Ryan Mason makes 'still building' point but insists West Brom are ready ahead of Blackburn season opener
Ryan Mason is preparing to make his competitive bow in The Hawthorns dugout - just over two months on from being handed the Albion job.
No sooner had he taken the Albion job - the players were back in for pre-season as the former Tottenham number two set about putting his stamp on things.
After a handful of friendlies, three new signings and a pre-season tour to Austria later - comes the real stuff.
Mason will make his competitive Albion bow on Saturday as Blackburn Rovers head to The Hawthorns for the season opener - but it will also be Mason's first as a permanent head coach.
And after two months of working with his players, he is hoping he and his staff have laid enough foundations to start with positive results.
But he did admit that they are still building towards 'end product'.
Speaking to the club's website, he said: "My time at the club so far has felt like it’s gone reasonably quickly now that the start of the season is upon us.
“We feel ready to start the season well and put in performances which hopefully warrant us getting results.
“We’ve had time to try and implement things and it’s been quite an intense period doing that. The reality is, after five or six weeks of training, we’re still building towards that end product of how we want things to look. Hopefully we’ve laid enough foundations to get positive results and that’s what we’re working for.
“The feeling of excitement for the first day of a new season is similar as a head coach compared to when you’re a player. There’s a genuine excitement and we know what is coming.
“We feel ready, like I say. We have to be prepared for every aspect on Saturday afternoon and put in a performance which warrants winning the game of football."
Ironically, Saturday's debut for Mason in the Albion dugout comes against the last Albion manager to take over at The Hawthorns in the off season.
It was 2021 when Valerien Ismael arrived from Barnsley - as Albion looked to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. However, Ismael was gone by February despite signing a four year deal.
Giving an insight into what he is expecting this weekend - Mason believes personality is going to be a key factor against the Ewood Park side.
He added: "We expect an aggressive approach from Blackburn on Saturday. Their approach has been quite consistent and we need to be ready for that.
“Ultimately, throughout the season, there will be opposition who will be strong and pose different threats, but the reality is we need to focus on ourselves as much as possible.
“We need to try and implement our philosophy and our style as quickly as possible. We know the opponents are always going to have strengths and threats, but we need to have a personality, believe in ourselves and focus on our game.”
