Ryan Mason – Everything you need to know about West Brom’s promising young manager
Ryan Mason was something of a surprise appointment at West Brom after they dismissed Tony Mowbray.
The 34-year-old has limited managerial experience in senior men’s football, and his CV was a stark contrast from that of his vastly experienced predecessor.
Bilkul now have their own man in place at the helm following their takeover back in February, and they wasted little time in outlining Mason as the man who was best suited to lead the team forward.
He is already West Brom’s youngest-ever permanent manager, and his journey to the job at The Hawthorns certainly hasn’t been conventional.
Ryan Mason’s coaching history before West Brom
Once a hugely promising midfielder at Tottenham, Mason was forced into an early retirement from his playing career in 2018, after suffering a fractured skull in a Premier League game for Hull City.
Within months, he was back at Spurs as a coach while working towards completing his coaching badges, and that is where his career in the dugout really took off.
He held a role as the Lilywhites’ U19s coach in 2019, and then became the head of player development for the academy in August 2020.
- Mason took charge of Spurs’ first-team for 13 games across his two spells
- He had a combined win percentage of 46.15%
- His first spell in charge included a Carabao Cup final
Mason was then named as the interim head coach of the first team following Jose Mourinho’s departure in 2021, and he oversaw a Carabao Cup final as part of his stint in charge.
He became a first-team coach under Antonio Conte, before another stint in temporary charge came after the Italian was dismissed.
The former midfielder remained as part of Ange Postecoglou’s coaching team during his reign in North London, before he chose to leave earlier this year to take his first steps as a permanent boss at West Brom.
Ryan Mason will be a forward-thinking West Brom coach
Mason may not have any prior experience of coaching in the Football League, but he has come through the ranks of one of the country’s most prestigious academy setups.
The youth development pathway at Spurs has seen him work with numerous hugely talented prospects, and he will have plenty of contacts within the Premier League and the academy scene that could be invaluable for West Brom.
He has already had to deal with dynamic and ever-changing situations in his roles on the first-team coaching staff at Tottenham, and he has proven himself to be very adaptable in many different scenarios.
Mason is only just taking his first steps in senior management, but the sky could be the limit for him in the coming seasons.
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