(Credit: Imago and Breaking Media)

Richie Mills

Thu 16 April 2026 10:00, UK

Ryan Mason enjoyed an excellent start to life at West Bromwich Albion, but fast forward to the present and the threat of relegation is very real.

Last summer, West Brom made the brave move to appoint Mason on a three-year deal in what was his first senior management appointment.

After a bright start, the Baggies slowly slipped down the Championship table, leading to his sacking in January after an 11th successive away defeat.

Fellow 34-year-old Eric Ramsay was sworn in soon after, with West Brom 17th in the division. Things got even worse under the Welshman, and he was given his marching orders as well in February.

James Morrison has had to pick up the pieces of their collective failure. And ahead of West Brom’s crunch trip to Preston North End, their decline has come into sharp focus.

West Brom’s sorry slide down the table

It was a gamble going for Mason. After all, there is no guarantee that caretaker or interim bosses are capable of making the step up to a permanent role.

And that proved to be the case at West Brom as they swung the axe on Mason, who had worked under the likes of Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, and Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham.

Former sporting director Andrew Nestor described Mason as the “leader the club needed” after a summer rebuild that reduced the average age of the squad and tried to lower their overheads, too.

West Brom started the campaign with wins over Blackburn Rovers, Wrexham, and Stoke City, alongside a draw with Portsmouth.

But their 1-0 home loss to Derby County in September started a slide that Mason couldn’t arrest. Now, West Brom are just two points above the relegation zone with four matches remaining.

The contrast in their fortunes from August to April could not be more stark going by the graphic below.

West Brom are in real danger of dropping into the English third tier for the first time since 1991. But with Morrison at the helm, they have a good chance of beating the drop.

West Brom’s destiny may not be in their own hands

Even though West Brom are two points above 22nd-placed Oxford United, the club was rocked by the news that it could face a points deduction for an alleged financial breach.

As these matters take time, West Brom could get relegated after the season finishes, with a possible three-point deduction on the cards.

As the saying goes, you can only control the controllables, starting with Saturday’s trip to Preston.

Subsequent games against Watford, promotion-chasing Ipswich Town, and already-relegated Sheffield Wednesday are to follow.

The message from Morrison will be clear. Get enough points to make sure a points deduction doesn’t matter.