It’s now seven defeats in eleven home games for West Bromwich Albion with the latest loss coming at the hands of Norwich City. And to be quite frank, Albion’s home form this season is simply not good enough.

From being comfortable in mid-table a couple of weeks ago, West Brom now find themselves looking over their shoulder. With Blackburn beating Fulham and Wolves gaining a point at Spurs, it was not the best of Saturday’s for Roy Hodgson’s side.

With league games coming up against Stoke, Swansea, Fulham, Sunderland and Wolves, the Baggies need to start picking up points otherwise they will for sure be dragged into a relegation dogfight. Not exactly what the Baggies faithful want.

Counter-Attack

West Brom were simply undone by two counter attacks on Saturday. But at the same time the Baggies were not clinical in their finishing and failed to take their chances when they came.

Fail to take your chances and the opposition will punish you. That’s exactly what Norwich did to West Brom. Both of Norwich’s goals were preventable and Albion have proven to be the architects of their own downfall in the home defeats against Norwich and Everton.

For the first Norwich goal who was closing down Andrew Surman? Why were the Canaries able to take the ball from deep in their own half and go up the other end and score?

Youssouf Mulumbu was responsible for Norwich’s second goal as his mis-kick enabled the Canaries to counter attack. Steven Morison coolly headed in at the back post to secure three points for Paul Lambert’s team.

Individual errors have cost West Brom dearly in recent times and the Baggies must improve their home form starting with a win against Swansea in their next home league game.

Only time will tell whether Norwich can continue their fine form but there is no denying Paul Lambert has done a terrific job at Carrow Road. With 28 points already on the board, 12 more points for Norwich and for me they are safe.

West Brom’s home form this season has not been great and I cannot understand why? Albion’s home form last season was pretty good and it was probably down to that along with Peter Odemwingie’s goals that kept West Brom up. Why are Albion performing poorly at home this season whereas they have picked up four wins on the road? As I have already said, the Baggies have to buck up their ideas and drastically improve at home.

Transfer Window and Stoke

Injuries have taken their toll on West Brom within the last month and I’m sure Roy Hodgson will be looking to bring in two/three players.

Scott Allan has already joined Albion this month having signed from Dundee United. Will he be the first of many arrivals at The Hawthorns this month? West Brom could do with another defender and the likes of Nedum Onuoha and Liam Ridgewell have been linked with moves to Albion. Onuoha has also been linked with QPR, Everton and Wolves.

Would Onuoha be a good addition for the Baggies? I don’t see why not and he has already proven he can cut in the top flight after a successful loan spell with Sunderland last season.

Birmingham City have done remarkably well in the Championship considering their financial problems. But I would not be surprised if Albion did put a bid in for Ridgewell. The former Villa defender has played in the top flight and knows what the Premier League is all about. I personally think he would be a shrewd acquisition. Blues winger Jean Beausejour has also been linked with a move to The Hawthorns.

Do West Brom need another striker? I think they could do with bringing one in whether that would be a permanent deal or on loan. Peter Odemwingie has not really delivered so far this season but I have every faith the Nigerian will re-discover his sparkling form from last season.

Shane Long has done extremely well and he straight away made an impact on the Norwich game. We have already seen signs that the Long – Odemwingie partnership can work.

Simon Cox is a natural finisher and knows where the back of the net is as he proved against Cardiff in the FA Cup Third Round. Cox does need a run in the side but when Odemwingie and Long are fit, it is difficult to see how Cox can get into the starting XI.

Stoke City are next up for Albion and it promises to be another difficult game for the Baggies. West Brom will end their hoodoo against The Potters at some point but on current form, Albion will not be doing that on Saturday.

Peter Crouch, Jon Walters and Matthew Etherington will need to be kept quiet if Albion are to get anything from the Britannia. And of course not forgetting Rory Delap’s long throw-ins will need to be dealt with.

Every team have a bad spell and West Brom are having one of those spells where nothing is going for them. We have seen this season whenever Albion have had a bad spell, they have bounced back. And despite suffering three straight defeats, I am still confident Albion will stay up and get back to winning ways soon.

All the Albion players need to step up to the plate and cut out the individual errors. No doubt they will need to show their battling qualities when they go up against Tony Pulis and Stoke on Saturday.

Let’s Get Behind The Albion! Up The Baggies!

Just when you thought West Brom were starting to get over their defensive problems, they go and concede three soft goals against Swansea.

The Swans totally deserved their win and for sure there will be one or two alarm bells ringing at The Hawthorns. Albion were simply not good enough on Saturday and those performances will see the Baggies dragged into a relegation battle.

Again questions were raised about West Brom’s 4-4-2 formation after the full-time whistle. I still maintain that Albion’s best formation is 4-5-1 and I personally feel Roy Hodgson should consider going back to 4-5-1.

West Brom should have enough to survive in the Premier League this season but the performance against Swansea has to be a one-off.

Defensive Mistakes

Paul Scharner’s clumsy tackle on Joe Allen in the penalty area which led to the penalty was just the start of things to come.

Allen was going away from goal and there was no need for Scharner to slide in. Had the Austrian stayed on his feet, no penalty would have been awarded. Scott Sinclair dispatched the penalty well and the Swans went one-nil up.

Shane Long had a golden opportunity to equalise for Albion whilst the score was one-nil. Neil Taylor’s back pass was intercepted by Long and the Irishman was in on goal. However Long snatched at the opportunity and blazed the ball high and wide.

Sinclair was at it again and he played a major part in Swansea’s second goal. A well worked corner picked out Sinclair in acres of space in the 18-yard box. Sinclair was then able to head the ball towards goal and Leroy Lita had the final touch to put Swansea two goals to the good.

The marking from the corner was really poor and West Brom only had themselves to blame. Nobody picked up Sinclair and Albion should have done better to prevent that goal.

It was game set and match for Swansea early in the second half as Nathan Dyer made it three-nil. A long punt up front saw Sinclair climb above Jonas Olsson and flick the ball onto Dyer.

Dyer made no mistake with the finish and Swansea were home and dry. Olsson never really competed with Sinclair and had the Swede got above the Swansea striker, the score will have remained two-nil.

Albion were creating chances after Swansea scored their third goal. But by then it was all little too late.

Fulham

You would have hoped the result against Norwich will have got the Albion players fired up for the game against Brendan Rodgers’ side. But West Brom did not turn up and they failed to get out of the blocks quickly.

The Albion fans will be hoping the performance against Swansea is a one-off and that the Baggies can pick up three points against Fulham. However Fulham will be heading to The Hawthorns on the back of a creditable 2-2 draw against Manchester City.

And with Andy Johnson, Bobby Zamora and Brede Hangeland in Fulham’s ranks, West Brom will need to be at their best to keep Zamora and Co quiet.

There have been glimpses where we have seen West Brom being dangerous going forward. But defensively there have been occasions where Albion have been at sixes and sevens at the back.

The Baggies will start the Fulham game at the bottom of the Barclays Premier League table. But I have every faith in Hodgson that he will turn the season around and with only five games gone, there is still time for Albion to get their season back on track.

This would be my starting XI for the game against Fulham: (4-5-1) Foster, Shorey, Dawson, Olsson, Reid, Scharner, Mulumbu, Thomas (R), Dorrans, Brunt (L), Odemwingie. Subs: Fulop. McAuley, Morrison, Long, Tchoyi, Gera (providing he is match fit) and Jara.

Keep The Faith and Lets Get Behind The Albion! Up The Baggies!

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel edged closer to his second consecutive Drivers title after the German made it eight wins in 2011 with his latest victory came at the illustrious Monza. Providing results go his way and he wins in Singapore, Vettel will be crowned World Champion.

Delight for one Red Bull driver but disappointment for the other as Mark Webber retired from the race. The Australian lost his front wing at Turn two after trying to get past Felipe Massa and then Webber went straight into the wall at the Parabolica on lap five. It was yet another frustrating weekend for Mark.

McLaren’s Jenson Button finished Sunday’s race second ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton who came home in fourth. Button is currently ahead of Lewis in the Drivers Championship and some would say this is Jenson’s best chance to stay ahead of Hamilton.

The Tifosi turned out in their thousands hoping to see a repeat of last years Italian Grand Prix where Fernando Alonso stepped onto the top step of the podium. The Spaniard in this years race finished third with Felipe Massa in sixth.

Michael Schumacher put in another fine performance to beat his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg. Schumacher finished the race fifth and was involved in an enthralling battle with Lewis Hamilton.

Toro Rosso have fond memories of Monza after Sebastian Vettel picked up their first and only win in F1 at Monza in 2008. This year Jaime Alguersuari once again came through the field to finish in an impressive seventh place and Sebastian Buemi finished in tenth.

Force India’s Paul di Resta came home in eighth and Renault’s Bruno Senna scored his first ever points in Formula One as he took the chequered in ninth.

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It might not have been the prettiest game to watch but West Bromwich Albion picked up their first points and win of the season away at Norwich City.

There were controversial moments and Albion were not entirely at their best but the Baggies got the three points and that’s what counts.

How many times have we seen Manchester United play poorly and yet they are still able to pick up three points. The season opener against Roy Hodgson’s side is a classic example.

From a Baggies perspective, hopefully the win against Norwich will be the result that kick-starts West Bromwich Albion’s season.

Long and Odemwingie

The game against the Canaries saw Albion field Shane Long upfront alongside Peter Odemwingie for the first time this season.

Both strikers will be a threat for any opposition and it was great to see Odemwingie back in action. The Nigerian may have missed a penalty in the second half but he certainly put himself about and gave the Norwich defence something to think about throughout the game.

Long has adapted to life in the Premier League very well and I have been very impressed with the way the former Reading striker has performed so far in an Albion shirt. If he continues his fine form, the Irishman may well turn out to be one of the signings of the season.

A lot has been said about what the best formation for the Baggies is. 4-5-1 was the main formation West Brom stuck with last season but this season has seen Roy Hodgson field a 4-4-2 formation.

Selecting 4-4-2 has seen Somen Tchoyi partner Shane Long in attack this season. Would Albion be better off going 4-5-1? Personally I feel 4-5-1 is the best formation for Albion but at the same time I do want to see more of the Odemwingie-Long partnership.

With 4-5-1, Albion can at least allow the likes of Chris Brunt, James Morrison, Graham Dorrans and Co to bomb on with Paul Scharner and Youssouf Mulumbu sitting in front of the back four. But then again both Scharner and Mulumbu like to get forward as well.

Resilience

Without question, luck was with Albion on Sunday and there were a couple of things the Baggies got away with. Steven Reid was lucky to get away with only a yellow card after committing a ‘rugby’ tackle on Steven Morison in the second half.

And then of course Gabriel Tamas elbowed Norwich striker James Vaughan in the dying minutes of the game. Had referee Mark Halsey seen that, a penalty would probably have been given.

The Romanian has been charged with violent conduct and will probably miss the next three games. It will be interesting to see who will take Tamas’ place. Will Scharner move to centre-back or will Craig Dawson be given a chance against Swansea on Saturday?

Keeping a clean sheet against Norwich will please Roy Hodgson but there is still room for improvement. West Brom did show a lot of resilience on Sunday and they will need plenty of that for the remainder of the season. But like I have said, Albion can still improve.

Football is a results business and it was vital the Baggies got three points at Carrow Road. No matter how you play, getting the three points is all that matters.

Also a mention for Graham Dorrans as well. We saw on Sunday glimpses of the Dorrans we saw in the 2009/2010 Championship season. The Scotsman had a fine game and was unlucky not to score in the first half after hitting the post with a long range effort from 25 yards out.

Swansea next and the Swans will certainly provide a stern test for Albion. Brendan Rodgers’ side may be goalless in the Premier League but the likes of Scott Sinclair and Nathan Dyer will be a threat for Swansea.

Swansea were unlucky not to get a result at Arsenal and had Danny Graham had his shooting boots on, the Welsh side might have got a draw. West Brom will need to be at their very best to keep Sinclair and Dyer quiet but there is no reason why Albion cannot go to the Liberty Stadium and beat Swansea.

I would also like to send my condolences to Brendan Rodgers and his family after Brendan’s father sadly passed away on Saturday.

Heartbroken, shocked and dejected. Three words you can use to describe how Albion fans will have been feeling after the defeat at home against Stoke.

When are West Bromwich Albion going to end their hoodoo against Stoke? The Baggies yet again conceded in the last ten minutes and the manner of the goal conceded was appalling.

There are bound to be West Brom fans out there who are starting to get a little bit worried and I wonder whether Roy Hodgson will consider bringing in a defender before the transfer window closes on Wednesday.

But there is still a long way to go and Albion are capable of having another good season in the Barclays Premier League. All is not lost.

Possession

West Bromwich Albion should have picked up at least a point and got their season running on Sunday. Stoke did have chances but Albion for me dominated the game and were more than a match for Tony Pulis’ side.

West Brom had plenty of possession throughout the game but were unable to make it count and were made to pay for their missed chances.

The link up play at times from the Baggies was pleasing on the eye. And I know its easier said then done but when you get chances you’ve got to take them. Look at what Manchester United did on Sunday.

Yes United are a better side than Albion but when the chances came to score against Arsenal, United took them and put eight past their opponents. Plus United were ruthless in front of goal. Something West Brom should take note of.

Shane Long’s header in the first half was brilliantly saved by Asmir Begovic and that was Albion’s best chance of the match. Somen Tchoyi played well again and he’s probably been one positive for the Baggies so far this season.

Mistakes

Just when you thought Albion had learnt from their mistakes against Chelsea and Manchester United, they go and concede in the last minute of the game. You need to be switched on right from the word go until the end of the game.

Ben Foster and Gabriel Tamas were at fault for the Stoke goal and you cannot afford to be making mistakes week in week out otherwise the opposition will punish you. Stoke did just that.

Foster for me should have come for the ball and not waited for Tamas to deal with it. Problem = Communication. If Foster had come out and made the call that the ball was his, Stoke would not have scored. Simple as. Had Gabriel Tamas headed the ball out of play, Stoke would not have scored.

Did Ryan Shotton win the ball off Foster with a high foot? I’m not sure. But that should not have happened in the first place anyway.

However you have to give credit to Stoke and Tony Pulis. Pulis has always made Stoke difficult to beat and for sure his side are a benchmark to the likes of Norwich, Swansea and QPR in establishing themselves as a Premier League side.

Defensive mistakes in the last ten minutes have cost West Brom in the first three games of the season. This has to stop now and the next two games against Norwich and Swansea are must-win.

I can imagine Roy Hodgson will have gone ballistic with his players at full-time and rightly so. Apart from Wayne Rooney’s goal in the opening game, Albion have conceded soft goals. United’s second goal, both of Chelsea’s goals and Stoke’s winning goal were preventable.

The International break has come at a good time in my view for Albion. At least in that time they can regroup and do more work on the training ground ahead of the next fixture.

Regarding signings, I am very surprised Albion have not gone in for Scott Dann. Dann would be a terrific centre-back partner for Jonas Olsson and the former Walsall defender has already proved he can cut it in the top flight.

Owen Hargreaves as I have said would be a decent signing. I still think Albion could do with another striker but Hodgson has already said he does not expect to see West Brom sign any more players before the transfer window.

Still lets see what happens before the transfer window closes. Up The Baggies and Keep The Faith.

Manchester United at home and then Chelsea away. West Bromwich Albion could not have asked for a tougher start.

It was always going to be difficult for the Baggies to get anything from the first two fixtures of the season. But reflecting back on both games, Albion could so easily have got two draws.

Losing games and playing well is something Roy Hodgson will want to put right as soon as possible. But lets not forget, Albion’s opening two fixtures were against superior opposition and you could argue the season starts on Sunday at home to Stoke.

West Brom can take a lot of positives from the opening two fixtures. But now the pressure is on to get results against Stoke, Norwich and Swansea and start picking up points.

Fun whilst it lasted

Before Nicolas Anelka equalised for the hosts, I’m sure most Albion fans were in dreamland. 1-0 to Albion at half-time and it was fully deserved.

The Baggies got off to a fantastic start with Shane Long scoring his second goal in Albion colours. The former Reading striker pounced on Alex’s dallying near the centre circle and was then able to race towards the goal before slotting the ball calmly past Hilario.

West Brom then had a golden opportunity to make it 2-0. Chris Brunt’s long ball caught out the Chelsea defence and Long was in on goal. The Irishman once he got into the penalty area had Somen Tchoyi in support and all Long had to do was square it to the Cameroon international who would have had a tap in.

But Long’s pass into Tchoyi had too much pace on it and the chance was gone. Having said that, Long himself could have had a shot. A missed chance and a missed opportunity to go 2-0 up.

Chelsea did not create any clear cut chances in the first half although Ben Foster did well to keep out Ashley Cole’s long range effort.

Harsh

Chelsea did improve after half-time and Anelka’s equaliser went in off the unfortunate Jonas Olsson and it was 1-1.

West Brom never gave up even after Florent Malouda put Chelsea 2-1 ahead with seven minutes to go. Perhaps Albion’s defence could have done better to prevent Jose Bosingwa putting in the cross that led to Malouda scoring Chelsea’s second goal.

Peter Odemwingie who signed a new contract much to the relief of Albion fans had a chance to make it 2-2 late on. But his volley went straight into the arms of Hilario and the Baggies were left to rue another missed opportunity to get a result against the big boys.

The final scoreline was harsh on Albion and I felt Roy Hodgson’s side deserved at least a point. There is a fine line between winning and losing games.

Conceding goals in the last ten minutes against Manchester United and Chelsea will have been a bitter blow for Albion after battling so hard. This needs to stop and this is an issue I’m sure Hodgson will address to his players.

The Hawthorns outfit unfortunately were unable to add to Long’s early goal but still there were positives to come out of the game.

We saw West Brom give Man. Utd and Chelsea a run for their money and if they can do that for the rest of season and get results, the Baggies will stay up comfortably. I have got every confidence Albion will survive.

Stoke, Norwich and Swansea coming up for the Baggies and its vital Albion start picking up some points. And I’m sure West Brom will want to put one over Stoke and end their hoodoo.

Also a great win for the Baggies against Bournemouth in the Second Round of the Carling Cup. It was also great to see Marc-Antoine Fortune back in amongst the goals. That will do his confidence the world of good.

This time last year the Baggies were on the end of a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Chelsea. Forward a year later, Manchester United for sure were made to work hard for their 2-1 win on Sunday by Albion.

Plenty of positives to come out of the game and for me this season is all about West Brom consolidating their place in the Premier League. And from what I saw against Manchester United, I can see the Baggies doing just that.

Difference

It was always going to be difficult for Albion to get something out of the game. But apart from the goals United scored, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side didn’t create many clear cut chances and Ben Foster didn’t have much to do.

For the first 20 minutes of the game, I just felt Albion gave Man. Utd too much respect but United’s first goal was a great team goal. The link up play for the goal was exquisite and Wayne Rooney finished well to put United in front.

Nani could have and should have put the Red Devils 2-0 up after Foster punched the ball from a corner straight into the Portuguese winger’s path. However Nani blazed his effort over the bar and the chance was gone.

But West Brom appeared to have got a lift after Paul Scharner’s long range effort and from there the Baggies were on the front foot.

Shane Long may well prove to be one of the shining lights of the Premier League this season and scoring on his West Brom debut will do his confidence the world of good. You could argue David De Gea should have kept out Long’s effort and the media will no doubt point out the Spanish goalkeeper made another howler.

But the former Reading striker certainly put in a shift and if Sunday’s performance is anything to go by, Long and Peter Odemwingie could be a potent strike force.

There are still questions about Odemwingie’s future but if I’m honest with you, the Nigerian would be better off staying at The Hawthorns. Peter has a contract at Albion and he should respect that.

Albion’s second half performance was an improvement on the first half and apart from conceding goal; the Baggies did not put a foot wrong.

Ashley Young is one player who can give any defence the run around and his low cross went in off the unlucky Steven Reid. United hung on to the three points and the Baggies were unfortunate not to take at least a point from the game.

On paper when you looked at the team sheets, you would have expected Man. Utd to win the game comfortably. But West Brom gave it everything and I actually thought they defended well. Albion also limited the number of chances United had on the West Brom goal.

Reflecting on the game, there was not much difference between the sides and Albion could so easily have got a draw. However despite the defeat, there is cause for optimism for West Brom and their fans.

More Signings?

Owen Hargreaves has already held talks with West Brom and the former Bayern Munich midfielder would be great signing in my opinion. Yes he has had his injury problems but he would be a fine addition to the squad.

With Ishmael Miller on his way to Nottingham Forest, I reckon the Baggies could do with another striker. But who? Daniel Sturridge on loan perhaps? Or possibly bring Carlos Vela back.

Liam Ridgewell has been linked with a move to The Hawthorns and for me the former Villa defender would be a decent acquisition for the Baggies. Ridgewell has experience and he knows what the Premier League is all about.

I was listening to what the fans had to say after Sunday’s game and the one area that was a concern for them was the right back area. We have yet to see Billy Jones in action so lets see what the ex-Preston man can do.

So Albion travel to Stamford Bridge on Saturday to take on Chelsea. West Brom could not have asked for two tougher games to start the season with but Sunday’s performance from the Baggies was encouraging.

I am optimistic West Brom will stay out of trouble and its vital the players and fans don’t get carried away after last season. But with Roy Hodgson in charge, the Baggies will for sure be no pushovers as we saw on Sunday.

There are three worse sides than Albion and I will be very surprised if West Brom were to get relegated come the end of the season. The only way is up and under Hodgson; I can see the future being bright for Albion.

Up The Baggies!

Hamilton had written off McLaren’s chances of challenging Red Bull at the German Grand Prix and yet in qualifying, Lewis only found himself five-hundredths of a second behind pole sitter Mark Webber on Saturday.

The 2008 World Champion put in a sensational lap in Q3 and things were about to get a whole lot better for him on race day. No doubt Lewis will have been on a high come the end of Saturday and that was without doubt Hamilton’s best qualifying performance of the season. Managing to split the Red Bull’s as well was a fine effort from Lewis.

The Brit was able to leapfrog Webber at the start and then went onto drive a faultless race. You could argue the turning point came on lap 33 when Hamilton pulled off a tremendous move on Fernando Alonso by taking the outside line at Turn 2 to get past the Spaniard. That has to be a contender for overtaking manoeuvre of the season so far.

But on the other side of the coin, Jenson Button had yet another weekend he will want to forget. After only being able to qualify 7th and a full second behind his team-mate, qualifying did not go to plan for the 2009 World Champion. And on Sunday, Button made a poor start and was then later forced to retire due to hydraulics problems.

It was not the best of weekends for Jenson and he will be hoping for a strong weekend in Hungary. Being a whole second behind Hamilton in qualifying will have been a concern for Button.

I’ve said this time and time again but Button does need to improve his qualifying to give himself a chance of at least challenging Red Bull and Ferrari. But Lewis’ performance in Germany will give Jenson hope that McLaren are getting closer to Red Bull.

Despite not winning the race, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso put in another strong performance to finish the race 2nd behind Hamilton. Alonso may have been slightly disappointed to have only managed to qualify 4th. But as we have seen in 2011, both Alonso and Felipe Massa have made flying starts in the majority of races.

Since Monaco, Ferrari and Alonso have been pretty impressive and for me it was no surprise the Spaniard won at Silverstone. But its just frustrating that Ferrari seem to get into their stride during the middle part of the season and not at the beginning of the season as we have seen this year and in 2010.

Make no mistake though Ferrari are back and don’t underestimate Fernando Alonso. Fernando’s team-mate Felipe Massa came home 5th after losing out to Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel on the final lap in the final pit stop. Massa was in front of Vettel heading into the pit lane on the final lap but Sebastian left the pit lane ahead of Felipe after the Ferrari pit crew were slow to release the Brazilian.

Massa for me has made a solid start this year and I would love to see him win another race. Felipe is the No.2 driver at Ferrari but there have been occasions where the Brazilian has finished in front of Fernando so Alonso has not had it all his own way in 2011.

Sebastian Vettel is still 70+ points clear of the second placed man in the Drivers standings but Sunday’s race was not a walk in the park for last years World Champion.

It was the first time really where we saw Vettel making rare mistakes although he did make an error on the final lap of the Canadian Grand Prix to allow Jenson Button to take the chequered flag.

For sure Vettel is in the box seat even though he finished the race 4th. And the likes of Hamilton, Webber and Alonso would like to be where Seb is in the Drivers standings. I still fancy Vettel to take the 2011 crown but the last two Grand Prix’s have given McLaren and Ferrari hope that they can take the fight to Red Bull.

As for Mark Webber he put in a fantastic lap on Saturday to qualify pole. But on Sunday, the Australian was unable to capitalise and finished the race 3rd.

It was another missed opportunity for Webber to convert pole into a race win. Just how many chances does he need to try and win his first race of 2011?

Mark did finish the race ahead of Sebastian so that will be a huge boost. But yet again Mark did not make the best of starts to the race. Like Massa, I would love to see Webber win a race this year but he needs to convert pole into race victories.

Along with Lewis Hamilton, Force India’s Adrian Sutil will have been a contender for driver of the day after the German finished the race in a superb 6th place. Sutil was able to make his two stop strategy work and he even beat both Mercedes drivers.

Sutil had a good solid weekend and he will be hoping for more of the same at the Hungaroring. The battle for 6th in the Constructors between Sauber, Force India and Toro Rosso might just go down to the wire and I would not like to call who will come out on top.

There has also been speculation about Nico Hulkenburg wanting a Force India race seat for next season so it will be interesting to see driver line-up at the team next season.

Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished Sunday’s race 7th and 8th for Mercedes. It was a double points finish for the team but this was supposed the season where we saw both drivers challenging Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren on a regular basis. But it has not panned out like that.
I’m one of those who still feel we have yet to see the best of Nico Rosberg. This is Rosberg’s 6th season in Formula One and some will argue he should have won a race by now.

But to be fair to him he has not been given a car in which he can challenge for race victories. Look at how long it took for Jenson Button to record his first victory.

Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi finished in the points yet again as he finished 9th. And Lotus Renault’s Vitaly Petrov picked up the final point as he came home in 10th.

HRT’s Daniel Ricciardo finished the race in what was only his second start in Formula One. And well done to Karun Chandhok who managed to finish the race. The Indian driver replaced Jarno Trulli for the German Grand Prix weekend and I suppose the best he could have wished for was to finish the race.

The German Grand Prix Podcast will be uploaded tommorow so watch this space.

Just as we thought Sebastian Vettel was going to make it seven wins out of nine, a rare mistake from the Red Bull pit crew allowed Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso to leapfrog the German and go onto to take his first win of 2011.

Alonso still finds himself 90+ points behind Vettel in the Drivers standings but could the result at the British Grand Prix be the result that turns the season around? Only time will tell.

Felipe Massa also played his part in this stunning Grand Prix. The Brazilian had some great battles with both Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. Massa finished the race 5th.

It was another frustrating weekend for McLaren as Hamilton ended Sunday’s race 4th and Button was forced to retire. Qualifying yet again proved to be McLaren’s Achilles heel and the team will be looking for a strong a result in Germany.

Nico Rosberg was the first of the two stoppers to finish the race as he finished in 6th. Rosberg’s team-mate Michael Schumacher despite having to serve a stop go and change his front wing picked up two points and finished 9th.

Schumacher recovered well but the seven-times World Champion could have finished higher up had he not caused a collision with Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi.

Sauber’s Sergio Perez continues to impress in his debut season as he finished 7th ahead of Lotus Renault’s Nick Heidfeld. And Jaime Alguersuari continued his revival with another points finish.

Force India’s Paul di Resta had a sensational Saturday by qualifying sixth. But di Resta lost roughly 25 seconds during his second stop in the race as the team were expecting Adrian Sutil. That pit stop ruined di Resta’s race and then the Scotsman collided with Sebastian Buemi. It was an unfortunate end to what promised to be a decent weekend for Paul.

And finally Daniel Ricciardo made his Formula One debut with Hispania. The best the Aussie could have hoped for was to finish the race and that’s exactly what he did.

You can follow Manish Patel on Twitter (@Baggies20) and you can also read about Manish’s opinions on every Grand Prix weekend by visiting his blog: http://mannyi.wordpress.com/

Alonso and Ferrari have been improving leaps and bounds since Monaco and I suppose it was only a matter of time before Ferrari registered their first win of the season. And in the last couple of races it has been Ferrari who have been Red Bull’s major competitors. A worrying sign for all those associated with McLaren.

But take nothing away from Fernando. He was impressive throughout the weekend at Silverstone and put in a sterling performance. Even Vettel, Webber and Christian Horner admitted Ferrari deserved the win.

Alonso still finds himself 90+ points behind Vettel in the Drivers standings but could the result at the British Grand Prix be the result that turns the season around? Only time will tell.

As much as people might hate him, there is no denying Alonso is one of the best drivers around and on any given day he is hard to beat as we saw on Sunday.

The Spaniard came out on top in last years controversial German Grand Prix. Will Alonso make it two wins on the trot? I wouldn’t bet against it.

Also a mention for Felipe Massa as well. The Brazilian did well to bring the car home in 5th and he certainly had some great tussles with both Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton.

Massa might not have won a Grand Prix since Brazil 2008 but I have seen signs that Felipe is getting back to his best. I still think Massa is capable of winning more races but saying that he is in many people’s views Ferrari’s second driver.

So what’s happened to McLaren? Have the wheels come off the McLaren bandwagon? It is too early to say but things have not exactly gone to plan for the team since Button’s stunning win in Canada.

The weather did play its part in qualifying but I’m sure both Jenson and Lewis will have been disappointed to only qualify 5th and 10th. Worryingly for McLaren, it has been Ferrari who have been the more closer to challenging Red Bull in recent Grand Prix’s.

Hamilton and Button again never really had the pace to trouble Vettel and Co and McLaren really do need a result in Germany to get their season back on track.

Lewis had a decent race in my view and did well to come through the field and finish 4th which was the best result McLaren could have achieved. The 2008 World Champion had to be at his best to keep Massa behind him in the dying moments of the race.

For the British fans it would have been great to see Hamilton on the podium but there was nothing the Brit could do to stop Mark Webber getting past him. No doubt Hamilton’s heart will have sank when he was told to save fuel with over 10 laps to go.

Jenson Button’s hoodoo of not finishing on the podium at Silverstone continued as the 2009 World Champion was forced to retire due to the front right tyre not being properly attached in his final pit stop.

Had that not happened, Button could have also challenged for a podium spot and he might have been able to beat Webber. Jenson will have been frustrated not to have given the home crowd something to cheer about in the end but his fine move on Massa on lap 15 certainly sent the British fans wild.

McLaren desperately need to get back to winning ways as soon as possible and give Lewis and Jenson a winning car and a car that can challenge Red Bull from Germany onwards.

The Red Bull’s of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber finished 2nd and 3rd and had Vettel not had his pit stop problem, the German may well have gone onto record his seventh win of 2011.

Seb is still 80 points clear of his closest rival in the Drivers so he should not be disappointed with finishing Sunday’s race 2nd. Yes he will have wanted to have won the race but he cannot complain with the way 2011 has panned out for him.

It is difficult to see who will stop Red Bull and Vettel but as we saw in Canada and on Sunday, Red Bull can make mistakes and they are not invincible.

One man who will have been disgruntled with how the race ended on Sunday was Mark Webber. The Aussie was closing the gap between himself and Vettel in the closing stages of the race and it looked as if Webber would get past his team-mate.

But having been told to back off and ‘maintain the gap’, Mark had to settle for third. I can totally understand Mark’s frustrations but I can also understand Red Bull’s decision in telling Mark to stay behind Sebastian. After what happened in Turkey last year, perhaps that had an influence on the team’s decision in not allowing their drivers to race each other.

I just wonder where Webber’s future lies now. Mark psychologically does need to finish a race in front of his team-mate and Sunday was his best chance to do that. Red Bull robbed him of doing that and I really do feel sorry for Webber.

The former Williams driver did qualify on pole but yet again he made a poor start to the race and that allowed Vettel to get by. Does the Aussie want to remain with Red Bull or is he looking to move on? It will be interesting to see where Webber ends up in 2012.

Nico Rosberg was the first of the two stoppers to finish the race as he finished in 6th. Rosberg’s team-mate Michael Schumacher despite having to serve a stop go and change his front wing picked up two points and finished 9th. Schumacher recovered well but the seven-times World Champion could have finished higher up had he not caused a collision with Sauber’s Kamui Kobayashi. Mercedes will definitely want to put in a strong performance in front of their home crowd next time out at the Nurburgring.

Sauber’s Sergio Perez continues to impress in his debut season as he finished 7th ahead of Lotus Renault’s Nick Heidfeld. And Jaime Alguersuari continued his revival with another points finish.

Force India’s Paul di Resta had a sensational Saturday by qualifying sixth. But di Resta lost roughly 25 seconds during his second stop in the race as the team were expecting Adrian Sutil. That pit stop ruined di Resta’s race and then the Scotsman collided with Sebastian Buemi. It was an unfortunate end to what promised to be a decent weekend for Paul.

But there is no doubt Paul has been a shining light of 2011 and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him driving for a top team in the future. Despite not picking up any points, Force India can take plenty of encouragement from how Saturday went. They now need to convert those strong qualifying performances into points.

And finally Daniel Ricciardo made his Formula One debut with Hispania. The best the Aussie could have hoped for was to finish the race and that’s exactly what he did. Ricciardo was even beating Tonio Liuzzi in the Free Practice sessions so Liuzzi does have a battle on his hands if he wants to be the No.1 driver within the team.

It was a cracking British Grand Prix and the Silverstone Wing looks fantastic. The future looks bright for British Motor Racing.

Germany here we come!