Empty seats looking out on the champions of England - what does it say about Sheffield Wednesday?
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It was an enjoyable night. The Owls created little but battled hard and the Hillsborough atmosphere was as good as it has been all season – a scan around the ground as Wednesday pushed on in the final minutes would have stood hairs on the necks of the comatose.
But the elephant in the room both at the ground and on BBC One’s television coverage was surely the large clumps of empty seats staring out on the champions of England.
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Hide AdIt was a game that should have sold out. Pep Guardiola made it clear days ago that he was set to name a strong Manchester City side and so he did – it’s not every day that Sergio Aguero plays at Hillsborough.
But thousands stayed away.
Images of Wednesday’s 3-0 League Cup win over Arsenal in 2015 show an altogether different Hillsborough – pulsing, hulking, packed to the rafters.
The fact is that £30 starts to look like a lot of money for a televised match with the run Wednesday are on. That 2015 shock came at the start of the Carlos revolution, with Wednesday kings of the city and boasting a sense of togetherness in believing things were going places.
Cut to the modern day and Wednesday’s season has hit the rocks, with much-needed transition en route and little to cheer of late. Who can blame fans for tuning in from home?
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Hide AdAsked about whether he was concerned by the fact many Wednesdayites chose to stay away from such a big occasion Owls boss Garry Monk praised the atmosphere and said: “TV kills that. I thought they were fantastic.
“They have the right to choose whatever they want to do. They’ve been right behind us and everyone has rightly been disappointed with this period.”
Where ire is directed given the side’s struggles depends on the outlook of the fan.
But Sheffield Wednesday’s greatest asset is its support. They need to get those that stayed away back on-side. And fast.