Albion will bring their home campaign to a close against Newcastle United on Monday almost three months after the club had initially expected to play the Magpies - and Barber says that is down to detailed planning by club staff.
There were times when the league concluding seemed almost impossible, but Albion used the difficult period to emerge out of lockdown in good shape on and off the pitch. Now they are on the brink of securing an historic fourth season in the Premier League.
Barber has already paid tribute to the club’s fans for their support from home and their observation of the club’s and Premier League advice. Now he has acknowledged the role of the club’s various departments who have enabled matches to be played, albeit in the surreal environment with no fans.
He said, “I’m absolutely delighted with the way things have gone operationally. Our staff have been brilliant in terms of maintaining protocols and delivering an operational plan.
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“These things don’t happen by accident. A huge amount of work went into the preparation. A huge amount of detail went into plans and preparing staff to deliver the plans.
“I’ve got a huge amount of admiration and respect for all of our managers who have had to, at very short notice, pull all the plans together and then execute them.
“Every club that has been to the Amex, without exception, has said we have been truly excellent in our delivery of the plan. We are very proud of that.
“If ultimately it helps us secure the points we need to stay in the Premier League then it will have been a job well done on and off the field.”
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Barber made no secret of the need for football to get back playing to help safeguard jobs, and while there is a lot of work to - most notably in getting fans back into stadiums up and down the country - the culmination of the season has been vital for all clubs.
He added, “It has been a huge challenge. Some of our people have been working through the night and through weekends. It has been an incredible time, and unprecedented in terms of workloads.
“Ultimately the delivery has been excellent. I am really very proud of our staff and very grateful to them for their hard work.”