Moving Target – Alan Irvine

West Brom’s search for a new manager finally came to an end in the middle of last month after Alan Irvine was appointed as head coach at The Hawthorns. The Scot replaces Pepe Mel at the helm after the latter parted company with the midlands outfit at the end of 2013/14, having successfully steered them to safety:

Irvine has been handed a 12-month rolling contract and will move from his position as Everton’s academy manager, bringing Rob Kelly along with him as joint-assistant head coach. Having worked as an assistant to David Moyes for many years at Goodison, the 55-year-old drew comparisons between the two clubs after his appointment was made official by the Baggies:

“I’m absolutely delighted to get the job. I’ve got a great deal of respect for the club right the way from the first team through to the Academy. The situation at this club is similar to what I went through at Everton when I went there with David. It is run very sensibly and, as a result of that, any head coach coming in has got a great chance of doing a good job. But it’s a small squad at this moment in time and, clearly, the first job is going to have to be to get some more players in. My passion is for coaching and I believe my strength is on the training ground, which is where we need to get the work done.”

The History

Irvine’s playing career began in his native country back in 1977 with Queens Park, where he scored nine times in 88 appearances. Snapped up by Everton four years later, he managed 60 league appearances and four goals before making his way to Crystal Palace, playing 109 times and finding the net on 12 occasions.

In 1987, Irvine returned to Scotland to turn out for Dundee United. Over two seasons with the Tannadice outfit, he scored three goals in 24 Premier League matches before making his way back across the border to sign for Blackburn – three goals and 58 appearances later, he announced his retirement from the game in 1992.

Irvine had stints at Blackburn and Newcastle as academy director before returning to Everton as a coach in 2002. His first managerial position was with Preston North End in November 2007 – after steering them away from relegation into 15th position, he helped the club to a play-off place in his first full season in charge but was then sacked in December 2009 after a run of one win in 10 matches.

The Scot was out of work for less than a month, though, before Sheffield Wednesday appointed him at the helm. Irvine made an immediate impact, winning Championship Manager of the Month in his first month with The Owls, but his success was short-lived and the club were relegated to League One on the final day of the season. Irvine was sacked in February 2011 with his side sitting 12th in the league and made his way back to Everton once again, taking over as academy manager at the Merseyside club.

The Previous Regime

Having finished just three points ahead of the drop zone in 2013/14, the Baggies were a little lucky to escape relegation after a dismal season to forget. Starting off with Steve Clarke at the helm last summer, West Brom chopped and changed tactics on numerous occasions, with a 4-2-3-1 preferred for the majority of matches.

Clarke had steered the club to eighth in the previous campaign after acquiring Romelu Lukaku on loan from Chelsea but with the big Belgian opting for a year at Everton, the midlands club toiled in front of goal – Saido Berahino and Stephane Sessegnon were the top scorers, with a mere five goals apiece.

After a record of four wins and nine draws in 21 matches, the Scot was dismissed midway through the season but replacement Pepe Mel also failed to make a real impression, with just three wins and six draws in the remaining 17 games. The former Real Betis boss struggled amid rumours of dressing room unrest, whilst an alleged lack of English means his tactics were sometimes lost in translation – just one day after securing survival, he parted company with the club, claiming the Baggies will need “eight or nine new players” in order to prosper once again.

The Season Ahead

Irvine’s immediate task is to win over the fans after his appointment prompted a number of supporters to demand season ticket refunds. With former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood admitting he knocked back the job prior to Irvine’s installation, the Scot has been quickly undermined, though.

The acquisition of Joleon Lescott – due to the pair’s history together at Everton – is a sign of Irvine’s intentions as the busy restructuring programme gets underway. Further additions are clearly needed right across the starting XI and with previous first-choice right-back Billy Jones leaving for Sunderland, Irvine’s Goodison connection has seen the Baggies linked with Tony Hibbert, who is now out of contract with the Merseysiders and has little chance of ousting Seamus Coleman as Roberto Martinez’ first-choice.

In terms of tactics, one look at some Sheffield Wednesday fan forums during his stint at Hillsborough suggests a safety-first ethos, with the team tending to drop deep and catch opponents on the break. Discussing his new side’s likely style of play, the 55-year-old was somewhat pragmatic in his outlook, suggesting it’s likely to be a “horses for courses” approach:

“I am a purist. I like attractive football and I like the team to control the tempo of the game and have possession of the ball. But I am also a realist and I realise the most important thing for the club and the fans is that we win. I would expect different tactics to be used for different games and different systems and strategies and these are all things that can be worked at on the training ground.”

Understandably, Fantasy managers – like West Brom fans – will remain somewhat sceptical over the prospects for 2014/15. Not a single Baggies player managed to break 100 points in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game last time around, in a clear indication of their toils at both ends of the pitch.

Having won just seven times in the previous campaign, drafting in a manager with no experience of managing at the top level looks a very risky move, though the opening schedule has been relatively kind to Irvine. Five of the first six home games (SUN, EVE, BUR, CPL, NEW) afford the new man in charge a chance to pick up the points and with trips to Leicester and Southampton also on their agenda by Gameweek 11, the Scot has the opportunity to quickly make his mark at the top level and bring West Brom’s assets back onto our radars.