Dejphon Chansiri, the chairman of Sheffield Wednesday, responded to his detractors by announcing Xisco Munoz as the
club’s new manager to the media.
Munoz, a 42-year-old former manager of Watford, was hired on Tuesday to succeed Darren Moore, who unexpectedly
departed the organization last month by mutual consent just three weeks after leading them to promotion back to the
Championship.
A portion of Moore’s supporters have criticized Chansiri on social media, and former Owls player Carlton Palmer is among
them.
Moore left Hillsborough after demanding a contract that was four times larger than his last one, the Wednesday chairman
felt obligated to declare in a club statement last week.
The unveiling of Munoz on Wednesday was overshadowed by Chansiri’s rant, which read: “Carlton Palmer came out and
said something. I don’t understand why you say you love this club, but you try to damage it.
When we’ve done well in the past I’ve never seen him come out. I think he just wants to get attention.
‘If he thinks he tells the true story, I invite him to talk to me face-to-face in front of fans and media. Don’t hide behind social
media.’
Spaniard Munoz, whose 10-month spell in charge at Watford ended in the sack after he had guided them to promotion to the
Premier League in 2021, stressed it was time to look to the future.
The former Valencia winger, who lasted seven games as Watford boss in the top flight, said: ‘We need a new era. I don’t want
to speak about three weeks ago. We are a massive club with massive fanbase.
‘Everyone knows what happened before. Now it’s about what we want, what we need. This is our focus.’
Neither Wednesday nor Munoz declared the length of his contract and he confirmed he was happy to work with the club’s
current backroom staff while keeping an open mind about bringing in new coaches.
Munoz, tasked with ending the club’s 23-year Premier League exile and establishing them in the top flight, also stressed the
club could only be successful if it remained united.
The former Dinamo Tbilisi and Huesca head coach added: ‘We need the players, the training ground and the fans.
‘Our first goal is we arrive and try to improve on the training ground. Now is the moment for everybody to start pushing.
‘If we love the club I don’t need fighting. We need the fans to push us and stay together.
‘It’s important when you arrive at one place you need to know what the fans are demanding. Today I spoke to the players
about that and starting work hard. We have a good group.’
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