West Bromwich Albion

Ryan Mason's West Bromwich Albion travel to Charlton Athletic on Tuesday (19:45 GMT) with both sides looking to end winless runs.

Just the two points separate them with Charlton knowing a win could see them jump into the play-off positions.

The Baggies boss admitted his side were "disjointed" in their 0-0 draw with struggling Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday and will be hoping to change that at The Valley.

• Charlton Athletic are winless in each of their past five league games against West Bromwich Albion (D4 L1), since a 2-1 away win in September 2005 in the Premier League.

• Each of the past three league meetings between West Bromwich Albion and Charlton Athletic have ended in a draw, with both fixtures in their most recent shared campaign ending 2-2 in 2019-20 – the Baggies had led both 1-0 and 2-1 in each of those fixtures.

• Charlton Athletic have won eight of their past nine midweek (Tue/Wed/Thu) league games, drawing the other, since a 2-1 home defeat by Crawley Town in December 2024.

• West Bromwich Albion have lost each of their past three away league games, last losing four straight on the road between January and March 2023 under Carlos Corberan.

• West Bromwich Albion manager Ryan Mason met Charlton Athletic just once as a player, assisting Jonathan Obika for Yeovil Town in a 1-1 draw back in the 2009-10 League One campaign.

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West Brom boss Ryan Mason admitted he was disappointed with his side's performance as they were held 0-0 by bottom club Sheffield Wednesday.

The Baggies dominated possession but couldn't make it count as they failed to win for a third successive game and Mason said his team was "disjointed" and played with "anxiety".

"It was disappointing not to win," he told BBC Radio WM.

"The performance in the second half was a little disjointed. We rushed things and played a little bit on edge. Tough to accept."

Mason praised his side's start to the game but says he wants to see more from them from the first minute until the last.

"The first half for 25 minutes, I thought we played a really good game. We had loads of final third entries, loads of moments," he added.

"I understand the first goal is crucial and the longer the game was 0-0 there was probably a bit of anxiety.

"The energy shifted and we need to learn from that and be disciplined and do what we need to for 95 minutes.

"Every game in this league is demanding and challenging - we had so many moments that didn't materialise and we need to improve on that."

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West Bromwich Albion head coach Ryan Mason says he and his squad are staying "calm inside" over their search for greater consistency ahead of Saturday's home game against beleaguered Sheffield Wednesday.

The Baggies were edged out by Ipswich 1-0 in their last Championship match to suffer their third defeat in their past four games.

Ahead of the Owls' visit, Mason says improving their record of two wins from their past eight is always on his mind.

"It's something we're striving for every day on the training pitch," he told BBC WM.

"Every match is so challenging and you can have a game when everything looks good and then a couple of games when you lose back-to-back and, from the outside, it can look bad.

"But we're calm inside and trying to improve every aspect of our game. We have a very tricky game at home and we need to arrive into the game with as much personality and energy as possible."

After a tumultuous period off the field which saw Wednesday put into administration and hit with a 12-point deduction, better times appear to be on the horizon for them, with three parties coming forward to express an interest in buying the club.

Mason says Wednesday's problems make them a dangerous side to play at the moment.

"Obviously they've got things going on outside the pitch. That can bring a side together," he said.

"I've watched a lot of their games and they've been tight. They've got some good players who can punish you. We need to arrive with full attention and earn the victory."

Mason also confirmed it is "not in my mind" to experiment with playing two strikers in an effort to increase their goal threat.

Albion have averaged one goal per game across their past five matches - and found the net five times in their five fixtures at The Hawthorns.

"I want to see us win games of football. We can speak about being more fluid and creating more chances, that's normal," Mason said.

"The most important thing is the team, not just individual players creating moments.

"The more emphasis we put on the team improving, I'm sure that will come."

Sheffield Wednesday will look to make inroads on their points deficit as they make the trip to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

The Owls are currently on -6 points following a 12 point deduction after they entered administration, leaving them 14 points adrift at the bottom of the table.

However, the Baggies have lost both their previous two matches and will be just as spirited to try and avoid dropping off the pace with this season's promotion contenders at the top of the table.

• West Brom have lost just two of their last 12 league games against Sheffield Wednesday (W7 D3), scoring in all but one match during that time.

• Sheffield Wednesday are winless across their last six away league games against West Brom (D2 L4), losing on their last three visits to the Hawthorns in succession.

• West Brom are unbeaten across their last six league games against sides from Yorkshire (W2 D4), since a 3-2 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in September 2024.

• Sheffield Wednesday have conceded 25 goals across their opening 12 Championship matches this season, their most at this stage of a campaign since 1999-2000 (27), a campaign during which they were relegated from the Premier League.

• Only rivals Sheffield United (9) have netted fewer Championship goals than Sheffield Wednesday this season (10), though despite that, the Owls have amassed a bigger xG total (13.5) than West Brom (12.6).

Chris Hall
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

You can't help wondering whether, when coaches study for their coaching badges, they get taught that special language only football managers use.

You know the one I mean.

"We needed to suffer for that win", "there are no easy games in this league", "he's not that type of player", etc.

Ryan Mason's go-to is to constantly talk about "moments" in interviews - but the Baggies boss is going to run out of things to say soon, as those moments are becoming few and far between.

The Baggies have scored just six goals in their past eight games and have the third-worst xG in the Championship.

For anyone who isn't an xG aficionado, this means Albion are in the relegation zone when it comes to chance creation.

Other teams seem to have cottoned onto this lack of threat, and it has emboldened them.

Albion have kept just one clean sheet in their past eight games, and opponents are creating chances with greater frequency than they were earlier in the season.

So, moments for Baggies fans to enjoy have been fleeting of late, but the lack of any real momentum is the more worrying trend.

Albion haven't won back-to-back games all season, but have lost two games on the spin twice.

They also struggle to build momentum in games, having only scored more than once in a match twice all season.

Therefore, Mason would do well to worry less about moments and more about momentum in the coming weeks because November represents a real opportunity for Albion.

The Baggies are scheduled to play six times this month, and four of those fixtures are at The Hawthorns.

Furthermore, every one of those four home games is against a team currently in the bottom half of the Championship.

Opportunity knocks then to get some wins and score some goals in November, but it's an opportunity that must be taken because the Baggies fanbase demands entertainment, and, thus far this season, their demands have not been met.

Listen to more from Chris Hall at the Albion Analysis, external

West Brom boss Ryan Mason has told Josh Griffiths to learn from his costly error after his gaffe handed Ipswich a 1-0 win at Portman Road.

West Brom were frustrating Ipswich until Griffiths kicked the ball straight to Ipswich and they took full advantage to score through Jack Clarke on 83 minutes.

Mason told BBC Radio WM: "It's something he needs to learn from. We all need to learn quickly. It's disappointing to concede in the nature we did. At the end of the day, we've given them a goal and we need to improve.

"It's disappointing and we all need to take responsibility and all of us have to learn from it.

"We lacked a bit of creativity in the final third. In the second half, we had a 10-minute spell, where it was our moment to attack them and try and cause them some problems, but that didn't really materialise and that's disappointing."

Ipswich Town head into this game looking to avoid three defeats in a row in the Championship for the first time since April 2019 when they were relegated to League One.

West Bromwich Albion have lost three of their past four away league games, with their only success a 1-0 victory at Norwich City at the start of October.

• Ipswich Town have only won one of their past 13 league games against West Bromwich Albion (D4 L8) – a 2-0 victory on New Year's Day 2008.

• West Bromwich Albion have only lost one of their past six league trips to Ipswich Town (W3 D2), though have conceded on each of their past 21 league visits to Portman Road.

• Having lost each of their past two league games, Ipswich are looking to avoid losing three in a row outside the top flight for the first time since March 2020 in League One (run of four).

• Since a 2-1 defeat to Leicester City in April 2024, West Brom are unbeaten in their past seven league games against sides recently relegated from the Premier League (W1 D6).

• Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna failed to beat West Brom in either league meeting in 2023-24 (D1 L1), conceding two goals in both matches.

Image source, Getty Images

West Brom boss Ryan Mason spoke to BBC Radio WM following their 2-1 defeat at Watford.

"We got ourselves in a really good position, scored a good goal and I thought we had a lot of control in the first half hour or so," he said.

"The disappointing thing is to concede so quickly after scoring - that changes the feeling of the game. If we had got through to half-time, the feeling inside the stadium, and the feeling on the pitch, would have been different.

"In the second half, they had their best spell, were on the front foot, and for us it was about trying to get through that moment. It was important for us to get through that moment because - you see it all the time - teams have spells. It was unfortunate to lose Alfie (Gilchrist) to injury and to concede so quickly was tough for us.

"We created the best chance of the second half with Isaac Price's header and if that goes in, the momentum swings again and the feeling is better. It was disappointing for us to come away with nothing."

West Bromwich Albion boss Ryan Mason says his side will need to nurture a "mental robustness" to be successful in their three-game week.

The Baggies are preparing for their second of three games over a seven-day period, as they travel to Vicarage Road to play Watford on Wednesday night (19:45 BST).

"The players trust us to train them at a level that pushes them in order to play as many games as possible," Mason told BBC Radio WM.

"Our squad is not massive in terms of numbers, so everyone has a part to play.

"I think when a player gets a bit more experience and understanding of their body you can lean on them a little bit more, but there is also a part of weeks like this where you have to just get through it.

"I think developing that robustness mentally to get through things is really important."

Albion go into the game off the back of a 2-1 win against Preston North End, a game which saw Mikey Johnston score his second goal of the campaign.

"We know his individual ability and I think first of all the message to any of the players is that the team is first and so you have to run and compete for the team," Mason added.

"His two goals so far this season have been outstanding, but I don't believe he will score 15 of those a season. I don't know any players that have, so the challenge for him is to score more tap-ins and get into the box more often."

Listen to the full interview with Mason and more Albion content on BBC Sounds.

Chris Hall
Fan writer

Image source, Shuttershock

Most teams dream of having a bit of Brazilian flair on the wing, right?

For every era there's a precocious Samba talent who lights up our TV screens and sets up residence in our hearts.

For me it was Ronaldinho. My Dad would probably point to Garrincha or Jairzinho while my nephews run around in Neymar shirts.

So, when they largely wrote the book on world-class wide men, it feels a bit weird when the Brazilian top flight decides to go shopping in the Championship for one.

Yet, that's exactly what Flamengo did this summer.

The Club World Cup side put in a £5m offer for Albion's Mikey Johnston which was duly accepted.

Eyebrows were raised at the deal itself but not necessarily at Albion's acceptance of it.

Johnston had slightly flattered to deceive during the 2024-25 season with just eight goal contributions, and many fans were questioning whether his seven goals in 15 games on loan the previous year was just a flash in the pan.

Perhaps that is why Flamengo ultimately backed out of the deal, leaving Johnston to enjoy Sandwell instead of Rio.

However, this season Johnston has justified those admiring glances from South America with a series of standout performances.

His stunning strike against Preston on Saturday underlined an eye-catching start to the campaign which has seen him score two goals and provide three assists.

It is well known that dancing feet are synonymous with Brazilian talent.

In that regard Johnston's skills this term wouldn't have looked out of place south of the equator.

Some believed Albion would suffer heavily without last season's creator-in-chief Tom Fellows, but it feels, on the other side of the pitch, Johnston has stepped out of his shadow and up to the plate.

On this form, Albion will no doubt be thankful that Flamengo president Luiz Eduardo Baptista ended up blocking his transfer to the Brazilian Serie A.

Perhaps, when he sees the highlights of the Preston game, the Scarlet and Black's top man will wish he had just a little bit of Irish flair in Flamengo's ranks.

Vicarage Road will welcome back boss Javi Gracia when they host West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday (19:45 BST).

Gracia, who is just starting out his second spell in charge of the Hornets, will be looking to claim a first win under his current tenure as he makes his first appearance on home soil this season.

The Baggies will not make it an easy task though. They won last time out to sail into the top six and will have little desire to depart their comfy play-off spot.

• Watford are unbeaten in seven home league games against West Brom (W4 D3) since a 3-0 reverse in November 2007.

• West Brom's only win in their last nine league games against Watford (D4 L4) was their most recent, winning 2-1 in April.

• Watford have won both of their last two home league games, last winning more in a row in November 2024 (5).

• West Brom have won three of their last five away league outings (L2), this after only winning one of 20 beforehand (D11 L8).

• This will be Javi Gracia's second league meeting with West Brom, winning the other 1-0 with Watford in the Premier League in March 2018.

West Bromwich Albion winger Mikey Johnston says that their 2-1 win over Preston North End came as "a relief" as the Baggies re-entered the top six in the Championship.

After West Brom scored twice through Johnston and Isaac Price, North End scored in the 78th minute to apply pressure to the hosts, looking especially dangerous over the 11 minutes of added time, but Albion held out to take all three points and rise up to fifth.

"I feel as if it's happened a couple of times this season where we are hanging on, so it's probably something we need to address just to kill games out," Johnston told BBC Radio WM.

"A bit of resilience at end of games is needed sometimes. So just holding on and not conceding like we have done is a relief."

The Republic of Ireland international scored the opener for the Baggies with a thunderous strike for his second league goal of the season and Johnston expects it won't be the last of his spectacular scoring.

"When I get that space, I should be thinking shoot," he added. "I've got that in the locker and I need to keep doing that."

Listen to the full interview with Johnston and more West Bromwich Albion content on BBC Sounds.

Image source, Getty Images

West Bromwich Albion manager Ryan Mason said his side's 2-1 victory over Preston North End - just their second win in five home games this season - was much needed.

Mason told BBC Radio WM: "We played a good game against really good opposition. They put a lot of energy into the game, are physical and are good with the ball as well. They caused us problems.

"It's really important to win games of football at home. We have not made our performances count at home so far this season.

"The fans were amazing. They were really with the players and certainly helped us get over the line.

"Sometimes in tight games you need moments of brilliance and we had two moments today."

West Bromwich Albion forward Tammer Bany will not be in contention for Saturday's game against Preston North End (15:00 BST) despite playing 45 minutes with the under-21s in the week.

The Dane has only made four appearances since joining from Danish side Randers in February 2024 and is currently making his comeback from a hamstring injury sustained in pre-season.

"Tammer is probably going to need more minutes because he's just had no football in a long time," boss Ryan Mason told BBC Radio WM.

"There's probably going to be a couple missing out, still yet to decide that."

Left-back Charlie Taylor has returned to training after missing the game against Millwall and could feature.

Also in contention are striker Daryl Dike and forward Karlan Grant, who have both been on the sidelines for a lengthy period of time.

Grant has not featured for the Baggies since their game against Portsmouth in August with a foot injury, while Dike has not yet made an appearance this season as he nurses a back injury.

However, while Dike and Bany may be in a similar position in terms of time out of the game, Mason does not see their reintegration to the squad as something to approach equally.

"I think Tammer needs something different because of the way he plays and the job required of him, whereas the job required of Daryl, in the short term, probably requires a little bit less," Mason added.

Listen to the full interview with Mason and more West Bromwich Albion content on BBC Sounds.