[zippyandbungle]

Think we have been bang average under Moore in this league and I don't see any dynamic play from us what so ever. Two loan players have covered up the cracks of an average coaching staff, Leeds at home is the onlytimethat Albion have played the whole game as the dominant force.

Leeds
Stoke
Norwich
Qpr
Wigan

We were pretty comfortable with all these

[iwastherein68]

Darren Moore is fast becoming Brexit, if you try and voice an opinion you are either
A, wanting to be his lover whilst wearing rose tinted spectacles
Or
B, a social disgrace who degrades a club legend

Well, I'm not anti Moore (I'm anti villa)
And I'm not pro Moore (I'm pro Albion)

The football generally is better than the last couple of years , the goal celebrations are multiply increased and yes he is one of our own
But
Continually the subs and selections don't add up, HRK has been the go to Sub almost every game but when Gayle was out ...Sako starts
Sako starts despite not having any game time in the last 6 matches when bringing him on would have been easy and without risk
Brunt centre midfield....stop it , it's embarrassing
Edwards, pretty bloody good against reading.....then invisible
Field last year, then humiliated at left back ?

Something is not right, maybe we need an experience DOF , but if I was in charge of the cheque book , I'm not sure I'd let him loose

Agree entirely, you could not make it up could you. The exclusion of Field, Harper, and Edwards is downright criminal 

[paulosull]

Leeds
Stoke
Norwich
Qpr
Wigan

We were pretty comfortable with all these

Gayle and Barnes played in these games if memory is correct?

[albion59]

Agree entirely, you could not make it up could you. The exclusion of Field, Harper, and Edwards is downright criminal

Why is it downright criminal? Do you have access to the training ground and see them day in day out and know for a fact what they are doing should guarantee them a starting place? Thought not so why not leave it to those who are in that position?

[zippyandbungle]

Why is it downright criminal? Do you have access to the training ground and see them day in day out and know for a fact what they are doing should guarantee them a starting place? Thought not so why not leave it to those who are in that position?

You could argue that persisting with brunt in centre midfield and refusing to replace obviously tired legs with subs ...is criminal , regardless of training
Maybe even that if the same players are outstanding in training but then repeatedly fail when it matters, more reason to try different ?

[Westie]

Well, the fans know best, don’t we? I suggest a supporters panel to sit on the morning of every match day to consider team selections. At the end of the meeting the panel would inform Big Dave of his team.............

..........lol

[johnnyg]

People would want to get a serious grip on reality here.  Rewind to before DM was given the job.  Many on here wanted Dean Smith, plenty others wanted Gary Rowett.
Take a read of The Oatcake tonight.. its venomous towards Rowett. He ain't up to it, we escaped big-time there.
And admittedly it might still be early days for Smith at Villa, but there's been no new manager bounce, and he doesn't seem to have instigated any major revolution in their style or substance.
We are well in the mix, and after the absolute shambles that was last season, we need to give DM every chance.
If he fails, he fails, but lets not lose sight of the bigger picture.
And Gary Rowett is a good example of where we might have been. And lots of you on here wanted him in, lets not ignore that.

[GREGMT]

People would want to get a serious grip on reality here.  Rewind to before DM was given the job.  Many on here wanted Dean Smith, plenty others wanted Gary Rowett.
Take a read of The Oatcake tonight.. its venomous towards Rowett. He ain't up to it, we escaped big-time there.
And admittedly it might still be early days for Smith at Villa, but there's been no new manager bounce, and he doesn't seem to have instigated any major revolution in their style or substance.
We are well in the mix, and after the absolute shambles that was last season, we need to give DM every chance.
If he fails, he fails, but lets not lose sight of the bigger picture.
And Gary Rowett is a good example of where we might have been. And lots of you on here wanted him in, lets not ignore that.

Football is a simple game.

I've no doubt that many outsiders could make a fist of it. 

But they will not get the gig so it is irrelevant.

For the record Rowett is poor as was Pardew last season.

Just think it's crucial WBA get promoted this season.  To do it errors from management need to be minimised.

[Westie]

DM has done a better job than many on here expected. I seem to remember that some were full of doom and gloom in the Summer, predicting that we would ‘do a Sunderland’ and suffer another relegation to League One. I think most of would have been more than happy at the start of the season if we knew that we would be in the position that we are now.

Sadly, though, I believe that should we go back up, Mr Lai would seek to recoup his ‘investment’ and then dispose of the Club. I honestly can’t see him putting in enough money to give us a chance of staying up. So, enjoy this season while it lasts.

[GREGMT]

DM has done a better job than many on here expected. I seem to remember that some were full of doom and gloom in the Summer, predicting that we would ‘do a Sunderland’ and suffer another relegation to League One. I think most of would have been more than happy at the start of the season if we knew that we would be in the position that we are now.

Sadly, though, I believe that should we go back up, Mr Lai would seek to recoup his ‘investment’ and then dispose of the Club. I honestly can’t see him putting in enough money to give us a chance of staying up. So, enjoy this season while it lasts.

Who knows what Lai will do?  Get promoted and worry about it later.  A failed promotion will result in our best players lost.  The same process the Villa have gone through amongst others.  Then it's advantage the 3 relegated from the Premier in May.

[beechyboy90]

Not his greatest day but in general he's doing a good job. We have a pretty poor and overpaid squad which limited his backing. His reliance on these senior players and his lack of variety from the bench do hurt big dave. But he's done wonders with a club that's been run in the cheap and has been in a downward spin since Clarke left.

The test of the man is how he bounces back. Last time v Leeds it was very impressive

[iwastherein68]

Why is it downright criminal? Do you have access to the training ground and see them day in day out and know for a fact what they are doing should guarantee them a starting place? Thought not so why not leave it to those who are in that position?

No-one should be guaranteed a starting place , and that really is the problem. The three youngsters that I named have not been given opportunities and I have personally seen sufficient of them to believe that they should have been given more.
You do not have to be a qualified coach to recognise talent, and I have seen some appalling individual performances from some our senior players which basically should have made their positions untenable but "those who are in that position" have not been brave enough to give youth it's chance. The treatment of Sam Field in particular is disgraceful, and the continued selection of Chris Brunt may ultimately cost Darren Moore his job. 

[albion59]

No-one should be guaranteed a starting place , and that really is the problem. The three youngsters that I named have not been given opportunities and I have personally seen sufficient of them to believe that they should have been given more.
You do not have to be a qualified coach to recognise talent, and I have seen some appalling individual performances from some our senior players which basically should have made their positions untenable but "those who are in that position" have not been brave enough to give youth it's chance. The treatment of Sam Field in particular is disgraceful, and the continued selection of Chris Brunt may ultimately cost Darren Moore his job.

I agree with some of your points, but none of us know what goes on at the club there as got to be a reason why Sam Field doesn't get game time but we will never get the real reasons why he doesn't. To be honest though what I have seen of him i havent really been impressed. My main gripe (not at you) is that people want him to make changes then when he does they say he shouldn't have changed it. IMO our squad isn't great and Darren as done a great job with the players he inherited and as turned it around and got them playing and seemingly enjoying it I am enjoying what I'm watching! And finally I backed us to win the championship at the start of the season and I stick by it.

[Brummie Road]

I'm just bemused that some are having a dig at DM as we sit just below an automatic promotion place at the start of the New Year. I'm really unsure about what more he could have done at this stage considering the resources available to him.

[Mister AT]

I'm just bemused that some are having a dig at DM as we sit just below an automatic promotion place at the start of the New Year. I'm really unsure about what more he could have done at this stage considering the resources available to him.

I think some fans believe we should be rolling over every team we play (which isn't going to happen).

This board is a lot calmer than the WBA facebook group, we only have to go 1-0 down on there and its mayhem.

DM has got my backing and in my opinion he is doing a good job. Let's not forget how much of a mess this club has been in behind the scenes, he's had to deal with a lot of stuff which a normal 'head coach' probably wouldn't have to get involved in.

Just to put it out there, if you are on of the fans who doesn't want Big Dave in charge, tell me who you would prefer in charge at this stage of the season (Admin - if that's not allowed, then people are more than welcome to private message me their options), as having a look at the 'out of managers' category, doesn't make for too many options.

[GREGMT]

If Moore picks the best players then we still have a good chance of winning the league.

For those calling for Jenkins to dig deep i think he has the right to instruct Moore to cut the wage bill first.  We have big earners not doing it.

Does Moore have the courage to be ruthless now?  We could probably shed 4/5 which would allow another 2/3 in addition to Holgate.  We've come through the busiest period it'll be back to 1 game every 7 days now for the most part.

[seteefeet]

I think there are a lot of misconceptions around our club at present, in that:

We have the best squad in the league. We simply do not. We have too many ageing players who are past their best, or younger ones who are simply over-rated

We have a crop of super youngsters that are being ignored. We simply do not. The likes of Edwards and Harper have done nothing to suggest they are at this level and, if anything, Leko has proved he probably is not. Burke is a complete enigma, but, again, has done nothing to suggest he could contribute anything significant. Only Field can feel genuinely aggrieved at his lack of opportunity as he has done little wrong when given a chance.

We are financially superior to our competitors. Whilst true, to a degree, as long as Jenkins is in charge our purse strings will be tight.

Considering all of the above, I think Moore is doing a very decent job and to anyone who suggests a different manager would be winning the league at a cantor, my question would be who, and how?
There are more experienced and higher profile managers, working with similar squads and similar budgets, below us in the table and I fail to see what anyone could do differently with this squad.

[GREGMT]

I think there are a lot of misconceptions around our club at present, in that:

We have the best squad in the league. We simply do not. We have too many ageing players who are past their best, or younger ones who are simply over-rated

We have a crop of super youngsters that are being ignored. We simply do not. The likes of Edwards and Harper have done nothing to suggest they are at this level and, if anything, Leko has proved he probably is not. Burke is a complete enigma, but, again, has done nothing to suggest he could contribute anything significant. Only Field can feel genuinely aggrieved at his lack of opportunity as he has done little wrong when given a chance.

We are financially superior to our competitors. Whilst true, to a degree, as long as Jenkins is in charge our purse strings will be tight.

Considering all of the above, I think Moore is doing a very decent job and to anyone who suggests a different manager would be winning the league at a cantor, my question would be who, and how?
There are more experienced and higher profile managers, working with similar squads and similar budgets, below us in the table and I fail to see what anyone could do differently with this squad.

Sorry but i just don't agree.

1) RE: Best squad.  I give you Gibbs best LB in division.  Dawson/Hegazi arguably best CB pairing.  Barry high class midfielder for this division.  JRod, Gayle, Barnes all walk into other teams.
2) Are you happy with Bartley and Brunt being given 1527 and 1227 mins respectively whilst Barry has been underused?
3) Why are Norwich, Leeds and Sheff U above us.  Sheff U on particular are very ordinary.
4) The jury is out on Darren Moore.  Why should Jenkins have to bring in more players with so many underused?

[Standaman]

I think if you look at the 3 relegated sides, ourselves Stoke and Swansea I suspect only ourselves will feature in the shake up for promotion in the 2nd half of the season. They are very much our peers having similar resources and unfortunately have all been relegated following lengthy albeit increasingly joyless spells in the Premier League.

All 3 clubs started the season in need of a reboot with newly appointed managers. If I am honest I cast an envious glance at Swansea's appointment of Potter but I was never on Rowett bandwagon. The 3 clubs have been faced with similar challenges of regrouping after terrible seasons with fanbases which are still bruised from the experience and in fairly unforgiving moods.

Swansea moved their squad on and I suspect that those they retained were only done so because there weren't buyers for them. They have turned to youth and accepted that this season is one of transition. Stoke on the other hand have largely retained their squad and in terms of numbers have actually added to it. We have retained the bulk of the squad and really only replaced those that have left.

Whatever the merits or demerits of the squads the fact remains that only one of these teams is currently in contention and that is the one managed by Darren Moore in his first full season as a Head Coach.

I have seen some abosolute tripe on social media on along the lines of "if manager x was in charge of the Albion then we would be 10 points clear" fine perfectly happy with posters inhabiting whichever alternative reality they feel comfortable in but it is seldom as straight forward as that.

I can easily pick holes in some of his decision making but no Head Coach on this earth sends out his players to make the basic errors (I don't care where they are playing be that their favoured position or not) that have cost us points this season.

[GREGMT]

Enough is enough I'll draw a line under last 2 games.

20 games to go.  We know what players have performed and who has failed.  It is now up to Moore to find a settled unit to hit the Top 2.  If he picks his favourites from here who fail to deliver there really is no one else to blame.

[seteefeet]

Sorry but i just don't agree.

1) RE: Best squad.  I give you Gibbs best LB in division.  Dawson/Hegazi arguably best CB pairing.  Barry high class midfielder for this division.  JRod, Gayle, Barnes all walk into other teams.
2) Are you happy with Bartley and Brunt being given 1527 and 1227 mins respectively whilst Barry has been underused?
3) Why are Norwich, Leeds and Sheff U above us.  Sheff U on particular are very ordinary.
4) The jury is out on Darren Moore.  Why should Jenkins have to bring in more players with so many underused?

1) If 3 of our regular back 4 are the best in the division, why do we keep so few clean sheets? Are you seriously saying that is purely down to Moore? Barry is 37, whilst his class is undeniable, his legs are on the way out and he cannot play every game. I agree on Gayle and Barnes, not so much J-Rod but the fact that we are the top scorers in the division suggest Moore is using them perfectly.
2) Agree completely re Brunt and Bartley, but Moore has addressed this since moving to 433, with neither starting until forced by injury. The fact that we signed a CH / RB as soon as the window opened suggests Moore is aware of the Bartley issue. 
3) I don't watch Norwich, Leeds and Sheff Utd every week but their league positions suggest their managers are doing an exceptional job, as does ours. There are 20 teams below us and only 3 above. I think you've made my point better than I did.
4) I don't see how the jury is out, as you pointed out above, there are only 3 managers who can reasonably claim to be doing a better job, at this moment in time, so the transfer window should be used to address problem areas and give us the impetus to challenge top 2.

[Mister AT]

Enough is enough I'll draw a line under last 2 games.

20 games to go.  We know what players have performed and who has failed.  It is now up to Moore to find a settled unit to hit the Top 2.  If he picks his favourites from here who fail to deliver there really is no one else to blame.

The key to us hitting top 2 is keeping Gayle fit.

The chances that we aren't taken or are coming close to taking, Gayle usually finishes.

Its those fine lines in games which is where he would win us the points.

Keep Gayle, Rodriguez, Phillps, Barnes and Barry fit and we should be top 2.

[ex coseley kid]

I'm just bemused that some are having a dig at DM as we sit just below an automatic promotion place at the start of the New Year. I'm really unsure about what more he could have done at this stage considering the resources available to him.

Bang on.

[timdon]

1) If 3 of our regular back 4 are the best in the division, why do we keep so few clean sheets? Are you seriously saying that is purely down to Moore? Barry is 37, whilst his class is undeniable, his legs are on the way out and he cannot play every game. I agree on Gayle and Barnes, not so much J-Rod but the fact that we are the top scorers in the division suggest Moore is using them perfectly.
2) Agree completely re Brunt and Bartley, but Moore has addressed this since moving to 433, with neither starting until forced by injury. The fact that we signed a CH / RB as soon as the window opened suggests Moore is aware of the Bartley issue. 
3) I don't watch Norwich, Leeds and Sheff Utd every week but their league positions suggest their managers are doing an exceptional job, as does ours. There are 20 teams below us and only 3 above. I think you've made my point better than I did.
4) I don't see how the jury is out, as you pointed out above, there are only 3 managers who can reasonably claim to be doing a better job, at this moment in time, so the transfer window should be used to address problem areas and give us the impetus to challenge top 2.

Two very sensible posts, well argued, can't really disagree with anything in them,

[GREGMT]

Bielsa, Farke and Wilder are undeniably doing better than Moore with available resources.

Moore great player, nice bloke but I judge him as a Manager.

This Norwich match is now critical.