David Prutton explains what 'gentle giant' Darren Moore can bring to Sheffield Wednesday squad rebuild
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The Owls have a huge task of replacing 10 soon to be released first team players and with a return to preseason training just over a week away, manager Darren Moore will no doubt be keen to get the ball rolling.
The Wednesday boss has been working closely with the club’s recruitment team to identify possible targets and thought the focus at S6 has been centred on smoothing out their cashflow issues, word is that they expect things to start moving on the incoming front in the coming weeks.
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Hide AdFormer Wednesday midfielder David Prutton who since retirement has become a successful pundit on Sky Sports, believes the 47-year-old’s reputation for developing young players from some of the biggest clubs in the country will serve the club well.
“Given what Wednesday will be able to do or not do this season, it could be massive,” Prutton told The Star. “He's known as a coach that is able to develop younger talent and that's handy in this market, where bigger clubs can probably pick and choose where their best young players go. He has to maximise that.
“It's about getting the right type of loanee, one that is there to further their career and is hungry and is there for the right reasons, not because he's been told to. It's important he's backed by the recruitment and in the right way. They have to consolidate and get moving back in the right direction pretty sharpish.”
Moore, whose short time in the Hillsborough top job has so far been decimated by illness, was unable to keep the club in the Championship and has experience in League One thanks to his time at Doncaster Rovers.
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Hide AdWednesday have been installed among the preseason favourites for promotion next season and Prutton believes Moore is the man to turn things around at S6.
“I've worked with him and played against him,” he said. “He's a lovely, simple fella, a gentle giant and from a coaching point of view, everything I hear is that he is very good at what he does. In terms of West Brom he had an excellent structure there and was very unfortunate to lose his job at that time.
“He seems hungry to prove himself in the managerial world. They were sad to see him go at Doncaster, where they wanted him to carry forward what he'd done, but the reputation he has at Wednesday should start them off on the right foot heading into the season.
“It's about who he can bring in and what they can offer. This season can't be a wasted one.
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Hide Ad“Wednesday have been there before, I was there the last time they were there, and we do see clubs fester and find it hard to get out of that division. They have to give the fans something to sing and cheer about and make sure they're there for the right reasons. They need a reward for the hard yards they've put in.”