On Wednesday night, the former Sheffield Wednesday manager, player, and lifelong supporter stood before a crowd of dejected fans and unleashed a ferocious, unfiltered tirade against the club’s embattled owner. When the legion of Owls faithful flooded the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Trust Fan Forum at Wadsley Bridge WMC, Turner held chairman Chansiri directly accountable for “destroying the club”.
Sheffield Wednesday and Chansiri have been formally charged by the English Football League over multiple breaches of payment regulations. With Sheffield Wednesday in financial disarray, owing wages to players and staff, the club is contemplating selling their rising star Caelen-Kole Cadamarteri. Accusing the club owner of asset-stripping to cover basic expenses, Turner said he is really concerned about what’s happening at Hillsborough in the Chansiri era. Speaking as a lifelong Owl, not just a former manager, Turner branded Chansiri “the worst chairman” in Sheffield Wednesday’s history.
“I’m here as a Wednesday fan, not as an ex-player, ex-manager, ex-footballer. I’m here because I’m one of you. I’m a supporter. When you look at the football side of it, we haven’t got a team for next season, it looks like we haven’t got a manager, we’re selling one of the best young players in the club. That can be good or bad, hopefully it’s not going to give him money to rally round for the next two or three months and pay HMRC and a few wages. We need this man out,” Turner said.
According to Turner, the warning signs at Sheffield Wednesday have been evident for years, ranging from points deductions and transfer embargoes to a revolving door of managers. “We should all keep calm so when the Trust is doing something, or the other parties, we have to get together, work together, and work as one. Then we have a chance. But we are going to have to be patient because he’s going to be hard to get rid of. He’s the worst chairman we’ve ever had,” Turner mentioned.
Balancing the sheets, Turner didn’t mince words and advocated for a boycott while talking about the Hillsborough administration. “It might be the best thing, I’ll tell you now - administration is going to be horrendous. Absolutely horrendous, but if it’s the only way you can go, we might have to drop down a few leagues and then come back stronger, better, and bigger,” Turner continued.
‘How does Barry Bannan feel?’
Not limiting his fiery speech about Chansiri’s financial mismanagement, the 66-year-old spotlighted the chaos engulfing players and staff at Sheffield Wednesday. “How does Barry Bannan, the captain, feel? He doesn’t know when he’s going to get his wages. What’s he thinking about next season? What are the other players thinking about next season? What about the staff on the ground, who do very important jobs… not getting paid? Even worse for them,” Turner added.
In his flaming takedown, Turner also referred to the exorbitant ticket costs that have alienated Sheffield Wednesday supporters over the years. If there’s one thing that sums up Chansiri’s failure for the ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss, it’s the way he has priced out the supporters. “My biggest point about him has always been the prices. This guy is destroying the club. The prices are a joke. There is no future with that guy in charge,” he concluded.