Sheffield Wednesday fans returned to Hillsborough en masse on Saturday as the Owls’ first match in power resembled a religious gathering.
“What is a club anyway?
“It’s not the building, it’s not the directors, it’s not the people who are paid to represent it. It’s not the television contracts, it’s not the exit clauses, it’s not the marketing department, it’s not the executive department.
“It’s the noise, it’s the passion, it’s the sense of belonging, it’s the pride in your city. It’s like a little boy climbing the stadium steps for the first time, holding his father’s hand, gazing out at the sacred grass below and falling in love without being able to do anything.”
It’s been more than 30 years since Sir Bobby Robson recorded what is now one of football’s best-loved and most-read quotes. It was at a time when the Premier League was in its infancy and Sky Sports was beginning to tighten its grip on broadcasting.
But the events of the past four days at Sheffield Wednesday have proven that it is more important than ever.
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After Owls fans forced out a former owner whose name isn’t even worth mentioning, they responded to pleas from management with a simple mantra: “Use it, use it, use it.”
Wednesday supporters have spent more than half a million pounds on merchandise, tickets and food and drink sales since the club went into administration on Friday morning.
More than £200,000 of this went to the club shop on Friday and Saturday, with over 9,000 tickets dispatched in just 24 hours for Saturday’s game against Oxford at Hillsborough.
More than 20,000 more home fans filled the stadium for the game against Oxford than for the Owls’ defeat at Middlesbrough in midweek, which was boycotted en masse in a last-ditch effort to force the former chairman’s hand.
All of this means that staff and player salaries are likely to be paid on time this weekend, something that hasn’t happened in five of the past seven months under the now ousted ownership.
We know all this because we have been told. The three administrators currently running the club on an interim basis have communicated more clearly, concisely and meaningfully in the past four days than the previous owners had in a decade.
It helps that one of them, Chris Wigfield, is a Sheffield Wednesday fan and has held a season ticket since 1984. He has acquired the club, understood the fan base and brought a breath of fresh air.
It was an overwhelming experience to be there on a Saturday. As someone who isn’t an emotional type, it was hard not to get sucked into what felt more like a religious gathering than a soccer match.
This was a gathering of people who gathered there to express their undying love for a club that will never die.
Wednesday we lost on the pitch. It wasn’t a surprise to anyone, but they probably did enough in the second half to win the game.
It should also come as no surprise to anyone that the team, which has been deducted 12 points and currently only has 15 senior players, is inevitably relegated at the end of the season.
But the events of the past four days have rendered all that insignificant. Everything from pies to pints was consumed in large quantities, and lines snaked down the concourse for previously abandoned eateries.
If there was any suspicion that Hillsborough employees wanted the former owner removed as much as his supporters, it was quickly dispelled.
The policy was reversed just minutes after the government was approved, when the seat bearing his name was stripped from the North Stand.
The match was further drowned out as the pre-match scoreboard video showed “An error has been detected” featuring the former president’s name, followed by “Delete successfully completed” and a montage of Wednesday’s famous moments to give the crowd a party-like atmosphere.
Millions of people got goosebumps as the last echoes of the club’s anthem, ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’, died out before kick-off and a powerful rendition of ‘We’ve got our Wednesday back’ echoed through one of English football’s most famous cathedrals.
Emotions were further tested in the 10th minute when all three sides of the home support stood up to praise the hard-working staff behind the scenes who have continued to stand by the club despite numerous missed wage payments over the past seven months.
There was no need for that. They should have had every right to leave. But they are mainly Sheffielders and Wednesday kids who love the club with every fiber of their being.
Sheffield Wednesday are perhaps the first football club in history to celebrate the formation of a government. This is a disastrous process that involves asset stripping, job loss, and ultimately business closure.
But that won’t happen. That won’t happen because the fans won’t allow it. Supporters started stalling to ensure Wednesday’s comeback by giving the club money as they have in recent days.
And this will surely be a message to future owners. Look what this club is going to be like. Mr Wigfield said on Monday morning that he had already received a number of expressions of interest from administrators and expected “four or five” of them to materialize into concrete proposals.
Under EFL regulations, Sheffield Wednesday will remain on the market for at least 28 days. It is expected that a preferred new owner will be selected by the end of November, with the aim of taking the lead in the January transfer window.
What clubs can realistically do in that market will depend on the EFL.
But the fans proved that whoever is entrusted with the stewardship of English football’s last true sleeping giant has the chance of a lifetime.
And to be honest, they can’t be as bad as the previous guy.
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