Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl has recalled the game where he and the fans ‘connected’.
Danny Rohl gave Sheffield Wednesday fans countless memories in the 2023/24 season, which ended as an overall positive campaign.
Rohl arrived in October following the exit of Xisco Munoz, who in 12 games as Sheffield Wednesday manager, didn’t claim a single win.
In the end, the Owls finished in 20th place of the Championship table after accumulating 53 points, leaving them with a three-point gap to safety.
Rohl currently has 16 wins to his name as Sheffield Wednesday manager. He’s overseen 38 total games and boasts a win rate of 42.11%.
The 2023/24 season ended with three-straight wins; three memorable games against Blackburn Rovers, West Brom, and Sunderland.
But it was the Owls’ first win of the season that springs to mind for Rohl.
Danny Rohl recalls first Sheffield Wednesday win vs Rotherham United
Sheffield Wednesday beat Rotherham United home and away in the Championship last season, not conceding a goal in either game.
The Millers eventually finished in last place of the table, and it was they who handed Sheffield Wednesday their first win of the 2023/24 season.
Michael Smith scored two first half goals to hand not only Sheffield Wednesday their first win of the season, but Rohl’s first win as manager.
Recalling his first weeks in charge at Sheffield Wednesday and that first win vs Rotherham United at Hillsborough, Rohl said on the Training Ground Guru Podcast: “It was a lot of topics in the first week.
“The difficult one for us was that, after the first week, we had immediately three games in seven days, you can’t train so much.
“It was a lot of meetings, and then we had the first win at home against Rotherham.
“It was special, and after this game, the relationship between the team, me and the supporters were very connected, and I think that was a crucial point.”
Danny Rohl and Sheffield Wednesday have something rare
In the Championship, managers often come and go within very short spaces of time, failing to ever really build a connection with their clubs.
But Rohl and the Sheffield Wednesday players and fans have built a very strong connection, and without it, it may have been a very different ending to the 2023/24 campaign.
After the chaotic events of last summer and the poor start under Munoz, Wednesday were at a real crossroads, with Rohl being a very risky appointment.
But the positive changes were clear to see from the very first game at Watford. It ended in defeat, but Rohl had quickly implemented what he wanted to do in terms of the football.
The fans got behind it and Sheffield Wednesday players brought into it, with the Owls quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.
Now, Sheffield Wednesday have the chance to build something really special with Rohl, who has a huge summer transfer window ahead.