Sheffield United's Championship rivals hire former Hull City and Doncaster Rovers man as new head coach
West Bromwich Albion have hired former Hull City and Doncaster Rovers midfielder Ryan Mason as their new head coach.
The Baggies saw their promotion push run out of steam last term and Tony Mowbray paid the price for an underwhelming end to the season.
He had replaced Carlos Corberan, who left for Valencia in December, but struggled to emulate the magic the Spaniard had provided.
After strong links to the vacancy at The Hawthorns, Mason has now been unveiled as West Brom’s new boss.
He has left a first-team coaching role at Tottenham Hotspur in order to take the reins, ending a seven-year stay.
The aim for the Baggies will undoubtedly be promotion, as it will be for Sheffield United after their Wembley heartbreak.
Ryan Mason on West Brom appointment
Mason said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to have been appointed head coach of West Bromwich Albion.
“This is a huge club with a fantastic infrastructure and an incredible fan base and I am excited about what we can achieve together.
“Having spoken at length to the board and those at the club I am convinced that Albion is the perfect place for me to be and I can’t wait to get started.
“I will bring with me a huge amount of enthusiasm, dedication and ambition and look forward to a positive future together at such a fantastic club.”
New-look coaching team
Caretaker coaches James Morrison, Damia Abella and Boaz Myhill are remaining in place and have been joined by Nigel Gibbs and James Pooley in the coaching set-up.
Gibbs assisted Brian McDermott during his reign as Leeds boss and even led the Whites as caretaker on one occasion.
West Brom’s chairman Shilen Patel said: “We are delighted to welcome Ryan to The Hawthorns as our new head coach, along with Nigel and Sam.
“We have undertaken a thoughtful and expansive search and Ryan always stood out to us among an incredibly strong group of candidates.
“We are excited to have someone whose skillset means he has the aptitude to help us further establish elite standards in both preparation and player development for the first team and across all our team programmes.
“His experiences as both a first team player and coach under some of the game’s most respected minds, along with his time leading academy sides, will be instrumental as we shape a clear philosophy and unified identity at all levels at the Albion.”
Ryan Mason’s Yorkshire history
A graduate of Tottenham’s academy, Mason was loaned to Doncaster on three separate occasions while cutting his teeth.
He later returned to Yorkshire in 2016, joining Hull on a permanent basis. However, a serious head injury sustained in January 2017 curtailed his career.
Mason, who is still only just 33, managed 20 appearances for Doncaster and a further 20 for Hull.