Darren Moore speaks out on sacking as manager from West Brom
Darren Moore believes West Brom were wrong to sack him as manager in 2019 and that he was surprised that his successor wasn’t a more experienced coach, according to the Express and Star.
Moore, 48, who enjoyed two promotions with West Brom as a player, was put in interim charge after Alan Pardew was relieved of his duties during the later stages of the 2017/2018 Premier League season.
His side’s impressive run of form wasn’t enough to keep them in the top flight, but the Englishman was rewarded with the job on a permanent basis.
His attacking and free-scoring Baggies side sat fourth in the Championship table the next season before he was sacked in March – and replaced with Jimmy Shan – who would eventually lose to Aston Villa on penalties in the play-off semi-final.
Speaking on the Baggies Broadcast podcast, Moore admitted he still thinks back to the tough moment in his coaching career and that he did enough to stay in his role as manager in the west midlands.
He said: “I thought to myself, the club was going to appoint someone with wealth and experience to get them over the line, but because they didn’t do that I think they should have just left me in place to get on with it.
“It didn’t finish the way it should have done that season and decisions at the top proved it was the wrong decision at the time.
“I was fourth at West Brom and fourth when I ended up moving on from Doncaster, so I need to get off being in that position.”
Big mistake
How West Brom wish they could rewind time.
Moore’s sacking as manager was one of the harshest in recent years, considering his side played an exciting, expansive style of football that few other teams in the Championship could match.
Considering the Baggies didn’t get promoted in 2019 highlights the problem with sacking managers mid-season: The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
His eventual successor, Shan, was in charge for just 12 games as caretaker manager, so why they felt the need to part ways with Moore is baffling.
Since the Englishman’s stint at the club, they have come no closer to getting promoted to the Premier League, with Slaven Bilic, Sam Allardyce, Steve Bruce and Valerien Ismael all failing to deliver the much-desired return to the top flight.
After his brutal sacking from West Brom, Moore has gone on to coach Doncaster Rovers before moving on to Sheffield Wednesday.
Moore’s stint at the Hawthorns highlights what a brutal game football management is.
In other West Brom news, Carlos Corberan receives a major injury boost as Baggies star returns to training.