West Bromwich Albion

Chris Hall
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

You can't help wondering whether, when coaches study for their coaching badges, they get taught that special language only football managers use.

You know the one I mean.

"We needed to suffer for that win", "there are no easy games in this league", "he's not that type of player", etc.

Ryan Mason's go-to is to constantly talk about "moments" in interviews - but the Baggies boss is going to run out of things to say soon, as those moments are becoming few and far between.

The Baggies have scored just six goals in their past eight games and have the third-worst xG in the Championship.

For anyone who isn't an xG aficionado, this means Albion are in the relegation zone when it comes to chance creation.

Other teams seem to have cottoned onto this lack of threat, and it has emboldened them.

Albion have kept just one clean sheet in their past eight games, and opponents are creating chances with greater frequency than they were earlier in the season.

So, moments for Baggies fans to enjoy have been fleeting of late, but the lack of any real momentum is the more worrying trend.

Albion haven't won back-to-back games all season, but have lost two games on the spin twice.

They also struggle to build momentum in games, having only scored more than once in a match twice all season.

Therefore, Mason would do well to worry less about moments and more about momentum in the coming weeks because November represents a real opportunity for Albion.

The Baggies are scheduled to play six times this month, and four of those fixtures are at The Hawthorns.

Furthermore, every one of those four home games is against a team currently in the bottom half of the Championship.

Opportunity knocks then to get some wins and score some goals in November, but it's an opportunity that must be taken because the Baggies fanbase demands entertainment, and, thus far this season, their demands have not been met.

Listen to more from Chris Hall at the Albion Analysis, external

West Brom boss Ryan Mason has told Josh Griffiths to learn from his costly error after his gaffe handed Ipswich a 1-0 win at Portman Road.

West Brom were frustrating Ipswich until Griffiths kicked the ball straight to Ipswich and they took full advantage to score through Jack Clarke on 83 minutes.

Mason told BBC Radio WM: "It's something he needs to learn from. We all need to learn quickly. It's disappointing to concede in the nature we did. At the end of the day, we've given them a goal and we need to improve.

"It's disappointing and we all need to take responsibility and all of us have to learn from it.

"We lacked a bit of creativity in the final third. In the second half, we had a 10-minute spell, where it was our moment to attack them and try and cause them some problems, but that didn't really materialise and that's disappointing."

Ipswich Town head into this game looking to avoid three defeats in a row in the Championship for the first time since April 2019 when they were relegated to League One.

West Bromwich Albion have lost three of their past four away league games, with their only success a 1-0 victory at Norwich City at the start of October.

• Ipswich Town have only won one of their past 13 league games against West Bromwich Albion (D4 L8) – a 2-0 victory on New Year's Day 2008.

• West Bromwich Albion have only lost one of their past six league trips to Ipswich Town (W3 D2), though have conceded on each of their past 21 league visits to Portman Road.

• Having lost each of their past two league games, Ipswich are looking to avoid losing three in a row outside the top flight for the first time since March 2020 in League One (run of four).

• Since a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City in April 2024, West Brom are unbeaten in their past seven league games against sides recently relegated from the Premier League (W1 D6).

• Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna failed to beat West Brom in either league meeting in 2023-24 (D1 L1), conceding two goals in both matches.

Image source, Getty Images

West Brom boss Ryan Mason spoke to BBC Radio WM following their 2-1 defeat at Watford.

"We got ourselves in a really good position, scored a good goal and I thought we had a lot of control in the first half hour or so," he said.

"The disappointing thing is to concede so quickly after scoring - that changes the feeling of the game. If we had got through to half-time, the feeling inside the stadium, and the feeling on the pitch, would have been different.

"In the second half, they had their best spell, were on the front foot, and for us it was about trying to get through that moment. It was important for us to get through that moment because - you see it all the time - teams have spells. It was unfortunate to lose Alfie (Gilchrist) to injury and to concede so quickly was tough for us.

"We created the best chance of the second half with Isaac Price's header and if that goes in, the momentum swings again and the feeling is better. It was disappointing for us to come away with nothing."

West Bromwich Albion boss Ryan Mason says his side will need to nurture a "mental robustness" to be successful in their three-game week.

The Baggies are preparing for their second of three games over a seven-day period, as they travel to Vicarage Road to play Watford on Wednesday night (19:45 BST).

"The players trust us to train them at a level that pushes them in order to play as many games as possible," Mason told BBC Radio WM.

"Our squad is not massive in terms of numbers, so everyone has a part to play.

"I think when a player gets a bit more experience and understanding of their body you can lean on them a little bit more, but there is also a part of weeks like this where you have to just get through it.

"I think developing that robustness mentally to get through things is really important."

Albion go into the game off the back of a 2-1 win against Preston North End, a game which saw Mikey Johnston score his second goal of the campaign.

"We know his individual ability and I think first of all the message to any of the players is that the team is first and so you have to run and compete for the team," Mason added.

"His two goals so far this season have been outstanding, but I don't believe he will score 15 of those a season. I don't know any players that have, so the challenge for him is to score more tap-ins and get into the box more often."

Listen to the full interview with Mason and more Albion content on BBC Sounds.

Chris Hall
Fan writer

Image source, Shuttershock

Most teams dream of having a bit of Brazilian flair on the wing, right?

For every era there's a precocious Samba talent who lights up our TV screens and sets up residence in our hearts.

For me it was Ronaldinho. My Dad would probably point to Garrincha or Jairzinho while my nephews run around in Neymar shirts.

So, when they largely wrote the book on world-class wide men, it feels a bit weird when the Brazilian top flight decides to go shopping in the Championship for one.

Yet, that's exactly what Flamengo did this summer.

The Club World Cup side put in a £5m offer for Albion's Mikey Johnston which was duly accepted.

Eyebrows were raised at the deal itself but not necessarily at Albion's acceptance of it.

Johnston had slightly flattered to deceive during the 2024-25 season with just eight goal contributions, and many fans were questioning whether his seven goals in 15 games on loan the previous year was just a flash in the pan.

Perhaps that is why Flamengo ultimately backed out of the deal, leaving Johnston to enjoy Sandwell instead of Rio.

However, this season Johnston has justified those admiring glances from South America with a series of standout performances.

His stunning strike against Preston on Saturday underlined an eye-catching start to the campaign which has seen him score two goals and provide three assists.

It is well known that dancing feet are synonymous with Brazilian talent.

In that regard Johnston's skills this term wouldn't have looked out of place south of the equator.

Some believed Albion would suffer heavily without last season's creator-in-chief Tom Fellows, but it feels, on the other side of the pitch, Johnston has stepped out of his shadow and up to the plate.

On this form, Albion will no doubt be thankful that Flamengo president Luiz Eduardo Baptista ended up blocking his transfer to the Brazilian Serie A.

Perhaps, when he sees the highlights of the Preston game, the Scarlet and Black's top man will wish he had just a little bit of Irish flair in Flamengo's ranks.

Vicarage Road will welcome back boss Javi Gracia when they host West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday (19:45 BST).

Gracia, who is just starting out his second spell in charge of the Hornets, will be looking to claim a first win under his current tenure as he makes his first appearance on home soil this season.

The Baggies will not make it an easy task though. They won last time out to sail into the top six and will have little desire to depart their comfy play-off spot.

• Watford are unbeaten in seven home league games against West Brom (W4 D3) since a 3-0 reverse in November 2007.

• West Brom's only win in their last nine league games against Watford (D4 L4) was their most recent, winning 2-1 in April.

• Watford have won both of their last two home league games, last winning more in a row in November 2024 (5).

• West Brom have won three of their last five away league outings (L2), this after only winning one of 20 beforehand (D11 L8).

• This will be Javi Gracia's second league meeting with West Brom, winning the other 1-0 with Watford in the Premier League in March 2018.

West Bromwich Albion winger Mikey Johnston says that their 2-1 win over Preston North End came as "a relief" as the Baggies re-entered the top six in the Championship.

After West Brom scored twice through Johnston and Isaac Price, North End scored in the 78th minute to apply pressure to the hosts, looking especially dangerous over the 11 minutes of added time, but Albion held out to take all three points and rise up to fifth.

"I feel as if it's happened a couple of times this season where we are hanging on, so it's probably something we need to address just to kill games out," Johnston told BBC Radio WM.

"A bit of resilience at end of games is needed sometimes. So just holding on and not conceding like we have done is a relief."

The Republic of Ireland international scored the opener for the Baggies with a thunderous strike for his second league goal of the season and Johnston expects it won't be the last of his spectacular scoring.

"When I get that space, I should be thinking shoot," he added. "I've got that in the locker and I need to keep doing that."

Listen to the full interview with Johnston and more West Bromwich Albion content on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

West Bromwich Albion manager Ryan Mason said his side's 2-1 victory over Preston North End - just their second win in five home games this season - was much needed.

Mason told BBC Radio WM: "We played a good game against really good opposition. They put a lot of energy into the game, are physical and are good with the ball as well. They caused us problems.

"It's really important to win games of football at home. We have not made our performances count at home so far this season.

"The fans were amazing. They were really with the players and certainly helped us get over the line.

"Sometimes in tight games you need moments of brilliance and we had two moments today."

West Bromwich Albion forward Tammer Bany will not be in contention for Saturday's game against Preston North End (15:00 BST) despite playing 45 minutes with the under-21s in the week.

The Dane has only made four appearances since joining from Danish side Randers in February 2024 and is currently making his comeback from a hamstring injury sustained in pre-season.

"Tammer is probably going to need more minutes because he's just had no football in a long time," boss Ryan Mason told BBC Radio WM.

"There's probably going to be a couple missing out, still yet to decide that."

Left-back Charlie Taylor has returned to training after missing the game against Millwall and could feature.

Also in contention are striker Daryl Dike and forward Karlan Grant, who have both been on the sidelines for a lengthy period of time.

Grant has not featured for the Baggies since their game against Portsmouth in August with a foot injury, while Dike has not yet made an appearance this season as he nurses a back injury.

However, while Dike and Bany may be in a similar position in terms of time out of the game, Mason does not see their reintegration to the squad as something to approach equally.

"I think Tammer needs something different because of the way he plays and the job required of him, whereas the job required of Daryl, in the short term, probably requires a little bit less," Mason added.

Listen to the full interview with Mason and more West Bromwich Albion content on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Opta

The international break is finally over and West Bromwich Albion will seek to get back on track when they welcome Preston to The Hawthorns on Saturday (15:00 BST).

The Baggies went down 3-0 at Millwall last time out, a third defeat in five games which saw them slip outside the play-off places. They return home where they have claimed five points from their opening four matches, though scoring only three goals.

After a 2-0 home win over Charlton in their most recent fixture the Lilywhites are three places and two points better off in fourth and are seeking to make it six Championship games unbeaten, though their four away games this season have seen just eight goals scored, four at either end.

• West Bromwich Albion are unbeaten in each of their past five league matches against Preston North End (W4 D1), netting 3+ goals in three of the previous four meetings.

• Preston North End have lost 15 of their past 17 away league games against West Bromwich Albion, with their only victories coming in September 1973 (2-0) and January 2022 (2-0).

• Since the start of September, only Sheffield United (3) and Norwich (2) have won fewer Championship points than West Bromwich Albion (4), while in that time Preston have won the fourth-most points in the division (9).

• Only Coventry (5) have more Championship clean sheets this season than Preston (4) – the Lilywhites have four clean sheets in their past seven games, having gone 13 without one beforehand.

• Thierry Small has netted in each of Preston's past two Championship matches. He could be the first player aged 21 or younger to score in three Championship appearances in a row for the Lilywhites since Tom Cannon in April 2023.

Chris Hall
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

It was something of a "revolving door" summer at The Hawthorns.

Thirteen senior players departed West Bromwich Albion, if you include the three expired loans, and nine came in to replace them.

Of those nine incomings, four were centre-backs and two were full-backs. So, two-thirds of Albion's summer business was concentrated on making our backline stronger and younger.

At the other end of the field, Albion allowed players who had contributed 26 out of our 43 assists in 2024-25 to leave. The result has been somewhat inevitable.

At the back, Albion look solid. The Baggies have the seventh-best expected goals against in the Championship.

They have also future-proofed that defence.

Kyle Bartley and Semi Ajayi, while solid campaigners at this level, had a combined age of 65. They have been replaced by Chris Mepham and Nat Phillips, who are just as experienced but are much younger at 27 and 28 years old respectively.

Darnell Furlong, while integral to Albion's success under Carlos Corberan, was mere weeks away from his 30th birthday when he left for Ipswich Town.

His replacements, George Campbell, a 24-year-old centre-back turned right-back, and Alfie Gilchrist, a 21-year-old from Chelsea, represent a clear intention to build a backline that can serve us long-term.

So, Albion have built from the back in this transfer window, but there is still work to do evolving our attack.

The Baggies have been one of the poorest teams in the league in terms of creativity. They are 18th for xG created and 18th for goals scored, leading to speculation that a lack of spark in attack could hold Albion back this season.

However, the Baggies went big in January last year, spending about £6m on Tammer Bany and Isaac Price. With the Tom Fellows money banked and not spent towards the end of the summer window, there is every chance they could do the same again.

Also, we have seen little to nothing yet this season of Karlan Grant, Daryl Dike and the aforementioned Bany. So, there are attacking reinforcements to potentially return.

Whatever happens in the rest of the season, this is the start of a rebuild for Albion, and, after a successful overhaul of the Baggies' backline, it seems inevitable our attack will be next.

Listen to more from Chris Hall at the Albion Analysis, external

"I just like playing football. As long as I can perform in any position, I am happy. I would say I'm more of a traditional winger on the left. It's also about developing - I can play on the right - being comfortable on the left or right, being a part of the team.

"I'm from Highbury, an Arsenal boy, I'm not telling Ryan Mason that, he won't play me."

West Brom winger Samuel Iling-Junior, on loan at The Hawthorns from Aston Villa, discusses his career so far in an in-depth chat with BBC Radio WM.

The London-born winger spent eight years in the Chelsea academy before rejecting a contract extension and moved to Italy at the age of 16 to sign for Juventus. That was also during the Covid pandemic in 2020 and he discusses adjusting to life there and playing in Serie A and the Champions League.

The 22-year-old moved to Villa last summer but is yet to make a competitive appearance for Unai Emery's side and has instead been loaned out to Bologna, Middlesbrough and now the Baggies.

The England Under-21 international also spoke to Steve Hermon about his favoured position in Mason's team and his aims for this season.

Listen to the full episode and more on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

Midfielder Jayson Molumby said he was "angry and disappointed" not be selected for Republic of Ireland during the previous international window.

The West Brom player was not in Heimir Halgrimsson's squad for the opening World Cup qualifiers, a draw at home against Hungary and a 2-0 defeat away to Armenia.

Included for October's games against Portugal and Armenia, Molumby is hoping he can take his club form onto the international stage and make an impact.

"It's nice to be back, it was tough for me, I was gutted not to be selected, and it was hard to watch [the Armenia game]," he said.

"You feel a lot of emotions, angry and disappointed. I didn't get a reason; there is however many lads to pick from and they [coaching staff] were just focused on the players they had selected.

"I feel I've started well this season; I've started all the league games for West Brom and am in a good place."

The 26-year-old won the last of his 29 caps for his country against England in November 2024.

With Jason Knight missing through injury and Killian Phillips not included in the squad, Molumby is hoping he can stake his claim for a starting place in midfield alongside Josh Cullen.

"You back yourself. My strengths are I'm passionate, I care, and I work as hard as I can," he added.

"I feel like I don't get enough credit for my technical ability. I'm not unbelievable technically, but I can manage myself and I feel I'm good enough on the ball to play at this level and I feel I get looked over for that part of my game.

"I feel I can contribute. I'm not here to say I should be playing for Republic of Ireland, it hasn't been a successful time since I've been here, I haven't achieved much or won a big away fixture. I believe in myself but it's hard when results haven't come."