West Bromwich Albion

West Bromwich Albion head coach Ryan Mason said he was "super" disappointed with their defeat at Queens Park Rangers.

Mason told BBC Radio WM: "In the first half we were far too passive, and to concede just before half-time wasn't ideal, but we came out in the second half and showed a bit more intent, a a bit more bravery, a bit more energy, and a bit more quality.

"But we gifted them the second goal, which you just can't do. Then we got ourselves back in the game again and were playing OK but the third goal was super disappointing as well.

"The formula isn't there at the moment away from home, that's for sure, and we need to try and change."

Mason made five changes from the side which started against Swansea City last week, including a surprise first league start of the season for Joe Wildsmith.

He explained the switch: "Josh [Griffiths] has been good, it's his first season at this level - that requires a different level of intensity, and Joe has trained well, and the feeling was that it was the flight time to make a change in that area."

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Toby Collyer is set for another lengthy spell on the sidelines, according to West Bromwich Albion boss Ryan Mason.

The 21-year-old midfielder, who is on a season-long loan with Albion from Manchester United, was forced off with a calf injury 10 minutes into last week's draw with Birmingham in the Championship.

"It's quite a big injury. He's at United at the minute where they're assessing him and then in the coming weeks we'll decide his plan regarding his rehab," Mason told BBC Radio WM.

"We've got him on loan for the season and normally any loan player that gets an injury that's a bit more than a small one, more a significant one, it's only right for the parent club to look at them, check them over, and we're in dialogue and hopefully he can do his rehab and come back better."

The game against Birmingham was only Collyer's third start for the Baggies, with a previous injury having also interrupted his season.

"He's disappointed, naturally," added Mason. "When you're trying to build your career and you have setbacks, it's challenging.

"The reality is to get to the top in any industry there will be challenges, and if he's clever, uses it wisely, it can make him stronger in many different aspects."

West Brom will also be without defender Nat Phillips for Saturday's trip to QPR (15:00 GMT) as he is suspended after collecting a fifth yellow card of the season in last weekend's win over Swansea.

Table neighbours Queens Park Rangers and West Bromwich Albion will both try to pull ahead of the other when they meet at Loftus Road on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The two sides both have 25 points to their name, with QPR sitting just beneath their visitors on goal difference in 13th place.

But it's not just points they will be playing for.

The Hoops will be looking to consolidate their last home win after overcoming a three-match losing streak at the Loft against Hull, while the Baggies won their last game against Swansea and will be seeking their first back-to-back wins since the start of the season.

• QPR are winless in their last six league games against West Brom (D2 L4) since a 1-0 home win in January 2022.

• West Brom have won 11 of their 25 away league games against QPR (D4 L10), their highest away win rate of any side they've faced 20+ times on the road (44%).

• Having won four of their first five Championship home games in 2025 (L1), QPR have now won just three of their last 14 at Loftus Road (D5 L6).

• West Brom have lost each of their last five away league games, last losing more consecutively between December and February in the 2021-22 campaign (6).

• Last time out against Swansea, West Brom conceded the second earliest Championship goal on record (since 2013-14) – 11 seconds. However, they eventually came back to win from two goals behind for the first time since January 2023 against Luton.

Chris Hall
Fan writer

Image source, Shuttershock

Much was made of the two earliest strikes of this Premier League season so far coming within mere hours of each other on Saturday.

However, Zan Vipotnik's goal inside 11 seconds for Swansea at The Hawthorns made Phil Foden and Malik Thiaw's early efforts for Manchester City and Newcastle respectively look positively ancient.

The goal certainly caught the Albion crowd unaware, as it was met by almost stunned silence, perhaps because many were still to take their seats.

However, 10 minutes later, when Ethan Galbraith doubled the Swans' lead, the reaction was much more visceral.

First boos loudly rang around the ground before chants of 'you're getting sacked in the morning' were directed at Ryan Mason by the Throstles faithful.

The atmosphere was no kinder at the half-time whistle as the Albion fans let their feelings be known, many taking to social media to express the belief that this would be the end of the line for the man in the Baggies' dugout.

Ryan Mason is often, publicly anyway, calm to the point of stoicism, but it is hard to imagine he was cool and collected as he delivered his half-time words.

Whatever he said, along with the four changes, worked a treat.

Within two minutes of the restart, the deficit was halved and within seven it was erased completely as in-form striker Aune Heggebo bagged a double.

It was clear to see the players had rallied around their manager, a stark contrast from the Easter Monday game with Derby County last season, when a similar 2-0 interval deficit was met with a meek response.

Despite Adam Armstrong's 70th-minute strike halving the arrears, Albion never appeared to have the energy or desire to overwhelm their opponents on that day and succumbed to a 3-1 defeat, which cost Tony Mowbray his job.

The players were not prepared to let history repeat itself on Saturday, and from the moment the first Albion goal went in there was only one winner.

The Hawthorns crowd too, was energised. Instead of baying for blood, suddenly they craved goals and were duly rewarded as Jayson Molumby completed the job with five minutes remaining.

The Irishman thumped in the winner and then wheeled away to the touchline, waving his team-mates to follow him. Mason was duly mobbed by the entire squad as the players gave the most public vote of confidence to their manager you are likely to see.

The Baggies' players have said loudly and clearly, 'Mason is the man for us'.

The fans have stated unreservedly they will back any team or manager as long as they give them something to believe in.

West Bromwich Albion head coach Ryan Mason was delighted with his side's personality as they fought back from 2-0 down to beat struggling Swansea 3-2 at the Hawthorns.

The second win in eight matches marked a complete reversal of seven days earlier when the Baggies went down 3-2 at Coventry having built an early 2-0 lead.

"The whole second half was incredible - such a great reaction, so much personality first of all, but a lot of quality in there as well," Mason told BBC Radio WM.

"The first goal is incredible, then the second one normally doesn't go in but that's part of football, you have to respond.

"We managed the period after that OK because rightly so there was a bit of negativity in the stadium. It was important to get through to half-time and try to give the lads some help.

"Second-half we scored the early goal which helps, it brings a bit of belief and intensity in the stadium, and my feeling was it was a case of when, not if, we were going to win the game."

West Bromwich Albion captain Alex Mowatt has said the Baggies need to prepare for Swansea City on Saturday (15:00 GMT) the same way they approached their previous two games despite missing out on wins.

West Brom took the lead in both their most recent league games against West Midlands rivals Coventry and Birmingham City but saw it from slip from their hands, losing out 3-2 to the Sky Blues before a 1-1 draw with Birmingham on Wednesday.

It leaves Albion down in 17th in the Championship table and fans are beginning to get nervous.

"They [the fans] are going to be disappointed if we are not winning games, it's up to us to turn that round," Mowatt told BBC Radio WM.

"We've got to start like that [how they did in both their previous games] on Saturday, we've got to play the same way and I think we need to be more clinical when we are in front of goal. Then hopefully we get three points."

As for boss Ryan Mason's criticism of the scheduling, Mowatt's focus is more on how best to approach the upcoming game.

"We are used to it now, the games every two or three days," the midfielder added.

"We've just got to rest and then we go again on Saturday. Hopefully, it can be a high energy game and one where the fans get behind us again."

Swansea City will look to end their four match losing streak when they visit West Bromwich Albion on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Having marked his first game in charge with a loss, Swans boss Vitor Matos is currently waiting for his new backroom staff to arrive and will look to avoid a place in the bottom three should results elsewhere not fall their way.

Swansea are currently just two points ahead of Oxford United in 22nd place but their visitors are also having a tough time of it as late.

The Baggies have only won one of their past seven league games (D2 L4) and are falling off the pace of the top six to find themselves near the bottom end of the table.

• West Bromwich Albion earned four points from their league games against Swansea City last season (W1 D1), as many as they had in their previous seven meetings with the Swans (W1 D1 L5).

• Swansea City have lost their last two away league games against West Bromwich Albion, last losing three in a row from October 1927 to October 1929.

• West Brom have lost four of their last seven league games on a Saturday (W2 D1), as many defeats as in their previous 31 such games (W14 D13).

• Swansea have lost each of their last four league games; they last endured a longer streak in their final five matches of the 2017-18 Premier League season.

• 12 of Swansea's 16 Championship goals this season have come in the second half, including each of their last five goals.

Image source, Shutterstock

West Brom are getting the "worst end" of the Championship's fixture scheduling, according to boss Ryan Mason.

The Baggies host Swansea on Saturday (15:00 GMT) having drawn with Birmingham on Wednesday.

Swansea will have had an extra day to prepare and Mason believes it has happened too often to his side.

"I'm not sure why the scheduling has worked like this from the football league," he told BBC Radio WM.

"In the past six weeks we've had to play away from home twice Wednesday and Saturday and both times against a team who played at home on the Wednesday.

"Against Ipswich we had played at Watford on the Wednesday and Ipswich had played at home on the Tuesday and then we had the early kick-off on the Saturday."

West Brom have won just one of their past seven matches as they prepare to face Swansea and Mason feels they are being disadvantaged.

"When I saw this scheduling at home to play Wednesday and Saturday I was excited because I thought we'd have the advantage this time but for some strange reason we have to play at home to a side that's played 24 hours before us so I'm not sure why that's happened," he added.

"I've had a look at every other team's scheduling and fixture list and for some reason we're coming off the worst end of it but that's something where we need to pull together internally and need to stick together."

West Bromwich Albion boss Ryan Mason says the Baggies need to kill games off earlier to avoid dropping more points after the 1-1 draw with Birmingham City on Wednesday night.

"We were 1-0 up in a game we wanted to win, we created opportunities to go 2-0 up and we don't end up winning the game," Mason told BBC Radio WM.

"The players put so much effort in, they are fighting for each other, showing so much quality at times, but not doing enough to get over the line. It's something we need to improve on.

"We are coming out of the wrong end of results where we have had situations to put some distance between us and the opposition. We didn't do that tonight and we got punished for it.

"We need to help the players to become more clinical because we had some big opportunities. We are creating situations, so it is disappointing. I am super-frustrated because the players gave everything tonight."

West Bromwich Albion head coach Ryan Mason is not listening to any negativity coming from outside the club.

The Baggies have lost four of their past six Championship matches, with just one win, and are 17th in the table as they prepare for Wednesday's derby at home to Birmingham City (20:00 GMT).

"I'm never one to pay attention to much noise - the noise we want to generate is inside, we believe in what we're doing, we trust what we're doing," Mason told BBC Radio WM.

"The noise and the connection you want to feel is with the fans and I've always said the best way to do that is with results and the way I speak to the fans is with results."

Mason became Albion's third boss in the space of six months when he was appointed in June.

After three wins in a four-match unbeaten start to the league season, he has seen his side slide down the table.

However, while Mason's team are in the bottom half, they are only four points off the top six.

"I've got to be honest, it doesn't bother me what other people think, the most important people are anyone and everyone associated with the Albion," he said.

"I've always said regardless of how many games I've managed, I'll always be learning - in football if you stand still and don't want to learn, then the game passes you by.

"I'm determined more than ever to change the feeling, which is ultimately to win more games of football."

Chris Hall
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

It's a common refrain to hear football fans profess, 'it was a game of two halves'.

However, not many have reason to churn out the well-used phrase every week, not unless you're an Albion fan that is.

Saturday's 3-2 defeat to Coventry summed up Albion's season in microcosm.

The Baggies went into the break 2-1 ahead (having led 2-0 after 32 minutes), only to find themselves 3-2 and a man down just 16 minutes after the restart.

The Baggies are a complete paradox this season. They are the third-best first-half team in the Championship but the third-worst second-half team.

So, put another way, if you only count first-half performances, Albion are vying for automatic promotion, but if you only count the second halves, we are in the relegation zone.

How can a team be so good and so bad in equal measure across the same 90 minutes, I hear you ask?

We have a theory at Albion Analysis, it is that the Baggies' qualities and deficiencies reflect those of their manager, Ryan Mason.

The positives first.

Mason was so highly-rated as a coach that serial winner Antonio Conte promoted him to the first team coaching staff at Spurs.

And his ability on the training ground to prepare this Albion team for games is evident in how the Baggies start matches.

Albion have scored four goals without reply in the first 15 minutes of games, and their aggregate score at half-time this season is an impressive 10-5.

Contrast that with their second-half record, and it's a marked difference.

Albion's aggregate second-half score this season is 6-14, with the Baggies routinely conceding in the 15 minutes after the restart and the last 15 minutes of games.

This can potentially be attributed to the bizarre and often hesitant changes Mason makes.

He was decisive on Saturday, but only to withdraw Mikey Johnston at the break for "tactical reasons" despite the winger having two first-half assists under his belt.

Mason was less decisive after Jayson Molumby's dismissal, allowing 13 minutes and two goals to pass him by.

When Mason did react, Albion were a goal down, and fans were baffled as the change was to withdraw the two-goal hero of the first half, Aune Heggebo.

Sadly, this is not an isolated incident, either, with substitutions in recent games against Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton drawing heavy scrutiny.

It has left many Albion fans questioning whether their inexperienced manager has yet developed the in-game management skills to consistently produce the 90-minute displays Albion need to elevate them from their lowly position of 17th in the Championship table.

Listen to more from Chris Hall at the Albion Analysis, external

West Brom's only two wins from their past eight league games have both come at home and they are looking to avoid losing back-to-back Championship matches for the third time this season.

Birmingham make the short trip to The Hawthorns on Wednesday (20:00 GMT) with five away defeats already this season having only lost three times on the road in their League One title-winning campaign last year.

• West Brom won 1-0 in their last league meeting with Birmingham in February 2024, ending a four-game losing run against the Blues.

• Birmingham have won just one of their past seven away league games against West Brom (D2 L4), beating them 3-2 in September 2022.

• West Brom have won just one of their past seven midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league matches (D1 L5), winning 1-0 at Norwich in October.

• After winning seven consecutive away league games between April and August, Birmingham have won just one of their last seven on the road (D1 L5).

• Birmingham have lost just one of their past 19 midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league matches (W15 D3), going down 3-1 at Bolton in March.

Image source, Shutterstock

West Brom boss Ryan Mason urged his team to learn the lesson from Jayson Molumby's dismissal as they let a two-goal lead slip in their 3-2 defeat by Championship leaders Coventry City.

Molumby received his second yellow card of the game just four minutes into the second half at the CBS Arena after a brace by Aune Heggebo had put them on top.

"It was a lack of discipline in that moment (by Jayson), it's affected the result and it's something we need to learn from as a group," Mason told BBC WM Sport.

"We played a really good first half, created some excellent moments, showed good personality and quality as well, and scored two really good goals

"But at this level - and I think at any level - if you go down to 10 men then it's going to be very hard.

"We weren't able to get through that initial period after we went down to 10 men, the crowd were up, they were able to get some momentum and were getting in our box a lot.

"We stayed in the game and gave ourselves a chance to get something out of it but didn't really create anything from some of the set plays that we had.

The Baggies are next in action when they host Birmingham City in a big derby clash on Wednesday evening.

Image source, Getty Images

West Bromwich Albion boss Ryan Mason says he does not want his team to be overawed by league leaders Coventry City when they meet on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

The Sky Blues are five points clear at the top of the league having scored 40 goals this season, 14 more than any other Championship side.

However, while Mason says he is "fully aware of the moment" Coventry are in, he does not want his side to go into the game without believing they can claim victory.

"You can show teams too much respect," Mason told BBC Radio WM.

"There's many different psychological aspects that come into that and that's certainly not traits we want our team to show. We know our strengths, we know we can hurt teams and we need try and do that tomorrow.

"We need to approach tomorrow's game with belief and that's what we will do."

However, that does not mean the 34-year-old does not hold a lot of admiration for his fellow former midfielder, Sky Blues boss Frank Lampard.

"I think any English midfielder not just respected but admired his [Lampard's] playing career," Mason added. "One of the very best without a doubt.

"But that's one chapter, that's one career. I have been equally as impressed with his managerial career.

"He's done a fantastic job so far. He built a lot of momentum last season and they've carried it on."

In positive news for the Baggies squad, centre-back George Campbell has returned to training and is likely to make a comeback in the next few games.

If you're wondering where your team is going to finish in the Championship this season, you no longer need to worry.

Well, kind of.

Opta's supercomputer has worked its magic to figure out the most likely final league position of every team - and the chances each has of being promoted, making the play-offs or getting relegated.

Who is most likely to win automatic promotion?

It will come as no surprise that leaders Coventry are heavy favourites for the title (69.3%) and also have the highest chance of automatic promotion (84.2%) to the Premier League.

The next most likely to go straight up, with a 30.8% chance, are Middlesbrough. Despite currently sitting seventh and six points behind Boro in second, Ipswich are expected to be the third favourites for a top two finish (18.9%) followed by Stoke (14.1%).

Even though they've each enjoyed a strong start to the campaign, Preston (10.3%), Hull (6.1%) and Millwall (8.3%) have slimmer chances of finishing in an automatic promotion spot.

Who will make the play-offs?

Image source, Rex Features

Even if Coventry don't win automatic promotion, Opta's supercomputer has given the Sky Blues a 97.9% chance of a top-six finish, suggesting it's almost guaranteed.

Each of Middlesbrough, Ipswich, Preston and Stoke are expected to finish in a minimum of a play-off position at least one in two times.

Hull might feel the hardest done by as they sit fifth currently, but are said to have less chance (32.3%) than Millwall (38.8%) and Charton (32.4%), who are below them in the table.

The most likely of the chasing pack to make a surge up the table are 12th-placed Leicester City, who have been given a 31.8% chance of finishing in the top six and are more likely than Bristol City (28.9%), Derby (22.9%) and Birmingham (19.9%).

Last season's beaten play-off finalists Sheffield United have just a 1.8% chance of recovering their season to make the play-offs again, while relegated Premier League side Southampton (12.5%) aren't likely to either... if you trust the supercomputer!

Who is going down?

Image source, Rex Features

It's probably not hard to work out who is most likely to finish bottom and be relegated to League One.

Sheffield Wednesday's 12-point deduction, which has left them 17 points adrift of safety on -4 points, means they're pretty much nailed on to finish bottom (84.8%) - and failing that, are almost certain to go down (98.2%).

Second from bottom Norwich are the next most likely candidates to fall through the trap door (58.5%) but Sheffield United, who currently occupy the final relegation spot, have just a 22.4% chance of going down and are considered more likely to stay up than Oxford (37.8%) and Portsmouth (31.3%).

Championship leaders Coventry City return to action after the international break when they welcome West Bromwich Albion to the CBS Arena on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Back-to-back wins before the break gave the Sky Blues a five point lead at the summit and effectively an eight-point cushion in the race for automatic promotion thanks to their astonishing goal difference of +27 after 15 games.

The Baggies are 14th and 14 points worse off already, though they did end a four-game winless streak and goal drought as they came from behind to beat Oxford United at The Hawthorns last time out.

• Coventry City won their last league game against West Brom but haven't won consecutive games against the Baggies since September 1985.

• West Bromwich Albion have won four of their past five league matches against Coventry (L1) but did lose 2-0 against the Sky Blues in April.

• Coventry City have 34 points in 15 Championship games this season (W10 D4 L1). Since 2004/05, eight of the nine teams with 34+ points at this stage of a campaign have won automatic promotion, Watford are the only exception in 2007/08 (35 pts, finished 6th).

• West Brom have had 121 shots when they've been drawing in Championship games this season, the most of any side, which works out at 14.4 shots per 90 minutes. However, when they've been winning, the Baggies have faced 32 more shots than they've had themselves (48 for, 80 against) and are averaging 8.6 shots per 90.

• Having scored four times in 38 Championship appearances last season, Coventry's Brandon Thomas-Asante is the joint leading scorer this season with 10 in 15 games. He has found the net in each of his past four home appearances for the Sky Blues.