Sheffield Wednesday column: Why Queens Park Rangers could be a defining match in Lee Bullen's quest to land the permanent Owls job

Lee Bullen has done a good job in a caretaker capacity to lift the Bruce-shaped dark cloud that was hanging over S6. The players have responded to the Scot, with the Owls recording four victories from six outings.

Is Bullen the right man to take Wednesday forward? Should the Owls give him the job on a permanent basis? Or do they need to look elsewhere and bring in an experienced manager?It feels like it is stick or twist time for Wednesday's hierarchy.

Bullen has shown what he can do not once, not twice but three times and his record is not too shabby at all. He has won half of his 14 matches.

Everybody knows that Bullen has a big affinity to Wednesday. As he has repeatedly stated, Bullen regards the Owls as HIS club and he is making a decent fist of things. It means everything to Bullen to manage the blue and white wizards.

"I am living the dream and enjoying what I am doing," admitted Bullen, who captained the Owls in their memorable play-off final success at Cardiff in 2005. "And the players seem to enjoying themselves and they are working their tails off and playing good football."

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Another thing in Bullen's favour is he has intimate knowledge of the squad, having coached in various forms for the last eight years. He knows their strengths and weaknesses.

Bullen would love nothing more than to take over the reins on a full-time basis and is prepared to put his club hero status on the line.

But as Sheffield Telegraph columnist Alan Biggs has said this week, a decision should be made on Bullen's future soon, preferably during the international break following Queens Park Rangers visit to Hillsborough this weekend.

This has been a long audition process for Bullen, who has been a superb servant to the club. He deserves to know where he stands.

And it is not just Bullen who is in limbo. Wednesday risk unsettling the players if the managerial situation is not clarified sooner rather than later. They too will be looking for some certainty and clarity.

Bullen has brought some much-needed stability but there needs to be a vision for the future.

The QPR fixture could potentially defining match for Bullen in his attempts to bag the full-time gig. Win and Wednesday end a busy August programme with a haul of 12 points from a possible 18, giving them their best start to a season since chairman Dejphon Chansiri purchased the club in 2015. Lose and big questions will once again be asked of Bullen's managerial credentials.

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