Why Ryan Mason is responsible for West Brom’s current predicament

Ryan Mason is currently facing intense criticism, and much of it has come as West Bromwich Albion’s season continues to unravel.

Some of the frustration aimed at the head coach is understandable. Albion are enduring a downturn not experienced at the club since the mid-1990s. Sitting 16th in the table, they are now uncomfortably closer to the relegation places than the play-off positions many supporters expected them to challenge for at the start of the campaign.

Unless results improve quickly over the coming weeks, the situation risks deteriorating further. What once looked like a season of cautious optimism could soon become a fight for survival. While there is still hope that Albion can pull clear of danger, the threat of being dragged into a relegation battle is no longer hypothetical — it is a genuine concern.

The 2-1 loss to Bristol City on Boxing Day only added to the growing sense of disillusionment around The Hawthorns. It was another disappointing afternoon in a season that has already delivered far too many for the club’s long-suffering supporters. Performances have lacked consistency, and results have frequently failed to reflect expectations.

Throughout the campaign, fans have found numerous reasons to direct their anger at Mason. Team selection, tactical decisions, substitutions, and game management have all come under scrutiny. In some cases, those criticisms may be excessive or unfair. Football supporters are rarely short of opinions when results turn sour, and not every complaint has been fully justified.

To Mason’s credit, there have been matches where Albion have created enough chances to win, or at least take something from the game, only for profligacy in front of goal to prove costly. On several occasions, the players’ inability to convert opportunities has undermined otherwise solid performances. In those moments, responsibility cannot be laid entirely at the manager’s door.

However, that defence only goes so far. Over time, recurring issues stop being bad luck and begin to point toward deeper problems. Albion’s struggles have become prolonged, and the lack of progress suggests something is fundamentally wrong. When confidence drains from a squad and belief disappears, the manager inevitably becomes accountable.

Mason’s decisions have contributed to the current predicament. Whether through a failure to adapt tactically, an inability to arrest negative momentum, or misjudgments in managing pressure situations, the warning signs have been evident for some time. As results worsened, opportunities to change direction were missed, allowing the slump to deepen.

Now, Albion find themselves in a precarious position with little margin for error. The longer the downturn continues, the harder it becomes to restore confidence both on the pitch and in the stands. Fans are growing restless, and patience is wearing thin as fears of a relegation scrap become more realistic.

Ultimately, while Mason is not solely responsible for every missed chance or disappointing display, he cannot escape his share of the blame. The current crisis has developed on his watch, and many of the problems now confronting West Brom are the consequence of decisions made along the way. If Albion are to recover, swift improvement is essential — because time, and tolerance, are rapidly running out.