Town caretaker-manager Tony Mowbray says that his style of management will inevitably be different from George Burley's. The former skipper takes control of his first game tomorrow as the Blues face Sheffield Wednesday, themselves struggling in the lower half of the table.

The man known as Mogga says George Burley's sacking came as a surprise: “Obviously everybody was very shocked and it's never a nice occasion. I've been in football twenty-odd years and I've seen it before.

“George popped in this morning and these situations can be quite emotional. We're all human beings first, but we're realistic and know that at football clubs it happens. We've chosen the profession we work in and we know it happens.

“I know George will look forward to a new challenge now. He came to Ipswich eight years ago and has done miraculous things at the football club. The new challenge for George is to go into another football club that he feels is right and go in and try and transform another club into what he achieved here. But, obviously, my first human reaction is to feel a little hollow.”

Mowbray says Burley was well aware that he has ambitions to be a manager himself: “My long-term future is in football management and at the moment I find myself in a caretaker role at Ipswich Town which I'm looking forward to. It's a challenge, whether it is a one-game challenge, or however long the challenge is going to be.

“Life is a learning process, football's a learning process as you go along. I'm sure even Sir Alex learns things day-to-day. I'm at a very tender age regarding this side of the white line, as regards coaching and managing. I see this as an integral step to where I want to go to in order to be a successful football manager.

The ex-Boro man feels that he is ready to take up the challenge and wants the job full-time, citing his years as George Burley's right-hand man as a great experience: “I think it's the right time. I've spent three years working with George, but it's a massive difference because ultimately only one man makes decisions at football clubs regarding the team. You can bounce things around in the coach's office, but ultimately one man makes the decision and as a staff you go down that line.

Despite the shock news, he says he and his players are ready for Saturday's match, although he his own management won't be quite the same as the departing Scot's: “You go into professional mode. I've been working with George for a few years and we'll go ahead as per normal. My own style of management is going to be different from George's, as you'd expect as managing people is a human thing. Your interaction between people and players and individuals in a team. The way I would do it is different to the way George would do it and the players have found that this morning.

With the players wanting to talk about the news Mowbray sent them on a long run so they could get that out of their system and the former central defender says that after that they were very responsive.

He says that unity will be the key to his management: “My style of management is a thing of unity really. You lay down a game-plan for the players, they embrace it, hopefully, you discuss it and if they go along with it you allow them to take it onto the pitch. Once they cross the white line it's their game-plan.

Ahead of Saturday's game against Sheffield Wednesday Mowbray is missing a number of players. Jim Magilton is still out with a hamstring injury, same with Fabian Wilnis, although the Dutchman was in training on Friday. Darren Bent is also still out with his knee injury.

John McGreal will need a fitness test on his knee and we understand the Blues could well line-up with a back three of Venus, Brown and Gaardsøe, last year's Player of the Year returning from injury.

Sheffield Wednesday are in a similar position to Town and manager Terry Yorath is under pressure. Like the Blues they have a number of injury problems, Danny Maddix (knee) and Ashley Westwood (groin) amongst them.

David Burrows has a broken collar bone and Shefki Kuqi is on international duty with Finland. Better news for the Owls is that Ian Hendon is back after injury.

Mowbray says that Saturday's game can be the start of the decent run supporters so desperately want: “Hopefully, starting tomorrow we can start to turn the corner and get the result which will push us in the right direction.”

Photo: Action Images

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