Former Owls Boss Chris Turner Speaks Out on Sheffield Wednesday Owner Crisis and Sends Plea to New Regime

Former goalkeeper Chris Turner has opened up on the ongoing crisis at Sheffield Wednesday, offering a candid assessment of the club’s ownership issues, difficult campaign, and hopes for a brighter future. 

In an exclusive interview with SportsBoom, Turner reflects on the Owls’ decline, the impact of financial struggles, and why stability off the pitch is key to any revival.

The ongoing troubles at Sheffield Wednesday 

Turner, who made over 150 appearances for Wednesday across two spells as a player and later managed the club between 2002 and 2004, has remained a passionate and vocal supporter. 

Having followed their recent struggles closely, he did not hold back when addressing the ownership issues that have plagued the club in recent seasons.

“I have been against the owners for the last 8-9 years. I have raised my voice on several occasions. Unfortunately, I have been proving right that he wasn’t running the club in a good manner. Hopefully, the ownership has now been secured,” Turner told SportsBoom.com. 

“I like the owners to come in and take the situation under control, invest in young and talented players mixed with experienced players, in order to get back to the level that this club deserves and to get promoted again,” he continued regarding the situation of the club.

“They need a new training ground, some infrastructure around the stadium. It’s a massive job for the new owners and an expensive one. Hopefully they realized about it and when they get in, not to talk about it but to show themselves with proofs and to do the job in the right way." 

The performances of the team this season

It has been a difficult campaign on the pitch, with financial constraints and squad limitations taking a heavy toll on performances. The club’s inability to reinvest after selling key players left the squad short on quality and experience.

“They have been roped from the best players in the summer. The manager has had his hands, legs, and everything tied up behind his back, and he had to go with young and inexperienced players,” Chris said about the performances of the team.

“They had a short amount of money to pay him due to the huge restrictions from the EFL. It has been a horrendous season also for the fans because they were seeing their team go worse and worse, and the points reduction penalty affected the team very badly." 

Henrik Pedersen and the fans behaviour

Despite the adversity, Turner was full of praise for both the supporters and manager Henrik Pedersen, highlighting the unity that has kept the club going through such a turbulent period.

“The fans have been fantastic, 4000-5000 fans traveling regularly away, and 20000-25000 fans following the team regularly at home. They have been behind the team always and never really criticised the manager once during the season,” Turner said about the fans.

“I think the manager has done the best he could do in such a difficult situation, he has worked with fantastic discipline despite all the problems, and he has given his 100% in every moment. As I said, I just hope that the new owners come in and provide the funds and all the necessary stability in order to get the club forward."

The connection between Chris Turner and the club 

Turner’s connection to Sheffield Wednesday runs far deeper than his playing and managerial career, with the club forming a central part of his life from a very young age.

“I started in 1977 at Sheffield and came back in 1988. I supported the club since I was 5 years old, when mum and dad brought me to watch the first team play." 

“I am a big supporter of the club, and I sincerely hope that things have now settled down and they can move forward. This season has been a nightmare and is a massive club for me, and I follow them up every week as I do with all the clubs that I have worked for,” he concluded.