West Brom CEO issues honest verdict amid poor run of form

West Bromwich Albion CEO Ron Gourlay has criticised the club’s current crop of players for not having enough leaders or ‘winners’ in their team, speaking candidly to the Express and Star.

The Baggies had gone unbeaten in their opening 10 league matches of the 2021/22 campaign, establishing themselves as automatic promotion favourites under the stewardship of former boss Valerien Ismael.

However, results and performances have declined since then, sitting comfortably in third spot towards the latter stages of 2021 but were in real danger of falling out of the top six altogether at the time of the Frenchman’s departure last month.

Unfortunately for successor Steve Bruce, he was unable to make a fast start to life at The Hawthorns, going winless in his opening five matches at the helm as he won just one point from a possible 15.

A victory against his former side Hull City last weekend was a much-needed boost for a demoralised Albion side – but their poor form prior to their victory at the MKM Stadium has consigned them to a 13th spot at this stage and they are now outsiders to clinch a play-off place at the end of this term.

Gourlay was one man who could see this decline coming, offering a brutal assessment of his current crop of first-team players and has also hinted at radical changes being made in the future.

The Chelsea chief executive said: “This was coming (the club’s decline).

“This club has been in a comfort zone for too long and we have to shake things up to push it forward.

“We started the season very well. But when things started to slip we didn’t have the mental strength, enough leaders on the field, enough winners on the field, to get us out of that period.”

The Verdict:

A rebuild is probably needed in the West