READY TO HUMBLE
Moore: Owls are a big scalp and that brings added stress.. but we must respect third tier rivals
BY
DARREN MOORE has told his Sheffield Wednesday players they must be humble if they are going to win promotion straight back to the Championship.
Wednesday are in the third tier for the third time since 2005 and Moore insists they must show respect to their League One rivals.
“You’ve got to humble yourself in terms of that because, whether you like it or not, we’re in the third tier,” the Owls boss said. “At the same time, you have to pay homage to the league and your footballing peers. There are some wonderful clubs at this level and I’ve got the utmost respect for the other 23 clubs in League One.
“First and foremost, be humble and respectful, and from that have a competitive edge.”
Moore knows League One from his 20 months spent in it with Doncaster before taking over at Hillsborough in March, and says Wednesday are a big scalp.
He believes the Owls must embrace the added pressure and feels they are beginning to achieve the consistency he wants after going nine games unbeaten.
Only Plymouth have lost fewer than their tally of three league games, and Moore said: “Nothing is freely given at this level.
“When teams come up against us, we’ve found there’s an added edge to our opponents because of our name and the size of this football club.
“There is more expectation on us, but we have to look forward to that and warm to that.
“It’s an exciting time for the club in terms of navigating our way through the season. We want to be ultra-competitive, to gain momentum, and get that consistency.”
Wednesday can climb into the play-off places with victory over Gillingham at Hillsborough today, and Moore is pleased with their progress after overseeing a huge turnover of players in the summer following relegation.
Twenty-two players have left either permanently or on loan, with 13 arriving.
“We feel here, the big thing is that, in terms of the performances, they continue to get better,” said the former West Brom boss.
“We felt we have been showing good performances in patches, over 20 minutes, over 30 minutes, 40 minutes, 60 minutes. What we have been looking for is sustaining that over a whole game, and we feel we’re getting there.
“We feel we are bedding everyone in and the results have been getting better, but there’s still a long way to go this season.”