'Focussed, impressed': Lewis Cox & Jonny Drury on West Brom boss Ryan Mason's first press conference

Express & Star

Jonny Drury and Lewis Cox give you their take on Ryan Mason's first West Brom press conference.  Mason, who was appointed a month ago after departing Tottenham Hotspur for The Hawthorns, spoke to the media for the first time since arriving at the club.  He was alongside sporting director Andrew Nestor and the pair covered a range of topics during the press conference.  Lewis and Jonny discuss what was said and the first impressions of the new Baggies boss.

Transcript

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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