New manager Carlos Corberan inherits an ageing West Brom team of big names, wages, debts, issues and, now, relegation worries — our regular contributor Matt Graham has had his shoelaces confiscated.

Crikey, Matt, bottom of the league with that team, where is it all going so wrong?

In all the years I’ve contributed to LoftForWords, this is by far and away the most dejected I’ve been about the club. Although there was a sense of optimism before the season began, the wheels have fallen off in spectacular fashion.

Where do I start? After last season, Steve Bruce should never have been allowed to continue as manager. The transfer strategy over the summer was incoherent and did little to address the glaring issues in the squad in both defence and attack. Some bizarre decisions were made about selling and/or loaning decent players, that ultimately weakened an already threadbare squad. Add in a transfer deadline day which saw two signings fail to go through due to an administrative error which just served to underline the lack of professionalism behind the scenes. And then to top it off, an absentee owner who is using the club to prop up his other businesses and currently owes West Brom £12m in unpaid loans.

This is before we even get to the team on the pitch which has looked devoid of ideas and enthusiasm. Too many draws, and a series of performances, most notably against Birmingham City, have been abysmal. With The Hawthorns crowd increasingly toxic and unhappy, they have focused their frustrations on players such as Kyle Bartley, Karlan Grant, and Jake Livermore as the fall guys for the situation. The opening games of the season didn’t look to bad, but once opponents worked out that a) we had only one tactic which was incessant crossing, b) we couldn’t hit a barn door, c) were susceptible to the counter-attack, and d) had a keeper who couldn’t actually save shots, then we were always in serious trouble. Furthermore, the team are prone to conceding first, more often than not in the opening 15 minutes, which means the side is automatically on the back foot and have to struggle to get back into games. All in all, it has been a miserable season so far.

West Brom league results so far
Boro 1-1 West Brom Jones 10 — Swift 51
West Brom 1-1 Watford Grant 45 — Sarr 12
Blackburn 2-1 West Brom Brereton 41, Gallagher 47 — Diangana 59
West Brom 0-0 Cardiff
West Brom 5-2 Hull Elder og 37, Swift 48, Furlong 55, Grant pen 70, O’Shea 85 — Estupinan 77, 90
Huddersfield 2-2 West Brom Anjorin 11, 30 — Wallace 37, 57
Wigan 1-1 West Brom Magennis 6 — Grant 22
West Brom 1-1 Burnley Thomas-Asante 90 — Rodriguez pen 30
West Brom 2-3 Birmingham Wallace 23, Thomas-Asante pen 83 — Hogan 14, 54, 71
Norwich 1-1 West Brom Byram 68 — O’Shea 9
West Brom 2-3 Swansea Livermore 48, Diangana 65 — Sorinola 6, Ntcham 71, Obafemi 89
Preston 1-0 West Brom Riis 7
West Brom 0-0 Luton
Reading 0-2 West Brom Phillips 25, Gardner-Hickman 72
West Brom 0-2 Bristol City Williams 32, Wells 45
Millwall 2-1 West Brom Styles 38, Burey 90 — Swift 20
West Brom 0-2 Sheff Utd Ndiaye 11, McBurnie 23
West Brom 1-0 Blackpool Yokoslu 85

Presumably no complaints about Bruce getting the sack? What did he get wrong specifically?

How Bruce still gets management gigs is beyond me. The fact there was no broader interview process when he was appointed by his mate, and our CEO, Ron Gourlay, was the first warning sign. The subsequent extension of his contract in the summer was baffling to most fans given the results he’d overseen, although there was some willingness to give him the benefit of the doubt with a transfer window behind him. I wish we hadn’t. During his tenure, the Albion won only eight times in 32 matches, and when he was sacked, the club was at its lowest league position since 2000, which is a stark illustration of the decline. There have been numerous reports at how little coaching, fitness, or tactical work Bruce conducted, and the regression of players such as Furlong and Townsend was startling. There was no identifiable style of play, and the inability to change matches in-play became ever more noticeable as the form dipped. The days of giving players a pep talk, an arm around the shoulder, and license to do what they want on the field has long gone. Almost every Championship side is well coached and drilled, while utilising data to ensure marginal gains, yet under Bruce, all of these aspects were non-existent. To give just one example, about Bruce’s lack of preparation or wider knowledge of the game, he publicly admitted over the summer that he wasn’t aware of the new five sub rule in the EFL. For a professional football manager that is a dereliction of duty.

Given that the last four West Brom managers have struggled to last a year, as bad as Bruce is, doesn't it feel like the manager isn't the main problem here?

There are definitely much wider structural challenges at West Brom beyond the managers. The chairman and controlling shareholder Lai is an absentee owner, with little affiliation or seeming care for the club, and rather than investing in his asset, he has used it to withdraw money from; currently to the tune of more than £12m. The penny pinching in all aspects of the club from recruitment, data analysis, coaching, and players has had an accumulative long-term impact that has contributed to the decline. There are worrying reports that the club is so short of money that they are seeking an emergency £25m loan from an American equity firm, which does not breed confidence about the financial state of the club.

Within this absentee set-up is the total lack of consistency in managers and playing philosophies as we chop and change between recent custodians which encompasses Bilic, Allardyce, Ismael, and Bruce. The lack of strategy and forward planning means four of the last five permanent managers have been sacked in season. The result is no coherence throughout the club, and a playing squad that is a mish mash across these very different managers, which in turn inhibits any new incumbent. There is also now a core of players who seem to have a lot of unjustified power and influence in the dressing room, that creates the sense that they are also a big part of the problem. We now have players like Bartley who’ve played under eight (including interims) managers since 2018.

There is a significant fan anger toward how the club is run at boardroom level. The CEO Ron Gourlay came into the position talking a good game about supporter engagement and better communication, but he is definitely part of the problem. Not only did he appoint Bruce without an interview, he has done precious little to change the backroom culture of the club. A damning indictment is the recruitment and scouting set-up which is an old boys’ network that simply looks at players there is a connection too or who the then manger has an admiration of. Less than a decade ago, West Brom had an entirely justified reputation for identifying quality, yet cheap players from around the world. Now, and I kid you not, we signed Brandon Thomas-Asante from Salford City, because he played with Bruce’s son-in-law, Matt Smith, and Erik Pieters who we got on a free transfer, was Bruce’s next door neighbour. You couldn’t make this shit up.

Despite appointing some absolute dud managers, including almost every dinosaur you can think of, the rot at the club runs much deeper. We have some serious problems.

What do you make of Corberan? What chance has he got of succeeding in this environment?

Carlos Corberan is the exact opposite of Steve Bruce in so many ways. The key aspect is that he is a young and innovative coach, who has a track record of attention to detail, quality analysis, and on the grass coaching that should benefit many of the squad. I think many Albion fans are excited about what he can do, just as long as he is given the necessary time. Look at how he revitalised Huddersfield and took them to the play-offs as an example of what he can do on a limited budget, but with an identifiable playing style. One of the major bonuses for West Brom this season is the mini pre-season due to the World Cup, which gives him four weeks with the squad to drill them into his style, get some of them fit, and hopefully create the conditions for general improvement to ensure safety.
If the Albion appoint a director of football, like he had Huddersfield, to assist with player recruitment and some of the analytical side of things, then he could flourish. However, with the club’s recent track record I would not be pinning my hopes on anything radically changing on that front.

Summer transfer window looked half decent - Wallace, Swift - but doesn't seem to have made much difference?

On the surface, the summer recruitment looks good. However, in reality, it was terrible. Yes, Wallace and Swift are quality additions and many clubs would have wanted them (although Swift has been more miss than hit), but we spent most of the budget on them, which left the rest of the squad woefully thin. The free-market trolley dash of Okay Yokuslu, Tom Rogic, Erik Pieters, and Martin Kelly did little to revitalise the squad, and took up a large amount of resource. Given the recruitment strategy and lack of a proper scouting network, we signed ‘names’ rather than players who would actually improve the balance of the team.

The fact we didn’t replace Sam Johnstone in goal, and pinned our hopes on David Button stepping up, was badly misguided. The defence needed at least one, pacy addition, especially as we tried to play a high line, but was not seen a priority. The midfield has been without a box-to-box midfielder since Connor Gallagher’s loan deal finished, and a replacement wasn’t sought despite being a glaring area for improvement (Sam Field anyone?). And finally, planning on starting the season with Daryl Dike as our only out and out forward is indicative of the lack of advanced planning. When he got injured in pre-season, it meant the club was left scrabbling around looking for a replacement that we didn’t get.

Ins >>> Jayson Molumby, 22, CM, Brighton, £900k >>> Brandom Thomas-Asante, 23, CF, Salford, £345k >>> Jed Wallace, 28, AM, Millwall, Free >>> John Swift, 27, AM, Reading, Free >>> Okay Yokuslu, 28, DM, Celta Vigo, Free >>> Martin Kelly, 32, RB, Palace, Free >>> Tom Rogic, 29, AM, Unattached, Free >>> Erik Pieters, 34, LB, Unattached, Free

Outs >>> Callum Robinson, 27, AM, Cardiff, Undisclosed >>>Sam Johnstone, 29, GK, Palace, Free >>> Romaine Sawyers, 30, CM, Cardiff, Free >>> Cedric Kipre, 25, CB, Cardiff, Loan >>> Andy Carroll, 33, CF, Glue Factory, Free >>> Alex Mowatt, 27, CM, Boro, Loan

Stand out players and weak links in the side?
There are problems all over the pitch, which is testament to the haphazard recruitment over the last five seasons. There are very few shining lights which is why we are in the relegation places. Jed Wallace has looked a solid signing, primarily because he gets into good positions to create opportunities (for others to miss) and he genuinely looks like he cares. Taylor Gardner-Hickman since being installed in the centre of midfield has added energy and drive, as well as a willingness to advance the ball forward rather than sideways. Otherwise, there is very little to commend in this squad.
With the weak links, where do we start? The two main issues, which directly mirror last season, is the inability to score goals and a poorly organised defence. The recruitment of Wallace and Swift, to compliment Grady Diangana, was on paper a great set of signings, yet for all the chances they have created, there is no one to finish them. It is madness that the tactic over and over again was to get the ball out to Wallace, who delivered into the box, but with no one there to connect. The xG for the team has been in the top six for the last two seasons, but the injury of Dike, and Grant not being a natural finisher has been a major weakness. Since the injury to Ajayi the defence has looked all over the place, and the regression of Townsend and Furlong has been startling. Although he has since lost his place to Alex Palmer, Button must get an ignoble shoutout, because he had the worst save percentage in the Championship, which meant that pretty much every shot on target went in.

Revised expectations for the season?

After my rose-tinted summer prediction of a play-off push looking more misguided by the game, it is now simply all about surviving. Recent history with the likes of Leeds, Sunderland, and Sheffield Wednesday are excellent examples of how things can implode very quickly.

How do the Baggies turn this around? New ownership?

We have to give Corberan the necessary time and tools to implement genuine changes, without panicking and firing him. The hire them fire them strategy has not worked well for West Brom and we have to step away from this approach, which has only bred uncertainty and incoherence. There must be significant changes to the backroom set-up of the club, with the need for the appointment of a proper director of football, and a greater focus on data analytics and recruitment to assist Corberan in his endeavours of making the squad better. We also need to clear out a lot of the deadwood in the playing staff, who have now seen off 5 permanent managers, to freshen things up and reduce the average age of the squad. If Lai is willing to sell, then that would be a start, but it doesn’t look likely anytime soon — we can only hope.

Links >>> Official Website >>> Independent West Brom forum — Message Board >>> Boing — Blog >>> Express and Star — Local Paper >>> Birmingham Mail — Local Paper

The Twitter/Instagram @loftforwords, @SAhistoryMatt

Pictures — Action Images

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TacticalR added 17:30 - Nov 4 Thanks to Matt. This doesn't sound good. I am sure you're right that the clubs that try to carry on doing things the old way eventually come to grief, even if having money to buy good players can paper over the cracks for a while (sometimes a long while). It did strike me that there was an identity crisis at West Brom when Valérien Ismaël was brought in...was it possible to graft Val-ball onto a team of ex-Premiership players? As he only lasted 30 games, the answer would appear to be 'no'. It will be interesting to see whether Corberán can salvage the situation. Anyway, whatever the problems, they do have players like Wallace and Swift who have always played well against us (for their previous employers).

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