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West Brom chairman Shilen Patel speaks on club’s struggles and relegation battle

West Brom chairman Shilen Patel speaks on the club’s struggles and relegation battle they find themselves in for the 2025/26 season.

Patel has overseen a disastrous campaign, the sacking of Ryan Mason in early January, and now the dismissal of club president and sporting director Andrew Nestor due to poor decisions on appointments and recruitment.

As the chairman approaches his two-year anniversary as owner at the end of February, he has admitted to being ultimately accountable for the club’s situation, with new head coach Eric Ramsay already under significant pressure to turn results around.

Albion have announced the return of Mark Miles, just an hour after announcing the departure of Andrew Nestor as Sporting Director.

He left his role as Managing Director in September, but has now been appointed Executive Director.

Ahead of this weekend’s action, West Brom sit 22nd with 32 points from 30 games played. Blackburn (21st) and Leicester (20th) also have 32 points, Portsmouth (19th) and Norwich (18th) have 33 points,

CLUB STATEMENT:

Albion can confirm that Andrew Nestor has departed The Hawthorns by mutual agreement.

Andrew had been a member of Bilkul Football Group since its acquisition of the club in February 2024, and later served the club across various sporting and non-sporting capacities including being named Sporting Director in the summer of 2024, before transitioning to the role of President in September 2025.

The club thanks Andrew for his contributions and wishes him well in the future.

Mark Miles has returned to Albion, rejoining the board as Executive Director.

Mark provided 22 years’ loyal service to the club prior to his departure as Managing Director in September 2025.

He has served under three owners at The Hawthorns and led the club through its 2024 takeover by Bilkul Football Group.

As Executive Director, Mark will provide oversight and governance to all areas of the club in addition to direct leadership and external facing duties, reporting directly to Chairman Shilen Patel.

Mark said: “I am delighted to be back at the club I love, but there is no time for sentiment. I am here to work.

“I hope to bring stability to the club, addressing the situation head on. Our excellent team of staff will be empowered to deliver positive change in all areas.

“I fully understand the level of frustration our supporters feel and will be meeting with members of our Fan Advisory Board (FAB) and the Albion Assembly next week to address their concerns. My hope is that we are all able to come together in the best interests of the Albion, as when this club is backed into a corner it knows how to come out fighting.”

Patel added: “We are fortunate to have Mark back at the club and back on our board. His experience and leadership will be critical to us as we pull together as one club to move through a difficult period and continue in our pursuit of our long-term ambitions.

“Mark and many of the dedicated staff here have worked together to overcome adversity in the past, and with a collective spirit of resilience and belief we can see this season through.

“As chairman I am ultimately accountable for our performance and the season to date has simply not been good enough. I am absolutely determined to put that right by guiding the club through this period so we can all be far more optimistic about the future.

“Throughout this adversity the loyalty of our support has not wavered, and now the need for that support is greater than ever. I am incredibly grateful to everyone who has travelled to The Hawthorns and across the country to back the team, and I know that support will continue for our remaining 16 league fixtures.

“I am confident everyone who cares for this club will come together to confront this challenge as one.”

Isaac Price held back from confronting away end after West Brom’s 3-0 defeat to Portsmouth

Here’s how fans reacted amid all the changes going on as West Brom chairman Shilen Patel speaks on club’s struggles and relegation battle…

@BurgerSight: Personally think that’s a great move! People must be forgetting the work he put in when the previous regime was completely absent! Really need a sporting director in now!

@baggie1971: This is excellent news!!! 😀😀. we have missed the leadership that MM brought to the club. welcome back Mark

@stourbaggies: Good appointment to steady things up, knows the importance of proper football people in the building

@JoeStevens2110: Brilliant news!! Never thought we should have got rid of him actually.

@StigsWBACousin: It has been a harsh lesson to learn for the chairman. Football clubs are very peculiar kind of business that require particular navigation, avoiding sentimentality but with huge dollops of respect for heritage. He has completed the first test….travel hopefully my friend. #wba

@ShannonGuestie: Returned to hopefully save the sinking ship

@martin1evans: From the frying pan to the fire then 🤣

@WestBromXtra: Makes complete sense when you look into it a bit more… Dominic Price isn’t a direct replacement for Nestor, he will become technical director and handle the football side. Mark will handle the admin side and be that link into Shilen. Knows the club and did well under Lai #wba

@Evans90: All the steps the club take are far too late or incorrect. Mason not sacked soon enough, Ramsay wrong appointment, Nestor lasted too long, Pearce still here. No one knows what they are doing it appears and we are just floating about with no clear plan #WBA

@throstle123: This is actually very good move at this time. Some will slate him but he did a lot for this club and with the foundation. There needs to be a better transition for when he leaves again..

@sjpatel212: Everyone will have their views on Nestor but fair to say he probably lost all credibility when he promoted a data led approach then selected a rookie manager who had absolutely no data to work off. A massive gamble and contradiction which was his ultimate downfall #wba

@DJL100671156000: As frustrated and disappointed with the Albion as i am, it appears they cannot get anything right, We moan when there are no changes and moan when there are… A little News Flash for the negative ones out there… We are not yet relegated, Thought i’d point that out. UTB #wba

@WBAoscar: Think that’s pretty shrewd move from Shilen bringing Miles back. Thought he did well under Lai’s shite ownership. Getting Price I guess as technical? Happier than where we were at #wba

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