'Wednesday have a future again'

The past 12 months have been absolute hell for a lot of people associated with Sheffield Wednesday.

The number of late-night calls with various people expressing different emotions - despair, frustration, anger, confusion, helplessness, anxiety, sadness. This has tested many people.

On multiple occasions over the past few months it's even been questioned whether the club could survive another setback. That's how serious things got.

In a world of PSG 5-4 Bayern Munich, endless VAR drama, Chelsea sacking another boss and people wondering whether Arsenal will get over the line in the title race, it's probably been lost on many that one of English football's most recognisable clubs was on the brink.

So today, to be able to talk about a brighter future - or any future at all - is such a refreshing positive for so many people.

I can well imagine a few tears have been shed already. People have suffered terribly and, frankly, unnecessarily.

There are no guarantees of future success. This takeover shouldn't automatically be talked about as the first step towards a return to glory.

There's an eye-watering amount of work to do; rebuilding, restructuring and repairing. The amount of investment required just to match Wednesday's peers will likely stretch to nine figures and the first number might not be a one.

This isn't a small job and understanding quite the extent of the work needed is important at the start of the David Storch led era at Sheffield Wednesday.

What there is, though, is hope when previously there was none. There's also a plan.

There's a determination to energise a fanbase that has remained strong and supportive throughout Wednesday's darkest year.

When I interviewed Storch earlier this year, he said: "I'm very sincere when I say the fans own this club. We will be the custodians and partners to the fans as we look to bring hope back."

Plenty will be revealed in time but I know there are ideas from the new owners that will likely invigorate Owls fans. Being a Wednesdayite might be fun again. Who won't raise a toast to that, after everything they've gone through?

If success follows on the pitch, even better. That will be the aim, obviously. For now though, with a sold-out crowd at Hillsborough for the final game against West Brom on Saturday, Wednesday fans are ready for a party.

There's a long journey ahead and it'll begin in League One. Yet there will be a few people in the stands on Saturday turning to a mate, a parent, a son or daughter, a grandchild or maybe even a complete stranger and they'll say, "We've got our Wednesday back".

That's a good start.