West Bromwich Albion head coach Ryan Mason has been sacked by the Championship club following Monday’s defeat at Leicester City.
The 2-1 loss was their 10th in a row away from home and left the Baggies 18th in the table, seven points clear of the relegation zone and 10 adrift of the play-off places.
Despite receiving the public backing of the club’s sporting director Andrew Nestor a fortnight ago, Mason said that did not bring him “immunity” from the sack and, four days later after just seven months in charge, he has been proved right.
Mason’s assistant Nigel Gibbs and head of performance Sam Pooley have also left the club, with first-team coach James Morrison taking charge on an interim basis, as he did for the final two games of last season following Tony Mowbray’s departure.
West Brom are away to Swansea City in the FA Cup on Sunday and do not have another league fixture until Middlesbrough visit The Hawthorns on 16 January.
“The process of recruiting a new men’s first-team head coach and staff is under way,” the club said in a brief statement, external announcing Mason’s departure.
West Brom are the eighth Championship club to part company with a head coach/manager this season.
Mason, 34, left Tottenham Hotspur’s coaching staff to take charge of Albion on a three-year deal, but has been unable to turn them into promotion contenders.
Despite the early promise of three wins in their first four league games this season, the momentum did not last, with only six more victories in the 22 since then.
A fourth defeat in five games either side of Christmas has now cost Mason his job and left the club looking for a third permanent boss in the past 12 months.
Speaking following the game at Leicester, which the Baggies lost after an added-time goal by the home side, Mason told BBC WM: “We are on a terrible run in terms of away games.
“But you look at the last seven or eight that we have played, we have had more shots at goal than the opposition, more shots on target, more chances created, and conceded so little at our end as well.
“I am proud of the team and proud of the performance, and we deserve so much more.”
