Will Tony Mowbray’s experience be the difference for Albion in play-off chase?

National World - LocalTV

A look at the chances with their current boss.

Transcript

00:00Charlie, let's look at West Bromwich Albion and let's just start by looking at the play-off

00:06race. We've mentioned it so many times, it's so close up there, just three points or so

00:13separating the ones who are in, the ones who aren't, and the top four are clearly drifting

00:18away from the rest. What's the stance? What are the important games coming up for them?

00:25They need to make sure they are there or thereabouts, or a couple of bad results and they could

00:29be right back down the championship table.

00:32Yeah, it's definitely a high-pressure situation at the Hawthorns and we saw this last season,

00:37even the season before that when Carlos Corbijn came in, they were in a relegation battle,

00:42pushed up, just about missed out on that play-off. It's always so competitive and a championship

00:47I think is one of the most exciting divisions in the world for that reason. This year, West

00:52Brom have kind of been fifth and sixth the entire time. It feels like somehow sticking

00:56in that place despite drawing so many games, more than any other team in the division.

01:01I think the important thing is they've been very difficult to beat. They've not had many

01:05defeats this season in the league, but they aren't scoring enough goals I think is my

01:10concern. Just one in each of the last five matches, 1-1 draws all the time. It feels

01:15like 1-0s every now and then. It was a bit of a theme under Corbijn, quite a useful theme

01:20to win 1-0, but Tony Mowbray wants to play more exciting, high-action football, hitting

01:26the back of the net as much as possible, outscoring teams. They've not been able to

01:29do that yet. And they've signed Adam Armstrong out front, on loan from Southampton, meant

01:33to be one of the most clinical players at this level. Someone like Will Lancashire,

01:37coming in on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, should be bagging goals at this stage. Tom

01:41Fellowes not quite in form. Likes of Grady Diangano, Jed Wallace, not able to step up

01:46off the bench at the moment. There are concerns, but I suppose having so much attacking depth

01:51isn't a bad thing and eventually it should click. It's just not doing so at the moment.

01:55Albion fans are getting a little bit anxious.

01:59Yes, obviously. In terms of a play-off race, in terms of a run-in where you need to provide

02:05something, Tony Mowbray's got all that. He's got that experience under his hat. Do you

02:10feel that's going to be one of the biggest positives that Albion have right now to boast

02:15in terms of ahead of this run-in? They've got a manager who's been there, done that

02:18before and hopefully he can pull that string. And then if he doesn't, you've got to look

02:23at it on the flip side. If he does fail to get them in the play-offs, can you really

02:26blame him? He's had not long to work with this side. Corbran obviously leaving pretty

02:33much mid-season, breaking so many baggies' hearts. Hopefully he lays a good groundwork

02:39for the summer and then they can kick on next season.

02:44I think Mowbray is definitely the right man for the job. They wouldn't have appointed

02:47him otherwise. They did spend a long time to source the replacement for Corbran, quite

02:51a few interviewees. But Mowbray, in the end, when he had his clean bill of health, he was

02:56able to take on the reins. I think West Brom fans were delighted about that. Maybe not

03:01so much now, considering the results haven't been flowing, or at least the victories haven't

03:05been flowing. But his personality is fantastic. His experience, as you say, recently securing

03:11playoff football with Sunderland, his spell at the Stadium of Light, very impressive indeed.

03:15And he's got that experience in the high-pressure moments to get them over the line. I think

03:20he will. It'll be very tight, in my opinion. I think West Brom will just about have enough

03:24to finish in that top six. And it's the personality as well, his man management. When

03:29some players haven't got enough confidence, are struggling to hit the mark, struggling

03:33to hit the back of the net, he's able to give them that lift and just speaks to them about

03:37general life scenarios, kind of ignoring football at times, having those one-to-one meetings

03:42is so, so important. And I think that the squad, the team cohesion, very important as

03:46well. And we've seen at the Hawthorns this season, just how much of an atmosphere it

03:50can generate. The players after the game, even after not winning games, if they're

03:55drawing matches, they get a clap, a standing ovation from everybody there. Mowbray joining

03:59in as well. So important to have that kind of personality in the squad. And I think it

04:03will be just about enough to get them over that line.

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