New Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore backing himself after shock switch from Doncaster Rovers

The new Owls manager insists he had no hesitation in making the move to leave a stable position at Rovers to become the latest name in the seemingly revolving door of managers in the hot-seat at Hillsborough after being unveiled as the club’s ninth full-time boss in the past decade.

In the process, Moore returns to the Championship almost two years on from being harshly sacked at West Brom when they were in fourth spot in the table.

The Hawthorns was where Moore’s previous experience of a survival fight arrived where he breathed new life into Albion’s ailing fortunes a the end of the 2017-18 season – where there was previously little – after Premier League victories over Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.

West Brom narrowly failed in that particular crusade, but – relatively speaking – Moore has more time on his side with Wednesday, six points adrift of safety, having 14 matches left in the campaign, starting with tomorrow’s relegation six-pointer with derby rivals Rotherham United at Hillsborough.

Moore is Wednesday’s third permanent manager of the campaign and despite security of tenure being a moot point at the club for too many years to mention, the 46-year-old is unconcerned by what has gone before.

Moore, who did not go into details surrounding his contract, said: “The thing for me is everybody will have opinions and views as to where the club is at.

“Mine is probably the most important as ultimately the opportunity has been given to myself. What has gone on has gone on (before).

“My view is to look forward and not back and look at the games we have coming up and that is where I am at now.

“I am not looking at the contractual situation or anything like that. That is just not me.”

Meanwhile, Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri believes that it was the right moment to call time on Neil Thompson’s caretaker spell and make a permanent appointment – with Wednesday having lost their last four matches.

Moore has confirmed that Thompson will still be involved with the first team, with Paul Williams brought in as the new first-team coach and Jamie Smith assisting Moore as he did at Rovers.

On the decision to plump for Moore, Chansiri said: “Now is the right time to change. We are still hoping to be in the Championship and we have 14 games and there are still enough points to stay up.

“As I mentioned in the past, we also look outside (abroad and in the UK) for who is a good coach to fit our situation.

“I think he (Moore) is ambitious and he has a good mentality. When I had a chat with him, I think he is straightforward and we also have some laughing during the conversation.”

While the appointment of a managerial operator with a good standing in the game in Moore will have gone down well with Wednesdayites, the abrupt manner of his departure from Doncaster has been viewed with disappointment by his former club.

Chairman David Blunt referenced that in a statement announcing Moore’s exit and alluded to the club’s ‘significant efforts’ in backing the ex-Rovers chief over his spell at the League One club – including during ‘difficult financial circumstances’ during the last two transfer windows.

Moore commented: “In terms of the upset, it is because of what we did at the football club. In terms of my heart and coming back to the club and being a former player there and coming back as a manager, I gave my full support and backing to the club.

“I worked extremely hard to see the club in the right direction. I am pleased in terms of where the club is at now and with the appointment they have made (in Andy Butler) for that continuity and I wish the club and the players every ounce of success this season and going forward.

“I thank the Doncaster fans personally and hope in their hearts that they understand.”

Renowned for his pure footballing ethos at Rovers – one of the most stylish sides in the lower divisions – the pragmatic need for results is likely to dictate in the short term at Wednesday.

But Moore is backing himself to get more out of the players he has inherited relatively quickly.

Moore, who has worked with Jordan Rhodes and Izzy Brown in his time at previous clubs, added: “Sometimes in this situation, to build something takes time.

“But I have looked at the group and we have a wonderful group of players and some top talents.

“What I want to do is unlock that talent to its full potential and there are some players who I see where there is more in them. We need to get them playing with the element of freedom and we have signs of that at my previous club and we saw individuals there blossoming at a level that maybe one or two didn’t see before.”

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive membiers-only offers. Click HERE to subscribe.