Barnsley could be bracing themselves for a third managerial approach from Sheffield Wednesday in the space of 11 years after firing Brian Laws today.
Laws who had been in charge at S6 since November 2006 was finally dismissed this morning after the Owls 3-0 defeat at Leicester yesterday which saw the club drop into the relegation zone on a run of seven defeats in nine games. Wednesday haven’t won since beating Coventry 2-0 in October.
This though could spell danger at Oakwell, with rumors persisting the Owls will come after Reds boss Mark Robins who is undertaking a revolution with Barnsley since taking over from Simon Davey in August. Yesterday’s 2-2 draw with Newcastle extended the club’s unbeaten run to six games, and they have lost just four of his 15 games in charge.
It wouldn’t be the first time the Owls have converged on Oakwell for a manager. They poached Danny Wilson in 1998 after Barnsley’s relegation from the Premier League, but Wednesday were then relegated themselves the following year and Wilson only lasted eight months in charge. Then in October 2006, after dismissing Paul Sturrock, they approached Reds chairman Gordon Shepherd for Andy Ritchie. Shepherd turned the approach down and Wednesday appointed Laws, with Ritchie getting the sack the following month.
It is thought any approach for Robins would be met with a stiff rebuke from Reds owner Patrick Cryne.