Darren Moore ‘Thanks Joey Barton for his kind words’ after criticism of Sheffield Wednesday side
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And in Joey Barton and Darren Moore, you could hardly choose two men more contrasting in that approach.
That could not not have been more evident than in the days after Moore’s Sheffield Wednesday scrapped out a 2-1 win at Barton’s Bristol Rovers and following separate press conferences in which Barton appeared to criticise his counterpart’s chosen style of play on the night.
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Hide AdThe former Fleetwood Town boss described the Owls’ approach as ‘archaic’, suggested they would be instantly relegated in the event of promotion to the Championship and in what was perhaps the most pointed jab at Moore himself, claimed ‘They’re only successful because they’ve stockpiled better players.’
Smiling, Moore was typically classy when invited to offer a response to the tirade, simply telling The Star: “I’d just like to say ‘Thank you Joey for your kind words.’”
Pressed further on the comments, there was no insistence from the Wednesday boss that the Owls had arrived at the Memorial Stadium with any intent to play gleaming, one-touch football, rather than to get the job done and head back up north with three points.
“We know Joey can be vocal," Moore said unperturbed. “Listen, we wanted to go to Bristol and take three points. We took three points. He’s got his own reading of the game and that’s down to Joey, we’ve got no problem.
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Hide Ad“We got the win in a difficult game. With him commenting on where we are, that’s understandable. I sincerely wish Joey all the best going forward, that goes for his team and his football club too. The work he’s doing is good, he’s got a lovely team and he’s taking the team forward in terms of the players he has down there, the style of player and he’s bringing the club together.
“But we had a job to do and that’s what we did. It was a hard game, but it was one we navigated well in terms of how we went down there with our approach.
“There are certain games that are horses for courses and you have to be adaptable.”
In winning 2-1, Wednesday became the first team in League One’s top seven to win at Bristol Rovers so far this season.
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Hide AdThe Owls were dogged and resolute in their set-up, Moore was happy to admit, after Barton made a point of his side having completed 215 passes to the home side’s 469.
“It shows our adaptability in our team, where the boys can switch focus in terms of getting a job done and understanding what is required,” he said.
“You can catch your opposition unawares in terms of how you go about them. We certainly went down there with a different game plan and it’s always nice that when a game plan works. The gameplan worked and that was good for us.
“I have the utmost respect for Joey as he knows and I wish him and the club all the best going forward. They’ll continue to progress under him as manager.”