Five replacements for Alan Irvine as West Bromwich Albion head coach

West Bromwich Albion chairman Jeremy Peace is looking for his fifth permanent manager in less than four years since sacking Roberto Di Matteo in February 2011. The club are 15/8 chances with Coral to be relegated.

Peace’s reputation as a ruthless chief has been fairly earned. While he may now have fired Alan Irvine, Pepe Mel and Steve Clarke since Italian coach Di Matteo brought the Baggies back into the Premier League, this itchy trigger finger is becoming a nasty habit.

Roy Hodgson is the only man in The Hawthorns hotseat in recent times to avoid getting a P45, but that was because his country came calling. With Peace having no compunction about dispensing with Albion bosses, Coral’s football experts got thinking about who would want to take the job at West Brom?

We came up with five managers looking for work, so read on to see our short-listed names…

Tony Pulis
There may be a battle to secure the Welshman’s services, because Newcastle United are need a new boss with Alan Pardew set to take over at Crystal Palace.

St James’ Park could be more of a draw for Pulis because the Tyneside team are of greater standing in terms of fanbase. However, he worked wonders with another Midlands team Stoke City, and may see West Brom as less of a goldfish bowl than Newcastle.

Tim Sherwood
It’s customary to link former Tottenham head coach Sherwood with every job going, so we don’t see why the Baggies should be left out. It was a similar story when Spanish boss Mel made his departure, but Irvine landed the role instead of the Premier League winner with Blackburn Rovers.

Five months of Premier League managerial experience for Sherwood contrasts sharply with someone of Pulis’ calibre, so that and his refreshing honesty, which Peace may see as an inability to be discreet, could count against him here.

Vitor Pereira
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water, another Jose Mourinho protege rears his head. Pereira worked with both ‘the Special One’ and Andre Villas-Boas in various roles at Porto, before making the step into the hotseat in the Dragons dugout where he won back-to-back league titles.