‘We’re now being coached’ - West Brom star hints shade at former boss Steve Bruce after Stoke win

West Bromwich Albion completed a hat-trick of wins on the bounce with a third successive clean sheet against Stoke City on Saturday. Carlos Corberan’s side have gone from rock bottom in the Championship to being lifted out of the relegation zone within just a couple of weeks.

There has been a clear resurgence not only in results but in performances, too. Plenty of Baggies supporters are already looking further up the table after nine points out of nine - a far better outlook than when the side was struggling under Steve Bruce.

The win over Stoke was arguably the best of the lot as WBA largely dominated proceedings and arguably could’ve won by more than they did. Kyle Bartley opened the scoring in the 39th minute with his second goal in two games, before Brandon Thomas-Asante netted a glorious bicycle kick just after half time.

Speaking after Saturday’s win at the Hawthorns, defender Darnell Furlong, who had a fine game at right-back, revealed how West Brom have responded so well recently - with a little bit of subtle shade thrown toward tactics under his old manager. “We’re extremely organised now, which is nice,” Furlong told WBA TV.

“We’ve got a structure now which doesn’t just apply to defenders, it applies to the whole team. We’ve been coached the really fine details which already looks like it is paying off. Every player is ready to work hard - nobody wants to concede a goal and we’re trying our best.

“We always wanted to get the first goal of the afternoon because we have seen how other games have gone this season when we haven’t. Once we got it, we kicked on and went from strength to strength. We created so many chances today and I really do think we could’ve scored more goals.”

Plenty of praise for Albion’s new structure, then, and plenty of talk of how the Baggies ‘now’ can do lots of things better than before. No wonder Furlong has highlighted these changes - as it is clear to see not just from results but in the confidence on the field.

The defender also congratulated Thomas-Asante for his goal of the season contender. “For Brandon’s goal, I was thinking what on earth is he doing,” Furlong said. “To pull that off, over the top of the keeper and into the top corner is unbelievable. I’m delighted for him and it was probably one of the best goals I’ve seen live.”

The Baggies will have to wait exactly a month for their next game - perhaps halting some of the momentum they have picked up over recent matches. Corberan will have lots of time to further implement his style, however, before his side take on Sunderland away from home on Monday, December 12.