FORMER West Brom striker Don Goodman says he hopes the club will back new manager Ryan Mason in the transfer market.
Mason left Tottenham last week to come to The Hawthorns where he will replace Tony Mowbray as Baggies boss.
The 33-year-old exited Spurs just days before Ange Postecoglou was sacked as manager, and follows a similar path to Birmingham boss Chris Davies who was also a coach at Tottenham.
There has been a mixed reaction so far to the appointment – but Goodman says Mason will need finances for a squad rebuild.
Goodman told Sky Sports: “It’s a big challenge, some big players on big wages have left the building this summer.
“Hopefully, he’ll be backed in order of getting some fresh faces through the door.
“This is a club that has underachieved for quite a number of seasons in reality.
“But it’s his first go. Everybody’s got to start somewhere and from personal experience it’s a wonderful, wonderful football club.
“Hopefully he’ll he’ll get things moving in the right direction there.”
Mason spoke to Albion’s official website after taking over as manager.
He said: “The history of the football club speaks for itself.
“The process over the last week or so has been great and I got a really good feeling from it. The time feels absolutely right for me personally to take an opportunity like this. I feel like Albion is a really good fit and I can’t wait to get started.
“My season at Spurs only finished in the last couple of weeks, so not that long ago. The process of coming here has gone really smoothly.
“I’ve spoken to the Chairman, Andrew Nestor, Ian Pearce and people on the board as well. There’s been a lot of dialogue and we’ve met in person. The feeling has just been good. You know when something feels right and that’s certainly been the case here.
There has been no doubt in my mind and I think it’s gone relatively quickly as well in terms of the season finishing not that long ago for me personally, so to get it wrapped up in the best part of a week, that’s relatively quick. I can’t wait to get started now.
“Obviously my playing career got cut short very early at the age of 25, so that probably accelerated the process of becoming a head coach. When you start coaching you have ambitions and you have goals and you start looking to the future, without taking your mind off the present.
“I had a great time at Tottenham in terms of my coaching career and I got exposed to many things. It finished on a really good note, but even before the end of this season, I felt the time was coming for me to branch out and look for opportunities elsewhere.
From the pitch to the touchline. 👊 pic.twitter.com/ksLxH0moll
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) June 2, 2025
“Once the season finished, to have the opportunity to come to a club like this, not just with it’s recent history, but full history as well, it’s something that really excites me. I can’t wait to build a connection with the fans, get started and have a real good go at it.”
He added: “Hopefully my side will be a winning side. That’s the ambition and that’s the goal. Most importantly, I want us to be a team that is together in every moment.
“I think it’s really important to tap into the fans as well because the fan base here is incredible and it always has been. I felt that as a player whenever I competed at the stadium. We want to create a team that has a connection with the fans.
“Everyone needs to feel part of something and that’s the most important thing.
“It’s a club that I just see as waiting. I’ve played against Albion in the Premier League and I’ve felt what they’re like and I’ve felt what the fans are like. I’ve felt what the football club is about.
✔️ Tour of The Hawthorns
✔️ Tour of the training ground
✔️ Meeting several staff membersA gallery of Ryan Mason’s first full day at the Albion. 📸👇
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) June 4, 2025
“There’s a very long history here which goes back well before I was born. That’s not going to change, but hopefully we can create new history and be part of something special.
“I want to create a togetherness and hopefully we can create something that we can all remember.”
Mason says he brings a wealth of experience with him from Tottenham after working with a string of big name managers.
He said: “I’ve been coaching for the best part of seven-and-a-half years now, which is a long time.
“I definitely feel ready for the opportunity and have done for quite a long time now. It’s just been about picking a club that I feel like I can align myself with and take forward. It’s exciting and I really can’t wait to get started. There’s a lot of work and a lot of effort that’s going to go into it and hopefully we can bring success to the club.
“I’d be silly not to take bits from all the people I have worked with, not only as a player but as a coach too. I’ve had exposure to some of the best managers in the world and I don’t take that for granted.
“I know myself as well and I know my core beliefs, whether that was when I was a player or now as a coach. I’ll add that to the multiple things I’ve taken from people I’ve worked under and I think that will definitely help me.
“Working under those managers has probably made me find myself a little more clearly and understand what I believe in and what I want to implement in my team. Like I say, taking on a role like this is something that I’ve felt ready for for a while now and the timing just feels absolutely right.”
