Bullen ‘gutted’ for Carvalhal but delighted with Owls’ win

CARETAKER manager Lee Bullen expects to be in charge of Sheffield Wednesday until the new year.

Following Carlos Carvalhal’s departure on Christmas Eve, the Scot took temporary charge and inspired the Owls to a comprehensive victory over Nottingham Forest.

Adam Reach netted from long range in the fifth minute to set Wednesday on their way to a win that was sealed by a penalty from Jordan Rhodes in first-half stoppage time and a solo strike from Lucas Joao after the break.

“It has been a tough few days,” said Bullen, who is preparing for Saturday’s trip to Brentford.

“The chairman has asked me to do it for one or two games. More than likely, a new coach then comes in.

“The chairman has a tough few days to try and work things through. What I am interested in doing is going to Brentford and getting a result.

“The chairman has asked me to do it up to January 1 and potentially the FA Cup game (at Carlisle United the following Saturday), and then he will make a decision where he wants to go.”

Bullen, Carvalhal’s assistant, was delighted with a “fabulous” win, but questioned why Owls had not performed to this level previously.

“It was a bittersweet day because ultimately a man has lost his job a couple of days ago and he is a really good man and a really good coach,” said Bullen.

“Sometimes the players have to take a little bit of responsibility for that. They have done – they have put their hands up and admitted that we have not played to the standards that we can.

“That is the saddest thing about modern football – sometimes you get that bounce after a change. I am gutted personally for the man, because he is a good friend of mine. I am sure he will bounce back into football.

“But how many times do you see that kind of reaction? More often than not people say, ‘How the heck have they produced that?’, when they have not seen that over the past five or six weeks.

“It was a fabulous win for us. Possession-wise, they had twice as much of the ball as us. But we have to be really pleased with that performance.”