Friday, March 1, 2013

Blog: West Brom are straight back on the up and up - expressandstar.com

After the Tottenham game there was talk of a crisis, ill-discipline within the squad, players wanting out and a team supposedly in free-fall.

The metaphorical storm clouds forming over the Hawthorns were beginning to look greyer than Dean Saunders' mullet, yet two games and six points later and the outlook is far brighter.

For any side outside the top six in the Premier League, the initial safety target must be around the 40-point mark, last week's victory over Sunderland ensured Albion reached that total with 11 games to spare.

Even if a handicapped 1990-91 Albion XI were to play out the remaining fixtures, I can't envisage that three out of the sides beneath us will overturn the points surplus we have over them.

We have the luxury of entering March without being party to a promotion or relegation battle, how many times since the turn of the century have we been able to say that?

I thought that some of our football against Sunderland last Saturday was exceptional, although the game was probably quite stretched we seemed to pass the ball really well.

Romelu Lukaku has taken most of the headlines and perhaps deservedly so, it was certainly as well as I've seen him play.

At times as a lone front man he's never really convinced me that his hold-up and link-up play is as good as it could be.

Having Shane Long up alongside him certainly helped in that respect and at times he was virtually unplayable. He was strong, powerful and direct- shades of Fabian DeFreitas on his debut!

In truth ,I'm struggling to think of anybody in an Albion shirt that played badly last week, Gareth McAuley continues to look composed and dependable.

The re-introduction of Youssouf Mulumbu and Claudio Yacob as a partnership has made a vast difference; so much of the success of this Albion team is down to their presence.

A word also for Chris Brunt who has been subjected to some arguably unfair criticism over the course of the season, he worked tirelessly and looks to be coming back into form.

Peter Odemwingie's re-introduction, to what I thought was more of a mixed reception than the universal damming that was reported by some, is perhaps another indication that the club can now look forwards after a turbulent few weeks.

This weekemd, we visit Stamford Bridge and the European champions Chelsea. I must confess I have never particularly enjoyed this fixture.

It costs an arm and a leg for a ticket and up until the last year or two we were invariably on a hiding to nothing such is the wealth distortion between the sides thanks to Roman's rubles.

However, Chelsea are going through something of a sticky patch and have only won seven of their last 15 games - a record that admittedly most teams wouldn't be overly-ashamed of.

There is speculation of mutiny within the camp and interim manager Rafael Benitez publicly expressed his grievances with the club's Board and supporters this week.

Questioning the club's governance is arguably a dangerous ploy for a Chelsea boss in the build-up to a game against the Baggies.

Whilst it's difficult to harbour any great expectation on a visit to the last winners of the Champions League, could this be a good time for us to go there and play them?

West Brom schoolboy Isaiah Brown could become the youngest player in Premier League history tomorrow after being handed a dream call-up for the trip to Chelsea.

Dan Ashworth today left West Brom ahead of schedule after the Baggies agreed to let him join the Football Association on Monday.

West Brom defender Jonas Olsson today warned Chelsea the Baggies are coming to Stamford Bridge looking to beat them again.

Watch West Brom boss Steve Clarke's pre-match press conference ahead of the Baggies' trip to Stamford Bridge to play his former club Chelsea in the Premier League.

Yep, good blog mate, psychologically we have Chelsea beat before a ball is kicked, for once, apparently their fans have been told bring all the banners they like, in response to Rafa's comments the other night, which has to put Rafa on a downer knowing the club value him so little, so it should be not so much a fortress as a kindergarten with a bit of luck, especially if the Baggie fans join in the 16th minute applause for RDM? question is, will their players rally to his aid, or drop him in it like he's Stale at Luton Town?

Warren... tut tut, fancy calling Rafa the interim manager, you know he doesn't like it. But seriuosly, like you I never looked forward to matches like this as we were nearly always onto a hiding for nothing, but now I see them as probably winable.

As an aside, I don't call myself a supporter as to me that term means that I put money into the club by going to games etc., but as I live in Medway (North Kent) I wasn't always able to attend games like I used to in the early seventies (rarely missed home matches). But from next year I've decided to go for a season ticket even if I can't make every game and now the kids have grown up, use the trips north as time spent with my wife on our own again. And I'm looking forward to both.

Warren, alright mate, nice to see you back in the UK, I guess a 'weekend travel break' for you is being in England, right? ( only jokin' :)

Anyway, another impressive summary of the Baggies situation.It does make me smile when I think back over the last 3 seasons-

each year, many Albion fans were smilin' in the Autumn, had looks of horror in the winter, then were smilin' agen by spring, it's just like being on the old 'big dipper' at Blackpool pleasure beach-

I hate to say 'I told you so', but whenever some people have started to panic after we lose one or two games, I've said 'wait till the end of the season before passing judgement, it's 38 games we play, not 8'......so there, yah boo........;)

As for the Chelsea game, I ain't predicting, because last week the score seemed to change every time I thought it would, it was so spooky I don't wanna end up in the Twilight Zone.....

It's interesting to think that if the Terry and Lampard management do want to push Benitez through the door, all they have to do is tell their pals not to turn up tomorrow. On the other hand let's hope I'm not tempting fate, and there is no embarrassing score against us and the Chelsea players quoting, "We done it for the boss." Prediction: 4-0 to the Baggies.

I personally think Brunt has been poor for most of this season but do agree that of late he has been very good and in the immortal words of Sir Gary Megson ' Long may it continue '.

A bit like Tropical Cyclone Rusty in Western Australia. I mean what a waste of a really good Cyclone name that turned out to be.

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