Meet the opposition | West Bromwich Albion

As the Swans prepare to take on West Bromwich Albion Saturday afternoon, we take a closer look at the Baggies. 

History

Established in 1878 as West Bromwich Albion by workers from Salter’s Spring Works, the Baggies were one of the 12 founding members of the Football League and have surpassed 5,000 EFL fixtures as a club.

Albion have spent much of their history in the top-flight of English football, winning their only league title during the 1919-20 season, whilst enjoying success in the FA Cup on no fewer than five occasions.

During the 21st century they have had spells in the Premier League, including an eight-year stint which was ended by relegation in 2018.

Six managers in six seasons followed and a return to the top-flight in 2020 proved short lived as they dropped back to the second tier after one season.

Last season the Baggies recorded a ninth-place finish in the Championship, just four points behind sixth-placed Bristol City.

How’s their form?

West Brom have struggled for consistency so far this season, and this is reflected in them winning one, drawing two and losing two of their last five games.

They drew against local rivals Birmingham City in midweek, having been 2-0 up against runaway leaders Coventry City in their previous fixture, only to lose 3-2.

Who’s the gaffer? 

Ryan Mason is in his first permanent head coach role after joining the club in the summer.

The former midfielder began his playing career at Tottenham Hotspur, joining the club at the age of eight. During his time in north London, he gained valuable experience out on loan with Yeovil Town, Doncaster Rovers, Millwall, Lorient and Swindon Town.

Mason moved to Hull City in 2016, but his playing career was sadly cut short after he suffered a fractured skull in a league match against Chelsea in 2017.

He returned to Spurs soon after, initially joining the academy coaching set-up and later being appointed manager of the club’s under-19s for the 2019 UEFA Youth League campaign.

Mason earned his first taste of senior management in 2021 when he was named interim head coach following José Mourinho’s departure, becoming the youngest manager in Premier League history and taking charge of their Carabao Cup final defeat against Manchester City.

He stepped into the interim role again in 2023 after Cristian Stellini’s exit, before joining Ange Postecoglou’s coaching staff that summer.

After two seasons as part of Postecoglou’s backroom team, Mason was appointed Baggies manager in June.

Who’s the captain? 

Jed Wallace. The former Millwall midfielder has been a regular more most of his time at The Hawthorns, although he has been used mainly as a substitute of late. He was handed the captaincy ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

He came through the youth ranks at Portsmouth and progressed all the way to first-team level, where he scored 30 goals in 121 appearances in all competitions.

From the south-coast he went to Wolves, where he spent two seasons before his move to Millwall, having already enjoyed two successful loan spells with the London club.

Having already help the Lions win the League One play-offs, he continued to be an integral and influential figure in the Championship, regularly being a reliable contributor in terms of goals and assists.

However, his spell in south London ended when he moved to West Brom after his contract expired.

Wallace has made over 90 league appearances for the Baggies scoring 14 times, most recently in West Brom’s 3-1 victory over Wrexham back in August. 

Who are the key men?

One of the Baggies’ biggest creative sparks this season has been Irish winger Mikey Johnston, who has registered six assists at The Hawthorns and added two goals of his own.

Johnston was born in Glasgow and began his career at boyhood club Celtic, progressing through the academy before making his senior debut at 18 in a 4–1 victory over St Johnstone in May 2017.

The midfielder had two loan spells during his time in Scotland, including a move to Portuguese side Vitória Guimarães SC in 2022, where he made 25 league appearances and scored once.

He then returned to Celtic for the first half of the 2023–24 season, before another loan move followed as he joined West Brom in February 2024. 

Johnston hit the ground running, scoring his first goal just 30 seconds into his first start against Cardiff City. He made 18 league appearances during his initial spell at the club, scoring seven times and winning the EFL Championship Player of the Month award for March 2024, before joining the Baggies on a permanent basis the following summer.

Johnston also represented Scotland at youth level, but qualified to play for the Republic of Ireland through his grandad and was picked by Ireland manager Stephen Kenny for the first time in March 2023. The midfielder scored his first goal for his country the following June, netting in a EURO 2024 qualifier against Gibraltar.

New summer signing Nat Phillips has been key in defence for the Baggies this season, playing every minute for Ryan Mason’s side so far whilst also registering one goal in a 1-0 victory over Stoke City back in August. 

Phillips began his career  in the Bolton academy before making the step up to Liverpool in 2016.

The defender really started to become part of Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp’s plans in 2018 where he would start to train with the first team whilst still playing for the academy sides.

Phillips had his first loan spell at the start of the 2019-20 season, where he would join German second division side VfB Stuttgart before being recalled in January after a defensive crisis hit Liverpool. He would then go on to make his Reds debut just 12 days later in an FA Cup third round tie against Everton. Phillips would then return to Stuttgart for the rest of the season. 

The experience was vital for Phillips who played a big part in the 2020-21 season, with more injuries hitting Liverpool and seeing him make 20 appearances across all competitions, as well as scoring his first goal in a 3-0 victory over Burnley in May 2021. 

Loan spells would then follow over the next few seasons for Phillips, joining Celtic, Cardiff and Derby all on a temporary basis before joining the Baggies this summer.

Alongside Phillips at the heart of the defence has been Chris Mepham, who also joined the Baggies this summer from Bournemouth. 

An academy graduate of Brentford, having spent his younger years at Chelsea, Mepham made 43 leagues appearances for the Bees before signing for Bournemouth for a then club record fee in 2019.

This would be a very successful spell for Mepham, where he would make 13 appearances in his debut season in the Premier League. Mepham continued to be an important member of the Cherries team, making over a century of appearances over six years at Vitality Stadium.

Mepham also spent last season on loan in the Championship at Sunderland, where he was a vital part of the defence that gained promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs. The central defender featured 38 times in the league for the Black Cats, with his only goal coming in a 2-1 victory over Cardiff back in March. 

Whilst being born in London, Mepham has represented Wales over 50 times since making his debut in a 6-0 win over China in 2018.