West Brom next manager latest as candidate distanced from Baggies move
The latest on West Bromwich Albion’s hunt for a new manager
Portsmouth boss John Mousinho appears to have distanced himself with reports linking him to the vacant post of West Bromwich Albion manager
Bookmakers cut the odds of Mousinho replacing Tony Mowbray who was sacked before the end of a frustrating season for the Baggies.
Mousinho joined the likes of West Brom caretaker boss James Morrison, former Manchester United coach Eric Ramsay, Spurs coach Ryan Mason and QPR’S Marti Cifuentes in the bookies’ list of leading contenders
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Mousinho steered Pompey to the League One title in 2024 and then guided them to a 16th-placed finish in their first season back in the Championship.
Sporting director Richard Hughes has admitted the club expects interest in the 39-year-old but Mousinho says he is content working at Fratton Park. There has been no official approach from Albion, reports say.
“Genuinely, my mindset is I’d like to have a long, successful career at Portsmouth,” he told the Portsmouth News recently.
“I still feel incredibly grateful to the club for taking a chance on me and a risk on me in the first place. I’ll never forget that.
‘We can talk about my ambitions and the club’s ambitions matching up in the future, but this is a club that went and took a risk on me that no one else did. There’s that alignment there, in terms of what we’re trying to achieve.”
The Baggies, who will be looking for a fourth boss since Christmas after Carlos Corberan headed to Valencia and then Mowbray and Morrison took charge, have also been linked to Ramsay.
The 33-year-old Welshman, who worked with the national side during Rob Page’s tenure, is in his second season with MSL side Minnesota United, having led them to a club record unbeaten run.
Albion Blind clinch domestic double with Brian Aarons Cup
Albion Blind secured a domestic double with victory in the Brian Aarons Cup on Saturday, beating Royal National College (RNC) for the Blind 3-0 in the final.
Held in Hereford, the Baggies, like in the National League just two weeks earlier, triumphed over RNC and Merseyside to claim a domestic title.
The final proved a thrilling encounter as Efe Shimwell scored a hat-trick to bring a five-year wait for the trophy to a jubilant end, along with being presented the league trophy.
The win means that Albion will face RNC in the FA Disability Cup final at St George’s Park, bidding to retain the title on 28-29 June 2025.
Despite a 0-1 defeat to their final opponents earlier, they were able to bounce back convincingly in a remarkable 4-7 victory over Merseyside, while RNC cruised comfortably past the North West side with a 6-0 win to set up what would be a fascinating finale.
The Baggies started the first half of the final brightly when Efe Shimwell opened his account with a brilliant shot to give his side the early lead after two minutes, before another superb strike advanced Albion’s lead further six minutes later.
It soon became the perfect afternoon for the midfielder, as he secured a hat trick just on the brink of the first half’s conclusion to ensure that the Baggies would have a convincing lead going into half-time.
The second half saw Albion control most of the game as they defended solidly to keep the scoreline and prevent RNC from producing a comeback. And in the end, it was enough to secure the Brian Aarons Cup, their first of the title since 2020.
Whilst it had been a brilliant afternoon for Shimwell following his hat trick, he was proudly presented with the Golden Boot award – a moment he’ll cherish as he enters his fifth year in blind football.
“It’s unbelievable” described Shimwell, “I’ve been playing for the Albion Blind team for five years and it feels incredible to achieve this and be part of such a wonderful group of players.”
“This season has been mostly successful and we couldn’t have ended it on a better note. Securing this title is one thing but to claim another trophy for a domestic double is absolutely outstanding.”
