How West Brom's hopes went south

The West Bromwich Albion fans who showered their team with boos for the umpteenth time this season may reflect that if their club had taken a different route last summer, everything could have been so different.

In their two most recent seasons outside the top flight, Albion never dropped below fourth place. Monday night’s 2-0 home defeat by Swansea left them 13th, eight points adrift of the play-offs with boss Steve Bruce already questioning his players’ mental strength after taking just one point from his first five games.

Yet when the club were relegated from the Premier League last season, the best man to take them back up was available — and wanted the job.

Instead of hiring Chris Wilder, who had taken Sheffield United from League One to the top flight and kept them there, West Brom went for Valerien Ismael, handing him a four-year deal and paying £2million compensation to Barnsley. It was a remarkable show of faith in a coach whose record in English football was a single successful campaign at Oakwell.

Senior figures at the club were thought to have been alarmed by Wilder’s outspoken remarks during the final days of his five-year spell at Bramall Lane. They felt the 54-year-old could cause problems. But the only aspect of Wilder’s character that really mattered was his ability to inspire players.

After being overlooked by West Brom, Wilder succeeded Neil Warnock at Middlesbrough last November and has them two points outside the play-offs.

Ismael made a bright start and by the turn of the year had the backing of owner Guochuan Lai, who sanctioned the £7.7million signing of striker Daryl Dike from Orlando FC — only for the 21-year-old to suffer a hamstring injury in his second game.

But once results turned, there was