It was a replication of the scene from The Dark Night when the Joker, played marvellously by Heath Ledger, walks away from Gotham General Hospital while a series of explosions erupt behind him. When the explosions stop, he pauses, fiddling with a detonator until a final giant eruption brings the whole building down. The Joker had been replaced by Chansiri.
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Read MoreChansiri called the meeting after receiving “abusive and often threatening” emails from some fans, a club spokesperson told The i Paper. Going into it, supporters had been in buoyant spirits – especially in comparison to recent years.
A protest group formed from the discontent – named The 1867 Group – while Chansiri made a series of bizarre decisions, including asking 20,000 fans to chip in to help fund the club and publishing a stunning 1,464-word statement on the club website blaming supporters for not spending enough money.
They went on a storming run of form that would have nabbed them a play-off spot had he been in place all season, avoiding relegation by three points, in what was dubbed “The Great Escape”.
And then came that wild fans’ forum, midway through a January transfer window that had been eerily quiet at a time when everyone involved hoped that Rohl might be backed for a final Premier League push.
The Owls are currently 11th in the Championship (Photo: Getty)
For a start, it irked supporters that Chansiri had charged £10 to attend.
“It was made clear that all proceeds after costs would be donated to charity,” the spokesperson added.
“The chairman doubled the money raised, which was circa £5,000 to be donated to the Sheffield Children’s Hospital.”
Ian Bennett, chair of the Sheffield Wednesday Supporters’ Trust, was also there.
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Read More“Accusations being fired about, Chansiri was trying to blame everyone for the nasty and personal emails to him, when I think everyone at the forum had gone in with an open mind and wanting to ask questions.”
“Chansiri asked: ‘what am I doing wrong?’” Oldfield recalls.
At the top table sat Chansiri – son of Kraisorn Chansiri, founder of the multi-billion-pound Thai Union Group, the world’s biggest canned tuna producer – alongside various club officials.
“It turned into a really heated exchange,” Oldfield says.
“If we don’t like what’s going on at the club at the minute, don’t come, which is a bizarre thing to say.”
Dejphon Chansiri says he has been subjected to abuse from some fans (Photo: Getty)
Oldfield asked Chansiri about his suggestion that if the fans don’t want him at the club, he would sell.
“The chairman does not see it as his responsibility to find a buyer when he has no intention of selling the club,” the club spokesperson said.
The 1867 Group have taken up the challenge and are planning a demonstration at the upcoming home game against Luton Town, where they will distribute “For Sale” leaflets asking prospective buyers to contact Chansiri.
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Read MoreNaturally, plenty of questions were about the lack of activity in the transfer market, and it sparked another shock revelation from Chansiri that he had not spoken to Rohl, that it was up to Rohl to come to him with a list of targets.
“It was really childish,” Bennett says.
It is understood Rohl has, since the meeting, been part of a meeting about potential signings.
Southampton are believed to have approached Wednesday about appointing Rohl in December but were rebuffed, which may have added to soured relations.
Supporters are planning to stage another protest against his ownership (Photo: Getty)
In the meantime, whether they can afford new players is another matter.
“There’s obviously cash flow issues at the club,” Oldfield says.
Nonetheless, a season that started so promisingly is unravelling.
“Sheffield, like much of the country, was hit hard by the cold snap, which impacted the ability to train at Middlewood Road and six training sessions took place at the stadium, which is equipped with undersoil hearing,” the spokesperson explained.
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Read MoreChansiri also broke the news in the forum that Shea Charles had been recalled from his loan by Southampton, another deflating moment.
“For him to be recalled, in the position we are, with no signings so far, it kills the positivity around the club,” Oldfield says.
As a sign of how deeply divided Wednesday has become by it all, there are so many fan factions the Supporters’ Trust have set up an umbrella group to bring them all together.
Other fans, however, blame Chansiri for operating a divide and conquer mentality to split dissenters.
He claims that in a recent engagement panel meeting members were told if they did not leave the umbrella group they would be expelled.
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Read MoreWhy Chansiri has no interest in selling and keeps pouring millions of pounds into a club full of fans that dislike him baffles many.
“I’ve always tried not to be personally critical of Chansiri. He’s put an obscene amount of money into the football club. But how he’s done it has been my bugbear and how he treats and speaks to supporters.
“He doesn’t understand fan culture and the nature of why people support a football team and how it’s embedded in a community. He hasn’t got an understanding of that at all.
“He kept asking people: do you run your own business? Do you understand cash flow problems? Very patronising, dismissive. I don’t understand why he did it. All he’s done is rile the fans up when they were asking genuine questions.”
And Bennett accused Chansiri of “bending the truth” and “barefaced lying”.
“Suffice to say, that is untrue,” the spokesperson said.
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