Whilst many fans believed Megson would have achieved the same result, owner Milan Mandaric decided on hiring his friend and the ex-Cardiff City man quickly became a success; receiving the Manager of the Month award in his first month following five wins and one draw. Wednesday went on to remain unbeaten for eighteen matches under Jones' stewardship but fortunes changed when clean sheets in a higher league were hard to come by, ultimately costing Jones his job in December 2013 with the Owls sitting second from bottom in the league having won only once. Jones' assistant became caretaker manager whilst Milan Mandaric searched for the right man to lead the club forward and whilst protests against the hiring of former United manager Neil Warnock took place, Stuart Gray led the Owls to eleven unbeaten. Never ruling himself out of taking the hot-seat on a permanent basis, Gray worked himself into the owners short list with his work on the pitch with the support of Development Squad head coach, Lee Bullen. An FA Cup victory over Rochdale (2-1) on 25th January was the last game Gray would take charge of as caretaker manager as he was hired on a permanent deal as the head coach. Since then the former Northampton Town manager has transformed Wednesday into a positive, forward thinking team whose attacking substitutions in games have become a welcome sight following his predecessors frustrating tactics.
Gray's history as a head coach is not exactly covered in glory but he seems to have an affinity with Wednesday and enjoys a mutual respect from the fans. He would have never been first choice for the position had his work not turned around the fortunes on the field with Lee Bullen and the good work that Jones started with the development side of the club will be continued due to that close link to the first team.
History as a Head Coach
Southampton: 19 matches (31.58% win)
Aston Villa: 2 matches (0% win)
Wolves: 6 matches (50% win)
Northampton: 135 matches (32.59% win)
Burnley: 4 matches (50% win)
Portsmouth: 6 matches (50% win)
After guiding the Owls to safety in the Championship 20143/14 season, Gray's future came into doubt when one of the many takeover rumours came to fruition and Azerbaijani businessman Hafiz Mammadov (the owner or French club RC Lens) bought out Milan Mandaric. At the time of writing, the takeover is yet to be ratified by the Football League but Mandaric was quick to talk to the incoming owner about the current manager. It seems that Stuart Gray has earned a stay at the helm due to his good work last season, earning the support of the boardroom. Frustrating times followed for Gray though as transfer dealings have been held up until the Football League grant the takeover a success, meaning the manager has missed out on transfer targets unwilling to wait around and accept a contract from the Owls. Matty Fryatt is rumoured to be one of those players, subsequently moving from Hull City to Nottingham Forest. Stuart Gray revealed in an interview with BBC Radio Sheffield that a deal for French 'starlet' Florian Tardieu has been agreed and waiting for the green light to be finalised - again possibly owing to the uncertainty of the takeover and finances. Kieran Westwood, former Chelsea defender Sam Hutchinson and Glenn Loovens are the only acquisitions of a frustrating transfer period so far.
Being an avid twitter user I haven't noticed a single person unhappy with the job that Stuart Gray is doing, that takes some doing. Twitter is often a hotbed of opinions and debates usually rage on over every topic regarding our club, Gray and his management seem to have united fans' opinion that he is the right man for the job. It will be interesting to see the choices Gray makes in the transfer market when the restrictions are lifted and he has some backing. He comes across as approachable and gives informative, clear interviews.... 'as such', unlike his predecessors that's kept their cards close their chest.
After guiding the Owls to safety in the Championship 20143/14 season, Gray's future came into doubt when one of the many takeover rumours came to fruition and Azerbaijani businessman Hafiz Mammadov (the owner or French club RC Lens) bought out Milan Mandaric. At the time of writing, the takeover is yet to be ratified by the Football League but Mandaric was quick to talk to the incoming owner about the current manager. It seems that Stuart Gray has earned a stay at the helm due to his good work last season, earning the support of the boardroom. Frustrating times followed for Gray though as transfer dealings have been held up until the Football League grant the takeover a success, meaning the manager has missed out on transfer targets unwilling to wait around and accept a contract from the Owls. Matty Fryatt is rumoured to be one of those players, subsequently moving from Hull City to Nottingham Forest. Stuart Gray revealed in an interview with BBC Radio Sheffield that a deal for French 'starlet' Florian Tardieu has been agreed and waiting for the green light to be finalised - again possibly owing to the uncertainty of the takeover and finances. Kieran Westwood, former Chelsea defender Sam Hutchinson and Glenn Loovens are the only acquisitions of a frustrating transfer period so far.
Being an avid twitter user I haven't noticed a single person unhappy with the job that Stuart Gray is doing, that takes some doing. Twitter is often a hotbed of opinions and debates usually rage on over every topic regarding our club, Gray and his management seem to have united fans' opinion that he is the right man for the job. It will be interesting to see the choices Gray makes in the transfer market when the restrictions are lifted and he has some backing. He comes across as approachable and gives informative, clear interviews.... 'as such', unlike his predecessors that's kept their cards close their chest.
One things for sure in my armchair opinionated mind, the future is bright under the leadership of Stuart Gray.
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