'A move that fits': Ryan Mason opinion as West Brom close in on ending five week manager search

Express & Star

Jonny Drury and Lewis Cox sit down to discuss West Brom's search for a new manager. Ryan Mason has appeared as the front runner for the Albion job - over five weeks on since Tony Mowbray was axed. The search has been lengthy but seems to be coming to a conclusion - and Lewis and Jonny discuss Mason, whether it is the right fit and the change in direction from Albion.

Transcript

00:00Jason has appeared as the frontrunner for the Albion job. He's been top of the bookies

00:11odds for a number of weeks. Now he's been linked with the job. Coxie, it seems like

00:19things are ramping up, which we've reported, but what's your kind of view on it? I know

00:23a lot of Albion fans have talked about the sporting director, Andrew Nester, talking

00:28about the data and having a really thorough process. If he's looking at data on Ryan

00:34Mason, there's not a great deal in terms of managerial experience you can kind of look

00:38at, but what's your feeling on it? He kind of fits the mould of what they're looking

00:42for. He's a rookie manager. I think most people have got nothing against that. You look at

00:47the rookie manager that they've gone in the championship in recent years that have done

00:49really well. What's your kind of view on the situation? Because I know previously we talked

00:55about potential unknown foreign coaches coming into the fray, but it looks like it's going

01:00to be one a little bit closer to home.

01:01Yeah, I know. Last time we did a couple of videos, I think from a podcast, we spoke about

01:05Mason and Eric Ramsey, two 33-year-olds and their sort of potential. I think the data

01:11thing's got a bit carried away, if I'm honest. Andrew Nester did a podcast a couple of months

01:16ago and spoke about data and how it led them to Tony Mowbray in the end. Now we all know

01:21Mowbray wasn't first choice and wasn't the profile the club wanted to go down. They went

01:25down it and it didn't work, obviously. But yes, and it'll be something for Nester and

01:33Bilko to answer. If that's how you use it and how you determined what you want, how did

01:40it take you to Ryan Mason? Yes, he's managed 13 interim games as Tottenham caretaker boss.

01:46But I think data and the level of data they were using, clubs were used not just

01:51I mean goes so far beyond like win percentage or something basic that, you know, with respect,

01:57we and fans might look at, you know, it will go beyond that one. It will go on the inner

02:02final workings of a coach and things like that players developed into the first team perhaps

02:07because he's had a couple of roles as sort of head of academy, scout, coaching and then

02:13coaching, I think Spurs youngsters between 17 and 21, which he did a lot of when he was

02:18caretaker, promoting youngsters in the side, things like that. So let's see just quickly

02:24on Mason. I mean, we're speaking here in the day after we brought a story yesterday as I'm

02:30speaking about Mason being emerged as the number one target and, as you say, ramping up and moving

02:38forward. My expectation at the moment just before my opinion is that it will be Mason. Now,

02:43hey, formalities are still to be done, you know, approaches. It brought the news that Ryan Mason's

02:49out of contract this summer. So, you know, compensation, if he wasn't out of contract,

02:55it is obviously different. These terms at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium are up next month.

03:00I'm not saying that I'll make it easier or, you know, but obviously it'll have a bearing on things.

03:05Yeah. So my information and understanding is that if Ryan Mason thinks now's the time for him to

03:10venture out and take his first senior management job, then the hot seat at the Hawthorns is his.

03:16You know, he's the one that Albion's hierarchy wanted. I've written for some time now that they

03:20had a look at him in January and I think I've heard one or two bits that they've probably had

03:25more than a little look at him. I think they were quite keen on him in January. Obviously,

03:29you know, he opted to stay at Spurs at that time, just as he'd turned down and elect in Belgium

03:34interest prior to that, October. Obviously, Albion were courting Raphael Vicky, the Swiss coach,

03:42and that didn't work and it led them to Mowbray. But I don't know how you look at it, Johnny,

03:48and you mentioned a couple of things there in the sort of question about it. I'm okay with the

03:54untried and untested thing and the young thing. I think, to me, football feels it's a little bit

04:01past that hole. He needs to have had a few jobs in the division. I understand Ryan Mason is going

04:07to be going into a different position entirely. Yes, he's been a caretaker, but different

04:11responsibilities and stuff. But I just think there are so many examples out there. The way the sport

04:18is today, the game is today, there's so many examples out there of rookies, really, rookie

04:23head coaches. You know, it's a data game, isn't it? It's a modern game now. And that's not me saying

04:28that older heads can't succeed. You know, some will, but do I think you need to have had one,

04:34two, three, four championship jobs or League One jobs before this now? To be honest, no. I'm not

04:40saying I think Ryan Mason's an absolute guarantee for success. I don't know that. Everything I hear

04:47about him, I get a good feeling about him. I wrote a couple of things on socials about the kind of

04:51character he is, the kind of the way he carries himself and how disciplined he is. And I think that all

04:57bodes well, to be honest, as well as his style. I've been informed that as a coach, he's more

05:02towards a core brand than the way a Mowbray-style football is. So that's interesting. But for me,

05:10it feels fresh, new, hungry, determined. Everything that Mason is, we all know how his playing career

05:16ended, you know, and I've been doing some reading about it. You know, he almost lost his life on a

05:21pitch. And were it not for emergency surgery an hour later, after a sickening head collision,

05:27you know, he would have, he says that himself. So, yeah, this is a very serious guy. And look,

05:35on the flip side, I've talked to him up there, on the flip side, he's not had a senior job before,

05:39and it's a risk, a gamble. But I think it's too easy to sort of sling mud at the hierarchy at Bill

05:45Cole to say, you know, you can't do this, this is too much of a risk. I think this is the way the game

05:50is. And if they're determined that this is their man, then I'm all for it. And I'm quite enthused

05:55and excited. And look, assuming it happens, if it goes ahead, then I think it's something fresh and

06:03can be an interesting way to kickstart a new era, I think, and a welcome fresh start and the real start

06:09for the hierarchy and, you know, their sort of project of a head coach.

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