Express & Star

West Brom boss Darren Moore: Something has to change at home

Darren Moore admits he needs to find a solution to Albion’s disappointing home form.

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Darren Moore (AMA)

The Baggies have now gone five league games without a win at The Hawthorns, and have won just one of their last eight on home soil.

On Saturday, a 1-0 defeat to fellow promotion-chasers Sheffield United dented their hopes of going up automatically. And Moore acknowledged that something needs to change.

“It’s up to us to try and find ways and means around it,” he said. “We want our home fans to see us win and we will be looking at that before our next home game.”

Albion have won eight out of nine in the league on their travels and Moore believes his side are better on the road because teams put men behind the ball at The Hawthorns.

“It’s credit to the boys and what they’ve done thus far this season and the players that they are (setting up like that),” he added. “We’ll take the positives out of this game and look at how we can be better.”

Moore’s counter-attacking 4-3-3 system, which is working wonders on the road, has failed to deliver results at home. But he was coy when asked if he would tweak it for the remaining six games at The Hawthorns.

“It’s a possibility, but in order to do that we need time to work and because of the relentless schedule this month, it’s been impossible for us to work on anything like that,” he said. “We could also look at personnel in certain positions, to try and break and unlock the opposition.

“We’ll look at it for the future games here at home.”

Albion’s next game is another promotion six-pointer, but away from home.

Ahmed Hegazi is a doubt for that game against Leeds at Elland Road after limping off with an ankle problem on Saturday, but Moore believes Matt Phillips will ready and raring to go after starting a game for the first time since New Year’s Day.

“Matty came in and did really well,” he said. “We’re delighted to have Matty back, a player of his ability.

“Those 60-odd minutes would have done him the world of good to get him back to where he needs to be.”