Sheffield Wednesday captain expects Championship opener at Leicester to go ahead
Sheffield Wednesday Supporters' Trust plans to protest against under-fire owner Dejphon Chansiri during Sunday's televised fixture against the Foxes at the King Power Stadium.
Club owner Dejphon Chansiri is under pressure to sell Sheffield Wednesday (Martin Rickett/PA)
Asked if there was a prospect of players going on strike, Bannan, who on Saturday signed a new contract at Hillsborough, told talkSPORT: 'No, I don't think so.
'We pulled out of the Burnley game at the weekend, that was simply because it's happened too much now and I think it's a lot easier to pull put of a pre-season friendly game than it is a Championship fixture.
'We've come into training and just got on with it and made it look to the outside world like we're fine with it, so that was our choice then to say enough's enough really.'
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BBC News
an hour ago
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Newport cup rotation gives boss a welcome headache
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Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Rehan Ahmed interview: I won't be like Steve Smith and stop bowling
It is approaching three years since Rehan Ahmed 's stunning Test debut but it is not until Wednesday that he will turn 21. And this coming-of-age milestone arrives in the middle of a coming-of-age season full of milestones. Ahmed has been one of the stories of the season despite not adding to his tally of caps in a thrilling Test summer. In a resurgent Leicestershire side seemingly certain for promotion, he has hit five County Championship centuries, equal most in the land. Four of them have come in his last four matches and all of them have come in the top three after he opportunistically asked for a promotion. Ahmed also has 23 wickets at 19 apiece, including 16 at 17 with the Kookaburra ball which has been county cricket's kryptonite this dry summer. Magic from Rehan Ahmed. He finished with match figures of 60-13-144-13. — Rothesay County Championship (@CountyChamp) July 25, 2025 It is now Hundred season, and he has started that well, too. 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I have got a 50 off 30 balls, and hit four fours in an over because I felt that was the best way to put a bowler under pressure. But it's the times I've soaked up pressure better that it's paid off most.' It has been easy to wonder if Ahmed is on some sort of Steve Smith arc: the leg-spinning all-rounder whose unique and irrepressible batting took over. He is not having it, though. 'I love bowling, too!' he says. 'Whenever I've played for England, it's been as a bowler. I still do think that's my first skill and I am trying to learn as much as I possibly can. Leg-spin is an art that you can never perfect. It's about working as hard as possible. 'I want to bowl as much as I possibly can. I enjoy it. I love being part of the game as much as I can. So I just want to get runs and a load of wickets consistently in the same games.' 'I hope my brother breaks my records' Leicestershire have never been promoted, and have been out of the championship's top flight since 2003. 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It might just be that Ahmed, batting in the top seven and bowling game-changing leg spin alongside four frontline seamers, is the perfect option. 'I've never been to Australia,' he says. 'Never played there. It looks a great place to play, and the Ashes is an incredible occasion. I'd love to be a part of it. I know the management, if they pick me, they back me 100 per cent. If they don't, it's because they don't think I'm the right man for the job there. I have full faith in their judgement.' Whether Ahmed gets the Ashes call or not, he will be soaking up the series. In 2023, he spent a lot of time fielding in place of the injured Ollie Pope at Lord's, and describes it as 'some experience'. Even as he comes of age, his childlike love of the game remains; he admits he 'loves watching Rooty bat in the nets' and he found England's series against India 'proper' viewing. 'I know it's simple, but having fun in the game is important,' he says. 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2 hours ago
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Mentality of 23-year-old praised after half-time withdrawal Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... For those of a Celtic persuasion, Adam Montgomery might have entered last-chance saloon territory at Parkhead as he embarks on the sixth loan spell of his career. Without a senior appearance since December 2021, it's easy to comprehend why many believe the writing could be on the wall for a player who has always remained on the periphery of the first-team squad for a number of years. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Rated highly by previous Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou, the 23-year-old hasn't had the rub of the green in a Hoops jersey and is now braced for an uncertain future. Celtic's Adam Montgomery has joined Livingston on loan. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group) For the time being, Livingston manager David Martindale was willing to throw the left-sided defender a chance to prove he can cut it in the top-flight and still be a success story in Glasgow's east end. Having spent the second half of last season with Queen's Park in the Championship, Montgomery joined Livi last month and has started all three games since his arrival in West Lothian - answering Martindale's SOS call amid injuries to Cristian Montano and Cammy Kerr. While recognising the scale of the challenge he faces to force his way into Brendan Rodgers' plans, Martindale admits Montgomery hasn't let his lack of game time hinder his aim of salvaging his Celtic career after expressing an immediate hunger to be pitched in at the deep end. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "That's testament to Adam's mindset," Martindale declared as he spoke of Montgomery's desire to remain on the pitch during Saturday's 3-1 Premiership win over Falkirk, despite sustaining a muscle injury during the first-half. 'Difficult for him at Celtic' "He's been away with Celtic and missed a lot of pre-season with us, so it's about managing his load. He wanted to stay on the park and wanted me to give him another 15 minutes. but we'd already used two stoppages and I said to him that I couldn't take that risk 60 minutes into a game. So I had to make that decision at half-time to take him off, otherwise he would've been on the pitch for longer. Livingston's Adam Montgomery and Kilmarnock's Jamie Brandon in action during a William Hill Premiership match between Kilmarnock and Livingston at the BBSP Rugby Park, on August 02, 2025, in Kilmarnock, Scotland. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group) | SNS Group "Listen, it's really difficult for him (at Celtic). Of course, they do things impeccably well but he was maybe player number 30, 32, I don't know. It's really hard to get game intensity into players that are around the perimeter of the squad. "Adam hadn't played much football. Unfortunately for him, he joined us just as Celtic were entering that period where their game intensity would've increased preparing for the Champions League, at the same time we were preparing for the Premier Sports Cup and had already been through a four, five game stretch. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "Guys like Scott Pittman and Ryan McGowan probably had about eight games under their belt before Adam came in. He's not had that luxury. So I think it's really important that if you're going to go out and play football then you do it at your earliest opportunity. I think that's shown with Adam.
