West Brom v Blackburn Rovers preview: Air of anticipating but a stern challenge ahead

That is the case even when things feel hopeless, as they did under the club's previous regime.

The romantic football fan in all of us starts up with the bit of hope in our heart in August. Baggies supporters are desperate for action. The beginning of May was a long time ago and last season had long petered out.

There has been major change since - in the shape of Ryan Mason.

Most Albion fans will be aware, however, of the challenge on Mason's hands in his first head coach role ahead of the curtain-raiser at home to Blackburn Rovers.

It is still Albion in the Championship and that still brings a certain level of expectation - but as each season passes the challenge alters.

At times it grows steeper due to the level of competition. Most of the time the same clubs relegated from the Premier League come back down with wads of cash, growing wealthier than the chasers each time.

This season there is the clear added factor of not just any old plucky extras joining from the level below.

Birmingham City and Wrexham are here to make their mark. You only have to see their transfer work and watch one episode of either documentary to see these American owners are not interested in making up the numbers.

And neither are Albion's - Bilkul's Shilen Patel and co. want Premier League promotion, but finances continue to dictate for now the way the club must operate when it comes to recruitment. The Baggies have to box clever and that is why Mason's task is a steep one.

Most onlookers have the Baggies down at an expected finish of around seventh to ninth.

That says plenty about where Albion have fallen in the second-tier pecking order. You would be a little hard-pushed to find even optimistic Baggies claiming a top-six finish is a shoo-in.

This season under Mason is a transitional one. That term often draws eye rolling as an excuse for underperforming or underachieving, but Mason's first spell in senior management will demand patience given he cannot merely refresh the squad to how he desires.

August 8, just ahead of kick off, and the squad still requires work and is light in areas. Injury issues have reared their heads and raise more questions about reliability. The squad still feels light by around three bodies, even before exits are considered.

Two of the three new recruits so far - Aune Heggebo and George Campbell - are new to English football. But that does not mean they cannot flourish.

Much is on having a good start. Mason has pointed to that on several occasions.

Though we only need to rewind a year, as Albion led the way with five wins from six in September to realise bright starts can skew - rightly or wrongly - expectations.

This season's opener, relatively kind on paper despite Rovers finishing two places above their hosts last term, has no shortage of narratives aside from the new head coach's competitive bow.

There is a familiar face in the away dugout in Valerien Ismael. The Frenchman lasted just 224 days and 31 games at Albion. Another example of a bright start eroding away.

There will be polite applause between Ismael and Albion fans and surely not too much bad-will, but business will see him determined to get one over old employers.

Ismail was only appointed in February and endured a catastrophic start at Ewood Park but rallied to end six games unbeaten with four wins, to fall just short of sixth.

Rovers have recruited six new players this summer, including 23-year-old Swedish midfielder Axel Henriksson this week.