Darren Moore: Sheffield Wednesday appoint Doncaster Rovers boss as new manager

Darren Moore joins Sheffield Wednesday after spending a year and a half with Doncaster

Championship side Sheffield Wednesday have appointed Doncaster Rovers boss Darren Moore as their new manager.

Wednesday have been managerless since 28 December, when Tony Pulis was sacked after 10 matches at the helm with the club 23rd in the table.

Moore, 46, had been in charge of League One Doncaster since July 2019 and departs with them sixth despite a run of four defeats in five games.

Andy Butler, 37, has been named Rovers boss until the end of the season.

Sheffield Wednesday's 3-2 defeat against Luton Town on Saturday, their fourth successive loss, left them six points from safety.

Former Jamaica defender Moore - who played for Doncaster, Bradford City, Portsmouth, West Bromwich Albion, Derby County, Barnsley and Burton Albion - took over as West Brom boss, initially on a caretaker basis, when they were in the Premier League in April 2018.

He could not save the club from relegation and was sacked by the Baggies in March 2019, when they were fourth in the Championship.

Moore will be in charge for the Championship game against Rotherham United on Wednesday at Hillsborough.

Doncaster chairman David Blunt told the club website he was "disappointed" Moore "has chosen to leave part way through what has been a season full of promise".

Blunt added: "We have made significant efforts to support Darren over the past 18 months and ensure he was able to build a team capable of challenging in the top six.

"This has included supporting him through the past two transfer windows despite the difficult financial circumstances.

"Our ambitions remain to achieve a top-six finish and we hope and expect that Andy will use this time to put himself in prime position to secure the role on a permanent basis at the end of the season."

Assistant manager Jamie Smith has also left Rovers to take up the same role at Hillsborough, while former England Under-20 boss Paul Williams has joined the Owls as first-team coach.

Saving Owls 'a huge but not yet impossible ask'

Analysis - BBC Radio Sheffield's Mike McCarthy

Sheffield Wednesday had to act after four straight defeats, the gap to safety growing to six points and a crucial clash with fellow strugglers Rotherham in midweek.

For Darren Moore, keeping Wednesday up is a huge but not yet impossible ask.

However, if Wednesday go down, his experience in the third tier will give them a head start.

Either way, Moore brings with him a contacts book that has allowed him to secure several talented young players in the loan market.

Wednesday's squad appears in drastic need of an overhaul. If funds are limited, Moore may well be the best man to rebuild.

In Andy Butler, Doncaster Rovers have appointed a player well respected in the dressing room and a man who has deputised for Moore earlier this season.

Rovers' promotion push has been dented in recent weeks. They will be hoping continuity can keep it alive.

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