Mandaric: My relationship with Megson had broken down

Milan Mandaric has revealed that relations between him and Gary Megson had broken down and that he had decided to replace the Owls boss after defeat at Chesterfield last month.

Speaking at a press conference where Dave Jones was unveiled as the new Wednesday manager, Mandaric said he had decided after the loss to the Spireites that he would be replacing Megson but that he did not want to disrupt the build-up to the Sheff U game and so delayed doing so until after the derby.

Reacting strongly to questions about the sacking of Megson, Mandaric said: “You people have short memories, especially you who are writing about me now. Why don’t you look at what you wrote two or three weeks ago? We played 10 games and we won two. I needed something fresh, something new. I’ve done what’s best for this club at this time.”

He said: “I didn’t come here to win a popularity contest, I came here to do the job. I came here to rescue the club, which was down, very down, for 15 years. I came here to turn things around and do better. You can’t tell me what is right and what is wrong. I’m the one who will pay the consequences.

“At the end of the day I’m carrying the can and at the end of the season I’m the one paying £5 million cash to keep the club going forward.”

Mandaric, who said reports that Megson had approached the League Managers’ Association with a claim for unfair dismissal were untrue, said of Jones: “He is a very experienced manager. I like his background and what he has achieved.”

Jones, who took very much a back seat at the conference, has signed a three-and-a-half year deal and talked of Wednesday being a “massive” club and a “proper football club”. 

He said his aim is to take Wednesday to promotion and then to build towards the Premier League and asked for the supporters to continue backing the team. He added: “My main aim will be to keep the team winning and to help move us forward.”

He met the players for the first time on Friday afternoon, will see them in action for the first time at Rochdale on Saturday and will then take the players for his first training session on Sunday.

 
 

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