"Ambition. That's what I see": Former Baggies forward heaps praise on new boss ahead of season opener
Former West Brom forward Peter Odemwingie revealed he was impressed with the appointment of Ryan Mason ahead of the new Championship season.
The Baggies replaced the departed Carlos Corberán, a manager incredibly popular at The Hawthorns, with Mason earlier this year.
Aside from a handful of caretaker performances at Tottenham Hotspur, Mason is incredibly raw to managerial life, especially at just 34-years-old.
However, Odemwingie, West Brom’s all-time leading Premier League goal scorer, believes the decision by the club will be the right move.
Speaking to leading UK speakers agency Champions Speakers, he said: “I think the manager they just lost was full of life and very motivated. A young manager who did well. So I think the club decided to go for a young manager again because it worked before.
“He wanted a change in his life and to test himself in another league. So on the day they appointed Ryan Mason, I thought, ‘he’s definitely promising’. At Spurs, people rated him highly, so we’ll see what he can do.”
After relegation from the Premier League in 2021, West Brom have failed to be re-promoted from the Championship.
Off-the-field matters have often harmed the trajectory of the football club, although Odemwingie does not feel like fans will be waiting a long time to be back in the top division.
“It’s interesting watching those clubs I used to play for,” he continued. “They’re not at the same level they were when I was there, obviously one league below now. You can still learn a lot from watching not only the top level but also the EFL divisions.
“When I played for West Brom, we would go to face big teams like Liverpool and Arsenal. I was in a West Brom squad that beat Liverpool and Arsenal away. But when I signed for them, people asked me, ‘why did you sign for them? They’re a yo-yo club, they’ll go down again’.
“I looked at the history of those clubs, though, and saw they’d made comebacks to the Premier League a few times, which means there is resilience in that football club, in the fan base, and among people who have the knowledge and experience to get back up.
“So it’s only a matter of time, I’m sure we’ll see West Brom back in the Premier League. We’re just watching to see which players and which manager will do it for them.”
Since retirement in 2018, Odemwingie has continued into professional golf and now a career in coaching, which he admitted he will take huge inspiration from Mason in doing.
He said: “I began working towards my UEFA badges a few months ago. I’ll be watching more games this season so I can learn from other angles of football and management. I want to see how a young manager does in that role.
“What inspires me about somebody like (Ryan) Mason? Ambition. That’s what I see. Every manager who takes a job takes a risk, their reputation is on the line, and their career progression can be affected.
“But if he takes a club up that, at the moment, doesn’t have big finances, and is hoping to rely on hard work and quality on the pitch, then for me that shows he has good ideas about how to get better performances out of the players.
“Goals are so important in football, especially for promotion. I think they need to go out and sign a goal scorer. But fair play to him, being 34 and taking on a club as big as West Brom, with its history. That’s impressive.”
Odemwingie was speaking at the Farmfoods British Par 3 Championships at Nailcote Hall, Warwickshire, where he plays in both the Pro and Celebrity-Ams.
