A lot has changed since Tony Mowbray’s Sunderland days, with the Black Cats flying high and the former manager now in charge at West Bromwich Albion.
Sunderland fans now have a new manager to adore, with Regis Le Bris working wonders at the helm and pushing the Mackems towards potential promotion this season.
Meanwhile, down in the Midlands, former Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray has returned to football with West Brom, just over a year on from his sacking at the Stadium of Light.
Mowbray’s Baggies team are in the play-off places, just behind Sunderland in terms of league position, but some way off when it comes to points. However, by the sounds of it, the projects at the two clubs are rather similar.
Tony Mowbray happy to sign younger players at WBA
Speaking to ITV Football after seeing his team demolish Portsmouth 5-1 on Saturday afternoon, Tony Mowbray discussed the January transfer window and what he hopes to see West Brom achieve before the window shuts.
He said: “I think we are working hard behind the scenes. Again, if you put it into context, I’ve been in the building a week; I don’t go in and stamp my feet and tell them what I want. The sporting director and head of football are working really hard with their staff. I’m there to support their decisions.
“We have to build a team that can believe every season, that if it doesn’t make promotion, that it will do it next year. That’s what we have to keep doing, every opportunity we get, to buy young, hungry, talented footballers and keep adding them.”
Mowbray mentioned Isaac Price, who made his debut for the Baggies yesterday after signing from Standard Liege, as a player he is very happy to have acquired and who fits the profile he is looking for.
But, that approach doesn’t exactly align with comments Mowbray made in the past.
Mowbray highlighted pitfalls of youth at Sunderland
Previously, during his time on Wearside, Mowbray was quick to point out that the number of young players in his squad was only going to make the club’s ambitions harder to achieve.
He said (via The Guardian): “There’s a balance between developing players and achieving positive results. Sometimes players just aren’t ready. It’s going to be a slightly longer journey [to the Premier League] than some people here hoped because of the inexperience of these players.
“I’ve always been a development coach. I try to make players better, make them grow. Hopefully results follow. If they don’t you lose your job. That’s fine, I understand football. But I hope the players I’ve worked with will remember the period they spent with us as helping them understand the game better and become better footballers.”
Now, of course, that young Sunderland squad Mowbray had at his disposal have gone on to achieve great things this season. Of course, that team has been added to, with the likes of new signings Wilson Isidor and Enzo Le Fee making an impact as somewhat more experienced heads.
Sunderland still have the youngest squad in the league, but it is clearly not holding the Black Cats back. Indeed, you look at someone like Jobe Bellingham — officially the most valuable player in the Championship — and it’s obvious to see that with a little time and patience, recruiting young can be a highly successful model.
Of course, Mowbray knew this at the time, he was just eager to stress that he may not be around to reap the rewards of those players. It’s somewhat refreshing, then, that he is now calling for such recruitment at West Brom despite knowing the pitfalls of that transfer policy.