West Ham and QPR play-off hero touted as Tony Mowbray replacement at West Brom

Former West Ham and QPR midfielder Gary O’Neil has emerged as an early candidate to take the newly vacant managerial role at West Brom following the sacking of Tony Mowbray on Monday.

The Baggies parted ways with the veteran manager after just three months at the Hawthorns. The 61-year-old lost his job following the 3-1 defeat to relegation-threatened Derby County on Easter Monday, a result which effectively ended West Brom hopes of a play-off spot.

West Brom sit 10th in the Championship table with two fixtures to play, six points off the top six. Mowbray was reappointed as Baggies head coach in January, almost 16 years after he left the club to take up a role at Celtic in 2009.

West Brom sack Tony Mowbray

Mowbray had replaced Carlos Corberan, who left West Brom to take on a new role with Spanish outfit Valencia. The former Sunderland and Birmingham City boss, who recently underwent treatment for bowel cancer, managed just five wins in his 18 matches in charge. A West Brom statement read: “West Bromwich Albion have today parted company with Head Coach Tony Mowbray. Assistant Head Coach Mark Venus has also departed the club.

“The club would like to place on record its thanks to Tony and Mark for their efforts – but has made the decision to part company following a series of poor results. Tony and Mark will forever be welcome at The Hawthorns and their contributions to the club winning the 2007/08 Sky Bet Championship title will never be forgotten.

“Everyone at Albion wishes Tony and Mark all the very best in the future. James Morrison will oversee first-team affairs on an interim basis, assisted by Damia Abella and Boaz Myhill. The process of recruiting a new Head Coach is now under way.”

With the recruitment process already underway ahead of the summer transfer window, several familiar names have been linked with the vacant role at the Hawthorns. Former Nottingham Forest and Leicester City man Steve Cooper is one of them, with Strasbourg head coach Liam Rosenior another.

An early frontrunner is O’Neil, who has been out of work since leaving Wolves in December last year - as per BirminghamWorld. The 41-year-old spent a season and a half with the Midlands club, following time in charge of AFC Bournemouth.

O’Neil spent two years at West Ham and one year at QPR during his playing career during a stint in the capital between 2011 and 2014. The former midfielder left West Ham in the summer of 2013, having failed to agree a new contract, and completed a reunion with Harry Redknapp at Loftus Road. O’Neil won the Championship play-offs with the Hammers in 2012 and then with QPR in 2014.

Gary O’Neil on infamous QPR play-off final foul

O’Neil was sent in the play-off final for the R’s after a cynical late challenge on Johnny Russell to end a goalscoring chance. Bobby Zamora then scored a 90th minute winner to help QPR into the Premier League.

Speaking about that challenge to talkSPORT shortly after that match, O’Neil said: “As I was walking off I was thinking, ‘I hope it doesn’t cost us’. I knew it was a risk of a red card if I fouled him, but it was something I had to make a decision on quickly and I decided it was the right way to go.

“It was a tactical foul. If I felt I had any other option, there was no way I would have done it. I have gone through 15 years of playing professional football without being sent off. I was in the tunnel watching it on a tiny screen and I couldn’t see us scoring. I would have snapped your hand off for penalties.

“As it fell to Bob, I still can’t quite believe it now. It makes me laugh out loud when I think about it. After everything that had happened, for it to turn around and work out was amazing.”

In other news, QPR dealt new double injury concern ahead of tricky Burnley and Sunderland fixtures.