Lewis Cox: Shilen Patel sincere tone still so welcome to West Brom faithful

The Florida businessman does not feel like a ‘new’ owner anymore - a year-and-a-half is a long time in football. Despite that it remains clear that time is still required to finish the clean-up that was inherited from Lai.

Even so, the open communication and personable, understanding tone of Patel’s words continue to strike a chord with the Baggies faithful.

True, the letter comes from the chairman on the club website and will have surely been vetted by several pairs of eyes before publication. Such a prepared piece of comms is naturally different to being interviewed by another party.

It is therefore little surprise there was no mention of Tony Mowbray, the hierarchy's first head coach appointment who lasted less than 100 days.

Regardless of that and above all, fans are delighted to be at the hand of somebody who cares.

Patel’s lengthy letter contained several subjects, a nod to last season’s very disappointing finale, the club’s progress in his time at the helm, new boss Ryan Mason, continuing financial fair play battles and The Hawthorns’ 125th anniversary among them.

Even though his family home is across the Atlantic, thousands of miles from the Black Country, Albion owner's tone so often seems spot on.

The pride of 'a first trophy' courtesy of Siobhan Hodgetts-Still's side winning the women's Birmingham Challenge Cup, to the warmness in which he describes The Hawthorns in the stadium's anniversary year all hits home with fans.

Yet the owner's words were not all sunshine and flowers. Within it contained a warning not dissimilar to the letter Patel released to supporters 12 months earlier.

It explained the continued challenges of financial fair play and why Albion remain under the restraint of profit and sustainability regulations.

He described a 'remarkable feat' of how the club's hierarchy have so far operated from a financial perspective to bring the squad more in line with a club without parachute payments. The squad's average age is down, the overall wage structure is down and that remains the continuing challenge.

At the same time, however, younger players have been recruited on longer deals, bringing more value to the squad. Fees have been spent on players with an eye on the here and now and the future, with an eye on adding value.

The challenges have not been easy and on the face of the league table the football suffered - Albion finished ninth, four places and 11 points worse off than the previous campaign, though they did have an influential figure walk out in Carlos Corberan.

Patel's caution outlined how Albion must be as pragmatic and resourceful as they have been so far under Bilkul. The £1million deal to bring in the experience and leadership of Nat Phillips to bolster a weakened defence is a good example.

Change was plentiful last summer and the same volume of incomings this time around should not be expected. There is the base of a squad there for new boss Mason with tweaks required in certain areas both regarding additions and departures.

The caring tone of Patel's words were the lasting effect of the latest update, however, and while we may be 18 months into the owner's tenure, the refreshing nature of which is not lost on the Albion faithful.