Jt's very rare in football that a managerial appointment in the second tier of a country comes with this much intrigue, but as a Spurs fan myself, I know all with the N17 club closest to them will be filled with curiosity about how Ryan Mason will get on in his first job in the hot seat.
He has been on and off, the assistant coach at Spurs for three years, including two temporary stints in the Spurs Manager Seat, once with the departure of Jose Mourinho in 2020/2021, and 2022/2023 after Antonio Conte and Cristian Stellini left the club.
Mason's career as a player, was tragically cut short after a shocking head injury, sustained whilst playing for Hull City against Chelsea in January 2017, retiring the following year in February after medical advice effectively shut down any return to playing the sport that Mason loved so dearly.
He played 70 times for his boyhood club and 20 times for Hull City, along with one England appearance, in a friendly away in Italy too, the Hertfordshire native then threw himself into coaching, and hasn't looked back.
The Two Caretaker Spurs Stints:
As briefly mentioned, Mason has had two stints in the main seat at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the first stint coming back in April 2021, when the football world was still reeling from behind closed doors games, and the European Super League Saga.
The announcement of Jose Mourinho's Spurs departure, just four days before a League Cup Final against Manchester City, certainly left some questions among the Spurs Faithful.
Mason's first game was a 2-1 win over Southampton, coming from 1-0 down to win, thanks to goals from Heung Min Son and Gareth Bale, starting a run of eight games, four wins and four draws for Mason at the Spurs helm, with a record of 1.71 points per game from his seven matches in charge, with the constant use of a 4-2-3-1 formation in each game.
His second spell in the caretaker position was six matches, two wins, one draw and three defeats, but this time, four matches saw a three at the back formation used, with only two reverting to a four at the back (4-3-3), rather than the one he used in his first spell at the club.
Between his two sints, he was promoted to Antonio Conte's Number Two, after impressing the Italian so much after taking training all week before the now departed Conte's arival, with that continuing under Ange Postecoglu, with Mason once again taking up an Assistant Role alongside Mile Jedinak and Matt Wells.
The second period in charge heralded just 1.17 points per game, with his opening game being a thrilling 2-2 draw against Manchester United after being 2-0 down, in a game they did more than enough to win on the night, but had to settle for the point.
What Spurs youngsters could follow:
Think Frank Lampard at Derby, that's what usually comes to mind in the modern age when a manager leaves behind a backroom role or a role in the game that has seen you associated with a certain club.
Lampard dipped into the pockets of Chelsea when at the Pride Park Helm, with Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori, the latter now playing for AC Milan plying their trade in the Championship back in 2018/2019.
The most obvious, when it comes to Spurs and Mason, is the re-signing of Will Lankshear, having spent the second half of 2024/2025 season at The Hawthorns, appearing eleven times.
The mind then goes to Damiola Ajayi, a young man who enjoyed the dream Tottenham Hotspur debut, scoring under ten minutes after coming off the bench against Elfsborg in the Europa League, League Phase at the end of January. Much like many of his youth side counterparts, Ajayi has found himself in a number of matchday squads this season, following Spurs' unprecedented injury crisis that plauged most of their season.
Fan's view:
Lizzie Whale, West Brom Advocate for Her Game Too spoke to us on the appointment, with herself full of optimism at the prospect of what Mason can bring.
"It'll be good to see a young manager that will come in and bring his own new and fresh ideas, especially as we are rebuilding here.
"Some fans seem unconvinced but we need to give him a chance, having done the tried and tested route previously."
Alongside Lizzie, fellow Baggies fan Joe Talbot gave me his thoughts on Mason's appointment.
`'His exposure to top-tier football and mentorship under esteemed managers like Mauricio Pochettino has equipped him with a modern approach to the game. In my opinion we will need to recruit in numerous positions to allow Mason to flourish in this role to play the style he will want to play. Players like Isaac Price, Josh Maja, Torbjorn Heggem, Callum Styles will really embrace this style (if we keep hold of all of them).
"Hopefully with his contacts at Tottenham and other Premier League clubs no doubt, we will be able to take on players such as Mikey Moore who has a very bright future ahead, Jamie Donley who had a brilliant loan spell at Leyton Orient last season. Retaining Will Lankshear as another forward option would be brilliant too as he wasn’t given a fair run of games.
"If you ask me, this is an exciting time to be a West Bromwich Albion fan. Chairman Shilen Patel and Sporting Director Andrew Nestor have expressed confidence in Mason’s ability to instill elite standards and a unified philosophy across all levels of the club . Given West Brom’s recent challenges, including missing out on playoff contention last season, Mason’s appointment represents a strategic effort to establish long-term competitiveness and a clear footballing vision."
How do the Baggies Line Up:
It's almost silly to try and predict how the West Brom side will line up under Mason, with the season barely ending a month ago and the revolving door of the transfer window set to kick in, giving Mason a full pre-season with his new side.
In his seemingly favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, he likes his Number 10 to float around, almost as a second striker when the team is advancing into the final third, with his two deeper midfielders the more typical box to box type players, covering the grass and winning the ball back in all areas.
When using a 3-4-3, albeit stricken for choice, Pierre Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp was the midfield two, a more typical industrious pivot, with the fullbacks more emphasized to do the creating, something in which Pedro Porro was more than happy to oblige with.
For the first time in his career, Mason will have full control of transfers, a team to mould into his own, and a fanbase full of excitment as to what the Mason Era will bring at The Hawthorns.