West Bromwich Albion

Image source, PA Media

West Bromwich Albion have re-appointed Tony Mowbray as the club's new boss, following Carlos Corberan's departure to Valencia over Christmas.

Mowbray previously led the Baggies to promotion from the Championship in 2008 before leaving to take over at Celtic the following year.

The appointment sees the 61-year-old return to football after being given the all-clear following treatment for bowel cancer, which caused him to step down from his role at Birmingham City last year.

Have your say on Mowbray's return to The Hawthorns.

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies.

Ged Scott and Steve Hermon
BBC Sport England

Image source, Rex Features

So it's all done and dusted then - and Tony Mowbray is back at The Hawthorns.

But it all means another irony in that Mowbray returns to take over from one of his first summer signings in that first spell in charge – Chris Brunt.

Brunt, aided by Damia Abella and Boaz Myhill, has been in interim charge of the players since the Christmas Eve departure of Carlos Corberan.

They will be in the dugout for the final time (and that's for definite this time!) at The Hawthorns on Saturday for the Midlands derby against Mark Robins' Stoke City.

In a final twist of fate, that means Mowbray's first official game back in charge of Albion will be on Tuesday night at his beloved Middlesbrough, where he served as captain and manager - and close to where the family home still is.

It all took 24 days to sort in the end - and what a three and half weeks the Baggies' extended festive season has been.

While the Albion hierarchy promised the search for the Spaniard's successor would prioritise detail over speed, impatience grew, especially when their original preferred candidate, Raphael Wicky, turned the job down because he was unable to assemble the backroom staff he wanted.

Earlier in the process, it was reported that former Hibernian, Celtic, Boro, Coventry City, Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland and Birmingham City boss Mowbray had been spoken to about the vacancy.

But that was before Mowbray had received the all-clear on the health front to manage again.

When that came this week, things moved a lot faster - and Wicky's loss is Mowbray's gain - and Albion's!

It remains to be seen what role former Baggies captain Brunt, previously in the role of 'loans manager' before his six-game stint as caretaker boss, will serve for the club.

He has enjoyed three separate promotions in the 18 years since he first joined the Albion payroll, the last of which involved captaining the Baggies to promotion back to the Premier League in his final game for the club in July 2020. It's hard to imagine there won't be another chapter.

So then, West Bromwich Albion have confirmed former boss Tony Mowbray has been appointed as their new head coach.

The 61-year-old joins three weeks after previous boss Carlos Corberan left the club to join La Liga side Valencia.

BBC Radio WM's Steve Hermon tells us all we need to know as Mowbray returns to the club 15 years after his first spell.

Listen to the latest on Mowbray's appointment above or on BBC Sounds here.

Image source, Rex Features

West Bromwich Albion interim head coach Chris Brunt said that being without top scorer Josh Maja for Saturday's home date with Stoke City is a "massive" loss.

Managerless Albion take on Mark Robins' improving Potters in what is expected to be the final game before the expected reappointment of Tony Mowbray as Baggies boss - and they will be at a disadvantage without the man who has netted 12 of their 32 league goals this season.

"It's not just his goals, it's his overall play too," Brunt told BBC Radio WM. "After missing last year with two bad ankle injuries, he's been in great for us this season.

"It's been well documented that we haven't scored enough goals this season anyway, and to be without him now is a massive blow. But we just need people to chip in."

Brunt also played down the notion that they might now have the option of US international Daryl Dike, who has now been out almost a year after a second ruptured Achilles tendon in 10 months.

But he is still only training sporadically - and Brunt warned: "Daryl has had a rough couple of seasons, so we won't be rushing him back. We have to make sure he's all right."

This time next week Brunt is not expected to be the senior figure on the Baggies bench, but to have passed over the baton to Mowbray, the man who brought him to The Hawthorns back in June 2007.

However, he is pleased with the job that he, Boaz Myhill and Damia Abella have done - especially in the wake of former Swiss international Raphael Wicky turning down the job.

"It's been strange," Brunt said. "We thought it was all sorted at the start of the week and then suddenly it wasn't. But we've picked it up and rolled with it. And, bar the first 45 minutes in that first game on Boxing Day at Derby, everybody's been great - and the lads have responded well."

Stoke City look to capitalise on an uptick of form as they visit West Bromwich Albion on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Potters are undefeated across their last four matches, including a victory against promotion-contenders Sunderland in the FA Cup on the weekend.

However, they will be without top scorer Tom Cannon after he was recalled by parent club Leicester City and are still in the midst relegation danger.

Meanwhile, Albion are in the battle for a playoff spot but have also seen their top scorer Josh Maja ruled out through injury.

• After losing each of their three league games against Stoke City between January 2020 and April 2022, West Brom are since unbeaten across their last five EFL matches against the Potters (W3 D2).

• Stoke have won just two of their last nine away league games against West Brom (D2 L5), failing to score more than one goal in all but one of those matches during that time.

• West Brom have won their last three home games, last winning four in a row in the Championship in February 2024 (5 in a row).

• Stoke have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three league games, with the last two ending goalless. The Potters have only drawn 3+ league games in a row 0-0 twice before, in March 2003 (3) and March 2019 (4).

• Stoke goalkeeper Viktor Johansson has made the most saves in the 2024-25 Championship campaign (98) while he has also prevented the most goals in the division this term according to Opta's expected goals on target model (13.5 – 41.5xG, 28 conceded).

Steve Hermon - BBC Radio WM

Image source, Rex Features

Tony Mowbray is the latest in a long line of bookmakers' favourites speculated about for the vacancy of West Bromwich Albion head coach.

Even before the club opted for Raphael Wicky as their preferred candidate there were reports that 61-year-old Mowbray had been invited to discuss the vacancy.

After former Swiss international Wicky then turned the job down at the 11th hour earlier this week because he couldn't assemble a backroom staff, Mowbray was then understood to be back on the Baggies radar.

This head coach search promised to focus on being thorough rather than quick but it is now more than three weeks since Carlos Corberan's departure. And, with time ticking away in the January transfer window and three games to come in the space of a week, the club's owners will be aware that speed may need to become a priority.

Appointing one of the most well-respected managers in English football, who is fondly remembered for that easy-on-the-eye promotion campaign in his first spell at The Hawthorns 17 years ago, might now be a sensible move.

It would also be a heart-warming return to the West Midlands for Mowbray, who was forced to stepped down as Birmingham City boss almost 12 months ago for what was later revealed to be bowel cancer, revealed in a BBC interview just before his official resignation in May.

As it stands though, one of the first summer signings in that Championship title-winning campaign Chris Brunt, the man who Mowbray brought in from Sheffield Wednesday in August 2007, is set to remain in interim charge.

Albion's next scheduled press conference ahead of this Saturday's Championship derby with Stoke City, who Mowbray's Albion pipped to the trophy in 2008, is on Friday at 16:00 GMT with Brunt.

West Brom are eyeing a move to hire Sean Dyche as their new manager after he was sacked by Everton. (LiverpoolWorld), external

Want more transfer news and rumours from the EFL? Take a look at Tuesday's gossip here.

BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton has made his predictions for all 32 FA Cup third round games and given his verdict on who will make it into round four.

For this week's matches he is up against actor and musician Billy Bob Thornton, who is a Liverpool fan.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

The injuries to Evanilson and Enes Unal this week are a blow for Bournemouth but, even without them, they are still dangerous going forward.

The Cherries are another club like Fulham and Brentford, where I look at them and hope they throw a lot at the FA Cup this season.

I said the same last year, when Bournemouth reached the last 16 for only the sixth time since they were founded in 1899, and lost to Leicester.

The furthest they have got is the quarter-finals, in 1957 and 2021, and they have never won a major trophy, so if you're a fan then you want them to have a real crack at it now they are doing so well in the Premier League.

So this should be the start of a cup run for Andoni Iraola's side, even if he makes a few changes.

I don't think Albion will be pushovers, but they are still managerless at the moment and Bournemouth should be too strong for them at home.

Billy's prediction: 3-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Image source, Getty Images

Chris Brunt admits it's been tough, but he can look back with satisfaction on his role as interim boss at West Bromwich Albion.

Saturday's FA Cup tie against Bournemouth is expected to be the last Albion game before a successor to Carlos Corberan is appointed at The Hawthorns.

Since stepping up alongside Damia Abella and Boaz Myhill, the Baggies have won one, drawn two and lost one.

Brunt told BBC Radio WM: "Hopefully the club will make the right appointment and I'll go back to my job and get on with it."

He admitted getting back into the day-to-day grind hadn't been easy, adding: "It's been a bit of a challenge. Credit to all the staff, everyone at the club has got round each other and supported in whatever way they can.

"It has been a draining couple of weeks but we have come out the other side with some good performances. The whole squad stood up and were counted when they were needed."

Brunt says he doesn't know what his future holds but added: "It's all experience. Some of it good, some of it tough. It's very different standing in a technical area watching a game rather than playing.

"I've learned a lot. There's a lot of stuff I'll take out and put in the bank and can draw on in future. If I do decide to go into (management) I have got some sort of experience of it."

The Baggies are back in the top-six in the Championship and Brunt added: "The goal at the end of it was to make sure we get points and leave the team no worse off than when Carlos had left on Christmas Eve. We've done that.

"It's nice to be able to hand over in a decent position and move forward after Christmas.

"If it's to be the last game on Saturday then hopefully we can get a decent result.

Albion travel to Bournemouth in the FA Cup 3rd Round and it's live on BBC Radio WM and BBC Sounds from 3pm on Saturday.

Image source, Getty Images

This is the first FA Cup meeting between Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion since January 1999, with the Cherries winning a third-round tie 1-0 thanks to an Eddie Howe goal.