Comment: West Brom can still win promotion, time to get behind Jimmy Shan

Jimmy Shan has been given the reins until the end of the season after picking up 12 points from his six games in charge and cementing a place in the play-offs which looked under threat.

There’s no question he’s earned it, having exceeded expectations in the dugout and impressed behind the scenes.

This was an option as early as the Brentford game, his second in charge, as both players and board members took to his methods, his messages, and the changes he made on and off the pitch.

It is also the right decision to make now, with just four games remaining in the regular season.

Bringing in a new head coach may upset the applecart too much, and there are signs under Shan that square pegs in square holes plus a pragmatic approach could take Albion up.

The 40-year-old deserves to be backed to the hilt by Baggies fans during the business end of the season, and there’s no doubt he will be.

The majority of supporters will welcome the clarity yesterday’s statement delivered after more than a month of uncertainty.

Shan has been a Baggies coach for 13 years, working his way up from the under-7s to the first team through a mixture of determination and diligence. He’s Albion through and through.

Despite all that, there is no way this was the preferred succession plan when Moore was sacked on the evening of March 9 after a 1-1 draw with Ipswich.

Although it has become a credible option due to Shan’s ability, it has also become the only option left to a board running out of time.

Slavisa Jokanovic was the main candidate early on but there were concerns the methods of the former Fulham boss would take time to bed in, time Albion didn’t have.

David Wagner was also considered but he told the Baggies he did not wish to get back into football until the summer.

Alex Neil was admired, and came close to the job before signing a three-year deal at Preston instead.

And so the Baggies were left with Shan. It may not have been the original plan, but he deserves as much support as possible.

Yesterday’s announcement might have come sooner had back-to-back defeats to Millwall and Bristol City not muddied the waters and placed Neil briefly back on the wanted list.

The initial decision to sack Moore has been justified subsequently as results have improved.

As well as delivering two points per game, Shan has three wins from three at The Hawthorns after no home win in six beforehand.

Preston were poor on Saturday, but that performance was one of the most encouraging of 2019.

The concern is, for all of Shan’s attributes, Albion are still entering the play-offs with an inexperienced man at the helm. In that regards, not much has changed.

The club will be adding experience to the coaching staff this week to help Shan, and those appointments are crucial.

Albion must be careful not to replicate the mistakes of the previous regime, when an experienced No.2 had too much influence over an inexperienced No.1.

There will be different characters at play, of course, and Shan does not come across as a coach who will be undermined.

Now he is the man for the rest of the season, it's time to rally around him.

If Albion don't go up with this squad, there will come a time when the dust settles at the end of the season when responsibility and blame must be apportioned.

Decisions made in China, in the boardroom, and in the technical area throughout the course of the past 12 months will come into question.

But right now, the Baggies still have a chance of winning promotion. There is finally a plan to get behind. Time to get behind Jimmy Shan.