Chris Brunt sees no reason why the next West Bromwich Albion boss cannot pick up where Carlos Corberan left off and oversee another Championship campaign which concludes with a top six finish. Albion are expected to re-appoint Tony Mowbray as the club's new boss, almost 16 years after he left the club, following a managerial hunt lasting in excess of three weeks.

Brunt, who has overseen the last five matches along with fellow coaches Damia Abella and Boaz Myhill who have formed an interim coaching unit, will take up his temporary place on The Hawthorns ' touch-line on Saturday when the Baggies entertain Stoke City (KO 3pm) for what is expected to be the final time.

Albion were close to bringing in Swiss boss Raphael Wicky at the beginning of the week, but when those negotiations broke down the club's hierarchy turned their attentions to recruiting Mowbray, who has been out of work for almost a year while receiving treatment for bowel cancer. Handed the all clear, he is expected to return to the Black Country - and Brunt is of the belief that the squad at the new manager's disposal remains a highly competitive one.

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"We've got a good squad of players," Brunt said. "I don't think that was under any doubt. Carlos getting the club into the play-offs last year was a great achievement. There isn't any reason why somebody coming in now couldn't achieve that again.

"There are still a couple of weeks left of the transfer window and I'm sure there'll be a couple of ins and outs - whether that's ASAP or in the last minute. I'm sure there'll be a couple of fresh faces and maybe a couple move on, that's normally what happens. Hopefully they benefit us in the last half of the season.

"The lads have been good. It's been very different the last couple of weeks in the number of games they've had. Carlos was a pretty intense coach and maybe it's been a little less intense because of the amount of games, but they've applied themselves really well. They've all cracked on, which is all you can ask when you're holding the fort."

Brunt considers his mini and unforeseen spell in charge as 'eye opening', having taken the reins over an especially busy period of the campaign; Albion beat Preston North End, but were held by Sheffield United and Swansea City and defeated by Derby County and then, last weekend, Bournemouth in the FA Cup.

"It's been really different," Brunt added. "Everything comes back to the results on the pitch. The game against Preston was great, the performances away at Sheffield United and Swansea were good. You're disappointed with the defeat at Derby and that's no different to when you're a player. It's very different to what I've been used to over the last few years - my job here is completely different. It was an eye opening experience.

"If we can get a result tomorrow...if you take away the cup game and the first 45 minutes at Derby, everybody has given everything they've got and I've been really pleased with everything - the players and staff at the club have come together in a difficult period, over the holidays. The response has been great and if we can round it off with a win against Stoke, that would be great."

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