West Brom players respect Darren Moore's honesty, says Jay Rodriguez

Rodriguez has known the Albion boss for a long time, having played alongside him at Barnsley in 2010.

And he says the 44-year-old has built up a strong relationship with his squad because he is honest with them.

“Everyone respects him as a manager and a person,” said Rodriguez. “I played with him, I’ve known him for a long time.

“The guy he is now is the guy everyone knows – the lads have taken to him well.

"He’s honest but he wants what everyone wants, which is to become better. That respect between people is massive in anything in life.

"You want to work and push each other to the maximum you can. We’re going to need that and long may it continue.”

Moore may just be starting out in his managerial career, but he was promoted out of the Championship four times as a player.

And Rodriguez says his former team-mate turned boss understands the mentality of his players.

“We know the history of what he’s done and it does come into play,” he said. “He’s got his own personal experiences.

“He knows where we’re coming from sometimes and he’s very open in that sense.

“I think that’s why it’s such a good relationship between him and the players – it’s a really positive thing.”

Albion moved to the top of the table over the weekend with victory over Preston North End, but just five points separate the top 14 teams and there are two games coming up this week.

Rodriguez is refusing to get too carried away, because complacency is dangerous.

“It’s still tight, it’s still early days,” he said. “We can have a run of games and things can change massively so the next game is important for us.

“Every team can beat any team in the league. That’s the beauty of the Championship and that’s why there’s a lot of entertainment in there.

“You can’t look too far ahead. You only affect what you can affect, which is the next game.”