SNSD -Girls Generation-

made for the long haul with Wednesday

But the 48 year old Scot has already laid down roots, in the dressing room at least; when he succeeded Chris Turner in September last year Wednesday were languishing in 14th place in Coca Cola Division One (division three by any other name) but having taken 16 points out of 18 from their last six games, the club could go third with victory at Bournemouth on Saturday. “Actually, I shook hands on a deal to buy a new home last night so, if the board give me time, I’m here for the long run,” reveals Sturrock with his trademark impish grin.

When wholesale nfl jerseys chairman Dave Allen appointed Sturrock in preference to Sir Bobby Robson among others, he described him as “a man of few words”, nhl jerseys adding: “But Paul was the most impressive of all the applicants. Giving him a three year contract [a daring move given the club's million debt] reflects our faith in him.”

Sturrock may lack the gift of the gab exhibited by some of his predecessors at Hillsborough Ron Atkinson, Jack Charlton, Howard Wilkinson and David Pleat to name but four of those who have gone before but when he does have something to say then it is invariably well worth listening to. “A sleeping giant? This club are bigger than a giant. Our crowds are over 20,000 and basically it is those fans who have dictated the fact that nine managers have come and gone.

“Whenever things haven’t been going well, Sack The Manager!’ has been the only topic of debate. Everyone in football apart from the fans knows that’s the wrong way to go so,nfl jerseys wholesale 413, hopefully, my board will appreciate that. Someone,harrison barnes jersey 770, someday will turn Sheffield Wednesday around and if I’m given time then I have to feel confident that someone will be me.”

Wednesday have always been considered one of the biggest clubs in the land despite being serial underachievers for seven decades; they won four League Championships and three FA Cups between 1900 and 1935 but since dropping out of the Premiership five seasons ago, their spiralling decline has been painful to witness. “We’re not alone. The likes of Manchester City and Wolves went through the same by over financing their challenge to stay in the Premiership. By not cutting wages as we dropped from one league to the next has put us massively in authentic nhl jerseys the red. If we were solvent it would be easier, but because of budget constraints my hands are tied. I like these types of jobs where you have to bite and scratch; I relish the challenge.”

From the early beginnings of his football career, Sturrock has never been one to shirk a challenge. As a player he was dubbed the Scottish Johann Cruyff’, guiding homespun Dundee United to the Premier Division title in 1983 with a then record number of points and goals scored and losing 3 2 on aggregate to Roma in the semi final of the following season’s European Cup. Four years later, United, inspired by a majestic display by Sturrock, cuffed Barcelona in the Nou Camp stadium en route to the UEFA Cup final where the were surprisingly beaten by Gothenburg.

A “play making centre forward” to use his own description, Sturrock also won 20 international caps in an era when Kenny Dalglish, Joe Jordan, Steve Archibald, Andy Gray, Charlie Nicholas, Mo Johnston and Graeme Sharpe were all vying for the strikers’ role. A host of leading English clubs coveted his signature but although United manager Jim McLean was prepared to sell Richard Gough, Andy Gray, Ray Stewart, Duncan Ferguson, Christian Dailly and Kevin Gallacher, Sturrock was never allowed to parade his skills before a southern audience.

“Jim McLean was a master. For 10 years that club became a household name in Europe although none of the players were household names; it was scary. Aye, a number of English clubs wanted me but it didn’t bother me I spent all my playing days at Tannadice because I came to love Dundee United. Obviously I could have made a lot more money from the game but, no, I’ve no regrets the way things worked out. We were a family and that’s one of the things that has been lost to the game since Bosman. Players are less caring about the clubs they play for these days. You’ve got to get them playing for each other now whereas my generation played for the jerseys’. That feeling has become impossible to generate. When was the last testimonial game for long service? There’s simply not that kind of commitment from players any longer.”

After taking his initial managerial steps at St Johnstone, it was inevitable that Sturrock would become Dundee United manager one day, but the pressure of running the club he also supported with a passion became intolerable “Every defeat is twice as hard, every nhl jersey criticism twice as hurtful” and, so,allen iverson jersey, he finally arrived in English football at its most southerly outpost, transforming Plymouth Argyle from a side on nfl throwback jerseys the brink of the Conference into a First Division outfit. There followed the only blip on Sturrock’s CV, his controversially brief stint at Southampton as Gordon Strachan’s successor.

Having arrived at St Mary’s Stadium in March 2004, Sturrock’s reign lasted a mere 13 games five wins, two draws and six defeats ending after just two games of this season. Demoralised by leaked’ press reports andre iguodala jersey that he had lost the respect of the dressing room a rumour strenuously denied by a number of senior players and that chairman Rupert Lowe did not rate his manager’s dress sense,allen iverson jersey, Sturrock (smart casual in the eyes of this admittedly less than dedicated follower of fashion on the day of our meeting) took the hint and took a hike.

And so does he regret swapping Plymouth,allen iverson jersey, where he was regarded as an icon, for Southampton where he came to be known as Worzell Gummidge by virtue of his famous wardrobe? “Not at all; I loved every minute of it,” says Sturrock forcefully. “To coin a baseball expression I was at the show’. In my first game we beat Liverpool 2 1 and those are the kind deron williams jersey of experiences you live for as a manager which, I have to say, would be the best job in the world if there wasn’t a game on a Saturday. Being with Southampton is something I’ll always treasure. The circumstances nfl jersey size chart that arose were disappointing but that’s something for a book in years to come and I’d love to think I’ll go back there one day with Wednesday.”

Trapped in the lower regions of English football, is that day on the horizon? “It’s a long, long way off to be honest. First of all we’ve got to get out of this league and I’ll do everything it karl malone jersey takes. Then I’ve got to build a team to consolidate in the Championship then rebuild again for the Premiership which has run away from the rest of the leagues financially; there’s hardened teams in the Premiership who will never be relegated. It’s getting nba jerseys cheap to the stage that the three teams who come up will go straight back down again. Whenever someone asks me if we can achieve Premiership survival in three or four years, I tell them that’s impossible. To be brutal, I will either get the sack or become a Sheffield Wednesday legend. So all I can hope is that I’m the first manager here in a while to be given time.”