Express & Star

Thomas Gaardsoe: Darren Moore is made to be a manager

Thomas Gaardsoe isn’t surprised Darren Moore has ended up in the Albion dugout – but has urged his former defensive partner to look after himself.

Published
Reunited – Darren Moore and Thomas Gaardsoe. (AMA)

Gaardsoe returned to The Hawthorns last week to collect his Albion cap, and vowed to come back again after receiving a warm reception from the Baggies faithful.

The Dane, who won promotion with the club as a player, was delighted to see Moore has become head coach and hailed his leadership skills.

“I’m really pleased to see Darren in his new role,” said Gaardsoe. “It’s a big task – I think people were a little bit anxious about how the season would start.

“He’s one of the biggest players and characters of this club.

“Of course he has to learn how to manage a whole football team – and a club – but I think he’s doing well.

“I told him to look after himself and protect himself. Darren is person-pleaser, he wants the very best for everyone.

“He doesn’t have the same amount of time as he used to and he has to learn that, but at the moment he’s doing well.

“He was a great leader you can sense that he’s brought that into management.

“He’s got a presence about him and I’m not surprised where he is today. I really hope he will be successful here for many, many years.”

Gaardsoe believes Moore has already navigated one of the trickiest parts of his managerial career – the beginning.

And he believes his former centre-back partner can guide Albion back to the Premier League.

“It was important for him to have a good start to the season,” he said. “Now he’s taken the team into a position to kick on.

“It’s a good team with a lot of quality. The game against Brentford was so similar to when I played in the Championship. You feel in control, but you get a draw.

“The Championship hasn’t changed, but I think Darren knows that.

“If they can take their chances a little bit better than they did against Brentford they’ll definitely be one of the favourites for promotion.”

Gaardsoe is now 39, and remains in football as an agent and a youth team coach.

He enjoyed the best years of his playing career at the Baggies, but he admitted he fell into a hole after announcing he was retiring in December 2006 due to injury.

“I was totally out of football for about a year,” he said. “I was in a whole after I retired.

“Nobody told me what was wrong with me – I just couldn’t run, I couldn’t kick a ball. We tried everything, all surgery imaginable.

“I thought I had to try again because I was only around 29 at the time.

“My old team said I could use their facilities. I hooked up with a really good physio in Copenhagen and he told me I was totally out of shape.

“It took me a year and a half and I fought back. Another Danish team signed me, I played for two and a half years but I had slipped discs.

“I did play more games but I was never at the level I wanted to be but at least I tried.

“I retired in 2012 and now work as a player agent, keeping me within the game and I also do a little bit of coaching for my son who’s 11.

“But it was great to be back at The Hawthorns. It’s strange the fans still remember me – it’s been 12 years or so! I’m honoured about that. I have to come a bit more often!”

And even though Moore had a busy week with two home games to look after, he still found time to catch up with Gaardsoe.

“We joked about,” said the Dane. “He thought he made me look better but I was the reason his passing completion was 100 per cent because he only had to pass it four yards!”