It has been over ten years since Sheffield Wednesday sat this low in the footballing pyramid. Currently 12th, The Owls started brightly but have since stumbled between defeats to Morecambe, Plymouth Argyle and Oxford United, a drab draw against Shrewsbury Town at Hillsborough and a throwing away of all three points at Ipswich Town.
The faithful have become restless, especially in recent weeks. ‘Moore out’ murmurs began with the odd few but have since grown into a small tribe. Manager Darren Moore must find a way of turning the tide before any more Wednesdayites begin to question his position at the club.
Personally, I think patience is still essential. Fourteen new players, a complete overhaul of the squad, would have me strongly question the decision to sack the manager, who completed the summer transition after just ten league games. A victory on Saturday against Bolton Wanderers would see Wednesday join The Trotters on 18 points, having played a game less than their Lancashire counterparts.
Without doubt, on paper, this Sheffield Wednesday side would hold its own in the lower reaches of the Championship, perhaps better than last year’s relegated squad.
While in reality, another season in the third tier was never going to be a walk in the park, early victories against Doncaster Rovers, Fleetwood Town, and Rotherham United set the bar high.
Moore must now find a winning formula, and quickly, with the obvious quality which he has brought through the door, at some point, one of Wednesday’s opponents will suffer a four or five-goal rout, but at the moment, things are struggling to click. It’s hard to put your finger on it, yet something is evidently missing.
While some of the not so patient fans will be expecting a place in the topic six at Christmas, I feel that Darren Moore should be given until the end of the season regardless of position, within reason. Either way, Darren Moore needs to carefully evaluate his tactics if he wants to maintain his popularity.