Caretaker boss James Shan set to take charge of West Brom against Birmingham City
Caretaker boss James Shan will take charge of Albion’s match with Birmingham City next week and is now in pole position to lead the Baggies for the rest of the season.
After steering Albion to two victories and two clean sheets, Shan has been given a chance by the board to build on his impressive start.
The Baggies have not ruled out making a permanent appointment this season, and if performances tail off, they will be minded to act.
But they believe it will be easier to get the right appointment in the summer, when Albion know what division they are in and more managers will be available.
Shan is not in the running for the permanent job, but could see out the season.
If he continues to impress beyond the game with Blues, Albion will look to appoint an experienced coach to help him navigate the play-offs.
Coaches with a previous affiliation to the club, including Michael Appleton, Craig Shakespeare and Steven Reid are all under consideration although Shan will be consulted on the appointment.
Shan is currently working with loans manager Deon Burton, under-23s boss Jamie Smith and academy manager Mark Harrison.
The Baggies were interested in David Wagner and Alex Neil, but neither are available now.
Wagner does not wish to return to football until the summer and his contract agreement with Huddersfield Town meant the Baggies would have had to stump up hefty compensation to appoint him.
Neil is on the verge of the play-offs with Preston North End and his current club had no intentions of letting him leave.
Slavisa Jokanovic was the initial front-runner for the job, but there were concerns his methods take time to bed in and the Baggies needed a short-term burst.
Jokanovic also reportedly wanted a £1.5million salary and a promotion bonus.
Darren Moore was sacked 12 days ago following a run of one point in three games that severely dented Albion’s automatic promotion hopes.
His assistant Graeme Jones fell out with technical director Luke Dowling on January deadline day, and then agreed to join Luton Town as manager in summer.
The players returned to training today, with the session being taken by Shan.
