The name of chapter 18 of Dom Howson's book, Carlos Had a Dream could not be clearer: "Sliding doors".
DREAMER: Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal (left) with chairman Dejphon Chansiri in 2015 (Image: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)placeholder image
DREAMER: Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal (left) with chairman Dejphon Chansiri in 2015 (Image: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
When Sheffield Wednesday Dared to Dream Again is the subtitle, and could just as easily refer to this summer. Hopefully Howson's book is a manual for what new owner David Storch needs to avoid.
The 2015-16 season was very different, with Carlos Carvalhal as manager and Dejphon Chansiri the new and popular owner. Steve Bruce's Tigers were Wembley favourites, but what if the Owls had upset the odds like Hull did last week?
"It was a missed opportunity," says Howson, the Sheffield Star's Owls correspondent from 2014 to 2020.
"That is the closest Wednesday, since dropping out of the Premier League, has got to getting back.
"Dejphon Chansiri rolled the dice on getting promoted in those first two years. They spent £3m on Fernando Forestieri, £3m on Gary Hooper, a couple of million on Luca Joao, over £1m on Marco Matias, Daniel Pudil came in on loan, Alex Lopez… luxury signings. Wednesday over-achieved by getting to the final.
"They played so well against a Brighton team in the semi-final who'd lost five matches all season. Everyone saw them as underdogs because Hull had come down from the Premier League a year before. They had Harry Maguire on the bench, Andrew Robertson left-back.
WEMBLEY WINNER: Hull City's Mohamed Diame celebrates the only goal of the 2016 Championship play-off final against Sheffield Wednesday (Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)placeholder image
WEMBLEY WINNER: Hull City's Mohamed Diame celebrates the only goal of the 2016 Championship play-off final against Sheffield Wednesday (Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
"The word Carlos Carvalhal used in the book to describe that final, I think was totally right: it was blackout. Too many underperformed.
"Hull's greater experience and quality shone through, although it still took an unbelievable strike to get over the line (from Mo Diame).
"The year after hurts more because people go, 'They should have beaten that Huddersfield team.' It wasn't as strong a play-off line-up."
The desperation for a Wednesday win in May 2016 comes off the pages.
WEMBLEY WOE: Carlos Carvalhal (right) is despondent at full-time (Image: IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images)placeholder image
WEMBLEY WOE: Carlos Carvalhal (right) is despondent at full-time (Image: IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images)
"There was nearly two weeks between the semi-final second leg and final,” recalls Howson. “And then the actual final was a 5.30pm kick-off.
"There's a bit in the book from Kieren Westwood getting a phonecall from friends travelling down on the day. He's in his hotel room just minding his own business. You've got lots of distractions.
"They were at Wembley Hilton, five minutes' walk from the ground but got a coach and it took half an hour. It's that sense of anticipation.
"The first 15 to 20 minutes, Wednesday looked as if they might make it competitive then Hull took over. Westwood pulled off four or five really important saves. Wednesday didn't lay a glove on Hull."
NEW SAVIOUR: David Storch bought Sheffield Wednesday off the administrators in May (Image: Steve Ellis)placeholder image
NEW SAVIOUR: David Storch bought Sheffield Wednesday off the administrators in May (Image: Steve Ellis)
Howson was writing his book as Chansiri's ownership of Wednesday came crashing down, the club going into administration in October.
"They thought he was the saviour of Sheffield Wednesday when he bought them for £37.5m," says Howson. "He made a left-field appointment in Carlos but between July and August, he signed 15 players. It wasn't a spendageddon immediately, he had Ross Wallace and Barry Bannan – good free transfers to supplement Forestieri’s wow factor.
"In York, they played a pre-season friendly and the video is still available. He (Chansiri)'s being chauffeur-driven to Sheffield and he had to get out in the streets of York because he got mobbed by Wednesday fans.
"There were warning signs when season ticket prices astronomically went up and the changing of the badge in early 2016 but everybody was just riding this wave.
"At the start he brought a transfer committee in – Adam Pearson, Glenn Roeder – and admitted he didn't have the knowledge to run a football club. But Paul Aldridge was under-utilised in his last year, there was no really experienced administrator. (Former owner Milan) Mandaric stayed in an advisory capacity, but he didn't really use him.
"He would look as if he was engaging with people, but he wouldn't do anything tangible with it. He would say, I want to listen to criticism and then he didn't like criticism.
"In some ways, that play-off final was the worst thing that could have happened. Getting so close, Chansiri then sort of doubled down.
"The spending in the second year got out of control – £8m on Jordan Rhodes when they have seven, eight strikers and desperately need a centre-half. Adam Reach £5m, Almen Abdi £4m, Daniel Pudil, the wages Steven Fletcher was on… good players, but you're paying too much.
"The biggest failure was not selling players when they had good offers and reinvesting in the team."
Now a new saviour is overseeing another rebirth.
"They're already identifying people to put in senior management positions," says Howson. "It's almost as if they have got the perfect blueprint on how not to do things.
"Chansiri, in trying to be bold and create a new era, it became a bit of a rod for his own back."