As Shilen Patel marks the second anniversary of his February 2024 takeover, the initial euphoria surrounding his arrival has been replaced by a concerning sense of deja vu.
The Florida-based businessman promised a “Premier League presence,” but exactly two years later, West Bromwich Albion find themselves in the grip of a full-blown identity crisis, having sacked three permanent managers in less than a year.
West Brom fans are well aware of the financial issues surrounding the club and there is a growing concern of how much this could be costing.
Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to The Baggies News, has outlined the financial processes behind the managerial merry-go-round that is professional football.
He said: “When a manager signs a contract, they know that the average tenure in the Championship is about 14 months. Normally, the manager’s representative will negotiate a settlement with the club when they are dismissed.
“I expect that will have been the case at West Brom with the recent managers. You won’t see the manager bad-mouth the club because they don’t want to get a reputation as awkward. Normally, if you sign, say, a three-year contract, the club will continue to pay you on a monthly basis rather than in one single payout.
“Clubs typically outline a provision for the cost of sacking a manager, but that doesn’t mean that the full cost of that will actually materialise. It depends on whether the manager you’ve sacked gets a new job.”
He added: “There are different stipulations in different contracts. I think the cost to West Brom will have been modest and it won’t impact the search for a new manager in any material way. We’re talking six figures rather than seven.”
All three remain without a job since leaving The Hawthorns.
West Brom’s season of failed experiments
Eric Ramsay’s dismissal, just 44 days into his tenure, marked a new low for the Bilkul Football Group. Ramsay, a highly-regarded coach who arrived from Minnesota United in January, departed without a single win in nine matches, leaving the Baggies languishing in 21st place in the Championship, just one point above the relegation zone.
The club’s current predicament is the result of a turbulent eight-month period defined by high-risk managerial gambles. Following Carlos Corberan’s resignation, Patel turned to club legend Tony Mowbray. However, the “fairytale” reunion lasted just three months; Mowbray was sacked in April 2025 after a collapse in form ended Albion’s play-off hopes.
The search for his long-term successor led to Ryan Mason. Despite an encouraging start, a disastrous winter period saw him sacked after a run of 10 consecutive away defeats, the club’s worst record for more than a century.
To then opt for further inexperience led to criticism of Patel and Sporting Director Andrew Nestor’s ‘data-led approach, prioritising potential over the grit and experience required for a Championship relegation scrap, which admittedly still felt far-fetched at the time.
With only 12 games remaining in the season, the club has once again turned to James Morrison as interim manager, his third such stint under Patel’s ownership. While the hierarchy remains committed to a long-term project, the immediate threat of a first drop to the third tier since 1993 looms large.