Shock as key ally of under-pressure Pepe Mel leaves West Bromwich Albion
Dave McDonough – a key ally of under-pressure West Brom boss Pepe Mel – tonight left the club by mutual consent.
McDonough, who was the Baggies' director of technical performance and scouting, became the first victim of a week in which players' concerns became public.
The former Liverpool and Valencia employee is believed to have been the main driving force behind the appointment of Mel last month to succeed the sacked Steve Clarke.
But his growing influence on the training ground and in team meetings was one of the main reasons for discontent among the Baggies playing staff, which led to crisis talks this week after senior squad members expressed concerns over Mel's tactics and ability to communicate on the training ground.
McDonough was in charge of analysing potential new signings using statistics and performance data.
But in recent weeks his remit appeared to have widened, with the fluent Spanish speaker a constant presence around the first team as he acted as interpreter for Mel.
He is thought to have developed a close relationship with chairman Jeremy Peace but the Baggies tonight decided to cut their ties with McDonough.
