Latest news with #BarryBannan
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
One of the great English football clubs are tearing themselves apart
It seems barely credible given events in the past week at Sheffield Wednesday, yet only a few months ago there was hope that the club could reach the Championship play-offs and return to the Premier League after a quarter of a century away. They may have lost the Steel City derby at Hillsborough, but they were still only two wins from the top six and their next opponents were Cardiff, Hull, Blackburn, Oxford and Stoke. That winnable run of games, however, resulted in no victories and they finished 12th in the table. Where next for the fifth-oldest professional football club in England? Back in 1887, they paid players five shillings for a home game, or seven shillings and sixpence for an away game. In 2025, players have not received wages at all for May. Nor have other non-football staff at the club. One player described the situation as a joke, as it is the second time in three months a delay in payments has occurred. The English Football League has taken a dim view, too, charging the club with multiple breaches of its financial rules over paying players and staff. They face a transfer embargo of up to three windows for these alleged offences. Such is the pace of football, Wednesday have gone from outside promotion candidates to chaos in a few months. There are genuine fears over where they will be at the start of next season under Thai owner Dejphon Chansiri. Barry Bannan, their captain, has been offered a new deal to stay at the club, although he could be forgiven for having second thoughts about signing it. The 35-year-old's consistency and influence on games means there will be options if he decides to leave. Marvin Johnson is in a similar position. Ipswich Town had bids for Johnson turned down last summer after targeting him for the Premier League. He started 30 games last season and now has Championship rivals casting an eye at a potential low-risk free agent. Foreign clubs could also have a look. In the academy, England Under-16 striker Caelan Cadamarteri has sparked interest from Manchester City, Everton and Chelsea. His father, Danny, played for Everton and there is an emotional attachment to Merseyside, while City are regarded as the best place for young players to develop. Either way, they will be losing one of their brightest prospects. And the manager, Danny Röhl, will be sought after as clubs reshuffle over the summer. He was in the running for the Southampton job, where he previously worked under Ralph Hasenhüttl, and other clubs will inevitably offer a calmer environment for him to work. 'Chansiri must sell to prevent complete collapse of club' The chaos in Sheffield comes after relative serenity under Röhl. The German, rather than the owner, was effectively front of house for the club. Wednesday had the look of a team punching above their weight with an exciting young coach. It was actually Chansiri's second bite at the cherry with Röhl, having overlooked him in the summer of 2023 in favour of Xisco Muñoz, the former Watford manager. Muñoz left two months into the season with no wins to his name, paving the way for Röhl's appointment. After keeping them in the Championship on the final day of the campaign, this was meant to be a season of consolidation. 'The club continue to seek a resolution regarding outstanding salaries,' was part of Wednesday's brief statement, acknowledging their EFL charges and apologising to players and staff. It has raised questions as to why Chansiri has turned off the tap, with no salaries for March and May. Chansiri's family owns Thai Union Group, the biggest producer of tuna in the world and, according to a CNN headline, tinned fish is 'on the rise'. 'Americans looking to save money in the face of economic headwinds are fuelling their soaring popularity,' CNN wrote. There have been no public issues with Thai Union Group, yet Sheffield Wednesday have had cash-flow problems to pay canteen workers and administrative staff. Clive Betts, Labour MP for Sheffield South East, has called for Chansiri to sell the club in the wake of the latest problems, urging potential buyers to come forward. 'He must accept that he needs to sell Wednesday to prevent the complete collapse of the club … we as fans deserve better,' he said. 'If I had your dough I would buy Wednesday' Fans have been protesting at matches in great numbers too and have long hoped for a takeover after a decade of the current owner. They have come close to a Premier League return, losing in the 2016 play-off final, but would a change at the top get them over the line? Simon Jordan, the former Crystal Palace owner, has suggested Wednesday would be a good investment for a potential owner. He was talking to Saudi billionaire Turki Alalshikh about branching into football after moving into boxing, mixed martial arts, World Wrestling Entertainment, Formula One and LIV golf. 'So when I'm asked by these guys 'what English football club would you advocate for us to buy?' I said if you're not going to buy one of the legacy clubs of which there's three in this country – Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United – the next one down the rank is Tottenham, see if you can get a deal out of Daniel [Levy] for that because that's a spaceship that needs a new captain,' Jordan said on Talksport. 'If I was buying a football club and I was really motivated and had your kind of dough, I would buy Sheffield Wednesday.' An American consortium has been linked with a takeover bid, although as rivals Sheffield United found in the last couple of years, these deals are not done overnight. In April, Chansiri insisted there was 'no substantial interest' in buying the club. This was before another round of wages were delayed. There is doubt about the potential of the club, should somebody wake the sleeping giant in South Yorkshire. But there are more pressing issues that need resolving before dreaming big.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Sheffield United confirm social media HACKING after official X account posts multiple tweets about Barry Bannan
Sheffield United have confirmed their official X account was hacked on Monday afternoon – just five days before the club face Sunderland in the Championship play-off final at Wembley. With excitement building ahead of one of the biggest games in the club's recent history, fans might have expected the feed to be busier than usual. But few could have predicted the bizarre barrage of posts that followed – many of which centred around Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan. The erratic messages began with the question: 'Why so much hate on Barry Bannan? Should I fire him??' That was quickly followed by a close-up image of Bannan during a match, captioned: 'ok i just love barry bannan'. The tone then shifted again, with one tweet reading: 'I'm following everyone who trash talk barry bannan. I just figured out that he is from another other club,' before a final post attempted to change the subject: 'Let's forget Barry Bannan. New topic: MUFC > City'. The sequence left supporters bewildered and strongly hinted that the club's social media account had been compromised. The tweets were deleted within the hour, and Sheffield United later confirmed that their account had been the target of a hack. In a statement shared on the platform, the club said: '#SUFC can confirm that the account has been reclaimed, and all posts made by the hackers have been removed. 'The club would like to apologise to anyone offended by what the hackers posted to our page; these posts do not represent the views of anyone at Sheffield United.' Earlier, some tweets appeared to promote cryptocurrency links and external sites, sparking concerns about potential scams and phishing attempts. At 5pm, the club appeared to confirm that normal service had resumed with a light-hearted post reading: 'Right, where were we?' That was followed by a more familiar type of content – a video message from former Blades defender Jack O'Connell, offering support ahead of the Wembley showdown. 'Hey up lads,' O'Connell said. 'I just want to wish you all the best for the play-off final. Give it everything you've got, leave everything out there, do yourselves proud and get the club back to where it belongs. Let's go Bladesmen!' Chris Wilder's men head into Saturday's final with momentum after thrashing Bristol City 6-0 on aggregate in their semi-final. Meanwhile, Sunderland edged past Coventry City 3-2 in a nervy two-legged tie to reach Wembley. Sheffield United had finished third in the Championship's regular season with 92 points – a tally made even more impressive given they started the season with a two-point deduction. Sunderland, by contrast, secured sixth place on the final day of the campaign, edging out Hull City on goal difference. The Blades are aiming to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking after being relegated last season. Sunderland, meanwhile, have not featured in the top flight since 2017.
RTÉ News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Sheffield United apologise after X account hacked
Promotion hopefuls Sheffield United have apologised after their X account was hacked. Barry Bannan, captain of the club's rivals Sheffield Wednesday, was targeted in several posts on Monday and other offensive and derogatory comments were made. The club, who take on Sky Bet Championship rivals Sunderland for a place in the Premier League at Wembley on Saturday, later regained access to their profile and deleted the offending posts. A club statement read: "#SUFC can confirm that the account has been reclaimed, and all posts made by the hackers have been removed. "The club would like to apologise to anyone offended by what the hackers posted to our page; these posts do not represent the views of anyone at Sheffield United."
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sheff Utd apologise after X account hacked
Sheffield United have apologised after their X account was hacked on Monday, with a number of offensive and derogatory posts sent out. Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan was targeted in several of the hacked messages. They have since regained access to their profile and all posts have subsequently been deleted. "The club would like to apologise to anyone offended by what the hackers posted to our page; these posts do not represent the views of anyone at Sheffield United," they said. The Blades play Sunderland in the Championship play-off final on Saturday. Latest Sheffield United news, analysis and fan views Get Sheffield United news sent straight to your phone
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Bannan targeted as Blades X account 'compromised'
Sheffield United's X account was hacked on Monday with a number of offensive and derogatory posts sent Wednesday captain Barry Bannan was targeted in the hacked club has since regained access to its profile and all posts have subsequently been deleted."Any posts, interactions or private messages made from the account are not authorised by the club," the club said in a statement., externalThe Blades play Sunderland in the Championship play-off final on Monday.
