Alex Mowatt disclosed Ryan Mason’s first message as Albion’s new head coach, leaving the squad astonished and excited.
Mowatt, 30, an experienced midfielder, acknowledged to being surprised by the new manager’s clarity and tone. Mason, a former Tottenham assistant, has made a huge impact on the Baggies squad since they returned for pre-season. Albion, who are presently in Austria, will play a friendly against Dynamo Kyiv of Ukraine on Friday (kick-off at 11 a.m. UK).
Mowatt, who has been with the Baggies since 2021, acknowledged that his colleagues were excited and optimistic during the head coach’s first team meeting.
“I remember all of us walking out and all of the lads were very excited with the way he was describing how he wants to play, how training’s going to be – it’s going to be tough,” Mowatt told the Express & Star from Burgenland, Austria.
“He wants us to be a team, working hard for each other. The lads walked out, and everyone complimented him on his speech. Maybe there wasn’t any expectation that he’d talk so well; it’s an interesting one.”
Albion’s pre-season tour coverage is in partnership with BHP Design.
The Yorkshireman continued: “Obviously, you respect the manager right away, but when he comes in and speaks so plainly about what he wants, it really helps us players.
“He leads the session. He calls people out for shoddy passes and such. It will undoubtedly help us; we require it. “We’ll be better for it.”
Mowatt was initially signed by his former Barnsley manager Valerien Ismael, and Mason is the seventh permanent manager or head coach he has worked for at The Hawthorns.
Mason, Albion’s youngest manager in a century, has caught the eye with his clarity on the training field, as evidenced by the Express & Star’s special training access this week.
“To be honest it shocked me when he first came in, how good he was at talking and getting his message across,” Mowatt joked.
“I think he’s done pretty well. Training has been really intense, and the gaffer has driven it, which was exactly what was required.
“It helps a lot. He has high training standards, so the results have been excellent thus far. “(like a player), you just roll with the changes; sometimes you move from one extreme to the other, like happened last season.
“Sometimes it’s different to adapt to but it’s about the right balance, and so far so good.”
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