MEGSON PAYS PRICE FOR AUTOMATIC "FAILURE"

The Owls will start Thursday morning looking for their 30^th manager. There is nothing new about Wednesday sacking a manager, infact it has become something of a novelty over the past decade.

However, there is surely no sacking more surprising or ill-timed than when the news broke on Wednesday evening that Gary Megson had been relieved of his duties. Megson departs Hillsborough with a hugely respectable win percentage of 47.06% - the second highest of any Wednesday boss, and on the back of a Steel City derby success which looked to have re-ignited an automatic promotion push.

Yet despite this record and recent win, there is no doubting recent that events across the city played a huge part in his departure. Despite recording a well-earned win against the Blades just three days prior to his dismissal, Megson ultimately paid the price for four consecutive losses beforehand and more importantly the way that United were going about their League One business.

In a city where football is mentioned in every workplace and where the two teams are passionately followed, there is almost no escape from scrutiny for managers and especially in the rare scenario when they are both in the same league and competing for promotion.

The run of four consecutive defeats in February, combined with United forming a gap in the crucial second automatic spot, outweighed the joy of that derby victory and saw Megson depart S6 after barely twelve months, even less time than his predecessor Alan Irvine lasted.

The Blades holding on to second spot meant that the recent run of defeats was magnified furthermore, and shows the cutthroat nature of football as well as the desperate need to return Championship football to the club.

Whether people think it is justified or not is irrelevant. Milan Mandaric has surely got the backing of fans after saving the club from financial oblivion and he has chosen to act quickly and rather ruthlessly. He maintains that automatic promotion is still the aim this season and with this in mind, it is evident he believes automatic elevation is still a possibility rather than to risk the route of the play-offs, which is the way Wednesday were heading.

Time will tell whether this shock sacking was worth it. It will certainly be interesting to see who takes the reins over, with Dave Jones, Lee Clark and Billy Davies just three of the names touted so far.

One thing’s for sure, it’s never dull following Wednesday.

Steel City heroes - Where are they now?

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
It is just over three years since Wednesday completed a memorable double over the Blades.

Back in February 2009, Brian Laws led the Owls to a historic victory at Bramall Lane, in what was the first time Wednesday had taken six points off their nearest rivals in 95 years. Goals from Tommy Spurr and Marcus Tudgay secured the points for Wednesday, after a 1-0 win earlier in the season at home, thanks to Steve Watson’s terrific lob.

In honour of this occasion and with an impending Steel city derby on the horizon, we look at where those Wednesday players are plying their trade now. In total, over the two games, Wednesday used 18 players.

THE SQUAD

LEE GRANT
Grant is now at Burnley, where he was bought by Laws after the Owls relegation to League One. During his time at Hillsborough, he single-handedly kept Wednesday in many a game and is fondly remembered around s6.

TONY MCMAHON
McMahon played 15 games for the Owls during a loan spell and put in a solid shift at full-back in the first game against United, at Hillsborough. He returned to parent club Middlesborough and is now a regular in their side.

MARK BEEVERS
Still on the books at S6, Beevers has fallen out of favour since Gary Megson’s arrival and was loaned out to Milton Keynes Dons earlier this season. He played both games against the Blades in 08/09.

TOMMY SPURR
Spurr made over 200 appearances in total for Wednesday, and was on the score sheet in the second tie at the Lane. The academy product transferred to Doncaster last summer and has made the step up back to the Championship with little trouble.

RICHARD WOOD
Wood, now at Coventry, skippered the Owls and was an academy product, leading the side against the Blades in both games. A good servant to the club, Wood made over 150 league appearances for Wednesday before transferring to the Sky Blues in November 2009.

SEAN McALLISTER
Now at Shrewsbury, McAllister was another to progress through the Wednesday academy before making the step up to the first team. He was caught with a high foot by Matthew Kilgallon in the first game at Hillsborough, leading to the defender’s sending off. He was an unused sub in the second game.

JERMAINE JOHNSON
The winger is one of just three players still at the club from that memorable double. He was bizarrely shown a red card in the Hillsborough game after kicking a water bottle into the home crowd after reacting badly to being substituted.

STEVE WATSON
The veteran made his final senior appearance in that game at the Lane, coming on as a late sub. He also scored the only goal when the two sides met at Hillsborough, with a sublime lob over Paddy Kenny. Most recently, Watson was part of the coaching staff at Huddersfield but left when manager Lee Clark was dismissed.

JAMES O’CONNOR
O’Connor was midfield enforcer for both games and was an underrated member of the side. He went on to figure for the Owls majorly until a surprise move to the States last month when he joined outfit Orlando City.

DEON BURTON
The Jamaican missed a penalty in the Hillsborough game, when he would have made it 2-0. Burton’s hold-up play was rightly praised throughout his S6 stay, before he eventually left for Charlton. Most recently, he was playing for Gabala in Azerbaijan under the stewardship of former Arsenal legend Tony Adams.

MARCUS TUDGAY
Tudgay scored three goals against the Blades during his Wednesday stay, but none will live in the memory more than his cracker against them at the Lane. His effort was to prove the match-winner and ensured he stayed in Owls folklore before moving on to current club Nottingham Forest.

ETTIENE ESAJAS
The Dutch winger is now at League Two Swindon Town but he featured in the first game at Hillsborough, as a substitute for O’Connor. He later scored a world-class free-kick against United in the following season in a 3-2 defeat.

AKPO SODJE
Sodje was a fans favourite at Hillsborough and scored against the Blades in his first season before featuring as a sub in the first game of this double. A series of injuries went some way to ending his spell at Wednesday, and after a spell in the SPL with Hibernian, he is now a free agent.

FRANCIS JEFFERS
Jeffers signed for big money but ultimately didn’t warrant such a fee whilst playing for the Owls. A substitute appearance against the Blades in the first game was his involvement in the derby, and after Wednesday suffered relegation, he represented Motherwell in Scotland and Newcastle United Jets in Australia.

LEWIS BUXTON
Buxton is still a first-team regular and he made his Owls debut just two days after that first win against the Blades. He started the game at the Lane, by which time he was fully settled into the side.

MICHAEL GRAY
The veteran made over 40 appearances in a Wednesday shirt and was to finish his career with the owls. He featured in the second game, where he played a prominent role whilst on the left-wing. Gray is now a radio pundit with BBC 5live.

DARREN POTTER
Potter featured in just the second of these games, playing centre midfield. He was a regular in the Wednesday side and went on to score against United the following season. After relegation, Potter departed to Milton Keynes.

LEON CLARKE
Clarke started the Bramall Lane game and was a handful that day for the Blades backline. In his Owls career, he never really delivered and it was no surprise he departed after relegation. Now at Charlton, Clarke has since represented QPR, Swindon, Preston and Chesterfield.