Sheffield Wednesday’s form has fallen off a cliff this season.

Somehow the same team that lost just three in 18 under the management of Steve Bruce now sit just nine points clear of the relegation zone with nine games to go.

So, what’s gone wrong? Of course, it’s easy to point towards the change in management as the reason for Wednesday’s downfall, but the Owls may have been condemned to failure before the season even commenced due to one glaring failure during the summer transfer window.

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Indeed, although they tried, the Owls failed to capture Michael Hector on a permanent deal after winning Player of the Year last season for his exploits during his initial loan spell.

Hector would end up joining Fulham, and his performances since joining the Whites have only rubbed salt in the Owls’ metaphorical wound.

It’s fair to say that Hector has been superb since joining Fulham.

He may have only played 990 minutes in the league, but he’s already staked his claim towards being one of the Whites’ most important players.

It speaks volumes that he’s won Man of the Match in over a third of his games for Fulham, and his WhoScored rating also reflects that as he’s ranked as the London club’s third-best player this term.

The Yorkshire club can only look on and wonder just how different their season would have turned out had they signed Hector in the summer, but the fact of the matter is that the Jamaica international has completely transformed Fulham’s fortunes.

Before he made his debut at the Craven Cottage outfit, Scott Parker’s side had kept just six clean sheets in 26 league games, but since he came in they’ve doubled their tally.

The Owls made a big mistake in not signing him at the end of last season and right now the £5m they could have had him for looks like a bit of a bargain.

In other news, Wednesday should go back to using one successful transfer policy.