Kieran Gibbs: No excuses, West Brom were not good enough
Kieran Gibbs claimed West Brom were simply “not good enough” this season and apologised to the club’s fans after relegation was confirmed.
The Baggies’ eight-year spell in the Premier League came to an end after Southampton beat Swansea 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium on Tuesday night.
They needed a draw to keep their hopes alive of staying in the top flight for another season, but even that would have been a tall order on the last day of the campaign.
Defender Gibbs tweeted on Tuesday evening: “Horrible feeling to be relegated, especially after our recent form as a team! It’s been a wild season on and off the pitch and has been a huge learning curve. Whatever has gone on this season there are no excuses we haven’t been good enough for the majority of it.
“For that we are sorry to the W.B.A fans who have been quite unbelievable considering the circumstances. Thank you for your amazing support this season!”
Relegation came on the same day interim boss Darren Moore was named Premier League Manager of the Month for April, celebrating the achievement with 100 staff members.
West Brom’s season started well with two wins from two – 1-0 victories at home to Bournemouth and away to Burnley.
However, after picking up just four points from a possible 30, Tony Pulis was sacked two days after losing 4-0 at home to Chelsea and was replaced by Gary Megson, who took temporary charge of two games – a 1-1 draw at Tottenham and 2-2 draw at home to Newcastle.
Alan Pardew was named permanent manager but his arrival failed to deliver the improvement needed to guide the side away from relegation danger.
Pardew, who led the Baggies to an FA Cup fourth-round victory at Liverpool, took charge of 17 league games, but a 2-0 home win against Brighton was all he had to show for his efforts.
Problems off the pitch added to the disappointment on it when a mid-season trip to Barcelona made the headlines for the wrong reasons. Four senior players, including captain Jonny Evans and England midfielder Jake Livermore, were forced to apologise after a taxi was stolen from outside a fast-food restaurant.
On April 2, Pardew’s time was up and he was replaced by Moore until the end of the season – West Brom’s fourth manager of the campaign.
Since Moore’s appointment, West Brom have taken 11 points from a possible 15 to keep alive hopes of a great escape that would be considered a bigger achievement than the one Bryan Robson masterminded at the end of the 2004/05 season.
As the Baggies plan for the Championship, they will no doubt spend the summer wondering what might have been had they appointed Moore earlier in their troubled season.
West Brom were labelled a ‘boing boing’ side after experiencing four promotions and four relegations between the Championship and the Premier League between 2002 and 2011.
Supporters will hope the club can bounce back to the top flight at the first attempt next season.
