Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
| Badge of Sheffield Wednesday | |||
| Full name | Sheffield Wednesday Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Owls | ||
| Founded | September 4, 1867 | ||
| Ground | Hillsborough Stadium Sheffield | ||
| Capacity | 39,814[1] | ||
| Chairman |  Dave Allen | ||
| Manager | Brian Laws | ||
| League | The Championship | ||
| 2006–07 | The Championship, 9th | ||
|
| |||
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club (abbreviated as SWFC, nicknamed The Owls) is one of the oldest football clubs in England and play in The Football League. Based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Wednesday's chief rivals are Sheffield United F.C., with whom they play in the Steel City Derby.
The Owls have won four league titles, three FA Cups and one League Cup, but their League Cup triumph in 1991 is their only major trophy since World War II. They did reach both domestic cup finals in 1993, but lost 2-1 to Arsenal each time.
Sheffield Wednesday are in the Football League Championship. Home games are played at Hillsborough Stadium, which had staged numerous FA Cup semi-finals prior to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, which killed 96 Liverpool fans.
History
Early years
The club was a cricket team when it formed in 1820 as The Wednesday Cricket Club. A meeting on the evening of Wednesday 4 September 1867 at the Adelphi Hotel established a footballing side to keep the team together and fit during the winter months. They played their first match against the Mechanics on 19 October the same year.[2]
It soon became apparent that football would come to eclipse the cricketing side of the club. On 1 February 1868, Wednesday played their first competitive football match as they entered the Cromwell Cup, a four-team competition for newly formed clubs. They went on to win the cup, beating the Garrick Club 1-0 after extra time in the final at Bramall Lane.[3]
Charles Clegg joined Wednesday in the 1870s, starting a relationship that would last the rest of his life and eventually lead to his becoming the club's chairman. He also became president and chairman of the Football Association and known as the "Napoleon of Football".[4] In 1876 they acquired Scot James Lang. Although he was not employed by the club, he was given a job by a member of the Sheffield Wednesday board that had no formal duties. He is now acknowledged as the first professional football player in England.[5]
The 1880s saw two major events that radically changed the face of the club. In 1882 the cricket and football clubs parted ways;[6] the cricket club would later go out of existence in 1925. The football club turned professional in 1887 after pressure from players threatening to defect to other clubs. Sheffield Wednesday won their first game as a professional club against the Mechanics by 3 goals to nil.
Professional football
The move to professionalism took the team from Bramall Lane, which had taken a share of the ticket revenue, to the new Olive Grove. In 1889 the club became founder members of the Football Alliance, of which they were the first champions in a season where they also reached the 1890 FA Cup Final, losing 6-1 to Blackburn Rovers at the Kennington Oval. Despite finishing the following season bottom of the Alliance, they were eventually elected to the expanded Football League in 1892. They won the FA Cup for the first time in 1896, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at Crystal Palace.
Due to an expansion of the local railway lines, the club were told that they would have to find a new ground for the 1899-1900 season. After a difficult search the club finally bought some land in the village of Owlerton, which at the time was several miles outside the city boundaries. Construction of a new stadium (now known as Hillsborough Stadium) was completed within months and the club was secured for the next century. In a strong decade Wednesday won the league twice in the 1902-03 and 1903-04 seasons and the FA Cup again in 1907, beating Everton, again at Crystal Palace by 2 goals to 1. After this the club went through a relatively fallow period for another two decades.
The team were almost relegated in the 1928-29 season, but with 17 points in the last 10 matches they pulled off a great escape, rising from bottom to 14th. Wednesday went on to win the league title the following season (1929-30), which started a run that would see the team finishing lower than third only once until 1936. The period was topped off with the team winning the FA Cup for the third time in the club's history in 1935.
Post-war turmoil
The 1950s saw Wednesday unable to consistently hold on to a position in the top flight. After being promoted back up in 1950, they were relegated three times, although each time they bounced back up by winning the Second Division the following season. The decade ended on a high note with the team finally finishing in the top half of the First Division for the first time since World War II.
This led to a decade of successfully remaining in the First Division, which included a run to the FA Cup Final in 1966 – notable in that Wednesday played all their ties away from home. Off the field the club was embroiled in the British betting scandal of 1964 where three of their players, Peter Swan, David Layne and Tony Kay, were accused of match fixing and betting against their own team in an away game at Ipswich Town. The three were subsequently convicted and, on release from prison, banned from football for life.[7] The three were reprieved in the early 1970s with Swan and Layne returning to Hillsborough and though their careers were virtually over Swan at least played some league games for the Owls.
Wednesday were relegated at the end of the 1969-70 season, starting the darkest period in the club's history. After going into free-fall they dropped to the Third Division for the first time in their history and were marooned there for five seasons. The club were almost relegated to the Fourth Division in 1976, but a revival under the management of Jack Charlton, and the aid of Coach Tony Toms saw them return to the First Division in 1984.
Modern highs and lows
Sheffield Wednesday spent the majority of the 1980s and 1990s in the top tier of English football. 1990-91 was the only season out of sixteen in a row that Wednesday spent in a lower division, but the season is best remembered by fans for Wednesday's swift return to the top flight under the management of Ron Atkinson and their League Cup victory over Manchester United to win their first major trophy for over 50 years. The 1992-93 season established Sheffield Wednesday as a top club as they visited Wembley four times during the season - a League Cup final and an FA Cup semi-final, final and replay. In the FA Cup Semi-Finals they recorded a historic win over the city rivals Sheffield United, 2-1. However Wednesday failed to win any silverware, losing to Arsenal in both League and FA Cup finals, the latter after Andy Linighan's late extra-time winner in the replay to give Arsenal the victory.
Wednesday's fortunes took a turn for the worse when a succession of managers failed to maintain this form, first David Pleat and later Danny Wilson spent small fortunes building squads that were ultimately ineffective, and the club's debts got out of control as a result.[8] Danny Wilson was sacked in March 2000 and his assistant Peter Shreeves took temporary charge but was unable to stave off relegation. The club's flirtation with relegation continued in Division One and after yet more managerial changes Chris Turner was hired as boss and made a strong effort to rejuvenate the side. However, a failure to beat Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. in the penultimate game of the 2002-03 season condemned them to another relegation.
After narrowly avoiding yet another relegation in 2003-04 and a poor start to the 2004-05 Coca-Cola League One campaign, Turner was replaced by former Southampton F.C. manager Paul Sturrock. Sturrock revitalised Sheffield Wednesday's fortunes and they finished fifth in League One at the end of the 2004-05 season, qualifying for the promotion playoffs. Over 40,000 SWFC fans travelled to Cardiff to watch the Owls beat Hartlepool United 4-2 after extra time in the playoff final, and return to the Championship.[9] Sturrock guided Sheffield Wednesday to Championship survival in 2005-06 but was sacked after a poor start to the 2006-07 season and replaced by Brian Laws. [10]
Name and nicknames
Sheffield Wednesday are the only English League club with a day of the week in their name. The club derive their name from "The Wednesday Cricket Club", whose meetings were held on Wednesday afternoons. Wednesday was traditionally the day that the local steel workers who formed the club took their half-day off to play sports. The only other football club in the United Kingdom with a day of the week in the name is Abergavenny Thursdays, a minor Welsh club.
The club were formerly known as "The Wednesday Football Club" until 1929, when the club was officially renamed "Sheffield Wednesday Football Club" under the stewardship of manager Bob Brown.[11] However the name Sheffield Wednesday dates back as far as 1883: the former ground at Olive Grove had the name Sheffield Wednesday painted on the stand roof.
Wednesday's original nickname was "The Blades", a common name for Sheffield clubs during the 19th century due to the city's links to the cutlery industry and now the nickname of their long-term rivals Sheffield United. At the start of the 20th century, when a player presented them with an owl mascot to honour their stadium at Owlerton, adjacent to Hillsborough, the club became known as "The Owls".
Colours
Since its founding the club has played their home games in blue and white shirts, traditionally in vertical stripes. However this has not always been the case and there have been variations upon the theme. A monochrome photograph from 1874-75 shows the Wednesday team in plain dark shirts.[12], while the 1871 "Rules of the Sheffield Football Association" listed the Wednesday club colours as blue and white hoops.[13] A quartered blue and white design was used in 1887 and a blue shirt with white sleeves between 1965 and 1973.[14] This design would have received greater notoriety had Wednesday not worn their away kit for all of their games in the 1966 FA Cup run, when all of their ties were drawn away. Given the option in the final of wearing their first strip, they chose the away strip for luck; but Everton managed to claw back a 2-0 deficit after 54 minutes and eventually won the game 3-2.
There is a superstition among many older Wednesday fans that the team tends to have a poor season when they abandon the traditional evenly spaced blue and white stripe designs in favour of some broad stripe or narrow stripe design. However in an age of marketing-driven decisions, the team only reverts to the familiar style every so often.
Wednesday have often favoured black shorts or, more recently, blue. There have been times where Wednesday have opted to play in white shorts, sometimes to minimise colour clashes with the opposing team. The socks were invariably blue and white hoops but these too have gone through changes including blue with a white roll over top, all blue and all white.
The away strip has changed regularly over the years although an all yellow strip has been used for many of the recent seasons in the club's history. Traditionally white was the second choice for many teams, including Wednesday. Other colours used for away kits in previous years include black, silver, green and orange. Wednesday have always avoided red as an alternative colour but for years had the players' numbers in red on the first-choice shirt backs, which was not easy to discern against blue and white stripes.
The current home strip consists of blue and white vertical stripes with black shorts and black socks. The change strip (used for away or cup fixtures where there is a clash of colours) is all yellow with blue trim. The goalkeeper's home strip is all gold with black trim; the change strip is dark grey with yellow trim.
The 2007/08 kit is manufactured by Lotto with the home colours the traditional shirt of blue and white stripes, with blue sleeves, coupled with black shorts and socks (with the top of the socks blue).[15] The club's supporters were given the chance to have input on the away kit selection and went for an orange shirt, shorts and socks with some blue piping.
Grounds
Originally, Wednesday played matches at High Field, where Highfield Library is now located but moved several times before adopting a permanent ground. Other locations included Heeley and Hunter's Bar. Major matches would be played at Sheaf House or Bramall Lane, before Sheffield United made it their home ground.[6]
Sheffield Wednesday's first permanent home ground was at Olive Grove, a site on Queen's Road originally leased from the Duke of Norfolk. The first game at Olive Grove was a 4-4 draw with Blackburn Rovers on 12 September 1887. Extensions to the adjacent railway forced the club to move in 1899, when work began on Hillsborough Stadium at Owlerton, to the northwest of the city. The first game at Hillsborough was played on 2 September 1899 and ended in a 5-1 win for Wednesday over Chesterfield. The stadium was originally named Owlerton Stadium but in 1914 Owlerton became part of the parliamentary constituency of Hillsborough and the ground took on its current name.[16]
Hillsborough disaster
On 15 April 1989 Hillsborough became the site of Britain's worst ever stadium disaster. The venue was hosting a FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death after the terraces at the Leppings Lane end of the ground became overcrowded.
In the Taylor Report, the result of the official inquiry into the disaster, Sheffield Wednesday were criticised for the low number of turnstiles at the Leppings Lane end and the poor quality of the crush barriers on the terraces there. However, the report concluded that the root cause of the disaster was the failure of local police to adequately manage the crowds. The police failed to direct fans away from already-full central pens; these pens had an official capacity of 2,000, which should have been reduced to 1,600 as the crush barriers did not conform to the Health & Safety Executive's Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds 1986. Over 3,000 people had probably gathered in these pens shortly after kick off at 3.00pm, causing the fatal crush.[17][18]
The Taylor Report gave 76 recommendations designed to improve safety at football matches in Britain. The most noticeable of these was the gradual replacement of terraces with seated areas in all grounds by the end of the 20th century.[19] A memorial to the victims of the disaster stands outside Hillsborough's South Stand, near the main entrance on Parkside Road.
Support
Wednesday have enjoyed good support despite their recent decline in fortunes. They had the highest average attendance during both seasons in Division Two/League One [20] and continued the trend when returning to the Championship with the highest attendances in that division.[21] At the 2005 playoff final Wednesday took over 41,000 fans to the Millennium Stadium.[22]
Their most famous fan is Paul Gregory. Known to many as "Tango" or "Tango Man" due to his similarity to a character appearing in advertisements for the eponymous soft drink in the 1990s, he takes his shirt off for every match.[23] He achieved national fame during the '90s appearing on The Big Breakfast and The Sunday Show. Another famous Wednesday institution was the Wednesday Band, a brass band that played during matches. Although unpopular amongst many rival fans (and some home fans),[24] they have released several records and have been invited to regularly attend England matches.[25] They were often banned from away grounds and have now suffered the same fate at home.
Supporters groups include Wednesdayite, an independent football supporters organisation which owns over 10% of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club and The London Owls, an active supporters club for Wednesday fans living in London and South East England. Famous fans include Michael Vaughan, comedian Michael Palin, David Blunkett, Roy Hattersley and the Arctic Monkeys.
Sheffield Wednesday have had a large variety of fanzines over the years; examples include Just Another Wednesday, Out of the Blue, Spitting Feathers, Boddle, A View From The East Bank, Cheat! and War of the Monster Trucks, which acquired its name from the programme that Yorkshire Television elected to show instead of the celebrations after the 1991 League Cup victory over Manchester United.[26]
Rivalry
Wednesday's main rivals are city neighbours Sheffield United. Other rivals include Rotherham United, Barnsley, Leeds United and to a lesser extent Chesterfield, Doncaster Rovers and Hull City. In a recent poll of English football fans, Wednesday were named the fifth most rivalled club in England.[27] Matches between Wednesday and United are nicknamed Steel City derbies (as opposed to Sheffield derbies, which can be between any two Sheffield teams) and are usually the highlight of the season for both sets of fans. Famous matches include The Boxing Day Massacre, a Football League Third Division match which took place at Hillsborough on 26 December 1979. A record Third Division crowd of 49,309 fans watched Wednesday beat United 4-0 and the game has become part of Sheffield Wednesday folklore, even inspiring a song.[24]
The two teams also met at Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final match on 3 April 1993. The match was scheduled to take place at Elland Road but due to pressure from fans and the sheer number of supporters wishing to see the game the Football Association decided to switch the game to Wembley and 75,365 fans made the trip down to London to watch the match. Wednesday took the lead through a spectacular Chris Waddle free kick before United forced extra time courtesy of a goal from veteran striker Alan Cork, despite Wednesday completely dominating the game. Mark Bright eventually scored the goal that secured victory for Wednesday and earned the Owls bragging rights until the next meeting.[28]
Crest and mascots
Since their move to Owlerton, the owl has become a theme that has run throughout the club. The original club crest was introduced in 1956[29]and consisted of a shield showing a traditionally drawn owl perched on a branch. The White Rose of York was depicted below the branch alluding to the home county of Yorkshire and the sheaves of Sheffield (Sheaf field) were shown at either side of the owl's head. The club's Latin motto, Consilio et Animis, was displayed beneath the shield.[30] This translates into English as "By Wisdom and Courage".[31]
The crest was changed in 1970 to a minimalist version that shows a stylised owl with a large round head and eyes perched on the letters S.W.F.C. Various different colours were used on this badge, regularly changing with the kit design. The predominant colours however were black and yellow. This version remained in use throughout the 1970s and 1980s before being replaced in 1995.[29]
The new crest reverted to a similar design to the original crest. It again featured a traditionally drawn owl perched on a branch although the design of both had changed. The sheaves were replaced by a stylised 'SWFC' logo that had been in use on club merchandise for several years prior to the introduction of the new crest. The Yorkshire Rose was moved to above the owl's head to make way for the words 'Sheffield Wednesday'. The word 'Hillsborough' was also curved around the top of the design. The club motto was absent on the new design. The crest was encased in a new shape of shield. This crest remained in use for only a few years, during which several versions were used with different colouration including a white crest with blue stripes down either side and the colouring of the detail inverted. Most recently the shield shape has remained but the detailed owl logo has been replaced, yet again, by the minimalist version, echoing the badge's course of history in the 70s. The most recent change was the addition of a copyright symbol in 2002.[30]
Honours
| Honour | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| Cromwell Cup Winners | 1868 |
| Football Alliance Champions | 1890 |
| FA Cup Winners | 1896, 1907, 1935 |
| Football League Second Division Champions | 1900, 1926, 1952, 1956, 1959 |
| Football League First Division Champions | 1903, 1904, 1929, 1930 |
| Sheriff of London Charity Shield | 1905 |
| FA Charity Shield | 1935 |
| Football League Cup Winners | 1991 |
| Football League One Play-off Winners | 2005 |
Managers and players
Notable managers
As of 15 August 2006.[32] Only managers with over 200 games in charge are included. For the complete list see Sheffield Wednesday F.C. staff.
| Name | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | D | Win% | ||||
| Arthur Dickinson |
|
1 August 1891 | 31 May 1920 | 919 | 393 | 338 | 188 | 42.27% |
| Bob Brown |
|
1 June 1920 | 1 December 1933 | 600 | 266 | 199 | 135 | 44.33% |
| Eric Taylor |
|
1 April 1942 | 31 July 1958 | 539 | 196 | 215 | 128 | 36.36% |
| Jack Charlton |
|
8 October 1977 | 27 May 1983 | 269 | 105 | 77 | 87 | 39.03% |
| Howard Wilkinson |
|
24 June 1983 | 10 October 1988 | 255 | 114 | 73 | 68 | 44.70% |
| Trevor Francis |
|
7 June 1991 | 20 May 1995 | 214 | 88 | 58 | 68 | 41.12% |
Current first-team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Records
Wednesday's biggest recorded win was a 12-0 victory over Halliwell in the first round of the FA Cup on 17 January 1891. The biggest league win was against Birmingham City in Division 1 on 13 December 1930; Wednesday won 9-1. Both of these wins occurred at home.
The heaviest defeat was away from home against Aston Villa in a Division 1 match on 5 October 1912 which Wednesday lost 10-0.
The most goals scored by the club in a season was the 106 scored in the 1958-59 season. The club also accumulated their highest league points total in the same season when they racked up 88 points.
The highest home attendance was in the FA Cup fifth round on 17 February 1934. A total of 72,841 turned up to see a 2-2 draw with Manchester City. Unfortunately for Wednesday, they went on to lose the replay 2-0.
The most capped Englishman to play for the club was Ron Springett who won 33 caps while at Sheffield Wednesday. Springett also held the overall record for most capped Sheffield Wednesday player until Nigel Worthington broke the record, eventually gaining a total of 50 caps for Northern Ireland whilst at the club.
References
- ^ www.swfc.premiumtv.co.uk
- ^ Farnsworth, Keith (1995). Sheffield Football A History:Volume 1 1857-1861. Hallamshire Press. ISBN 1-874718-13-X.
- ^ "The Cromwell Cup". Retrieved 2006-08-15.
- ^ "Players, Managers and Administrators". FL Interactive Limited. Retrieved 2006-08-17.
- ^ "In the Beginning". FL Interactive Limited. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
- ^ a b Farnsworth, Keith (1982). Wednesday!. Sheffield City Libraries.
- ^ "The 1960s - The Kay, Swan and Layne affair". Retrieved 2006-08-15.
- ^ "Sheffield Wednesday". Guardian Unlimited fanzines. 20 November 2001. Retrieved 2006-09-13.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Brighton 0-2 Sheff Wed". BBC. 17 April 2006. Retrieved 2006-08-18.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_wed/6120136.stm
- ^ "Brown's Golden Era". FL Interactive Limited. Retrieved 2006-08-12.
- ^ Spalding, Richard A. (1926). Romance of the Wednesday. Desert Island Books. ISBN 1-874287-17-1.
- ^ Young, Percy M. (1962). Football in Sheffield. S. Paul.
- ^ Bickerton, Bob (1998). Club Colours. Hamlyn. ISBN 0-600-59542-0.
- ^ "Pictures of Sheffield Wedneday Kit". Football Shirts UK. Retrieved 2006-03-21.
- ^ "About Hillsborough". FL Interactive Limited. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
- ^ "The Hillsborough Football Disaster". Hillsborough Justice Campaign. Retrieved 2006-09-11.
- ^ "Information relating to the Hillsborough Stadium incident [[15 April]] [[1989]]". Health & Safety Executive. Retrieved 2006-09-11.
{{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ "Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sports". Fire Safety Advice Centre. Retrieved 2006-09-11.
- ^ "2004-2005 League One average attendances". Soccer Stats. 16 May 2005. Retrieved 2006-09-10.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Best Supporters". Sheffield Wednesday official website. 23 May 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-11.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Sturrock salutes fans". BBC. 29 May 2005. Retrieved 2006-08-18.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Hit or misfit? Kits that have divided the fans". Guardian Newspapers Limited. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
- ^ a b "Sheffield Wednesday". Internet Football Ground Guide. Retrieved 2006-09-11.
- ^ "Sheffield Wednesday history". Sheffield on the Internet. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
- ^ "About War of the Monster Trucks". Guardian. 20 November 2001. Retrieved 2006-08-15.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Sheffield Wednesday". Urban Dictionary. Retrieved 2006-09-11.
- ^ "Steel City Derby". BBC. Retrieved 2006-09-11.
- ^ a b "The Club Crest". A. Drake. Retrieved 2006-09-11.
- ^ a b "footballcrests.com". 27 November 2003. Retrieved 2006-08-19.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Facts and Figures". Sheffield Wednesday official website. Retrieved 2006-09-11.
- ^ "SoccerBase".
Further reading
- Gordon, Daniel. Blue-and-white-wizards: The Sheffield Wednesday Dream Team. ISBN 1-84018-680-1.
- Dooley, Derek. Dooley!: The Autobiography of a Soccer Legend. ISBN 1-874718-59-8.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Allen, Paul. Flying with the Owls Crime Squad. ISBN 1-84454-093-6.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Hayes, Dean. Hillsborough Encyclopaedia, The: A-Z of Sheffield Wednesday. ISBN 1-85158-960-0.
- Brodie, Eric. Jackie Robinson Story, The. ISBN 0-9547264-2-1.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Dickinson, Jason. One Hundred Years at Hillsborough, 2nd September 1899-1999. ISBN 1-874718-29-6.
- Johnson, Nick. Sheffield Wednesday 1867-1967. ISBN 0-7524-2720-2.
- Farnsworth, Keith. Sheffield Wednesday Football Club: A Complete Record, 1867-1987. ISBN 0-907969-25-9.
- Waring, Peter. Sheffield Wednesday Head to Head. ISBN 1-85983-417-5.
- Liversidge, Michael. Sheffield Wednesday, Illustrating the Greats. ISBN 0-9547264-5-6.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - Farnsworth, Keith. Wednesday: Every Day of the Week - An Oral History of the Owls. ISBN 1-85983-131-1.
External links
- Official site
- Sheffield Wednesday F.C. on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures
- SWFC.info (Latest Sheffield Wednesday news from around the web)
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