West Bromwich Albion will be hoping that the appointment of Darren Moore will springboard them back to the Premier League. Moore is very well liked at the Hawthorns, by players and fans alike. A club with their fair share of managerial disasters, West Brom believed that a change of direction was needed.
Darren Moore Must Be a Success at West Brom
Moore goes into the summer having earned his chance. He spent several years on the coaching staff at West Brom before seeing out the season in charge following the departure of Alan Pardew. But a manager with such little head coach experience is the polar opposite of Albion’s manager preference in recent times. Failure this season under managers with the experience of Tony Pulis and Pardew has pushed West Brom to explore new options. Here’s what Darren Moore must achieve at West Brom if he is to avoid the fate of his predecessors.
Promotion Push
Ten years ago, West Brom were known as the ultimate yo-yo club. Relegation was as regular an occurrence as promotion. Darren Moore himself helped Albion to two during his time as a player at the club between 2001 and 2006. Not holding on to their Premier League status for more than a couple of seasons at a time, they never became an established top tier side.
Things at the Hawthorns are now very different. Relegation brings to an end the Baggies’eight-yearr stint in the top flight. They were very much an established Premier League side and they will expect a quick return.
Moore will be afforded some wiggle room though as West Brom face a host of new challenges. A longer run in the top tier means a bigger rebuild now that it is over. An overhaul of the squad is expected, throwing Moore headfirst into the transfer market with zero experience. And with the Championship more competitive now than it has ever been, a challenge for automatic promotion will be tough. Top six will be Moore’s target, anything less will be considered an underachieving campaign.
West Brom DNA
Mid-sized clubs such as West Brom have fans that will often refer to club DNA. This has been a talking point amongst Albion fans for a while. Fans know their club DNA and will want their players and coaching staff to know it too. Despite Tony Pulis guiding West Brom to a top ten finish last season, he was already under pressure. Fans felt that the ‘Tony Pulis style’ didn’t fit the ‘West Brom way’.
As a local man, Darren Moore knows the so-called ‘West Brom way’ and will be expected to implement it. The moniker of boring football instilled by Tony Pulis won’t be welcomed. And since Moore is currently working from a Pulis built squad, changing that style will take work.
A Risk?
A cult hero with very little managerial experience. An intriguing mixture that will play out in full view of the Hawthorns faithful when Albion’s next chapter begins. Darren Moore is a man who will be wanting to change the perception of ‘boring’ West Brom, a club he loves. But what Darren Moore must achieve at West Brom is promotion, that will be his only target. The Championship can swallow up clubs, it’s more competitive now than it has ever been. Moore must build a squad that can bounce back; a big ask for a man with just six games under his managerial belt.
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