James Shan thanks West Brom players for support
Proud Jimmy Shan has thanked the Albion players for giving him everything during his stint as caretaker.
Shan was in charge of the last 12 games of the season, and turned the home form on its head, winning six from six at The Hawthorns.
Despite being handed the reins in difficult circumstances when his close friend Darren Moore lost the job, he will look back on his time with pride.
And he thanked Albion’s squad for getting behind him during the run-in.
“It’s less about me but more about the players,” he said.
“Their work ethic and application was there for all to see.
“Under sad circumstances of friends leaving the club, I wasn’t in a position financially where I could walk away. The club asked me to do a job and I stepped in. The players have given me everything, they’ve been right behind me, their work ethic and attention to detail has been spot on, so my message to the players was a big thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Shan has been assured that he has a coaching role at Albion waiting for him next season if he wants it.
But the former under-23s boss has previously admitted that leading the first team had given him a taste for management.
He will now take some time to decide what to do next, but is certain he will look back on his 12 games in charge with happy memories.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it,” he said. “I said many times before I’ve got 19 years of coaching experience at a variety of levels and age groups. That’s stood me in good stead.
“The test for me was can I do it at first team level and I like to think I’ve done that as a coach under Darren and the 12 games I’ve been involved in as caretaker. I think I’ve done myself credit.
“I’ll look back on this, probably not in the next two or three weeks, but afterwards with some sense of pride.”
