Darren Moore spoke to the media ahead of our opening home league game against Doncaster. Here are all the key talking points from the gaffer...
On Gregory, Gibson and Sow
They are all part of the squad tomorrow so we’ll see how we go. I don’t see it as a selection headache, we knew what we needed when they came through the door and the balance we needed.
The only one we’ll be looking at carefully is the boy Sow, he trained today but he needs more time to build on his volume. He’s looked good and fit and we look forward to working with him in the coming days and weeks.
On Josh Windass’ new contract
Josh is a Sheffield Wednesday player and it’s important that he’s happy to sign with us and we’re delighted. He’s an important player and we look forward to him coming back from injury and getting going again. We should all feel happy that he has extended his stay.
On the Doncaster game
I expect heat from every away end! I’m looking forward to the game. It’s a nice local derby and the first league game in front of our support. I enjoyed my job at Doncaster and I’m thankful for the opportunity to manage there. But now, I’m very happy to be at Sheffield Wednesday and my focus is on improving this club.
On Wednesdayites
The atmosphere at Hillsboorugh will be exciting and full of energy and we’re looking forward to seeing everybody there. I encourage all the supporters to come in and sing aloud, it’s your day tomorrow. Come to Hillsborough and sing your hearts out because it lifts the players massively.
On young players going out on loan
The main thing is for the younger players to go out and get men’s football. Thinking time on the ball is minimal, the physicality and getting that matchday experience and fighting for three points is important. We’ll be keeping a close eye on them. When they do come back they are that step closer to stating a case for the first team. We’ll send people to watch the games live, we’ll also get videos from the analysts, we keep tabs on their dietary requirements as well, they aren’t out there on their own, we’re still keeping contact with them.
On encouraging new signings
I’ve identified the players but it’s the history of the football club that gets them here. I think it goes a long, long way. People say thank you to me but I say thank you to the supporters as they have helped bring the players here.
On the Hillsborough pitch
I’ve extended it back out to where I think it should be. The fans have always seen it as that size so they will be used to it. I’ve spoken to the groundsman and his team and they have done a wonderful job with it. There was a limited time to get the pitches sorted, so I want to say a big thank you to our grounds team for some great work.
On Mide Shodipo
He’s making good progress and is in no pain which is excellent, so we can assess him after the weekend and hopefully he can start picking things up. We don’t want to rush anything and he’s in the capable hands of the medical team.
On our chairman
He’s wished us all well. He doesn’t miss a kick that happens at the club and his commitment has been clear. I’ll speak to him later today as well. The chairman gets right behind the team and the club and he’s wishing us well for the weekend. We’ve had a lot of time on the video calling and I’m looking forward to the date I can finally meet him in person.