Another Championship season has worryingly passed West Bromwich Albion by, meaning the Baggies have been outside the luxuries of Premier League football since relegation at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
Many managers have come and gone during this testing period, with Carlos Corberan the closest to restoring West Brom back to their former top-flight glories when reaching the playoffs just last season, only for eventual promotion winners Southampton to get the better of the West Midlands side over two legs.
Now, West Brom are back in the daunting position of having to look for another new boss after parting ways with Tony Mowbray, with the next face to grace the Hawthorns helm perhaps the one that seals promotion finally.
West Brom's list of manager targets
It’s been nearly a month now since Mowbray was dismissed with the 61-year-old unfortunately unable to push the Baggies up into the playoffs on his return to the hot-seat.
Instead, he only managed to pick up five victories from his 17 games in charge, with these disappointing failures culminating in James Morrison having to take over the reins on an interim basis for the final few games of the league campaign.
There have even been reports that the ex-West Brom midfielder could be handed the vacancy on a permanent basis, but it’s far likelier that the Baggies will look elsewhere in trying to uncover the best possible Mowbray successor.
However, one option continuing to be linked with Albion is Ryan Mason. Five years younger than Morrison, he actually boasts more significant coaching experience at Tottenham Hotspur.
Yet, if West Brom can find a more experienced promotion winner over Mason, they should go full steam ahead. In fact, there’s a seven-time promotion expert who ticks all the right boxes.
West Brom could appoint "unbelievable" promotion expert
Instead of swooping in to steal coaches from Premier League outfits, West Brom could look to the lower reaches of the EFL to finally land a suitable Mowbray replacement.
With that in mind, Stockport County boss Dave Challinor could be their desired man. The current Hatters boss is a beloved figure at Edgeley Park for how much he has revolutionised the Greater Manchester side’s fortunes since joining in 2021 and is reportedly on the radar of Albion.
When he first took on the reins, Stockport were a sleeping giant marooned in the National League. But, with two promotions under his belt now – which included pipping mega-money Wrexham Town to the League Two title last year – the Hatters are on the cusp of a Championship return for the first time in over 20 years.
This will be music to the ears of West Brom as they aim to finally break out of the Championship, with Challinor already a recognised promotion expert in League Two and perhaps League One to come, meaning he could take to the next step-up swimmingly as well.
Games managed
553
Wins
282
Draws
128
Losses
143
Goals scored
998
Promotions
7x
League titles
4x
Overall win percentage
50.9%
Staggeringly, Challinor still has even more promotion wins to brag about than the two already mentioned with Stockport, with the table above illuminating his further five promotion successes as a lower league veteran, alongside his mammoth career tally of 282 victories.
This is where any approach for Mason could fall flat, with the Spurs coach clearly a well-regarded face in North London and one for the future. However, he has only overseen a meagre 13 games as a main manager.
Both the 49-year-old and Mason do have a connection, however, with neither figure having taken charge of a Championship game before.
But, if the “unbelievable” manager – as he’s been labelled previously by journalist Jordan Cronin – has proved anything across his distinguished time in various dug-outs to date, he often excels when a tough challenge is put in front of him.
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