Ali Maxwell and George Elek discussed all of the latest EFL news on the most recent edition of the Not The Top 20 Podcast. During the show, they spent some time talking about Sheffield Wednesday after they appointed Tony Pulis as their new manager last Friday.
Pulis is set to take charge of his first game as Owls boss versus Preston North End on Saturday, but before he was appointed as Wednesday boss, Ryan Lowe was linked with the Hillsborough hotseat, and during this recent edition of the Not The Top 20 Podcast, Elek criticised the Owls for not appointing a manager like the 42-year-old Plymouth Argyle boss.
He said: “Using Ryan Lowe as an example, I don’t really see why appointing a manager whose clear career trajectory is upwards is seen as such a risk when – even though they’re different ages and have different philosophies – if you look at Tony Pulis’ and Garry Monk’s last six seasons, it’s fairly similar.
“They go into Championship jobs, they leave Championship jobs maybe with a modicum of success here and there, but nothing that’s resulting in them being consistent Premier League managers, so I think it’s a bit of an opportunity missed. I disagree with the idea that a lack of Championship experience makes it a risk.
“So, if we’re talking about Ryan Lowe here, either he has to take Plymouth into the Championship or somebody’s got to take that first supposed risk.
“If you are going to ignore all managers who don’t have previous Championship experience, the chances are that you are only looking at a pool of managers whose career hasn’t progressed beyond the level that you’re currently at. It probably means you’re going to be appointing somebody who’s been sacked at the level that you’re currently at.
“So, in a way, you’re not going to get a second opportunity. Somebody like Ryan Lowe – if he is, let’s say, a top-level Championship coach, if he is a Premier League coach – if you don’t make that first step, then you’re never going to be able to get him, because his career is going to develop past you before he’s available. So, in my opinion, the risk lies in not looking to recruit someone with potential.”
Would Ryan Lowe have been a better managerial appointment than Tony Pulis?
YES
NO
TIF Thoughts on what Elek had to say about Wednesday not appointing ‘somebody like Ryan Lowe’…
Given that the Owls are sitting inside the relegation zone 11 games into the 2020/21 Championship campaign, it may be understandable why they opted to appoint renowned ‘escape artist’ Pulis to try and ensure that they don’t get relegated from the second tier this term.
On the other hand, considering that Lowe has enjoyed plenty of success thus far in his managerial career, with the 42-year-old having guided both Bury and Plymouth to promotion from League Two in recent seasons – achieving that feat with the former despite the club struggling significantly with off-the-field issues at the time – maybe Elek has a point in stating that Lowe’s career does appear to be on an upward trajectory.
Therefore, appointing him despite his lack of second-tier experience may have been a gamble worth taking for the Owls if they could prise him from Plymouth.
However, taking into account their current position in the league table, perhaps Championship survival has got to be the Owls’ primary concern at present and so we feel it may be unfair to criticise the Yorkshire club for appointing Pulis, as his reputation would suggest that he is a safe pair of hands.