[ad_pod ]In the past three months West Brom haven't got a lot right. In fact, since Guochuan Lai walked through the doors in 2016, the club have been stuck in a never-ending cycle of bad news.However, the appointment of Slaven Bilic on Thursday would have had many involved at Albion breathing a huge sigh of relief.After a four-man managerial shortlist had extended to include the likes of Chris Wilder and Bruno Labbadia, their eventual choice was a man who was caught up in his own mess at West Ham not too long ago.It could be a cunning appointment but only time will tell whether Bilic has got the capabilities to take them into the Premier League.But despite some good news, there was a frustrating update only two days before, one which left West Brom fans upset.Journalist John Percy confirmed that their academy manager Mark Harrison would be leaving after 13 years. Where was he going? To rivals Aston Villa.

If they hadn't already suffered in knowing Dwight Gayle wouldn't return and that Jay Rodriguez could be off, this perhaps topped the lot.

Harrison has been vital to West Brom's success at academy level, a step of the game where Darren Moore and Jimmy Shan both learned their trade.

Neither pulled up many trees in first-team management, but it's in terms of the playing staff, Harrison has had a huge say.

As a result, his loss will be significant.

For many years Albion seem to have been a revolving door in terms of talent leaving the Hawthorns.

Off went Saido Berahinho, Kemar Roofe, Izzy Brown and Tyler Roberts. In came some distinctly average footballers.

On the face of it, had they kept some of those players they'd now be perfectly suited for a return to the top-flight. And that would mainly be thanks to Harrison.

The Baggies still have some extremely promising young footballers progressing through the ranks at the moment, not least in Rayhaan Tulloch and Morgan Rogers, whilst Kyle Edwards and Sam Field are also primed for regular minutes next season.

But in Harrison leaving, it threatens to overshadow Bilic's appointment.

For once, West Brom had some positive news but regarding their academy, there is once again a cloud of ash and smoke surrounding it.

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This loss will be tough for the Baggies to deal with. At a time where it looked as though they were set for a new era and rebuild, they'll now have to do it without one of their most influential figures.

Last year, the club boasted more England youth internationals than both Manchester United and Liverpool. Without Harrison, however, there is no guarantee that'll last.

Now that West Brom have appointed a new manager at senior level, getting things right in terms of their youth setup will be equally as important.