Unfortunately, for Baggies fans, Christmas was ruined before it even began. In the early hours of Christmas Eve, Carlos Corberan had officially joined Valencia to replace their previous manager. If Shilen Patel was hoping for a lovely Christmas break, that was abruptly ripped from him the night before.
The search began immediately, with updates on who would be in the running for the new vacancy provided as soon as the 27th. Names, including Slaven Bilic, Tony Mowbray, and Luke Williams, came and went.
Managers such as Russell Martin and Lee Carsley rejected the Albion on their initial advances. However, in the case of the former, most Albion fans are more relieved that Martin is less than liked at the club.
Until Portsmouth demolished his Swansea side 4-0 in the league, Luke Williams seemed a sure thing. This and his agent’s antics all but ended his chances for the job. This left the Albion with their final three…
Urs Fischer – Union Berlin’s Mastermind
The first name on the list, Union Berlin’s former manager, Urs Fischer, found himself the favourite for a short while. However, the least is known about his involvement with his agent, who is the tight-lipped of the three. He may not even be in the running anymore, but nothing has been confirmed or denied.
Urs Fischer would be a monumental coup for the club. He joined Union Berlin back in 2018 when they were in the German Second Division. In his first season, he led them to a third-place finish, where they beat Stuttgart in the promotion playoff, securing a historic promotion for the club.
In the 2020/21 season, he led them to 7th in the Bundesliga, achieving Europa Conference League Football. They showed no sign of slowing down, though. The season after, they finished 5th and secured Europa League Football for the first time in the club’s history. The following season, they improved again and finished 4th to secure Champions League Football.
Urs Fischer’s achievements were recognised as he was awarded Manager of the Year for that season. Unfortunately, the fairy tale ended with a cataclysmic start to the 2023/24 season.
How Would He Fit?
During his time with Union Berlin, Fischer took charge of 224 matches and had a respectable 1.53 points per game. This resembles Carlos Corberan’s 1.59 points per game in 107 matches. However, you could argue that Fischer’s comes from a higher division against more difficult opposition.
His favoured formation has also been predominantly a 3-5-2 or a 5-3-2, depending on their opposition. A midfield three would work well at the Albion. Diakite, Mowatt, and Molumby would have a secure defensive setup, whilst Swift can replace one of those names as an attacking midfielder for a more offensive setup. This is something we’ve seen Urs Fischer do with Union Berlin.
One glaring issue with his setup is the lack of wingers, which could be argued to be the Albion’s strongest position. Mikey Johnston, Diangana, Tom Fellows and Jed Wallace would be sweating with the sudden tactical shift. They could be used in the 3-5-2 setup, but that does sacrifice some security defensively. It seems that Fischer always opted for traditional fullbacks or wingbacks.
He would also need some reinforcements both at centreback and at striker. Unfortunately, the Albion have hit an injury crisis in the centreback position, with Ajayi still out and Paddy McNair’s loan finishing. Caleb Taylor has been recalled from his successful loan at Wycombe to elevate the pressure from Bartley, Holgate and Heggem.
Maja and Grant have shown a great partnership in the front two, but with the fixture congestion of the Championship, both will need understudies. With Dike still out injured, that leaves only Devante Cole as the third-choice striker, which doesn’t inspire much hope with his brief cameos this season.
Raphael Wicky – Young Boys Success Story
Raphael Wicky’s career, oddly enough, crosses over with Urs Fischer. On April 21st 2017, Raphael Wicky took on his first head coach role at Basel, replacing Urs Fischer. A few days later, Basel would win their eighth consecutive title. This achievement is probably more placed at Fischer’s feet, but Wicky did play his part.
On the 25th May, Wicky lifted more silverware with Basel as they won the Swiss Cup convincingly. However, it wasn’t a happy ending for Raphael with Basel…
On July 26th 2018, he was dismissed from his role. This came after finishing runners-up, a massive disappointment after winning the league eight years on the bounce, and was subsequently knocked out of the 2nd Qualifying Round for the Champions League against PAOK.
After an unsuccessful stint in the MLS with Chicago Fire, Wicky returned to the Swiss Super League, this time with Young Boys. This is where his career took off.
Young Boys did the double in the 2022/23 season with Raphael Wicky at the helm. It was a country usually dominated by Basel, and Raphael gave them a trophyless season, albeit for the second time in his career…
Unfortunately, Wicky was dismissed on March 4, 2024, after a poor run of results, which saw Young Boys’ lead cut to one point ahead of Servette. They were also knocked out of the Europa League against Ruben Amorim’s incredible Sporting Lisbon side.
Will Wicky Work?
At Basel, Raphael Wicky managed 51 matches, scoring an impressive 1.88 points per game and achieving a 56.86% win rate. However, at Chicago Fire, he worked 51 games again but could only muster 0.98 points per game and a dismal 23.08% win rate.
Ignoring this one blip in his career, in 88 matches for Young Boys, he managed 1.97 points per game and a 59% win rate. These two successful stints in Switzerland eclipse Carlos’ record with the Baggies. However, they were in charge of two of the strongest Swiss teams.
Tactically, Raphael Wicky mainly sets up in a 4-4-2 Diamond, which sometimes looks like a 4-3-1-2. He has occasionally used a more traditional 4-4-2 against sides like Basel, where he might need to set up slightly more defensively.
In his 4-4-2 Diamond, he used two wide midfielders and a holding rather than three central midfielders. This could work with West Brom having some influential wide players who are used to a 4-4-2 system under Corberan, especially this season.
The more traditional 4-4-2 would be perfect for this current Albion team, and his possession-based style also seems to be a good fit for the club right now. Maja, Grant, Fellows, Mowatt and Molumby have thrived in a 4-4-2 system, and defensively, they have had little to no issues with scoring being the main problem for the Baggies.
Rene Hake – Ten Hag’s Assistant
Finally, we are met with the final name on the list and perhaps the most interesting of the three, mainly because so little is known about him. He has managed several clubs in the Netherlands but seems to be known purely as Ten Hag’s Assistant Manager in England.
He has managed FC Emmen, Twente FC, SC Cambur, FC Utrecht and Go Ahead Eagles. Rene Hake’s career history includes a few stints as an assistant manager at various clubs. To say the least, it looks less than inspiring. I think it’s safe to say that out of the three, he would be the riskiest appointment.
In football, you need to evaluate whether the reward outweighs the risk. I think, in this case, it doesn’t. He may hit the ground running and push for the playoffs or promotion to the prem. This is the best-case scenario, which would see him again out of his depth, with a whole squad of players also out of their depth looking to him for answers.
He has no experience securing promotion or surviving in the top division like Urs Fischer. There is no history of silverware associated with him like there is for Raphael Wicky. Out of the three, the owners must see that he is the apparent outsider for the job.
Could Hake Fit The Bill?
At FC Emme, he scored a meagre 0.87 points per game from 60 matches in charge, with a 21.67% win rate. This improved during his time with Twente FC, where he scored 1.28 points per game from 75 matches and had a 36% win rate.
SC Cambuur saw his most successful stint at a club with 63 matches, an impressive 1.60 points per game, and a 44.44% win rate. Things didn’t improve with FC Utrecht and Go Ahead Eagles before he stepped back down to assistant manager to join Ten Hag at Manchester United.
Tactically, Rene Hake prefers a 4-3-3 with a holding midfielder. This would suit the Baggies with their abundance of midfield talent featuring the likes of Alex Mowatt, Ousmane Diakite and Jayson Molumby. It also allows them to play to their strengths with two wingers, keeping their star Tom Fellows at the forefront.
A back four has also proved defensively astute for Albion this season,, and they boast a rather impressive defensive record. With them already being defensively quite strong, Rene Hake wouldn’t have much work to do instilling his philosophy.
Well, Rene Hake not only encourages a possession-based style, but he also can set up his teams to focus on quick transitions and counter-attacks. This is something that the Albion are adept at, but they could also do with some experience to help improve this aspect of their game to ensure more goals, something they have been lacking this season.
Three’s Company
It’s clear what the Albion hiring team are looking for in their next manager. They want someone with a similar philosophy to Carlos Corberan. A possession-based system with the ability to coach the team to hit on the counter and be cutthroat on quick transitions.
They want the Albion to continue building out from the back and being devastating in attack, sprinting at the opposition to unsettle them. However, they also seek significant experience in either promotion or silverware. Success breeds success, and confidence spreads. A confident manager means a confident team.
Out of all the options, I think the best fit is clear.
Urs Fischer has experience in getting teams promoted and keeping them up. His preferred formation involves a back five, which in recent history is quite successful in surviving relegation in the premier league, with teams such as Nottingham Forest and Wolves adopting it.
As well as his meticulous build-up play alongside devastating runs at pace at the opposition to unsettle them and force chances. Urs Fischer would be a real statement signing. However, with his agent so tight-lipped, it may be the case that this was ambitious thinking, and he is not interested in the job.
A Crucial Decision
Raphael Wicky would be a solid second choice—a winner with a very exciting possession style of play and adaptability that suits the Albion already. Wicky jumping into this side at this late stage of the season wouldn’t be too disjointed as the players are already well accustomed to how he would want them to set up.
A young and exciting manager will be desperate to prove himself, and with such a strong squad, success would likely be under his stewardship.
Rene Hake wouldn’t be a disastrous appointment, even though it would look that way based on my initial thoughts. Having researched him more closely, I can see why he fits the requirements for the board.
The only thing he is lacking is experience. Whilst he’s managed more clubs than the other two, he hasn’t spent much time at any of them, and he’s also not doing much with his time at these clubs.
However, his style and ideology suit what the Albion are trying to build, and he would have little problem jumping in at such a late stage. However, this next appointment needs to work; there hasn’t been a more critical appointment in West Bromwich Albion’s recent history. This can make or break their season.
Whoever Albion appoints out of these three, I believe it will be the right decision. The owners seem very competent and have taken their time making this decision. They won’t let you down, Baggies fans.
