this is our way," Rohl told The Star.
Highly-rated youngster Pierce Charles is Wednesday's third choice goalkeeper, and Rohl suggested that the 18-year-old could be handed an opportunity at some stage this season.
"He’s very good on the grass," Rohl said. "He can play football and he has a lot of good solutions, which is something that I like… He’s trained very hard with the first team, and if he keeps training hard then maybe there’s a chance to come in.
"But at the moment I’m very happy with both of the goalkeepers that are here, and it’s a challenge. I think the goalkeeping group is strong, and that’s important for us."
While Dawson was at fault for Bannan's red card on Saturday, he should retain his place against the Lions as constant goalkeeper changes will not help the Owls achieve defensive stability.
Wednesday faced a similar dilemma last season, with Moore switching between Dawson and David Stockdale in the second half of the season, and the pair both made a number of costly errors.
There are question marks over whether Dawson is good enough to be the Owls' first choice, and with Rohl seemingly unsure about Vasquez, it could be a position he looks to address in the January transfer window.
The estimated average weekly wage of a Sheffield Wednesday player in 23/24
Charles is a goalkeeper with huge potential, and it is likely he will be Wednesday's future number one, but it could be too much to throw a player with no senior experience into a Championship relegation battle.
Both Vasquez and Dawson are likely to be low on confidence, so if Dawson is Rohl's preferred choice, he must stick with him and give him the time to adapt to the style of play he is attempting to implement.
Rohl seems to have settled on a defensive trio of Dominic Iorfa, Bambo Diaby and Di'Shon Bernard, and the German should now ensure there is continuity between the sticks to provide his side with a strong platform to secure survival.
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