[frazzle]

I think Darren Moore deserves a bit of credit - he and the coaching staff have demonstrated in the last week or so that they can be football thinkers and are prepared to try something new. My fear was that Moore would have been stubborn and persisted with a flat 442, to the detriment of the players, but he showed his ability to mix it up and try something new and that deserves applauding and show signs of someone who is prepared to learn from his mistakes.

The formation that we have seen in the last two football matches suits this group of footballers - it allows a bit more protection for Brunt and Livermore, it allows Kieran Gibbs to be more flexible and provide us with genuine width. The important ingreident is having Harvey Barnes in the middle who can link the attack and midfield. The problem we faced in our opening two matches is that any of our attacking moves broke down because there was nobody to link our forwards and the midfield. Barnes provides that missing link with not only a good passing range but with the ease in which he moves the ball. Barnes allows us the platform to get the best out of Gayle and Rodriguez

I am expecting us to be more conservative away from home, I don't think we will go around and try to rail-road teams, but yesterday was everything I want to see from a side at The Hawthorns. There was pace in the squad, there was energy, we pressed to get the ball back as quickly as we could and furthermore we were clinical with our opportunities. To be honest, at 3-1 we could have easily shut up shop and saw the game out. I was impressed that rather than seeing the game out we chased more opportunities and more goals. If we get that every week, then every single one of us will be happy.

Agreed. Really encouraging and the coaching staff have proved that they are open minded and inventive. Fantastic to see.

[Standaman]

I spent 3 years moaning about Pulis/Pardew because they couldn't or wouldn't evolve their tactics regardless of the players they had in the squad. My criticism of Darren was that the tactics weren't quite working and didn't fit the players he had and within weeks he has identified the issues and done something about it.

Nobody could have expected his tactical switch to work as spectacularly as it did and even if it hadn't the important and refreshing thing is that he was willing to do something different. Maybe it is function of inexperience a coach without hundred's of games of confirmation bias or just that he is a different generation of coach whose education has had more influences from outside the closed shop of the English game.

With regard to substitutions I wouldn't be critical often pundits overstate their importance yes a coach can influence the game through changes of personnel but there is a lot of guff spouted on the issue. Player subbed on scores  it's a stroke of genius fluffs easy chance it's a mistake whereas in all probability it was neither. Incidentally Darren got a goal and an assist out of the substitutions on Saturday but I honestly think the state QPR were in at the time it didn't matter who was on the pitch that was always likely to have happened.     

Overall Darren has had a very good week and everything he has done has worked. I hope fans remember this when things don't go so well, he still needs to be given time but the signs are encouraging.

[BoingFlyer]

I spent 3 years moaning about Pulis/Pardew because they couldn't or wouldn't evolve their tactics regardless of the players they had in the squad. My criticism of Darren was that the tactics weren't quite working and didn't fit the players he had and within weeks he has identified the issues and done something about it.

Nobody could have expected his tactical switch to work as spectacularly as it did and even if it hadn't the important and refreshing thing is that he was willing to do something different. Maybe it is function of inexperience a coach without hundred's of games of confirmation bias or just that he is a different generation of coach whose education has had more influences from outside the closed shop of the English game.

With regard to substitutions I wouldn't be critical often pundits overstate their importance yes a coach can influence the game through changes of personnel but there is a lot of guff spouted on the issue. Player subbed on scores  it's a stroke of genius fluffs easy chance it's a mistake whereas in all probability it was neither. Incidentally Darren got a goal and an assist out of the substitutions on Saturday but I honestly think the state QPR were in at the time it didn't matter who was on the pitch that was always likely to have happened.     

Overall Darren has had a very good week and everything he has done has worked. I hope fans remember this when things don't go so well, he still needs to be given time but the signs are encouraging.

I remember an interview I think it was with Brunt after Pardrew had left where he said that Pardew tried to change to much to quickly and the players did not know what they were doing. When Darren Moore took over he reverted back to what the players knew and got instant results. I think that was a lesson he learnt from someone else's mistake and has been introducing a more gradual shift over the last few games and waited for Graeme Jones to come in and help with that shift to a new style of football.

[Backofthenet]

When QPR scored my brother looked at me and said "I wish we had conceded first and scored, we could fold up now" That was based around previous experience of what we had witnessed during tenure of TP and AP. In that situation with them in charge we would not have got back into most games and just plodded on. Well we all know what happened on Saturday and wasn't it so refreshing. We've put down a marker now and whilst we know there are games where we have to slug it out, opposition teams will be pretty wary of us because we've got goals all over the place and they won't want to relax against us.
More of it please - let's enjoy the ride.

[Mr Cynical]

I know. I thought Barry did Ok but nothing special. I'd seriously worry about him against other sides he's painfully slow and he'll get over-run.

Same happens to Brunt every game, two bookings for pulling players back after being mugged and a penalty given away in pretty much the same fashion.  He wants too much time on the ball and isn't mobile enough to evade the pressing player(s).  I think Field would do a better job than either of them.  Plus I was disappointed for Harper (who I thought was MotM in the week) deserved to be on the bench ahead of Barry IMO.

[iwastherein68]

Same happens to Brunt every game, two bookings for pulling players back after being mugged and a penalty given away in pretty much the same fashion.  He wants too much time on the ball and isn't mobile enough to evade the pressing player(s).  I think Field would do a better job than either of them.  Plus I was disappointed for Harper (who I thought was MotM in the week) deserved to be on the bench ahead of Barry IMO.

Yes Rakeem earned a place on that bench for sure.

[SirTonyM]

For those who don't think Darren Moore is a good manager he got 6 million for McLean and replaced him with Harvey Barnes... Will go down in Albion folklore

[liverbaggie]

He's not a good manager mate,he's a good head coach though.

[The Joust]

He's not a good manager mate,he's a good head coach though.

Can you elaborate ..?

[HampshireBaggie]

I’m a big fan of the trust he has of his team. Heavily delegated roles for Jones and Cutler. Seems like he lets them get on with it and gives them a lot of freedom.

[Hull Baggie]

Can you elaborate ..?

think Liver was referring to Moore's job title rather than anything about his ability to do the job.

[Albionic]

For those who don't think Darren Moore is a good manager he got 6 million for McLean and replaced him with Harvey Barnes... Will go down in Albion folklore

Barnes is on loan though, if DM can get him signed up that would be impressive.

[skyclad99]

Barnes is on loan though, if DM can get him signed up that would be impressive.

Forget the Barnes part of the equation... he got £6m for McLean...genius itself!

[liverbaggie]

Your quite right Hull.

[Albionic]

Forget the Barnes part of the equation... he got £6m for McLean...genius itself!

I couldn't agree more with that !

great train robbers, bonnie & clyde, Ned kelly all would have been proud of that one

[baggie53]

Forget the Barnes part of the equation... he got £6m for McLean...genius itself!

Except that big Dave wouldn't have anything to do with the fee. It would be the much criticised Jenkins doing the haggling

[paulosull]

Happy that Darren is doing well with no support from board it seems, no DOF appointed to help out Moore with transfer targets but one will be appointed after transfer window is closed that beggar's belief

[Adder]

Happy that Darren is doing well with no support from board it seems, no DOF appointed to help out Moore with transfer targets but one will be appointed after transfer window is closed that beggar's belief

There will have been cheaper options than Graeme Jones as assistant manager and I suspect that's the main appointment Moore wanted during this window. It's the old chestnut, a DOF could actually get in the way of Moore and Jones bringing in the players they want.

[ranvir wba90]

Tactically not good enough again. Keep insisting with brunt in midfield. Taking off barnes again we lost impetus. 

[paulosull]

Thought we played well tonight  hope that's only for cameras Darren because we were awful. Brunt is not the answer in midfield and if you and Jones can't see this then you won't be here long I'm afraid

[baggie96]

We were starting to run the game through Barnes, but then Morrison came on and did well. Maybe should have taken brunt off. Got done by a sucker punch by a Pulis team, not the first and probably won’t be the last. Move on to the next game.

[hunsletbaggie]

Barnes is on loan though, if DM can get him signed up that would be impressive.

Wouldn't worry about that Barnes is destined for bigger and better things than us.

[slate]

Very, very quiet on this thread tonight. It's almost as though some of the loudmouths shot their bolt a little prematurely after the thrashing of QPR.

Tactics were all wrong tonight and not for the first time. This demonstrates that Darren is far from a competent manager at this level.

We've gambled on him big time. Still hope that he can come good for the team but boy he needs to learn quickly.

[paulosull]

Watched this team live three times this season and each time we have been poor. Bolton at home Forest away and now boro away. With the game at home to Bolton I was shocked by the way the center halves were pumping balls over the top by passing midfield which to be honest was over run. Forest was an eye opener with the lack of tactical thinking coming from sideline and we looked naive as a team and I still can't believe how we got point in that game. Tonight persisting with Brunt in midfield cost us the game as well as head scratching substitutions. Darren I hope will be ruthless with players who aren't performing but I hope he would be courageous and bring on younger hungrier players that he has at his disposal.

[HampshireBaggie]

We won 7-1 against QPR and we’re quite rightly overjoyed at the result.

We lost 1-0 away to Pulis’ top of the table team. Poor performance by the sounds of it. Never mind, we go on.

No need to get the knives out.

It seems as though there is no middle position, you can only be angry or over the moon.