Tony Mowbray reveals West Brom ownership issues | OneFootball

Tony Mowbray has revealed past issues with the West Brom ownership during his second stint at The Hawthorns.

When West Brom supporters reflect on Tony Mowbray’s time at The Hawthorns, there will be some disappointment at how his second spell at the club played out.

Following the departure of Carlos Corberan to boyhood club Valencia during the festive period of 2024, Mowbray was drafted in to use his experience and previous success in the second tier to maintain Albion as play-off contenders.

But after a recent bout of cancer, it appeared Mowbray had returned to the dugout too soon, unable to galvanise the playing squad and seeing his side slip down the Championship table the longer the campaign went on.

The following April, Mowbray was relieved of his duties following a 3-1 home defeat to Derby County, which had ended the Baggies’ hopes of a top six spot, with the 62-year-old leading the club to just five wins in his 18 games in charge.

After Such a dismal period in the Black Country, Mowbray is now making a return to management with another one of his former employers in Blackburn Rovers, taking over from Michael O’Neill.

And speaking about his return to Lancashire, Mowbray opened up more about what his time was like with the West Brom ownership, admitting there were issues that contributed to his very short stay in B71.

Tony Mowbray reveals West Brom ownership issues

As reported by the Lancashire Telegraph, Tony Mowbray outlined that there were issues with the West Brom hierarchy when he took over at The Hawthorns, suggesting there were even attempts to meddle with the players he selected on a matchday.

But he is confident that there won’t be similar problems with the current hierarchy in place at Ewood Park.

Mowbray said: "My experience second time around at Albion was totally different to owners.

"A lot of no-see on recruitment, a lot of AI, trying to influence the selection of the team, etc.

"Listen, I had an amazing time at West Bromwich Albion, and I'll never badmouth West Bromwich Albion. It's an amazing football club with a brilliant history like this one.

"It was just different. What I do know is that the ownership isn't different from my first time at West Bromwich. It's not different but it was there.

"I know there's been issues around the ownership model in this football club, but to me and in my tenure, I felt as if there was never a problem.

"I can't remember in my tenure of anything being shouted or mentioned about the owners. They treat me very well. I hope they felt I did a decent job.

"I feel as if when the phone rang, they were looking for somebody to trust to try and put their club back in the right direction and back where it, you know, should be trying to get to.

"I've found that football is about trust really. I've had some owners recently that have been really difficult, and I know and trust these."

Tony Mowbray will hope to restore reputation with Blackburn Rovers

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There’s no doubt Tony Mowbray still has the ability as a manager to deliver success in the Championship, with it only three years ago since he guided Sunderland into the play-offs with such an excited and front-footed team.

But recent health scares meant he wasn’t able to be a regular face around the place at Birmingham City, while he was just coming round to a clean bill of health at West Brom, and shouldn’t have committed to the role when not fully energised for the challenge.

Some of that energy could have also been zapped by the problems he had with the Albion hierarchy, with it appearing they were getting too involved with his own processes, which will have been draining and could have been a big factor to much of their underpar performances.

After moving on, Mowbray now needs full support from Blackburn, and with the right environment and quality playing squad, he could well be able to lead a promotion charge at Ewood Park and prove his second tier credentials once again.

It’s a big opportunity for Mowbray to turn the tide late into his managerial career, and Blackburn could be the perfect place to do it given his previous affinity to Rovers.