Latest news with #WestBromwich
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
What are your thoughts on Mason?
Following the appointment of Ryan Mason as new Baggies boss, we want to hear your do you make of the 33-year-old being given his first full-time job in management?Will he be a success?Click here to let us know.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
A brave appointment - patience might be required
Albion have taken their time with the appointment of Ryan Mason but for good reason. It's been 43 days since Tony Mowbray was sacked on Easter Monday after a 3-1 defeat by struggling Derby ended their play-off was appointed just over three weeks after Carlos Corberan left on Christmas Eve for Valencia and, in hindsight, it could be argued that it was rushed. In part due to games coming thick and fast as the Baggies looked to maintain their place in the top six, but also down to the collapse of the publicised plans to give the job to Swiss head coach Raphael of the unfortunate end to Mowbray's short second spell, there was pressure on club owners Bilkul to get this one right. They've bided their time to look for the right candidate, but also had to play a waiting game because Mason was never going to leave Tottenham while he was helping them win the Europa the ticker tape has settled on those celebrations, Mason has decided to leave the comfort of his boyhood club. Only time will tell if the gamble to give the 33-year-old his first senior head coach role will pay off, but just like the process of appointing him, patience may be required from the a brave appointment. The Baggies have gone from 61-year-old Mowbray - whose vast experience and success in the Championship was highlighted by Albion sporting director Andrew Nestor as a reason for his return in January – to a man almost half his predecessor's age and who has never managed at this level does have 13 games as a caretaker boss in the Premier League on his CV though and has worked his way up the coaching ranks at boyhood club Spurs. Since 2018, the former midfielder has also sat under the learning tree of some of the world's best managers, including Jose Mourinho and Antonio Albion fans were calling for a young head coach with fresh ideas, so he fits the bill on that front, but they will need to be patient with him. Mason is unlikely to hit the ground running like his former colleague Chris Davies, who left north London for Birmingham City last summer and dominated League One with a superior squad to the level they were doesn't have that right now at The Hawthorns, so perhaps there will be less pressure on him, and more on Nestor and his recruitment team to give him the tools to succeed. It's a work in progress but in hindsight the recruitment in the 2024-25 season had more misses than hits, so the decisions they make in this next window on which players to sign - and just as crucially which players to move on - will be just as important as the managerial decision they've just made.
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
West Bromwich barber shop gets men talking about mental health
A barber shop in West Bromwich is helping men open up about their mental health with the help of two NHS-trained Stars Barbers offers customers the opportunity to talk about issues in a safe and private evening sessions are led by two mental health experts who run Melanin Moods, an organisation set up in 2020 "to provide specialist support to black and brown communities".Rowan Farrell, from the barbers, said it helped people to "offload and vent" and discuss their feelings. "People start talking because it's a safe space, they feel like they can talk and engage with their barber," Mr Farrell said."They've got 30 minutes in the chair and it helps them to off load and vent, whatever issues they've got."Dr Chanelle Dennis, from Melanin Moods, jointly leads the sessions and said it was a service that aimed to tackle the taboo and stigmas that existed within the black and brown communities. Her colleague Talisa Mesquitta added: "We want to ensure that the barber shop, as it always has been for black men, remains that safe space."They know that they can come here and be open and talk about whatever it is they want to talk about and it's not going to leave here."The evenings have been running for two years and participants said subjects that have been covered included fatherhood and learning more about anxiety and understanding the impact on themselves and men come up with action plans to hold one another to account to deal with issues while "checking in" on each other. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Ministers urged to take action over ghost number plates
Ministers are being pressured to take urgent action over illegal so-called ghost number plates. The plates have a reflective coating, which prevents them from being identified by police cameras. The British Number Plate Manufacturers Association (BNMA), which represents companies producing the vast majority of plates in the UK, wants tougher regulation of the sector. In a letter to the Government, it claimed that a number of suppliers that have not registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) are not following its requirements. It warned that this has led to a rise in ghost plates and cloning, which is when a plate displays the same registration as another vehicle. BNMA chairman Michael Flanagan said: 'Far from being the tightly regulated industry it should be, number plates are increasingly being sold by unscrupulous below-the-radar suppliers using non-compliant, untraceable materials. 'They rarely ask for the documentation that the DVLA require. 'This is a criminal offence and enables serious criminals and terrorists to move around the roads undetected. 'Motorists deserve to know they are buying a legal, compliant number plate from a legitimate supplier. 'Now is the time for Government to tighten the regulations.' Sarah Coombes, Labour MP for West Bromwich, wants the punishment for being caught with a ghost plate to be raised from a £100 fine and no penalty points to a fine of at least £1,000 and six penalty points. She said: 'Dodgy number plates are no longer a fringe issue. They're everywhere and they're undermining the rule of law on our roads. 'I know this Government is committed to making our roads safer for everyone. Tightening the law on number plates will be a huge step in the right direction.' Ms Coombes is hosting a roundtable event in Parliament on Tuesday with industry experts, the DVLA and police forces to discuss ghost plates. A DVLA spokesperson said: 'DVLA is committed to ensuring all number plates are displayed correctly and legally. We work with the police and Trading Standards to take action against suppliers who do not comply with the law. 'A legitimate supplier will always ask to see ID and entitlement documents before selling a number plate. Where this doesn't happen, members of the public can report this directly to their local Trading Standards.'
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
A waiting game but a worthwhile one?
It's been a month since Albion sacked Tony Mowbray after a dismal defeat to Derby on Easter Monday put paid to their play-off hopes. The thinking behind the swift decision just hours after the game was to give the Baggies a head start in the recruitment process. The only problem is that since then, several clubs have also begun searching for new bosses, including Championship rivals Norwich, Hull and Watford; the latter of whom have already filled their vacancy.A small section of Baggies fans are getting impatient as time ticks by but the Baggies ownership group, Bilkul, know they must get this appointment right. Sporting director Andrew Nestor favours an analytical and statistical approach to finding the right person and that takes time to pour over and there's plenty of due diligence to be done on the character of candidates no surprise to me that the search is approaching the final days of May. Playing the waiting game has allowed the club to watch the managerial merry-go-round unfold and explore their options. If they'd have rushed the appointment, a more suitable candidate may have become available after the event. It could be argued that the appointment of Mowbray was rushed after the plan to appoint Swiss head coach Raphael Wicky collapsed but that's an old Baggies' aim is to mould a model where they can recruit players to fit a certain system, and the head coach does their work on the training ground, so arguments that the club need a manager quickly for recruitment reasons are largely unfounded in this day and age. However, the next head coach will want to get their feet under the table soon to begin planning for pre-season and figure out how they can craft a team that can compete for promotion again. The hierarchy have done a good job of keeping genuine rumours to a minimum this time, which has perhaps caused some of the impatience, but we could now be approaching the final days of the search and hopefully fans will have reason to be excited for the next campaign.
