2 pros and 2 cons to West Brom appointing Tony Mowbray | OneFootball

FLW lists the two pros and cons West Brom will face by having Tony Mowbray as manager.

West Bromwich Albion’s search for a new manager appears to be drawing to a close, as Tony Mowbray looks set to take the hotseat at The Hawthorns.

It’s been four weeks since Carlos Corberan departed the Black Country for hometown club Valencia, and Albion have had their ups and downs when searching for the Spaniard’s successor.

But it now looks certain that former Baggies boss Tony Mowbray will be coming back to The Hawthorns for a second stint as manager, after receiving the all-clear regarding his bill of health earlier this week.

It proves to be an exciting opportunity for Mowbray to launch himself into as he makes a return to work, aiming to cement Albion’s place in the top six and put them in a strong position to secure a return to the Premier League next season.

It remains to be seen whether the 61-year-old will be in the dugout yet for the Baggies’ meeting with Stoke City this weekend, but Football League World evaluates the pros and cons of the incoming boss for when he ultimately takes charge.

It’s safe to say Albion have gone to the other end of the manager spectrum as they plan to appoint Mowbray, given original target Raphael Wicky was a lot younger and would have had his first taste of English football if a deal had been secured.

But you can’t deny experience at the second-tier level is crucial for success and Mowbray has bags of it. He won West Brom promotion back to the top flight back in 2008 while getting the club to a play-off final the previous year, losing at Wembley to Derby County.

Since then, Mowbray had a productive four-year spell at Blackburn Rovers, transforming the Lancashire outfit from perennial mid-table strugglers to competing for a place in the play-offs, albeit the club narrowly missed out.

Meanwhile, Mowbray managed to break into the top six during his time at Sunderland, developing a young and hungry team to challenge the big boys of the second tier.

Despite tasting defeat in the semi-final to Luton Town a couple of seasons ago, the Black Cats were a thoroughly entertaining side to watch, whose players developed incredibly in such a short space of time due to the immense coaching of Mowbray and his backroom staff.

In total, Mowbray has amassed just shy of 500 games in the Championship during his managerial career, and such knowledge of the division and what it takes to get out of it is sure to stand Albion in good stead moving forward.

Mowbray’s ability to nurture homegrown talent and blood in young players with potential is also sure to get Albion fans excited.

It was particularly on show at Sunderland, as the North Yorkshire-born man built the youngest side in the Championship to gain a play-off spot, giving regular first-team opportunities to the likes of Jack Clarke and Pierre Ekwah, as well as Amad Diallo, who has gone on to produce sensational quality for Manchester United.

This bodes well for youth prospects like Harry Whitwell, Caleb Taylor, and Fenton Heard, who will all believe they have a fantastic chance to make a name for themselves in blue and white.

Too many times, West Brom’s promising youth talent haven’t been utilised and moved on to success elsewhere, but hopefully, under Mowbray, this will all change.

Despite seemingly landing a top Championship job after returning to full fitness, there will be some slight concern that the task of getting Albion promotion may be too telling on Mowbray for his first job back.

It will prove to be a strenuous period during the second half of the season for all connected with the club, and Mowbray will have to make sure he is fully confident that he can take over during such a demanding period of the year and have the energy to give, so Albion can move forward under his stewardship.

CON: Limited time to recruit players in January

Given the manager search has dragged on at The Hawthorns, Albion have now entered the halfway stage of the January transfer market without securing a single signing, meaning there is set to be a scramble for late deals to bolster the squad.

With Mowbray’s impending arrival, the pressure will be on to secure the players he needs in order to deliver immediate success at The Hawthorns.

If these players don’t arrive, then Mowbray has an enormous challenge on his hands to develop a system and ideas that suit a group of players he has never previously coached.