As 2009 begins, our relegation worries have turned into title dreams and the team is firing on all cylinders. Hillsborough has not been blessed with such an abundance of talented players and attractive football since the early nineties and the fans are loving every minute of it. I have become a hero to the supporters and in their eyes I can do no wrong.

However, now is not the time to be basking in the glow of a successful campaign. We have achieved nothing yet and although we are in the semi finals of the League Cup and are well placed for a tilt at the title, a slump in form could see it all fall away.

As the month begins, Jack Hobbs collects the player of the month award for his consistently brilliant performances in December. He has been joined at the club by his Liverpool compatriot, Craig Lindfield, who we hope will give us more attacking options as we push for success on all fronts.

As is the tradition at the start of the new calendar year, the FA Cup gets underway on the first Saturday of the month. The draw has not been kind to us and we face difficult away game against Everton. Despite being down to ten men and trailing 2-1 with ten minutes to go, an eighty-second minute penalty from Villanueva was followed by an injury time winner from Sahar, as we squeezed through to the fourth round.

Three days later, we travelled to St. Andrews to take on Birmingham in the first leg of the League Cup semi final. Goals from Pato and Davies either side of half time were enough to give us the upper hand going into the second leg. We are now within touching distance of Wembley after a 2-0 victory over the Championship outfit.

Our first league match of the new year sees us travel to St. Mary’s to take on relegation plagued Southampton, who are second from bottom. We were made to work hard by a dogged Saints team in what should have been a routine victory. However, despite going behind early on, goals from Zarate, Davies and Pato earned us a 3-1 victory.

The result saw us climb above Middlesbrough to go top. If we were to harbour any realistic ambitions of winning the title we would need to continue picking up maximum points, starting with our trip to eighteenth placed Reading. It was a tough game in which my players underperformed. Despite going in 2-1 down at half time, two goals in the space of two second half minutes - from Pato and Villanueva - secured us an unconvincing 3-2 victory.

Portsmouth were the next visitors to Hillsborough. Harry Redknapp’s men would be eager to avenge the 5-0 mauling they suffered in the fourth round of the League Cup, so my players would need to be mindful of a potential backlash. However, they rose to the challenge magnificently, with the irrepressible Hobbs bagging a hat trick in a 3-0 win.

As we keep up our winning ways, the chasing pack are struggling to keep up and we are beginning to break away. We are now seven points clear of four clubs who are all on forty points.

Forty-eight hours later, Birmingham arrived at Hillsborough for the second leg of the League Cup semi final. I handed Lindfield his debut in place of Pato, who was rested for the match. He proceeded to reward me by scoring two goals in a thrilling 5-3 victory. Although we had booked our place in the final, I was not particularly happy with my defence or goalkeeper, Lee Grant, who had allowed the Championship side to score three times.

Nonetheless, we had made it to our first major final in over a decade and would be making our first appearance at the new look Wembley stadium. It promises to be a special day for the players and fans who travel down to London to see us take on Wigan.

Next up was the visit of Championship side Burnley in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The Lancashire side were having a tough season and were battling against relegation to League One. I chose to leave Pato at home again, but we were still too strong for Steve Cotterill’s men. A brace from Papastathopoulos, as well as goals for Lunt and Davies earned us a convincing 4-0 victory.

The final game of the month saw us travel to the Valley to take on a Charlton side who were rooted to the foot of the table. Pato returned to the starting line up and he made his presence felt right from the start, but it was the two centre backs who again stole the show. Papastathopoulos scored to take his tally into double figures, whilst Davies completed the 2-0 victory with his twentieth goal of the season!

As we continue to leave the rest of the division trailing in our wake, the media scepticism of our title challenge is beginning to fade. Rather than asking when the bubble was going to burst at Hillsborough, they are now beginning to ask if anyone can catch us at the top. A one hundred percent record in January has seen myself and Jack Hobbs claim the manager of the month and player of the month awards.

February will be a tough month and it is vital that we continue to pick up points as we look to put ourselves in a strong position for the title run in.

It begins with a home fixture against a fourth placed Liverpool side, who we had inflicted a humbling 3-1 defeat on at Anfield earlier in the season. The Reds attacked us from the off and my defence did well to keep them at bay. Seven minutes before half time, Sahar struck to complete a clinical counter attacking move and send us in 1-0 at the break. This seemed to deflate Liverpool and they had no answer in the second half. Their misery was compounded as Pato struck late on, to send the crowd into ecstasy and give us a 2-0 win.

The FA Cup fifth round draw had paired us against familiar opposition, in the shape of Championship side Birmingham. Having swept them aside once - to reach the final of the League Cup - we knew what to expect and went into the game with our confidence high. We completed a routine victory, with a brace from Hobbs and one from Papastathopoulos helping us to a 3-0 victory.

The following Wednesday, we travelled to the JJB Stadium for a dress rehearsal of the League Cup final, which would be taking place in four days time. My side gained a psychological advantage ahead of the big match, goals from Sahar (2), Sammir and Zarate earned us a 4-2 victory.

The result saw us maintain our healthy seven point advantage over Chelsea at the top of the table. However, we would now be turning our attentions to what was our biggest game in nearly fifteen years.

The Wednesday fans arrived at Wembley in their droves for the League Cup final, supremely confident having seen us beat today’s opposition 4-2 in mid week. For a lot of my players, it was the biggest game they had ever been involved in, but I urged them to remain calm and let their superior ability shine through on the pitch.

The game got underway to a packed stadium, with the Wednesday fans heavily outnumbering the Wigan supporters, it felt more like a home match for us. However, this was the biggest match in Wigan’s history as well and they came out pumped up and took a seventh minute lead through Heskey. We came back but struggled to get past a resilient Wigan backline. The enormity of the occasion seemed to be getting to my players and it looked like we would go into the break trailing. We managed to get back on level terms just three minutes before the interval, as Hobbs rose highest to steer Sammir’s corner into the back of the net.

Villanueva and Lindfield came on for Zarate and Sahar at half time and we began to take control of the game in the second half. Despite a late onslaught, the Wigan ‘keeper - Oswaldo Javier Sanchez - was having the game of his life and the Latics had him to thank for forcing extra time.

Extra time got underway and my weary players continued to have the best of the play. However, as time progressed we still couldn’t find a way past Sanchez and the game was heading for penalties.

I gathered my players in the centre circle and asked for people to volunteer as penalty takers. I quickly decided the order of my five players and then stood shoulder to shoulder with them as the shootout got underway.

Having won the coin toss, Wigan elected to shoot first in front of their fans and Maduro calmly slotted his shot past Grant. Villanueva was first up for us and he powerfully blasted his shot straight down the middle to make the scores 1-1.

Next up for Wigan was Heskey, the striker placed the ball on the spot and then took a short run up, his tame shot was easily saved by a delighted Lee Grant, as the Wednesday fans celebrated. Pato had the chance to give us the lead and he did so, sending Sanchez the wrong way.

We were now in the ascendancy, as Kilbane stepped up. The tentative look on his face was clear for all to see, but he confidently struck his shot into the top right hand corner of the net. Sammir was next up to try and re-establish our lead, he took a long run up from the edge of the eighteen yard box, but it ended in disaster, as his powerful shot rattled the upright. Sanchez celebrated as the score remained at 2-2.

Wigan striker Camara gave them the upper hand, as he sent Grant the wrong way. The pressure was all on young Moses, as he stepped up in front of the Latic’s fans, who were whistling and making gestures to try and put him off. However, he showed an ice cool temperament, as he lofted his shot into the top left hand corner of the net, past the despairing dive of Sanchez.

The fifth penalty taker was Melchiot, the Dutch defender used all his experience, waiting for Grant to commit to his dive, before calmly stroking the ball into the opposite corner of the net. So it was up to Papastathopoulos to keep us in the game. A hushed silence descended on the Wednesday fans, as they stood with their hearts in their mouths, some unable to look. Papastathopoulos hit a powerful low shot straight down the middle, but Sanchez managed to get his foot in the way and make the save.

The Wigan fans erupted in joyous celebrations, as the players ran to celebrate with Sanchez. Papastathopoulos crumpled to his knees, with his head in his hands. It was an agonising way to lose a final that we had dominated for the best part. I consoled my players telling them it just wasn’t meant to be today, but they could leave the stadium with their heads held high.

We watched enviously as Kevin Kilbane hoisted the trophy over his head, with the pyrotechnics going off in the background. I told my players to keep the defeat in perspective, whilst Wigan may have got the better of us today; they were going back to a relegation battle, whilst we were going back to a title challenge and the still had the chance of returning to Wembley in the FA Cup final.

We owed it to our devastated fans to try and get back on track, as we travelled to Pride Park to take on Derby the following week. We did so in convincing style, Papastathopoulos gained a measure of redemption for his penalty miss by grabbing the opener and goals from Sammir and Pato completed a 3-1 victory.

The month ends with a massive match at home to a Newcastle side who are second in the table and, along with Chelsea, are looking like being our main title rivals. Following our 6-1 dismantling of the Toon Army at St. James’s Park earlier in the season, we put in an equally strong showing here. Alexandre Pato produced a virtuoso man of the match display, scoring all four goals in a magnificent 4-0 victory.

Another impressive series of wins in March has seen us pull ten points clear at the top of the table. It will be interesting to see how my players come to terms with the heart breaking penalty shoot out defeat in the League Cup. March will be a big test of character for them, as we face a lot of big matches against our title rivals, but I am confident that my players will pull through and show they are the real deal.

Our performances have again seen me pick up the manager of the month award, whilst Pato has won the player of the month accolade for his scintillating goal scoring form, culminating with his performance against Newcastle.

The month kicks off at Craven Cottage against Lawrie Sanchez’s Fulham. The Cottagers are scrapping for their lives at the bottom of the table, so will be desperate for the three points. However, they were simply overrun by my side, with four goals from Davies, as well as a brace from Papastathopoulos, helping us to an emphatic 6-0 win.

Just three days later, we travelled up to Merseyside to take on Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter final. Having done the double over them in the league, we continued our hoodoo over the Reds with another five star display. A rejuvenated Papastathopoulos took his tally to seventeen goals for the season with a hat trick of headers and an astonishing 4-0 victory was rounded off by a Sahar goal in the dying moments.

Anfield was emptying long before the final whistle, but our players and fans didn’t mind. The supporters stayed behind to salute the players and a smiling Mr. Allen - who was making a rare visit to one of our matches - was on his feet applauding from the directors box.

A week later we welcomed Avram Grant’s Chelsea to Hillsborough for what promised to be a season defining match. A win here would see us go thirteen points clear at the top and all but end Chelsea’s involvement in the title race. They were aghast to discover that there was no clause in Sahar’s loan deal stipulating he couldn’t play in this match and they were made to pay for this when he laid on Zarate for the first goal. However, Chelsea’s world class players began to dictate the pace of the game after this and it was no surprise when a late Essien goal earned them a deserved 1-1 draw.

However, we were delighted with the point and were in high spirits as we welcomed twelfth placed Blackburn to Hillsborough. It was another strong showing from my team. Despite Samba giving Blackburn an early lead, we rallied and tore Rovers to pieces in the second half. A brace from Pato, as well as goals from Davies and Zarate earned us a convincing 4-1 victory.

The final match of the month saw us travel to the Emirates Stadium to take on Arsenal. Arsene Wenger was coming under pressure for the first time during his managerial reign, the Gunners were well off the pace in the league - currently in seventh place - and were in danger of missing out on Europe altogether. However, on their day they were capable of beating any team. They showed their class and took an early lead through Rosicky. With the clock ticking down, I brought on Lindfield for Zarate and the Liverpool man struck late on to earn a hard fought 1-1 draw for my side.

With the title race now reaching fever pitch, we require just five wins from our remaining eight games to complete one of the most remarkable achievements in Premier League history.

We can put one hand on the title this month. The level of expectancy and excitement around Hillsborough is palpable and the chairman has already promised me a bumper new contract in the Summer, regardless of how the season ends. My young squad still looks fresh and ready for the title run in, if we can remain injury free, then it is hard to see any other team overhauling our lead and preventing us winning our first Premier League title since 1930.

As April begins, we return to the scene of our worst defeat of the season; Wembley, to take on West Ham in the semi final of the FA Cup. We laid the ghosts of our League Cup final defeat to rest with a powerful attacking display. An early Faubert goal was cancelled out by a Hobbs hat trick and a late strike from Pato, to send us through to the final with a 4-1 win.

Next up was a home match against Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa. With only three days to recover from their exertions in the FA Cup, a few of my players looked a little tired going into this fixture. However, they came up against a lacklustre Villa side who were devoid of any real attacking ambition. This allowed my team to take the game by the scruff of the neck, goals from Pato (2), Sahar and Moses gave us an easy 4-0 victory.

A week later we travelled down to London to take on fifth placed Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Spurs were the form team in the division, having won their last seven matches in a row and were desperate for the three points to help their chances of qualifying for next years Champions League. We got off to a great start, when Sahar gave us a third minute lead. However, roared on by a vocal home crowd, Spurs came back into the game and equalised twenty minutes later through Berbatov. With Tottenham firmly in control, we were clinging on for the draw. We couldn’t hold out though and a second goal from Berbatov, ten minutes from time, condemned us to our first league defeat of the year.

It was a somewhat jaded performance from my players. Worried that they may be running out of steam at this vital part of the season, I decided to freshen things up by replacing Villanueva and Lindfield with Pato and Zarate for the visit of Everton to Hillsborough. It worked a treat as we destroyed David Moyes’s side. Lindfield bagged two goals and the man of the match award, whilst Villanueva also got on the score sheet in a 5-0 rout.

The result saw us move eleven points clear of Middlesbrough, who lost 1-0 to Wigan. We are now within seven point of guaranteeing ourselves the league title, with the only major threat now coming from Chelsea, who have two games in hand. But our destiny is very much in our own hands and we have the chance to take a giant step towards the title, as we travel to the City of Machester Stadium to take on sixteenth placed Manchester City.

Moses was rested, earning Zarate a reprieve in an otherwise unchanged starting line up. Despite going behind early on to a Geovanni goal, my side came back imperiously and decimated the Citizens. Goals from Lindfield (2), Sahar, Davies and Villanueva completed a resounding 5-1 victory.

Chelsea’s 3-2 home defeat against Everton has presented us with the chance to win the title in our final game of the month, at home to nineteenth placed Reading. Whilst my team are justifiably odds on favourites for the victory, we will be taking nothing for granted and I have warned my players against complacency ahead of the game.

There was a carnival atmosphere at Hillsborough ahead of the match, the players walked out onto the pitch as blue and white confetti and balloons fell from the stands. There was not an empty seat in the ground, as the fans, directors and members of the worlds media looked on, expecting us to be crowned champions.

Pato returns to the first team in place of Moses, who I have decided not to risk in this match. Reading, who were desperate for the three points in their bid to escape the drop, had clearly not read the script and a goal from James Harper in the twentieth minute gave them a half time lead. I brought on McCallister and Zarate for Hobbs and Lindfield at half time, but the Royals defended like their lives depended on it. As the final whistle went, a deflated Hillsborough crowd filtered out of the ground, bemused that their team, who had been the top goal scorers in the country all season had been unable to breach Reading’s defence.

April may have ended on a sour note, but surely nothing could stop us winning the title in our final games of the season. The defeat against Reading was merely a blip and we have only postponed the title party for another week.

We start the month with a trip to Upton Park to take on ninth placed West Ham. Due to our superior goal difference, a draw here will be enough for us to claim the title. However, despite being disappointed that we couldn’t win it at our own ground, I implore the players to put on a performance and win the game in style. As we found out in our last match though, we would have to be weary of a West Ham side who would be determined to spoil our party.

The travelling army of Wednesday supporters were in full voice as the game kicked off. Mr. Allen was again in attendance and giant screens were erected at Hillsborough for fans who couldn’t get tickets. The stadium erupted on the half hour mark, as Sammir fired home a sublime thirty yard free kick to give us the lead. Chants of ‘Championies’ soon began ringing out around Upton Park.

My team were passing the ball about well and West Ham were struggling to get hold of it. As the second half progressed, each of our passes were met with ‘ole’s’ from the travelling fans. With just ten minutes to go there were raucous scenes of celebration in the stands and the chairman was joining in too. Another free kick from Sammir - this time from twenty yards out - curled into the top left hand corner of the Robert Green’s net and sealed our title win.

At the final whistle, the Wednesday fans ran onto the pitch to celebrate. I was immediately accosted by a journalist congratulating me on our fabulous victory. I told him that the victory was all down to the players who had all been heroes this season and had cemented their status as legends at Hillsborough.

As Curtis Davies hoisted the Premier League title aloft, there was a deafening roar from the travelling fans. Back at Hillsborough, the fans were dancing on the pitch and chanting my name. The party will go on long into the night and my players will now be given a few days off to celebrate their monumental achievement.

A week later and having taken stock of our title win, we welcomed the team we had deposed as Champions, Manchester United, to Hillsborough. Before the game we paraded the trophy on the pitch and the team were then given a guard of honour by the United players as they took to the field.

Despite having Spurr sent off in the ninth minute, we reinforced our standing as the best team in England by destroying a demoralised United side. A brace from Villanueva, as well as goals from Sahar, Lindfield, Papastathopoulos and a Vidic own goal gave us a phenomenal 6-1 win.

The final game of the season saw us welcome third placed Middlesbrough to Hillsborough. ‘Boro desperately needed the victory if they were to have any chance of finishing second, but I wasn’t prepared to lose any momentum going into next weeks FA Cup final, so I fielded my strongest team. In another thrilling encounter, my team served up a feast of attacking football. Despite being 3-1 down with forty minutes gone, we came back to win the game by a Premier League record score, 8-3!!

We had won the league and then destroyed two of our nearest rivals, in the process, laying down a marker for next season. The fans jammed the local radio phone lines and internet message boards hailing this side as the greatest in Sheffield Wednesday’s history.

The Football Association seems to agree and have voted me manager of the year, whilst Jack Hobbs has collected both the player of the year and young player of the year awards. At the presentation ceremony, Hobbs spoke of his desire to make his move to Hillsborough permanent and this is something we will be looking to arrange with his parent club, Liverpool, over the Summer.

For now we have one major obstacle left to overcome, Sam Allardyce’s Newcastle in the final of the FA Cup.

The big day was upon us and both sets of fans were out in force for the showpiece final of the English footballing calendar. We are hoping to complete a famous double but must overcome a Newcastle side who finished sixth in the league and have won their last four games in a row.

As the players took to the field, it not only promised to be a battle on the pitch, but in the stands as well, as both sets of supporters tried to out-sing each other. Buoyed on by the cauldron atmosphere that was enveloping the stadium, both sides set out to attack. However, both defences were standing firm and despite the fact that we had the best chances in the first half, the scores remained deadlocked at half time.

With sixty minutes gone and still no change to the score, I brought on Moses and Zarate for Lindfield and Villanueva, in the hope they would give us the extra dimension needed to unlock a stoic Newcastle defence. We were camped in the Newcastle half but could still not find a way past Shay Given. As the full time whistle went and we headed into extra time, I told my players to go for broke and do their utmost to avoid another penalty shootout.

This backfired spectacularly, as the holes began to appear in our midfield line, Martins used his awesome pace to devastating affect against my exposed defence. Two goals in the space of two minutes at the start of extra time killed the game off and ensured that the famous old trophy would be heading to Tyneside.

My devastated players could only look on as Shay Given and his team mates paraded the trophy in front of their celebrating fans. I told them not to be too hard on themselves and that I took full responsibility for this defeat. This was their second Wembley final and their second defeat, but I urged them to remember that they were now officially the best team in England and there would be plenty more Wembley finals in the coming years.

This was our first season back in the Premier League and far from merely surviving, we have won the league. It has been a meteoric rise up the divisions and with the extra revenue we will get from playing in the Champions League next season, the squad will only get better and the Wednesday fans can look forward to many more years of thrilling football from my young team.