Comment: No clear winner in race between Dean Smith and Darren Moore
They say a picture says a thousands words, and a picture with more than a hundred people in it may say even more than that.
Darren Moore’s response to winning Premier League manager of the month for April epitomised his “we, not me” approach to the role of caretaker boss.
He gathered everyone – ticket office workers, commercial staff, players, coaches, kit men, retail staff, club media, groundstaff and more – to share in the prize.
The image was a club united. Whether they were wearing suits, boots, or chefs’ aprons, they were together.
You get the impression that if he could have, Moore would have gathered tens of thousands of Albion fans behind him too.
The caretaker boss is now involved in a straight shoot-out for the job with Brentford manager Dean Smith – with the winner expected to be announced sometime towards the end of next week.
Barring a dramatic intervention from owner Guochuan Lai, it will be one of those two leading the club into next season.
Regular readers will know this writer believes Smith ticks all the boxes for a Championship campaign.
He is a manager on an upward trajectory, he plays attractive football, has experience in that division where he’s worked wonders with Brentford, knows current Albion coach Neil Cutler from their time at Walsall together, and with family in Streetly, he knows the area well.
Senior members of the board feel the same way, and Smith would be shoo-in were it not for Moore’s unbelievable run as caretaker boss.
Because, just as impressive as the results against some of the country’s leading teams has been the way the former centre-back has revived the whole club from top to bottom in a few short weeks.
The training ground is a happier place, there are smiles on faces. But that’s not because they’re getting an easy ride.
Moore and his coaching staff have been praised by players for their attention to detail, he has created a professional environment of learning where people – regardless of what they do – are treated well.
Smith is the safer bet, a manager with nearly 400 games in the dug-out, whereas Moore will enjoy only his sixth on Sunday.
The concern is that he could end up as another Craig Shakespeare, a caretaker who starts brightly, but fades quickly.
But then again, in a strange irony, Smith's own story provides an argument to punt for Moore.
The Brentford boss got his first chance in management as a caretaker at Walsall before being handed the permanent job at the Banks's Stadium. He was a huge success and nearly took them up.
One thing not in Moore's favour is his inexperience of building a squad for the Championship – or even building a squad at all.
If Albion still had Dan Ashworth as technical director perhaps his case would be stronger. With a reliable recruitment chief in place, he could be given the time and space necessary to evolve into a head coach.
But Tony Pulis ripped up that model and Giuliano Terraneo has little experience of the Championship. The Italian is only definitely here until September anyway.
It may take a more experienced manager like Smith to oversee this busy summer, but then again, Moore has risen to every task so far. Doubt him at your peril.
As each week passes, he passes another test. He is visibly growing into the role, both on and off the pitch.
His substitutions have worked, his man-management is effective, and his players are willing to throw their bodies on the line for him.
His driven determination is increasingly convincing. What if we are witnessing the birth of a competent manager who bleeds blue and white? If that's the case then failing to capitalise on this moment represents its own risk.
There have been a few unfair grumbles about the style of football, with cynics comparing it to Tony Pulis’s approach after three battling 1-0 wins.
But what do you expect Moore to have done with a squad built in Pulis’s image, that was on a nine-game losing streak, battling for their lives at the bottom of the table, and up against some of the best club teams in the world?
In addition, Albion have been threatening from open play in these games, even if a large majority of their goals have come from set pieces.
He deserves a shot at the full-time job, that much is clear, because he couldn’t have done anything more during his short time in charger.
Whether he’s a better option than Smith is still up for debate, but whether the former Walsall man is capable of unifying the club in the same way is also up for debate.
If Smith does get the job, he deserves a fair crack at the whip. He shouldn’t be punished just because he’s not Darren Moore.
Both men have a strong case, this will be no easy decision.
