Manish’s Verdict on The Baggies – Swansea City (H)

Same Old Story Again For The Baggies

It was yet another frustrating Saturday for West Bromwich Albion and their fans. And again they were on the receiving end of another 2-1 defeat at home.

Surely Albion’s home form cannot get worse. But with the way things are going, it is difficult to see when West Brom’s next win at The Hawthorns will come.

The Baggies cannot keep relying on their away form and they really do need to start picking up points at home. Otherwise Roy Hodgson’s side will be dragged into a relegation dogfight.

And just the small matter of a Black Country derby against Wolves next weekend. Wolves will be feeling upbeat after their 2-1 win at Loftus Road against QPR. With the game being played at Molineux, West Brom can go there and perhaps play with a bit more freedom.

Fully Deserved

As much as we can criticise the Baggies for another poor result at home, you have to give credit to Swansea City. The Swans have been a real breath of fresh air to the Premier League along with Norwich.

Despite the difficult conditions, Swansea stuck to their philosophy of playing free flowing football and both of their goals were decent team goals. For much of the first half, Swansea did boss the game and the Albion faithful understandably were getting restless with their side.

West Brom did have the chances in the first 45 but the fact Swansea were able to dominate the majority of the first half will have displeased the home crowd. West Brom should have been awarded a penalty after Ashley Williams’ blatant handball.

Had The Baggies been awarded a penalty and scored it, perhaps it might have been a different game. But Albion on the day were simply not good enough and shot themselves in the foot once again.

Marc- Antoine Fortune has been one of the positives in the last couple of weeks and scoring against Swansea will do his confidence the world of good.

But you are always vulnerable once you have scored and the Swans immediately went up the other end and equalised after Fortune had given Albion the lead on 54 minutes.

Questions marks as to who was tracking Gylfi Sigurdsson for the equaliser will come up. Sigurdsson also played a major part in the winning goal. The Iceland International’s cross from the right found Danny Graham and the ex-Watford striker made no mistake from close range to guide the ball past Ben Foster.

Peter Odemwingie will no doubt be dwelling on his shocking miss on the 70^th minute with Albion having been 2-1 down. Graham Dorrans was able to pick out the Nigerian with a pin-point cross from the right and from six yards out all Odemwingie had to do was guide the ball home.

With no one even close to him and with the goalkeeper Michael Vorm stranded, Odemwingie blazed over and missed an absolute sitter.  All he had to do was compose himself and side foot the ball into the back of the net. The Peter Odemwingie of last season will have scored that missed chance.

I’m not sure what has happened to Odemwingie this season but at the minute I do feel he is lacking in confidence. Whether injuries have taken its toll on him this season I’m not entirely sure.

But over the 90 minutes, Swansea in my view deserved the three points. The Baggies for me didn’t test Vorm enough and didn’t create many clear cut chances apart from Odemwingie’s sitter.

Signings and Wolves

The Baggies made two signings on transfer deadline day with Liam Ridgewell and Keith Andrews joining The Hawthorns outfit. Ridgewell was an expected signing but I certainly wasn’t expecting Albion to sign Andrews at the beginning of the day.

Considering the financial troubles Birmingham City are in, I guess it was inevitable Ridgewell would be leaving St. Andrews. Ridgewell also handed in a transfer request so it is no real surprise he has joined Albion.

Having played in the Premier League with Villa and Blues, Ridgewell has bags of experience and I’m sure he will turn out to be a decent signing for The Baggies. I would be tempted to start with Ridgewell in place of Nicky Shorey at Left-Back against Wolves.

Keith Andrews is an interesting signing. The former Wolves midfielder was out on loan at Ipswich earlier this season and scored nine goals in 19 appearances for The Tractor Boys.

Andrews will be looking to force his way into the first-team squad so he can get into the Ireland squad for Euro 2012. How ironic would it be if Andrews were to make his debut for Albion against Wolves? We will find out next Sunday whether he does or not?

Next Sunday’s Black Country Derby will be a massive game for both sides. Provided they are not in the bottom three before kick-off next Sunday, Wolves will want to pull further clear of relegation zone.

Albion are currently six points above the relegation zone and will be looking to complete the double over their deadly rivals on Sunday. Shane Long could be set for a return to the Albion side providing he shakes off a chest injury.

And as they are away from home, The Baggies at least won’t have to deal with the pressure of playing at home.

This is the team I would start with against Wolves: Foster, Ridgewell, McAuley, Olsson, Reid, Thomas, Mulumbu, Morrison, Tchoyi, Long, Fortune. Subs: Fulop, Shorey, Andrews, Odemwingie, Dorrans, Scharner, Cox.

The result was a disappointing one against Swansea along with the performance. But let’s get behind the Baggies at Molineux and roar the team onto three crucial points. Come on You Baggies!

Manish’s Verdict on The Baggies – Norwich City (Away)

Albion Finally Off The Mark.

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.

Baggies Bring Blues Back Down To Earth

Many West Bromwich Albion fans will have probably thought Saturday was the perfect time to play Birmingham City after the Blues’ heroics in the Carling Cup final.

After an uneventful first half, the second half sparked into life once Youssouf Mulumbu put the Baggies in front.

Despite Birmingham equalising immediately, Albion scored two more goals to secure their third away win of the season as well as three crucial points. 

Five points out of a possible nine for Roy Hodgson in his first three games as Head Coach. Not a bad start at all and its obvious that Albion have reaped benefits from what Hodgson has done.

Still plenty of work to be done but the signs look good for West Brom.

Resilience

Not many teams will go to Stoke and Birmingham and get anything so for Albion to get four points is pretty impressive.

I’m sure the point against Stoke will have given Hodgson’s side a lot more confidence heading into the game against Blues.

The Baggies could so easily have gone on to win the game against The Potters but still a point against Stoke is not a bad result.

The last two games have given me optimism that West Brom can get themselves out of trouble. In both the games against Stoke and Birmingham, Albion kept plugging away and you could not question the commitment and desire the players showed.

For me it was no major surprise on Saturday that Hodgson stuck with the same starting eleven who were in the line-up to play Stoke. Only Graham Dorrans failed to start against Birmingham after picking up an injury in training.

The first half was a non-event although Hodgson would probably have taken 0-0 at half-time. Both sides did not create any clear cut chances although West Brom did have the better of the possession.

Jerome Thomas looked threatening once again but the one thing I was frustrated about was his final ball. On one occasion in the first half, he could have sprayed the ball out to the right for James Morrison and Morrison could have had a clear shot on goal. But Thomas opted not to and the chance was gone.

Still 0-0 at half-time, I’m sure West Brom will have been happy with that scoreline and they limited Birmingham to a small number of chances in the first 45.

Odemwingie

Peter Odemwingie came on for Marc-Antoine Fortune at half-time and the Nigerian made an immediate impact. Odemwingie’s pace caused problems for the Birmingham defence and his persistence led to Albion opening the scoring.

The Nigerian managed to keep hold on to the ball and through luck the ball reached the oncoming Mulumbu who managed to poke the ball past Ben Foster from 10 yards and Albion went 1-0 up.

Birmingham however went up the other end and equalised which will have been frustrating for Hodgson and the Baggies fans. A swift counter attack from Blues and Jean Beausejour met Lee Bowyer’s pin point ball to score his first goal in Birmingham colours.

West Brom heads could so easily have dropped but did that happen. No! Steven Reid was able to make his way deep into the Blues half with no challenge and fed Morrison who made no mistake from 20 yards with yet another screamer.

Odemwingie should have made it 3-1 after Chris Brunt’s effort hit the inside of the post and went straight to the striker. Odemwingie unfortunately put his effort over the bar when really he should have found the back of the net although the ball did come quickly at him.

The Nigerian’s blushes were spared as Paul Scharner headed home a third to help Albion secure their third away win of the season. After a quick corner, Scharner met Morrison’s cross on the back post after slack marking.

I have to admit, Scharner had a cracking game by putting in crunching tackles, looking calm in possession as well as scoring West Brom’s third goal. Apart from giving the ball away in the first half in a dangerous position to Cameron Jerome, the Austrian never put a foot wrong and had a fine game.

Every single Albion player had a great game and the resilience and desire shown by the players was great to see. If West Brom continue to play like they did against Stoke and Birmingham, then Albion will stay up.

Scott Carson did not have much to do and you have to give credit to the Baggies for limiting the number of chances Birmingham had. Abdoulaye Meite seems to be a different player all of a sudden and on Saturday he put in yet another assured performance.

Optimism

The 3-1 win saw Albion climb to 16th in the league and above Blues who moved into the relegation zone after West Ham beat Stoke 3-0. It is still very tight in the battle to avoid relegation and anyone from Stoke downwards could still go down.

West Brom’s next three fixtures do look daunting (Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea at home) but then again there is no reason why Albion cannot get anything out of those games.

If Wolves can beat Manchester United and Chelsea at home and if Birmingham can beat Chelsea then there is no reason why West Brom cannot get any results against the big boys. This season has been unpredictable and there have been a lot of shock results including Albion’s win at the Emirates against Arsenal.

Looking at Albion’s next three games, the three points against Birmingham were a massive three points and West Brom do need at least another three or four wins to guarantee themselves a place in the Premier League next season in my view.

But from what we have seen so far under Roy Hodgson, things are on the up for Albion and there now appears to be a sense of optimism amongst Baggies fans that they can stay up.

Deserved Point for Baggies

He did it against Wolves and last night he scored late on against Stoke City to secure a priceless point for the Baggies. Its 2 in 2 for Carlos Vela and surely the Mexican has to start against Birmingham on Saturday.

West Bromwich Albion thoroughly deserved their point at the Britannia but it could have been three had Asmir Begovic not pulled of three great saves in the dying moments of the game.

But still a point is a point and I’m sure most Baggies fans will have taken a draw.

Despite falling behind early in the second half, Albion kept plugging away and they got their just rewards when Vela slotted the ball home from close range three minutes from the end of normal time.

Without doubt Roy Hodgson and the fans will have been delighted with the desire and spirit the West Brom players showed yesterday. Heads could so easily have dropped after Stoke scored. But no Albion never gave up and this result will give the players a lot more confidence heading into the game against Birmingham.

Selection

I have to admit when I first heard the starting 11 for Albion, I was very concerned. Despite his woeful performance against Wolves, Marc-Antoine Fortune started up front as the lone striker. Abdoulaye Meite made his first start of the season and replaced Gabriel Tamas.

I was pleased by the fact that Steven Reid was drafted into the XI ahead of Gonzalo Jara. But the fact that Meite and Fortune were starting the game filled me with dread as to how many goals Stoke were going to put past us.

The first half was pretty much a non-event and the only meaningful chance came from Jermaine Pennant. The former Liverpool winger hit the top of the crossbar with a free-kick just before half-time.

Still, Albion will have taken 0-0 at half-time and to be fair they defended well from Rory Delap’s long throw-ins and kept John Carew and Kenwyne Jones quiet.

West Brom are always prone to conceding goals from set pieces and from a corner Stoke scored their goal. Scott Carson perhaps should have done better but then again the player who was supposed to be marking Delap should have done a better job.

One nil to Stoke and I just thought it was going to be one of those days where Albion played well but did not got anything out of the game.

Nonetheless West Brom kept knocking on the Stoke door and it was all Albion after Tony Pulis’ side scored.

Graham Dorrans had an excellent game and was unlucky not score. For me, Dorrans is now starting to rediscover his from the Championship last season and he is improving game by game.

I thought Fortune had a much better game and he could have scored as well. His looping header hit the top of the crossbar and with Albion missing chance after chance, it might have been a story of what if.

I also have to admit Meite had a very good game and never put a foot wrong. The Ivory Coast defender looked assured at the back and did a very good job.

On came Peter Odemwingie, Somen Tchoyi and Carlos Vela to try and get a result for the Baggies. This was certainly a signal of intent from Hodgson to get something from the game.

Up stepped Vela to score his second goal for Albion for the second game on the trot. The on-loan Arsenal striker did appear to be offside when Steven Reid chipped in a cross. But the linesman kept his flag down and Vela calmly slotted the ball past Begovic.

1-1 and that was not the end of it. West Brom had chances at the end to get all three points. Vela had two glorious chances but give credit where it is due. Begovic made two great saves from the Mexican denying him twice from point-blank range.

Tchoyi also had a chance to make it 2-1 to Albion but his effort was again well saved by the former Portsmouth stopper. However a draw at the Britannia was not a disastrous result for Albion and I’m certain most Baggies fans will have taken a draw.

West Brom showed a lot resilience last night and they will need to perform like they did against Stoke for the rest of the season. Plenty of encouraging signs from the game last night for Albion.

Blues

Next up for the Baggies are the 2011 Carling Cup winners Birmingham City. I just want to say many congratulations to the Blues and Alex McLeish’s side deserved their win on Sunday against Arsenal.

Confidence will be sky high at St. Andrews and come kick-off on Saturday; there will no doubt be a party atmosphere inside the stadium. Could this work in Albion’s favour? You never know.

The West Brom defence will have another tall striker to contend with this time its Nikola Zigic. The Serbian has without question been rejuvenated after his role in the 3-1 win over West Ham in the second leg of their Semi-Final. 

Albion will certainly have their work cut out to deal with him. But if they can deal with Carew and Jones then I don’t see why Albion can’t keep Zigic quiet.

I would seriously consider starting Vela for the game against Blues but who would you drop out. Fortune had a decent game against Stoke and Hodgson could be tempted to stick with the same side.

It will be interesting to see the starting XI Hodgson puts out against Birmingham and whether there are changes from the side that got a valuable point last night.

But overall a decent point for Albion against Stoke and plenty of encouraging signs for the fans and Hodgson to take from the game.

Keep The Faith and Up The Baggies!

Second Half No Show

If Roy Hodgson did not know what he was in for at West Bromwich Albion, he sure does now!

A game of two halves is a perfect description to sum up the 3-3 draw against West Ham on Saturday. 3-0 up at half-time and you would have thought Albion were going to get three crucial points.

But a gutless, spineless, lacklustre performance from the Baggies in the second half led to them conceding three soft goals. West Brom only have themselves to blame for not seeing out the second half and they were the masters of their own downfall in the second 45.

The fans are entitled to their opinions and the Baggies fans rightly booed their side off at full time. I can empathise with them because the second half performance from West Brom was woeful and totally unacceptable.

I wonder if some of the Albion players thought the game was already won at half-time. However you cannot afford to be complacent in this league and you can never switch off! Just ask the Arsenal players after what happened at Newcastle.

All Albion had to do in the second half was not do anything silly and see out the second half. But once West Ham scored their first goal you could tell the nerves started to kick in and from their, Albion were at sixes and sevens at the back. No wonder West Brom have the worse defensive record in the Premier League.

I know Roy will not be able to turn it around overnight but at this rate West Brom need a miracle to stay up. The draw felt like a defeat for Albion and I just hope The Baggies don’t come to rue this result come the end of the season.

Game of Two Halves

Two goals in the first ten minutes and West Brom could not have asked for a better start. A superb 30-yard strike from Graham Dorrans and a goal from Jerome Thomas put the hosts in the driving seat. The turning point may well have been Youssouf Mulumbu going off in the first half. 

Nonetheless things got a whole lot better for Albion as a Dorrans free-kick was sent into his own net by Winston Reid. 3-0 up and you thought there was no way The Hammers were going to get back into this game.

But there were warning signs for The Baggies at the end of the first half. Gary O’Neil hit the crossbar and Demba Ba forced Boaz Myhill into a fine save on the stroke of half-time.

All three of West Ham’s goals were preventable and Albion only have themselves to blame for letting a three goal lead slip. For the first goal, Paul Scharner misjudged the flight of the ball and Demba Ba slotted the ball home from close range. 3-1 and Avram Grant’s side were right back in it.

Second goal: West Ham free-kick floated in to Frederic Piquionne who was unmarked and Frenchman put the ball on a plate for Carlton Cole to make it 3-2. Terrible marking and Albion were on the back foot.

Just when you thought things could not get any worse, Albion conceded a third soft goal. Short corner, no West Brom player picked up Mark Noble who was able to put a ball into the 18 yard area and Ba was on hand to score his second goal of the game.

Dropped points for West Brom and the next fixture against Wolves without doubt is a MUST-WIN.

The Baggies really like to do things the hard way and if I was the manager, I would have given the players a right roasting at full time. The only positive from Saturday was the fact that Albion did not lose the game.

Hodgson

I am happy with the appointment of Roy Hodgson as our new Head Coach and would like to welcome him to the club.

Hodgson did not have the best of times at Liverpool and only last for six months at Anfield. But what Hodgson does have is experience and he knows the Premier League inside out.

He did a superb job at Fulham and turned them from a team fighting relegation into a team that were a tough nut to crack.

When he first joined the Cottagers, they were in a similar position as to where Albion are now. Fingers crossed Hodgson is the man to turn West Brom’s season around.  

Firstly Hodgson has to sort the defence out because the Baggies are letting goals in left right and centre. The goals they have been letting in recently are beyond a joke and at the minute Albion cannot defend to save their lives.

The former Inter Milan manager has got a huge job on his hands but despite Saturday’s result, I do feel Hodgson can keep Albion up. But the defence must sort themselves out pretty quick otherwise West Brom will get relegated.

The Black Country derby against Wolves is set to be one of the biggest games of the season for both sides. With survival at stake, I’m sure both Albion and Wolves will do everything they can to get three points.

One win could make all the difference for West Brom and it is still very tight in the bottom half of the table.

With Albion conceding goals left right and centre, I’m sure Wolves will fancy their chances of getting a result at The Hawthorns. I’m just hoping Hodgson is the man to get The Baggies out of this mess.

Here is the team I would play against Wolves:

                                  Myhill

Shorey (LB)     Olsson        Tamas        Reid (RB)

                                Mulumbu

             Brunt            Dorrans        Thomas

                           Vela            Odemwingie

 Subs: Carson, Scharner, Tchoyi, Fortune, Cox, Morrison, Jara

 Let’s get behind the players and Keep The Faith! Up The Baggies!

Baggies Back On Track?

If you said to me prior to kick off at Goodison Park that West Bromwich Albion would win 4-1, I would not have believed you. A superb performance from the Baggies and it was a much needed three points for Roberto di Matteo’s side.

Before the Everton game, Albion had gone five games without a win and there were some fans that were rightly getting worried about the club’s recent form.

Now that the Baggies have got back to winning ways, I’m hoping the result at Everton will be the start of yet another long unbeaten run.

Superb

To be honest I would have taken a point at the beginning of the game but to get three points at a place like Everton is a great result for any side.

West Brom were on the back foot for the first ten minutes but once Paul Scharner put Albion ahead, di Matteo’s side looked comfortable in possession.

They seemed to have rediscovered their early season form and every Albion player appeared to have a spring in their step.

Chris Brunt had another cracking game and his 30-yard free kick could not have been hit any sweeter. Top left hand corner, goalkeeper no chance, what more could you have asked for. Brunt’s free-kick could be a potential contender for goal of the season.

Albion will have been disappointed to have conceded just before the stroke of half-time. But apart from that, I’m sure Roberto di Matteo will have been happy with his side’s display.

Madness

The turning point of the second half came when Mikel Arteta was sent off for stamping on Gonzalo Jara. However Jara could have also seen red.

The Chilean was lucky not to take out Arteta with his two footed lunge. Had he fouled the Spaniard, Jara for sure would have been sent off.

Moments before Arteta got the red card, Jara got away with yet another incident after it appeared he went in with an elbow on Leighton Baines. Whether he went in intentionally I’m not sure but he did get away with it. But perhaps luck was on Albion’s side on Saturday.

Somen Tchoyi scored a brilliant third goal for the Baggies with a great curling effort. Steven Reid played an excellent ball to the Cameroon winger on the left touchline and Tchoyi was able to make his way into the 18 yard box and unleash a splendid curling shot that beat Tim Howard all ends up. 3-1 to the Albion and no way back for Everton.

To rub wounds into the salt for Everton, West Brom scored a fourth. Youssouf Mulumbu played a great one two with James Morrison and Mulumbu was able to find the back of the net.

Mulumbu then got his marching orders moments after scoring which did take the gloss off what was an incredible win. 4-1 to the Albion and Roberto di Matteo and the Baggies could not have asked for a better day at the office.

If Tchoyi continues to play as well as he has done, surely he has to be in contention to start against Newcastle. Also a mention for Graham Dorrans as well. It was an assured performance from the Scot and he was back to his best. The ex-Livingston man will only get better and better.

Scott Carson also had a fine game and made some great saves which kept Albion in the game. The club captain has had his critics but I do feel that Carson is starting to improve game by game.

Momentum

It was a much needed win for Albion and hopefully they can build on that starting with the Carling Cup quarter-final tie on Wednesday against Ipswich Town.

The next league game for Albion will see them take on Newcastle United at The Hawthorns on Sunday. As well as Albion, the Magpies have been playing above expectations and Chris Hughton has done a great job at St. James’ Park.

It should be a cracking game between both newly promoted sides and fingers crossed the Baggies can come out on top. All three promoted teams have been a credit to the Premiership this season and wouldn’t it be great to see all three teams stay up.

Andy Carroll will be the obvious danger man for Newcastle but Albion will see this fixture as a game they need to get a result from. The likes of Jonas Gutierrez and Kevin Nolan will also need to be watched.

A West Brom win will see the Baggies move onto 22 points and looking at the fixtures in December, Albion might fancy their chances of getting a result against Aston Villa at Villa Park.

The Black Country derby against Wolves will be a mouth-watering clash and if Albion can end up on 25 points come the end of December then the Baggies fans for sure will be optimistic that Albion can survive.

Keep The Faith and Up The Baggies!

Stoke hoodoo continues!

It’s been a while since I wrote my last article on The Baggies after their away defeat at Blackpool so I apologise for that. Final year University commitments!

The last five fixtures have seen Roberto di Matteo’s side pick up one point out of a possible fifteen. Now is the time for West Bromwich Albion to show their character and start picking up points again.

Saturday proved to be yet another frustrating day at the office for the Albion as they slumped to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of their bogey team Stoke City. I will get slated for this but I did not expect Albion to get anything from the game and in the end I was proved right.

There are bound to be West Brom fans who are now starting to get concerned with the club’s recent form and rightly so. The game at Bloomfield Road is now proving to be a turning point in West Brom’s season in my opinion.

Decisions

Since the Blackpool game, there have been decisions that have gone against Albion and I just hope these decisions do not prove to be costly come the end of the season.

The first half against Stoke was a dour spectacle and both sides failed to force Scott Carson or Asmir Begovic into saves. That’s how bad the half was.

The game came to life early in the second half when Stoke were awarded a penalty. Carson was judged to have tripped Kenwyne Jones inside the penalty box but looking at the replays I personally feel Jones went down too easy and there was minimal contact.

Matthew Etherington dispatched the penalty and The Potters went one-nil up. Somen Tchoyi came on in the second half and Albion did improve slightly.

The Cameroon international did force Begovic into a save and his height certainly gave the Stoke defenders something to think about. Just makes you wonder whether Tchoyi should have started the game.

Stoke were then given a second penalty five minutes from time when Simon Cox was penalised for blocking Dean Whitehead inside the area. Jon Walters made no mistake from the spot and that was game set and match to The Potters.

To rub salt into the wounds for West Brom, Stoke added a third through Walters. A 3-0 defeat at home was the last thing Roberto di Matteo wanted.

Stoke will argue that it was about time they had the rub of the green after they had decisions that went against them earlier in the season. Three straight victories for Stoke and they appear to have got over their early season struggle.

Creativity

The Baggies failed to create any clear cut chances and Begovic did not have much to do. The only goal threat for Albion in my view was Peter Odemwingie. The Nigerian was the only one who I felt could create something out of the blue.

Odemwingie will always be a threat to any defence but its fair to say that there were times against Stoke where he did not have enough support when it was needed from the other players.

Jerome Thomas did not have the best of games and I would consider playing Tchoyi ahead of Thomas at Everton. I would also think about giving Graham Dorrans a start. We have not seen the best of Dorrans yet but the Scot will come good in the Premiership.

I am concerned about the lack of creativity based on what I have seen in the last five games. Albion have got the players but the side have failed to create a number of clear cut chances in recent times.

In my view I feel that di Matteo should think about including Tchoyi and Dorrans in the starting XI at Goodison Park.

I also feel that Albion did miss Chris Brunt as well as Jonas Olsson at the back. Losing Olsson was a huge blow for West Brom but fingers crossed he will be back soon.

Crucial

Albion need to pick themselves up and start picking up points. Now is the time for them to show their character and get back to winning ways.

Everton have not exactly pulled up any trees but they do have quality players in their side with the likes of Mikel Arteta, Tim Cahill and Phil Jagielka. Winning at Arsenal and getting a point at Old Trafford will give Roberto di Matteo and his side belief that they can get something from the game at Goodison Park.

Can they get anything from the game against Everton? I don’t see why not.

Newcastle will be coming to The Hawthorns after the game against Everton and this will be a fixture that Albion will be looking to get three points from.

Two mouth-watering Midlands derbies against Aston Villa and Wolves in December is something to look forward to as well. The game against Wolves could be one of the biggest games of the season for both sides.

The positive thing for Albion is that they are still above the relegation zone and that a win would take them into the top half of the table. It is still pretty tight and one win will get Albion’s season back on track. Where that win will come from I don’t know.

All is not lost for The Baggies and from what I have seen this season; there are far worse sides than Albion in the Premiership. West Brom need to start getting results otherwise they will find themselves in the relegation zone sooner rather than later.

Keep The Faith and let’s get behind the players! Up The Baggies!

Derby Delight For The Baggies

West Bromwich Albion came back from a goal down to beat their Midlands rivals Birmingham City 3-1 in an entertaining Midlands derby.

A game of two halves is one way you could describe the game and in the end West Brom got three vital points.

I certainly did not predict Albion to beat the Blues 3-1 before kick-off. But that’s football and anything can happen in derbies.

Birmingham went into the game on the back of a 0-0 draw against Liverpool. Based on what I have seen of the Blues so far this season, I honestly thought the Baggies were going to be in for a difficult afternoon.

Scott Dann and Roger Johnson have been terrific since signing for the St. Andrews outfit and City have become a hard nut to crack as we saw last season as well as this season.

So for West Brom to beat Birmingham by three goals to one was surprising to say the least. I was expecting a tight game with not many goals.

Many Baggies fans may have feared the worse after Cameron Jerome put the Blues ahead in the Midlands derby.

However the one thing Albion have is resilience and even though Birmingham did dominate the first half, Roberto Di Matteo’s side could have gone in level at half-time.

Just before the Blues went in front, Peter Odemwingie’s weak shot went straight into the arms of Ben Foster. Had the Nigerian’s effort gone either side of Foster, then the Baggies might have taken the lead.

Paul Scharner had an opportunity to equalise when he found himself free at the back post. Chris Brunt’s cross found the Austrian unmarked but Scharner’s effort was saved by Foster.

Birmingham deserved to go into the half-time interval 1-0 up but West Brom were not out of it. Di Matteo brought on Graham Dorrans in place of Marc-Antoine Fortune and Odemwingie went up front as the lone striker. This made a huge difference.

Albion looked a different side in the second half and Jerome Thomas gave Stephen Carr the run around.

Thomas got past the former Spurs defender and delivered a low cross which Scott Dann deflected into his own net although Odemwingie did claim the goal was his.

The Baggies after equalising were well on top and Birmingham had no answer. Although Cameron Jerome did have a long range effort that was not far off, Alex McLeish’s side did not create any clear cut chances in the second half.

A mistake from Lee Bowyer allowed Odemwingie in and the Nigerian slotted the ball home from an acute angle after rounding Ben Foster. Have Albion found a cult hero in Peter Odemwingie?

Roberto Di Matteo’s afternoon got better when Jonas Olsson headed in a Chris Brunt corner to put the Baggies 3-1 up.

After making a mistake for the second goal, you could understand Bowyer wanting to make up for it but going in recklessly on Gabriel Tamas will have done him no favours.

McLeish was spot on in substituting the ex-West Ham midfielder. Had Bowyer remained on the pitch then he may have seen the red card.

It’s just amazing what a goal can do for your confidence and when the Baggies equalised, the home side had the momentum and were totally dominant in the second half.

The game followed a similar pattern as to what happened against Spurs in Albion’s last home fixture. Tottenham were all over The Baggies in the first half but after Albion equalised, Di Matteo’s team had their fair share of the possession and could have gone on to win the game.

This time round Albion made their second half dominance count and it was three well earned points for West Brom.

One bright spark for Birmingham City was the performance of Alexander Hleb. The Belarus international was impressive in the first half and some of his play was second to none. He was kept quiet in the second half but I believe Hleb will do a great job for Birmingham this season.

West Brom can go to Arsenal next weekend with no pressure whatsoever. Albion will not be expected to get anything from the Emirates so all the pressure will be on Arsene Wenger’s side.

Before that, West Brom face Manchester City in the next round of the Carling Cup and I would not be surprised if there are some players who are rested.

Surviving in the Premier League is the top priority for West Bromwich Albion this season but it would be nice to have a cup run in either the Carling Cup or FA Cup.

Things are not looking bad for the Albion but there is still a long way to go!