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Big Ron! Simples

I was at Orient and we were dire, completely capitulated after going one-nil down. We have conceded 17 goals in 5 straight away defeats which, at just under 3.5 a game, points out relegation form. We have on paper the best squad in the league but the players need a kick up the back side. Irvine couldn't do that but hopefully someone else can. It's a shame as he was a nice bloke but his team selections recently were one of a man who was clearly under pressure.

You point out that Wednesday haven't won a league game since Mandaric took over - perhaps he's the problem, not the manager....

First of all : good decision.
Mr Irvine as a man, that is the not the qustion. You are right: Mr Irvine as a manager is weak. He cannot decide on a plan or structure, constantly swaps his team around even if they have won previously, spends too much time analysing the opposition and talking them up strong.

Kevin Keagan is a poor choice: he runs away, chickens out.
Ex-players hardly work; are there any good - longer lasting - examples? I can't remember any. "Legends" rarely make good managers so calls for Hirsty, Big Ron, Megson, Carbone and the like are just romantic drivel.

If Mr. Madaric can weave the magic, let's go for Roy Hodgson.

Considering we'd not won a league game since Mandaric took over, I'm a bit surprised he gave Irvine as long as he did.

And I hope this doesn't lead to a former legend coming in and ruining his career/reputation.

Quite like the idea of Keegan, just for a laugh.

I agree about Irvine analysing the opposition too much. You'd think we were playing Barcelona every week. Obviously don't be complacent, but don't persuade your players that they aren't good enough to beat the lower reaches of league 1. That's probably where all the players' confidence went.

The biggest problem in the end though was the absolutley appaling defending. I've never seen so much hesitance from our back four.

Well summed up - unfortunately AI couldn’t kick on at Wednesday after a harsh dismissal at PNE and it is questionable if he has what it takes to be a good no 1. Good coaches (which he undoubtedly is) don't always make good Managers but he deserves another chance. Maybe the Champ/League 1 is too high a bar.

Unfortunately this business chews good men and managers alike and spits them out at an alarming rate - Laws and Irvine were no exception. Despite whatever people think, Wednesday are a big club, albeit one in the doldrums and the managerial position here, like at Leeds, is a tough one - hence the regular comings and goings, made all the more harder by the backdrop of debt etc. That has all gone but has been replaced by a fresh set of issues - an ambitious chairman and a demanding, frustrated fan base.

Whoever comes in will have to deal with this - the squad is definitely good enough, though a little lopsided but the tools and environment are there and ready for the right man to come in and make a name for them.

Big question is, can MM get the right man in? As above there are managers out there with patchy cv's and if his record is anything to go by, Irvine won't be the last man to go before the Club progresses accordingly on the pitch. Hopefully MM will look long term and look to bring someone in who can steer the club to where it once was, rather than falling away when the going gets tough as it will undoubtedly will.

MM was very patient with Irvine. It's a shame it didn't work out for Irvine, he's a decent, hard-working and genuine man, but quite simply he was out of his depth with this job. His last 8 league games of 1 win, 2 draws and 5 defeats, conceding 23 goals and putting us 8 points adrift of the last play-off place sealed his fate. Sentimentality and fondness of someone wins nothing. Football is a results driven ruthless business. His over-cautious, negative and often boring tactics won few friends and his team selections were baffling. We have a very strong squad with some talented young players who should be eating this league, they are desperate for clear direction, expectation and role. They are desperate for solid guidance, instruction and leadership. We need an experienced head, a competent leader and man manager. Step forward Martin O'Neill or Roy Hodgson. We have the framework, squad, team and fans, we have the passion, support and loyaly- come on MM show either one of these two your plans and money, get one on board and watch us fly!!

Good to get change now while the play-offs are still a possibility. Keegan doesn't have the hard graft needed for the lower leagues. I find it hard to believe Hodgson would be interested in taking such a dramatic step down and the "numerous promising young managers" are just the types we've taken on before (Danny Wilson, Paul Jewell, Irvine himself) - I can't see a good candidate out there.

Except maybe Howard Wilkinson - newly unemployed but with seemingly quite a good relationship with Mandaric. Bit of a long shot?

Irvine had the best points per game (1.44) since Trevor Francis (1.55), but then again a lot of those matches were in League One rather than the Championship. Wilkinson has the 2nd best ppg of all Wednesday managers (1.61) so maybe a good shout after all

#9 Wilko lost it as a manager years ago - he was shocking at Sunderland. He did a great job both managerial and administratively but It is time to move forwards - there are good managers out there amongst the lesser ones. The challenge for MM is to find one who is big enough to take the job on.

As to whether any of the Big Beasts would come (MoN, SA, RH) - if the money was right I'd think they could be tempted. Yes it is a drop down but Wednesday are a Prem club in all but League position and would represent a huge project for them.

As above, the tools and environment are there for success, the squad has ability - it just needs to be brought together. Sadly AI was unable to do this and it has cost him.

heavenlyowl, if you think Martin O'Neill has any chance of becoming the next Wednesday manager, you could be living in cloud cookoo land. There's talk of him being the next Manchester United boss! Hodgson is a good shout but alas, this may be too big a drop for him too. Looking at some of the names on the LMA website, Sam Allardyce, Alan Curbishley, Chris Hughton and Ray Wilkins are the names which stand out, but I can't see any of those dropping from where they have been in the past. More realistically, Gary Johnson or Gary Megson alas jump off the page.

Really good summary of the situation

3 - StonySaint. Obviously, the man who saved us from admin and has invested his own money including nearly a£1mill in January transfers is the problem.

John Sheridan would be my choice, need someone with something about them.Anyone who thinks Hodgson or O'Neill will even consider it are on a different planet.

I think this was probably a fair sacking, AI seemed resigned to it and didnt have any new ideas.

Would be nice to get someone like hodgson or oneil but dont think we have a chance.

Think curbishley would be a great appointment or maybe even Chris Hughton he fired up the newcastle squad which is what wednesday need right now

You have to ask how these guys like Irvine and D Ferguson keep getting jobs. In any other industry etc....

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About time really. Never felt as though results would ever improve under Irvine's reign, its been mentioned before, but after hearing the same post match interviews, week after week, about how the opposition played well and were really strong, it just gets a bit tiresome - constant buck passing. I would love to see Pearson come in, wednesday legend, former employee of Mandaric and he knows how to get out of this dire league. Surely he can't enjoy working in Hull, armpit of Yorkshire n Humber.

GEE 'IM A RING MEEELAN.

Interestingly Gary Neville has just retired with immediate effect

Could the 2 be linked - who knows?

Chris Hughton may be a good bet though

He wasn't sacked from North End on, 29th December 2010.

Sheridan surely. Doing well, on an upward curve, knows the club.

Or maybe a leftfield option like Roland Nilson who's managing in Sweden. Again knows the club but might bring some fresh contiental ideas as the likes of Di Matteo and Poyet have in League 1 recently.

I reckon it's also about time someone had a real go for O'Driscoll and threw some cash at it. It's a step down in the short term but Donny are punching massively above their weight at the minute and if backed he'd bring some real style to proceedings. United have signed their own championship death warrant by ignoring him for perenial failure Micky Adams.

Ian Holloway would be the ideal choice. His ability matched with the resources of Sheff Wed would be an interesting proposition. It would be interesting for him to use this fine he received as his opportunity to go as his team continues to slip and he has been undermined by player power at the club, despite the fact they clung onto Adam at the 11th hour.

However, that would mean him giving up at Blackpool when they still could stay up and he could resign the hero in May, as Phil Brown should have done with Hull in 2009.

For me, the position needs youth, and it needs an Owls bred player who knew what it was like to play at the highest level. Mandaric can attract a name as he mixes in Celeb circles and the appointment of Paolo Di Canio as manager could be exactly what the club requires. Flamboyant, Passionate and I feel he'd have the aggression and knowledge of the game to be a success.

Di Canio would be interesting (and I bet the refs would think twice)

There is talk a new man could even be in place by Saturday. That would be very fast work. One name being linked is Paul Ince. If he does go to Wednesday what a kick in the teeth that would be for Notts County

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Unlikely especially with a replay at Eastlands to look forwrad to. Ince need a coupel of seasons to demonstrate success again - I don't think he will jump.

16. Hull will be good payers and have a decent outside shot at the Championship play offs. With the carrott of managing in the Premiership there I couldn't see Pearson jumping ship - he also seems to get good backing in the transfer market. Hull's got the advantage of being a one club city, a modern stadium and recent premiership experience (parachute payments) so depite the obvious sleeping giant potential of Wednesday I can't see it appealing unless MM really threw money at him. It's also got some decent areas so its not as if he's living on a bomb site.

Wednesday's two biggest problems over the last decade were its ridiculous finances and ownership structure (settled) and its habit of giving managers an early hook (which continues).

For Mandaric to make a profit on this deal (and that's his goal) he needs to put both money and time in front of someone he trusts for the long run. That's what worked in Portsmouth.

But it has to be both money and time. I think the managerial choice will show Wednesday fans just how big the Mandaric budget is.

Don't mention Alan Knill, we want to keep hold of him for just a little bit longer! Let him get us into League One and keep us there before you start suggesting he could go to other clubs, I'm begging you! :(

Paul Ince?

I seriously hope not. He stole the glory at Macclesfield and MK Dons when in reality Ray Matthias was the inspiration and knowledge at both clubs. As soon as Matthias left MK Dons slumped, Ince was found out at Blackburn,and quickly sacked,clearly way out of his depth in terms of experience, ability and management skills. At Notts County arn't exactly racing up the league, it would be a disaster for us.

My heart still would want O'Neill or Hodgson bit I appreciate how far fetched that is. I don't think Curbishley would move north, Hughton maybe or tempt O'Driscoll across from Donny?

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Phil Parkinson and Gary Johnson will be interested maybe even Roy Keane.

My preferences on order of people who MIGHT (not will) think about coming:-

1. O'Driscoll
2. Hughton
3. Pearson
4. Sheridan

Keegan would be good craic and would ensure a higher profile few more games on telly etc but can't see him wanting to bother his perm to be honest.

And in true Keegan style I would LOVE Roland Nilsson back but just can't see it.

According to the grapevine down here in the South West, the talk is of Gary Johnson for the Wednesday job. He's a good man, with a very good record. You could do a lot worse...

Gary Johnson, he did well at Yeovil, I remember seeing them play against Charlton (then premier league) in the FA Cup and they played them off the pitch and they received a standing ovation from both sets of supporters.

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Sorry... I used asterisks... moment of forgetfulness. Shortened version... fans always know best... know how they want their team to play, and if SWFC have a Card School going... King Kev's your Man as the one to lead you forward.

I just hope you don't get relegated... so that we can enjoy some League 1 Derbies next season. My Blades are on the way to meet you !!

Megson

+ Experienced
- Record has as much failure as success
+ Wednesday background
- appears to have absolutely no joie de vivre whatsoever.

= Underwhelming.

I see there is a shortlist of 4. Barry and Paul Chuckle are obvious candidates so I wonder who the fourth is?

Wednesday fans like confident, larger than life managers who can inject a bit of confidence into the team. We need somebody who can bring back the feelgood factor.

Why has no one mentioned Jose? I hear he's unsettled in Madrid. Im just saying!

Much as i liked Megson as a player, his managerial record is not particularly strong. It would be a shame if he took the job only to be turfed out a few months later.

I just listened to the same interview on radio Sheffield Paul. Milan was only responding to a question. The way I understood what he was saying, he seemed to distance himself from Megson. He may be on a short list of 4 but I really don't think he will be our next manager or at least I seriously hope not. We at Hillsborough are in desperate need of points and to start climbing back up the league but if Milan really wanted to get the fans on side he would appreciate that we want it done with some quality entertaining football. He's been in long enough now to understand what would please the fans. If he gets a fairly big name in who likes to get the ball down and play the fans would come back in their thousands.

Names like Megson, Keane etc would only be a sideways step. The likes of Sheridan, Hoddle AND Keegan are what we want. Hodgson would be lovely ta.

Please Milan, give us someone special

Wednesday won 6-2 days before Mandaric took over and haven't won since - perhaps there is a connection!

How on earth can it make sense to encourage a Manager to go out and buy the players HE wants and then sack him days later. If Mandaric thought he was the wrong man for the job he should have sacked him before the transfer window not just after.

Sensless

41- The timing's hardly ideal I agree, but I get the impression that Mandaric wanted to stick with Irvine initally, but results during January dictated that he had to go.

Some of the other suggestions here are ludicrous; there's absolutely no chance the like of O'Neill, Hodgson, Pearson, Holloway etc would come to Hillsborough at the moment, I think we need to have more realistic expectations. Out of the names going round, I would prefer O'Driscoll, Sheridan, Nilsson, Di Canio or Gary Johnson. Not Megson anyway.

@14 - Not really. Sometimes its not what you now but who you know nowadays.

@36 - Aren't the Chuckle Brothers Rotherham fans though? Mind you they play in Sheffield now. I would love it to be Sheridan but its looking increasingly like Megson, sadly...

Its bizarre that since Milan took over the defence has just fallen apart.

@ 43 - I think they're on the Rotherham board, but given Milan's polyclubus past I doubt this is an obstacle. I was rather suggesting the mulleted duo for their powers of co-ordination and general sense of style. But we do need a moustachioed manager. Bring in Big Sam and Little Sam (which I think I'm right in saying was the name of his moustache)

Who needs Mourhino, we've got Moustacio... we could sing.

Firstly I am a Stoke fan with a soft spot for Wednesday because it is a proper club. And Megson is a proper manager. He is getting a bad press here but he would definitely move SWFC up to Championship and maybe Prem but it would not be pretty. Grinding out results. As someone said no "joie de vivre". So it comes down to what you want. Perhaps in 3-4 years of old Div3 you might change your mind?

Tony Pulis has v little joie de vivre and you really can get to love it.

As a Leeds fan I feel Wendys' pain. They were expected to go straight back up, but it's not that easy with no money. Any league you find yourselves in is for a reason - as Sheff Utd might be finding out soon.

Megson will be a good signing if he's brought in, and I reckon he'll do a job there.

The big Sheffield club should be at least giving us a game in the Championship, if not the Premiership and I'm sure you'll be back in a year or 2.

It was nice to see you go down, I must admit; but as a football fan, the bigger clubs only do the game good when playing at their proper level.

All the best.

Sheridan would be a great choice for manager, after the next one.
Chesterfield have had a habit over the last few seasons of looking like certs for promotion then throwing it away after Christmas. If he can keep them going & get them promoted (and the signs are positive), he'll have proved he can handle the challenge.

Wednesday, simply put, need a no-nonsense and confident manager who will give the players a boot up the backside, remind them who they are, and remind them who they play for.

It's already been said that they have probably the best squad in the division, so they need a boss who will tell them that. Their form suggests low confidence, which is unacceptable as far as they are concerned.

As a Blackburn fan, it reminds of that horrendous first season after relegation in 1999/00, where we had the best players in the division (on paper, not form) but ended up withering and ended up as a platform for another team to go up (ironically, 'that team' was Man City. Go figure). Anyway, we needed someone like Souness to get the team running and get us established in the top flight. This is another example of players at a hurt big club feeling sorry for themselves. They need tough love.

The likes of Megson, despite his lack of finesse, or Sheridan, despite a lack of experience in the top two leagues, would fit the bill. Plus both have played for the club and know it's significance.

Imagine the scene if John Sheridan takes over.

Despite having only a handful of years experience under his belt, he wins his first few games and we manage to get into the playoffs. We lose in the playoffs and then next season drop off and are in the same situation we are now. The fans start calling for his head, wanting him out, abusing him on messageboards. He gets sacked and is labelled a failure.

This senario may not happen but it did with Turner and Wilson - who had around the same amount of experience as Shez. And one of the club's remaining legends is remembered for a 4-1 home defeat to Rotherham or Wycombe instead of being one of the greatest players ever in blue and white. I don't want that.

Also the suggestions about Holloway are a little short-sighted. He has a job for life at Blackpool, who love it or hate it, are a far bigger club than Wednesday at the moment. Plus he took Leicester down and Milan won't excatly be keen to work with him, even if by some miracle he was available.

Megson may not be everyone's choice but he will get us organised, be ready to be angry at players and not be 'bitterly dissapointed' like Irvine after a defeat. I think he can get us up. Not to the Premiership perhaps but out of League One. Plus he goes to all the games so he knows the players already. Sturrock's style wasn't great but it got us up - that's all what matters.

This is an ideal role for Roy keane to show what he can do.

Please not Roy Keane, look at what he did at ipswich with money, no thanks

look at what he did at Sunderland.

14. At 4:16pm on 03 Feb 2011, boils wrote:
You have to ask how these guys like Irvine and D Ferguson keep getting jobs. In any other industry etc....

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Irvine and Ferguson are both with/or in Irvine's case recently left there second club....

I couldn't agree more that there is a somewhat stagnant nature about the football management merry go round and that the same old faces do seem to crop up (Gary Megson being one of them!!) but to use these two as an example is poor.

I would love to see young coaches - as opposed to ex-players - getting jobs, this in particular is a massive source of frustration, especially when they are allowed jobs without the so called 'needed qualifications' i.e. coaching badges

Wednesday are trying to emulate the bigger clubs in League 1 (Southampton,Charlton etc)
Changing the manager wont help, Mandaric now has a new toy to play with.

Megson was a joke at Bolton.

But at Shef Wed - and League 1 - he is the ideal bloke for the job!

Good call by Mandaric. And lucky that the two met up a few days ago and decided to bury the hatchet...

54. At 5:36pm on 04 Feb 2011, SwindonLad wrote:
Wednesday are trying to emulate the bigger clubs in League 1 (Southampton,Charlton etc)
Changing the manager wont help, Mandaric now has a new toy to play with.
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We are sheffield wednesday, we do not emulate either of these teams (bigger?), thanks.
While "excited" wouldn't be to adjective for the appointment of the ginger one, hopefully he will get us winning, and if it's going to take us a scrappy manager to get us out of here, then so be it. I'm preparing myself for a boring afternoon at the game but who knows, i might be surprised!

I wish Mandaric had bought my club! I know he's got a reputation for being trigger happy when sacking managers but he does put his money where his mouth is. We've got a board where 3 hold all the power and whilst they claim we've gto one of the highest wage bills in the league we've not had proper investment in the squad and now we have League 2 staring us right in the face. The only good thing about that is we'll have a couple of derby games at Cheltenham and Hereford to look forward to next season.

Regarding Alan Irvine he did well for a while at Preston and I thought he did well with Wednesday last season but as it is in the case of football these days managers aren't given the time to see if they can turn things around. It won't be too long before he's back in management.

Why the surprise? It was well known that Gary Megson was on standby to take over at Wednesday a couple of weeks ago!

i would like to see someone who loves the club take the position hirsty for me would be a great choice ,he has been with us for donkeys years and is owls through and through ,and i doubt there is many out there who would really put all there efforts into the club and with hirst it would not be about the money

Head in the clouds if you think good managers like O'Driscoll will give up their comfy Championship jobs to take up a position with Mandaric's crosshairs hovering the whole time.