00:00Maggies fans welcome to expressandstar.com my name is Johnny Drury I'm here with Lewis Cox
00:12we're here at the Hawthorns it's the middle of summer what on earth are we doing here we are here
00:16because Ryan Mason has been unveiled to the press today for the first time since taking over as
00:22Albion's new head coach he was alongside sporting director Andrew Nesta talked for a fair while on
00:29on a number of different topics after arriving at Albion from Spurs you can read all about
00:36everything he said on the express and star website today and over the coming days and on the baggies
00:41broadcast which is back tomorrow but I'm here with Lewis just to really reflect on what we made of it
00:48really Cox he was asked questions on things that you could have predicted recruitment playoffs targets
00:54but he seems like someone who's pretty focused now is his time to show what he can do after being a
01:02coach for so many years I think one thing that Albion fans can take comfort with is they've got a manager
01:08who's probably going to give his all to try and succeed here at Albion yeah that was a big theme
01:11wasn't it the timing for obviously a lot of media here today a lot of people asking from alternate
01:16angles and you know there's a lot of why now post Spurs you know where you've coached since what was it
01:212018 obviously ended in style with that Europa League wind in it but but Mason actually said
01:26look I felt I think he's pretty much said since his second interim spell in charge which was 2023
01:32he sort of felt ready that he could you know sort of fly the nest and do it himself as the main man now
01:39obviously he'll have known over the last year or so there's been interest in him from you know
01:43from Albion previously we talked about that at the turn of the year from clubs abroad Belgium was
01:48one club over there so he'll have known that there's opportunities coming obviously summer's
01:54the best time isn't it and I think when they signed off the way Spurs did and obviously
01:58Antropos de Coglu did in Spain what was at the end of May ideal time for Mason isn't it to win
02:04to help Spurs you know he's boiled club Spurs win their first trophy in so long was it 2008 their last
02:10trophy win I think something like that and it must have felt I think for Mason he's sort of intimate
02:15he sort of suggested it that writing was on the wall in you know written in the stars almost perfect
02:21time to sign off with that trophy yes they had a disappointing Premier League campaign but
02:25what perfect time to as I say spread the wings fire the nest and be the main man and I'm just
02:34writing it now putting it online that you spoke about burning desire inside him to to write my own
02:40chapter you know there's really um really nice stuff wasn't it in terms of look part of the Spurs
02:47chapter part of working on that and Foster Coglu and that trophy but you know now it's time to do it
02:53myself and and you know we'll get on to it and I know we're speaking on a podcast tomorrow but
02:56everything I'd sort of heard from contacting and around Spurs people who are close to following that
03:02club close to that club about Mason you know we know how his player career ended didn't we at 25
03:08obviously an awful um injury head injury and entered the coaching game young 26 a lot made of
03:15him being 33 when he was appointed now 34 wasn't there and uh a lot of questions about it and I've
03:21never been I've never been that interested I know he's the youngest albion manager in 100 years and
03:27that is interesting yeah but I'm not interested that he's 33 because he's such experience behind him
03:33at the top level eight is a matter of proof of being the pudding and we'll you know we'll talk a lot
03:36about that on the podcast tomorrow just one thing another thing that came from the from the uh from
03:41the press conference you know obviously we'll reflect a lot more on it tomorrow more in depth and
03:44you'll read a lot more about it over today in the coming days a lot of stories to to write about
03:49um it seems like he was always their man no one else was ever their man you know they're they're
03:55they were very well they are very very much invested in Ryan Mason and Ryan Mason is very much invested
04:02Albion you know he said he he feels at ease already at the whole yeah it seems like the
04:07relationship there you know where previously you know we've we're reading between the lines of the
04:11old manager Tony Mowbray's comments about how's Nestor and the the strategy of Albion things were
04:16conflicted slightly there was a bit of friction there it seems very much still on the same page you
04:20know modern football young manager modern strategy but that that was another positive thing to come
04:25out of there yeah we'll get on to it more tomorrow I know in the podcast and I'm going to rewrite
04:29something about it but there was a popular word used in that press conference wasn't it but by
04:35both Mason and Andrew and Esther and that was alignment it was used it's probably more than
04:39it's probably a bit too much to more than a dozen times but I think yeah yeah yeah but look I suppose
04:46what they're doing there is emphasizing and underlining that we're in this together we're on the same page
04:52for the long one and obviously they're not going to suggest otherwise are they but
04:55I quite look the press conference as a whole it was about 40 45 minutes mostly Ryan Mason speaking
05:02I would say but again what I was going to say just now is that from what I hear people speaking about
05:09how he is his character how he is as a trainer a coach a person in football it felt to me there was
05:17no bluster today there was you know sort of little colour really from from Ryan Mason he was straight to the
05:23points no no nonsense which is stuff we've you know we've written and reported about him you know he's I think to get the
05:30reputation he has to get where he's got to um at a club like Spurs you know you need to be serious
05:36don't you you need to be a very serious person you're not given a free pass because you played a hundred games for them
05:41and sadly had to retire early you know he's been trusted by that club by those managers
05:46Pochettino a huge influence to Mourinho Conte more trusted because of of what he can do as a coach
05:54and now he's a head coach and he's obviously very determined to to grasp this opportunity here
05:59and um look we all know where Albion are don't we in the in the championship at the moment and how
06:03long they've been in it how the longer you're in it the more difficult it is to really get out of
06:07it obviously without the parachutes as we know for a second season um so much on recruitment isn't
06:13there we obviously got lines on that today and we'll be writing that for people to read imminently
06:18um there's still a big summer ahead isn't there there's a big summer ahead there's a lot of you
06:23know only one new face through the door not really been any more departures yet besides the out of
06:28contract players I say yet like I'm expecting more not necessarily saying that but as Andrew Nester
06:34touched on a couple of times Johnny he used the phrase player trade model and in essence
06:39you know if you sign a player for X he does well in clubs want to buy him and you want to make a big
06:45profit on him and then reinvest that's essentially what's going on there and that's look how Albion
06:50have to survive thrive live within PSR and all of that stuff so what I'm saying is there's a long
06:56summer ahead and uh yeah we're looking for it it was great to speak to him for the first time and
07:00obviously in time we'll build up um that rapport relationship be at every press conference as
07:05we are won't we at every game so yeah stay tuned I guess
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