View: Major financial report proves there can be no excuse if West Brom miss out on promotion
For large parts of this season, West Brom have more than justified their position in the top two of the Championship table.
Admittedly, there have been some fairly substantial dips in form, including that dire run around the turn of the year, but generally speaking, we have been a cut above the vast majority of the division.
And the Annual Review of Football Finance, as published by Deloitte, shows that it doesn’t just end on the pitch either.
According to the financial giants, the Baggies recorded the highest revenue in the Championship for the 2018/19 season, reporting revenue of £71m, with over 62% coming from parachute payments.
Unsurprisingly, given their place at the top of the table and their fervent fanbase, Leeds United were the most successful second tier club when it came generating matchday (£18m) and commercial (£21m) revenue, which accounted for around 80% of their total income.
That means that they generated more money than some clubs in receipt of parachute payments.
But ultimately, when we look at Albion’s status in all of this, it proves that we should be where we are at.
Last season was a massive disappointment when it came to crashing out of the play-offs, but if anything, that extra season in the Championship has given us an opportunity to consolidate the good things that took us so close last term.
And that includes operations off the pitch.
But if there is one slight concern to be taken from Deloitte’s report, it’s that there cannot be a repeat of last term.
We are generating the largest revenue of any club in the division, we have a top class manager, we have an exciting squad that is well-stocked in pretty much every department.
There is no excuse for anything other than promotion this summer.
In other West Brom news, ‘It’s a shame’ – James Morrison reacts to upcoming Albion exit.