Barry Bannan is entering his 10th season as a Sheffield Wednesday.
There was a lot of uncertainty about Barry Bannan‘s future at Sheffield Wednesday earlier this year.
When it looked as though the Owls were facing relegation into League One, there was a sense that Bannan had served his time, and that he fancied a new challenge.
But Danny Rohl steered the Owls to an eventual 20th place finish, beating relegation by three points and securing their Championship status for another year.
Bannan then signed a new Sheffield Wednesday contract after his previous deal expired.
Now, the Owls are gearing up for their first game of the new season, welcoming Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle to Hillsborough for what should be an entertaining clash.
Sheffield Wednesday last played against Leganes in Liam Palmer’s testimonial match, drawing 0-0 against La Liga opposition.
As well as signing nine new players in the summer, Rohl has been reinforcing his passing-out-from-the-back, high-pressing style of play which several players have now discussed in interviews this summer.
Bannan is the latest to discuss this. But the 34-year-old has warned of ‘hiccups’ along he way.
Barry Bannan warns of Sheffield Wednesday ‘hiccups’ under Danny Rohl
Rohl managed to transform Sheffield Wednesday’s style of play quite rapidly last season.
He got the Owls pressing higher up the pitch, attacking games more often, and overall being a lot more exciting to watch.
Bannan has now reiterated the fact that Rohl’s style of play has been further imposed in pre-season.
But the Wednesday skipper has warned that, when passing out from the back, there will be ‘hiccups’.
Bannan told The Star: “You will see hiccups, you look at Man City and they try to play out from the back, Brighton.
“I watched Brighton last year and they lost 5-0 to Everton, all from losing the ball in quite dangerous areas.
“But they stick to playing that way, they go out the next week and won playing that way.
“There will be hiccups along the way but I’m sure the fans, if they stick with it, they’ll really enjoy the way the team is going to play this year.”
Danny Rohl has one key strength that will serve him well at Sheffield Wednesday
At times last season, notably in the 6-0 defeat v Ipswich Town and a defeat vs Leicester City towards the end of the season, Rohl came under slight criticism for enforcing such a style of play, when a simpler style may have been better.
And Rohl made slight changes as the Owls secured safety, but nothing too drastic.
Rohl stuck by his guns and got the job done, so there’s no reason to believe that doing so again next season won’t allow Sheffield Wednesday to keep on moving up.
But Rohl did change things when it wasn’t working last season, proving that he’s a manager who’s willing to change tack when the going gets tough.
A lot of managers get too ingrained in their philosophies but Rohl has already proved in his short management career that he is adaptable.
Like Bannan says, hiccups are inevitable. But it’s part of the process for Sheffield Wednesday and Rohl.