Forget Jose ...let’s all hail Mooro the mastermind!

THE standout result last weekend left the focus on one club: Manchester United have not been out of the spotlight since losing to West Brom.

I understand why the focus has been on Jose Mourinho and Paul Pogba and all the issues that surround them. But what about Darren Moore? The role he played in masterminding a 1-0 win against the odds has hardly been mentioned and I want to put that right.

When I joined Portsmouth as a 19-year-old, Mooro was the first player I met at Fratton Park. I had never lived away from home at that point in my life but I remember him taking the time to chat to me and explain about the area, giving me the best advice he could to ensure I settled quickly.

We struck up a rapport and he was a brilliant captain. Moore (right) would not mind me saying he wasn’t the most cultured on the ball but he was a proper defender, a leader and someone who I always thought would end up moving into coaching and management.

So he will have absolutely loved getting one over on Mourinho. The situation he has inherited at West Brom is far from ideal but he has calmed things down and that resulted in such a composed performance at Old Trafford.

I hoped that he would do well after taking over from Alan Pardew, so to get such a high-profile scalp so early in his time as manager will surely help him in the long term. Darren is one of life’s good guys and he is someone you would want to see succeed.

He has another big task on his hands this afternoon against Liverpool but he has at least given West Brom some hope. Full credit to him — I’m delighted. I’d expect everyone else who has worked with him would say the same.