Corberan 2.0: West Brom could hire "elite" manager who's better than O'Neil
Despite picking up a much-needed league win over Sheffield United last Friday night, West Bromwich Albion are still way off the promotion places in the Championship.
The hot-and-cold Baggies – who have regularly stumbled in their pursuit of the playoffs in recent seasons – remain six points off the coveted top six positions, with nine defeats in league action already this season troubling Ryan Mason’s position as manager.
He has only been in charge since mid-June as the West Midlands outfit boldly handed him the reins after the failed return of Tony Mowbray, but football is a fast-paced and fickle game, with more defeats perhaps leading to an early dismissal.
Reporter Chris Lepkowski has come out to say that there is “no appetite” yet at the Hawthorns from the powers that be to get rid.
Still, that hasn’t stopped several high-profile names from being linked to the Championship job, with ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Gary O’Neil suggested.
Why West Brom should steer clear of O'Neil
The close geography between Molineux and the Hawthorns makes this an obvious name to be linked, with O’Neil in the Old Gold dug-out for a turbulent 63 games in total.
He would come in with that Premier League pedigree, having also managed in the top division with AFC Bournemouth, but it’s clear from his final few months in the Wolves dug-out that he wouldn’t be cut out for turning around West Brom’s fortunes in the league below.
From his final 16 matches in charge of Wolves, who would ultimately turn around their depressing fortunes last season under Vitor Pereira, O’Neil only collected a miserable two victories, with Wolves chairman Jeff Shi openly admitting that he cut ties “too late”, looking back at giving him the rightful axe.
With no experience of a Championship promotion fight under his belt, either, it isn’t immediately apparent whether O’Neil would be able to handle that intense heat, with bruises surely still there from how his Old Gold stay ended.
Whereas, one out-of-work manager could be just what the Baggies need to push up the table, as a brand new Carlos Corberan-style figure is potentially appointed down the line.
Corberan 2.0: West Brom could hire "elite" manager
Truthfully, the West Midlands side has never gotten over their beloved Spaniard walking out on them mid-season for Valencia, with the aforementioned Mowbray coming in and failing, while Mason is yet to prove himself as well.
A high 47 wins would come Corberan’s way from 107 West Brom outings, leading to the much-loved 42-year-old guiding his side to a playoff finish come the end of the 2022/23 season. Before he left, too, only three losses had been suffered from 22 league games, with Mason already up to a damaging nine, to be at risk of the sack.
There is nothing to suggest that O’Neil would be able to lift the 16th-place side all the way up to the promotion positions to become the second coming of Corberan, with his worrying career tally of just 31 wins as a manager, falling flat next to the Spaniard’s wins total just at West Brom.
Instead, they could loo towards a certain Michael Carrick. He would no doubt believe in his own ability to be a transformative presence to rival Corberan, having consistently had Middlesbrough in and around the promotion spaces when he was still at the Riverside Stadium.
Having had to come out of the shadows of a coaching career in the north with Manchester United, much like Corberan under Marcelo Bielsa’s tutelage at Leeds, Carrick would instantly thrive in the Boro dug-out, with the once relegation-threatened outfit turned into promotion contenders, courtesy of the 44-year-old.
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Corberan did the same at the Hawthorns once upon a time, leading to suggestions from scout Petar Petrov that he is an “elite” coach. Coincidentally, Carrick was also labelled as an “elite manager” by one analyst on social media after an electric start on Teesside, even if he did ultimately run out of steam in the Championship side’s dug-out.
Carrick’s league record at Middlesbrough
Games managed
122
Wins
56
Draws
23
Losses
43
Win percentage
45.9%
Points
191
Highest position
4th
Sourced by Transfermarkt
He would never trump his first full season, as two playoff near-misses followed, but with 191 points accumulated in the tricky division overall, he could well go down as the club’s next Corberan, if he is the man they potentially go after.
O’Neil’s measly career win percentage of 31% also surely makes him an unattractive target to pursue, as West Brom are left in a tough spot right now, as they consider sticking by Mason or seeking out alternatives.
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