West Brom's next manager: Ranking the Baggies' 5 best options | OneFootball

FLW ranks Albion’s five best managerial targets for next season.

West Brom’s sole focus between now and the end of the season will be to secure their Championship safety.

The Baggies have had a campaign to forget in the second tier and remain at serious risk of dropping through the League One trapdoor.

Ryan Mason started the season off in the Albion dugout for his first full-time managerial role, but it went far from according to plan, departing The Hawthorns following Albion’s 10th straight defeat on the road - the worst away run for the club in almost a century.

Mason left Albion languishing 18th in the Championship table and seven points off the bottom three at the time, with the Baggies hierarchy choosing to bring in former Minnesota United coach Eric Ramsay as his replacement.

And that was an even bigger disaster, with the Welshman’s 44-day reign in the Albion hotseat brought to an end after a 1-1 draw at home to Charlton Athletic, which meant the ex-Baggies boss had failed to record a single victory from the nine Championship games he was in charge of and left the club just one point above the relegation zone.

Now, the Black Country outfit have placed Albion legend James Morrison back in for another spell as interim boss, and he has, so far, managed to inject some confidence and optimism that the Baggies can fight out of the position they currently find themselves in.

With Morrison placed first-team duties until the end of the campaign, the Albion hierarchy will be putting plans in place for a new boss to take over this coming summer, while much of those plans will be dependent on what division they are playing in next term.

With this in mind, FLW has identified the five best possible candidates for the post, ranking them from worst to best.

5 ? ? Michael Skubala

In at number five is current Lincoln City boss Michael Skubala.

Skubala landed his first managerial job at the LNER Stadium in 2023 following caretaker and first-team coach stints at Leeds United, and has certainly shown that he is a top-class manager in the making.

After two seasons of flirting with the idea of promotion out of League One, his third term in charge sees his side on course to seal a place back in the Championship for the first time since 1961.

What would be a major feat, it’s no surprise to see the 43-year-old linked with many bigger names in the second tier, with the feeling already that Skubala has many more gears to go through in his managerial career.

Despite all the positives, he does come in at number five due to his lack of experience of managing at Championship level. Albion have already suffered so badly with novice coaches in Ryan Mason and Eric Ramsay, so it feels like the club would be playing with fire going back and hiring a similar profile of manager.

And not to mention that Skubala may want to carry on his project with Lincoln. They should go on to finish the job and seal a place in next season’s Championship campaign, so he may view it as unfinished business after helping them do so well in League One.

While Skubala should be an option on the table, that lack of second tier knowhow could be what puts the Albion hierarchy off.

4 ? ? Dave Challinor

Next up is Dave Challinor, who has been on such an upward trajectory as a coach since taking over at Stockport County in 2021.

Possessing a bigger pedigree in management since 2010, Challinor has made his mark at Edgeley Park, guiding the Hatters to two promotions in three years, winning the National League title in 2021-22 and then going on to lift the fourth tier crown at the end of the 2023-24 term.

And after entering League One, Challinor’s men have been so competitive in that division too, securing a third-place finish last season and firmly in the hunt for another play-off place come the end of this term.

Challinor’s rise up the divisions and ability to piece together a very solid League One outfit means it’s only a matter of time before he appears in the Championship, with Albion a very attractive project for him to take on.

The 50-year-old is listed above Skubala due to his longer-term success with Stockport and strong managerial background, but again, the lack of experience of managing at a second tier level is something that would concern some Baggies supporters, although he still would prove to be a favourable choice.

In at third is Russell Martin, who needs an opportunity to reestablish himself after a poor recent spell with Rangers.

Martin turned out to be the Gers’ shortest-serving permanent boss in their 153-year history, meaning a return to the Championship could be what he needs to get his career back on track.

The former MK Dons and Norwich City defender has a promotion out of the Championship on his CV by leading Southampton back to the top-flight in 2024 – beating West Brom on their way in the play-off semi-final.

A significant factor that could lead Martin to Albion is the appointment of Matt Gill to assist Morrison for the final months of this season too.

Gill has worked with Martin at MK Dons, before becoming his right-hand man at Swansea, Southampton and Rangers, so the two have a very close relationship, and Gill may be persuaded to stay on beyond this term should Martin walk into the building.

His dominant and possession-minded approach would go down well at The Hawthorns, with players encouraged to take risks, while he is in favour of playing youth and would set his sights on getting the Baggies as far up the table as possible.

It would certainly be an appointment that divides opinion, but after previous experience of gaining promotion out of the division, Martin has to be high up on the shortlist of people who can take this club forward.

2 ? ? James Morrison

At second spot is current interim boss and Albion legend James Morrison, who has done a fantastic job so far in reconnecting the playing squad with the supporters.

The Hawthorns was at its raucous best when Hull City came to town, as Albion ripped their opponents apart and gave the Tigers a mauling to earn their first league victory in over three months.

With the stadium bouncing, the players responded with a display full of heart and desire, while they showed similar attributes in their draw to Southampton, as they were rightly applauded off the field that evening too.

Morrison has restored the fight and determination that should be shown when donning the blue and white stripes, and there is hope now that the players have found a figure they can battle and scrap during such a massive final run-in.

The 39-year-old’s ability to also spot flaws and change his systems quickly has set Albion up for success as well, moving to an old-fashioned 4-4-2 setup after their Oxford United defeat, which has helped the team look so much more free-flowing and dangerous in the final third.

Morrison seems to be a proactive and forward-thinking manager, while the current playing squad clearly respect him and want to fight for every ball under his guidance.

Provided he can keep the Baggies in the Championship, he should definitely be high up on the list of candidates, and the majority of the Albion faithful would surely relish seeing the former Scotland international enter the dugout on a full-time basis and add to his already glowing reputation in the Black Country.

Coming in at top spot is Sean Dyche, and while this may be an ambitious appointment, the ex-Everton chief could well be interested in the role if Albion remain in the Championship next season.

The 54-year-old is coming off the back of an exit from Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest, where he won six out of his 18 top-flight matches in charge and left the Reds three points above the relegation zone at the time of his departure.

Crucially, Dyche has the experience of managing at Championship level. He has not worked in the second tier of English football since 2016 with Burnley, but he has a track record of delivering success in the division after leading them to the title in that year.

Paired with then keeping the Clarets in the Premier League for five successive seasons, alongside his roles at Everton and Forest, all of that experience would make him a very appealing appointment and see West Brom land a real coup.

Dyche may also have further interest as Albion’s financial situation appears to be improving, meaning the hierarchy could help him build a squad that can challenge for a place back in the big time.