West Brom fans will be thrilled with Ryan Mason as announcement drops pre-QPR
Nat Phillips has been dropped from West Brom’s starting lineup for their Championship clash with QPR after a recent dip in form, while Josh Griffiths has also been left out.
West Brom’s 3-2 win over Swansea City on 29 November showed the desire among the players to continue fighting for under-fire manager Ryan Mason.
For Saturday’s match at Loftus Road, Jayson Molumby and Alex Mowatt start in midfield, while Aune Heggebo continues to lead the line.
West Brom have lost six consecutive away matches in the Championship, and they can’t afford to lose against a QPR side who sit just below the Baggies in 15th place.
As Mason continues to face pressure from all angles, the players must end their dreadful run of one win from seven games, and fans will be delighted with Phillips‘ exclusion as the manager makes five changes.
Nat Phillips is benched, Ryan Mason makes five changes
At the start of the season, Phillips had been widely praised by Baggies fans for his aggressive and brave defending.
However, that couldn’t be further from the case at the moment, with the 28-year-old struggling to form a strong partnership alongside Chris Mepham.
Phillips made a shocking mistake against Swansea, with his poor clearance allowing for the visitors to score just 11 seconds into the match.
| Stat | Phillips |
| Minutes played | 45 |
| Ground duels won | 25% |
| Aerial duels won | 50% |
| Tackles | 0 |
| Blocks | 0 |
After being hooked at half time for Krystian Bielik, it was expected that Phillips could drop out of the team, and Mason has certainly made the right decision by giving him a break.
Albion announced their starting lineup and substitutes via X ahead of kickoff.
As for the changes, Joe Wildsmith, George Campbell, Bielik, Josh Maja, and Karlan Grant replace Griffiths, Alfie Gilchrist, Phillips, Isaac Price and Samuel Iling-Junior in the starting lineup.
West Brom have often relied on Heggebo to fire in the goals, and it’s no shock he has been named in the starting lineup once again.
Aune Heggebo’s rich vein form of form could hurt QPR’s fragile defence
Heggebo joined West Brom for £4.75million from Norwegian side Brann, and it is safe to say he has now found his feet.
His brace against Swansea took him up to eight goals in the Championship, and he is finally showcasing why the Baggies spent nearly £5million on the forward.
The Norwegian forward has looked powerful in recent weeks, bullying defenders with his strength and evading them with his movement.
QPR have conceded 10 goals in their last four home matches, and there are few forwards that could punish them more efficiently than Heggebo.
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