West Brom have confirmed that caretaker boss James Shan will remain in charge of the club until the end of the season.

The Baggies had been looking for a new head coach since Darren Moore was sacked unexpectedly over five weeks ago.

Preston North End boss Alex Neil was the favourite to succeed Moore at the Hawthorns, with his appointment expected to be announced after Saturday's game between the two clubs.

However, the Scot signed a new three-year-deal to remain at Deepdale, leaving the Baggies with limited options in their search for a new boss.

The board have now decided to award Shan the job until the end of the season, with Albion set to finish the campaign in the Championship play-off places and it was a decision that simply had to be made.

After five weeks of uncertainty, the club can finally move forward and focus on winning promotion back to the Premier League.

The decision allows Shan to focus on his job, without worrying about the speculation surrounding his future and how long he will remain in charge.

Shan deserves great credit for what he has been able to achieve as caretaker boss, winning four out of his six matches in charge and all-but guaranteeing the team's position in the play-offs, which looked under threat when he took over.

Albion may want to consider bringing in a more experienced coach to assist Shan, if this is what he wants, but he has proven that he deserves the chance to lead the team until the end of the season.

In many ways, it was the only decision left to be made, after weeks of uncertainty had narrowed down the club's options.

Bringing in a new manager so close the play-offs would have left the new boss with a very limited amount of time to implement his tactics.

It remains to be seen whether giving Shan the job, or indeed sacking Moore in the first place, is the right decision but if Albion fail to win promotion via the play-offs, the board will have to take responsibility.