"It'd be crazy for me to say" - Don Goodman makes claim on West Brom boss Carlos Corberan | OneFootball

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Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman believes Carlos Corberan is “certainly up there” as one of the best managers in the Championship after his opening year at West Brom.

The Spaniard transformed the Baggies’ fortunes after replacing Steve Bruce in The Hawthorns hotseat last October, as the club narrowly missed out on a play-off place despite slipping to the foot of the second-tier table after Corberan’s first game in charge.

The Albion squad responded by winning nine of their next 10 league games when at the bottom of the Championship, registering seven clean sheets in the process.

The 40-year-old was able to make The Hawthorns a formidable fortress last season, with the Baggies winning 10 out of their 15 home league matches.

In a resurgent run, Albion finished just three points outside the top six, with the slightest chance of promotion seeming improbable when he first walked through the doors in the West Midlands.

West Brom continue to fight towards the top end of the division this term, sitting just outside the play-off places with 26 points collected from their opening 16 league outings as they host high-flying Ipswich Town this weekend.

Duo John Swift and Josh Maja are available to feature in their clash against the Tractor Boys, with the Baggies bolstered by some extra depth heading into a hectic schedule.

With takeover talks ongoing for the Baggies heading into the new year, there is much optimism among the Albion faithful of where the club can be led under the former Huddersfield Town coach with substantial financial backing.

Corberan has been one of the highest-performing managers over the last 12 months, with the Spaniard collecting 78 points since his first game in charge, which is only bettered by Michael Carrick at Middlesbrough.

What has Don Goodman said?

Goodman spoke about how impressed he has been with Corberan’s turn around of West Brom in such a short period of time and listed him as one of the best managers in the division.

Goodman told OLBG: “You’d have Carlos in the conversation of who the best manager in the league is. I'd have said the same thing last season, considering how far he took them when he came in.

“There are lots of good candidates, though, and it'd be crazy for me to say he's the best manager in the league. He's certainly up there, though.”

Goodman was full of admiration for Corberan for taking on the job amid Albion’s current off-the field issues and is confident he can lead them to a play-off place come the end of the season.

Goodman added: “You have to remember where Carlos picked West Brom up from - bottom of the Championship. He's been there for over a year, and people have forgotten that.

“Carlos had a job to do when he arrived, and it wasn't an attractive prospect. West Brom were bottom of the league with no money, yet Carlos took a punt on it. It's a huge club. I think they will struggle to keep pace with Leicester, Leeds, and Southampton but I back West Brom to slug it out with the likes of Sunderland for a play-off spot.

“Carlos gets the team motivated and they're hard to break down. They've just had a run of seven clean sheets in nine games and they're horrible to play against. They're an experienced team, which can be a pro and a con. They know how to see games out, but they're up against more mobile and athletic teams who have the capacity on occasion to overrun them.

“He's doing a brilliant job as far as I'm concerned. West Brom are doing better than I expected - I had them somewhere between 8th and 12th, which may still be the case as they're up against other decent teams. I think Carlos is doing a brilliant job.”