Sheffield Wednesday F.C. 177538 225899872 2008-07-15T22:44:50Z Epbr123 1395162 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/77.97.181.33|77.97.181.33]] to last version by TheCesspit (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{redirect|SWFC|the building|Shanghai World Financial Center}} {{Football club infobox | clubname = Sheffield Wednesday | image = [[Image:Sheffield-Wednesday-Logo.png|150px|Badge of Sheffield Wednesday]] | fullname = Sheffield Wednesday Football Club | nickname = The Owls<br/>The Wednesday | shortname = | founded = [[4 September]], [[1867]] (as ''The Wednesday'') | dissolved = | ground = [[Hillsborough Stadium]]<br />[[Sheffield]] | capacity = 39,814<ref>[http://www.swfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/HillsboroughDetail/0,,10304~92607,00.html www.swfc.premiumtv.co.uk]</ref> | chairman = | mgrtitle = Manager | manager = {{flagicon|England}} [[Brian Laws]] | league = [[Football League Championship|The Championship]] | season = [[2007-08 in English football|2007&ndash;08]] | position = The Championship, 16th | pattern_la1=_whiteborder|pattern_b1=_3whitestripes|pattern_ra1=_whiteborder | leftarm1 =2B51BE|body1=2B51BE|rightarm1=2B51BE|shorts1=000000|socks1=000000 | pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=_bluesleevelinesandsides|pattern_ra2= | leftarm2 =FF8000|body2=FF8000|rightarm2=FF8000|shorts2=FF8000|socks2=FF8000 }} '''Sheffield Wednesday Football Club''' are a professional [[Association football|football]] club based in [[Sheffield]], [[South Yorkshire]], [[England]] who currently compete in the [[Football League]] of [[England]] in [[Football League Championship|The Championship division]], the second tier of English football. Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and since first joining the [[Football League]] in 1892 they have competed in the top-flight for the majority of their history.<!--The latter will remain true until at least 2033--> Their main rivals are [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]], and the two clubs have contested the [[Steel City derby]] on a regular basis for some 100 years. ''The [[Owls]]'' have won four [[English football champions|League titles]], three [[FA Cup]]s and one [[Football League Cup|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&ndash;1 to [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] each time. They play their home matches at [[Hillsborough Stadium]] in the north-western suburb of [[Owlerton]], a 39,814 all-seater stadium built in 1899 when the lease expired at their previous ground at [[Olive Grove]]. The largest attendance was 72,841, which was achieved in 1934. ==History== [[Image:Darnall cricket ground.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A cricket match at Darnall in the 1820s, a ground laid out for The Wednesday Cricket Club.]] [[Image:TheWednesday1878.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The Wednesday squad shot from 1878, in their original hooped shirts.]] [[Image:Leaflet advert for blackburn rovers match-1887.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Leaflet advertising a [[Blackburn Rovers]] match on the 12th September, 1887 against '[[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|The Wednesday]]' at [[Olive Grove]].]] {{main|History of Sheffield Wednesday F.C.}} {{seealso|Sheffield Wednesday F.C. seasons}} <!-- This section is meant to be just a summary. Please do not add too much detail - the [[History of Sheffield Wednesday F.C.]] article is intended for detailed additions. --> ===Early years=== The club was a [[cricket]] club when it formed in [[1820s in sports|1820]] as ''The Wednesday Cricket Club'' (named after the [[day of the week]] when they played their matches). A meeting on the evening of Wednesday [[4 September]] [[1867]] at the [[Adelphi Hotel (Sheffield)|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.<ref name="Sheffield Football">{{cite book|first=Keith|last=Farnsworth|title=Sheffield Football A History:Volume 1 1857–1861|publisher=Hallamshire Press|date=1995|id=ISBN 1-874718-13-X}}</ref> 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&ndash;0 after extra time in the final at [[Bramall Lane]].<ref name="Cromwell Cup">{{cite web|title=The Cromwell Cup|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~a.drake/sheff/cup/cromwell.htm|accessdate=2006-08-15}}</ref> [[John Charles Clegg|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 [[The Football Association|Football Association]] and known as the "Napoleon of Football".<ref name="Statto">{{cite web|title=Players, Managers and Administrators|publisher=FL Interactive Limited |url=http://www.swfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/StattoDetail/0,,10304~390120,00.html|accessdate=2006-08-17}}</ref> In 1876 they acquired Scot [[James Lang (footballer)|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.<ref name="In the Beginning">{{cite web|title=In the Beginning|publisher=FL Interactive Limited|url=http://www.swfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/HistoryDetail/0,,10304~65717,00.html|accessdate=2006-08-15}}</ref> The 1880s saw two major events that radically changed the face of the club. In 1882 the cricket and football clubs parted company;<ref name="Wednesday!">{{cite book|last=Farnsworth|first=Keith| title=Wednesday!|publisher=Sheffield City Libraries|date=1982}}</ref> 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'' 3&ndash;0. ===Professional football=== The move to professionalism took the club from [[Bramall Lane]], which had taken a share of the ticket revenue, to the new [[Olive Grove]].<ref name="Football in Sheffield">{{cite book|last=Young|first=Percy M.|date=1962|title=Football in Sheffield|publisher=S. Paul}}</ref> 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&ndash;1 to [[Blackburn Rovers]] at [[Kennington Oval]], [[London]]. 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 FA Cup Final|1896]], beating [[Wolverhampton Wanderers]] 2&ndash;1 at [[Crystal Palace National Sports Centre|Crystal Palace]]. Due to an expansion of the local railway lines, the club was told that they would have to find a new ground for the [[1899-1900 in English football|1899&ndash;1900 season]].<ref name="Wednesday!" /> After a difficult search the club finally bought some land in the village of [[Owlerton]], which at the time was several miles outside the Sheffield 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 in English football|1902&ndash;03]] and [[1903-04 in English football|1903&ndash;04]] seasons and the FA Cup again in [[1907 FA Cup Final|1907]], beating [[Everton F.C.|Everton]], again at Crystal Palace 2&ndash;1. After this the club went through a relatively fallow period for another two decades. The club was almost relegated in the [[1927-28 in English football|1927&ndash;28]] 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 ([[1928-29 in English football|1928&ndash;29]]), which started a run that would see the team finishing lower than third only once until 1936.<ref name="Football in Sheffield" /> The period was topped off with the team winning the FA Cup for the third time in the club's history in [[1935 FA Cup Final|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 [[Football League Second Division|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 the [[World War II|Second World War]]. This led to a decade of successfully remaining in the First Division, which included a run to the FA Cup Final in [[1966 FA Cup Final|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 (footballer born 1936)|Peter Swan]], [[David Layne]] and [[Tony Kay]], were accused of [[match fixing]] and [[sports betting|betting]] against their own team in an away game at [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]]. The three were subsequently convicted and, on release from prison, banned from football for life.<ref name="Betting Scandal">{{cite web|title = The 1960s - The Kay, Swan and Layne affair| url=http://www.nobok.co.uk/page/TimeMachineDetail/0,,10301~791880,00.html|accessdate=2006-08-15}}</ref> 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 in English football|1969&ndash;70 season]], starting the darkest period in the club's history. After going into free-fall they dropped to the [[Football League Third Division|Third Division]] for the first time in their history and were marooned there for five seasons. The club was almost relegated to the [[Football League Fourth Division|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 in English football|1990&ndash;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 [[Football League Cup|League Cup]] victory over [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] to win their first major trophy for over 50 years. The [[1992-93 in English football|1992&ndash;93]] season established Sheffield Wednesday as a top club as they visited [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|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&ndash;1. However Wednesday failed to win any silverware, losing to [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] in both [[1993 Football League Cup Final|League]] and [[1993 FA Cup Final|FA Cup]] finals, the latter after [[Andy Linighan]]'s late extra-time winner in the replay to give ''[[The Gunners]]'' the victory. [[Image:Playoffs 021.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Wednesday lift the 2005 League One Playoff Trophy]] 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 (footballer)|Danny Wilson]] spent small fortunes building squads that were ultimately ineffective, and the club's debts got out of control as a result.<ref name="guardian fanzine">{{cite web|title=Sheffield Wednesday |publisher=Guardian Unlimited fanzines|url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/fanzines/story/0,,602504,00.html|date=[[20 November]] [[2001]]|accessdate=2006-09-13}}</ref> 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 (footballer b. 1958)|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 in English football|2002&ndash;03]] season condemned them to another relegation. After narrowly avoiding yet another relegation in [[2003-04 in English football|2003&ndash;04]] and a poor start to the [[2004-05 in English football|2004&ndash;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&ndash;05 season, qualifying for the promotion playoffs. Over 40,000 ''Owls'' fans travelled to [[Cardiff]] to watch Wednesday beat [[Hartlepool United F.C.|Hartlepool United]] 4&ndash;2 after extra time in the playoff final, and return to the Championship.<ref name="promotion">{{cite news|title=Brighton 0-2 Sheff Wed|publisher=BBC| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/4906626.stm|date=[[17 April]] [[2006]] |accessdate=2006-08-18}}</ref> Sturrock guided Sheffield Wednesday to Championship survival in [[2005-06 in English football|2005&ndash;06]] but was sacked after a poor start to the [[2006-07 in English football|2006&ndash;07]] season and replaced by [[Brian Laws]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_wed/6120136.stm BBC SPORT | Football | My Club | Sheff Wed | Laws takes over as Sheff Wed boss<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In the football season [[2007-08 in English football|2007&ndash;08]] Wednesday endured their worst start to a season in its history losing six league games in a row, after a hyped pre-season where Wednesday were considered to be promotion contenders it was the exact opposite. Wednesday recently have started to pick up and are now picking up the victories under manager Brian Laws. Wednesday are without a chairman since Dave Allen resigned on [[23 November]] [[2007]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Rawcliffe |first=Jonathan |title=Dave Allen resigns as SWFC chairman |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A29459613?s_fromedit=1&s_type=15&s_sport=football |publisher=''BBC'' |date=2007-11-23 |accessdate=2007-12-21}}</ref> On Apr 4, Wednesday secured their position in the Championship in 2008-09 with a 4-1 home win against [[Norwich City]] on the last day of the season.<ref>{{Citation |title=Sheffield Wednesday 4-1 Norwich City|url=http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=221040&league=ENG.2&cc=3436 |publisher=''ESPNSoccernet'' |date=2008-04-05 |accessdate=2008-05-05}}</ref> ==Name origins and nicknames== Sheffield Wednesday are the only English League club with a day of the week in their name. The club was initially a cricket club named The Wednesday Cricket Club after the day of the week when they played their matches. The footballing side of the club was established to keep the team together and fit during the winter months. The club was 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 (footballer)|Bob Brown]].<ref name="Complete History 1920-35">{{cite web|title=Brown's Golden Era|url=http://www.swfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/HistoryDetail/0,,10304~65721,00.html|publisher=FL Interactive Limited|accessdate=2006-08-12}}</ref> 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 local rivals [[Sheffield United F.C.|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, South Yorkshire|Hillsborough]], the club became known as "The Owls". ==Colours== {{Football kit box | align = left | pattern_la = _thinnavyhoops | pattern_b = _thinnavyhoops | pattern_ra = _thinnavyhoops | leftarm = FFFFFF | body = FFFFFF | rightarm = FFFFFF | socks = FFFFFF | shorts = FFFFFF | title = The Wednesday's home shirt of 1871. It is assumed that these were the original colours used by the team. }}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,<ref name="Romance of the Wednesday">{{cite book|last=Spalding|first=Richard A.|date=1926|title=Romance of the Wednesday|publisher=Desert Island Books|id=ISBN 1-874287-17-1}}</ref> while the 1871 "Rules of the Sheffield Football Association" listed the Wednesday club colours as blue and white hoops.<ref name="Football in Sheffield" /> A quartered blue and white design was used in 1887 and a blue shirt with white sleeves between 1965 and 1973.<ref name="Club Colours">{{cite book|last=Bickerton|first=Bob|date=1998|title=Club Colours|publisher=Hamlyn|id=ISBN 0-600-59542-0}}</ref> This design would have received greater notoriety had Wednesday not worn their [[kit (football)|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 F.C.|Everton]] managed to claw back a 2&ndash;0 deficit after 54 minutes and eventually won the game 3&ndash;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 2007&ndash;08 kit is manufactured by [[Lotto Sport Italia|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).<ref name="Sheffield Wednesday 2007/08 Kit">{{cite web|title=Pictures of Sheffield Wednesday Kit|url=http://www.football-shirts.co.uk/fans/29|publisher=Football Shirts UK|accessdate=2006-03-21}}</ref> 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 instead of a green or white shirt. ==Grounds== <br clear="all"/> Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium is one of the most famous and celebrated Stadia in the country. It has hosted World cup football (1966), The 1996 European Championships (Euro 96) and 27 FA cup Semi Finals. The Kop at Hillsborough was re-opened in 1986 by Queen Elizabeth II and was once the largest covered stand of any football stadium in Europe.{{cite web|title=The ASD Lighting Kop|url=http://www.swfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Hillsborough/0,,10304~1032653,00.html|publisher=Sheffield Wednesday Football Club|accessdate=2008-05-18}} Hillsborough is the biggest stadium in the Championship and 12th biggest in the whole of England.{{Fact|date=May 2008}} Originally, Wednesday played matches at [[Highfield (stadium)|Highfield]], where [[Highfield, Sheffield|Highfield]] Library is now located but moved several times before adopting a permanent ground. Other locations included [[Myrtle Road]], [[Heeley]] and [[Hunter's Bar]]. Major matches would be played at [[Sheaf House]] or [[Bramall Lane]], before [[Sheffield United]] made it their home ground.<ref name="Wednesday!" /> Sheffield Wednesday's first permanent home ground was at [[Olive Grove]], a site near Queen's Road originally leased from the [[Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk|Duke of Norfolk]]. The first game at Olive Grove was a 4&ndash;4 draw with [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|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 centre. The first game at Hillsborough was played on [[2 September]] [[1899]] and ended in a 5&ndash;1 win for Wednesday over [[Chesterfield F.C.|Chesterfield]]. The stadium was originally named Owlerton Stadium but in 1914 Owlerton became part of the parliamentary constituency of [[Sheffield Hillsborough (UK Parliament constituency)|Hillsborough]] and the ground took on its current name.<ref name="About Hillsborough">{{cite web|title=About Hillsborough|publisher=FL Interactive Limited|url=http://www.swfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/HillsboroughDetail/0,,10304~92607,00.html|accessdate= 2006-08-15}}</ref> The [[Hillsborough disaster]] occurred on [[15 April]] [[1989]] at an [[FA Cup]] semi-final between [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] and [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]. 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death after the terraces at the Leppings Lane end of the ground became overcrowded. The following report concluded that the root cause of the disaster was the failure of local police to adequately manage the crowds.<ref name="Hillsborough justice">{{cite web|title=The Hillsborough Football Disaster|publisher=Hillsborough Justice Campaign|url=http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/history/index.shtm|accessdate=2006-09-11}}</ref><ref name="Hillsborough HSE">{{cite web|title=Information relating to the Hillsborough Stadium incident [[15 April]] [[1989]]|publisher=Health & Safety Executive|url=http://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/releases/hillsborough.htm|accessdate=2006-09-11}}</ref> A memorial to the victims of the disaster stands outside Hillsborough's South Stand, near the main entrance on Parkside Road. ==Support== [[Image:Sheffield Wednesday fans.jpg|thumb|Wednesdayites at [[Hillsborough Stadium|Hillsborough]]]] 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<ref name="2004-2005 Division 2 Attendances"> {{cite news|title=2004–2005 League One average attendances|publisher=Soccer Stats|url=http://www.soccer-stats.com/divisions/attendances.asp?divno=3&orderby=4&asid=04|date=[[16 May]] [[2005]]|accessdate=2006-09-10}}</ref> and continued the trend when returning to the Championship with the highest attendances in that division.<ref name="2005–2006 Attendances"> {{cite news|title=Best Supporters|publisher=Sheffield Wednesday official website|url=http://www.swfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/News/0,,10304~832378,00.html|date=[[23 May]] [[2006]]|accessdate=2006-09-11}}</ref> At the 2005 playoff final Wednesday took over 41,000 fans to the [[Millennium Stadium]].<ref name="Sturrock salutes fans">{{cite news|title=Sturrock salutes fans|publisher=BBC|date=[[29 May]] [[2005]]|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_wed/4589659.stm|accessdate=2006-08-18}}</ref> One of their most famous fans is Paul Gregory. Known to many as "Tango" or "Tango Man" due to his similarity to a character appearing in [[advertisement]]s for the [[Tango (drink)|eponymous soft drink]] in the 1990s, he takes his shirt off for every match.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|title=Hit or misfit? Kits that have divided the fans|publisher=Guardian Newspapers Limited|url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,1545014,00.html|accessdate=2006-08-15}}</ref> He achieved national fame during the 1990s 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),<ref name="ground guide">{{cite web|url=http://www.yfh45.dial.pipex.com/wednes.htm|title=Sheffield Wednesday|work=Internet Football Ground Guide|accessdate=2006-09-11}}</ref> they have released several records and have been invited to regularly attend [[England national football team|England]] matches.<ref name="Unofficial history">{{cite web|title=Sheffield Wednesday history|publisher=Sheffield on the Internet|url=http://www.sheffieldontheinternet.co.uk/wed.html|accessdate=2006-08-15}}</ref> 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. 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 Football League Cup Final|1991 League Cup]] victory over Manchester United.<ref name="About WOTMT">{{cite news|title=About War of the Monster Trucks|publisher=Guardian|url=http://football.guardian.co.uk/fanzines/story/0,,602719,00.html|date=[[20 November]] [[2001]]|accessdate=2006-08-15}}</ref> Below are recent average attendances at Hillsborough: *[[2007-08 in English football|2007&ndash;08]]: 21,410 ([[Football League Championship]]) second tier *[[2006-07 in English football|2006&ndash;07]]: 23,638 ([[Football League Championship]]) second tier *[[2005-06 in English football|2005&ndash;06]]: 24,853 ([[Football League Championship]]) second tier *[[2004-05 in English football|2004&ndash;05]]: 23,107 ([[Football League One]]) third tier *[[2003-04 in English football|2003&ndash;04]]: 22,336 ([[Football League Second Division|Division Two]]) third tier ==Rivalry== Wednesday's main rivals are city neighbours [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]]. Other rivals include [[Rotherham United F.C.|Rotherham United]], [[Barnsley F.C.|Barnsley]], [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]] and to a lesser extent [[Chesterfield F.C.|Chesterfield]], [[Doncaster Rovers F.C.|Doncaster Rovers]] and [[Hull City F.C.|Hull City]]. Matches between Wednesday and United are nicknamed [[Steel City derby|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 Stadium|Hillsborough]] on [[26 December]] [[1979]]. A record Third Division crowd of 49,309 fans watched Wednesday beat United 4&ndash;0 and the game has become part of Sheffield Wednesday folklore, even inspiring a song.<ref name="ground guide">{{cite web|url=http://www.yfh45.dial.pipex.com/wednes.htm|title=Sheffield Wednesday|work=Internet Football Ground Guide|accessdate=2006-09-11}}</ref> The two teams also met at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|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]]. [[Mark Bright]] eventually scored the goal that secured victory for Wednesday.<ref name="Derby">{{cite web|title=Steel City Derby|publisher=BBC|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/southyorkshire/content/articles/2005/11/02/fa_cup_semi_final_1993_feature.shtml|accessdate=2006-09-11}}</ref> Sheffield United have a better head to head record in [[Steel City Derby]] games, having won 44 times compared to Wednesday's 39 victories. Of the most recent ten encounters, Wednesday have won three games against their rivals whilst United have won four times. ==Crest and mascots== [[Image:SWFC pre-1970.png|right|thumb|125px|The original crest]] [[Image:SWFC early-90s.jpg|right|thumb|125px|Mid-1990s crest]] 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<ref name="crest">{{cite web|title=footballcrests.com|url=http://www.footballcrests.com/sheffieldwednesdayfc.htm|date=[[27 November]] [[2003]]|accessdate=2006-08-19 }}</ref>and consisted of a shield showing a traditionally drawn owl perched on a branch. The [[White Rose of York]]<ref name="olderbadge">{{cite web|title=1962 - Football Clubs and Badges card Sheffield Wednesday|publisher=Mike Duggan|url=http://mikeduggan.tripod.com/otheritems/trade/country/ocgreatbritain.html|accessdate=2007-12-17 }}</ref> was depicted below the branch alluding to the home county of [[Yorkshire]] and the [[sheaf|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.<ref name="crest">{{cite web|title=footballcrests.com|url=http://www.footballcrests.com/sheffieldwednesdayfc.htm|date=[[27 November]] [[2003]]|accessdate=2006-08-19 }}</ref> This translates into English as "''By Wisdom and Courage''".<ref name="motto">{{cite web|title=Facts and Figures|publisher=Sheffield Wednesday official website|url=http://www.swfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/StattoDetail/0,,10304~390134,00.html|accessdate=2006-09-11 }}</ref> [[Image:SWFC 1970s.jpg|left|thumb|125px|The minimalist crest]] 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.<ref name="badge">{{cite web|title=The Club Crest|publisher=A. Drake|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~a.drake/owls/misc/badge.htm|accessdate=2006-09-11 }}</ref> 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 1970s. The most recent change was the addition of a [[copyright symbol]] in 2002.<ref name="crest">{{cite web|title=footballcrests.com|url=http://www.footballcrests.com/sheffieldwednesdayfc.htm|date=[[27 November]] [[2003]]|accessdate=2006-08-19 }}</ref> ==Honours== {| class="wikitable" ! Honour !! Year(s) |- | [[Cromwell Cup]] Winners || [[1860s in football (soccer)|1868]] |- | [[Football Alliance]] Champions || 1890 |- | [[FA Cup]] Winners || [[1896 FA Cup Final|1896]], [[1907 FA Cup Final|1907]], [[1935 FA Cup Final|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 February]] [[2008]].<ref>{{cite web|title=SoccerBase|url=http://www.soccerbase.com/manager_history.sd?teamid=2330}}</ref></small><br>Only managers with over 200 games in charge are included. For the complete list see [[List of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. managers]].'' {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center" |- !rowspan="2"|Name !rowspan="2"|Nat !rowspan="2"|From !rowspan="2"|To !colspan="5"|Record |- !P!!W!!L!!D!!Win% |- | [[Arthur Dickinson]] | {{flagicon|England}} | [[1 August]] [[1891]] | [[31 May]] [[1920]] | 919 | 393 | 338 | 188 | 42.27% |- | [[Bob Brown (footballer)|Bob Brown]] | {{flagicon|England}} | [[1 June]] [[1920]] | [[1 December]] [[1933]] | 600 | 266 | 199 | 135 | 44.33% |- | [[Eric Taylor (football manager)|Eric Taylor]] | {{flagicon|England}} | [[1 April]] [[1942]] | [[31 July]] [[1958]] | 539 | 196 | 215 | 128 | 36.36% |- | [[Jack Charlton]] | {{flagicon|England}} | [[8 October]] [[1977]] | [[27 May]] [[1983]] | 269 | 105 | 77 | 87 | 39.03% |- | [[Howard Wilkinson]] | {{flagicon|England}} | [[24 June]] [[1983]] | [[10 October]] [[1988]] | 255 | 114 | 73 | 68 | 44.70% |- | [[Trevor Francis]] | {{flagicon|England}} | [[7 June]] [[1991]] | [[20 May]] [[1995]] | 214 | 88 | 58 | 68 | 41.12% |} Dickinson, who was in charge for 29 years, is Wednesday's longest-serving manager, and helped establish the club among the finest in the country during the first two decades of the [[20th century]]. Brown succeeded Dickinson and remained in charge for 13 years; in [[1930]] he secured their most recent top division league title to date. Taylor took over during the [[Second World War]] and remained in charge until [[1958]], but failed to win a major trophy, even though Wednesday were in the top flight for most of his reign. Charlton took Wednesday out of the Third Division in [[1980]] and in his final season ([[1982-83 in English football|1982-83]]) he took them to the semi-finals of the [[FA Cup]]. Wilkinson succeeded Charlton in the summer of [[1983]] and was in charge for more than five years before he moved to [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]]. His first season saw Wednesday gain promotion to the First Division after a 14-year exile. He guided them to a fifth place finish in [[1986]], but Wednesday were unable to compete in the 1986-87 [[UEFA Cup]] due to the ban on English teams in European competitions due to the [[Heysel Disaster]] of [[1985]]. Francis took over as player-manager in June [[1991]] after [[Ron Atkinson]] (who had just guided them to [[Football League Cup]] glory and promotion to the First Division) departed to [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]]. He guided them to third place in the league in [[1992]], and earned them a [[UEFA Cup]] place. They finished seventh in the [[1992-93 in English football|inaugural]] [[Premier League]] and were runners-up of the [[FA Cup]] and League Cup that year. He was sacked in [[1995]] after Wednesday finished 13th - their lowest standing in four years since winning promotion. ===Current first-team squad=== :''As of 1 July 2008.'' {{fs start}} <!-- For help using the below template, please see [[Template talk:Football squad player]] --> {{fs player| no=1 | nat=ENG | pos=GK | name=[[Lee Grant (goalkeeper)|Lee Grant]] }} {{fs player| no=2 | nat=ENG | pos=DF | name=[[Tommy Spurr]] }} {{fs player| no=3 | nat=ENG | pos=DF | name=[[Peter Gilbert]]}} {{fs player| no=4 | nat=ENG | pos=MF | name=[[Kenny Lunt]]}} {{fs player| no=5 | nat=ENG | pos=DF | name=[[Richard Hinds]] }} {{fs player| no=6 | nat=ENG | pos=DF | name=[[Steve Watson]] | other=Club captain }} {{fs player| no=7 | nat=ENG | pos=FW | name=[[Marcus Tudgay]] }} {{fs player| no=8 | nat=ENG | pos=MF | name=[[Sean McAllister]]}} {{fs player| no=9 | nat=ENG | pos=FW | name=[[Francis Jeffers]] }} {{fs player| no=10 | nat=JAM | pos=FW | name=[[Deon Burton]] }} {{fs player| no=11 | nat=NED | pos=MF | name=[[Etienne Esajas]] }} {{fs player| no=12 | nat=NOR | pos=MF | name=[[Rocky Lekaj]] }} {{fs mid}} {{fs player| no=14 | nat=ENG | pos=MF | name=[[Jimmy Smith (English footballer)|Jimmy Smith]] | other=On loan from [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] }} {{fs player| no=15 | nat=ENG | pos=DF | name=[[Mark Beevers]] }} {{fs player| no=16 | nat=ENG | pos=DF | name=[[Richard Wood (footballer)|Richard Wood]] | other=Team captain }} {{fs player| no=17 | nat=IRL | pos=MF | name=[[James O'Connor]] }} {{fs player| no=18 | nat=ENG | pos=FW | name=[[Leon Clarke (footballer)|Leon Clarke]]}} {{fs player| no=20 | nat=USA | pos=DF | name=[[Frank Simek]] }} {{fs player| no=22 | nat=ENG | pos=GK | name=[[Richard O'Donnell]]}} {{fs player| no=23 | nat=JAM | pos=MF | name=[[Jermaine Johnson]]}} {{fs player| no=24 | nat=ENG | pos=FW | name=[[Luke Boden]] }} {{fs player| no=25 | nat=NIR | pos=DF | name=Liam McMenamin }} {{fs player| no=26 | nat=ENG | pos=MF | name=[[Wade Small]] }} {{fs player| no=30 | nat=ENG | pos=FW | name=[[Akpo Sodje]] }} {{Fs end}} ==Records== {{main|Sheffield Wednesday F.C. records}} [[Image:Sheffield Wednesday F.C. league position.png|300px|thumb|Historical league position (the four bars represent the four tiers of the Football League)]] Wednesday's biggest recorded win was a 12&ndash;0 victory over [[Halliwell F.C.|Halliwell]] in the first round of the [[FA Cup]] on [[17 January]] [[1891]]. The biggest league win was against [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] in [[Football League First Division|Division 1]] on [[13 December]] [[1930]]; Wednesday won 9&ndash;1. Both of these wins occurred at home. The heaviest defeat was away from home against [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]] in a Division 1 match on [[5 October]] [[1912]] which Wednesday lost 10&ndash;0. The most goals scored by the club in a season was the 106 scored in the [[1958-59 in English football|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&ndash;2 draw with [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]. Unfortunately for Wednesday, they went on to lose the replay 2&ndash;0. (Manchester City won the FA Cup that season) The most [[cap (sport)|capped]] Englishman to play for the club was goalkeeper [[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 national football team|Northern Ireland]] whilst at the club. ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==Further reading== *{{cite book|title=Blue-and-white-wizards: The Sheffield Wednesday Dream Team|first=Daniel|last=Gordon|id=ISBN 1-84018-680-1}} *{{cite book|title=Dooley!: The Autobiography of a Soccer Legend|first=Derek|last=Dooley|coauthors=Keith Farnsworth|id=ISBN 1-874718-59-8}} *{{cite book|title=Flying with the Owls Crime Squad|first=Paul|last=Allen|coauthors=Douglas Naylor|id=ISBN 1-84454-093-6}} *{{cite book|title=Hillsborough Encyclopaedia, The: A-Z of Sheffield Wednesday|first=Dean|last=Hayes|id=ISBN 1-85158-960-0}} *{{cite book|title=Jackie Robinson Story, The|first=Eric|last=Brodie|coauthors=Allan Troilett|id=ISBN 0-9547264-2-1}} *{{cite book|title=One Hundred Years at Hillsborough, 2nd September 1899–1999|first=Jason|last=Dickinson|id=ISBN 1-874718-29-6}} *{{cite book|title=Sheffield Wednesday 1867–1967|first=Nick|last=Johnson|id=ISBN 0-7524-2720-2}} *{{cite book|title=Sheffield Wednesday Football Club: A Complete Record, 1867–1987|first=Keith|last=Farnsworth|id=ISBN 0-907969-25-9}} *{{cite book|title=Sheffield Wednesday Head to Head|first=Peter|last=Waring|id=ISBN 1-85983-417-5}} *{{cite book|title=Sheffield Wednesday, Illustrating the Greats|first=Michael|last=Liversidge|coauthors=Gary Mackender|id=ISBN 0-9547264-5-6}} *{{cite book|title=Wednesday: Every Day of the Week - An Oral History of the Owls|first=Keith|last=Farnsworth|id=ISBN 1-85983-131-1}} ==External links== {{Spoken Wikipedia|Sheffield Wednesday FC.ogg|2007-07-08}} *[http://www.swfc.co.uk Official site] *{{BBC Football Info|BBClinkname=s/sheff_wed}} *[http://www.owlstalk.co.uk Owlstalk - Sheffield Wednesday News] {{fb start}} {{Sheffield Wednesday F.C.}} {{Football League Championship teamlist}} {{English football league system cells | level = 2 | promotion = [[FA Premier League]] | relegation = [[Football League One]]}} {{Football in England table cells}} {{Football in Sheffield}} {{fb end}} {{featured article}} [[Category:Football (soccer) clubs established in 1867]] [[Category:English football clubs]] [[Category:Premier League clubs]] [[Category:Football League clubs]] [[Category:Hillsborough, South Yorkshire]] [[Category:Sheffield Wednesday F.C.| ]] [[Category:Sports teams and clubs in Sheffield|Wednesday]] [[Category:South Yorkshire football clubs]] [[Category:FA Cup winners]] [[Category:Football League Cup winners]] [[ca:Sheffield Wednesday Football Club]] [[da:Sheffield Wednesday]] [[de:Sheffield Wednesday]] [[es:Sheffield Wednesday Football Club]] [[fr:Sheffield Wednesday Football Club]] [[ko:셰필드 웬즈데이 FC]] [[id:Sheffield Wednesday F.C.]] [[it:Sheffield Wednesday F.C.]] [[he:שפילד ונסדיי]] [[lb:Sheffield Wednesday FC]] [[lt:Sheffield Wednesday FC]] [[nl:Sheffield Wednesday FC]] [[ja:シェフィールド・ウェンズデイFC]] [[no:Sheffield Wednesday FC]] [[pl:Sheffield Wednesday F.C.]] [[pt:Sheffield Wednesday Football Club]] [[simple:Sheffield Wednesday F.C.]] [[fi:Sheffield Wednesday FC]] [[sv:Sheffield Wednesday FC]] [[zh:谢周三足球俱乐部]]