Sheffield Wednesday steel for Chelsea with Steve Bruce refreshed and ready | Soccer

Snow forced the trans-Pennine Snake Pbad to close early last week but fell too early to affect Steve Bruce's journey through the Peak District. Rather than crossing the "roof of England" on his way to his home in Cheshire, Sheffield's new manager Mercredi was chatting with Moeen Ali and his friends at Kensington Oval in Barbados.

With the elbow thermometer at 30 ° C, Bruce donned shorts and sunglbades to watch the final session of England's cricket team before participating in his first battleship collapse against the West Indies.

More than 4,000 miles away, on a hillside above Hillsborough across a streetcar track, her badistant, Steve Agnew, was chilled by the coolness on Wednesday's training ground on Middlewood Road while He was preparing for the return leg of the fourth round of the FA Cup in Chelsea.

The first meeting between these clubs since 1999-2000 – when they were rivals in the Premier League – will represent the last moment of the day for Agnew before Bruce finally begins to hold a position for which he was appointed on January 2 when he will take charge of next Saturday's trip to Ipswich. His delayed departure has blinked but, under the circumstances, seems quite reasonable – even reasonable.

After the trauma caused by the sudden loss of both parents last spring, sent back by Aston Villa in October and considering retirement, even briefly, Bruce booked the Caribbean vacation and promised his wife that he would would not let football derail the mini sabbatical. had long dreamed.

"Steve and his family have gone through a very difficult time last year," said Agnew, who recently oversaw the resumption of results. "But when we talk on the phone, I can hear in his voice that he's cool now, he's ready, he's ready. Sheffield Wednesday has incredible potential and he is excited. He is lagging behind.

Dejphon Chansiri, Wednesday's Thai owner, had some qualms about saying that Jos Luhukay's successor would have started work on February 1st. And given the problems that accumulate in Bruce's trash, it's probably a good thing that the 58-year-old tackles one of the dozier of English football sleeping giants fully recharged.

He is only the second coach – after Danny Wilson – to manage both clubs in Sheffield. His installation comes at a time when the promotion of United accentuates the contrasts with the setbacks of his rivals Steel City.

Agnew hopes that the trip to West London could change this dark history. "Traditionally, Sheffield Wednesday and Chelsea are huge clubs," he says. "We have 6,000 fans traveling and I've had a lot of enthusiasm among players this week, and we know that Cup losses happen every year."

Chansiri bought Wednesday in 2015 but lifted the billboards "for sale" last month as a result of a vicious debut season featuring Luhukay's player defenders.

The complex rotation of the Dutchman did little to help, but was limited by a four-month transfer embargo imposed on the club that breached the rules of profitability and sustainability of the English Football League, including cumulative losses of more than £ 39 million over three years.

Chansiri had apparently paid the price of the game of Carlos Carvalhal, the predecessor of Luhukay, who had brought his team back to the Premier League on Wednesday. The Portuguese have finished twice among the top six among the Portuguese, but the club has found itself with an inflated team consisting of a group of players whose contracts end this summer.

Coincidentally, it was the Bruce's Hull team that denied Wednesday's promotion in 2016 when Mo Diamé's stunning goal won the final. At that time, two apparently different men had formed close ties.

"When we played at Hull the first year, I entered the locker room, Carlos [Carvalhal] I introduced Steve and we discussed a bit, "said Chansiri, who invested more than 70 million pounds on Wednesday. "Even when we lost at Wembley, I still congratulated Steve. He is a good person and a good personality. I like Steve He has a good record, it's the best choice. "

If Luhukay – who was 15th in last season – was still a risk, Bruce has a proven track record of winning four second place promotions, two with Birmingham and two with Hull.

Chansiri is hoping for a similar success, especially as his attempts to raise revenue through a controversial membership program – the 1867 Club – seem unpopular and his seemingly steep price allows him to wait for a deal for a while. How should the owner hope that a combination of Bruce's charm, cup races and an end game will soften hearts and minds?

So far, Hillsborough has had a tough season with the ranks but Agnew is reaping the benefits of his decision to restore a trio of senior players – Sam Hutchinson, George Boyd and Keiren Westwood – to the first team after Luhukay has them banished. the juniors.

The team seems revitalized, with former Chelsea midfielder Hutchinson particularly impressive in a role played – but if Wednesday was to shock their hosts, they might need something special from Adam Reach.

"We all want to prove that we are good enough to play in the Premier League, so it will be a big test," said former talented Middlesbrough winger. "To succeed, you have to be ruthless."