Former Premier League man leaves Birmingham, expected to join Sheffield Wednesday
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Craig Gardner has left his role at Birmingham City and is expected to join up with Pulis at Hillsborough as the 62-year-old plots a second transformation of the Owls’ backroom staff in just a few months.
Gardner, 33, had a spell as the Blues’ joint-caretaker boss last season and becomes the third coach to move from St Andrews to Wednesday inside three months after Monk brought across James Beattie and Darryl Flahavan. Analyst Ryan Needs joined last year.
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Hide AdQuizzed on a mooted move for Gardner, Pulis said: “Craig is someone I have a great respect for, he’s a top quality character, a young coach, enthusiastic. You ask him to do stuff and I’m sure he’ll do it.
“And that’s the way I am. I like to have a mixture of people around me. You test them and they come back with stuff that tests you.”
Gardner, a former England under-21 international who had a successful playing career with Aston Villa and Sunderland as well as Birmingham, is unlikely to be the last new coach through the door.
“I always like to bring one young coach with me,” Pulis said. “I always like to bring a coach at the football club that has worked on the academy side.
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Hide Ad“Because I think it’s important that there’s someone there who knows the academy, the best players at the academy, who know how the academy is set up.
“I think the link between the first team and the academy is important. Neil has joined in today and has been a part of that.”