In an ideal reality, West Bromwich Albion would find themselves competing in the upcoming Championship playoff final after Tony Mowbray’s return had gone down as a rip-roaring success.
Unfortunately, that script hasn’t come to life, with Mowbray actually finding himself out of a job again after a dismal run of just five wins from 17 games led to the Baggies falling short of those coveted playoff spots.
West Brom do have plenty of time on their hands to assess who they would like to bring in as the 61-year-old’s successor now as the ongoing search shows no real signs of coming to a halt.
West Brom's list of manager targets
It’s been nearly a month since Mowbray was abruptly axed from the Hawthorns hot seat, meaning plenty of names have been linked to fill the vacancy.
Indeed, faces such as Stockport County manager Dave Challinor have been tipped to take on the reins, alongside ex-Southampton boss Russell Martin potentially getting back on the horse after his Saints dismissal.
Moreover, former Manchester United coach turned Minnesota United manager Eric Ramsay has also been regularly thrown about as a successor to Mowbray, but there’s one other name that looks to be the likeliest option away from any other rumoured bosses.
Indeed, journalist Graeme Bailey has revealed recently that West Brom still ‘really like’ Tottenham Hotspur background figure Ryan Mason, with his young and fresh approach one factor that ticks a lot of boxes for the Baggies hierarchy.
Ramsay is the same age as Mason – with both the fresh-faced managers only being 33 years of age – but the Spurs coach arguably has more experience of the hustle and bustle of the English game, meaning he might well be viewed as an upgrade on the left-field Minnesota boss.
Why Mason is an upgrade on Ramsay
There is a logic behind West Brom wanting to go down the route of appointing a youthful new manager, having been burnt by the experienced Mowbray returning and ultimately failing.
On top of that, the likes of Liam Manning – who is only six years older than Mason – managed to steer Bristol City to the playoffs just this season, whilst the equally blooming Danny Rohl improved on a near escape from relegation at the helm of Sheffield Wednesday by guiding them to a comfortable mid-table finish.
Whilst both of those figures will likely go on to achieve far more in their careers, Mason does hold an advantage over both of them currently – on top of also bettering Ramsay in this department – with the 33-year-old gaining experience on the job of what it’s like to be an interim boss of a Premier League team with Spurs.
Whilst Ramsay does have an impressive 24 wins under his belt in charge of Minnesota, he has no experience of what it’s like to be thrown into the deep end of Premier League action, having only ever watched from afar when situated at the Red Devils.
On the contrary, Mason has briefly shone when handed the reins of the North Londoners, with six wins collected during some testing and turbulent times after some notable managerial exits.
He could be what West Brom needs, therefore, to recover from the popular figure of Mowbray flopping, with Ange Postecoglou even going out of his way recently to label Mason as “outstanding” for his work at the Premier League side.
Clearly, the Baggies need to think somewhat outside of the box to bring success back to the Hawthorns after the tried and tested route of Mowbray unravelled.
Whilst Ramsay would fit that unorthodox label, he might well flounder attempting to adapt to the Championship. Whereas, the time could be just right for Mason to prove himself after a worthwhile education at Spurs.
Free transfer: West Brom in talks to sign 21 y/o with same agent as Fellows
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ByCharlie Smith