Sports
West Brom could replace Mason with “elite” manager
Ten defeats now from 22 Championship games this season doesn’t make for pretty reading for Ryan Mason‘s West Bromwich Albion.
With no away victories since the 1st of October, too, when the Baggies collected a slim 1-0 win at Norwich City, it does feel as if the 34-year-old is a head coach under significant pressure, as the games come thick and fast in the second tier.
Football Insider have recently revealed that the powers that be at the Hawthorns will reconsider Mason’s position if they get dragged into a relegation battle, with the dismal away form alone screaming of a basement battle to come.
It remains to be seen whether the ex-Tottenham Hotspur coach remains in the Baggies dug-out, with a fresh manager perhaps what is needed to get the very best out of Alex Mowatt again, who has struggled as of late in Mason’s starting XI.
Why Mowatt is struggling at West Brom
The former Leeds United midfielder has been missing from his under-fire manager’s lineups through injury recently, but his general form across the campaign to date means he isn’t exactly banging down the door to be the Baggies’ dependable star centrally at the moment, when he is fit.
Indeed, the 30-year-old talent only has one goal and two assists to shout about from 20 unremarkable appearances in the Championship, which is a far cry from Mowatt at his “sensational” peak in the EFL, as he was once labelled by former boss Steve Evans.
Just last campaign, Mowatt would collect a standout seven goals and two assists, while winning an energetic four duels per league contest.
This time around, his average has fallen to 3.3 per match, as Mason is yet to inspire the experienced midfielder to return to the heights he is capable of.
Mason will pray he can turn around his own fortunes, and Mowatt’s, in the process. But he might not be afforded that luxury if the losses continue to pile up, as West Brom potentially looks towards a Championship-experienced manager as his replacement, who could get even more out of the Baggies’ number 27.
Elite manager could revive Mowatt
Mason should be commended for taking on the pressures of the West Brom gig as his first proper role as a first-team manager, with the 34-year-old unfortunately now struggling in the deep end of the second tier.
Michael Carrick – who has been linked with the job recently – wouldn’t flounder under the same strain, arguably, with the former Middlesbrough boss going down as a transformative force when stepping into the Riverside Stadium dug-out in 2022. He turned the Teesside giants into promotion challengers when they once loitered in the mid-table spots and below.
It’s clear that Carrick is a big upgrade on what West Brom currently have in charge, with 56 wins in the Championship as manager of Boro, taking them to one playoff finish, and a couple of promotion near-misses. This sharp turnaround in fortunes on Teesside would even lead to one analyst hailing the 44-year-old as a future “elite” manager.
It’s not just his calmness under pressure that makes him stick out as a fantastic replacement for Mason, though, with his standout track record working alongside some top midfield talents in the EFL, also standing him in good stead to get the very best out of Mowatt once more.
|
Notable CMs Carrick worked with at Boro |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Games |
Goals + Assists |
|
Hayden Hackney |
104 |
9 + 9 |
|
Jonathan Howson |
94 |
4 + 6 |
|
Riley McGree |
73 |
11 + 11 |
|
Finn Azaz |
66 |
16 + 16 |
|
Matt Crooks |
57 |
10 + 10 |
|
Sourced by Transfermarkt |
||
The table above shows off a handful of the midfielders Carrick had the pleasure of working alongside at the Riverside, with Hayden Hackney even heralded as “outstanding” by one of Carrick’s back-room coaches, Jonathan Woodgate, when being tipped for a Premier League switch under his tenure.
Additionally, Carrick managed to get goals and assists galore out of the likes of Riley McGree and Matt Crooks during his celebrated stint, with McGree sticking out as a well-rounded individual – like Mowatt – when winning 4.2 duels per 90 during the 2021/22 season.
The ex-Manchester United legend turned competent EFL operator would hope he could be a confidence-boosting figure for Mowatt; therefore, after his notable flat performances in the second tier under Mason, with West Brom going after Carrick, also having the potential to turn around their season from a mid-table slump, to a promotion challenge.
Corberan 2.0: West Brom could hire “elite” manager who’s better than O’Neil
West Bromwich Albion must now consider replacing Ryan Mason with this standout manager target, who could be their next Carlos Corberan.
