Ross1

I have followed the Albion for 50 years and I thought I had seen it all but no this is a new level of odd. We sacked a manager when we were 4th in the Championship, that manager is one of the most popular figures at the club in the last 20 years and I think still has the highest win ratio of any manager in the last 30 years. Yet at least half the fanbase seems totally okay with that and their only concern is that we don't have a replacement lined up. By way of explanation. 1. Modern football nobody gives anybody time and head coaches carry the can for over paid and over entitled footballers who need to look at themselves a little bit more often. 2. Specifically at the Albion the expectations at the club with a hefty wage bill and a talented squad were high and there is a very obvious financial imperative on getting promoted at the first time of asking. 3. Moore made mistakes ( he is a relative rookie after all) and at times seemed not to learn from them. 4. The board was roundly and rightly criticised for hanging onto Pulis and Pardew for too long and there is an element of fighting the last war here. I continue to hold Darren Moore in the highest possible regard as a man and a coach. Someone will get an absolute gem. Albion may have over promoted him and this is what I feared when we made the appointment it just wasn't a job for a rookie. The squad is nowhere near as good as it would first appear on paper it has are some major imbalances and the Pulis legacy is crippling us. If we appoint Alex Neil as seems likely this will be his toughest managerial task by a long way. If we get promotion I wouldn't back the current squad to break 20 points in the Premier League and we can't afford to keep it together in the Championship this was a onetime shot at promotion, it is a total rebuild in the summer. Thanks for the insight. Good luck with the rest of the season and for what it's worth I wish you well in the Premier League next year and if you can just see your way clear to handing out a sound thrashing to the Villa on the last day of the season as a parting gift it would be much appreciated.

Thanks for this. One of the current reports suggest that Neil is seeking assurances over the level of control he will have over transfers which from your feedback seems ominous. Our current position seems not dissimilar to the one he inherited with you a relatively strong squad for the Championship on paper but in reality it has some serious imbalances and it is due a major overhaul. The troubling thing is the perception some have that he isn't keen on using young players. If Albion don't get promoted through the play-offs then our academy graduates are going to be critical.

Guys Albion fan here. It looks like we are going to appoint Alex Neil what are we getting? From my limited knowledge of Norwich things seemed to start well but unravelled badly towards the end but I am sure there is more of a tale to tell.