Norwich City boss Philippe Clement offered consolatory words to Sheffield Wednesday counterpart Henrik Pedersen ahead of the meeting of the two teams at Carrow Road on Wednesday night.
The Owls' relegation was confirmed by defeat in the Steel City derby last weekend and they have now lost 10 games in a row.
Asked if he had ever been in a similar situation, Clement told BBC Radio Norfolk: "Not as a manager - as a player, yes, playing in a team as a young boy when they could not pay the wages.
"I still lived at home so it was not a big problem for me, but I saw team-mates with families, with children, struggling in that moment because they were not paid.
"I have seen those things and it was really hard, so I can only imagine how hard it is to work like that as a manager."
Clement confirmed, however, that Wednesday's predicament would have no bearing on Norwich's preparations for the game as they look to bounce back from a home loss to Birmingham City.
"For me, motivationally, there's no difference between playing against Sheffield Wednesday or Coventry or Barcelona," the Belgian said.
"It's about winning, and it's about giving everything to win this game as a team together."