West Brom have a huge season ahead of them, Ryan Mason will want to end the Baggies’ Premier League hiatus

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West Bromwich Albion are entering a new era as Ryan Mason takes hold of the reins at The Hawthorns.

Mason is prepared for success with the Baggies, and after Nat Phillips made the switch to Albion from Liverpool, the West Midlands outfit are already making strides to improve on last season’s 9th place finish.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
6	Bristol CityBristol City	46	17	17	12	59	55	4	68
7	BlackburnBlackburn	46	19	9	18	53	48	5	66
8	MillwallMillwall	46	18	12	16	47	49	-2	66
9	West BromWest Brom	46	15	19	12	57	47	10	64
10	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	46	18	10	18	64	56	8	64
11	SwanseaSwansea	46	17	10	19	51	56	-5	61

Harry Toffolo has also been linked with a move to West Brom and it is clear that strengthening the defence is one of Mason’s biggest tasks to help his new side regain a place in the top six..

Ending the Baggies’ Premier League hiatus is the new boss’ main aim and EFL Analysis have taken a look at the last time the club were in the top flight.

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West Brom were underprepared for the Premier League on their last visit

After missing out on promotion to the Premier League in their first season back in the Championship in 2018/19, the Baggies finished second behind Leeds United just a year later to secure their return to the top flight.

However, they did not recruit well enough and suffered relatively quickly as they were beaten in six of their first nine league games.

This run ended with victory over Sheffield United at The Hawthorns, and with a lack of supporters in the crowds due to the pandemic, perhaps the home advantage was tougher to come by for the sides towards the bottom of the table.

It wouldn’t be until January 2021 when West Brom took their second league win of the season, as they defeated Black Country rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux. Only three more victories followed, but a 5-2 win over Chelsea was the standout moment from a difficult season.

Bilic was sacked in December and was replaced by Sam Allardyce, with the ex-England boss suffering his first Premier League relegation of his career with the Baggies.

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Ryan Mason has to take the Baggies into the top six

Since relegation, the lowest that West Brom have finished is 10th but they are now heading into their fifth successive Championship season.

Finishing in a play-off place must be Mason’s goal as he gets to grips with the world of being a permanent head coach, and the Baggies are well aware that there will be major competition for those spots.

But by bringing in the likes of Nat Phillips, their new boss is showing just how aware he is that experience is needed and shoring up the back line with quality will only help them in their bid for promotion this season.