From Administration to Unity: Captain Barry Bannan reflects and shares hope for Sheffield Wednesday looking to the future.
The club have been deducted 12-point deduction, describing it tough yet liberating, noting the summer uncertainty, pre-season disruptions, and player losses were challenging, but the team and staff united professionally.
He highlights renewed fan euphoria with over 27,000 attending the recent match and £500,000 spent in the club shop.
There was also praises administrator Chris Wigfield for providing clarity and openness, expresses optimism for a structured new owner amid serious bids as the pressure-free motivation to enjoy football and battle to try and stay up or at least play out the rest of the season with a positive outlook.
🗣️ “The players and staff have been amazing and all come together”
Barry Bannan reflects on the recent events at Sheffield Wednesday and is optimistic there will be ‘brighter times ahead’ 🔵 pic.twitter.com/eousviTUbZ
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 28, 2025
Interviewer: “Just how difficult has it been as a player, the captain of this football club mentally? How tough has it been?”
Barry: “It’s been tough, don’t get me wrong. There’s been some good times and a lot worse times in between.
“The summer was probably the hardest when you’re not at the training ground, so you’re kind of on holiday and getting asked a lot of questions that you don’t really have the answers for, but as the captain of the club you need to try and help the players and stuff like that.
“So that was probably the hardest part, pre-season. When we came back, we didn’t have pitches. They were still getting finished.
“So they were the hard parts. When the season started, it’s been relatively easier for the players because we just decided to go out and play football and try and enjoy the football as much as possible.
“But the players have been amazing, the staff as well at the training ground and down at the stadium.
“They’ve all really come together and got on with it and done their jobs brilliantly and professionally and as I said, hopefully there’s brighter times ahead round the corner.”
Interviewer: “Is it very strange at the moment because the club has gone into administration but there’s almost this sense of euphoria around the place?”
Barry: “Yeah, well a lot of that comes from we’ve been playing home games this season and not a lot of fans and this club’s never, in my time of being here has never been like that, so that’s been strange for us as players.
“Like you see on Saturday, with the news breaking, how many people come and support, it was an unbelievable atmosphere. m As football as that’s what you want. So that’s a big difference for us.
“And I think going forward, with the administrators and people that are in it at the club at the minute, we’re getting a bit of clarity and more information than we have been.”
Jeff Stelling: “Things are finally looking up for Sheffield Wednesday. In enormous circumstances you think going into administration and a 12-point deduction would be bad news, but that’s not the way that Sheffield Wednesday fans are necessarily seeing it.
“Their former owner is gone and consequently more than 27,000 of them rolled up at the weekend to see Wednesday play Oxford, many of whom of course have been boycotting previous games.
“The fans who previously refrained from spending any money in the club outlets, well they made up for lost time as well. They spent half a million pounds on the club shop since Friday. Absolutely brilliant.
“No one better to talk about this than the man we usually turn to when we’re talking to Sheffield Wednesday. It’s their captain Barry Bannan. It’s nice to talk to you when there’s some positivity, which I know sounds daft after you’ve gone into administration and got that 12-point deduction, but can you explain the difference in feeling around the club today from this time last week?
Barry: “Yeah, well, as you say, positivity being the key word, I think on Saturday, the turnout from the fans spoke volumes, it’s their livelihoods at the minute that was getting affected, and you could see it was on Saturday it was a huge sigh of relief, they came out in their numbers and they made it an amazing day, obviously we didn’t get the result but the actual feel good factor was back around the stadium again in the city.”
Ally McCoist: “Barry, tell me, I think, and we’ve been speaking about it quite a lot, we actually think yourself and the boys and indeed the fans have handled the whole thing incredibly classy and really, really well mate.
“But the fact of matter is, you’re right, it’s amazing to talk about positivity now the club’s going into administration.
“But the fact of matter is, we have 12-point deduction, you’re now on, I think it’s minus six points. How’s the mental approach now for the boys going forward?”
Barry: “It’s not really changed, to be honest, because as soon as the season started, we knew we had a tough task ahead of us.
“So it was all about staying in the league, obviously. We’ve not had a great start as well with results. It’s been hard anyway, this makes it obviously a lot harder.
“But it gives you bit of freedom now as well to just go out and try and enjoy your football because everybody’s written us off and probably put us in League One already.
“So anything we do above that is a bonus for us really. So we’ve got no pressure on us as a club. We’ve just got to go out and play with bit of freedom and try and enjoy it.”
Jeff: “I guess one of the difficulties Barry is that a lot of the damage has been done in that you’ve lost so many players I mean the likes of Josh Windass, Michael Smith so on and so forth and and I don’t have you know I’ve got no idea but if the club is sold, whether those transfer embargoes will still stand or whether you’ll be able to bring in any any new blood.”
Barry: “Yeah, I think from what the administrators said maybe in January where we’ll be able to bring in bones and free transfers.
“At the minute, there’s still embargoes over the club, it probably won’t be allowed to sign players for fees.
“That might change, it might not, but I just think going into January, if we still had the previous chairman, then we wouldn’t be allowed to sign players either way, whether it was on a free or on loans or whatever it is a bit of a… That’s better for us really, that in January we can maybe get some help on board to try and help us”
Ally: “Barry, tell me, mate, having been through that kind of circumstance myself. Did you have any dealings yourself personally as a skipper with the administrator Chris Wigfield and if you did, how was it?”
Barry: “I spoke to him obviously on Friday and he had a big meeting in front of all the boys and the staff at the training ground and then I’m aware he went down to the stadium and had a meeting with them as well.
“He was brilliant really. We had a lot of clarity of what’s going to happen going forward, which we’ve not had as a club for a while.
“So he was brilliant. He gave his number. So if anybody wants to ask questions, they can contact him.
“So he came across really well and it feels we’re in the right hands to find the right buyer because he’s a Sheffield Wednesday fan for 40 odd years as well as all the guys.
“So hopefully he’ll find the right buyer and the person that wants to help the club going forward.”
Jeff: “I saw the look of astonishment on his face. He was asked in a television interview if he was confident the club would be sold. And he just said, just look around, just look around.
“But it’s great that already he’s saying four or five serious bids. So I mean, think the big thing is the future of the club, the future of the club is almost secured.”
Barry: “Yeah, of course, the future being, if he’s to go to the right person, he can have all the money in the world, but as we’ve seen the previous owner, we never had a structure from top to bottom and that kind of made us suffer a little bit.
“So it needs to be the right person that knows what they’re doing and it’s going to sort of come out from top to bottom really with the right structure.
“Because as you know, football clubs are run from the background and that’s how the successful clubs do it. So we need somebody that’s going to come in and do that.”
Jeff: “You’re a modest lad, I know that Barry, I just want to read you a text out from Ben who says, Barry Bannan, our greatest player ever, a true Owl. Thanks for sticking by us, Baz, and leading by example. Absolute legend.
“I think in his view, Ben’s view, he speaks for a lot of people. Barry, thank you so much, mate.”
