Five moments from Darren Moore's reign West Brom fans will never forget
Darren Moore's 11-month tenure as Albion head coach came to an abrupt end on Saturday.
As well as restoring dignity to a club in ruins, he also delivered some incredible moments Albion fans will never forget.
Here, we look at five of Moore's games that will live long in the memory.
1 SETTLING THE TITLE-RACE AT OLD TRAFFORD
Albion had won one league game in 31 attempts, and they went to the second-best team in the country knowing Manchester United needed a result to stop their rivals City winning the title.
But after a 1-1 draw with Swansea in his first game, Darren Moore delivered his first ever victory in United’s backyard. And boy did they deserve it.
Jay Rodriguez scored the only goal 17 minutes from time after an encouraging team performance full of energy. Finally, Albion fans had something to cheer.
2 WHEN THE IMPOSSIBLE BECAME POSSIBLE
Albion followed up that win at Old Trafford with a draw at home to Liverpool and another win away at Newcastle. But then, in the penultimate game of the season, Moore’s rejuvenated side delivered a moment no Albion fan will ever forget.
Jake Livermore’s last-minute scrambled winner against Spurs kept the greatest of escapes alive, and sent The Hawthorns into euphoria.
Moore was visibly healing the club game by game, and even though Albion would ultimately go down, this was the moment that earned him a crack at the full-time job.
3 SEVENTH HEAVEN AT THE HAWTHORNS
The wider context to this 7-1 victory over QPR is that, following years of stodgy defensive football in the Premier League, every Albion fan hoped one positive of relegation would be a renewed sense of enjoyment.
Well, they got that in spades in their second home game of the season. QPR crumbled in a riotous second half, when everything Albion touched turned to gold.
The Fab Four were all singing from the same hymn sheet, and a new 3-4-1-2 formation looked tasty. Football was fun again.
4 DISMANTLING THE LEADERS AT HOME
When Leeds came to The Hawthorns in November, Marcelo Bielsa’s men were firm favourites because Albion were on a downward curve with just one point from their last 12. But Moore changed his system to devastating effect, switching from a 3-4-1-2 to a 4-3-3 that inspired his team to a huge 4-1 victory.
It was a turning point in the campaign and on Moore’s own journey, and sparked a nine-game unbeaten run. Considering the opposition and the form, it was arguably the best performance of the season from both head coach and team.
5 EASING TO VICTORY AT VILLA PARK
It had been 35 years since Albion had last beaten Villa by two or more clear goals, but Moore’s Baggies cruised to a 2-0 victory at the home of their bitter rivals in February.
Two goals in four minutes from Hal Robson-Kanu and Jay Rodriguez gave the Baggies a lead their hosts never looked like troubling.
Completing the second half with two academy graduates in midfield just added to the day. Incredibly, Moore would be out of the job less than a month later.
