Sheffield Wednesday News recently spoke to fan group The 1867 Group about controversial owner Dejphon Chansiri.
Sheffield Wednesday are a club in turmoil; both on and off the pitch, the club has some deep-rooted issues, with the vast bulk of those issues stemming from Chansiri‘s poor management of the club in the past few years.
This season has seen tension between fans and Chansiri reach an all-time high. The Thai businessman has released numerous statements aimed at the fans, with one even asking them to settle a previously outstanding £2million HMRC bill.
With the Owls coming out the back of a poor January transfer window and now looking almost-destined for relegation back to League One, fans are starting to take proper action against Chansiri, with said action led by The 1867 Group.
The 1867 Group is an independent fan group made up of Wednesday supporters, whose aim is ‘bringing an end to the current ownership’ of the club.
Dejphon Chansiri will only sell Sheffield Wednesday when ‘he’s got no way out’
Sheffield Wednesday News spoke exclusively to The 1867 Group, discussing a number of things including what needs to happen in order for Chansiri to consider selling the club.
Jim from The 1867 Group said:
“I think it’s either going to be when he’s completely run out of money, which I don’t want, or it’s going to be constant pressure from fans saying ‘sell up’, ‘just go’. And as long as he stays respectful and fans stay respectful, I’m sure if he loves the club as much as he says he does, eventually the penny will drop. Me personally, I think it’s going to be a case of; he’s got no money, the club is on its absolute a*se, there’s nowhere to put it, and he’s got no way out, and I think that’s when things will starting turning vicious.
“And from everything I’ve heard from the network that we’ve built, the sources that we have, I think the club is heading that way. When we speak to Reading [Sell Before We Dai] and they have a look at our financial record, what we pay on the rent, our statements, they all say, ‘you’re heading in the exact same direction as what we are’. So the last thing that we want is for the club to be in that situation.”
Potentially dark days ahead for Sheffield Wednesday under Chansiri
Reading are a prime example of a club being poorly managed by a likewise owner, and a potentially stark warning to Chansiri and indeed Sheffield Wednesday fans of what might be ahead.
The Royals currently sit in 18th place of the League One table. They’ve been putting some more points on the board after a tough start combined with a points deduction, though the club is walking a very thin tightrope.
Money is just about dry at Reading and the club faces the prospect of administration unless a new owner can be brought in, and soon.
For Sheffield Wednesday, the same fate could lie ahead in the years to come. The club is struggling to bring in money and rising prices of merchandise and tickets is putting some off, though the Owls continue to support their club in numbers.
But the above comments on what needs to happen before Chansiri sells up make for a worrying read.
He’s put a lot of his own money and time into the club and he’ll be desperate to see it succeed. But it’s not going that way, and now it looks like Chansiri is hanging on to a losing position, simply to save face.
Danny Rohl’s side return to action vs Bristol City this weekend.