Football
Jamal Lowe Reveals How a Two-Hour Call with Danny Röhl Sealed His Move to Sheffield Wednesday
Striker Jamal Lowe has revealed a two-hour phone call with manager Danny Röhl convinced him to join Sheffield Wednesday. Lowe, previously of Portsmouth, Wigan Athletic and Swansea City, is among 10 new faces to have moved to the South Yorkshire outfit this summer.
A Manager's Persuasion: The Two-Hour Call That Sealed the Deal
The Jamaica international joined the Owls on a free transfer at the back end of June following his Bournemouth release.
"The manager was a big factor in me coming here," Lowe told SportsBoom.com.
"We had a two-hour phone call, which is pretty difficult for someone that he had never met!”
It was the easiest phone call ever. If you asked the average person to talk to someone for two hours, they would tell you it's not easy. What do you talk about? The call managed to flow for two hours, which is mad really.
Jamal Lowe
"We spoke about football, kids, family life and our backgrounds. The Euros were also on at the time.”
“It was an easy flowing conversation, and it just shows that he's a very good people's person and that was a massive thing for me."
Instant Chemistry: Owls Off to a Flying Start
It is fair to say Lowe is enjoying life under Röhl.
The Owls kicked off their Championship season by hammering Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle 4-0 on the opening weekend of action, and Lowe was on the scoresheet as the Hillsborough side ran riot to kick off their domestic campaign in style.
"It has been unreal so far," he said. "He has got a lot of enthusiasm and ideas. A lot of work goes into what he does on the training pitch.”
"It's challenging on the legs and the mind. It takes a lot of courage to play the way that he wants us to play.”
“Everyone has taken to it with both hands. No one has shied away from any of the responsibilities he's putting on us."
A Manager Like No Other
Lowe has had his fair share of managers over the years, but the 30-year-old has no doubts Röhl is a special coach.
"He's definitely up there with work rate and the amount he puts into the team and the individuals themselves," added Rowe.
"He puts a lot of effort into each individual, so you feel like you know your job. If they don't, he will give them extra time to work on it or extra advice.
“He's always there to talk to, which I've found really good because not every manager is approachable and easy to talk to.”
I'm not someone that gets easily intimidated but some managers are a little bit more intimidating than others.
Jamal Lowe
“He is very approachable and that has helped me and the existing players to blend into this style of football.”
Optimism and Ambition
Lowe said: "There's a lot of optimism in the group with the signings we have made and the work we have done in pre-season.”
"You can't work as hard as we have done and not be fit to get off to a decent start.”
"We didn't have the greatest of starts last season, but we have made it clear that we need to set that right and start afresh to give ourselves a chance to achieve something special rather than be fighting at the bottom end to try and stay up.”
“We need to be pushing at the other end of the table. Hopefully what we have done is a step in the right direction."
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.