Challinor, who left Stockport County in mid-June after losing in the League One play-off final, was named Wednesday’s new manager on Sunday. The 51-year-old “unanimous choice” to succeed Henrik Pedersen at Hillsborough. It is the first managerial appointment of Arise’s ownership.
Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, Wilson, who worked closely with Challinor during his time at Edgeley Park, said: “Dave’s situation was completely unique because here was a manager available without compensation who wasn’t coming off the back of an unsuccessful spell, but a hugely successful one. That’s a rare opportunity.
“We knew there would be restrictions in our search because we weren’t in a position to prise a manager away from another club. Naturally, that reduced the size of the market.
“But regardless of compensation, Dave would have been on any shortlist. He is on plenty of shortlists. There was strong competition for his services and we’re very fortunate that we were able to bring him here.”
Wilson stressed Wednesday went through a rigorous selection process in hiring Challinor. He told the club’s in-house media that they spoke to a number of candidates.
“Every managerial appointment is about finding the right person, for the right club, in the right circumstances and at the right time,” he said. “There are lots of brilliant managers out there, but some fit your situation better than others.
“We had to go through a thorough process to establish exactly what we wanted from this appointment at this particular moment. Dave was always part of our thinking, as were others, but the process was important.
“Of course, I probably had an unfair advantage because I’ve effectively had a five-year interview with Dave that only ended in the summer.
“That said, we made sure other people were involved in the process to provide independence and challenge my views. It was important that the owners received the best possible recommendation, and ultimately they shared my belief that Dave was the right man for the job.”
When asked what Challinor will bring to the role, Wilson replied: “With Dave, you get unbelievable clarity. He’s incredibly consistent and level-headed, whether he’s dealing with pressure, adversity, good runs of form or difficult periods. He has a proven winning methodology and, over the course of a 46 or 55-game season, it’s delivered results time and again throughout his career.
“He’s also very easy to work with and low-maintenance... apart from the occasional bad day!
“Throughout his career, Dave has been at clubs without huge resources or specialist staff, so he’s effectively had to do every job. That gives him a real appreciation of what it takes to run a football club. He’s a strong collaborator, enjoys working with people and likes to have fun while getting things done.”
This article is available for free, but if you like what you’ve seen from The Wednesday Word, then a paid subscription would mean the world to us - and allow us to keep doing everything that we’re doing in the TWW universe. We want to keep improving, and growing, and for that we need your support! Thank you!