Premier vision to relegation fears: West Brom's turbulent two years

It was on this day in 2024 that Bilkul WBA completed their takeover of West Bromwich Albion Football Club - but the occasion is unlikely to be celebrated.

Mainly because there's a relegation six-pointer at Oxford United to focus on, but also because there isn't much cause for a party with the team at risk of dropping down to the third tier for only the second time in their history.

That is certainly a sentence I did not expect to write two years ago and it definitely wasn't part of Shilen Patel's vision when he bought the club.

In his very first interview, Patel said the long-term goal was to bring the Baggies "home" to the Premier League.

He and his team inherited a club guided into the play-offs at the end of that season by Carlos Corberan, but the wheels have fallen off dramatically ever since his departure.

The Spaniard voiced his frustrations publicly during the summer transfer window, and that agitation resurfaced several times before he left for Valencia on Christmas Eve 2024.

While the festive timing was far from ideal, he had been consistently linked with numerous clubs. He was clearly looking for a way out, so it could be argued the club should have been better prepared for his inevitable departure.

Patel's first public comments also mentioned creating an "environment of stability".

That has been far from the case, particularly in the dugout as James Morrison has taken interim charge for the third time in less than a year.

That instability is not entirely the owner's fault, because as he said in that same first interview: "I feel that I know what my strengths are and I know what my strengths are not, and I try to build teams and organisations that complement what I can do and what I can't do."

He naively put his trust in sporting director Andrew Nestor, whom he had known from Florida and then his involvement as a minority shareholder at Italian side Bologna, but had no prior experience in English football.

His data-led spell will be remembered for failed head coach appointments, some questionable player signings and gaining the lofty title of president.

The American got out of the deep end in January following a disagreement over the decision to sack Ryan Mason and replace him with Eric Ramsay.

The pair of 34-year-olds were the top two on Nestor's shortlist to replace the well-respected veteran Tony Mowbray.

There is off-the-field experience again in the form of Mark Miles, who successfully navigated the club through choppy financial waters and steered them towards the Port of Bilkul.

The former managing director left in September last year after more than 20 years at the club, but returned in an executive director role last month after an emergency call from Patel.

Elsewhere, 35-year-old former Liverpool analyst Dominic Price is set to be appointed technical director, while overall recruitment responsibility has fallen back at the feet of Ian Pearce - the one actual "football man" in the offices.

The former defender has largely managed to stay out of the spotlight despite being at the club for eight years.

However, with Nestor now gone, frustrated eyes will inevitably turn to him if that side of the operation does not improve.

A scrambled search in the transfer window amid behind-the-scenes chaos and a shift in playing style led them to two inexperienced Crystal Palace players, Danny Imray and Hindolo Mustapha, plus one of their own former academy products, 19-year-old Jamal Jimoh-Aloba via Aston Villa.

While the activity was limited by the club's financial restrictions, it's not the strongest sign of an upturn in that department. He was credited with finding Corberan in 2022 though, so that's maybe a crumb of comfort for the head coach search.

It must be said, of course, that Bilkul have done some very good - and vital - things off the field. First and foremost, the club would have gone into administration without a takeover.

They have so far dealt with a precarious Profit and Sustainability situation by staying within the rules to avoid a points deduction and Patel has spent millions of pounds covering debts inherited from the previous regime.

It is hoped they can begin to free themselves from the shackles of those restrictions in the summer, although that will be influenced by what league they are competing in next season.

The Tampa-based businessman has also backed Albion's women's team by bringing them fully into the club and spent more than £1m improving the training ground. It's also now sponsored by one of his companies. That's a smart business move.

The Hawthorns stadium has had a fresh coat of paint, hawthorn bushes were planted to mark the 125th anniversary of Albion's move to the ground and safe-standing rails have been installed, but there's a lot more they can do to improve the matchday experience.

A recent Albion Assembly meeting attended by senior figures and supporters discussed the lack of atmosphere, including the PA system and their fanzone.

The latter is on the car park of a well-known bakery brand housed in a listed building on Halfords Lane.

It is also uncovered, so if it rains it isn't very popular. Club officials are aware it needs to improve and say they are taking steps to do so.

The most important aspect of a matchday, though, is the main product - the football - which has been nowhere near good enough.

The sight of increasingly empty seats at The Hawthorns may have contributed to Patel's decision to dismiss a third head coach in under 11 months, because, to put it in business terms, it is not favourable to your bottom line if your customers are choosing not to consume the product you are selling them.

After the euphoria of the takeover two years ago, there is a current feeling of discontent. Continuing to engage with groups such as the aforementioned Albion Assembly and the Fan Advisory Board, which meet regularly with the club, will help rebuild a connection.

There is also a newly-established Independent Supporters' Trust along with existing supporters' clubs that they must aim to keep on side.

But the only way the mood can truly begin to shift is by keeping the club in the Championship and rebuilding from there.

Life in League One would be a nightmare scenario, but for Shilen Patel's West Bromwich Albion it's closer to reality than the American's Premier League dream of 2024.