Fresh reaction given to West Brom, Alex Neil update - 'agent talk' claim dropped | OneFootball

FLW's Baggies fan pundit doesn't believe that the reports linking Alex Neil to The Hawthorns have any legs

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...

Despite picking up a valuable win against Oxford United to quell a four-game winless run, Ryan Mason may still be in the hot seat at The Hawthorns, as West Bromwich Albion are still reportedly considering a change.

The 2-1 win against Gary Rowett's side was West Brom's sixth of the Championship campaign, and ensured that the Baggies remained within four points of the play-offs.

However, dropped points against the likes of Watford, Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton Athletic in between wins means that the win hasn't moved the needle massively in terms of the confidence in the former Tottenham Hotspur first team coach.

At 34, the hiring of Mason indicated a breath of fresh air at The Hawthorns, and perhaps a switch to a more project-based outlook, rather than one set to win immediately.

However, performances were still expected to be better, and, per a report from Alan Nixon, West Brom have an eye on Millwall boss Alex Neil to possibly replace Mason if performances don't improve after the international break.

FLW's Baggies fan pundit, Callum Burgess, respects Alex Neil as a Championship manager, admitting that he is "one of the better ones" at the level.

The Scotsman has a plethora of second tier experience with the likes of Norwich City, Preston North End, Stoke City and now at Millwall, where he is overseeing the development of several young stars with the view of selling them on for profit, like they did with Romain Esse last January.

"I think Alex Neil is a decent manager at Championship level," Burgess said.

"He's showing at Millwall now with his record of developing young players, like Mihalo Ivanovic, for example, who has been turned into a good striker, especially last season.

"He's one of the better Championship-standard managers, but not one who would be pushing for promotion — not that that's where Albion are at currently."

Ultimately, Neil's experience in the Premier League is limited, with a few months at Norwich City in 2016 to boot, and whilst West Brom aren't a promotion-level team currently, Burgess feels that the club has a higher ceiling with Mason involved, than if they chopped and changed for the current Millwall boss.

Burgess not only questioned these links, but also the ones suggesting promotion challengers Middlesbrough were in for him, too.

"Middlesbrough seem in for him too, so to me this seems a little bit like agent talk, drumming up interest so he could get a better deal at Millwall," Burgess said.

"At the moment, I wouldn't read too much into it, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's on our radar if we do get rid of Mason.

"Whether he'd make the move from The Den remains to be seen."

It seems that the West Brom fan pundit isn't the only one that doesn't see much truth in the rumours linking Alex Neil to other Championship clubs, as the Millwall manager himself has come out and branded the links "nonsense."

"I certainly haven't seen that, no," he said. "It's not even on my radar. I don't know anything about it, and it's the first time I've heard of it."

With Neil signing a new long-term deal at Millwall over the summer, too, there's a high probability that the Scotsman will remain at the club he currently has in the top six, following a campaign where they fell just short.

Half of these rumours stem from a long-term contract being disregarded at The Riverside, though, so anything can happen, but all signs point to Alex Neil remaining at The Den for the foreseeable.

And all this would rely on West Brom parting ways with Ryan Mason, too, just months after committing to a project with the 34-year-old at the helm, which also seems unlikely, especially if Mason doesn't take The Hawthorns-based club into any immediate relegation danger.