The time for mutually agreed coyness at Sheffield Wednesday appears over
Invariably when a football club and manager part “by mutual consent”, the presumption is that the consent was more mutual on the part of the hierarchy than it was on the part of their now unemployed gaffer. Following the shock announcement almost a fortnight ago that Darren Moore had left Sheffield Wednesday in such a manner, just weeks after masterminding their return to the Championship via the playoffs in a style that was rarely less than dramatic, the presumption was that the 49-year-old had either been binned off by an owner who wished to replace him with somebody different, or that the duo had fallen out over transfer targets and the size of the club’s summer window war-chest as they prepared to lay the groundwork for the season ahead.
Moore gave little away in his departing statement, saying he’d like to “acknowledge the chairman” Dejphon Chansiri, before going on to wish the club well and thank staff, players and fans. In a lengthy screed that gave no hint as to what exactly might have prompted his sudden, unexpected departure from Hillsborough, one of the nicest men you’ll ever meet in football wrapped up saying “onwards and upwards to you all at SWFC and please stay together as one”, and has not publicly uttered so much as a syllable on the matter since. Toting their designer wash-bags, Wednesday’s players returned for pre-season training on Thursday, but as yet remain as ignorant as everyone else regarding the identity of who it is that will be barking at them from the touchline when they line up against Southampton in approximately five weeks’ time.
At a fan forum staged at Hillsborough in the aftermath of Moore’s departure, Chansiri was asked to explain the reasons behind the popular manager’s abrupt exit. Putting it down to one of those things that happens in football, he said: “I cannot talk much because I promised with [Moore] that I wouldn’t say anything unless he said something first.” Pushed further on why Moore wasn’t given the chance to manage Wednesday in the Championship, the owner insisted: “If you want to know more you need to go and ask Darren.” However, it seems the time for mutually agreed coyness on Chansiri’s part has come to an end almost as abruptly as his former manager’s reign. In the face of speculation he described as “incorrect” and “misleading”, the Thai businessman – who you may remember from such stories as this – issued a 1,231-word statement offering his detailed side of the story. The short version? He would have been happy for Moore to stay, but was not prepared to offer him improved terms that amounted to “a minimum of four times your current salary on a threeyear contract”. Ultimately, that refusal led to Moore leaving.
Relations between the pair have, according to Chansiri, remained cordial and they even broke bread together after Moore had told the owner of his decision to leave and the announcement being made. “I wish him nothing but the best and I hope he is appointed to a new position soon,” chirped Chansiri towards the end of his lengthy opus. “Now the details have been made clear we can all move on and look forward to the next era of Sheffield Wednesday.” As we wait, almost certainly in vain and the interests of a good public ding-dong for Moore’s version of events, it is difficult not to conclude that if previous eras of this storied club are anything to go by, the next one is unlikely to be dull.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Flavio [Becca] is obviously extremely happy to be able to hand over the keys of the club to N’Golo Kanté, a player of great class, not only for his footballing qualities but also – and above all – for his universally recog-* nised human qualities. Flavio is handing over a club in good financial health, free of all debt. A new board of directors will be appointed in the next few days” – Belgian third-tier club Royal Excelsior release a statement lauding the humanity of their new owner, who has just made himself very wealthy by agreeing to play in a country that “has a long and infamous record of cracking down on human rights defenders”, according to Amnesty International.
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