Sheffield Wednesday aren’t just rudderless – after Darren Moore’s exit they can barely man the ship

Preseason plans have been in place, players have been identified and scouted, a feel-good atmosphere was back at Hillsborough and in Darren Moore they had a manager well-liked, well-respected and with the sort of pull that could spell an exciting summer.

Now though, as the sun goes down in the Hillsborough sky, the club are in need of yet another rebuild. They have no manager, his backroom staff have left with him, the Head of Recruitment has dropped down to be a Sporting Director in League One, and some in football circles aren’t even sure who to approach with regards to getting players – or indeed a new manager – into the club.

Dejphon Chansiri will host a fans forum on Tuesday night that will be full of questions about the way forward, Moore’s replacement, and how a man who has just overseen a record-breaking, promotion-winning season can end up moving on ‘by mutual consent’ in this manner.

The exact reasons for his departure aren’t known yet, so speculation will continue to be rife, but the fact is that one of Wednesday’s most successful managers for years is now a free agent and Wednesday are not only rudderless, with a seriously depleted technical staff and only 14 senior players contracted for next season they’ve barely got a crew to man the ship.

They were already on the backfoot due to being in the play-offs, clubs around them were already bringing in new faces and moving on targets that their manager thinks can aid the cause. This situation now sets the Owls back even further, whoever takes over will need to hit the ground running with the greatest of speed if he’s to stand a chance in the Championship.

It has to be said, of course, that Moore deserves the world of credit for the way that he’s turned things around since his arrival. He found a fractured, unhappy club that had no direction and a fanbase that was beyond fractured.

Aside from his work on the pitch - that has resulted in 66 wins and the breaking of numerous club records – Moore has given Wednesdayites their club back off the pitch, he gave them reason to believe again, and that can’t be taken away from him.

What comes next, though, needs to be answers – and quickly. The hope is that some of them will come in the 1867 Lounge on Tuesday, but until there’s a new man at the helm Wednesday will remain all at sea.