A look at how the Baggies want to get on…
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00:00to deal with it just fine.
00:03Charlie, let's look at West Brom at Chalby
00:05and let's just dive into the playoff race.
00:08Obviously, you know, incredibly tight
00:10in the Championship this season.
00:11We've mentioned a fair few times how difficult it is.
00:15And, you know, West Brom has been that team
00:17that's been in and around or, you know,
00:19in the playoffs for pretty much 90% of it.
00:21They suddenly drop out, you know, a few weeks ago
00:24and there's a lot of questions surrounding Mowbray's
00:27style of play, obviously, a lot of late losing goals,
00:30conceding, which is so hard to take.
00:33I mean, how do you sort of look at West Brom this season
00:36in terms of their ambitions?
00:37Because they've been so close and they really want
00:40to make sure now that they are not the side
00:42that just narrowly misses out.
00:44Yeah, it's been so frustrating for West Brom fans
00:46to watch them kind of plummet away.
00:49It's been strange that they've stayed in fifth and sixth
00:51for most of the season, considering they've not exactly
00:54been setting the world alight.
00:55They've not lost many games in the earlier stage
00:58of the season.
00:58And then when Tony Mowbray first came in,
01:00they kind of maintained that.
01:02But then when they go and lose three on the bounce,
01:03it just kind of shows how quickly the teams below you
01:06can zump you and get above you into those playoff positions.
01:10We all know how important it is to finish in that top six.
01:13They call it the £100 million game for a reason,
01:15the playoff final.
01:16It's because getting to the Premier League can completely
01:19transform a football club.
01:20Yes, when you get there, it's incredibly difficult.
01:23Promoted teams are often relegated again.
01:24But having that financial boost and be able to build
01:26for the future is so important.
01:29Now, West Brom, I mean, being down in seventh position
01:31and down to eighth and ninth and really struggling
01:34to get over the line, a few games to go,
01:37they need to step up their game.
01:39An important win that they did manage against Watford.
01:42They need to try and build momentum now.
01:43They've got some really important games coming up.
01:46And if they don't perform at their best, well,
01:47they're going to miss out and it's going to be
01:49a very disappointing season.
01:50Yeah, just touching on the running, you know,
01:53a fair few sides around them have quite a tough run in.
01:56West Brom's looks quite favourable, really,
01:58if they just get their ideas together.
02:01Obviously, the Easter weekend is very,
02:04very tough to overcome, but it's very, very doable.
02:07I mean, that could be six points in the space of a few days
02:09for West Brom.
02:12What do you see from them?
02:13Do you feel they will have enough to just make it over the line
02:16in these final few games of the season?
02:17I think it's definitely a good sign that they're playing
02:21a few teams down the bottom of the table,
02:23but maybe they would have played them a few weeks ago
02:25when it wasn't quite crunch time in the relegation battle.
02:28That might not actually help their case,
02:30playing the likes of Cardiff and Derby down the bottom
02:33and Luton as well.
02:34It's not going to be easy.
02:35I know that statistically they've been the worst teams
02:37in the division on paper,
02:39but West Brom have shown that they are kind of susceptible
02:42against those kind of teams that are really fighting
02:44and battling as hard as they can.
02:45And sometimes those aggressive and competitive games,
02:48hardly fought games, don't go their way.
02:51The Coventry game as well is absolutely massive.
02:54I mean, a six-pointer.
02:55If Coventry go and win that one,
02:57you'd expect them to go and secure their top six status.
03:00And then it's down to Bristol City,
03:02it's down to West Brom,
03:03it's down to Middlesbrough,
03:04down to Millwall.
03:05They're probably the teams left in the competition now.
03:07And yeah, as I say,
03:09they just need to really dig deep.
03:11They need to perform at their absolute best,
03:13say goodbye to what's happened in the past,
03:14just focus on game by game
03:16and see what can happen before the end of this season.
03:19And just on West Brom's summer plans,
03:22what do you feel they need this summer?
03:24Because it sort of feels like they are
03:25at a bit of a crossroads
03:27in terms of being so close to getting over the line.
03:30I mean, they've shown it with their average position
03:31in the Championship this season,
03:32just outside the top six.
03:35I mean, it seems like they haven't really had enough goals.
03:38You know, Josh Madger started the season impeccably well.
03:41I mean, the team did really.
03:42And then obviously it all sort of slowly went downhill.
03:45They lose the manager in December
03:46and then, you know,
03:47Mowbray comes in and has a big job to do.
03:49Do you feel that,
03:51what do you feel they're going to do in the summer?
03:53Do you think they're going to back him?
03:54Do you think they're going to make sure
03:55he has a big chance next season?
03:58Obviously, it all depends where they are.
04:00But, you know,
04:01saying they are a championship outfit again,
04:04they've got a big mountain to climb again
04:06because there will still be, you know,
04:07high investment from teams that come down
04:09from the Premier League.
04:11And then if you look at the likes of League One as well,
04:13you know, Rex and Birmingham,
04:15if they're there to come up,
04:16there's more competition
04:17in terms of high investment from owners this summer.
04:21And the Championship could be
04:22a very tough place to be in next year.
04:25Now, I think they'll back him to an extent.
04:27Having the loan debt kind of ruled out now
04:30by the new ownership has really helped.
04:32Sheelan Battelle making such a big impact
04:34at the football club.
04:35They can't be free spending, though.
04:36They can't just go and blow a huge budget.
04:38They might take a few more risks now
04:40that they don't have those debts.
04:41Maybe try and spend a bit more
04:43to get into the Premier League
04:44and then they can deal with the aftermath afterwards.
04:48But as I say, I think Mowbray,
04:50it hasn't been quite the start he would have wanted.
04:53Fans have been getting on his back.
04:54They've not been behind his substitutions,
04:57his team selections.
04:58But one thing he can do is in the transfer market,
05:00he's very good at taking hold of the whole situation
05:02at a football club.
05:03He showed signs of that at Birmingham
05:04before his illness, he looked like he was really
05:06going to make such a difference
05:07with their recruitment.
05:09I think maybe the board will back him.
05:11That's probably one of the reasons
05:12why they appointed him
05:13instead of someone just as a quick fix
05:14is because he is the potential
05:16to have that kind of long-term backing.