West Brom blogger Jarrod Hill on Albion's gamble with Steve Clarke

After what seems like an eternity of speculation and a roll call of just about every manager who has ever walked the touchline we have now appointed our new head coach,

.

Steve Clarke has been appointed as Roy Hodgson`s replacement and his unveiling has surprised more than just a few people.

I have canvassed opinion from a number of fellow fans and the overriding feeling amongst those I have spoken to is that most feel a little underwhelmed.

Steve Clarke is lauded by many in the game as a superb coach, Jose Mourinho being one of his biggest fans having worked with him during their trophy laden time at Chelsea. But his lack of experience as a number one has left many people looking at his appointment as being a bit of a gamble.

One thing that does need pointing out is that we were never in the market for a manager, we were looking for a head coach.

Dan Ashworth operates in a role that incorporates a number of duties that a manager of a club would normally control. The scouting network, data analysis, academies, fitness and rehabilitation department, are all taken care of, allowing our head coach to focus on hands on work with the players.

Of course they will have a say in all other aspects of the clubs football side of things including players coming and going, but primarily they are here to ensure the first team produce results.

If we take that into account then it is less of a surprise that Jeremy Peace and Dan Ashworth have decided to give Steve Clarke his opportunity.

But let's not kid ourselves, this does represent a gamble and it is the fact Jeremy Peace and Dan Ashworth are prepared to take a gamble that really surprises me.

After seeing the work done by the tried and trusted Roy Hodgson I expected us to go along the same route when recruiting his successor. I was expecting an experienced safe pair of hands to be top of our list. Arguably there is no such thing as a safe appointment when it comes to football but you get my gist?

Personally I have no problem with Steve Clarke being our new head coach and maybe with this being his first appointment as the main man he has no failure tag hanging around his neck like a millstone. He will also arrive with a hunger to do well and be backed by the experience he has gained over the last 14 years as a coach in the Premier League.

He will receive my support and I will continue to call things as I see them.

This could be another masterstroke from Mr Peace and Mr Ashworth, or it could be a mistake that could put us back years in our development as a club. The truth is if things do go pear shaped the powers that be will have no hesitation in taking swift action, just ask Roberto Di Matteo.

So my message to all Albion fans is this. Let`s give Steve our support and see what happens, time will reveal all, and remember pre judgements are never a good thing.

It's a gamble, but gambles can pay off. Never boring being a Baggie is it?