Physically, they couldn’t be more different.
One is a 6ft 2in Brummie, a former centre-half who wouldn’t look out of place at the door of a nightclub. The other is a wee Scottish guy who’s built like the side of a fiver but with a wand of a left foot. Chalk and cheese doesn’t quite cover it. But together? Darren Moore and Barry Bannan are a force to be reckoned with. And the strength of their bond isn’t just about manager and player.
It symbolises much more than that. Their connection goes beyond football. It’s man to man. One human being to another. When Bannan addressed his Sheffield Wednesday team-mates after their epic League One play-off semi-final miracle against Peterborough, his words came from the heart. He didn’t do it to curry favour with his boss who, just days before, had been the victim of vile racist abuse. And it wasn’t him getting carried away in the ecstasy of a penalty shoot-out win that defied all odds.
