Danny Rohl has outlined what he expects to see from his Wednesday players when we look to end a three-match losing run in the Championship against QPR at Hillsborough on Saturday.
The squad went into the international break on the back of those three defeats, the last being a weak performance in a 3-0 reverse at Millwall, and Rohl says he has given the players some key messages.
The Owls boss said at today’s press conference: “Training has gone well but the important thing is we need to transfer that to the game on Saturday.
“We have to work hard to earn something and now we need to do it – not just speak about it.
“The key for me is that we show a good performance. If we do this then we will get the points and will have deserved to do so.
“In recent games our performances were not what I demand, especially against Millwall. We need to show the right attitude and intensity, then we can start to talk about earning points.
“I want to see a team that is working hard on Saturday, with the right attitude and mindset from the first minute until the end.
“This is what I demand from my team … that we want to win, not just think we can win.”
Rohl says he also has question marks over three central defenders for the QPR game, Dominic Iorfa and Michael Ihiekwe carrying injuries while Di’Shon Bernard has only just returned from the Caribbean after playing two matches for Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League.
Striker Jamal Lowe was also playing for Jamaica and midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah is still sidelined through injury. However, Yan Valery is fit for consideration after suffering a calf injury which ruled him out of playing for Tunisia during the international break.
Rohl added: “Last season, the expectation from fans was they wanted to see just a good performance, even if it was not enough to get the points. This season the expectation is they want to see good performances and points.
“This is a different situation and if you don’t perform well and you don’t get the points then it is the right of the fans to be a little more critical.
“To me, one of the reasons I signed a long-term contract with the club is because I really want to build something here. Being successful is not always just a straight line going upwards, you have some ups and downs.
“We learn from this and I am convinced we will make a huge step forward on Saturday.”