Football Season Guide

West Brom managed to avert disaster last season by achieving safety with a game to spare, but it was an almighty struggle from the outset. The club’s decision to appoint 34-year-old rookie manager Ryan Mason backfired when a spate of poor results and performances saw him sacked in in January after a club-record tenth straight away defeat! The next managerial appointment was even more catastrophic. Eric Ramsay arrived from MLS but failed to win any of his first nine games (D4 L5) and departed as statistically the worst permanent head coach in the club’s history! For the second year in a row, club legend James Morrison took over until the end of the season, but the Baggies were in a much more precarious position this time around. A dismal defeat at Oxford in his first game back at the helm saw “Mozza” give a candid interview where he criticised the players and the performance, whilst also conceding that he might have start adopting more of a percentage style of play to get out of trouble. Indeed, the Baggies went back to basics with a traditional 4-4-2 formation and a much more physical, direct style of play. It yielded a ten-match unbeaten run which saw them romp to survival – despite a two-point penalty for financial breaches. Morrison has been handed the head coach’s role on a permanent basis and the upcoming season will be the true test of capabilities. The pragmatic approach he used to achieve survival may not be sustainable over the course of a full Championship campaign. The manager has a strong starting eleven at his disposal, but squad depth remains a question mark with several experienced players departing. The attack looks noticeable weaker after Josh Maja, Daryl Dike and Karlan Grant were all allowed to leave. Aune Heggebø had a very encouraging debut season as the main striker. Barney Stewart and Jimmy-Jay Morgan have been brought in to support him but are inexperienced and unproven at this level. Right-back Nolan Galves and midfielder Felix Horn Myhre are relatively unknown foreign acquisitions.