If an arguably questionable Christmas party wasn’t enough to finish off the increasingly embattled Steve Clarke era at West Bromich Albion, a fourth consecutive Premier League loss certainly was, apparently.
West Brom removed Clarke from his position Saturday.
The BBC was first to report the news late into the evening in England.
The Baggies have lost four in a row, including a 1-0 setback Saturday to Cardiff City. That left West Brom uncomfortably close to the relegation zone, just two games north of it and moving the wrong way. Clarke’s side had just one win in his final 10 matches.
With Hull up next for the Baggies, a great opportunity at home to get things pointed in a better direction, club officials apparently didn’t want to waste any more time (or opportunities).
Just this week, West Brom’s top man found himself defending his players’ choice to have a rip-roarin’ Christmas party in Dublin, insisting he had no problems with the oddly timed throwdown. (Not “oddly timed” because of the calendar; it is Christmas time after all. But “oddly timed” because West Brom was struggling so in league play, and perhaps someone might have thought better of all this, the potential PR hammer blow of dancing in the streets amid a painful losing streak. Then again, these are professional athletes and not PR mavens.)