Barry Bannan has once again gone public with his thoughts on the current situation at Sheffield Wednesday, and while some fans have called him a hero for speaking up, it’s worth looking at exactly what he’s said… and what it really means.
Bannan has always been one of the more reserved players when it comes to talking about the club’s off-field issues. So, for him to be making these kinds of comments, especially ones that touch directly on Dejphon Chansiri and the internal problems, shows just how deep the cracks are behind the scenes.
He hasn’t gone full-blown critical, but what he has said speaks volumes.
Key Quotes
On the absence of the owner:
“We’ve not seen the owner for a while. He lives in Thailand, so it’s quite difficult. There’s no real middle person to get to the chairman… I have to speak to the secretary if I want to ask him questions, but it’s not her job either.”
On the last contact with Chansiri:
“I spoke to him during my summer holidays … That was the last time I spoke to the chairman directly.”
On poor communication around wages:
“We don’t even get told weeks in advance. It’ll be the night before payday … you have to start scrambling to move things around because everybody’s bills normally come first of the month.”
On lack of clarity from the top:
“It’s more about communication … We’ve not had a great deal of that … and that’s what’s really let the players and staff down.”
On the wider impact beyond players:
“It’s not so much the players … it’s the staff … To see them suffering and panicking really affects us.”
Our Take
Bannan has spoken out a few times now over the last few weeks, and he’s been a little critical of Chansiri, which, to be fair, is not something we’ve really seen from him before. That’s led to a few fans on social media calling him a hero and using phrases like “our captain” and all that.
But if we actually look at what he’s said, it’s nothing that should shock anyone. It’s not new, and it’s not something that shows there’s been any meaningful change at the club. To be honest, he’s just saying what most people have been saying for a while.
Yes, it’s coming from Bannan, and we know he doesn’t usually go there, but this probably has more to do with the fact that Chansiri is now making him, Pedersen, and others look like fools. The players and coaching staff are the ones left to face the questions while the person at the top stays silent or distant.
We’re sure Bannan has seen or been told that fans have started to ask: “Why isn’t Pedersen or the players speaking out?” And yes, players and staff have to be careful, we get that, but there comes a point when you think, hang on, enough is enough.
He’s probably been given reassurances again and again that things will be sorted. Maybe he’s even been told that a takeover is just around the corner. And now, months later, those promises are looking like complete nonsense.
Things have only got worse. The club’s future feels more uncertain than ever, and the threat of administration is now very real. That has to be affecting the squad. You can tell from the tone of Bannan’s words that he’s not just speaking for himself, he’s speaking for the people around the club who are really feeling it. The staff. The people behind the scenes.
So no, he’s not doing anything wrong. In fact, this is what leadership looks like, saying what needs to be said when no one else will.
Note
This is an opinion-based article. It reflects the views of our editorial team and is based on publicly available information and coverage at the time of writing. We are not claiming direct knowledge of private discussions unless explicitly stated.
