There was no great sense of ceremony. No drum rolls or fanfare. That's not his style and yet it was no ordinary comeback when Tony Mowbray strolled through the Hawthorns.
A thick woolen jacket buttoned to the top under a jacket fluttering in the wind, he walked out of the tunnel, waved happily to all sides of the ground as he walked for about a minute, and disappeared again.
He clapped his hands, gave a thumbs up and deftly wedged a large bag of Revels, his favorite chocolates dutifully supplied by mascot Baggie Bird via a clever handshake routine.
West Bromwich Albion fans chanted his name, those who traveled from Stoke City applauded and, although he would not have been looking for sympathy, everyone present felt the same wave of emotion.
It warmed my heart to see Mowbray return looking strong and healthy, ready for another Championship challenge at a club he knows well, a year after taking medical leave from Birmingham City to battle bowel cancer.
There followed 10 hours of surgery to remove 15 centimeters of intestine and the cancerous tumor, and four cycles of chemotherapy.
Tony Mowbray walked around the Hawthorns as his emotional return to the club was confirmed.
West Bromwich Albion fans chanted his name and those traveling from Stoke City applauded Mowbray as he rejoins West Brom following a battle with bowel cancer.
It warmed my heart to see Mowbray return strong and healthy, ready for another Championship challenge at a club he knows well.
At one point he was taking 22 tablets a day and his wife Amber regularly took him on the five-hour round trip to Manchester's Christie Hospital for two or three hours on a saline drip and back. Mowbray curled up in the back seat and slept.
He lost four and a half kilos. And he thought about death. He saw fear in his children's eyes and recognized it in the terrible experience of watching cancer kill his first wife, Bernadette, at age 26.
That's when he called Birmingham and told them he would have to resign to fight for his life.
So it's not just any return. Mowbray returned to football in good health. Cancer-free for six months and with his last check on Tuesday clearing him to return to West Brom.
“I know I'm ready, I'm on fire,” he told The Athletic in a moving interview after his appointment was confirmed on Friday.
Mowbray had made a shortlist of three but appeared to have lost out to Raphael Wicky, the Swiss former Basel and Young Boys coach.
Wicky rejected it and Mowbray accepted and very few fans seemed too disappointed with the result. Many of them quickly recall the excitement of their three years at the helm since 2006.
First, defeat in the play-off final, followed by promotion as champions, scoring 100 goals in all competitions, followed by relegation, although the fans refused to turn against him.
West Brom drew 1-1 against Stoke as Mowbray watched from the stands.
The West Brom mascot handed him a packet of Mowbray's favorite chocolate, Revels, which he duly accepted.
They traveled to Blackburn wearing Mowbray masks for the final match, a surreal culmination to a campaign in which they finished bottom of the Premier League with 32 points, but just three points from safety.
Mowbray refused to abandon his attractive brand of football, although he lamented the fact that his team had “too many artists and not enough soldiers”, a phrase that still resonates with fans as does another of his favorite sayings about players with “beautiful soft feet.” .
On Saturday they relived good memories and Mowbrayisms. “Christmas Eve vibes,” according to Alistair Jones, a subscriber for 43 years and driving force behind the Action for Albion protest group, a catalyst for the end of the unpopular Guochuan Lai ownership and takeover by Shilen Patel.
At the training ground, Mowbray met the players for a five-minute introductory talk that went on for 20 minutes and watched the 1-1 draw from the stands, coming downstairs at half-time to offer some advice to the coaching team. interim led by Chris Brunt.
“His passion for football is unreal,” said Brunt, who signed for Mowbray in 2007 and played for the club for 13 years. “He's just a good footballer and we're delighted to have him back.”
Mowbray had previously left his role at Birmingham following his cancer diagnosis.
Monday's tough starts for Mowbray, who took charge again for a trip to his native Middlesbrough, where he rose through the ranks as a teenage centre-half in a time of crisis, quickly rose to become club captain and built a reputation as an inspiring leader. .
He returned to manage Boro after following his heart from West Brom to Celtic and then Teesside before his managerial career settled and he attracted admiration for his work at Blackburn and Sunderland.
His teams are adventurous and easy on the eye and, along with his loyal assistant Mark Venus, he improves young players along the way. Premier League stars Adam Wharton and Amad Diallo are among those set to benefit from his tutelage. Beautiful soft feet, the pair of them.
Mowbray's return is one of the stories of the season. Encouraging, good news for football and hopefully positive for West Bromwich Albion. An emotional night awaits him when he returns to the touchline on Tuesday at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium. More than a simple return.
Denis Law reminds us that football is about great players
Poignant reflections on the Holy Trinity of Manchester United and the wonderful life of Denis Law should remind us how the best teams are built around great players.
As true now as then. Managers matter, it is important to have the right people at the head of the clubs. But we inflate its importance. Football is about the players. If you put three great people together in a team, great success will attract you.
Poignant reflections on the Holy Trinity of Manchester United and the wonderful life of Denis Law should remind us how the best teams are built around great players.
Klopp still backs Trent
Jurgen Klopp now works for Red Bull, but that doesn't stop him from getting angry over criticism of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
“I still can't believe you're talking about him not being able to defend,” said Klopp, horrified by his introduction to the new role last week. Maybe it's all the caffeine.
Few know better than him how Alexander-Arnold's creative talents overcome his defensive limitations in a ball-dominant team. An attacking force from right back, he opened up Brentford for Saturday's opener. That is his true value and Liverpool will find it difficult to replace him.
Jurgen Klopp now works for Red Bull, but that doesn't stop him from getting angry over criticism of Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Alexander-Arnold continues to be criticized for his defensive ability at Liverpool
Nathan Lowe continues scoring as Stoke comeback
Loan withdrawals may stop promising campaigns, but there is no stopping Walsall. Top scorer Nathan Lowe was called up by Stoke, for whom he started and scored at West Bromwich Albion.
It was the 19th day of the season for the 19-year-old Lowe. Just four miles away, Walsall were overtaking Milton Keynes Dons to make it nine League Two wins in a row.
Lack of opportunities for former black players remains scarce
For a couple of hours with Les Ferdinand as part of his campaign to raise awareness that one in four black men will get prostate cancer, we discussed his hopes of returning to football in an executive role after eight years as the club's director of football. QPR.
Mail Sport's Matt Barlow spoke to Les Ferdinand as part of his campaign to raise awareness that one in four black men will get prostate cancer.
Unfortunately, in this area the odds for black men are less strong. At a rapidly expanding executive level among top English clubs, job opportunities for black former players are as scarce as ever.
The oldest clubs in the world will collide
World football's oldest clubs will collide on Monday at the world's oldest ground when Hallam host Sheffield in a county cup match at Sandygate, where they first met on Boxing Day 1860.
They currently reside in a separate division at levels eight and nine and this will be the first time they meet in competitive action since 2012. They are sold out.