‘Normality’ – West Brom ace shares brutally honest Tony Mowbray and Carlos Corberan comparison, there’s a big difference

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West Bromwich Albion are in a strong position under Tony Mowbray to reach the play-offs for the second consecutive season, thanks partly to the good work of Carlos Corberan in the first half of the campaign.

West Brom have been attempting to transition to a more front-footed approach under Mowbray, navigating away from the previous pragmatic football witnessed under Corberan, but teething problems mean a dip in form has occurred as a result of this.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
3	BurnleyBurnley	35	19	14	2	45	10	35	71
4	SunderlandSunderland	35	18	11	6	52	32	20	65
5	CoventryCoventry	35	15	8	12	49	44	5	53
6	West BromWest Brom	35	12	16	7	45	32	13	52
7	Bristol CityBristol City	35	13	13	9	45	38	7	52
8	BlackburnBlackburn	35	15	7	13	40	35	5	52
9	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	35	14	8	13	55	46	9	50

More consistency will be required to get Albion over the line for a play-off place, but the Baggies are certainly among the favourites to make the top six in the Championship by the end of 2024/25.

The 1-1 draw at Elland Road against Leeds United was a huge point and another step in the right direction, but Mowbray’s side still have plenty of work to do. Despite that, Baggies captain Jed Wallace is relishing the changes since the 61-year-old took charge at The Hawthorns.

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Jed Wallace makes honest Carlos Corberan claims amid Tony Mowbray praise

The good news has been pouring out of the club this week after claims were made regarding West Brom’s £25 million cash injection.

Now, Wallace has added further colour to the situation behind the scenes and some of the changes that have been made from the switch between Carlos Corberan and Tony Mowbray in recent months.

He said: “Yeah, ketchup’s back. Like I say, it’s slightly more normal as such.

“Where you’d say, you don’t want to speak badly of the old manager, but it’s slightly more normal where you might know what day off you’re going to get next week.

“So, if your kids have swimming at school, you might be able to go. Rather than everything sort of being military mode.

“It’s that sort of normal feel where, if you feel you need to have a conversation with the manager about something to do with family, you probably could.”

Wallace added: “I think so [it does make a difference to the players]. He [Corberan] doesn’t mean it with any kind of malice. Because when he left, you speak to him and you realise that he’s kind of relaxed and that he took that sort of bravado off.

“And he’s a lovely bloke. It’s just, I think, he’s so focused on football, football, football. That sort of normality sometimes gets a little bit lost.”

• READ MORE: The highest points tallies in Championship history: Can Leeds United or Sheffield United break the record this season?

West Brom’s play-off push under Mowbray will take shape soon

The mood appears to be high in the Baggies camp recently after Mikey Johnston made West Brom play-off claims this week as well.

There are no guarantees and plenty of difficult fixtures to come, but Mowbray’s men have performed well in the majority of games since he took charge.

The approach to the draw against Leeds was criticised by Junior Firpo after the final whistle, but the reality is, Mowbray played the football and the system he believed would get some kind of result for his team, and it worked.

Every game between now and the end of the season, but especially the fixtures in April will be vital, with the Baggies facing four sides in the current top 12 in the division – each with promotion aspirations of their own.