52-year-old Championship boss emerges as candidate for West Brom vacancy

Coventry City boss Mark Robins is a potential candidate to succeed Valerien Ismael as manager of West Bromwich Albion, as per a report from The Telegraph.

Frenchman Ismael was dismissed as the second-tier side’s boss yesterday afternoon amid an extremely poor run of form, winning just one of his last eight competitive games in charge and leaving the club in real danger of dropping out of the top six altogether.

After going unbeaten in the opening ten Championship matches of the 2021/22 campaign, this is a disappointing predicament for Albion to be in, although some sections of the West Midlands side’s fanbase never warmed to the 46-year-old’s style of play.

And following this poor form, it’s now up to new CEO Ron Gourlay and other officials at The Hawthorns to draw up a shortlist of candidates as they look for a man that can take the Baggies back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Steve Bruce, who has managed Birmingham City and Aston Villa in the past, is the leading candidate at this stage as per The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, although it has also been revealed that Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray and Coventry’s Mark Robins are also in the frame (via West Brom News) along with Enzo Maresca.

52-year-old Robins has been an exceptional performer at the CBS Arena, managing to transform the Sky Blues from a League Two club to a second-tier outfit and was even able to guide his side to a top-six spot earlier on this season before their form dropped off.

Still, his CV is an impressive one and he could be considered for the vacancy if talks between Bruce and Albion break down.

The Verdict:

On paper, this would be an exceptional appointment and considering Robins already operates with a back three at Coventry,