Tony Mowbray did not get the best out of the West Brom players at his disposal, according to Martin O'Connor who worked with him during his time in charge of Birmingham City.
Mowbray was sacked by the Baggies on Monday after a run of five defeats from their past six Championship games with the club's play-off hopes increasingly remote with two games of the season remaining.
The 61-year-old was appointed in January following the departure of Carlos Corberan to Valencia.
"Tony is an old-school manager and wants his players to perform on the pitch but I don't think he's got the best out of the players," O'Connor told BBC Radio WM's football phone-in.