Friday, February 28 marks one year since Shilen Patel became Chairman of West Bromwich Albion.
Patel sat down with WBA TV ahead of the anniversary to discuss a number of important topics, including his overall assessment of the past 12 months, crucial things he’s learned, the financial position of the club, Tony Mowbray’s appointment and the two transfer windows since his arrival.
Other areas of conversation included the club’s 2023/24 accounts, the introduction of safe standing and the expected implementation of an independent football regulator.
Patel also offered updates on West Bromwich Albion Women, the academy and The Albion Foundation.
Check out the Chairman’s full interview below…
Shilen, time has flown. It’s 12 months since you became Chairman of West Bromwich Albion. Are you happy with the overall progress the club has made in that time?
It’s really, really hard to believe that it’s been 12 months. So much has happened during that time. I think first and foremost I want to share my appreciation for everybody at the club behind the scenes because their desire to see things improve and see progress has been evident in all of the work that we do together. I’m really fortunate to have a great group of folks at the club who are helping us drive this progress.
I’m also really grateful to the fans because they’ve been so supportive of all of the changes we’re trying to make. They’ve really shown me and the whole club great support during this time. I feel like we’ve accomplished a lot in the last 12 months and there’s a whole lot more to do. It’s evident, I think, in the decisions that we’ve made and the progress that’s been made, that we are a club now that has improved competitively, financially, operationally and, most importantly, that is acting in accordance with the long-term plan.
Is owning a football club everything that you expected it to be, or are there things that have taken you by surprise?
There are always surprises. This has been a dream of mine and I’ve been so grateful for every day, whether it’s ups or downs. In terms of what has surprised me, it’s been a pleasant surprise to learn just how much this club means to the fans and to the community, not just as a football club, but as an institution.
I think the other thing that has probably been really surprising to me is just the competitiveness of the Sky Bet Championship – the league that we’re in and the league that we’re trying to conquer. The standard of play has been really impressive to me. I think, in particular, when you add in the challenges of the financial advantage the clubs who have parachute payments have, you can really understand why promotion is such a challenging goal.
What has been your favourite moment of the last 12 months?
I think, even though it didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to, the semi-finals of the play-offs were really incredible experiences, especially the lead up to our match against Southampton at The Hawthorns. I think you could really see and sense the desire and the anticipation, as well as the energy and the positivity of the fans.
I think it gave a great sense for the potential we have as a club and what The Hawthorns can be when everybody is excited and energised and believing. I really hope we repeat that experience with a better result this time around. It was incredible to see the fans, the whole atmosphere and everything around the club as we were standing on the doorstep of the goal that we hold for promotion.
What are some of the most important things that you’ve learned?
I think one important lesson has been that whatever goals you have as a club, just understanding how many stakeholders are involved, that’s not just you as a club and what you would like to do, there’s the league stakeholders, there’s the other clubs, there’s players, there’s fans and so I think just understanding, just very holistically, that we’re part of a much larger organism and so while we can have certain goals, expectations and ideas, we need to make sure that all of those are in balance with the larger environment that we operate in which is the league, the pyramid, the players and the fans.
When you compare where the club was 12 months ago to where it is now, how much more of a stronger position do you believe it’s in?
When you look back exactly 12 months ago, it was hard for the club to be in a worse position than it was in. I think that from a financial standpoint, that was well talked about, but just in terms of the runway that the club had, the means the club had to improve itself on a self-sustaining basis just wasn’t there. I think that the club was very worried about the next week and the next month and not the next year or the next five years.
So I think simply having the freedom to plan over the long term has been a huge step forward for the club. More specifically, we’ve made a lot of improvements to the financial outlook of the club and critically, when you look at the most important assets the club has, it’s the squad. We’ve done a lot of great work with the squad. We have a squad now that has a lot of upside and a lot of potential to both carry us forward competitively and sustain us financially.
It's fair to say one of the biggest moments of your ownership so far has been the managerial change over the winter period with Carlos Corberán departing for Valencia and Tony Mowbray coming back to the club for a second spell. How do you reflect on that period?
I think it’s important to recognise that at the time of Carlos’ departure he was the second-longest tenured coach in the Championship. I think what that says is a club always needs to be ready to be at this crossroads because you just never know when these things are going to come up.
I think that we as a club were very prepared – our sporting department with Andrew (Nestor) and Ian (Pearce) running a very rigorous process gave us a great group of candidates to choose from. We had a very clear idea of what we wanted from our coach, both in terms of how they fit into the broader structure of the club as well as what we were looking for tactically and strategically in terms of how they relate to the players and what the expectations are, relative to the squad.
I think, in the end, we made a fantastic choice with Tony Mowbray. He’s somebody that you can tell cares personally about the players, who understands what the club means to the fans and what the fans add when the club is playing a very positive type of football. I’m very excited about where we ended up. I think that we always have to understand the realities of this league and know that we need to be ready to make these decisions, but I’m very excited about where we are with Tony and what he can bring to the club.
There have been two transfer windows over the last 12 months. We’ve had plenty of new arrivals and plenty of departures as well for a whole host of reasons. How would you assess our two transfer windows?
I think we’ve done a really good job, in fact probably better than I would’ve projected in terms of progressing towards our long-term goals. We understand there are a couple of goals with the squad. One is to build the squad with a younger average age, one that has more peak years and potential ahead of it.
The other is that we need to work to solve the financial challenges and to be compliant with P&S (profit and sustainability). I think that on both fronts, the player movement has been very helpful to us. The players who have departed I think have helped us in terms of improving our financial outlook and the players who have come in, generally are profiling as players that have a lot of future potential, players who can help carry us forward competitively and ultimately we understand that the reality of the Championship is that it can be a transition point for a lot of high quality players that are on their way to Premier League competition either with us or through a sale to another club.
So, I think that we’ve done a really good job. Andrew, Ian, our scouts and everybody have aligned on the types of players we need to bring into the building in order to continue our progress and we’ve done a really good job of expanding the tools and the resources with which we’re finding those players.
It's well-known our financial position before you joined the club was precarious. Please could you offer supporters an update on where the club is now, financially?
Well, ultimately, just by the sake of us being involved, the outlook is stabilised. The club is now no longer worried about the things that it was worried about a year ago, in terms of how are we going to make it to the next season or the next month.
We understood, and I understood, that there were massive losses projected and the cost of acquiring the club was just one of the costs of getting the club back to steady footing. So, in that regard, the losses are within the range that was projected and anticipated. We are probably doing better in some categories, but ultimately we’re within our plan and thankfully the club is on a stable long-term footing.
The football club’s accounts for the year ended June 30 2024 have now been released, detailing a £34million loss. What reassurance can you provide to fans concerned by that number, Shilen?
Firstly, it’s important to recognise the time period these accounts cover, which is through June of 2024. So, from the time of my takeover of the club, subsequent to the January window, there was not a lot of opportunity for us to make substantial changes to the trajectory the club was on.
Additionally, I think that the losses don’t exactly equate to P&S losses, so there are some differences, there are add backs, there are other elements that don’t factor into P&S and we’ve been working very hard to make sure that we identify every possible add back in order to be able to maximise our P&S position. In the coming year of accounts, we’re also going to be facing some heavy losses, but again, these are losses that we have had the opportunity to mitigate through player trading, through revenue generation and through better management of accounts.
We are, unfortunately, going to be looking at another year of losses in the 2024/25 season, but all of this is within the projected range and all of this is within an attainable gap in terms of addressing P&S. We’ll need to continue to be savvy about player trading, revenue generation and a lot of other aspects in order to be able to navigate the coming year. However, with a little bit more clarity around the system under which we’re going to be running the 2025/26 season, we can begin to plan more effectively what our strategies are going to be around P&S.
The club were delighted to announce recently the introduction of safe standing at The Hawthorns for the start of the 2025/26 season. How great is that for West Bromwich Albion and what can you tell us about it?
I’m really excited about the fact that the club is going to be introducing safe standing in the upper Smethwick and in the Millenium Corner. I think it’s been a big part of the conversation with fans and fan groups that this is something that is desired.
We’re going to try to find the right balance to build atmosphere and give people options, so we’ll start with a portion of the stadium and we’ll see how that goes as we make future plans. I’m looking forward to seeing what the addition of safe standing means to our atmosphere and to the fan experience at The Hawthorns.
There will be supporters who have sat in the Brummie Road End for years that will be wondering whether that stand might be safe standing as well. Is there anything more you can tell us on that?
I think we’re going to progress on a season-by-season basis and we’ll take feedback on the early experiment of converting some of the seats to safe standing and then we’ll decide whether and how much to expand that option. It’s something that many fans want, but not every fan wants, so we’ll try to find the right balance to make sure that people can access the type of seating and experience that they want.
An independent football regulator is still expected to be implemented. What changes are you considering to ensure we meet its requirements?
Well, I think first of all, we’re very excited to see the introduction of the football regulator. It’s not always easy to work amongst leagues to find the right balance and a fair distribution. We look forward to what the football regulator will mean in terms of establishing a more balanced and sustainable pyramid for football. I think that’s important for fans all over the country and not just for West Bromwich Albion.
Beyond that, I think that the football regulator is going to be bringing mandates around fan engagement and the relationship that we have with fans. I believe that we as a club have been very proactive in that regard, in terms of having a bridge between fan groups and us as a club and that will continue. We will be establishing the necessary advisory boards and mechanisms to make sure that the relationship that we have with the fans meets or exceeds the standard put out by the regulator.
West Bromwich Albion Women had an incredible run in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, reaching round four where they came up against the holders Manchester United. It was an incredible experience for the team. How keen are you to put plans in place to make sure the Women’s team keep progressing and evolving?
I’m really proud of the progress that our Women’s team has made and what they have accomplished with fairly limited resources up to now. It’s been a conversation within our sporting organisation and the club as a whole, what we can do to support the Women’s team better. First and foremost, we made a change to Siobhan Hodgetts-Still’s role and she is going to be taking on a broader mandate rather than simply being the Women’s First Team Coach.
Alongside that, we’re trying to bring more support from our sporting organisation and from the other aspects of the club into play for the Women’s team. We are really looking forward to exploring a lot of avenues for improvement, just in terms of some of the basic things that we could be doing better to support our athletes, some of the things we can do to make the matches more accessible to fans including location.
We would love to see a long-term goal. Just as we would love to see the Men’s team progress upwards, we’d love to have a long-term goal to progress with the Women’s team too. The league we’re in is a hard one to get out of. There’s only one spot available for promotion every year, but I think that we want to make sure that our women have the opportunity to be as competitive as they can be within the context of what the club can do.
The academy is another important part of West Bromwich Albion. How involved with the academy have you been over the last 12 months and what further improvements would you like to implement?
The academy has been a great resource. When you look at the players across world football who began their sporting life at West Bromwich Albion, it says volumes about the potential of the players we have in the academy and the potential of the academy itself to produce superb players. There have been a lot of conversations around the academy and what we can do to create more integration between the academy and first team so that our young players see a much clearer pathway.
We see the academy as a big resource and there are already multiple players from our academy represented in the senior squad today. We see that as a trend that will continue. I think the development of young players is really important to us, not just from a competitive standpoint, but we think it’s just one of the important things that a football club does. Whether they end up being world class athletes or succeeding in other areas of life, I think it’s important to give these young people a great platform to move forward in their lives.
You spoke in great detail in your first interview 12 months ago about your love and admiration for philanthropy. You’ll have seen the fantastic work The Albion Foundation carry out in the local community. How impressed with them have you been and what further changes would you like to implement there?
I think The Albion Foundation is doing incredible work and I think when I sat down a year ago, I wasn’t fully appreciative of the depth of work and how significant they are within the community. It’s been incredible to see everybody at The Foundation do really good work. We have an outstanding board that is very engaged, and I think that there is a tremendous amount of need that we see in the West Bromwich, Sandwell, Black Country, West Midlands area. It’s been impressive to me to see how much of a role the club and the Foundation play in addressing those needs.
We are looking at a lot of things we want to do to tie the Foundation and the club closer together to be able to share resources and we also think there’s a lot more that can be done in terms of just telling the story of the Foundation. I think the work that is being done is excellent and I think there needs to be more said and shown about it and we look forward to doing that.
We also believe that within the Foundation, we have some really fantastic outcomes with our disability teams, such as blind football and powerchair football. I probably never really appreciated until I got deeper into the Foundation, the excellence we’ve been able to achieve there and what that means to the athletes that are a part of it.
Just finally Shilen, there are so many positive things happening at West Bromwich Albion both on and off the pitch. In your opinion, what are the next big steps for the club to take now?
Just as when we sat here 12 months ago, our goal remains to be at the top of the Championship until we can break through to the Premier League. I think we continue to be on track to do that. I think that is a transformative outcome and so many more doors open once you’ve achieved that.
I think in the interim, there are a lot of things we can do to improve competitively, financially and experientially, and so we continue to work on a programme of change management throughout the club just to make every area of the club the highest calibre that we can, and really give ourselves the best chance to get to our ultimate goal which is a return to the Premier League.
