Moore chosen as the man to try and lift Wednesday out of the mire

Last updated : 01 March 2021 By C. Morris

Owls swoop for Doncaster boss

Sheffield Wednesday have today appointed Darren Moore as first team manager. The former Barnsley centre-back held talk with the Owls over the weekend having been given permission by Doncaster Rovers and he takes over at Hillsborough with immediate effect.

Wednesday had been without a permanent manager since the dismissal of Tony Pulis in December. Former academy coach Neil Thompson had been in caretaker charge since then but after some early positive results the team have slumped to four straight defeats, leaving them six points adrift of safety at the foot of the Championship.

Moore’s first managerial job came when he took caretaker charge of West Bromwich Albion in April 2018. The Baggies were ten points adrift of safety at the time and although Moore was unable to save the club from relegation from the Premier League he could hardly be held responsible as he led the team to pick up eleven points from their last six matches of the season.

His impressive impact as caretaker saw him given the job at the Hawthorns on a permanent basis that summer and he was on track to lead them back to the Premier League in the 2018-19 season. Despite a poor run of form in early 2019 it was a surprise when West Brom sacked him in March, with the club well positioned in 4th place in the Championship. They went on to lose in the play-off semi-finals.

League One side Doncaster Rovers appointed Moore in June 2019. With 12 games to go he had led the unfancied South Yorkshire side close to play-off contention before the corona virus pandemic brought an early end to the season. Despite a recent dip in form, Moore leaves Doncaster with the team currently in a League One play-off spot with games in hand on all of the team around them.  

The 46-year-old takes over at Hillsborough with 14 games remaining to save Wednesday’s season. Although they are currently six points behinds the safety line in the Championship those six points can be attributed to the deduction that they suffered for breaching financial regulations, which suggests that they are not far away from doing enough on the field to turn things in their favour. Results must improve fast though, starting with Wednesday evening’s crucial clash against fellow strugglers and near neighbours Rotherham United at Hillsborough.