00:00West Bromwich Albion came into this campaign with high hopes of a return to the Premier League
00:08but instead they found themselves stuck in mid-table frustration.
00:13The fans are restless, the atmosphere at the Hawthorns is flat
00:17and questions are being asked of the club's direction.
00:21We caught up with Charlie Haffenden of Birmingham World
00:23who has followed the baggies closely this season
00:26to understand the mood around the club and why they've fallen short once again.
00:32From a lack of investment in key areas to inconsistent performances and tactical struggles
00:38West Brom's issues go beyond just results.
00:41With another year outside the top flight looming
00:43the spotlight now turns to the board.
00:46Will they stick or twist when it comes to the current set-up
00:49and is a summer overhaul the only solution?
00:54Charlie starting with West Bromwich Albion
00:56and just to catch up on the situation,
00:58obviously Tony Mowbray sacked after the disappointing Easter weekend.
01:02Obviously we mentioned that Easter weekend can be so important
01:05in terms of championship and the EFL in general.
01:08Six points up for grabs in the space of a few days.
01:12West Brom really failed to excite the fans
01:15and it all sort of came crashing down on Mowbray's tenure.
01:19What went wrong?
01:20What do you feel was the issue?
01:22Do you feel it was the right decision to let Mowbray go?
01:25Obviously, you know, the championship experience is undeniable,
01:28but the results just weren't there.
01:31Yeah, it was a real shame really to see Tony Mowbray leave the way he did
01:35and to see the games go the way they did
01:37because obviously such a legend at the football club,
01:3918, 17, 16 years ago, winning the championship as well.
01:44In the past, the fans absolutely loved him
01:46and they welcomed back a vote from arms,
01:47but it just didn't work out as they would have hoped.
01:49But his tactical style, just not quite there.
01:52He went on a lot about trying to dominate games
01:54and wanting to play entertaining football.
01:56But a lot of the time, passing was sideways.
01:58It was backwards.
01:59It wasn't very quick.
02:00It wasn't fast flowing.
02:02I know it's difficult when you face up against a low block
02:04and that was often the case,
02:05but West Brom just not able to penetrate enough.
02:08And swinging balls into the box
02:10when there wasn't really a target man there
02:11or vice versa, when there was a target man,
02:14they weren't putting crosses into the area.
02:15So it just didn't really make sense at times
02:18and the results weren't there.
02:19Losing as many as he did just wasn't acceptable.
02:22To fall away from the playoff fight
02:23when they did, not acceptable as well.
02:25I was there for both games over the Easter weekend.
02:28The Coventry City defeat was just horrendous.
02:31They could have lost by far more goals than they did.
02:33Just such a lapless, a hapless performance rather.
02:37And then against Derby County,
02:39a team that's fighting relegation,
02:41losing 3-1 at the Hawthorns as well.
02:44Meant to be a fortress.
02:44It's been anything but that recently.
02:47And you could just feel the discontent
02:48from the fans, the booing.
02:50And then after the game, sat in the press room
02:52and we had half an hour with Tony Mowbray
02:55in his final press conference.
02:56We didn't know at the time
02:57it would be his final press conference.
02:59Trying to work out as well if he knew at that stage.
03:02But then about half an hour after that ended,
03:05he was sacked by West Brom.
03:07So a real whirlwind weekend over Easter.
03:09And since West Brom, of course,
03:12was falling away, guaranteed,
03:13not to get into the playoffs.
03:14A complete failure of a season in the end after.
03:16It looked so good at the start.
03:19Yeah, I mean, you know,
03:20ignoring Carlos Corbran and the success he had
03:22with such a small, you know, squad, small budget.
03:25Before that, you know,
03:26it's sort of a bit of paper over the cracks.
03:28Albion's recruitment in terms of managerial stints,
03:31as you know, I saw a stat not long ago
03:33that the number of permanent head coaches
03:35that have been in the Hawthorns dugout
03:37has been incredible in the last sort of five,
03:40six, seven years or so.
03:43You know, it's so important
03:44that they do get the next recruitment right
03:46because it's just sort of a recurring problem.
03:49Who do you feel could be any candidates to come in
03:52and maybe to look at this summer?
03:54It just sort of shows back to square one.
03:57They need to reset and they need someone
03:58with a bit of a fresh identity
04:00and a bit of a fresh bit of passion
04:02to get the fans back on board.
04:03Yeah, it's so important to take the right amount of time
04:07and patience with this one.
04:09That was the approach with Mowbray
04:10and it didn't quite work out.
04:11I think with Shilin Patel, the new owner,
04:14the honeymoon period is over
04:15because of that decision.
04:17They need to get the next one right.
04:19They need to make sure the next manager
04:20is the correct one
04:21because if they don't get champion,
04:23if they don't get playoff football next season,
04:25there's a risk they could just get stuck
04:27in a championship for years and years and years.
04:29Like we saw with Birmingham City,
04:30just stuck mid-table mediocrity for so, so long.
04:34The likes of Gary O'Neill, Steve Cooper
04:36have been mentioned by the bookies,
04:38but at the moment,
04:39it seems as if Westbrook were taking their time
04:41and it could take a few weeks
04:42for them to get their new man through the door.
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