Alan Biggs: More realistic expectations can only be a good thing for Sheffield Wednesday

Not so at Sheffield Wednesday and that’s one reason why this column is more hopeful about next season than it was about the one just gone. I thought the place was gripped by tension; the feeling that the manager HAD to win promotion at the third attempt, that much the same team HAD to succeed. Expected to make the top six if not the top two, they fell well short.

Maybe, as Adam Reach suggested this week, some players even psyched themselves into believing it would happen automatically. When performances suggested otherwise and the criticism rained in, they could not recover.

Taking the injuries out of the equation, Wednesday didn’t start the season convincingly despite having a full squad at that time. Carlos Carvalhal seemed to go into a tactical shell and play safe. That’s what I mean about the stranglehold exerted by pressure.

Of course, without some degree of pressure none of us would perform at our best. But there was a sense of fearing failure more than relishing what could be achieved.

You could feel it in the air and, intangible though it is, the mood around a football club is critical.

Today, that mood has changed. You can feel that, too. Do Owls fans hope for promotion next season? Of course, they do. Do they necessarily expect it? No they don’t.

Top six maybe, but there’s a recognition that this would be a real achievement rather than a bare minimum requirement. That’s the difference.