James Shan will be given Friday's midlands derby with Birmingham City as an opportunity to stake his claim to remain in charge of West Brom until the end of the season, though the club will offer him assistance should he need it.

Shan has won his two games as interim Baggies boss so far, beating Swansea 3-0 and winning 1-0 away at Brentford, putting The Baggies ten points clear of the chasing pack in the race for the play-offs with eight games of the season remaining.

According to West Brom reporter Matt Wilson, the situation around the club means that there will be no official confirmation on a new coach until after Friday night's match, but Shan will be allowed to bring in support if he feels he needs it.

According to a report from Wilson in The Express and Star, an impressive result against Birmingham would see Shan offered the job until the end of the season with an experienced assistant to support him, though he is not under consideration for the job beyond then.

Shan would reportedly be consulted before any appointment is made, and would take the lead role in any potential link up.

The verdict

While the rush to sack Darren Moore, followed by the delay in appointing his successor, does not look particularly good on West Brom, there can be no denying that Shan has seized the opportunity given to him with both hands.

With time running out for any incoming manager to implement his own style on the team before the play-offs, Shan is looking like The Baggies best bet right now, particularly if he can pull off what would be a hugely popular win over a Birmingham side reeling from that nine point deduction.