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Tony Mowbray claimed he was strongly encouraged to play certain players at Sunderland and made similar comments just days before his recent West Brom sacking.
West Brom parted company with Tony Mowbray this week, after they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Derby County, which left the Baggies too far adrift of a coveted play-off place in the Championship table.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 10 |  West BromWest Brom | 44 | 14 | 18 | 12 | 52 | 44 | 8 | 60 |
With their top-six aspirations insurmountable, the axe fell for football league veteran Mowbray after just three months back in charge of The Hawthorns hotseat.
Mowbray publicly slammed his players before he was dismissed, levelling some worrying issues at his squad in the wake of the Rams loss, after the Baggies failed in their mission of finishing in the top-six.
A separate diatribe from Mowbray was made about the West Brom board, of which the former Sunderland boss made a similar telling comment regarding his Black Cats axing early last season.
Tony Mowbray made similar comments from West Brom and Sunderland sackings
The writing had been on the Hawthorns wall for Mowbray, with the Baggies’ far out of reach of the top-six and winning only five of the 17 he took charge of in his return to West Brom.
Replacing popular boss Carlos Corberan, after his move to Spanish giants Valencia, was always going to be a difficult task for the 61-year-old head coach despite his decades of experience in the dugout.
The Baggies board expected Mowbray to ensure Championship play-offs, but he was unable to do so, and his final words as West Brom boss in the wake of the Derby County drumming about the football club’s structure above him were weighty.
Reflecting on how the club has changed since his initial spell as boss 18 years ago where he ran the rule over selection and signings, via the Express and Star Mowbray said: “That’s how it happened but I don’t do that anymore, I coach the players I’ve got, really. That’s not a criticism of anybody, I think that’s just modern-day football.
“I think the real issue is that the manager should be able, from the resources that he’s been given, to pick the team he wants to pick.
“So, just because someone costs £5million, £10m or £20m, if the manager doesn’t want to put him in the team, he should be given the right to pick the team.”
| Tony Mowbray’s West Brom record | Tony Mowbray’s Sunderland record |
| 17 matches | 65 matches |
| 5 wins | 26 wins |
| 4 draws | 17 draws |
| 8 losses | 22 losses |
| 29% win percentage rate | 40% win percentage rate |
Mowbray was reticent to name names, but the Middlesbrough-born head coach also made similar comments regarding his tenure with the Black Cats to the press after Regis Le Bris’ side beat West Brom 1-0 this month after a Alex Palmer howler.
After Sunderland’s 1-0 win, Mowbray told the Northern Echo about his 65-game Wearside tenure: “Some of the players we brought in gelled together, but didn’t really become part of the group… There were some who might sulk and moan.
“I look at Sunderland’s team, and week after week, there is a real consistency of selection. And yet some of the players who, I wouldn’t say I was forced to play, but I was encouraged to play, are no longer at the club.”
Mowbray’s claims about Sunderland selection have since been proven true after how their Black Cats careers have unfolded since he departed Wearside early last season.
Tony Mowbray was proven right after Sunderland sacking
Mowbray’s Sunderland play-off semi final squad was brimming with talented players including now-Ipswich winger Jack Clarke and Manchester United starlet Amad Diallo, who shone on loan at Wearside.
The veteran head coach had built the bridges for Sunderland to return to the top-six fight again, after their semi-final second leg defeat to eventual winners Luton, but was ill-equipped in the 2023 summer window and was sacked the following December by the Black Cats.
Sunderland went on to finish in 16th after Mowbray’s axing in the campaign before Le Bris’ arrival.
Mowbray claimed he was “encouraged” to play certain Sunderland overseas youngsters that were signed during his tenure, despite his concerns over their attitude and integration with the squad.
Pierre Ekwah, Abdoullah Ba, Adil Aouchiche, Nazariy Rusyn and Timothee Pembele were all recruited under Mowbray, but have all since left the club on loan this season with their long-term Wearside futures in serious doubt.
- Pierre Ekwah (on-loan at Saint Etienne)
- Abdoullah Ba (on-loan at Dunkerque USL)
- Adil Aouchiche (on-loan at Portsmouth)
- Nazariy Rusyn (on-loan at Hadjuk Split)
- Timothee Pembele (on-loan at Le Havre)
Mowbray’s permanent Sunderland successor Le Bris, is reaping the benefits of a structured, connected squad that has come to fruition following the departure of those aforementioned outcasts, with the Black Cats sat in fourth and firmly in the hunt for play-off promotion.
The veteran manager has been proven right about the recruitment and structure in his time at Sunderland, but only time tell if he is on the right side of history at The Hawthorns.