Dave McDonough, the Baggies’ director of technical performance and scouting, has departed the Hawthorns, having been a driving force in the decision to recruit the former Real Betis Coach to replace Steve Clarke.
McDonough is also fluent in Spanish and was acting as Mel’s translator, with his duties expanding as he got closer to the recently-appointed Coach. But it is claimed McDonough’s presence at the training ground was not welcomed by the Albion players and became a source of friction.
It is speculated that the departure of McDonough leaves Mel vulnerable, with West Brom’s next defeat potentially bringing the end of a reign that has so far only taken in six games.
West Brom have not won any of the games for which Mel has been in the dugout, drawing four and losing two. The Midlands side are a place and a point above the bottom three, with Sunderland, not in action this weekend due to their participation in the Capital One Cup final, holding the final spot in the drop zone.
Mel left Betis earlier this season with the Seville-based side bottom of La Liga. He had previously taken Betis into the Europa League, where they were victorious over Rubin Kazan on Thursday under Gabriel Calderon, setting up a city derby in the tournament with Sevilla.
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