Championship danger to promotion contenders: West Brom's Carlos Corberan story

The previous two seasons had brought around Premier League relegation, a failed experiment with Valerian Ismael and the unpopular appointment of Steve Bruce.

It all came under the backdrop of financial turmoil off the field under the previous ownership, with loans being taken out and Albion reportedly in a perulous position.

To make matters worse, it went down hill rapidly on the pitch.

By the time Albion appointed the Spaniard to replace Bruce, they were second bottom of table with many supporters fearing the worst.

But in just over two years, the former Huddersfield Town boss took Albion from the Championship doldrums to the cusp of a return to the Premier League, without hardly spending a penny.

Here is the tale of Corberan and his time at Albion:

Arrival and a big job on his hands

Following a goalless draw with Luton, Bruce was out and Albion moved swiftly to appoint the Spaniard who was inches from taking Huddersfield back to the top flight just months earlier.

It was a rocky time for Albion on and off the pitch. His start to life at The Hawthorns was equally as tough. Even his first press conference was overshadowed by numerous questions regarding off field issues to the then chief executive Ron Gourlay.

Then his first game was a frustrating 2-0 defeat at home to Sheffield United. It was clear Corberan had big, big problems to sort in the Albion squad.

A dream run

The defensive issues at Albion were clear for all to see. Things were looking bleak.

 But from being leaky and struggling to pick up victories, three came on the bounce, all with shutouts.

Corberan turned the fortunes of his side around and the atmosphere among the fanbase too, with three back to basics 1-0 wins before the winter World Cup.

It came at a perfect time, as Albion headed off on a warm weather training camp with Corberan working hard to implement his ideas.

Whatever happened in Spain, it worked. Albion would go on to make it seven wins from the first nine games after the World Cup break, and give Corberan ten victories from his opening 13 games in charge.

Not only had he quickly waved any thought of a relegation battle away, Albion were looking at a play-off push.

Too little too late

For many fans, they were happy to just be in the division.

But right up until the final day and the second half of the final outing at Swansea, Albion were well in with a shout of sneaking in the back door of the play-off spots.

However, despite performing miracles to even put Albion in a position to be in with a shout of the top six, the damage was probably done in the final few games.

Albion lost two of their three games heading into the final day in South Wales, and a defeat against the Swans meant it was another year in the Championship.

But for Albion, it could have been a lot worse had the Spaniard not arrived when he did.

Slight summer changes and returning faces

By this stage, Albion were still operating under financial restraints and the uncertain times of the old ownership.

That meant his hands were tied in terms of summer recruiting, with only Jeremy Sarmiento, Josh Maja and Pipa coming through the door in his first summer window.

However, it would be returning faces who would lead the way for Albion for the campaign. Cedric Kipre, who had hardly set the world on fire during his time at Albion, came back to become arguably their top performer, and Alex Mowatt came back in to play an integral role.

The boys in fifth

Albion had won just two of their first five games - but they were now starting to look more like a Corberan side.

Passing football and playing out from the back was being implimented - and aside from a big blot on the opening day where they gifted Blackburn two goals, it was starting to work.

Corberan had well and truly put his stamp on Albion after his first full summer.

Following the opening five games, they lost just two of their next 13 and many were dreaming of a promotion push.

The run left Albion in fifth position, a spot they would occupy in the Championship table for the majority of the campaign. Whether they won, lost or drew, it seemed they couldn't be dislodged from fifth.

Two big festive wins over Norwich and Leeds were followed up by a 4-1 thumping of Blackburn, as Corberan's men continued to cement their place as firm play-off contenders.

However, in the previous months Corberan had suffered a big set back. Maja had picked up the second of two big injuries, which all but ruled him out for the campaign. Injuries to key players was to be a big part of Corberan's time at the club.

January and another run

At the turn of the year, Corberan's side were looking strong and they were about to get even stronger.

Mikey Johnston arrived on loan from Celtic and would light up The Hawthorns. He is arguably one of Corberan's best signings at Albion, but another one of his big success stories is someone from within.

Corberan had brought Tom Fellows into the fold in late 2023, and by early 2024 he was starting to make a huge impact. He broke into the Albion side, and his introduction and that of Johnston coincided with a ten game winning run.

Albion picked up five wins and five draws between February and April, and as they headed into the final games it looked as though the play-offs were well and truly on.

Prior to this run though, Corberan suffered a huge injury blow as Daryl Dike picked up yet another massive injury, this time another ruptured Achilles, the second time he had suffered that setback under the Spaniard.

A new dawn

In amongst the transfer window and that sparkling run came one of the most significant moments in Albion's recent history.

Almost throughout Corberan's time at Albion, fans had been protesting and calling for the club to be sold. It was common knowledge that the previous owners wanted to sell the club, and in February came the moment everyone had been waiting for.

US businessman Shilen Patel and his group, Bilkul Football, purchased a majority stake in the club. It felt like a new dawn for the club, for the fans and for Corberan.

He had been operating under restrictions and doing a sterling job in the circumstances, but that news on an evening in early February felt like the start of something new.

It was what the fans deserved, and also what Corberan deserved for the job he had done.

Play-off heartbreak

That unbeaten streak between February and April was followed by three straight defeats and it looked as though, out of nowhere, Albion could falter at the final hurdle.

But a win on the last day of the campaign sealed their play-off spot and a shot at Wembley and the Premier League.

In their home leg against Southampton, Albion arguably edged the tie and had two big chances through Grady Diangana.

They failed to take them though and heading to St Marys, it very much looked like they were up against it, and so it proved.

Albion fell to a 3-1 defeat on the South Coast and like that, the season was over. However, with the new owners now in place the future was looking bright for Corberan and Albion.

A big summer re-build and a flying start

His second summer in the job represented a big re-build.

Out went a host of out of contract players, and with Albion having to meet Financial Fair Play restrictions, so did a some of his prized assets.

After Kipre departed on a free, Okay Yokuslu, Conor Townsend and Brandon Thomas-Asante were sold.

So Albion had to be cute in the transfer market, and as the window slammed shut it looked as though they had done.

In came the unknown Torbjorn Heggem, who has become arguably the signing of the season. Others failed to hit the market in the early months of the season, but as he had done the previous year, he turned around the fortunes of another returning player.

Karlan Grant was in the abyss out on loan at Cardiff, but he came back in and became arguably one of Corberan's biggest assets in the early weeks of the campaign.

Throw into the mix the free scoring Maja and another returning hero in Mikey Johnston, and Albion would win five of their first six games to sit top.

But, despite then going on a long unbeaten run they could not buy a victory. They won one in 13, and picked up ten draws out of eleven in the process.

At the end of their trip to Preston, Albion were booed off after throwing away a half time lead, something that hurt the Spanish coach.

They were still around the play-offs though and the majority of the fanbase never waned in their support for Corberan.

He would then win his last two home games as Albion manager, with the final outing throwing up a 2-0 victory over Bristol City, to leave Albion out of the play-offs before Christmas, only on goal difference.