Tony Mowbray sends stark warning to incoming new West Brom boss Ryan Mason

An excited Ryan Mason is expected to take over as West Brom’s new head coach this week in what will be his first permanent managerial gig, but it won’t be an easy job as there are several problems at the football club, as discussed by Tony Mowbray during his explosive final press conference.

Mowbray, sacked on Easter Monday following eight defeats in 17 Championship matches, held very little back in his last meeting with the media, merely 30 minutes before he was relieved of his duties. The 61-year-old discussed the disconnect between the boardroom and manager as well as what Albion are lacking in key departments.

Without knowing it at the time, Mowbray rather handily pre-emptively warned whoever his replacement would be. Mason may not take any notice of what Mowbray said as he will be confident in his own ability to turn things around at The Hawthorns, but many of the issues discussed remain truly prevalent and were not just an attempt at saving face.

West Brom need to sign big characters

Something that became abundantly clear towards the end of the season was Albion’s lack of true leaders. The team needed a collective of individuals to step up, take responsibility and lift their teammates on their shoulders in the tough moments to see out a top-six finish. That didn’t happen anywhere near enough, Mowbray felt.

"I've said to the team so I can say it to you - I felt they lacked a little bit of courage. You need big characters when things are tough and a bit tricky,” Mowbray told Birmingham World. “I think the summer is huge for this club with the changes that will be coming. Recruitment has to be right. You have to sign players with personality and character and a hunger to get to the top.

“I think that's the key to everything. I think the summer's crucial and I just feel we need to sign some personality, character, confidence who will play the way I believe West Bromwich Albion will play. I grew up as a kid watching them play and I managed them for three years 18 years ago – West Bromwich Albion should be trying to dominate games, attack, have flair players and get people out their seats with moments of excitement.”

Mowbray of course won’t be able to oversee the summer transfer business now he’s been relieved of his duties and Mason is coming in, but that doesn’t mean his thoughts will be - or should be - completely overlooked. The former Sunderland man had a plan and was hoping it would be at least considered.

“That's what my vision is – to recruit talent,” Mowbray added. “People who want to play forward, run forward, create chances and score goals. Everything else defensively is a given. Win headers, tackles, block shots. The stuff that wins football matches is the quality of the players who can do something out of the ordinary.

“Maybe it’s a transitional period, maybe the time is right for this team to change. There are some gaping holes in the squad that need to be replaced in the summer. You don’t need a whole team of them (characters), you don’t need 10 of them, you maybe need three or four of them in your team and five or six of them in your squad – those players who are desperate to get better, are desperate to play in the Premier League.”

Disconnect between head coach, recruitment team and chairman

One of the most significant nuggets of information that can be taken from Mowbray’s last press conference is the fact that there appears to be a worrying lack of communication between the head coach, the recruitment team and chairman Shilen Patel when it comes to transfers.

Mowbray understood that in modern football it’s rare for clubs to give head coaches much of a say in transfer business, but he still wanted to be able to have some sort of influence. It appears he was never going to have that opportunity at West Brom, even if he made it to the summer window, as there’s a clear disconnect between the various parties involved.

“When I was here 18 years ago, I was the manager, I picked the players, I coached the players, I sold the players. That’s how it happened but I don’t do that anymore,” Mowbray reminisced. “I think the real issue is that the manager should be able, from the resources that he’s been given, to pick the team he wants to pick.”

Using Albion’s high-flying local rivals Aston Villa as an example, Mowbray emphasised the importance of cohesion between the boardroom and the dugout. Villa manager Unai Emery and the club’s president of football operations, Monchi, have a great working relationship to ensure the squad’s needs are met at all times. Albion could do with implementing a similar approach, Mowbray feels.

“I watched the Villa game against Newcastle, it looks as if the Villa manager has got his mate in as the sporting director and they are doing the deals they want,” Mowbray suggested. “Emery’s doing the team and he is doing the deals he wants. They’re doing a pretty good job of it.

“Listen, I’m not going to fight the club, I’m not here to fight the club. But I think there has to be an alignment with the coach - how he likes to play and what he wants to do - and the recruitment. And then if they marry really nice, I’ve got loads of good players to try and create this team that plays the brand of football. If we win, then they’re happy because the values of the players are going up.

“It’s difficult if they sign players and I want to play a technical game and dominate the match and yet they’ve just signed a load of big lads who are warriors who can head and fight everybody, yet we have no control. That becomes an issue because then they don’t fit in my team. They might spend X amount of million on a player and I’m not even playing them. It becomes an issue, I think,” Mowbray concluded.

Mason has a tough job on his hands

Leaving Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur to join West Brom isn’t a decision Mason has taken lightly. The 33-year-old has been handed a wonderful opportunity to take his first step into management at a high level but it certainly won’t be an easy job, and the pressure will be mounting from the minute he walks through the door.

Albion must return to the play-offs next season at the very least if they are to have any realistic chance of returning to the Premier League anytime soon. That may seem a reasonable expectation given the size of the club and the quality of some players but the squad needs a complete overhaul.

As Mowbray warned, characters are needed in big moments and Albion are lacking the passion and cohesion required to succeed, at least on a consistent basis. The summer transfer business will be absolutely pivotal and it will be interesting to see whether Mason will get more of a look-in on decisions. Time will tell.