West Bromwich Albion

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West Bromwich Albion head coach Ryan Mason believes his side were "really good value" following their 2-1 win over Queen's Park Rangers.

George Campbell's headed effort gave the Baggies a 1-0 halftime lead before Ousmane Diakite's own goal brought proceedings level. Nat Phillips then rose highest in the 55th minute from a Mikey Johnston free kick to retake the host's initial lead who saw out the rest of the match for a much-needed win.

"Happy with the win, happy to respond because that was the most important thing today just to find a way to win," said Mason to BBC Radio West Midlands.

"I thought it was really good value. We played a good game. We were disciplined. We created numerous chances to score more goals.

"Unfortunate to concede, but I thought the players played a good game and we deserved to win. The challenge now is to get ready to go again.

"I think you're maybe nervous when you concede opportunities, but I don't think we were conceding anything.

"Maybe that's a feeling in the stadium at the moment because of where we are in the league but I felt really comfortable.

"If anything, I was a bit disappointed we didn't score a third or a fourth because the chances were there, we had opportunities."

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West Bromwich Albion head coach Ryan Mason has called Bristol City's Anis Mehmeti aerial collision with Callum Styles a "clear red card" and "reckless" following his side's 1-2 home loss.

The Baggies' Styles stayed down in the 16th minute following an aerial collision against Mehmeti which the Robins striker was ultimately yellow carded for by referee Will Finnie. He then opened the scoring six minutes later.

Styles stayed on the field after the incident, being replaced by Daryl Dike on the 77th minute.

"To concede the [first] goal, it's clearly offside. It completely changes the energy. It disrupts us and that's a big challenge to overcome," Mason told BBC Radio West Midlands after the match.

"We have a massive opportunity very soon after, a two-on-one against their keeper, and we don't take it and then a clear red card, five yards from the referee, that he chose not to send the player off for a really dangerous elbow that's probably broken Cal's [Callum Styles] nose.

"It was a poor challenge, really poor, dangerous, reckless. We had a player sent off last week for not touching the opposition, and it wasn't rescinded either.

"So that seems to be the way at the minute, those types of things. It seems okay to make these decisions against us and we'll probably get our 10th email in a couple of days saying there were a couple of massive mistakes again."

West Brom have taken more than double the number of points at home than they have away so will be relieved be back at The Hawthorns having suffered eight successive defeats on the road.

Bristol City have won just one of their past on the road.

• West Brom have won seven of their past eight home league games against Bristol City, with the exception being a 2-0 loss in October 2022.

• Bristol City won their last league game against West Brom 2-1 in April but haven't won consecutive league meetings with the Baggies since December 1993.

• West Bromwich Albion have played more games on Boxing Day than any other side in English Football League history, with this year's being their 108th. They have won 46 of their 107 so far, with only Manchester United winning more (54).

• Bristol City have won their past two Boxing Day league games, last winning three in a row between 1995 and 1997.

• In English football, Bristol City manager Gerhard Struber's only previous Boxing Day match was against West Brom in 2019 when he was Barnsley manager, drawing 1-1 at Oakwell.

West Bromich Albion manager Ryan Mason is demanding a "positive mentality" as they head into the busy Christmas and New Year shedule.

The Baggies play four games across 11 days, and are currently 16th in the table after three defeats in their last four matches.

Mason told BBC Radio WM they must relish the tough schedule.

"The mentality is the most important thing. For me, that trumps everything," he said.

"You'll be amazed what the body can do. I've brought some experts in, and there are some really good people here who are planning training and pitching it to a certain point, and a lot of the physical stature - you can see that.

"I do believe the best teachers are the best psychologists, and there's a massive responsibility from my side to get into the heads and the souls of the players."

Mason's side were fifth in the table following five wins from their opening 10 matches in October, but have won just three league matches from the next 12 games.

"I think the nature of the league is about momentum. Our form after a win has been so poor, and our away form has been terrible recently, but I think the lack of ability to back a result up with another result is what has really cost us so far.

"If we want to climb the league and create something and build some mometum, that's what we have to do regardless of how you play, you need to find a way to get results."

The Baggies welcome two promotion-chasing sides, Bristol City and Queens Park Rangers, before a New Year's Day trip to Swansea City who are three places and two points below them.

"We're representing a massive club," 34-year-old Mason added. "I want that expection, that demand, and I need players who want that responsibility, too, and are prepared to share that responsibilty.

"That's a challenge, that's what we need to buy into. To represent this club is a big privilege.

"Every game is an opportunity. We need to feel the pain of losing, for sure. I don't accept losing, its not something I want anyone to get used to."

Chris Hall
Fan writer

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I'm sure you all know the phrase, 'it's the hope that kills you'.

That rather epitomises being an Albion fan.

The last time Albion supporters enjoyed back-to-back wins that weren't spread across two different seasons? 21 August 2024 - 16 months ago.

Yet every time you're about to give up on the team, to quote Al Pacino, "they pull me back in".

That was the case two weeks ago.

After a dismal showing at QPR, followed by Southampton racing into a three-goal lead against us on the Tuesday night, most Albion fans were ready to wash their hands of manager Ryan Mason, only for the Baggies to turn in a magnificent second-half performance against in-form Sheffield United to put the Blades to the sword.

Had a corner finally been turned?

The Throstles then travelled to sixth-placed Hull City, and for 45 minutes they made us believe with an energetic first-half display as Mason's men created (and missed) chance after chance.

But this is Albion, they give you hope and then whip the rug from under you.

After being the dominant side throughout the first half, the Baggies hit the self-destruct button in injury time, gave away a needless penalty and capitulated to an undeserved 1-0 defeat following a flat second-half display.

Albion have the art of shooting themselves in the foot down to a tee this season.

No team in the league has made more errors leading to opposition shots on goal than the Baggies' 17.

Those individual mistakes probably go some way to explaining Albion's inconsistency this season.

Our record following a win this campaign reads, L, D, L, L, L, L, L, L.

In short, Mason's men can't string two results together.

That said, it's unfair to depict this as just a Ryan Mason problem.

Tony Mowbray never achieved back-to-back wins during his Hawthorns return, nor did Chris Brunt in his six games as caretaker, and, before that, Carlos Corberan only managed it twice in his final 45 games as Albion boss.

This is an Albion problem; we are consistently inconsistent regardless of the manager, but it's Mason's job to find a solution to that issue.

After eight consecutive away defeats, a glimmer of hope lies in the fact that Albion now face back-to-back home games.

After all, we've only lost once at home in the league all season and have won three of our past four at The Hawthorns.

Ah, it's the hope that kills you, isn't it?

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

Steve Hermon
BBC Radio WM's West Bromwich Albion commentator

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We're at that time of year where there's a last-minute rush for Christmas presents - me included - but football clubs can't make their purchases until the January transfer window opens.

However, there isn't expected to be a rush to the market for Albion in the New Year. That's because the club's precarious financial situation that owners Bilkul inherited upon taking over in February 2024 hasn't gone away yet.

Some fans have grown impatient with the inconsistent performances they've seen in Ryan Mason's debut campaign as head coach, so it might be frustrating to read that.

But, as chairman Shilen Patel described it in an open letter back in June, it's their "regulatory reality".

The EFL's profit and sustainability rules (P&S) are dictated by a three-year rolling period in which clubs can only lose around £39m in that time.

While some elements of an annual loss can be discounted if it funds infrastructure, the academy or women's team, West Bromwich Group Limited, which is the part of the club governed by the financial rules, reported a £37.6m loss in the 2023-24 season alone.

That has left them very close to the line and it's a minor miracle they haven't breached it.

The summer departures of player of the year Torbjorn Heggem, star winger Tom Fellows to Southampton and on-field skipper Darnell Furlong to Ipswich effectively helped avoid a points deduction.

Regarding the latter two, Baggies boss Mason recently described having to sell to Championship rivals as something they needed to do to get through "a storm", and praised the owners for navigating it.

But he did offer a ray of sunshine when saying there will "come a time" when the club can "kick on".

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Brighter skies ahead

Those gloomy financial clouds will hopefully begin to lift as soon as next summer. That's because that huge loss from two seasons ago will be in the irrelevant distance from an accounting point of view.

Patel, who has covered the club's significant debts since his arrival, also revealed in his June letter that Albion started the 2024-25 campaign with the highest payroll of any team not receiving parachute payments.

That legacy will be lessened when some of the remaining high earners from the previous regime are out of contract in the middle of 2026.

Club captain Jed Wallace and injury-hit striker Daryl Dike are among the players most likely to move on.

Something else that could happen in the near future is the EFL following the Premier League in switching from P&S to a Squad Cost Ratio model.

From the 2026-27 season, it will limit player-related costs to 85% of a top-flight club's revenue. Nothing has been agreed by EFL teams yet, but it's a model the West Bromwich Albion hierarchy is believed to be supportive of.

Despite walking a fine financial line, Bilkul have managed to dip into their pockets in previous windows.

Almost £5m was committed towards the purchase of top scorer Aune Heggebo this past summer, a £3m deal was done for Mikey Johnston the previous year and there was significant investment in Isaac Price and Tammer Bany last January, but the next winter window is expected to be much quieter.

Current loan pair Toby Collyer and Samuel Illing-Junior could be recalled by their parent clubs, Manchester United and Aston Villa, respectively.

Midfielder Collyer has made just three starts because of injury, while Iling-Junior has shown brief flashes of quality but not enough to nail down a regular spot.

If they are recalled, the Baggies will look to replace them. On top of that, I understand Albion's president and sporting director Andrew Nestor is working to bring in one additional player via the loan market.

Perhaps most pleasing for Mason though, given his squad's lack of strength in depth, is that there aren't expected to be any major departures.

The only scenario for an exit from The Hawthorns would be if an offer too good to refuse was made for a soon-to-be out-of-contract player.

If that were to happen, they would be replaced, but the Baggies also wouldn't sell if they felt it would completely derail any internal hopes they still have of being in the mix for a Championship play-off place.

A top-six finish does feel optimistic based on performances so far and with the Baggies currently 16th in the table. That's their joint lowest position heading into Christmas Day in 30 years, but it is only the halfway point of the campaign and a good run of results over the festive period would significantly change the external mood in the short term.

The long-term hope is that the fans' patience – and likewise the ownership's with the head coach's learning curve of a campaign – will be rewarded with brighter and more exciting times in the future.

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West Bromwich Albion head coach Ryan Mason said their defeat by his old club Hull City was their own fault.

Nat Phillips' handball as he jumped for a corner with his arm high above his head gave the Tigers a penalty deep in stoppage time at the end of the first half, which Olie McBurnie converted.

After failing to take several chances, the Baggies' hopes of getting anything from the game were hindered by Alfie Gilchrist's red card on 75 minutes.

Mason had no complaints about the award of a spot-kick but felt Gilchrist was very unlucky.

"I've not seen the penalty back clearly but I thought it looked a pen. I thought there was a handball," Mason told BBC Radio WM.

"I thought the ref had a difficult afternoon, there were a lot of mistakes in my opinion, but I can't make excuses for losing that game.

"We gave them a penalty, we didn't take our chances when we got them in the first half."

"I don't think it was a red [card]. I don't think there was any reaction from the Hull players or our players.

"The foot was high but, I was there, and he didn't touch him but my opinion's irrelevant.

"The loss was our mistake, our lack of discipline and we've been punished for a situation that's avoidable.

"There has been an emphasis on staying disciplined for 95, 100 minutes and we weren't able to do that once again."

West Bromwich Albion head coach Ryan Mason says he returns to Hull City on Saturday with "mixed emotions" as he reflects on the moment that ended his playing career nearly 10 years ago.

Mason suffered a fractured skull in a clash of heads with Chelsea's Gary Cahill during a Premier League match in January 2017 and, after major surgery, was forced to retired just over a year later at the age of only 25.

Now he is going back to the place where it happened in charge of a side for the first time and told BBC Radio WM it would be an emotional experience.

"There were some fond memories there even though it didn't end how I wanted it to, so I look back on it with mixed emotions," he said.

"The club were amazing. The doctor Mark Waller, he had a crucial part in saving my life. I still speak to him.

"The owners at the time were incredible. They gave me the time and opportunity to come back and play."

Despite a lot changing at Hull in the nine years since his injury, Mason said there would always be a bond with the club.

"It's been a long time - I retired at 25 - it's coming up to 10 years, they have a different owner, different manager and players," he added.

"I had an incident when I was representing that club so there will always be a connection with Hull.

"It's a painful period to look back on. I lost my career but my son was born in Hull on 20 December.

"It's made me a better person and made people around me better as well."

For the immediate future, Mason is now fully focused on putting any sentiment aside as he tries to engineer a first away win in the Championship since the start of October and prevent the current five-point gap to the play-off places getting any wider.

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West Bromwich Albion boss Ryan Mason has confirmed it's "a possibility" that midfielder Alex Mowatt may feature during their upcoming trip to Hull City on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The 30-year-old picked up a foot injury in the side's last away trip to Southampton and did not feature against Sheffield United on the weekend.

"Mowwy [Mowatt] hasn't trained since the Southampton game so we are going to train him today and see how he goes," Mason told BBC Radio WM.

"When a player has the best part of 10 days without being on the pitch with the group it's tough, but with the type of injury it is also, there's a possibility [he can make Saturday's squad].

"Structurally, it's okay but it's a pain management thing."

Forward Tammer Bany also missed out on the win against the Blades but has returned to training this week after recovering from his illness.

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

Hull City will look to retain their place in the top six when they welcome West Bromwich Albion on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Tigers have found a rich vein of form to land them in sixth place but are only clear by one point.

Though the Baggies are trying to stabilise after a topsy-turvy season and will be seeking their first back-to-back wins since August.

• Hull have won just one of their last 11 league games against West Bromwich Albion (D2 L8), a 2-0 home win in March 2023.

• After losing four consecutive away league games against Hull between 1974 and 1987, West Brom have lost just four of their last 17 visits (W8 D5).

• Since the start of October, only league leaders Coventry (34) have won more points and won more games (11) than Hull in the Championship (25 points, 8 wins).

• Following their win against Sheffield United, West Brom will be aiming for consecutive Championship victories for just the second time under Ryan Mason. The previous instance came in their opening two matches of the 2025-26 league campaign (1-0 v Blackburn and 3-2 v Wrexham).

• Since the start of October, only Southampton's Adam Armstrong (9) has netted more Championship goals than Hull's Joe Gelhardt (8). However, no player has scored in more different matches than Gelhardt (8) in the division in this period.

Chris Hall
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

"He's the Championship Haaland, isn't he?"

The words of Karlan Grant speaking to WBA TV after Aune Heggebo made it seven goals in seven games against Sheffield United on Friday.

It has been quite a remarkable turnaround for the Norwegian marksman over the last five weeks.

Prior to The Throstles' clash with Oxford United on 8 November, the summer signing from SK Brann had just one league goal to his name. Just over a month later, he has eight and is suddenly within striking distance of the Championship's top scorer, Adam Armstrong.

So why has this change in fortunes for the man they call 'The Hulk' occurred?

Ironically, it seems that not much has changed when it comes to Heggebo himself, but, instead, the other Baggies players seem to have learned how to best utilise the powerful Norwegian.

Both Grant and boss Ryan Mason spoke in post-match interviews about how connections, relationships and understanding have developed with their £4.7m striker, and that seems to be the key.

Heggebo is a bundle of energy, always showing for the ball, and he's a striker who likes to attack the space across defenders and link the play for his team-mates.

All of the above is easier to do if Heggebo is given the ball early.

Earlier in the season, that's something Albion were failing to do as they routinely passed the ball around the back before trying to cause the opposition problems through slow and probing build-up.

Simply put, this largely didn't work, and Albion, at one stage, went six and a half hours without a goal.

Once Albion finally broke that duck against Oxford, the penny dropped for Ryan Mason, and there was a clear shift in emphasis.

The ponderous build-up was suddenly gone, and Albion went from averaging 248 touches per game in their defensive third to an average of just 196 across the next six games.

In short, Albion started to move the ball from back to front with much greater urgency, utilising Heggebo as their focal point.

The striker's numbers suddenly shot up. His shots per game tripled and his xG per game quadrupled.

Friday's game against Sheffield United encapsulated this shift in approach.

Whenever Albion players got the ball, their first thought was, "can I find Heggebo", and the answer, more often than not, was yes!

Heggebo had more touches of the ball against the Blades than in any game this season, and he also racked up a goal and an assist in the 2-0 win.

So, while Erling Haaland sits pretty atop the Premier League scoring chart, who's to say his Championship counterpart won't soon be matching his achievement in the second tier?

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

Adam Cottier
BBC Radio 5 Live

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Ryan Mason showed little emotion as the final whistle blew at The Hawthorns, but inside there must have been deep satisfaction in the way his team had outwitted an in-form Sheffield United side.

West Brom had appeared brittle, lax and low on confidence in the first half of this Friday night tussle.

Sheffield United troubled the home side on numerous occasions. West Brom's restless fans jeered careless moments of indecision and only one side seemed destined for victory.

That all changed after the break and those same supporters will hope the level of intensity and aggression from their team doesn't relent as they emerge from the run of form that has put Mason's coaching under the spotlight.

Whatever he said or did at the break had a swift impact.

In Aune Heggebo, West Brom have a striker finding razor-sharp form. His goal, and the one by Karlan Grant, were both splendidly taken strikes at the end of fluid attacking moves.

There could easily have been more goals especially given Sheffield United's apparent weariness in the second 45 minutes.

West Brom clearly have talented players. Nat Phillips was excellent in defence while Mikey Johnston's all-action display in midfield caught the eye.

It is understandable on the evidence of the second-half showing why West Brom fans believe their side should be operating much higher up the league. Time will tell if Mason can now consistently get the best out of his players in order for them to do so and their dreadful away form must be ended quickly.

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West Bromwich Albion boss Ryan Mason spoke to BBC Radio WM after his side's 2-0 win over Sheffield United.

"They had a few chances in the first half and it was important we hung in there and we did, which pleased me massively. At times this season when we've been up against it we've conceded and it's changed the feeling of the game," he said.

"Second half we got a second wind. We played a really good game and got a goal and then a second goal which we haven't done enough this season.

"There was a bit of anxiety and nervousness in the first 20 minutes and you could feel it. It was a bit ugly and sometimes you have to make good football decisions.

"The players deserved the win in my opinion."

(On striker Aune Heggebo who got a goal and an assist) "We're so happy with him, we really feel like his relationships are developing with his team-mates. We can see his potential and he has so much room to grow. He's in a good moment."

West Bromwich Albion will look to avoid three consecutive league defeats for the first time this season when they welcome Sheffield United on Friday night (20:00 GMT).

The Baggies are 16th in the Championship and have won just two of their past 10 matches (D2 L6).

The Blades are one place below Albion but are on an impressive six-game unbeaten run (W4 D2) and looking to continue their climb up the table.

• West Bromwich Albion are winless in five league games against Sheffield United (D2 L3) since a 4-0 win in August 2021.

• The previous two league meetings between West Brom and Sheffield United have been draws - there hasn't been three league draws in a row between these teams since January 1972.

• Albion have lost just four of their past 28 home league matches (W13 D11) and are unbeaten in six (W3 D3) since a 1-0 defeat to Derby in September.

• Sheffield United have won 13 of their past 20 away league matches under Chris Wilder (L7) and are looking to win three in a row for the first time since a run of six between January and March this year.

• Sheffield United have played two Championship matches on a Friday this season and they've lost them both by an aggregate score of 8-2 – 5-0 v Ipswich and 3-2 v Preston.

Chris Hall
Fan writer

When he was Baggies boss, Carlos Corberan had an interesting analogy to describe the balance that coaches have to strike between defending and attacking.

The Spaniard compared it to a blanket; pull it up too high and your feet get cold, but pull it down too low and your upper body is cold.

The suggestion was also made that few coaches have the perfectly sized blanket to keep everything toasty warm, so trade-offs between attacking threat and defensive solidity must be made.

It is a problem Ryan Mason has wrestled with at Albion all season.

Earlier in the campaign, his side had one of the better defences in the league in terms of xG against but were toothless in attack.

So much so that between Isaac Price's strike against Watford on 22 October and Aune Heggebo's headed winner against Oxford United on 8 November, six and a half hours of football were played in which no West Bromwich Albion player scored.

It was a problem that needed addressing, but now questions are being asked whether Mason has moved the blanket too far in the other direction.

Since breaking their duck, Albion have conceded 12 goals in their past five games. Only Charlton have conceded more in the same period.

The goals are flowing a bit more freely at the other end. Albion have scored nine goals in their past five matches, but all too often those goals are coming when the Baggies have given themselves a mountain to climb.

In the past three games, Mason's charges have gone at least two goals behind before responding. The division's form team, Southampton, ruthlessly exposed the Baggies' beleaguered defence on Tuesday, racing into a 3-0 lead inside just 35 minutes.

None of which bodes well for the under-pressure Mason, as his team's next opponents are the second-most in-form team in the Championship - Sheffield United - who will arrive at The Hawthorns on Friday boasting 14 goals and 14 points in their past six games.

Many believe a third consecutive defeat could spell the end for Mason, with Baggies fans expressing their dissatisfaction with their manager in recent weeks.

If he is to avoid such a fate, he will need to find a way to make the blanket quite a bit bigger for a chilly December night at The Hawthorns.

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West Brom boss Ryan Mason felt his side made too many mistakes in the first half at Southampton as they trailed 3-0 at the interval before rallying to 3-2.

The Baggies have lost their last seven Championship away games and Mason feels they must deliver a 90-minute performance.

Mason told BBC Radio WM: "No, it's certainly not the time to do that [launch a comeback] when you're 3-0 down after the first half and the nature of why we were 3-0 down.

"I think the bigger concern, yes, in the second half, how that panned out. But football isn't 45 minutes. It's 90 minutes and we were not good enough in that first half, certainly.

"They are many different things. Obviously, we've made individual errors. Having the bravery and the belief to execute something, I don't think we quite had that in the first half.

"Did we have it in the second half? Yes, we did, but at this level, and at any level, to come back from three goals down is extremely difficult."