Irvine - Players must perform

Owls boss will have to wait to discuss new deals

Last updated: 9th March 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Irvine - Players must perform

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Sheffield Wednesday boss Alan Irvine believes that his relegation-threatened side can thrive on the uncertainty surrounding their futures.

The Owls are third from bottom in the Championship table with 12 games left and, with the contracts of 10 first-team squad members due to expire in the summer, there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding the club.

Strikers Leon Clarke and Francis Jeffers, midfielders Michael Gray, Etienne Esajas, Sean McAllister, Rocky Lekaj and Luke Boden, defender Frank Simek and goalkeepers Aaron Jameson and Richard O'Donnell all have contracts which run until the end of this season.

Irvine has admitted he cannot start planning for next season until he knows what division his side will be playing in, but believes the fear factor of relegation can inspire his charges.

Irvine said: "They should be playing for their futures either here or somewhere else. If you're out of contract you should be looking for your next one.

"I've heard some people saying that the players out of contract are not bothered because they're not going to be here.

"But there's no guarantee you'll get a contract somewhere else anyway in the current climate, so I think any player out of contract should be very mindful of that and do the best they can on every occasion.

"We will look at that when we know where we're going to be. It's impossible for us to plan until we know what the immediate future is."