McInnes 'not ready' for Albion job

The former Baggies skipper has been strongly linked with the vacant manager's post at the Championship club, with fans and bookmakers establishing McInnes among the favourites alongside Peterborough's Darren Ferguson.

Brown's comments come as Albion head into the crucial days of the club's hunt for Tony Mowbray's successor.

Chairman Jeremy Peace has all but completed his research into the leading candidates and is ready to open formal communications, with a view to interviews over the weekend and an appointment by the time the players return for pre-season training in the middle of next week.

So far St Johnstone have received no approach for their manager, who has completed his first full season by winning promotion into the SPL.

Brown remains adamant McInnes would be better off staying put at McDiarmid Park.

The chairman said: "There have no approaches from West Brom and I don't believe there will be.

"I think that job would be too early for Derek, because he has only been here since a year past in November.

"He has done very well for St Johnstone, but I don't think he has been tested to the limits yet.

"The board at West Brom will want automatic promotion from the Championship next season and that is some test.

"I don't believe it is the right time for Derek to move."

Peace will not restrict his search to one preferred target, but interview as many as four candidates before making a decision.

But he is determined to keep to a media black- out, having felt both Bryan Robson and Mowbray arrived in the job handicapped by "second choice" labels, as news of talks with other contenders leaked out.

One of them was former Wolves boss Dave Jones, now at Cardiff, who has again been discussed by Peace and has hinted at an uncertain future.

Preston's Alan Irvine is also in Peace's thoughts as well as Ferguson, but both candidates would require heavier compensation packages than the popular McInnes.