Comment: It will be tough to replace McAuley and Yacob

When McAuley arrived on a free transfer from Ipswich Town in May 2011, few would have predicted the 31-year-old would go on to enjoy seven seasons with the Baggies in the top flight, apart from perhaps the man himself.

Just over a year later, Yacob was signed on a free from Racing Club in his native Argentina, and for years he mopped up danger just in front of the towering Northern Irishman.

Together, they racked up more than 400 appearances for the Baggies and established themselves as two of the most dependable and likeable players of Albion’s Premier League era.

They may have heralded from the other side of the world to each other, but there were plenty of similarities.

On the pitch, both played with the sort of snarling passion supporters crave, they were men willing to throw their bodies on the line and leave everything out on the turf.

Off the pitch, they were the jokers that helped provide balance in the dressing room. Yacob’s cheesy grin adorns many pre-match photos, and nobody liked a wind-up more than McAuley.

But their behaviour never strayed over the line of professionalism, and both cared deeply about the club.

In February, for example, Yacob was one of the players who spoke out against Alan Pardew in the changing room after the home defeat to Huddersfield.

Nor should either player’s reputation be tarnished by last season’s shambles, because they watched most of it unfold from the bench.

Replacing them this summer will be tough, and if Darren Moore’s picks go on to have half as much success in Albion colours as they did, they will do well.

Ben Foster summed up McAuley’s ability best last week, saying: “G will always be in my all-time best Xl, phenomenal defender, ridiculously underrated!” And that comes from a goalkeeper who played alongside some stellar defenders at Manchester United.

This writer believes Yacob could have been useful in the Championship at just 30-years-old.

However, all things must come to an end, and their release from the club last week alongside goalkeper Boaz Myhill felt like the beginning of the end of an era.

It leaves Chris Brunt, James Morrison, Craig Dawson and Ben Foster as the last four members of Albion’s old guard.

It’s true that a few refreshing faces this summer to coincide with the board’s promised “reboot” will be welcome after the season just gone.

But there’s no doubt finding replacements that can step out of the huge shadows that Yacob and McAuley leave behind will be incredibly difficult.