West Brom sprung a surprise by bringing back former manager Tony Mowbray to replace influential head coach Carlos Corberan when he hopped off to Valencia on Christmas Eve – Matt Graham (@SAHistoryMatt) takes us through how it’s gone since.

How’s the season been for West Brom?

It has been much better than many would have expected before a ball had been kicked. The financial turbulence and the huge player turnover the club experienced during the summer, which significantly weakened the squad, meant that most fans would have anticipated somewhere around mid-table. The fact we’re still in the playoffs in March is remarkable and probably points more to the inconsistencies and weaknesses of the Championship than anything else. That said West Brom have been incredibly hard to beat (only seven losses so far), but this is hampered by our inability to put together back-to-back wins since the autumn. A frankly ridiculous ten draws in 11 matches before Christmas can be read as a 12-match unbeaten streak or just one win in 12 depending on your viewpoint. There were some frustrations after an incredible opening six matches that raised expectation levels, that the side hadn’t won enough games, lacked a clinical finisher to turn those draws into wins, and had thrown away leads from winning positions on far too many occasions. However, given the context, it has been a solid season, which leaves us in a very good position for a playoff challenge.

Baggies in the league so far…
QPR 1-3 West Brom Anderson 16 – Maja 26, 51, 65
West Brom 0-0 Leeds
Stoke 1-2 West Brom Koumas 29 – Grant 18, Maja 31
West Brom 1-0 Swansea Molumby 45
Pompey 0-3 West Brom Maja 1, Mowatt 51, 90
West Brom 1-0 Plymouth Maja 62
Sheff Wed 3-2 West Brom Furlong og 9, Windass 23, Musaba 86 – Maja 65, Mowatt 64
West Brom 0-1 Boro Hackney 73
West Brom 0-0 Millwall
Oxford 1-1 West Brom Scarlett 90 – Grant 29
Blackburn 0-0 West Brom
West Brom 0-0 Cardiff
Luton 1-1 West Brom Chong 60 – Maja 45
West Brom 0-0 Burnley
Hull 1-2 West Brom Pedro 40 – Grant 12, Maja 17
West Brom 2-2 Norwich Holgate 11, Maja 43 – Marcondes 20, Heggem og 41
Sunderland 0-0 West Brom
Preston 1-1 West Brom Riis 55 – Grant 13
West Brom 2-2 Sheff Utd Heggem 24, Fellows 62 – O’Hare 35, Campbell 37
West Brom 2-0 Coventry Mowatt 11, Grant 74
Watford 2-1 West Brom Bayo 35, 50 – Molumby 67
West Brom 2-0 Bristol City Johnston 34, 43
Derby 2-1 West Brom Yates 28, Holgate og 68 – Diangana 81
Sheff Utd 1-1 West Brom Brooks 23 – Grant 45
West Brom 3-1 Preston Maja 18, 40, Styles 35 – Ledson 70
Swansea 1-1 West Brom Allen 90 – Fellows 66
West Brom 1-1 Stoke Diangana 71 – Lowe 9
Boro 2-0 West Brom Hackney 29, Doak 83
West Brom 5-1 Pompey Mowatt 25, Diangana 32, 44, Wallace 37, Swift 56 – Waddingham 90
Plymouth 2-1 West Brom Hardie pen 77, 88 – Molumby 74
West Brom 2-1 Sheff Wed Armstrong 74, Molumby 90 – Paterson 90
West Brom 0-2 Blackburn Gueye 47, 63
Millwall 1-1 West Brom Cooper 19 – Bryan og 26
West Brom 2-0 Oxford Mowatt 11, Swift 90
Leeds 1-1 West Brom Firpo 9 – Furlong 39

We’ve always said we reckon West Brom are about 10th-12th but Corberan lifts them into 4-6th discussion, so how has his departure gone?

Losing Carlos Corberan on Christmas Eve to his hometown club Valencia, didn’t really feel very festive. There was a certain level of disappointment and sadness at his exit, particularly because of the strong job he’d done. Corberan is an excellent coach and someone who was instrumental in guiding the Albion through an extremely challenging period backdropped by all the off-field crises during his tenure. A mediocre team undoubtedly punched way beyond its level under Corberan, based on a disciplined defensive structure and tactical acumen. Albion fans appreciated we were lucky to have him, and his record meant that we knew bigger clubs would coming calling. Corberan’s agent had been touting him around for any job going since the summer, so it wasn’t a surprise he left, but the timing before the hectic Christmas schedule was far from ideal. The sudden nature of his departure meant there was a lot of uncertainty over Christmas, and it was a big test for the new ownership group about the direction they wanted the club to go in. The large compensation fee that was received softened the blow and provided some funds to be invested in January.

Mowbray, romantic appointment, right one? How’s it going?

Initially, Mowbray wasn’t even in the picture due to his ongoing health issues. After a protracted search, the club had all but announced Swiss coach Raphaël Wicky, but visa issues for his backroom staff meant the deal fell through. Wicky was an indication the owners wanted a progressive and forward thinking manager, and were willing to look beyond the confines of Britain for suitable candidates. But, as the Wicky deal collapsed, it coincided with Mowbray being given a medical all clear, which allowed for the stars to align.

As someone who still reminiscences about the first Mowbray era, you can’t help but get excited by the prospect of attacking, free flowing football, and a return to the feel-good vibes there were around the Hawthorns at the backend of the 00s. There is part of me which has the fear that going back to an ex will tarnish all the good memories, and we must appreciate the situation and the quality of players he has recently inherited is very different. Mowbray has definitely matured his approach from all out gung-ho attacking, while the success of bringing through young players at Blackburn and Sunderland, and improving those clubs significantly, is definitely appealing for the Albion who are in transition. If he can oversee a change in ethos at the club then he is the right choice. Since his appointment the results have been mixed, including a demolition of Portsmouth, a superb draw away at Leeds last weekend, but a 10-minute collapse against Plymouth. With the run of games, Mowbray has only had one full week of training to instil his ideasand get a team very used to playing in a highly structured and often defensive style to be much more open and expressive. Hopefully the last couple of weeks of training will embed his philosophies.

How was January? What was done, what was left undone?

West Brom’s first XI at the start of the season was strong, but the drop off in squad depth was startling. The biggest issue was our lack of forwards and a creative number ten to unlock teams that sat back. Although Josh Maja had been exceptional, he was our only recognised forward, and was subsequently run into the ground, because last minute summer panic signing Devante Cole really wasn’t a viable backup option. In January the club brought in proven Championship striker Adam Armstrong from Southampton, who Mowbray had worked with at Blackburn, and highly rated Spurs youngster Will Lankshear, as new forward options. The gradual return of Daryl Dike from another horrific injury is a bonus too. Looking to the future, we signed talented, young midfielders in Isaac Price, and Tammer Bany. Price is an elegant footballer and has looked an incredible addition to the squad in his first few games, and an absolute steal at £1.5m from Standard Liege.

The biggest challenge, which also came as a shock in the final days of the window, was the sale of Alex Palmer to Ipswich. With only one year left on his deal the club decided to cash in, but it is undeniably a blow because he is a very good Championship keeper. The club subsequently recalled Josh Griffiths from Bristol Rovers, while Joe Wildsmith has been promoted to number one. We probably needed another defender to add greater depth and competition to a backline that has been affected by injuries and suspensions.

Summer Ins >>> Mikey Johnston, 25, LW, Celtic, £3m >>> Callum Styles, 24, LM, Barnsley, £500k >>> Torbjorn Heggem, 26, CB, Brommapojkarna, £600k >>> Devante Cole, 29, CF, Barnsley, Free >>> Ousmane Diakite, 23, CM, Hartberg, Free >>> Joe Wildsmith, 28, GK, Derby, Free >>> Gianluca Frabotta, 25, LB, Juventus, Free >>> Paddy McNair, 29, CM, San Diego, Loan >>> Mason Holgate, 27, CB, Everton, Loan >>> Uros Racic, 26, DM, Sassuolo, Loan >>> Lewis Dobbin, 21, LW, Villa, Loan

Winter Outs >>> Alex Palmer, 28, GK, Ipswich, £2m

Player of the year candidates?

The Norwegian defender Torbjorn Heggem signed in the summer has been a revelation. Heggem, originally signed as left-back, but due to injuries was moved into the centre of defence, has been exceptional. The leading assist merchant in English football Tom Fellows is having a breakout season, and much of our attacking play until recently went through the right channel. Jayson Molumby has offered energy and fight in the central midfield, and as shithouse in-chief is certainly a player you want on your team. Finally, without the goals and creativity of Maja in the first half of the season, the Albion would be nowhere near the playoff picture.

Weak links in the side?
The loss of Alex Palmer is a major blow, and his replacement Wildsmith has not exactly instilled confidence when he has played. The jury is still out on how good a keeper he is. Left back is also a key weakness in the side. While I love the energy and dedication of Callum Styles, he has been playing as makeshift left back since the autumn, is not a natural defender and is relatively small. In recent months, sides have been aggressively targeting him, and the lack of cover provided by Mikey Johnstone has meant that he has been left exposed on too many occasions.

How do you see this season ending?

I am hopeful that with the fixtures ahead, we should finish (just) in the playoffs. Do we want to get promoted? Apart from the cash injection, probably not. Another year of rebuilding in the Championship and allowing Mowbray to create a squad in his image would be ideal.

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

Pictures - Reuters Connect

Queens Park Rangers Polls