Moore restores West Brom’s pride
IF only West Brom had put Darren Moore in charge of their beleaguered team sooner than the start of this month.
On April 2 they sacked Alan Pardew after a run of eight points from 18 matches. Moore has equalled that return in four games, beating two Champions League-winning managers in the process.
Two wins and two draws have lifted them to within five points of safety with two to play. It would take an improbable set of results for them to survive – they would have to beat both Spurs and Crystal Palace for starters – but at least pride has been restored at a club stripped of its dignity this season.
Moore was an imposing and permanent presence on the touchline and his team duly imposed themselves on opponents who were wearing flip flops instead of football boots. ‘That can happen [when you are safe], but it’s not nice to see,’ conceded Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez. ‘Everything was wrong from the first minute. The players were too relaxed. We made too many mistakes and made the wrong decision too many times.’
This was Newcastle’s first home defeat of 2018 and, while lethargy and complacency had no doubt set in, West Brom were good value for their victory, adding further weight to the argument that mismanagement has been their downfall.
‘There is a wonderful trust and belief in the group,’ said Moore, who is still unlikely to get the job on a permanent basis. If Moore has harvested such unity in less than a month, it does suggest the players simply weren’t putting it in for Pardew. Matt Phillips’ 29th-minute strike proved enough here but a late contender for save of the season from goalkeeper Ben Foster was just as decisive. ‘It was a word-class stop,’ said Moore, ‘but I thought we could have been a couple up by then.’ The goal that broke the tedium came when Jake Livermore dropped a pass in behind a static backline and Phillips gave chase before firing across Martin Dubravka. But Newcastle should have been level when Kenedy prodded past Foster only to be denied by the post. Then, just seconds before half-time, came Foster’s save. Kenedy hoisted a corner to the far post where Florian Lejeune returned the ball and Gayle flashed a header on goal from point-blank range. Foster somehow extended an instinctive palm and clawed clear from underneath his crossbar.
The second half was as dull as the early exchanges and memorable only for a petulant kick from Islam Slimani on West Brom’s Craig Dawson. The offence was missed by the referee and surely a retrospective three-match ban awaits, meaning the Leicester loanee would have played the last game of an inglorious spell on Tyneside.
At least West Brom are finishing their campaign with a little more class than the Algerian, and for that Moore must take all of the credit.