They usually go for the likes of Tony Pulis, Gary Megson, Alan Pardew or Sam Allardyce. They’ve tried Slaven Bilic amd Valerien Ismael, and had a look at Jimmy Shan and Darren Moore. In fact the baggies can’t stop appointing managers who on the face of it fit their desire for success. But now it seems there’s a different type of name they want to try out.

Albion chief executive Ron Gourlay likes to pull the trigger, but he is now reviewing the options of old and Russell Martin and his coaching team are within his consideration. This isn’t a rumour either. Over the last twenty four hours Martin has most certainly been a name the baggies have reviewed. It has been confirmed by too many outlets for it to be pure speculation. Oddly enough despite the mistakes of old, and instead of sticking with a manager like Valerien Ismael who like the many before him just wasnt given time, their continual merry go round continues.

Now in the relegation places and days after firing Steve Bruce that search has started again.

Martin’s name started to creep in to the running yesterday evening, and we have to expect that any job that comes along of some merit will see his name mentioned. The likes of Graham Potter, Steve Cooper, Roberto Martinez and Brendan Rodgers have all cut their teeth properly at Swansea. You cannot dismiss the next managerial success as being any different, especially when a club that is perceived as a big fish in the championship has vacancies to fill.

Martin won’t come cheap, when he joined the swans sixteen months ago some very firm agreements were put in place to ensure a degree of trust between the swans and Martin. Not least any club getting his services would be paying compensation in the millions. The other thing is far more important, would Russell Martin want to go ? That may sound ridiculous but he has put a lot of work in to those sixteen months at Swansea. He is beginning to see some success with the club in the top six of the championship. Russell Martin doesn’t strike us as a managerat this stage of his journey as someone who would pass that up for a gamble at West Brom. Despite what MK Dons followers would have you believe.

Swansea City have become Martin’s baby, his dedication to the swans cause and his unflappable and focused dream to see his ideal team play the football he wants is undeniable. Money of course would turn any persons head, and the baggies would throw a lot at him in not only salary but investment. And we believe as well he would want five of his staff to go with him.

But really how much benefit would a move bring to him now ?

The first consideration has to be the players at West Brom. Are they the type of players who would be able to quickly adapt to Martin’s coaching demands and style ? As it stands they don’t seem to have that type of player, and they don’t have the time for another transition to take place. Baggies fans wouldn’t like the things they would have to witness over a long period of transition. They are a club which demands almost immediate success. So in that respect any appointment would be disastrous.

We shouldn’t also forget Martin’s family is very well settled in the Swansea area.

The demands of the club and fans are the reason for the baggies being where they are, it’s a vicious circle of expectation and impatience. Other managers will most certainly be in the running, Carlos Corberan sacked by Huddersfield recently wouldn’t come with any compensation pay out and another name mentioned is Liam Rosenior. Why he is out of work is a mystery, he is intelligent and has a determined ethos in his desire to play a similar game to Russell Martin. Gary Rowett won’t be far away either in the running, another manager whose club will require compensating if he was successful. However, his experiences in that part of the country have been soured somewhat and at Millwall a small revolution is taking place.

The likeliest candidate is Scott Parker despite Roy Keane now being mentioned, plus we see Chris Wilder out of work as well. Too early for him we think but Sean Dyche surely would be the answer for the baggies ? With so many managers either available or in the running Ron Gourlay is going to have to think long and hard on risk appointments like Russell Martin. If it fails they would be relegated to league one, that’s how big a decision this all is. And when you look at it that way Russell Martin should stay at Swansea City, a club in a far healthier league position and one which has supported the manager over a long period of time, despite a few dissenting voices.

That’s why we think that he will stay at the swans, he has far more important things to concentrate on, and unfortunately for the baggies any move there that failed would not help his CV at all.

Photographs licensed from Reuters