After a disastrous start to the Championship campaign under then-new manager Xisco Munoz, Sheffield Wednesday took action, axed the Spaniard, and replaced him with the relatively unknown Danny Rohl. Fast forward five or so months, and pundits and fans alike are heaping praise on the German’s shoulders. So, could he be one to watch?
Rohl, 34, could not have walked into a tougher gig in the Championship when he signed on as the Owls’ latest head coach in October. The team had taken two points from a possible thirty, were rooted to the foot of the table, and safety was a long way off. Wednesday headed into every game likely to lose according to football match betting and the odds provided, and they pretty much did.
But Danny Rohl decided to take on the challenge as his first managerial job anyway. It may have appeared as though Sheffield Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri plucked Rohl out of thin air. But the German has a wealth of experience and an impressive CV, even though until taking up the daunting task at Hillsborough he had never been a manager.
Rohl worked in the Red Bull setup at Leipzig and held the position of assistant manager to Ralph Hasenhuttl, a role he also held with Southampton alongside Hasenhuttl. Rohl was also an assistant to the in-demand Hansi Flick, a recent visitor to Hillsborough Stadium, at Bayern Munich and Germany.
The pedigree is there, and after a bit of a rough start to life at Sheffield Wednesday, Rohl and his style of play, or Rohl-ball as some have coined it, has seen the Owls record five wins from six at home, and they have taken fifteen points from a possible eighteen ahead of Friday’s game against Leeds United, which ended in a 2-0 defeat.
Playing an attacking front foot style
Perhaps what has been more impressive, though, is that Sheffield Wednesday were already relegated in the eyes of many. They were embedded in the second-tier’s relegation zone, but under Rohl, they have clawed back the points and are now remarkably three points off of sixteenth due to their eye-catching brand of football.
While relegation is still a distinct possibility, the ground made up and points recovered, all while playing an exciting and modern brand of football suggest Rohl is special, even at this early stage of his fledgling managerial career. If he guides the Owls to safety and pulls them away from the drop zone, it would have proven to be a remarkable feat, and the eyes of the footballing world will undoubtedly take note.
Going into a club where there appeared to be no hope and pulling off what could be described as a miracle will also immediately attract a raft of suitors who would be interested in acquiring Rohl’s services while he is on such an impressive upward trajectory. You would expect other Championship outfits to be interested already. But based on the job he is doing, teams from higher levels in England and beyond could also come calling for the young manager many people are talking about right now.
