Tony Mowbray to appoint West Brom assistant who spent nine years at arch rivals

The 61-year-old is expected to be confirmed as the Baggies new head coach, with the Englishman set to succeed Carlos Corberan in the dugout.

Mowbray, who recently recovered from bowel cancer, is finalising details over a contract which will see him take charge of West Brom for a second time.

He previously served as manager between 2006 and 2009, and guided to the club to promotion to the Premier League in 2008.

And should the appointment go ahead as expected, it won't just be Mowbray who will be returning from his first spell in charge.

Joining him in the dugout will be long-serving assistant Mark Venus, who was also part of the coaching team that oversaw the Baggies' Championship title win 16 years ago.

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But Venus' name hasn't always been a popular one among the West Brom faithful.

Prior to a career in coaching alongside Mowbray, the former defender spent nine years at bitter rivals Wolves as a player.

Venus made the move to Molineux from Leicester in 1988, after starting out at hometown club Hartlepool, and went on to feature 318 times for the club, scoring 18 times.

During this time, he helped Wolves to secure back-to-back promotions from the Fourth Division and Third Division in his first two seasons with the club.

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Following his stint in the West Midlands, Venus signed for Ipswich Town in 1997, remaining there until 2003, where he helped the club gain promotion to the Premier League in 2000.

It was here where the 57-year-old first met Mowbray, who brought his playing days to an end at Portman Road in 2000.

And the pair clearly made quite the impression on each other in their three years as teammates, with Venus becoming a mainstay in Mowbray's dugout throughout his managerial career.

The Englishman first joined Mowbray's coaching team as assistant manager for his first permanent role as Hibernian boss in 2004.

He has since gone on to form part of his backroom staff at Celtic, Middlesbrough, Coventry, Blackburn, Sunderland and Birmingham, as well as during the pair's first spell at The Hawthorns.

And Mowbray has spoken of Venus' value on his bench, once labelling him the 'cleverest' person he knows.

Following his appointment as Blues' boss, Mowbray said of his No.2: "Mark coming with me is really important. We are two different human beings really.

"I talked earlier on about not going to university and not having degrees, yet Veno is the cleverest guy I know.

"Stocks and shares, knowing which horse is going to win the 3:20 at Kempton… he is pretty bright!"

In February 2024, Venus briefly took charge of Birmingham after Mowbray was forced to step away from his role following his cancer diagnosis.

He followed his manager in departing St Andrews in June, with the pair's imminent roles at West Brom set to mark their return to the dugout.

Former star Chris Brunt has been in interim charge at the Baggies since Corberan left the club to take over at Spanish side Valencia on Christmas Eve.

The Baggies were set to appoint ex-Young Boys boss Raphael Wicky before an issue with backroom staff scuppered the deal.

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However, Mowbray now appears set for a surprise return to the Midlands, as he looks to inspire a second promotion to the Premier League.

West Brom currently sit seventh in the Championship table, just a point outside the play-offs.