West Brom need to restore ‘stability and infrastructure’ to help new manager succeed – journalist
Following the sacking of Steve Bruce, West Brom have a lot of issues to sort out before properly supporting a new manager at The Hawthorns.
Bruce was relieved of his duties earlier this month after a torrid run of results left the Baggies 22nd in the Championship with just one win from 13 matches.
The hunt is now on for his successor at The Hawthorns, but Express & Star chief writer Matt Maher has urged the club to address some pressing issues in order to properly back the new man in charge.
Via Express & Star, Maher wrote: “With Premier League parachute payments due to expire at the end of this season and ongoing concerns about owner Guochuan Lai, the Baggies certainly cannot afford to write the current campaign off.
“The first task, for whoever replaces Bruce, is to get a squad which should at least be capable of challenging for the play-offs moving up the table.
“Beyond that, the focus for Gourlay must be on restoring some stability and infrastructure to the club. For too long now, decisions have been dictated by immediate need, whether it be trying to stay in the Premier League, or re-enter it.
“Now the club needs a reset and while it won’t be straightforward, it is necessary if not vital.”
Rebuild
The phrase ‘rebuild’ is one thrown about far too often in football, but it’s certainly applicable to the situation at West Brom.
The Baggies used to be one of the best-run football clubs in England a decade ago, but a series of mistakes and misjudgement has left the club in turmoil, with results and finances both a cause for concern.
Bruce’s appointment only added misery to an already miserable situation. Managerial choices have been poor, and that’s likely down to the constantly changing nature of West Brom’s boardroom.
The club can’t settle on a director of football, and while Bruce was tactically poor, he was also hung out to dry by the board’s lack of support and structure.
With the Baggies now preparing for the crucial appointment of Bruce’s successor, Maher is right to point the finger at the boardroom and suggest that radical chances are needed in there also.
Whoever braves the West Brom hot seat and succeeds Bruce will need backing, both in terms of financially and also in terms of scouting and recruitment.
The imminent managerial appointment needs to be the starting point of the process, not the end.
In other West Brom news, Mulitple managers want to take the West Brom job according to journalist Alan Nixon.