Huddersfield Town v Ipswich: Darren Moore on where his managerial dreams began, Sir Alex Ferguson and never 'standing still'

If he affords himself a moment, he might – just might - pause for thought and recall where his managerial dreams began. On a training pitch next to his secondary school in Birmingham in the mid to late Eighties amid humble surroundings.

Some footballers are born to play and Moore had a strong career representing eight clubs. In many respects, Huddersfield Town's new manager was also destined to coach and manage.

That particular seed was sown when he used to watch West Brom train next to his school on a lunch time. Knowledge, as opposed to food, was the nourishment he craved and received. He would later play for but also manage Albion, his local team.

Moore said: "At my school, I used to go and watch West Brom players train at lunch time. I never went for my lunch and watched it for the whole hour.

"I'd see the players' contact on the ball, where they ran and how they held the ball up and their technical ability.

"As you go along, you understand as you are going along as a player that the next best thing about playing is to be a good coach."

Moore's opposite number today in Kieran McKenna was pushed into coaching and management by accident rather than design.

He retired from playing due to an ongoing hip injury at the age of just 22 and soon started a career in coaching while studying a degree in Sports Science at Loughborough University.

His new journey would eventually take him to Manchester United and the chance to learn from one of the most revered managers of all time in Sir Alex Ferguson, who he would describe as a role model.

The godfather of football management is someone who has also provided inspiration to Moore, albeit at less close quarters.

Moore continued: "I remember at the LMA (League Managers Association) awards when Sir Alex said to me that to succeed as a coach or manager, you have to do all the hard yards of getting all the experience you can - whether that's under-14s, under-16s, under-23s and as a loan manager.

"I went through all that as a coach. When I look back, I am so grateful for those roles and what I learnt from it. I was ready to step into it and hold my own in the Premier League (with West Brom).

"I remember Sir Alex’s team at Manchester United, with Yorke and Cole up, Sheringham and Solskjaer, scoring all those goals - Keane, Scholes and Beckham in midfield.

"I saw that fluidity and understanding they had and their attitude home and away; that winning drive. That really forged me in this industry to have that determination and drive to win games. It is embedded in me.

"Present day with the data now and the style of play, patterns, overloads, structure, that's all been brought into the game, But there was also the mindset and mentality what Sir Alex had back then.

"You can go too much one way or the other and I've always tried to strike a balance between the two, but that's the kind of style I've always strived for as a coach, to go and win games.

"It's all a learning process. You're continually learning, developing and shaping and here I am now as a manager. I am a different man to when I first started. Darren Moore from nought to 50 (games) is different to 200 to 250.

"I've always kept notes of what went well, what didn't and how to make it better. We keep clips of training sessions and continuously look to improve.

"You never want to stand still in life and it's no different when managing."

Moore's time out of management may have only stood at three months, but it was long enough for the 49-year-old, who left Sheffield Wednesday in June - with his departure having been lamented by many Wednesdayites ever since.

They are likely to give him a warm ovation when he makes his first return to Hillsborough in seven days' time.

Moore's return to the frontline was played out in rather quieter fashion at Coventry on Monday.

While it won't possess the fanfare of next weekend - or the current one when the Midlander is introduced to home supporters today - it meant everything to a proud football man, whose career started out on the English Riviera in the comparative backwater of Torquay United at the start of the 1990s.

Moore added: "I walked out at Coventry in the week and inside me, I thought: 'Yes, Darren - perfect. You are back on the touchline.'

"I looked around the arena and it triggered that. It was a tick for me and I was happy to be back in that technical area.

“I was kicking and shouting every ball with the team and encouraging the guys and I was encouraged by the team's performance and endeavour.

"To be at the John Smith's Stadium, I am excited to see the home fans and feel the atmosphere. I really encourage the fans to give a really good reception to me and the team - and I want to experience that home crowd atmosphere."