Steven Reid: No surprise Pepe Mel left West Brom
Albion defender Steven Reid today admitted Pepe Mel's departure from The Hawthorns was not a shock.
The former Ireland international, whose contract expires this summer, said communication issues blighted the Spaniard's brief Baggies reign.
"It's been on the cards for a while now," said Reid. "There were communication issues, especially at the start. He wasn't able to get the language over well.
"The way we went about trying to change our style completely – you need to know inside out what you're doing on the training ground and on the field.
"I don't think it's a case of not being happy. But for us to get out of the situation we were in we needed to know how we were going to do that. It was important to know the directon we were going especially given the position we were in.
"But I have to say the unsung heroes at the club were Keith Downing and Dean Kiely. They came in and helped superbly. They were heavily involved. They stepped in when we were struggling.
"It had been looking like we might be facing the drop and it was about getting back to basics, digging results out in an English league. It's not always pretty but you have to do that and they played a big part in doing that. It has been a season to forget. We all need to learn from this – from the board, the recruitment department, the players: we all need to make sure we don't find ourselves in this position again."
