West Bromwich Albion

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West Brom boss Tony Mowbray indicated they may lodge an appeal against Darnell Furlong's sending off after they beat QPR 1-0 at The Hawthorns.

Full-back Furlong was shown a red card for using his elbow in stoppage time at the end of the first half after Adam Armstrong's penalty had given the Baggies the lead.

"It happened right in front of me. Darnell tried to block the guy, there was no elbow, but the lad tried to duck under his shoulder to avoid the block and caught his face on the top of Darnell's arm," Mowbray said afterwards.

"I'm not sure any of the officials saw it. I would suggest it was really harsh and I'm sure we will look to appeal it."

Mowbray praised a "Herculean effort" by his side, who remain sixth in the table, two points clear of Bristol City and three ahead of Blackburn Rovers.

"It was a huge win in the context of the points missed if we'd have lost or drawn," he added. "It means we can go to Burnley on Tuesday night with the same confidence we showed at Leeds United (last weekend) and look to pick up something."

West Bromwich Albion winger Jed Wallace says life since new boss Tony Mowbray took charge is "completely different" compared to under Carlos Corberan.

The Spaniard left Albion in December to take over at hometown club Valencia after two years with the West Midlands side.

The Baggies then reappointed Mowbray, who re-joined the club after he was forced to depart Birmingham City due to health concerns in February 2023.

"When I think of West Brom getting into the play-offs with Carlos, I would think something like 18 clean sheets and probably between 12 and 15 wins by one goal and getting 1-0 up and being really, really hard to beat. That was our strength as a team," Wallace told the 72+ podcast.

"I think now, if we are going to get in the play-offs this year, it's going to look like Adam Armstrong getting seven or eight goals between now until the end of the season and us blowing teams away, potentially at home, but also us letting a few in at the other end."

But Corberan and Mowbray's differences aren't just related to the performances on the pitch.

"Carlos is very stand-offish and you dread getting called up to the managers office, it's like getting called up to the headteachers office," Wallace added.

"Whereas the gaffer might call you up and he just wants to catch up and have a cup of tea. See how you're feeling, why you didn't play well on the weekend, how's the mood in the camp - so it's been, to be honest, complete opposite ends of the spectrum."

You can listen to Wallace's full thoughts and more on the Football Daily podcast.

West Bromwich Albion will seek to consolidate their Championship play-off spot as they host Queens Park Rangers on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The sixth-placed Baggies are unbeaten in three games but there are four sides below them within three points with 11 league games remaining.

After back-to-back defeats, QPR are now eight points behind Albion in 14th and have lost their past three away games in succession.

• West Bromwich Albion have lost just one of their past 11 league games against QPR (W7 D3), scoring 2.4 goals per match on average across that time.

• This century, QPR have won just one of their 12 away league games against West Brom (D4 L7). That run includes a 7-1 defeat in August 2018 at the Hawthorns.

• West Bromwich Albion have won six of their past eight home league matches (D1 L1) and haven't lost any of their last 17 Championship home games against a side from London (W5 D12) since a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in September 2009.

• QPR have lost five of their past seven league games (W2), losing each of their last three on the road. They last had a longer losing run on their travels between February and April 2023.

• West Brom's John Swift has had a hand in a goal in each of his last two Championship games (1 goal, 1 assist). He hasn't done so in three in a row since September/October 2023.

Image source, Rex Features

If Leeds United go up as Championship winners this season, as expected, there maybe as few as two sides who Daniel Farke's team will have not beaten - and Tony Mowbray can take comfort that, along with third-placed Burnley, one of them is West Bromwich Albion.

After being held to a dreary 0-0 draw at The Hawthorns by Carlos Corberan's Baggies back in August, Mowbray's men more than matched that by drawing 1-1 at Elland Road, having come from a goal down.

Under Farke, Leeds have never lost a league game in which has side scored first - and he had nothing but praise for the way Albion battled back to draw and also come closest to winning it.

"Sometimes you have to settle for a draw," Farke told BBC Radio Leeds.

"We have had to this time against a really good side. West Brom got a foot back into it and you could see it coming.

"Tony Mowbray's sides always go for it. They are always brave and have a lot of quality. We had situations to bury the game but the danger was lurking."

Mowbray himself was satisfied by his side's hardest fought away point of the season. But he also knew how close they had come to an even better result.

"We believe we can win wherever we go," Mowbray told BBC Radio WM. "West Bromwich Albion are a big club.

"We know how good a side they (Leeds) are, but we came to be competitive.

"We possibly gave them a little too much respect early on, but we grew into the game. We could have scored before they did, but we got our rewards in the end."

Steve Hermon
BBC WM commentator

Image source, BBC Sport

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Many fans will see a £33.9m loss in a single financial year and be alarmed after all the talk about having to keep losses under £39m over a three-year period as part of the EFL's profit and sustainability rules.

It is absolutely an eye-watering amount. However, there is more to that figure than meets said watery eye.

Anything spent on infrastructure and areas of the club such as the Academy or Women's team doesn't have to be included, so the actual losses are significantly lower. In the accounting world, they would be considered 'add-backs'.

It still means that the Baggies must act responsibly but, as seen with their transfer activity in the two windows that have followed, the club have been able to spend money on players.

It's also worth noting that this financial period ended just four months after Shilen Patel's takeover. And it's the first time in 22 years that Albion haven't received Premier League money, whether that's through being in the top flight or receiving parachute payments, which is the main cause for turnover dropping by more than half compared to the previous year.

On the positive side, they managed to decrease staff costs with several high-earning players departing at the end of last season.

The Baggies owner has said he arrived with 'eyes wide open', so none of this is a surprise. The club expecting to record another loss in the next financial year but crucially, don't expect to breach any financial rules.

The American is also continuing to show his commitment by bankrolling the club to the tune of £2m a month since completing the takeover.

Tony Mowbray's side still have eyes on the prize of a return to the Premier League. The future could be bright a lot sooner than some think.

BBC Radio WM's Steve Hermon has been covering West Bromwich Albion's fortunes almost from the moment when the battle began to find new owners.

He conducted the first sit-down interview when Shilen Patel took control a year ago - and has reported on all the ups, downs and bumps in the road since.

Image source, Alistair Jones

Prominent West Bromwich Albion supporter Ali Jones is convinced the Baggies are now in the right hands despite the jolt of hearing quite just how much money the club lost last season.

Albion have reported losses of £33.9m for the 2023-24 campaign and owner Shilen Patel has already warned that the financial outlook for the next 12 months will remain a challenging one.

As the head of the Action4Albion campaign which brought all the Baggies' various supporter factions together, and eventually forced the previous Guochuan Lai ownership into selling, Jones has seen close-up the work that has been done by the Patels in effectively cleaning up their predecessor's mess.

"This time last year was the most relieved I had ever been in my life," Jones told BBC Sport. "The football club, I and many love and adore, was in a critical condition, and very close to becoming insolvent.

"It was that bad the incoming owners had to put a £2.25m cash injection in to keep the club running from day one.

"Mr Patel and Bilkul Football have been a breath of fresh air. Communicative. Clear and honest with their strategy. Not only do they tell us what they are, they stick to what they say.

"They've been realistic in their goals and, in the 12 months since the takeover, they have made remarkable strides into turning Albion round from a deep nosedive to oblivion to steadily climbing back up to where we should be.

"It's one step at a time, and under this ownership the future is bright.

"We have things to navigate (profit and sustainability rules, for example) and there may be some decisions that fans may not agree with.

"But I have total confidence that these decisions will be for the long-term benefit of the club we all love. Thank you, Bilkul."

Image source, Alistair Jones

Leeds will seek to open an eight-point lead at the top of the Championship, for a few hours at least, when they welcome West Bromwich Albion to Elland Road on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Daniel Farke's side have come from behind to beat Sunderland and Sheffield United late-on in their past two games, to make it five straight league wins and extend their unbeaten run in the Championship to 16 matches.

The inconsistent Baggies remain in fifth despite having won three and lost three in their past seven games and are nine without a win on the road dating back to November.

• Leeds United have lost just one of their past eight league games against West Bromwich Albion (W4 D3), though have failed to score in their last two meetings with the Baggies.

• West Bromwich Albion have won just one of their past 13 away league games against Leeds United (D4 L8), a 3-2 victory in January 2007.

• Leeds have won 13 of their past 14 home league games (D1), with the victories across that time coming via a combined 38-3 scoreline.

• After winning their last league game 2-0 against Oxford United, West Brom will be looking to claim successive victories for the first time since a run of four in August/September.

• Joel Piroe has scored five goals in his past five Championship appearances for Leeds United, although he hasn't scored in either of his games against West Brom for the Whites.

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West Bromwich Albion centre-back Semi Ajayi has been ruled out for "several weeks" after suffering another hamstring injury in the 2-0 win over Oxford United on Saturday.

The 31-year-old was playing for only the second time since returning from a five-month spell on the sidelines following hamstring surgery.

But Ajayi was substituted after 41 minutes at The Hawthorns and Albion confirmed, external he will now "enter a period of rehabilitation and will target a return before the season's conclusion".

"It's disappointing for him, frustrating for him and for us," boss Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio WM.

"He's got all the qualities to be a really, really talented player and he's got real confidence in his mobility to defend, so it allows us to play a higher line in some games recently and try and keep the opposition away from our goal.

"He'll be a loss but we wish him a speedy recovery and we will get on with it with the fit players. We wish Semi a speedy recovery."

Play-off chasing Albion, in fifth, visit Championship leaders Leeds on Saturday.

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West Bromwich Albion midfielder Alex Mowatt believes they have a "great chance" of securing a top-six finish the longer they work with boss Tony Mowbray.

Mowbray returned to the club for second time in January, nearly 16 years after leaving for Celtic ahead of the 2009-10 season.

Under the 61-year-old, they have three wins, three defeats and two draws so far - with Saturday's victory over Oxford moving the Baggies up to fifth with 12 games remaining.

Mowatt notched his sixth goal of a productive season to see off the U's and thinks the side is improving under Mowbray.

"I think it's the best 90 minutes we've played under the gaffer since he's been here," Mowatt told BBC Radio WM.

"Last year I was playing further forward and I only scored two and now I'm playing just in front of the back four and I've got six, so it's a bit of a strange one."

Mowatt added that Mowbray has given the side "licence to express ourselves" and says he has done an excellent job in stabilising things following the shock departure of Carlos Corberan, external to Valencia on Christmas Eve.

"We're just buzzing [to be in the play-off places], we've got a great chance now and the longer the gaffer's here we're adapting to his style - it's very different to Carlos [Corberan].

"The top four are away but all the way down to 15 it's very tight. We want to stay in the play-offs and hopefully we can do that."

Image source, Rex Features

West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Mowbray says his side need to "back themselves" against the division's big teams if they are to keep their promotion hopes on track.

Speaking to BBC Radio WM after the Baggies moved back into fifth place in the Championship with a 2-0 win against Oxford United, Mowbray looked forward to upcoming matches against Leeds and Burnley.

"We have got 12 games to go but we've got to back ourselves," he said. "We've got some tough away games coming up at Leeds and Burnley, but we have some coming up that we should be winning.

"We need to go and be positive and aggressive and get the points and find a way to win away."

West Brom travel to face leaders Leeds next Saturday and Mowbray told his players to embrace the challenge.

"I have just told the team how exciting it is going to be at Elland Road next week," he said.

"Let's go there and let them know they've been in a real football match.

"I think we have the players to go and get it right to go there and give them some problems."

Image source, Rex Features

Oxford United boss Gary Rowett says he is delighted to see West Bromwich Albion head coach Tony Mowbray back on the touchline ahead of the two sides meeting on Saturday.

Rowett replaced Mowbray as Birmingham City head coach last March whilst Mowbray received treatment for bowel cancer.

After being given the all-clear, Mowbray was reappointed Albion boss in January following the departure of Carlos Corberan to Valencia.

"Its great to see Tony back," Rowett told BBC Radio Oxford.

"I obviously followed Tony at Birmingham and I think it shows how much everyone respects him that everyone is pleased for him to come back.

"I'm sure now he is back, he doesn't want everyone talking about it [the cancer diagnosis] forever but it's great to see him out there.

"It'll be nice to lock horns with him once more because he's a top football manager and a top football person and I wish him all the best."

West Bromwich Albion welcome Oxford United to The Hawthorns on Saturday (15:00 GMT) with both sides looking to return to winning ways.

Since winning five of their opening six games, the Baggies have won just six of the 27 matches that have followed (D14 L7), but still remain in control of their own play-off destiny.

The U's are without a win in their past five games (D3 L2) but are nine points above the bottom three as things stand.

• West Brom have won just one of their past eight league games against Oxford United (D3 L4), though it did come during their most recent home match against the U's in March 1999 (2-0).

• Oxford United have won just one of their 11 away league games against West Brom (D2 L8), failing to keep a single clean sheet during that time.

• West Bromwich Albion lost 2-0 at home to Blackburn in their previous league game at the Hawthorns but haven't lost consecutively at home since October 2022.

• Oxford won five of their first seven Championship games under Gary Rowett (D2), scoring 12 goals. They've since gone winless in five games, scoring just once (D3 L2).

• West Brom manager Tony Mowbray has won both of his previous managerial encounters with Oxford United, beating them twice when he was Blackburn manager in League One in 2017-18.

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West Brom manager Tony Mowbray believes his side will need at least 70 points to ensure a Championship play-off place after a frustrating 1-1 draw at Millwall on Saturday.

The Baggies currently lie sixth, in the final play-off spot, on 48 points, with seven other teams within four points chasing them hard.

In order to reach the 70-point mark, Mowbray's men need to win 22 points from a possible 39 from their remaining 13 games, with their next fixture against Oxford United at The Hawthorns on Saturday.

Norwich City finished sixth last term with 73 points, while in the season prior to that Sunderland claimed that position with 69. The Championship points average for the final play-off spot over the last five campaigns has been 72.8.

"We had some amazing chances after we scored and could have nicked it 2-1 but it wouldn't have been one of those games where we felt in control even if we lost a few goals," the Baggies boss told BBC Radio WM.

"They seemed to be able to get round our box easier than I'd have liked. We have got to get to 70 points to give ourselves the best chance of reaching the play-offs."