Ossie Ardiles, the last Albion manager to leave the Baggies for another club, has warned Tony Mowbray to think long and hard about his decision on whether to join Celtic.
Reports north of the border suggest Mowbray has already agreed to join the Hoops, however Albion still have yet to grant the 45-year-old permission to speak with the SPL runners-up.
The former Baggies boss walked out on Albion after gaining promotion after the 1993 Play-Off final victory for his beloved Tottenham Hotspur; but has consequently admitted to making a mistake and revealed his turmoil at taking the White Hart Lane post.
“It’s up to Tony Mowbray what he does but I speak from experience,” Ardiles told the Birmingham Mail.
“It was the most difficult decision I made as a manager, possibly during my career.
“I didn’t sleep during the night, I couldn’t focus or concentrate on anything. It was a much harder decision than many people thought at the time.
“We had just been promoted and I was walking away from a club which I had a lot of affection for.
“Tottenham was my club. It was my dream. But it turned out to be my wrong decision.”
Ardiles was held in similar adulation to Mowbray by the fans after his stylish brand of football took Albion from the third tier of English football and revealed he received a mixed response after agreeing to leave B71.
“I had a few letters from fans - some were aggressive but I had a lot of supportive ones,” Ossie said..
“I think people do forgive you eventually, especially if you’ve achieved something.
“This is not just a job. You deal every day with fans, players, directors, the kit man, the staff, the media.
“You become attached to people. It’s not just the fans but people you enjoy your success with and who hurt when you lose games. This is what makes football.”