Ryan Mason doesn’t have leg to stand on after latest West Brom supercomputer reveal
The pressure on Ryan Mason has ramped up again after West Brom’s defeat to Hull.
West Brom fell to a 1-0 loss away at Hull City on Saturday afternoon.
Oli McBurnie’s penalty in added time at the end of the first half was enough to deal Albion’s third defeat in four games, with the sack looming ever larger for Mason at The Hawthorns.
It was a game that didn’t escape controversy, though, as Alfie Gilchrist was shown a straight red card with 15 minutes to play.
Hull City boss Sergej Jakirovic also felt Gilchrist’s red card was harsh on West Brom, as his side moved up to fourth in the Championship whilst resigning Albion to 16th for Christmas.
West Brom backed for bottom-half finish after Hull City loss
Ahead of the 2025-26 season, West Brom were tipped for a play-off finish in Mason’s first term in charge.
The Baggies are still only seven points behind sixth-placed Millwall, and that will undoubtedly be one of the main messages going around the West Brom camp.
However, Albion look further away from the top six than the table suggests, and the Opta Analyst supercomputer agrees with that sentiment too.
It believes West Brom will finish in exactly the position they currently occupy, 16th, with a points total of around 61.
The supercomputer is only giving them a mere 0.42 per cent chance of winning automatic promotion, and a 6.74 per cent chance of reaching the Premier League via the play-offs.
Crucially, though, it doesn’t think that Albion will be relegated this season, with the Black Country club currently holding a 3.38 chance of dropping down to League One.
West Brom find form despite tough run of upcoming fixtures
It goes without saying that time is rapidly running out for Mason to prove that he is capable of leading West Brom to a bright future.
A bottom-half finish in his first season was certainly not in the roadmap upon his appointment, but if results and performances don’t improve soon, that’s precisely what they will be heading for.
The fixture list probably won’t offer a considerable amount of much-needed hope for Albion, though, as it hasn’t granted them many favourable meetings for Mason and his side.
- West Brom have conceded seven times in their last four Championship games
- Albion have picked up just nine points away from home this season, with three wins and nine defeats
- West Brom have the joint-highest number of red cards shown in the Championship with three, alongside Birmingham City
Two play-off chasing sides in Bristol City and QPR will visit The Hawthorns to see out 2025, before two tricky away trips to Swansea and Leicester City to begin 2026.
West Brom will also play second-placed Middlesbrough and travel to Derby County in January, leaving Albion few obvious games in which they’ll enter as favourites.
But that’s how the dice have fallen, and Mason must find some way to eke out improvement in his team.
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest West Bromwich Albion news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @westbromnews247