WHAT I’m about to write may sound ridiculous.

West Bromwich Albion are fourth in the Championship.

Stuttering, maybe, but firmly in the hunt for a play-off spot, still with a chance of reeling in the top two.

Ipswich Town are rock bottom, preparing for their first taste of third-tier football since the 1950s.

However, given the choice, would I swap the Blues for the Baggies? Absolutely not.

I’d swap league positions in a heartbeat, of course (I’d take fourth from bottom, let alone fourth).

But there’s no way I’d want to support a club that chops and changes managers – one that makes irrational, nonsensical and trigger-happy decisions like the one to part company with Darren Moore on Saturday night.

We’ve had a taste of that ourselves this season and it’s led to a deeply unsettling, transitional time, catastrophic consequences and relegation.

Now the emphasis needs to be on stability, continuity and longevity; a project and building for the future.

As for West Brom, I was baffled by their decision to part company with Moore (I held a door open for him at Portman Road last Saturday and never dreamt he’d have one slammed in his face seven days later).

This is a man – a former player at the club – who nearly kept them up when they appeared doomed last season.

A man who has guided them to fourth in the Championship, scoring 68 league goals – the fifth-highest total across the top four English divisions.

And a man who won three manager-of-the-month awards in his nine months in charge, including the top Premier League prize in April 2018.

As an outsider looking in, it seems a harsh, unfathomable decision and I’m glad that historically, the culture is so different at Portman Road.

Paul Hurst’s short tenure was out of character at a club renowned for being loyal and giving their bosses time.

I hope that ethos continues going forward, under the stewardship of Paul Lambert.

In a comment piece last week, I was critical and suggested his spiel has been more impressive than his managerial nous so far, in terms of development on the pitch.

I stand by that and, like any fan, would have hoped to see more improvement, certainly in terms of results.

But it’s beyond doubt that he cares deeply about the club, has bold, ambitious plans and wants to stay for the long haul.

He speaks with passion and compassion, has genuine respect and admiration for the fans and wants to be involved in all aspects going forward, on the pitch and off it (naively, I never dreamt a manager would have input in terms of things like season tickets and pricing).

Lambert feels like a safe, steady and reliable hand on the tiller; the right man to guide the club through choppy, uncharted waters.

His rhetoric would suggest he’s not going to jump ship and the owner, it would seem, is certainly not going to push him overboard.

I like that stance. Respectful and united – the only way to succeed.

So while I’d most definitely swap league positions with West Brom, I’m grateful to follow a club where backing rather than sacking is the chosen mantra.

Long may that continue.