Matt Wilson comment: Slaven Bilic has brought the buzz back to West Brom

But that anticipation of the unknown is even greater at The Hawthorns this summer because Albion have a brand new manager and a different look to their squad.

After keeping hold of the big-hitters from the Premier League for their first campaign in the Championship, the Baggies have undergone more of a rebuild this time around.

Craig Dawson and Jay Rodriguez have left for significant money, James Morrison was released, and Salomon Rondon and Allan Nyom have been off-loaded.

They are being replaced by young and hungry players – all four signed so far have been aged between 23 and 25 – creating tentative hopes the team will be more vibrant this season, more dynamic.

Albion’s ageing squad were run ragged at times last season, but they finished fourth thanks to their quality in the final third.

They were top heavy, sluggish in the middle, and sometimes suicidal at the back, but will need to be a more complete team this time around having lost Dwight Gayle and Rodriguez.

As Slaven Bilic himself noted, the Baggies need to replace roughly 50 goals from last season’s squad, and the concern at the moment is where they’re coming from.

Kenneth Zohore helped Cardiff win promotion out of this league two years ago, but he will need support in the final third from at least another new signing, preferably two.

Albion may have lowered the wage bill, and recalibrated the squad, but there is still a lot of pressure on this season, because the chances of going back up dwindle as each one passes.

On top of their £34.8million parachute payments from the Premier League, Albion also recouped money from selling Dawson, Rodriguez and Rondon.

Money they may not see the likes of again in the Championship under an absent Chinese owner both unwilling and unable to invest.

However, unlike last season, this is a two-year project rather than a one-year hit.

Albion have been handing out four-year contracts to players, and they gave Bilic two years himself.

At his unveiling, technical director Luke Dowling said: “We want a certain style of football, organisation, and if we can blood one or two of the younger ones, we feel that would be progress.

“We also know that realistically a promotion chance is there. If it doesn’t happen this year, it will happen next year.”

Unless matters go worryingly south, Bilic is likely to be given time by the board who picked him.

This is Dowling’s first summer at the club, and his first real chance to stamp his mark on footballing proceedings.

His managerial appointment and signings have been well received so far, but as always, the proof is in the pudding.

It’s far too early to judge, and the Baggies still need more reinforcements before the window shuts next week to plug the remaining gaps in their squad.

Keeping the likes of Matt Phillips and Ahmed Hegazi could be just as important as any new signings, and there is hope that Bilic will be able to develop some of Albion’s promising youngsters into first-team regulars.

This is a big season for the likes of Rekeem Harper, Kyle Edwards and Sam Field, and arguably the last chance in blue and white for the latter two, but the early signs are promising.

The rebuild may not be all-encompassing therefore, but Albion will look markedly different this season.

Despite that, they should still be challenging near the right end of the table.

Their squad and the reputation their manager carries suggests as much.

Of course, nothing is a given in this highly-competitive division, but the usual pre-season enthusiasm is slowly building into hope that Albion can get it right second time around.

The Boss

Slaven Bilic arguably summed it up best himself, back at his unveiling in June.

“This is a great opportunity for me,” he said. “But not being big-headed, it’s also a great opportunity for West Brom.”

Having been away from English football for two years, with only an ill-fated stint in Saudi Arabia in between, Bilic needs the Baggies as much as they need him.

He’s come to The Hawthorns to rebuild his managerial career, and on the face of it, this new partnership looks a good fit.

Bilic has already enamoured himself to Albion supporters with his straight-talking and passion, a combination they haven’t seen for a while.

Tony Pulis was abrupt, but his time at The Hawthorns never felt more than a job. Darren Moore gave it everything, but his words didn’t always chime with what fans saw.

Bilic, on the other hand, seems exactly the sort of strong-willed character supporters crave, and one capable of negotiating this rebuild.

His commitment to the club’s young stars, epitomised by his public tutorial of Kyle Edwards after the Rotherham friendly, also chimes with the needs of the fans and the board.

He’s taken on a big job, of course. There will be pressure to challenge for promotion, despite not having the same firepower up front as the last campaign.

Bilic has also never managed in the Championship, never experienced it’s unique demands of three-game weeks in the biting cold when the squad is depleted through injury and fatigue.

But the potential reward is worth the risk. Take Albion back to the Premier League and he’ll be back in the big time, with a fanbase that adores him.

Albion and Bilic need each other. Only time will tell if the relationship works.

The Key Men

Kyle Bartley

His Baggies career stuttered at the start last season, although perhaps that was down to the instructions he was being given.

Bartley looked far more comfortable at the end of the season, when he was being asked to defend in a traditional back four, than at the beginning of the season, when he was a playmaker on the left-hand side of a back three.

He was one of Albion’s best performers in the play-offs and will be key to the start of the campaign, especially considering Ahmed Hegazi could be missing due to surgery.

At 28, is now one of the more experienced members of the group.

Rekeem Harper

The talented teenager nearly left in the summer but, after being convinced by Slaven Bilic to stay, he signed a three-year contract.

After breaking into the first team last season, there were times when it could be claimed he looked disinterested.

Bilic has been tasked with developing some of Albion’s best youngsters, and he could provide the platform for Harper to live up to the hype.

He has all the potential of being the driving box-to-box force in midfield the Baggies so desperately need.

Time to build on his breakthrough season and cement his place.

Filip Krovinovic

The Croatian playmaker was the first man Slaven Bilic turned to in the transfer market and pre-season signs have been promising.

Young and hungry, the 23-year-old has been buzzing around the No. 10 position.

A tidy passer, he scored against Scunthorpe and earned an assist against Rotherham.

Albion struggled to deal with the loss of Harvey Barnes in January, and while it’s unfair to expect Krovinovic to live up to the Leicester loan star, if he’s half as good as Barnes, he’ll be a useful addition.

Crucially, Bilic is a fan.

Kenneth Zohore

When you’re given the No.9 shirt, it comes with a certain amount of baggage.

Slaven Bilic wants to play with two up front and Zohore, who cuts an imposing figure, may well be the target man designed to bring others into play.

Regardless of his role within the team, supporters will expect their new £8million striker to find the net.

Added pressure comes from those he is replacing. Dwight Gayle and Jay Rodriguez scored 45 times between them last season, while Zohore’s best season in front of goal yielded 12 strikes in the Championship.

He’s got a tough act to follow.