West Brom reunited for big away clash
Head coach Darren Moore believes Albion are a club reunited after his players stumped up the cash to get fans to tonight’s game at Leeds.
The Baggies travel to Elland Road for the crunch promotion six-pointer which could go on to have a big say in who automatically wins a place in the Premier League.
For 16 years, Albion offered fans free coach travel to one game a year, but stopped running the service last season.
However, the players have agreed to pay for coach travel to tonight’s game – with 20 coaches set to make the journey.
And Moore admitted he was proud of his squad when they came to him with the proposal.
“The players said this was an opportunity for them to help with the away day travel,” Moore said.
“I thought ‘great’ because it’s something I wanted to bring back to the football club. I want the supporters to feel proud for their football club.
“This typifies where we’ve come from, you know when you think of where we were as a club 10 months ago.
“We were divided as a football club and I didn’t like it.
“Where we are now is great to see.
“The ground’s full again, the fans are in full voice again and – on the road – the players appreciate the fans coming to support us.
“It’s Friday today, it’s the end of the working week, to watch us they’ve got to come up the motorway.
“Those kind of things the players have put together and that’s what I want, that unity throughout the club.”
Leeds’ season has been rocked by the ‘spygate’ scandal that saw coach Marcelo Bielsa admit to sending a member of his staff to try and watch opposing teams train.
But while the 63-year-old’s approach has been widely criticised, Moore holds no ill-feeling toward the former Argentina boss.
“He was wonderful here, a gentleman,” Moore said.
“Spygate – the league dealt with it and we move on.
“It was a crazy and we were alarmed by it. But he apologised and I appreciate the way he was honest about it.”