Surprise Corberan repeat: West Brom can take big gamble by hiring 3-4-3 boss
da stake casino： West Bromwich Albion decided to part ways with manager Tony Mowbray after his side were heavily beaten 3-1 by relegation-threatened Derby County on Easter Monday in the Championship.
da bwin： That result made it five losses in six matches for the experienced boss, whose only win came against Watford, and the club decided that it was time to make a decision.
Mowbray joined the club in January after Spaniard Carlos Corberan was snapped up by LaLiga outfit Valencia, which came as a big blow to the Baggies as he had been a terrific appointment for the club.
Why losing Carlos Corberan was a big blow for West Brom
West Brom appointed Corberan in October 2022, after he was let go by Olympiacos after 11 matches, and it was a bit of a gamble by the club, as he had only managed 113 senior games by that point.
The Spanish tactician spent time at Leeds United as their U21 manager and then as an assistant in the first-team to Marcelo Bielsa, learning his trade before going to Huddersfield and leading them to the play-off final in the 2021/22 campaign.
West Brom’s gamble paid off, though, as Corberan went on to earn 1.59 points per game across 107 matches in charge of the club before his move to Valencia in January.
That included a fifth-placed finish and a play-off semi-final, losing to the eventual winners Southampton, in the 2023/24 campaign, despite – as per Transfermarkt – £0 spent on permanent signings in the summer of 2023.
Manager Focus
Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.
He worked wonders on an incredibly restrictive budget, as further evidenced by Mowbray’s struggles after replacing him, and they could repeat their Corberan gamble with their new interest in a Premier League coach.
West Brom eyeing up Corberan 2.0
According to journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, West Brom are targeting a swoop for Tottenham Hotspur first-team coach Ryan Mason to come in and replace Tony Mowbray, which may be a surprise move given his lack of first-team experience.
The 33-year-old former midfielder has been an assistant manager at Spurs in the Premier League since the summer of 2023, but has also had spells as a manager at academy level, as the head of academy coaching, and as a technical coach at first-team level during his time with the club.
He has managed 12 Premier League matches for Tottenham’s first-team as an interim, across two spells, and won six of those games, winning 1.58 points per game, and that is why he is a surprise candidate for a job at the top end of the Championship.
Ryan Mason’s Premier League managerial career
Opponent
Result
Southampton (H)
2-1 win
Sheffield United (H)
4-0 win
Leeds United (A)
3-1 loss
Wolves (H)
2-0 win
Aston Villa (H)
2-1 loss
Leicester City (A)
4-2 win
Manchester United (H)
2-2 draw
Liverpool (A)
4-3 loss
Crystal Palace (H)
1-0 win
Aston Villa (A)
2-1 loss
Brentford (H)
3-1 loss
Leeds United (A)
4-1 win
Stats via Sofascore
Mason, who preferred a 3-4-3 formation, only has limited experience as the main man in a first-team set-up, which would make him a big gamble as an appointment for West Brom.
However, it also makes him an exciting appointment because he is a bit unknown, but still has a great coaching pedigree at youth and senior level with a big Premier League club, which was also the case for Corberan with Leeds.
This means that Mason would be a gamble similar to the one they made with the Spanish boss, who had only had a spell with Huddersfield, given his short tenure at Olympiacos, to judge him on in senior management.
It is not a safe appointment or one with much of a guarantee of success, due to his lack of experience, but it is one that could pay off in the same way that Corberan’s did.
Related West Brom can finally axe Diangana by unleashing “special" 21-year-old star
Tony Mowbray could forget about Grady Diangana by unleashing this special West Bromwich Albion prospect.