[baggie38]

I don't think you can get away with being critical of Moore for some stupid reason. The bloke seems to be immune from stick. I personally think he is out of his depth. I gave him credit over the last two games but last night he got it so wrong. Its been apparent for months that the tactics we deploy at home don't work. For me automatic is now gone. If he doesn't get us promoted with the squad we have he and his coaching staff should be sacked

[caravanc58]

Thought it showed that Barry will struggle to do 3 games in a week, it was apparent in the first 30 minutes how lethargic he looked.
Don't know if Murphy was injured but I'd have played him and Phillips out wide with Gayle in the centre and Bring Rodriguez on later who also looked a bit jaded.
should we have changed a winning side?

[wba_1996]

I've given up on automatics, the top 3 shows that the ability of the head coach is much more important than the quality of the players in this division. Moore still hasn't got this team to gel, we very rarely look good in games, a lot of the time the players look uncomfortable and unsure of the system they are playing. Slow high-risk passing between the back 5, before a hospital pass into the midfield or a floated cross into the box appears to be all we've got going forward after 34 games of working on it. Defensively, I don't see anything positive. The midfield never get back, we don't stop crosses coming in, we don't press as a team, there's always yards of space. We just seem to let the opposition have the ball until they finish their attack. Since Barnes was recalled, it hasn't even been that enjoyable to watch.

[costa blanca baggie]

Looking like we are creeping closer and closer to the crapshoot that is the playoffs.

If we win it then great. If we dont then I feel we should stick with Moore into the next season. If we then are not in the top 6 come Christmas, would then prefer to see a head coach change and to roll the dice in the January transfer window.

...or maybe just wait to see how this season pans out? Too early as a fan to be thinking this way. 12 games to go. Let those who are paid to worry about the distant future worry. The Leeds game is enough worry for me.

[GREGMT]

I've given up on automatics, the top 3 shows that the ability of the head coach is much more important than the quality of the players in this division. Moore still hasn't got this team to gel, we very rarely look good in games, a lot of the time the players look uncomfortable and unsure of the system they are playing. Slow high-risk passing between the back 5, before a hospital pass into the midfield or a floated cross into the box appears to be all we've got going forward after 34 games of working on it. Defensively, I don't see anything positive. The midfield never get back, we don't stop crosses coming in, we don't press as a team, there's always yards of space. We just seem to let the opposition have the ball until they finish their attack. Since Barnes was recalled, it hasn't even been that enjoyable to watch.

That’s pretty much how I feel.  But, I won’t give up on automatic until Leeds match is done.  Sheffield Utd looked fantastically well drilled and coached.  They do not have a squad, their reserves lost at home to Barnet.  Wilder knows what he wants each and every game. 

[overseas baggie]

Thought it showed that Barry will struggle to do 3 games in a week, it was apparent in the first 30 minutes how lethargic he looked.
Don't know if Murphy was injured but I'd have played him and Phillips out wide with Gayle in the centre and Bring Rodriguez on later who also looked a bit jaded.
should we have changed a winning side?

Murphy picked up a knock at the end of the QPR game

[darbolina]

I've given up on automatics, the top 3 shows that the ability of the head coach is much more important than the quality of the players in this division. Moore still hasn't got this team to gel, we very rarely look good in games, a lot of the time the players look uncomfortable and unsure of the system they are playing. Slow high-risk passing between the back 5, before a hospital pass into the midfield or a floated cross into the box appears to be all we've got going forward after 34 games of working on it. Defensively, I don't see anything positive. The midfield never get back, we don't stop crosses coming in, we don't press as a team, there's always yards of space. We just seem to let the opposition have the ball until they finish their attack. Since Barnes was recalled, it hasn't even been that enjoyable to watch.

good summary that

[iwastherein68]

Reports that Darren is thinking about changing the formation for home games!, well about time too. Can we also stop this fixation with playing out from the back. Our goalkeeper is getting flak from our "supporters" because he is not allowed to vary from this bloody nonsensical practice.
As supporters we had better get used to the idea that our management is not strong enough, or savvy enough to see us over the line, and by the way, I do not want to see our manager staying on the pitch to shake the hand of every one of the opposition, I want him in the dressing room telling our players that their performance is unacceptable.
I do not want him telling me that the players gave their all after that appalling performance yesterday.
I was at QPR on Tuesday and saw amazing togetherness at the end of the game.
We are once again at a point where the players do not believe in the system being forced upon them (home games) and like in recent seasons it is going to end in disappointment.   
The vast majority of supporters only see home games, and what they see is not good, and by the way away performances are often not good either despite the results.
For me the "love-in" is definitely over

[baggies_24]

One big criticism I have of the coaching staff is they persist with things that aren’t working for too long. The 3 at the back experiment went on for 3 games too long, playing the 4-3-3 at home has gone on for 3 games too long also. I’m not advocating we completely change formation every 7-8 games however playing the same formation with no little tweaks  for 4-5 games means there’s enough tape on video for teams to analyse how we play and to pick weaknesses in the formation, it’s no coincidence Wednesday, Boro, Forrest & Sheffield United have all played a similar style of football at the Hawthorns and have come away with a result.

The formation needs changing we need Gayle & Rodriguez up top Gayle is utterly wasted out wide, I don’t know what Hoolahan needs to do to get a game either every time he’s played in the cup he’s been one of our better players and gets in those spaces between the defence & midfield that none of our current midfield seem able to get into.

[liverbaggie]

From what I heard on ts2 they seemed to be swarming us,closing down quickly.
Apart from the first and last ten minutes they won the match fair and square.
Could their extra 3 days of not playing when we won at QPR have been the difference?
Disappointing result today but still a lot of points to pickup and really only Leeds to sort out then games get a little easier in the run in.

[iwastherein68]

From what I heard on ts2 they seemed to be swarming us,closing down quickly.
Apart from the first and last ten minutes they won the match fair and square.
Could their extra 3 days of not playing when we won at QPR have been the difference?
Disappointing result today but still a lot of points to pickup and really only Leeds to sort out then games get a little easier in the run in.

Brentford away
Bristol City away
Reading away
Derby away
Blues Home
None of those easy

[mulliganstired]

Johnstone must be trusted to play it long more often, he is so obviously being told to virtually never to do that, he plays daft suicide passes, and it just makes it so easy for a well drilled side like Sheff U.  We have to keep 5 players on our own half, 3 of them around the box, so when we do get it forward we are faffing around ten/fifteen yards outside their box instead of in it.

[Standaman]

Wilder and Sheffield United are an interesting comparison. United spent 6 seasons in League One they would have one of the bigger clubs in the League and always among the pre season favourites for promotion. They ran through 5 managers during that time sacking each one when they "failed" to get promotion although a very poor start to a season saw David Weir fired after just 13 games.

Wilder took over and got promotion at the first time of asking which was fortunate for him because on previous form they probably wouldn't have given him a second chance. Last season he guided them to a respectable 10th place having got to Christmas in the play-off positions. This season has seen them improve and it now seems quite likely they will be in the promotion race down the home straight and are very likely to finish in the top 6.

He has done this with a fairly modest squad, (imagine if we had signed Nadine,McGoldrick or Washngton) but it is a squad which he has put together to play a certain way. He has had the benefit of working with some of the players for the better part of 3 seasons. It is also a squad and a club that has got used to being relatively sucessful and is now probably seen as such by the fans.

Moore is in roughly the same position Wilder was in his first season at United.Our squad has been cobbled together most of it under different managers to play a completely different style of football. The feeling around the club is one of entitlement and disappointment. On the one hand we should be doing better with the squad we have got but equally we are probaly not doing quite as well as we might because of the flaws that current squad has and the legacy of too many years of struggling to stay in the Premier League.

Stoke are in the same boat but it is credit to Moore that he has stopped the rot at least to a degree with less of a drop off in league position. Ultimately we need to stick with Moore if this season turns out to be a bust. Someone described the play-offs as a rubbish shoot it is but it is a rubbish shoot for all of the teams in it not just us.

Before anyone accuses of me being overly gentle on Moore because of sentiment due to his long term association with the club remember I would have appointed a more experienced coach. I would however be arguing to stick with whoever the coach was unless things were dire (i.e. relegation struggle) or worse still whoever we appointed turned out to be a Pulis clone.

[Oldbury24]

Wilder and Sheffield United are an interesting comparison. United spent 6 seasons in League One they would have one of the bigger clubs in the League and always among the pre season favourites for promotion. They ran through 5 managers during that time sacking each one when they "failed" to get promotion although a very poor start to a season saw David Weir fired after just 13 games.

Wilder took over and got promotion at the first time of asking which was fortunate for him because on previous form they probably wouldn't have given him a second chance. Last season he guided them to a respectable 10th place having got to Christmas in the play-off positions. This season has seen them improve and it now seems quite likely they will be in the promotion race down the home straight and are very likely to finish in the top 6.

He has done this with a fairly modest squad, (imagine if we had signed Nadine,McGoldrick or Washngton) but it is a squad which he has put together to play a certain way. He has had the benefit of working with some of the players for the better part of 3 seasons. It is also a squad and a club that has got used to being relatively sucessful and is now probably seen as such by the fans.

Moore is in roughly the same position Wilder was in his first season at United.Our squad has been cobbled together most of it under different managers to play a completely different style of football. The feeling around the club is one of entitlement and disappointment. On the one hand we should be doing better with the squad we have got but equally we are probaly not doing quite as well as we might because of the flaws that current squad has and the legacy of too many years of struggling to stay in the Premier League.

Stoke are in the same boat but it is credit to Moore that he has stopped the rot at least to a degree with less of a drop off in league position. Ultimately we need to stick with Moore if this season turns out to be a bust. Someone described the play-offs as a rubbish shoot it is but it is a rubbish shoot for all of the teams in it not just us.

Before anyone accuses of me being overly gentle on Moore because of sentiment due to his long term association with the club remember I would have appointed a more experienced coach. I would however be arguing to stick with whoever the coach was unless things were dire (i.e. relegation struggle) or worse still whoever we appointed turned out to be a Pulis clone.

This X about a fuggin million. Saved my fingers.   Top post etc.    Don't get me wrong I'm fuggin inebriated this morning, more than I have been for some time but I want to give this management team TIME.  Norwich gave their manager time, Sheff Utd gave their manager time, Bristol City etc. At least I am angry today..... Last year I just stopped caring.  That's the difference Darren Moore is making.   

[GREGMT]

Wilder and Sheffield United are an interesting comparison. United spent 6 seasons in League One they would have one of the bigger clubs in the League and always among the pre season favourites for promotion. They ran through 5 managers during that time sacking each one when they "failed" to get promotion although a very poor start to a season saw David Weir fired after just 13 games.

Wilder took over and got promotion at the first time of asking which was fortunate for him because on previous form they probably wouldn't have given him a second chance. Last season he guided them to a respectable 10th place having got to Christmas in the play-off positions. This season has seen them improve and it now seems quite likely they will be in the promotion race down the home straight and are very likely to finish in the top 6.

He has done this with a fairly modest squad, (imagine if we had signed Nadine,McGoldrick or Washngton) but it is a squad which he has put together to play a certain way. He has had the benefit of working with some of the players for the better part of 3 seasons. It is also a squad and a club that has got used to being relatively sucessful and is now probably seen as such by the fans.

Moore is in roughly the same position Wilder was in his first season at United.Our squad has been cobbled together most of it under different managers to play a completely different style of football. The feeling around the club is one of entitlement and disappointment. On the one hand we should be doing better with the squad we have got but equally we are probaly not doing quite as well as we might because of the flaws that current squad has and the legacy of too many years of struggling to stay in the Premier League.

Stoke are in the same boat but it is credit to Moore that he has stopped the rot at least to a degree with less of a drop off in league position. Ultimately we need to stick with Moore if this season turns out to be a bust. Someone described the play-offs as a rubbish shoot it is but it is a rubbish shoot for all of the teams in it not just us.

Before anyone accuses of me being overly gentle on Moore because of sentiment due to his long term association with the club remember I would have appointed a more experienced coach. I would however be arguing to stick with whoever the coach was unless things were dire (i.e. relegation struggle) or worse still whoever we appointed turned out to be a Pulis clone.

I do like this very sensible and reasoned post.

With the Sheffield Utd comparison in League One I can’t relate to their quality of squad at that particular time.

What I do know is that teams are coming to the Hawthorns and doing a job on us with a more limited team.  Is it just an unlucky streak for us or is there something more stark within this.

With all 8 defeats I have yet to see a team play us off the park and our fans having to bow to their superiority.  Even Derby it was just a clinical show from them having had a gift from J Rod for the opener.

[BRIAN]

Players know if they have performed below the accepted level so there is no point in a manager going straight in and yelling at them. I heard someone from Burnley saying Dyche does not go into the dressing room straight after the game. Poor old Moore is getting some unwanted stick from some unimaginative people. LAY OFF.

[Maresca Was A Baggie]

A minute an a half of injury time left and we win a free kick just inside uor half. I'm screaming at SJ to get the ball into the box. He is dithering, but then plays a 5 yard square ball. I despair. There comes a point with virtually the last kick where we needed it in their box. But no, we had to continue with tippy tappy. I love the fact we are trying to play football, but for gods sack, theres a time and a place for it.

[iwastherein68]

Players know if they have performed below the accepted level so there is no point in a manager going straight in and yelling at them. I heard someone from Burnley saying Dyche does not go into the dressing room straight after the game. Poor old Moore is getting some unwanted stick from some unimaginative people. LAY OFF.

I watch them every week mate imagination has nothing to do with it, and nobody mentioned YELLING

[barnestormer]

Still think Jones is yanking Moore's chain and not as it should be,it's fairly obvious .just look at the full time team talk v Brighton before extra time and looked the same to me from the east stand yesterday

[zippyandbungle]

Still think Jones is yanking Moore's chain and not as it should be,it's fairly obvious .just look at the full time team talk v Brighton before extra time and looked the same to me from the east stand yesterday

And villa away, qpr away etc etc

[barnestormer]

And villa away, qpr away etc etc

Doesn't really matter as regards the positive results does it? It matters that we keep repeating the same mistakes and have no plan B.i stand by my statement of who's in the accendency of who's yanking who's chain

[elkiellis]

I am not Daves biggest fan but he did put out the strongest starting line uptoday,its really not his fault if Holgate poorly crosses at least 10 times,and yes I am still a Holgate fan.
Dear Dave,to break teams down at home you always have to go wide,ALWAYS to get behind there fullbacks,why is it we try and walk into through the middle,with Holgate and Gibbs they should be instructed to overlap ,they both have the ability to do this,final ball is another thing though,yesterday Gibbs hardly attacked his flank,and at least try Gayle down the middle at home before the season finishes.

[Westie]

Unbelievable that some ‘fans’ want Big Dave replaced! We have a bloke at the helm who is Albion through and through, and a really good bloke. Alright, that doesn’t guarantee good football but look at his record, it isn’t that bad. Ask yourselves who you would rather have. Many wanted Smith, he’s doing really well. Gary Rowett, another success story! We could get a really experienced manager, someone like Alan Pardew; win would inevitably follow win.

Just be careful what you wish for. This club will not prosper again until we are rid of our esteemed owner.

[Sted1990]

He’s doing a very good job, we’re set for the play offs at worse.
Do I always like his subs? No.
Is he the boss? Yes so I respect his decisions.

[lindenbaggie]

Yes, we all get frustrated at games like that, but to be honest I expected a difficult game from them as they have a decent record at the Hawthorns. In addition to that, it's not the first or last time we win away and to lose at home in the next match, as it happens elsewhere as well.

As far as Moore is concerned, yes he makes mistakes, but even so, he's only in his first year, and his percentages are over 50, something not achieved I believe since the Ardiles era. We shouldn't forget he's been promoted four times to the Premieship as a player, so knows full well what the pressures are for the staff and players. Far too early to write this guy off.