Andrew Nestor cites 'top figures' in detailing West Brom's Tony Mowbray appointment

The 61-year-old returned to the club on Friday - almost 16 years after he originally left the club following a successful three year spell.

It brought to an end a lengthy and wide ranging recruitment process undertaken by Albion - after Corberan departed the club for Valencia on Christmas Eve.

Two weeks into the process and three candidates emerged, with Mowbray, former Man United coach Rene Hake and ex-Young Boys boss Raphael Wicky emerging as the front runners for the job.

It then seemed as though Albion were set to appoint Wicky, after they entered into advanced talks with the former Swiss international.

However, the deal fell through due to issues with Wicky's backroom team and after re-entering into talks with Mowbray, they made the move to bring the former Birmingham City boss back to the club.

During his unveiling at the Baggies training ground on Monday, Mowbray detailed how he was pushing for results from doctors to see if he could return to work. He explained that once he was given the all clear, then talks resumed.

Sporting director Andrew Nestor was alongside Mowbray at his unveiling on Monday, and he went into detail on the process Albion undertook before appointing a new manager. 

He explained that after scouring the globe and looking at head coach statistics, Mowbray's numbers were 'among the best'.

He said: "We stuck to our plan, it is a process that began months ago. When we do squad planning, you have players but plan for future and it was the same for coaches.

"Since taking over, we've worked on the structure and culture. Once it was confirmed the head coach was leaving, we were ready to start the process.

"It revolved around factors, a coach that fits our style and model. You don't want this sort of change to disrupt long term planning. We wanted someone more attacking minded and from there it was finding the right fit, culture, personality and man management.

"We had researched globally on head coaches to get a better sense on performance. Tony's numbers were among the best of any we have seen in recent years, so he was at the top of the list and one of the first calls we have made."

Nestor went on to reference Mowbray's history with Albion, having led them to the Championship title and an FA Cup semi-final in the same season back in the 2007/08 campaign.

The sporting director also went on to state that their process did not just look at statistics - but the person and manager behind those stats.

He added: "It is a unique story with history with the club. It is not why we gave him the call, but it was his recent performances. They ranked among the best in terms of uplift of player performances, and squad expectations against results.

"But of course, finding the right fit is more than just tactician. It is someone who has to manage a group of men everyday. Your coach is the figure head that is put forward and we wanted it to be someone we highly regard."