OPINION
The sacking of Darren Moore at West Brom has left a bitter taste in the mouth of many both in and away from the Hawthorns.
Having guided the Baggies to sit fourth in the Championship table, the axe was swung by the decision makers at the top and cut short his time in the dugout after what was a mostly impressive year in charge.
Supporters from other clubs have questioned how the West Brom board could get rid of someone who has had his side playing some of the best football the Championship has to offer and has them chasing immediate promotion back to the Premier League.
Well, it seems as though the players are not prepared to take blame if Chris Brunt’s comments are anything to go by.
The midfielder and club captain expressed his sadness at Moore’s exit but insisted that the dressing room are not going to take responsibility, stating that they gave the manager everything they could.
He told the Express and Star: “He’s Darren Moore isn’t he? He’s just a good guy, he’s accommodating with everybody. He spends as much time with Premier League footballers as he does the cleaning staff. It is sad that he’s gone, but at the end of the day it’s a results-based business.
“The football club needs to be back in the Premier League. Board members are paid to make decisions like that. Obviously implementing new bits and pieces this year hasn’t been as easy as we wanted it to be.
“You can’t say people have let him (Moore) down, everybody tried their best for him every day. I think it’s a combination of a lot of things, since the turn of the year it hasn’t worked out.”
Surely that makes it clear enough for those questioning the decision – the players thought Moore was at fault for the poor results, not them.
After impressing so much in the first half of the season it is difficult to see why things would have changed so drastically but there was definitely a dip in form and Moore has paid the price.
If Brunt is right and everyone tried their best then there is nothing more the players could do and at the end of the day it is the manager’s job to ensure he is getting the best out of his team.