Victor Ancichebe: Darren Moore can help the cause for black managers

Anichebe, who revealed he didn’t see eye-to-eye with Tony Pulis while he was at the club, says he is rooting for Moore this season.

And he’s glad the 44-year-old was given a chance in the hot-seat by his former club.

“I really, really like Darren Moore,” Anichebe told Football League World. “This isn’t anything about race but in the same breath it is. He is one of the few black managers that’s doing well so he’s really representing all of us in a way.

“He’s also a really, really good guy. I text him from time to time just to say we’re really rooting for you.”

Albion’s automatic promotion chances have taken a huge dent recently, following back-to-back defeats to rivals Sheffield United and Leeds.

But the Baggies are still in fourth place, and speaking before the Leeds defeat, Anichebe said Moore had impressed him.

“They’ve done well,” he said. “The Championship is very strong. There are a lot of top, top teams in there.

“Leeds are strong, Sheffield United are strong, Norwich are strong, Middlesbrough are strong and Villa being down [in 11th] just shows you how well Darren is doing at West Brom.

“There are not many black managers out there who are getting an opportunity but he’s done really well. Hopefully he can be that bridge to get more and more black managers into good jobs.”

Anichebe spent three seasons at The Hawthorns following a £6million move from Everton in September 2013.

But his time with the Baggies was blighted by injury, and he scored just nine goals in 63 appearances.

“I didn’t have a great time at West Brom,” he admitted. “If I am honest I didn’t settle there at all. That’s not the club’s fault or anything, that’s more my fault.

“I didn’t 100 per cent commit myself to settling there I guess.

“I was still living here [near Manchester] and I was travelling up and stuff like that. I was at Everton for such a long time and it was just such a big change for me, I didn’t expect it to be such a big change and I didn’t expect to take to it how I did.”

Anichebe arrived when Steve Clarke was manager, and also played during the Pepe Mel and Alan Irvine eras, before being released by Tony Pulis in the summer of 2016.

“There was never really stability to anything there and then Tony Pulis came in,” he said. “I didn’t really get on with Tony Pulis so much.

“I did at the start. But then most of the guys didn’t really see eye-to-eye with him at all.”

“I don’t really regret anything but that was a difficult time. That’s why when I went to Sunderland it was like a new breath of life.”

The 30-year-old is currently a free agent having most recently played for Chinese outfit, Beijing Enterprises, a club he left after reporting them to FIFA for match-fixing.