West Brom appoint former Portsmouth coach and Watford favourite who answered Kenny Jackett's Fratton Park call for help
Former Pompey coach named Ryan Mason’s assistant at Championship rivals West Brom
Newly-appointed West Brom boss Ryan Mason has turned to a former Pompey coach to assist him at The Hawthorns.
The 33-year-old was confirmed as the Baggies’ head coach on Monday, as the Championship side ended their six-week search for a replacement for the sacked Tony Mowbray.
It was a search that saw Blues boss John Mousinho linked with the vacancy - something that he quickly dismissed - with West Brom keen to attract someone who matched their footballing philosophy.
Yet despite other apparent persons of interest, too, it’s Spurs assistant manager Mason who has been appointed, with the former Tottenham midfielder signing a three-year deal with the club.
Nigel Gibbs follows Ryan Mason to WBA
Mason’s remit will be to get the Baggies promoted back to the Premier League after last season’s disappointing ninth-place finish.
And in order to help him achieve that, he’s called upon a trusted ally who spent a short stint at Fratton Park coaching the first team - Nigel Gibbs.
Indeed, the 59-year-old has been named as WBA’s assistant head coach, leaving his position as assistant manager to former Blues striker Noel Hunt at League One Reading to take up the position.
Gibbs worked closely with Mason at Spurs as assistant when he was head of player development, and provided support as first-team coach during the former midfielder’s two spells as interim manager.
Why Nigel Gibbs spent time at Pompey
Pompey turned to Gibbs to assist with first-team matters back in February 2021, following news that then Blues boss Kenny Jackett was having to temporarily take a step back from his duties for medical reasons.
A former team-mate of Jackett’s at Watford during the 1980s, he provided additional help for Joe Gallen and Jake Wigley as the manager underwent treatment to have a mole removed from his arm.
The one-time England under-21 international then remained part of the Pompey coaching staff until Jackett was sacked as manager on March 14, 2021.
Before his short stint at Fratton Park, Gibbs was the assistant coach to Paul Clement at Cercle Brugge in the Belgian Pro League. He also had previous experience as a coach and assistant manager at Reading, Leeds, Millwall and Swansea City.
West Brom defeated Pompey twice last season - a 3-0 win at Fratton Park in September, plus a 5-1 victory at the Hawthorns in January.
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