Striding into the Hillsborough press room in the minutes after his side lost 2-1 to Sunderland on Friday evening, the Owls boss spoke candidly about a current situation at S6 that sees them having stuttered on a long-held position on the edges of the Championship play-off places.
Röhl has time and again been left frustrated at individual errors costing his side in matches they have had the better of in recent weeks and with injuries mounting on his squad was asked on Wednesday’s capabilities in continuing an underdog tilt at the top six. The Owls completed a historic last day survival mission last time out and despite a run of two wins in 10 league outings still sit only seven points back from the post-season places with 11 matches remaining.
“We should be honest,” Röhl said in discussing the small margins that have cost his side in recent weeks. “I am not lying, I am not looking for excuses. We played at West Brom, we came back and it was a corner (WBA’s winning goal). We played an outstanding game against Coventry who have seven wins in eight, we dominated them. We go to Burnley and until the 60 minutes that do what they did.
“Maybe we should speak about this. Maybe there is a limit for the squad at the moment and we should not forget this. We play on our limit – compare this game with the first game of the season against Sunderland and you see a big, big difference. But this team has a limit and since I am here, 17 months now, we played sometimes over our limit with mentality, with attitude, with a plan, a great mindset. But there is a reason why (they lost).
“I cannot remember this year that we had a bad game, a really bad game? Maybe I am wrong, but I cannot remember. We can go through all the games and this is hard for me because I see my players and what they are doing, how they invest, how they push. They go again and again and they never give up. I wish we had the momentum in the game where we get a good save, we we get a pen, where we score the first goal or get the important block and then win this game.”
Wednesday have faced criticism for winter transfer activity that saw Stuart Armstrong, Ibi Cissoko and latterly Ryo Hatsuse join the club, with Shea Charles’ re-signing on loan from Southampton having eaten into a chunk of their financial capabilities. Critics have said that the Owls failed to add to two key areas of the squad; namely up front and particularly in central defence, with Röhl making clear he was only seeking to add players of standout quality.
It was the result of a transfer window in which both Röhl and Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri spoke publicly about a breakdown in communication in the early stages of business. The German coach said he wanted to ‘protect’ the chairman in his summation of where the window had left his squad and hinted at a request for perspective of where the Owls are operating financially compared to those also fighting to be part of the play-off conversation.
He continued: “Go through all the positions on where these teams were in the last 10 years, in which area we played in the last five or six years. We cannot expect. It is easy to say it is the transfer window or January. Some teams signed players in January with a value of what we invest in a whole season – and there is no blaming on anyone.
“As a club we have to know where we are and from which position we are coming. In this case I protect the Chairman. Yes, you can say what would have happened if me and the Chairman were better connected? But even then we did everything that we could do in this moment. It is not easy in January. I know a lot of numbers on what teams invest in salaries, in loan fees. There is a difference at the moment. We have to do it with our tools. For this we are doing well.
“It is the same that we stay in the league and now we are trying to play for the Champions League or a Europa League position. It shows where we are. I am not sure if it is so easy or possible. We make steps and steps, we have identity, how we want to play, how we press, how we play football, how we entertained. But there comes a point for the future and if we want this step then we have to think about what we can do, what is possible and what is not possible.”
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