Key takeaways as Shilen Patel writes to West Brom fans in impressive letter

Albion chairman Shilen Patel addressed the Baggies faithful on a range of topics in an open letter on Friday afternoon.

We have had a look at some of the key takeaways from the latest correspondence from the club’s Florida-based owner.

An acceptance of failings

Patel wrote here on the desperation of last season and how it was unacceptable, cannot be repeated and must be learned from.

Open communication is always refreshing for fans. Many demanded it in January and February - it is often not healthy to speak while in the eye of a storm - and here the chairman has addressed the failings in the right way.

He and all involved in decision-making are fortunate that James Morrison was on hand as the leader needed to secure safety.

Clear belief in the new staff at all levels

The Baggies were boosted this week with Morrison’s assistant Matt Gill and coaches Tony McMahon and Gavin Strachan, courted by the head coach, committing.

Patel wrote: “Mozza is already woven into the fabric of this club, and he approaches this role with a clear understanding of what it means to Baggies everywhere.”

And added: “(He) mirrors the traits we value in our long-serving and recently arrived leaders: adept, driven, team-first, humble, honest, accountable, and positive.

“Along with his freshly confirmed staff, his goal will be to sustain the performance levels achieved at the end of last season.”

Patel addressed new technical director appointment Dominic Price, who came in from Maccabi Tel Aviv, and the dynamic he works with director of football operations Ian Pearce - who remains in charge of recruitment - at the top of the sporting structure.

Mentions of longer-serving staff members Tony Strudwick - director of medical - and academy manager Richard Stevens also highlighted Patel’s trust in the collective.

‘Game model’ - and mentions of ‘data’

The phrase ‘data’ is enough to bring some football fans out in cold sweats, particularly at Albion where recent memories of the former sporting director Andrew Nestor - part of last season’s fallout - still linger.

Owners Bilkul’s ‘game model’ has been referenced in recent fan meetings and, in Patel’s words, drawn “critical attention”.

He explained: “We will always push to observe and integrate best practices with the patience and humility to learn and improve as we go.

“The most successful clubs worldwide use objective, quantifiable data as part of a decision-making framework that give it context and focus.

“Our use of data to evaluate ourselves, our competition, and potential recruits is always evolving along with our broader approach.

“No club gets everything right, but in our mission to harness every possible advantage we are committed to continuously mining the results of all our efforts, research, and curiosity for clues to future success.”

Transfer talk

There was not too much given away, but Patel described targets ahead to continue as “dynamic, hard-working, and well-coached players with an emphasis on talent we believe will grow in their time with us.”

The chairman referenced deals for attackers Barney Stewart, 22, and Jimmy-Jay Morgan, 20, as early examples of this and vowed there will be more. Clearly all signings will not be early 20-somethings, but there is a very strong emphasis on building a squad with potential now and in the future.

Finances are healthier - more on that shortly - and Patel added how quality of recruits has not been relative to cost, with emphasis on finding more Torbjorn Heggems, Callum Styles, Ousmane Diakites and George Campbells.

Finance journey

Patel touches on the “exhaustive” PSR work carried out to face the “chasm” head-on for more than two years in a bid to rescue, almost fully but for late controversy, a projected breach of tens of millions.

The exasperating - but not costly - two-point deduction was labelled “frustrating” and the chairman said not appealing the guilty outcome will see money spent on players and infrastructure and not lawyers and hearings.

He added: “We now begin a new phase where we can be guided by our own budget and sensibilities rather than circumstance and external pressures.”

That particular sentence can excite supporters about Albion recruiting free of severe restrictions holding them back in recent Bilkul-led transfer windows.

The change to squad cost ratio regulations, rather than PSR, has been planned for two seasons and Albion believe will benefit them.

Impact of newer appointments

Chief business officer Sam Jeffery was a low-profile appointment from Norwich in March but could be a key player. He, with assistance from Bilkul’s Ashish Patel, is tasked to improve and expand the club’s commercial pull. The more revenue in, the more can be spent and the Baggies project “a real uplift in 12 to 24 months”.

Other names and roles have been confirmed at executive level, under the umbrella of Mark Miles - the long-serving former managing director who returned post-Nestor to run the leadership team.

With him include John Pelling, the experience senior director of football finance. Pelling was critical in Albion’s PSR navigation. Other roles, including Richard Parnell as chief legal and governance officer, and the returning former striker Jason Roberts as non-executive director to add “greater football experience in the boardroom” were highlighted.