West Brom vs Swansea: Time for Baggies to play for pride

Darren Moore will become the fourth man to take charge of the team this season, but he is likely to receive the same warm reception Gary Megson did during his stint as interim manager.

It would be completely unfair to expect the former centre-back to immediately turn around the fortunes of this team, which is on its knees after nine straight defeats, and if more bilge is served up at The Hawthorns tomorrow, it should be the players in the firing line rather than him.

But while he may be inexperienced at this level, Moore is exactly the sort of strong-willed character capable of restoring some dignity to proceedings.

Hopefully his rallying call earlier this week for the Albion family to unite will be answered, making a positive end to a poisonous season possible.

The team he picks will certainly be intriguing.

The time has now come to plan for next season, and those players most likely to be here for the Championship campaign should start.

Young Sam Field, who starred under Megson before being ostracised by Alan Pardew, would be a welcome addition to the line-up, but he is a doubt after sitting out last weekend’s game against Burnley with a calf strain.

Oliver Burke has only started two Premier League games since his £15m move from RB Leipzig, but like Field, the winger could use the valuable experience of more game time.

By the sheer nature of the squad at his disposal, Moore will have to pick some players who are unlikely to be here next season.

The key will be picking those who haven’t already checked out.

There is a case for returning Grzegorz Krychowiak to the side now Pardew has gone.

The Polish midfielder may be on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, but he proved before his touchline row with the departed head coach that he was up for the fight.

However, Claudio Yacob and Jake Livermore were two of the better performers last Saturday.

That team was missing pace, and hopefully Moore will start either James McClean or Matt Phillips alongside Burke to at least give the team a fighting chance of creating something.

“All I can do is do everything in my power to focus the team for Swansea on Saturday,” he said.

“That’s all I’m thinking about and everything will be geared to getting the preparation as right as possible to give us our best chance of a positive performance.”

That would be enough for the fans, a positive performance.

Something to cling onto, something to suggest there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The Albion Foundation will be celebrated on the day, and those inspirational volunteers from the club’s charity standing side-by-side with Moore will serve as a reminder that there are still good people at the club.

People with dignity, people with class.

The least Albion’s best-paid staff can now do is show the same sort of passion for 90 minutes that Moore did when he was playing.