Sheffield Wednesday: Darren Moore to 'address' improvement of Middlewood Road training facilities with Dejphon Chansiri

The Owls boss, who is just a few months into his time with the club, has yet to discuss the matter with the Wednesday chairman but suggested it is an area he would like to address sometime in the future.

Space is said to be tight at Middlewood Road and there have been logistical issues to deal with in recent months particularly since the advent of challenges brought about by the coronavirus crisis – younger factions of the club have had to train away from the base from time to time, for example.

But the focus for now, Moore says, is entirely on football matters.

“There have been a lot of things for me to focus on since coming to the football club,” he said.

“We train every day [at Middlewood Road] and, yes, there is a shortage of space at the training ground.

“I'm sure in time the chairman and I will talk and address that issue but, at the moment, in terms of having that initial conversation with the chairman, I've not had that with him.

“There have been a lot of other things for me to focus on in terms of getting us solid and working from a solid base.

“All those things you can address in due course as you move on.”

Moore is not the first Sheffield Wednesday manager in recent times to suggest the training ground requires something of a transition.

Steve Bruce suggested the club’s academy move to a different training site permanently back in February 2019, going on to say he felt there was ‘all sorts’ the club could do to ‘raise standards’ off the field.

Carlos Carvalhal and Garry Monk also suggested improvements were needed at the facility, which has been home to Wednesday’s training activity for 41 years.

Treatment to the two grass pitches the base has was completed earlier this year as a matter of course and there have been structural tweaks to the facilities over the years.

In Chansiri’s time as chairman in particular there has been major investment, including the erection of the indoor training ‘dome’ and a new gym. Chansiri himself admitted he would have liked to have moved the club to a different base some years ago.

“We are a well-renowned football club and the football club needs a good training base,” Moore continued.

“Have we got a training base? Yes we have. Looking at it, can it be improved? Anyone will say that their training base can be improved.

“But in order to look at that, we have to look initially at where the team is at and build from there. If we can build a bit of consistency and cohesion at the football club, then those areas of the football club we can address together.

“There is no one individual who is going to do it. It has got to be a together approach right the way throughout the football club.

“But for now it is about building some consistency and putting a team together that feels solid, competitive and is capable of winning games in the division. That is the number one priority at the moment.”