Ryan Mason set for same old story as supercomputer makes West Brom and QPR prediction

West Brom were dealt another blow on Boxing Day with defeat to Bristol City.

Ryan Mason is fighting for his job at The Hawthorns with his side very much in a relegation scrap.

West Brom’s 2-1 loss to Bristol City on Boxing Day was their 11th defeat of the campaign in the Championship, pulling the club closer to the unthinkable threat of relegation to League One.

It was a controversial afternoon at The Hawthorns, as Emil Riis appeared to interfere with play in an offside position, and surely impacted Joe Wildsmith’s ability to save Anis Mehmeti’s shot, but the goal was allowed to stand.

Many West Brom fans are calling for Mason to be sacked, but he could be set for a reprieve.

Ryan Mason ahead of a West Brom game
Credit: Imago

West Brom predicted to beat QPR in potential Ryan Mason lifeline

Mason is skating on the thinnest of ice at West Brom, and it could only be a matter of time before the trigger is pulled by the club’s decision-makers.

However, what the 34-year-old first-time head coach has been able to do this season is find a way to win a game of football, right when the narrative has been that he was one match away from the sack.

A 2-0 win over Sheffield United on 12 December after back-to-back defeats to Southampton and QPR has been the most recent example of this.

He now prepares to take his team into a clash with QPR on Monday night at The Hawthorns, with once again the general consensus being that, should he survive until kick-off, anything other than a win over the R’s would cost him his job.

And the Opta supercomputer is predicting that history will repeat itself for Mason against QPR, as it’s given West Brom a 43.2 per cent chance of winning the game, with Julien Stephan’s side holding a 30.1 per cent chance of victory.

West Brom’s recent head-to-head record vs QPR

Mason, and everyone connected with West Brom, will be looking for any kind of hope to cling onto for three points on Monday.

However, the most recent bragging rights between Albion and QPR lie with the Londoners, who ran out 3-1 winners a matter of weeks ago on 6 December.

As such, they’ll no doubt be confident they’ve got West Brom’s number, but prior to that game, the Baggies hadn’t tasted defeat against the Hoops in their last six Championship meetings.

QPR have lost just once in their last five league games, though, with three wins and a draw in that time period – their defeat coming to second-placed Middlesbrough.

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