FORMER SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY DEFENDER MICHAEL GRAY DELIVERS MESSAGE TO FANS AND NEXT OWNERS AMID RELEGATION CRISIS
SHEFFIELD – Former Sheffield Wednesday defender Michael Gray has broken his silence on the club’s ongoing struggles, delivering a heartfelt message to fans and a clear plea to prospective new owners as the Owls edge closer to an inevitable relegation to League One.
The former left-back, who made over 40 appearances during his spell at Hillsborough, has expressed deep sadness at seeing his old club languish at the foot of the Championship table, with points deductions leaving them on minus seven points ahead of this weekend’s Steel City derby against Sheffield United.
Off-field turmoil continues to plague the club, with the legacy of previous ownership decisions still casting a long shadow over attempts to rebuild. Manager Henrik Pedersen has been forced to rely heavily on young players throughout the campaign as financial constraints limit his options, a situation Gray acknowledges as challenging for both the team and its emerging talents.
Speaking exclusively to The Star via BritishGambler, Gray said: “It’s such a shame to see a huge club like Sheffield Wednesday losing week after week, throwing younger players in at the deep end. We’ll have to wait and see how that affects their careers long-term, but the main thing is they still have a football club – that could have been so much worse.”
While accepting relegation is all but certain, Gray is urging optimism, suggesting the drop to the third tier could provide an opportunity to reset and rebuild. “They might go down to League One, but I think they’ve still got a chance then of regeneralising themselves and bouncing back as quickly as possible,” he added.
Gray also expressed sympathy for supporters who have endured one of the most difficult periods in the club’s history, noting the frustration of seeing cross-city rivals Sheffield United achieve success in recent years while Wednesday have struggled. “Supporters are hurting – they don’t want to see their club where it is now,” he said. “They look at their rivals and wonder why they’re doing well when Wednesday should be the biggest club in Sheffield.”
Addressing the incoming ownership, Gray issued a clear call for those taking over to prioritise the club’s best interests: “You just hope the next people through the door do their due diligence, have the football club at heart, and can take it to a stable place. They need to go step by step and build Wednesday back to where it once was – at the level we saw in the 80s, 90s and early noughties.”
The former Owl also highlighted the emotional departure of club stalwart Barry Bannan, who received a standing ovation from Hillsborough fans when he returned with Millwall at the weekend after 11 years and over 430 appearances. “It shows the respect they had for him,” Gray said. “I’m sure somewhere down the line, Barry will be back at Wednesday in some capacity, maybe as a coach or manager.”
