Ryan Mason’s West Brom were an unknown quantity at the start of the season as the former Tottenham player and caretaker-manager took his first steps into senior management.

Following Carlos Corberan - I know there’s technically Tony Mowbray and a couple of caretakers in between but it was still essentially a Corberan team - is a tough act to follow but he had the Baggies up in the play-off spots following a strong start to the season before Wednesday night's loss to Watford that has dropped them down to 10th.

Goalkeepers

Twenty-four-year-old Josh Griffiths has springboarded into the West Brom net following success with Bristol Rovers on loan last season and a strong pre-season.

He managed seven clean sheets in a struggling Rovers side in half a season last year before being recalled in February and has started this season strongly.

It was his excellent double save that kept Norwich at bay and secured a 1-0 victory the other week as he prevented 1.39 goals.

That form has left last year's number one, the experienced Joe Wildsmith, sitting on the bench for the time being.

Defenders

With the majority of Corberan’s defence now plying their trade at Portman Road, a new platform of stability has been moulded at the Hawthorns. The centerpiece of that are two players who have both plied their trade at a higher level in Nathaniel Phillips.

No nonsense defender Phillips played 29 times for Liverpool before spending time on loan at Cardiff and Derby. He’s joined the Baggies permanently this summer to bring consistency and an aerial presence.

Mepham alongside him is a more cultured defender who came through at Brentford. He made 121 appearances for Bournemouth with a host of those in the Premier League. Mepham was a regular last season on loan at Sunderland as they won promotion and has opted for a permanent move this summer to continue that spell of regular football in an attempt to retain his place in the Wales squad ahead of the World Cup.

At right-back is George Campbell. The 24-year-old American has spent his entire career in the MLS up until this point and joined in the summer from CF Montreal. He’s started nine out of ten games so far.

The opposite side is someone I know far more about. Callum Styles is a rare breed who is equally as comfortable playing in midfield as he is at left-back. Mason has continued to use him at left-back, a position that allows him to play killer passes into the final third.

The back-up options include Kristian Bielik, who has crossed the Midlands to join from Birmingham, Charlie Taylor, who has come in on loan from Southampton, and Alfie Gilchrist a permanent signing from Chelsea following a successful loan at Sheffield United last season.

Midfielders

Alex Mowatt and Jayson Molumby have both been at the club since 2021 so are a midfield partnership that know each other very, very well. They’re a functional midfield, but experience can go a long way in the Championship.

Molumby is an Ireland international who loves a long ball, whilst Mowatt is the slightly more creative. He scored seven goals from midfield last season and got his first assist of the season against Preston last weekend.

They’re complemented with young Toby Collyer (not Brandon Williams), who has joined on loan from Manchester United. He also got an assist against Preston but had to be withdrawn in the second half due to injury.

Ahead of them is one of the Championship’s form players in Isaac Price, who has five goals in eleven games so far with excellent box crashing instincts. He also boasts an impressive six goals in 18 appearances for Northern Ireland.

Price scored the penultimate one of those last weekend against Preston but like Collyer was also withdrawn with an injury there. However, it wasn’t serious, and he returned against Watford to add yet another goal to his tally.

There’s no real out and out replacement for Price, but there are a number of attacking options that could fill that role.

Forwards

On the wings, loan hero Michael Johnston has returned permanently following a successful spell at the club last season and already has five goal contributions to his name. He’s joined by the versatile Samuel Illing-Junior.

The Villa player spent last season on loan at Bologna and then Middlesbrough and returns to the Championship to gain more experience having also been part of Lee Carsley’s U21 Euros winners.

That youthful exuberance is supplemented with some older heads in Jed Wallace and Karlan Grant, who could both play off the striker if needed. However, both are arguably more effective on the wings. Wallace in particular has had an enjoyable time when he has faced Town in the past.

In the central striking position, it is probably a straight toss-up between 24-year-old Norwegian Aune Heggebo and Josh Maja. With seven goals in 13 appearances in Norway last season, Heggebo was a data-led signing and he’s getting chances but like a couple of other strikers in the division, including our very own George Hirst, he’s underperfoming his xG by more than a goal having just netted the once this season.

That’s left Maja breathing down his neck and the former Sunderland and Bordeaux man got the now to start against Preston.

The final option in the squad is Daryl Dike, who has been absolutely cursed with injuries in recent times but managed a cameo off the bench against Preston last weekend. He’ll just be hoping to stay fit and is unlikely to be thrown into any games from the start.

The Teams

Who knows? I’m not on a very good run with team predictions. I thought there would be some tactical tweaks against Middlesbrough, and there weren’t. I thought there would only be a few changes against Charlton, there proved to be wholesale changes.

I’d imagine it would revert back to the Middlesbrough team for this one but with Jacob Greaves instead of Cedric Kipre to handle the Baggies’ pacy wingers and Marcelino Nunez in the place of Jens Cajuste due to the latter's fitness and poor performances in the last couple of games.

West Brom made a couple of tweaks on Wednesday night but they have injury concerns with Molumby and Gilchrist both out injured with Collyer and Wallace also out. That meant they had to name two keepers on the bench mid-week alongside U21 players Cole Deeming and Oliver Bostock.

Prediction

The manner of the Charlton collapse has left many people scratching their heads. That second half showing was as poor as it’s been under Kieran McKenna for a long time. Tactically I think he’s got it wrong two games in a row now and has tried to get minutes into the squad rather than picking the correct team to counteract the opposition.

West Brom haven’t blown many teams away but they do seem to have mastered the 1-0 win. It’s defensively solidity that have got them as high as they are and it’s that defensively solidity that means I can see them coming out of this one with at least a point. This looks like a 1-1 to me.

StowTractor added 11:55 - Oct 24 Didn't we try to sign Nat Phillips from Liverpool before bringing in DOS? If / when we do eventually go back up then maybe we will need to raid the Baggies back line again!! Philips & Mepham would be good competition for O'Shea & Greaves in the PL (unless a miracle happens and we turn it around this season and get to keep Kipre). With Townsend & Young both out of contract at the end of this year, and unlikely to get new offers based on injury and age, an attempt to get Styles to come to complete the WBA back 4 at Town, next season, regardless of division might be a sensible. Good cover for Leif and a natural left footed player who can also cover the left side of midfield, being a bit more defensive than the options we currently have that side would be useful. Talking of midfield I wouldn't say no to Mowatt either but maybe a bit too old for our profile. All this depends on us not being pipped to promotion by WBA themselves of course.

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