Former Sheffield Wednesday boss Darren Moore is in the mix to succeed Dave Challinor at Stockport County as he verges on an exit from the League One club.
Challinor, who has masterminded the Hatters’ rise from the National League to back-to-back playoff campaigns in the third tier, has been hotly tipped to take over at Blackburn Rovers after the exit of Michael O’Neill.
Moore Enters The Frame
Pete O’Rourke confirmed that the 50-year-old would leave Edgeley Park on Saturday, bringing an end to a near-five-year reign, in which County won both the National League and League Two, before finishing in the top six in both of their seasons in League One, falling short to Bolton Wanderers and Leyton Orient in the playoffs.
Since that report, multiple names have come forward as potential candidates to succeed the former Hartlepool United man in Greater Manchester, including current Grimsby Town boss David Artell.
Now, according to the Daily Mail, Darren Moore is also on the cards as a contender for the soon-to-be vacant role as he looks for his next role in management.
The 52-year-old has been out of work since his sacking by Port Vale midway through the season, but has been considered for roles since January, such as a replacement for the outgoing Conor Hourihane at Barnsley.
A two-time promotion winner in the EFL with Sheffield Wednesday and the Valiants, and has Championship experience with West Bromwich Albion and Huddersfield Town.
Is Moore The Right Man?
Dave Challinor has earned himself the chance to test himself in the Championship with the job he has done at Stockport County, and perhaps it is a shame that he has not been able to do so with the club he has guided from non-league to the door of the second tier.
That leaves County now needing to find someone who can fill some big boots at Edgeley Park, and with how well-run the club has been in recent years, many out-of-work managers will be eager to put themselves in that hot seat.
Darren Moore offers some experience at what Dave Challinor was unable to do, in successfully mounting a playoff promotion with Sheffield Wednesday back in 2023.
It was his exit from the Owls which perhaps has seen his stock fall, his exit coming from disagreements with former chair Dejphon Chansiri over transfer policy costing him the chance to lead the club in the second tier.
His recent career may not be encouraging for what Stockport will want from their next boss, though, having failed to replicate the successes of fellow promoted sides like Bradford City and Doncaster Rovers with Port Vale.
His tenure at Huddersfield Town was also a disaster, winning just three times in 23 matches, and was a key reason as to why the Terriers were relegated to League One by the end of that campaign.
Considering the optimism surrounding his competitor for the job in David Artell, given the job he has done at Grimsby Town, Moore might not be the best man to carry the momentum that County have created over the past four years.
One Response
No way Darren Moore for County….he failed miserably at Port Vale, and when I saw County thrash Vale at Vale Park in the Vertu Trophy, he looked like he wasn’t interested!