00:00West Bromwich Albion are preparing for a fresh chapter under new head coach Ryan Mason
00:07with hopes high that the baggies can mount a serious push for promotion.
00:13After falling just short in their last campaign,
00:16Albion have turned to the highly regarded young manager
00:18to inject new energy and direction at the Hawthorns.
00:23Mason inherits a side that already possesses a strong foundation,
00:27experienced championship players a solid spine
00:31and a fan base hungry for top-flight football once again.
00:35His task will be to refine their style, lift attacking output
00:38and build on the defensive organisation that made West Brom tough to beat last season.
00:44As the club enters a new era, the challenge is not just promotion
00:48but doing so with a clear identity.
00:51There's belief that Mason's arrival could be the start of a longer-term project
00:55aimed at stability, growth and a return to the Premier League on firmer footing.
01:01We spoke with Charlie Haffenden of Birmingham World
01:04to explore what Mason's appointment means for Albion's ambitions
01:09and how the club plans to build a promotion challenging squad
01:14capable of delivering across a full campaign.
01:17So, Charlie, starting with West Bromwich Albion and obviously Ryan Mason
01:23appointed as the next manager, a big statement.
01:27I mean, obviously, he's a manager coming in and he's fresh ideas.
01:31He's obviously got some fantastic experience in the top flight,
01:34the highest level.
01:36You know, he'd been trying to be poached before
01:38and he decided to stay on with Ange Postakar,
01:40who obviously helped deliver that Europa League,
01:42which was fantastic for them as a club.
01:44I mean, it all sort of makes sense, you feel, for all parties involved.
01:49It gives him the chance.
01:50It gives him a platform.
01:51It gives West Brom maybe this ambition that they need to go on
01:54and have a bit of a fresh start maybe over the last couple of seasons,
01:58obviously, with Carlos Corbran's exit
02:00and then the return of Mowbray not quite working out
02:03and them falling short.
02:04So, just firstly, your thoughts on Ryan Mason as manager
02:07and, you know, how are Albion fans feeling?
02:10What's the feeling around the Hawthorns ahead of the new campaign?
02:14I think it's a feeling of excitement.
02:16Obviously, it took so long to get the Tony Mowbray replacement in,
02:20but I think it was a lot of patience and consideration.
02:22Even with Mowbray, there was a lot of patience,
02:24but they made the wrong decision ultimately
02:26and I think they wanted to make sure
02:27that they made the right one this time around.
02:29They knew that the playoffs were already kind of over for last season
02:32and I think if next season they don't get in the playoffs,
02:35then this club could really just kind of be stalemated
02:38into the, stagnated in the championship rather.
02:41And Ryan Mason, he's not in a proper managerial role before
02:44and I think there are concerns over that.
02:46However, if you look at Chris Davies at Birmingham City,
02:48also coming from Tottenham, he's done so, so well.
02:52Ryan Mason as well, very highly thought of amongst the Tottenham
02:55backroom staff.
02:56And Posta Koglu, of course, not at the club anymore,
02:58but he really favoured having Mason amongst his coaching ranks.
03:01Of course, he was the one who took interim charge of Spurs
03:04on a couple of occasions.
03:06So, there's obviously a lot of trust there.
03:08Is he ready for management?
03:09It's difficult to say, isn't it?
03:10I think the jury will be out for quite a while.
03:13But it's quite positive that he's got quite a few relationships
03:15at Tottenham.
03:16Potentially, West Brom could take advantage of that
03:19in the transfer market.
03:20The likes of Mikey Moore and Jamie Donnelly
03:22have already been linked for potential loan moves.
03:25Those would both be fantastic signings, in my opinion,
03:27for West Brom, can really take them forward,
03:29give them a bit of young energy into that team.
03:31But I think just in terms of the squad overhaul,
03:34it's likely to happen as well.
03:35Having someone like Mason in there, who's quite raw,
03:38he's still quite young, seems to have a good tactical knowledge.
03:41I know that managers aren't necessarily that involved
03:43in their recruitment at West Brom,
03:45but I think they probably can tap into Mason's,
03:48maybe not experience because he hasn't got that,
03:51but he seems to have a decent mindset
03:53when it comes to it tactically.
03:55Yeah, they're obviously going to be hoping for this fresh start,
03:58but in terms of expectations, they will remain the same
04:00and if not, possibly go even higher.
04:03They want to make sure they are returning
04:05to the Premier League sooner rather than later.
04:08To fall short in the way they did,
04:10maybe that's what triggered this rebuild this summer,
04:14how important it was to get the right people in this summer.
04:17So in terms of expectations for West Brom,
04:20I'm sure there could be a little bit of leeway for Mason,
04:23but Baggy's fans are really going to be stubborn
04:26in terms of they're going to be expecting him
04:28to hit the ground running with this side
04:30and take them one step closer to returning to the top flight.
04:35Yeah, I think it's going to be tricky
04:36because it's going to be quite a squad overhaul
04:38in terms of transfers.
04:40Hopefully West Brom will be back to being at their best
04:42and can challenge for those playoff positions.
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