West Brom’s Conor Townsend has revealed that the players are enjoying James Shan’s stint in charge as manager as he lifts the lid on the morale in the dressing room.
The Baggies got rid of Darren Moor after their 1-1 draw at home to Ipswich and while there has been plenty of speculation over who might take over as the permanent boss, it has been caretaker coach Shan who has been in the dugout for the last two games – both ending in victory for Townsend and his teammates.
The defender has revealed that while Moore’s exit was not easy to take, the squad are in high spirits and are delighted Shan has been given a chance.
He told the Express and Star: “I think it’s always tough when a manager leaves somewhere but I think we’ve reacted pretty well. To get two good wins off the back of it has been good for everyone’s morale around the place.
“We know Jimmy, he’s been around the place all year and the young lads know him from years gone by. Everyone’s enjoyed it, everyone’s took to his training and got on with it. Hopefully we’ve repaid him with the performances in the last couple of games. We’ve worked with him all year. He’s a brilliant guy always there to help throughout the season.
“Even when personally I haven’t been playing he’s always been there to talk about anything. I’m delighted he’s got the chance and we hope that we can repay him.”
Opinion
It has been quite clear that the West Brom players are enjoying their football under Shan and his bright start as temporary boss could well have put him in contention to remain as the man in the dugout until the end of the season. However, while he might know the players he does not have experience of battling through the Championship play offs and that could prove to be the club’s downfall in their hunt for an immediate return to the Premier League. It would be a risk to not appoint someone with a bit more nous under their belt, for it could mean that a new manager is preparing for another season in the second tier rather than getting ready to battle it out with England’s elite. Still, the players seem happy with Shan and that makes a big impact on how well they perform. Only time will tell whether the Baggies are successful in their promotion hunt – but their decisions behind the scenes will be the deciding factor.