This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Sheffield Wednesday rose back into playoff contention this weekend, recording a second successive victory for the first time under the stewardship of manager Garry Monk.
The Owls defeated Brentford 2-1 at Hillsborough despite going behind in the first half. Top scorer Steven Fletcher netted a four-minute brace to hand his side three points and the sixth place in the Championship standings.
It means the south Yorkshiremen are currently enjoying their best start (after 20 matches) to any second-flight season since their return to the division in 2012.
Wednesday endured two seasons in League One before gaining automatic promotion with a second-place finish in the 2011/12 campaign.
Watch Sheffield Wednesday Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below
Their current points tally of 32 is the highest they’ve managed in the eight seasons.
The Owls last made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons under Carlos Carvalhal in 2015/16 and 2016/17 where after 20 matches in each campaign they managed 30 points and 31 points, respectively.
Although nothing is certain, given other factors and how fiercely competitive the Championship is this season, this does provide a positive barometer on Wednesday’s prospects of making the playoffs.
However, all the work that Monk has done so far could quite easily be undone overnight, especially with the increasing uncertainty facing the club off the pitch.
Owner Dejphon Chansiri faces the possibility of being banned from football entirely after the English Football League charged him and the club for financial misconduct over the sale of Hillsborough stadium last month.
It is that severe that the south Yorkshire side could even be slapped with a substantial 21-point deduction as a result, according to The Athletic.
If that were to happen right now, the Owls would be reduced to just 11 points, which would see them sit rock bottom.
There’s a real possibility that Wednesday could go from playoff contenders to relegation favourites just like that, which would be a rather damning and unfortunate turn of events considering the job Monk has done to date.
[ad_pod ]
Meanwhile, Monk’s brave call on Saturday spurred the side onto victory…