Following the Q&A I conducted last week, speculation has continued in the local and national media which is first and foremost incorrect but also damaging to our club. This speculation has now gone too far with some people putting out completely misleading information. I now wish to put the record straight and hope this will draw a line beneath Darren’s departure and we can look forwards, to the appointment of a new manager and the new season.
Initially I said I would help Darren silently. I offered not to talk and Darren agreed. Since I have been here, I have always looked to protect my people, unless I have no choice. If this speculation was just local then fine, I know people will come to me, but when it goes wider from some who do not understand the situation then that is different and I have to act.
Now, over a week later, the speculation continues. People who do not have the correct information are saying things completely wrong in the media. I am not worried about myself but when this speculation damages our club, I have to explain the truth and if Darren wishes to say something publicly then I would welcome that.
So I decided to speak to Darren last Sunday night, 25th June about this situation. I said I had helped him a lot but you must understand I need to tell the whole story – you could speak yourself or we could talk together but I did not expect that to happen so I am releasing this statement today to end the speculation.
After the end of the season, we had achieved promotion and as far as I was concerned, there was no issue. We completed the retained list on Thursday 1 June and began discussing the recruitment of new players, the targets identified for the Championship, and I asked Darren to summarise and present. We arranged to talk the following week in order to prepare the final information and begin coordinating the process.
Darren went on holiday and we spoke again during his holiday. We talked more about the recruitment of players, then Darren mentioned the contracts of his coaching team, which expired at the end of June. I asked Darren to send me his proposals for them because I was happy to talk.
He then mentioned his own contract which I said was automatically active following our promotion. But I said I was happy to discuss a new contract and asked Darren to send me the details and his proposals so I can study them.
After a few days, he sent me his proposals for his contract and I asked Darren to rethink and said, are you sure? I asked him if this proposal was instigated by his agent and Darren told me it was a guideline. I asked Darren if he wanted an answer yes or no or can we talk again? Darren said it was a guideline and he would think about the details again.
We arranged to meet face to face in my office on Wednesday 14 June. We talked some more about players and Darren asked about the contracts of his coaching staff. I said we needed Darren to resolve his own situation first because whilever this was an issue, we could not talk further about his staff.
I said we need a conclusion before Thursday as we could not take too long when we needed to begin the recruitment process. Even if we could not agree, this is the football business, but we would still maintain friendly relations with each other, but we need to resolve this situation.
I told Darren I was happy for him to stay, he achieved promotion and deserved a chance in the Championship. I said I was happy to increase his salary and add more bonuses into the contract, with the highest bonus if we reached the Premier League. But the proposal Darren presented was significantly in excess of his contract and I said I cannot offer a minimum of four times your current salary on a three-year contract, I have to be realistic and protect the club.
I advised Darren to rethink very carefully, do you really think this is a good idea? I offered my full support during all his time at our club and I wanted us to continue and succeed together. I asked him to think and let me know your decision by Thursday because we are not getting anywhere here other than back to the starting point. Darren said he would think about the details again.
We met again on Thursday 15 June and Darren told me that he could not accept. I said okay, that is your decision and I don’t think it will be difficult for you to get another job. I said I would help Darren by announcing his departure via mutual consent because that will help for the future.
I was fully aware the fans would believe this is my issue but for Darren, there would be only good things because he achieved promotion. But I was happy to take that on my shoulders to help. I said I would not talk too much, only if I was left with no choice.
I told Darren we had to announce his departure on the Thursday, the same day, which would allow me to begin the recruitment of a new manager. He asked for Monday 19th June but I was not keen on that date because the players would be coming back to pre-season training very soon and I needed to resolve. Finally though, I agreed to his request to announce on the Monday.
In the meantime, we still had good relations, we had dinner together on Saturday 17th June and personally in my heart, I was hoping he would have a change of heart but unfortunately nothing changed.
We spoke about the players as if everything was normal and Darren asked me if I would keep his coaching team at the club. But I said that would be difficult because if Darren took another role, he would need his team around him and obviously then we would have a problem at our club.
I said there was a chance I would retain Adriano Basso and I would speak to the team but when I recruited a new manager he will wish to bring in his own staff. Normally I like at least one member of staff to work with the new team to help the transition process.
We continued to talk about general matters over dinner, about the team, the players, the Championship, but the proposal remained the same and we agreed a parting of the ways would be the best way forward, which we announced on Monday 19th June.
So that is the story over why Darren left our club, I wish him nothing but the best and I hope he is appointed to a new position soon. Now these details have been made clear, I hope we can all move on and look forward to the next era for Sheffield Wednesday.
The recruitment process for the new manager is well underway and I wish to get back to normal as soon as possible. The appointment will not be rushed, it must be the right person and the right fit for our club and the process continues.