Aston Villa manager Dean Smith was left as one of two candidates for the West Brom job after Alan Pardew’s sacking as the Baggies eventually stuck with caretaker boss Darren Moore, according to the Birmingham Mail.
The newspaper claim on their website that Villa supporter Smith, who was then manager of Brentford, was left as the only outside candidate standing after the Hawthorns outfit cut their shortlist from six to two, with Moore, who eventually took charge in their final Premier League games before relegation, the other man in the running.
The report will come as a surprise to many considering how quickly Moore was appointed as caretaker boss and that Smith is a boyhood Villa fan, the two clubs sharing a healthy midlands rivalry.
Opinion
You can be certain that Aston Villa fans are happy with how things turned out regarding Smith, and you would think that West Brom supporters will also consider themselves pleased. The Baggies would not really want a Villa supporting manager at the helm at the Hawthorns anyway and considering Moore’s passion for the job, he would have been nearly everyone’s first pick. It has worked out well for both managers in the Championship and it will be a fascinating battle on Friday night when the two clubs go head to head in their derby clash. The Baggies have been flying high all season while the Villans have started to show what they are really made of after a slow start to their campaign and with a top six finish in the sights of both clubs they will not only want bragging rights over their rivals but the three points. Villa came out victorious against Birmingham City a couple of weeks ago – can Smith show what West Brom missed out on come Friday? Only time will tell.