Ryan Mason told to make big West Brom change amid George Campbell 'concern' - it could happen v Preston | OneFootball

FLW’s West Brom fan pundit has commented on whether the personnel at right-back should be changed between George Campbell and Alfie Gilchrist.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

West Brom will be encouraged by the start they’ve made to the 2025-26 Championship season, but will be hopeful that their dismal display at Millwall prior to the international break was a mere blip.

The Baggies followed up their narrow victory at Norwich City with a tepid performance at The Den at the beginning of October, resoundingly beaten 3-0 courtesy of strikes from Jake Cooper, Femi Azeez and Zak Sturge.

It was an alarming thing to witness for both the supporters and Mason, with an inconsistency of results beginning to creep in again that led to the Black Country outfit failing to reach the play-offs last term.

The ex-Tottenham Hotspur coach slammed the performance as unacceptable and something he doesn’t want to see again while in the Baggies dugout, as his side mustered just one shot on target all afternoon.

It led to criticism from Albion fans that he picked the wrong team, with his decisions on personnel also not well-backed when Albion lost at Middlesbrough back in September.

This has drawn questions about whether Mason needs to make changes to his Baggies side for the visit of Preston North End, who will be buoyed by their start to the season as the Lilywhites sit fourth in the table from their opening nine outings.

One of the debates for a change is at right-back, with George Campbell, a £1.5m summer arrival from the MLS, starting the last six games in that role after an encouraging display at Stoke City, when he kept one of the second-tier’s most dangerous wingers, Sorba Thomas, quiet for the majority of the game.

But it has become clear over the last few weeks that it isn’t Campbell’s natural position, with the American struggling to settle and look a dependable asset on the right side, although Mason has continued to play him despite some poor performances.

But after suffering a heavy fall at The Den, is it finally time for the 34-year-old to hand Alfie Gilchrist a chance to impress in the blue and white stripes?

The ex-Sheffield United man has only featured for five minutes since signing permanently from Chelsea for a reported fee of £1.2m, with his only appearance coming off the bench at Norwich City when he filled in at left-back due to an injury to Charlie Taylor.

After playing the majority of Sheffield United’s 2024-25 campaign where they reached the play-off final under Chris Wilder, there have been calls to see Gilchrist start and see if he can add more of an attacking threat compared to Campbell, as Albion have struggled to find the back of the net regularly in recent weeks.

With this in mind, FLW’s West Brom fan pundit has spoken about whether he would like to see the change made by Mason at The Hawthorns this weekend.

West Brom fan pundit backs call for George Campbell, Alfie Gilchrist switch

Speaking to Football League World, West Brom fan pundit Callum Burgess has admitted that it is time for Alfie Gilchrist to be handed his full debut against Preston North End this coming weekend, with George Campbell’s ability on the ball hindering the team in recent weeks.

Callum said: “At first, the feeling was that Campbell had gained some credit in the bank from his performances at Stoke City, in particular, where he was able to keep Sorba Thomas quiet, but after that, the expectation was that Gilchrist would get more and more gametime, but he didn’t make his debut until the victory at Norwich City when he came on quiet late in that game.

"Campbell has put in some performances where his ability with the ball at his feet has come into question, and it has become a concern in the team. Gilchrist hasn’t yet made his full debut, which is a shame.

“But, the expectation is that he will make his full debut sooner rather than later as I don’t think he can keep Campbell starting at right-back every week when his ability with the ball is starting to become clearer and clearer as a concern, so I think the fact Gilchrist hasn’t made his full debut is disappointing, but hopefully that changes soon.”

Alfie Gilchrist deserves West Brom starting opportunity

Linking up at The Hawthorns this summer, Alfie Gilchirst would have targeted West Brom as a place where he could play regularly and contribute to something special in the Black Country, but it’s been a slow start, and he’s had to bide his time for moments to shine.

He will undoubtedly be feeling frustrated that a player who isn’t even a natural right-back has been taking his place, but after a number of underwhelming displays by Campbell, he may be thinking that his opportunity is not far away.

Campbell has unsurprisingly failed to add any attacking threat down the right flank compared to his predecessor Darnell Furlong, with the American international barely crossing the halfway line and venturing forward, something that cannot continue with full-backs so crucial to systems being free-flowing in attack.

While Gilchrist isn’t as forward-thinking as Furlong was during his time at Albion, he’s still a lot more familiar in that position, and should have the nous and freedom to get into some advanced positions and be an alternative source of creativity.

Not to mention that Gilchrist also knows what it takes to play at this level. He had the quality to play regularly at Bramall Lane for a team contending for promotion, so it is puzzling to see that he hasn’t been able to get a look in so far under Ryan Mason to do the same at Albion.

But that could all change moving forward, and if he gets an opportunity from the start, Gilchrist must grasp it with both hands and prove why the West Brom faithful were right to call for the change.