Family guy Darren has right qualities – Hoult

DARREN Moore’s encouraging start to managerial life has not surprised former Albion team-mate Russell Hoult.

Hoult knows Moore well having played alongside him at The Hawthorns between 2001 and 2006.

And he says the leadership qualities serving Moore well in his first steps as a manager were always prevalent in him as a player.

“He was a leader on and off the pitch,” said Hoult, who made 213 appearances for the Baggies. “Even when we were playing, that was one thing he’d got. If you’ve got that quality and people look up to you and what he’s done in the game, I’m sure he’ll stick in and do well.

“Darren has been involved in the game for as long as I can remember. He’s always had that managerial/ coach role around him.

“When he was playing he had an involvement with the youth and kids at schools and doing coaching in his own time, so it was always there for him to go into that sort of thing.

“To see him do what he’s done in the first two games is very pleasing. I’m happy for the guy.”

Moore vowed to unite the Baggies when he stepped up as caretaker manager following Alan Pardew’s exit. His popularity with the players has helped him to motivate them and is having a positive impact on the pitch with Moore winning four points from his first two games.

“That came through when we played together,” Hoult added. “It all stems back to that. We all felt exactly the same.

“It was never about the individual, it was always about us as the collective ‘we’. I’m sure Darren will bring that across. But it won’t be about Darren, it will be about the club itself. That’s the way he’ll take things forward if he gets that chance.”

Albion face Liverpool on Saturday and, being nine points from safety with four games to go, are on the precipice but Hoult added: “There’s always hope until it’s mathematically impossible. You could say it’s a little bit too late now. But I’m sure Darren is just taking it one game at a time and looking at one result at a time.

“He’ll be hoping he gets a bit of luck with the teams around him. If he gets that you never know.

“Nothing is impossible, as we proved back in the day.”