I don't think that Big D is getting any more slack than another, more experienced manager would have. We are still only a few games into a season in which the manager is trying to completely change not only the style of play, but also the mind set of the playing staff from one of playing with the fear of losing to playing with the bravery to win. TP's legacy is a squad full of so called Premier League players with limited technical ability and attacking flair - this has been proven by the fact that a young loanee, Harvey Barnes, is already our most creative and dangerous player by some distance. I missed the Norwich game through illness (typical) but from what I have seen so far, apart from Barnes only Phillips looks like a player who is top quality even at this level. Big D hasn't been backed financially - with the one in, one out, policy really causing problems as this includes Barry and Chadli who are still taking up big salaries and pretty much blocking our purchase of another CM or AM player that we all know (including Darren Moore) we need.
Big D has shown himself to be open to ideas and flexible in his tactics, also bringing in a very good number 2. An area of criticism might be his persistence with Brunt and Livermore as a central two, but he is certainly not the first manager to look to his more experienced pro's to click before turning to his youngsters. As fans we would love to see some academy players come in and solve all our problems, but how often does this really happen? The management team see the players in training everyday and obviously see weaknesses as well as strengths. That's not to say I wouldn't love to see Field or Harper given a chance and I still hope that will happen.
Being back in this division is a learning journey for the whole club as well as Darren Moore, and I also think making the play-offs would be a fantastic achievement for him. If we don't go up and lose some more of these Premier League players then so be it, I don't think I will be mourning there passing if we can replace them with more young, hungry and technically proficient players that will be suited to an attacking set-up. I would rather be taking my boy to watch an attacking team we can relate to and be proud of rather than have another season of Premier League drudgery where the main entertainment is spot the millionaire.
So given the circumstances, would any other manager already be under pressure following some indifferent performances but also a 7-1 win at home? I would also like to think once the dust settles on a defeat or poor performance that the vast majority of fans would still be behind any manager. The fact that the one we have is inexperienced but Albion to the core, has fantastic values and seems to have the respect of everybody in the game he comes across can only be a further reason to continue backing him, surely? I also think there is a chance, maybe a slim one, that the partnership between Darren Moore and Jones can produce something special in regards to not only results but also regaining our footballing identify. So come on Darren Moore and COYB.