'I'm not doing enough' - West Brom boss Ryan Mason makes brutally honest statement after Charlton loss
West Brom are winless in four Championship matches after a series of lacklustre performances
West Bromwich Albion’s poor run of form over late autumn has continued to trouble them in November, leading to growing pressure on manager Ryan Mason. The Baggies are now without a win in four Championship matches despite mainly playing teams that had all been below them in the league table before a ball was kicked.
Wednesday’s defeat to Charlton leaves the West Midlands side in 14th position and four points adrift of the play-offs. It only further amplifies the pressure on the club to earn a victory against Oxford United as the gap between the Baggies and the play-offs continues to grow with each passing week.
Ryan Mason comments on recent West Brom slump
Mason joined with the intention of leading the Baggies back to the top-flight for the first time since relegation in 2021 but at present he’s yet to assemble a team that looks capable of reaching the big time.
He told the club website that ‘results aren’t good enough’ and added that if opportunities to win the match are passed up than his team will be ‘punished’ at this level.
In a candid interview, he explained: “It’s another loss and it’s not good enough. Ultimately, the responsibility is on me. At the moment, I’m not doing enough to get enough from the players. I feel like the players put the effort in today. We were there, we were in the game. We had opportunities in both halves that we needed to make count and we didn’t.
“To concede how we did right at the end is a reflection on me and what I’m trying to create here, and at the moment, it’s certainly not good enough.”
He added: “I’m looking at that and of course I’m thinking we could have come away with all three points, but that’s the reality of football. If you don’t take your chances and you don’t kill your opposition when you have your moments, then 0-0 is a dangerous scoreline. At the end of the day, if you don’t win that game we certainly should not lose it.”
West Brom’s lack of potency in front of goal remains their biggest weakness
West Brom have conceded 15 times this season, giving them the joint seventh best defensive record in the division. While it’s nothing to crow about, it’s a respectable number for a team chasing the play-offs with four clean sheets being recorded in the process.
However, it’s at the other end of the pitch that concerns are starting to grow, with the Baggies scoring just 12 times, making them the joint fourth lowest scorers in the Championship this season, with only Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday and Portsmouth scoring less times. West Brom have failed to score in five matches this season, which is equivalent to over a third of the games played - 36% of matches to be exact.
The Hawthorns outfit are also not creating nearly enough chances to suggest a drastic change in those metrics are coming in the near future. The stats at Fbref also show that West Brom have an overall XG of 14.5 which is the fourth lowest in the division - suggesting a lack of creativity - while the Baggies are averaging just 3.36 shots on target per 90 which is only marginally better than eight other teams.
Right now, West Brom aren’t getting the best out of new signing Aune Heggebo, who has only scored once in 14 matches. While Josh Maja, who is out of contract in the summer, who has struggled form minutes and fitness hasn’t been able to replicate the form that made him such a fan favourite last term.