Danny Rohl reveals the match where he ‘connected’ with Sheffield Wednesday fans

Rohl arrived in October after the departure of Xisco Munoz, who in 12 games as Sheffield Wednesday manager went without a win.

Ultimately, the Owls finished 20th in the Championship table after picking up 53 points, leaving them three points adrift of safety.

Rohl currently has 16 wins as Sheffield Wednesday manager. He has overseen 38 games in total and boasts a 42.11% win rate.

The 2023/24 season ended with three consecutive victories; three memorable games against Blackburn Rovers, West Brom and Sunderland.

But it was the Owls’ first win of the season that comes to Rohl’s mind.

Danny Rohl remembers Sheffield Wednesday’s first win against Rotherham United

Sheffield Wednesday beat Rotherham United home and away in the Championship last season without conceding a goal in either game.

The Millers eventually finished bottom of the table and it was they who handed Sheffield Wednesday their first win of the 2023/24 season.

Michael Smith scored twice in the first half to give not only Sheffield Wednesday their first win of the season, but also Rohl’s first win as manager.

Recalling his first few weeks in charge at Sheffield Wednesday and the first win against Rotherham United at Hillsborough, Rohl said on the Training Ground Guru podcast: “There were a lot of topics in the first week.

“The hard thing for us was that after the first week we immediately had three games in seven days, you can’t train that much.

“There were a lot of meetings and then we had our first win at home against Rotherham.

“It was special and after this game, the relationship between the team, myself and the fans was 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 in very short spaces of time, failing to ever build a bond with their clubs.

But Rohl and Sheffield Wednesday’s players and fans have built a very strong connection and without it it could have been a very different end to the 2023/24 campaign.

After the chaotic events of last summer and the poor start under Munoz, Wednesday was at a real crossroads, with Rohl a very risky encounter.

But the positive changes were clear to see from the first game at Watford. It ended in defeat, but Rohl had quickly implemented what he wanted to do in football.

The fans got behind him and the Sheffield Wednesday players bought into him as the Owls quickly became 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.

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