1

Last Match Forum - 18/01 Stoke City (H) / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: January 14, 2025, 09:50:38 PM »

People aren't going to like this but with Maja out, we don't have anyone who can link the play apart from Jon Swift. I'd play him as the 10 but instruct him to stay high.

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Last Match Forum - 11/01 AFC Bournemouth (FA Cup 3 - A) / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: January 11, 2025, 02:08:28 PM »

No Frabotta even on bench?

He is on the bench.

Personally think this lineup is far too lightweight in midfield, at least one of Molumby or Diakite should have been in there. As a result and with who I consider to be our weakest centre back option alongside him, think this could be a tough introduction for Taylor.

As others have said, stronger than perhaps expected, let's hope we can progress to the next round!

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Last Match Forum - 11/01 AFC Bournemouth (FA Cup 3 - A) / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: January 09, 2025, 09:33:55 AM »

I'd play our best team here but wouldn't risk anyone with a slight knock like you might in a league game. I would be interested in seeing if a midfield three would work although fear Maja would be too isolated, maybe something like:

Palmer

Furlong
Bartley
Heggem
Styles

Molumby
Diakite
Mowatt

Fellows
Maja
Grant

4

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: System / Tactics / Personnel

« on: January 02, 2025, 10:33:47 PM »

Dobbin and McNair depart with Taylor back in which leaves us looking like this:

GK: Palmer, Wildsmith
RB: Furlong, Holgate
LB: Styles, Frabotta
CB: Bartley, Heggem, Taylor, Ajayi
CM: Mowatt, Molumby, Diakite, Racic
RM: Fellows, Wallace
AM: Swift, Diangana
LM: Johnston, Grant
CF: Maja, Cole, Dike

In terms of numbers in the squad, we are probably and attacking midfielder/wide player short, otherwise, that's our lot. Of course we hopefully look to move a one or two out that aren't contributing and replace them with players that will.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Paddy McNair joins on loan OFFICIAL

« on: December 31, 2024, 09:40:02 AM »

https://www.wba.co.uk/news/paddy-mcnairs-loan-spell-comes-end

Loan officially over.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Next Head Coach Thread

« on: December 30, 2024, 07:50:52 AM »

We are obviously not privy to everything that's going on but seemingly no one does with no one dominating the betting markets currently. Only the usual suspects, Heitinga aside, are being mentioned. Out of all of them, my preference would be Steve Cooper. You can argue that he has had success everywhere he has been and has a track record of developing youth which, with our finances, will be important. His style of play wouldn't be too much of jump from how we have played in the last couple of years so should be able to get things going fairly early on.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: December 27, 2024, 09:46:47 AM »

Hard to predict the team for this one, will they keep some continuity or will it be more wholesale changes to keep it fresh with half and eye on a more winnable game on New Year's day at home to Preston?

Personally I think we do need some fresh legs and would pick a team with some of our best athletes in, that would include Grant, Styles, Diakite and Molumby. Maybe something like:

Palmer

Furlong
Holgate (would prefer McNair but expect that's not an option)
Bartley
Heggem
Styles

Grant
Diakite
Molumby
Diangana

Maja

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Uros Racic joins on loan

« on: December 26, 2024, 10:59:57 PM »

Let's try and make that happen then. Thankfully we have no obligation to buy.

Don't think he is any upgrade on Chalobah. Concerns me that Diakitie is behind him in the pecking order.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: System / Tactics / Personnel

« on: December 23, 2024, 12:04:25 AM »

Are we missing John Swift from this side? I agree that his form hasn't been that good this season however I went back over the xG generated in our games this season (according to FotMob) and found that out of our 18 games we have generated over 1xG in 10 games and Swift has started 8 of them. Of the 8 games where we did not generate over 1xG, Swift only started two of them (that was against Leeds and Burnley).

Creativity has been a problem and the above shows that Swift has started when generally we have been more successful at being creative.

Since this post we have garnered over 1xG in two games, one of which being today when Swift started. I know he has been off form this season but I see us as better when he is in the side. The key for us is who is competing with him for that role as Diangana has been way off it this season.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: System / Tactics / Personnel

« on: December 17, 2024, 04:00:55 PM »

We are almost at the halfway point and I though now would be a good time to do a little squad comparison with last season's squad to see if we are any better or worse off. I have only included players that made 10 or more league appearances* in 2023/24. To simplify things, I have attributed a position to each player, even if they play a variety of positions, solely to make the comparison a little easier. In some instances, I have listed a player in a position they don't play but again, it is to make the comparison a little better and they'll be opposite someone who contributed similar in terms of playing time. For each position, players are listed in order of appearances made.
*exception made for backup goalkeeper

2023/24 Squad                                           2024/25 Squad

Goalkeepers
Alex Palmer                                                Alex Palmer
Josh Griffiths                                              Joe Wildsmith

Defenders
RB: Darnell Furlong                                     Darnell Furlong
RB: Pipa                                                     Gianluca Frabotta
LB: Conor Townsend                                    Torbjorn Heggem
LB: Adam Reach                                          Callum Styles
CB: Cedric Kipre                                          Kyle Bartley
CB: Kyle Bartley                                          Semi Ajayi
CB: Semi Ajayi                                            Mason Holgate
CB: Erik Pieters                                           Paddy McNair

Midflielders
CM: Okay Yokuslu                                        Alex Mowatt                           
CM: Alex Mowatt                                         Jayson Molumby
CM: Nathaniel Chalobah                               Uros Racic
CM: Jayson Molumby                                   Ousmane Diakite
RW: Jed Wallace                                          Tom Fellows
RW: Tom Fellows                                         Jed Wallace
LW: Matt Phillips                                          Karlan Grant
LW: Mikey Johnston                                     Mikey Johnston
AM: John Swift                                            John Swift
AM: Grady Diangana                                    Lewis Dobbin
AM: Jeremy Sarmiento                                 Grady Diangana

Forwards
Brandon Thomas-Assante                              Josh Maja
Josh Maja                                                     Devante Cole
Andreas Weimann

My takeaways from the above are:

We are equally as strong in goal, both full back areas and left wing.
We are stronger with our starting centre forward and left back depth.
We are weaker with our starting centre back, starting central midfield and central midfield depth, staring attacking midfield and attacking midfield depth (based on performances not personnel), right wing depth and depth up front.

Some of those takeaways are based on performance, especially in the attacking midfield positions where personnel is mostly the same. Overall however, the recruitment has left us weaker which based on this, makes our position in the league about right.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Caleb Taylor

« on: December 16, 2024, 09:53:55 PM »

I'd recall Taylor and expect he will be used; McNair will be gone, Ajayi not fit and Bartley's fitness is hit and miss. He could challenge Holgate on current form and get minutes.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: December 15, 2024, 01:19:40 PM »

We've matched them up; Furlong and Styles will be the wingbacks with Grant and Fellows joining Maja. There will be some rotation over the next few weeks and with Racic more mobile than Mowatt, that's probably why he is in.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: December 12, 2024, 12:16:29 PM »

Nice to get the win although the underlying numbers from the game are a concern. Maybe in isolation you can put that down to game state but it was continuing a pattern that we have seen for a while now, namely that we do not create enough chances. I'm not so sure that is going to come with the confidence of a win, more that the win will mask some serious deficiencies.

I am concerned a little by our defence. Styles is a useful player however I'm not sure the fluidity he gives us offensively is worth the fragility at the back. However, I am also unenthusiastic about Holgate at centre back. Who knows, maybe Frabotta will come the fore (unlikley) and play left back with Heggem inside with Bartley but I won't be fully confident with Styles at left back or Holgate at centre back I don't think.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: System / Tactics / Personnel

« on: December 08, 2024, 07:54:42 PM »

Something that strikes me with our current front four is that we are far nore open in midfield than in previous years and that it really doesn't suit Mowatt that much. I think we have probably seen enough from Racic to see he is behind Molumby and Mowatt but wonder if Diakite is given a run would suit the system better than Mowatt. Having not seen much of Diakite, I'm unsure of his quality but his supposed attributes would suit us potentially.

15

West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: System / Tactics / Personnel

« on: December 01, 2024, 09:17:59 AM »

With regards to Swift I definitely see so so much that frustrates me with him. However he is one of few players that we have that can pick a pass and split a defence, the frustration is the amount he gets wrong before getting it right. We do appear to miss him though. I only really think Racic in front of Mowatt and Molumby is the other alternative asides from sacrificing Maja to 10.

We look a much better side when Mowatt and Molumby start as the sitting 2. At which point I’d rather have Swift/Racic/Maja in the 10 or a Diangana that can recapture last season’s form.

I really think we need to give somebody a run of games on the left too. Players are in and out and unable to settle in, Grant aside but Grant now appears to be playing in more of a striker role and rotating in the 10 and 9 with Maja.

I like the 4 that started again Norwich and Hull but I think we need to use Swift more than we are currently. I'd definitely be using him ahead of Dobbin, Wallace and Diangana.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: System / Tactics / Personnel

« on: December 01, 2024, 09:09:15 AM »

You’ve got no chance of defending Swift

I didn't set out to defend Swift, I started looking at our rolling xG across the season then noticed the difference with Swift starting than without him. Point taken though!

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: System / Tactics / Personnel

« on: December 01, 2024, 08:18:11 AM »

What spark was that then ? What he needs is a P45

Well the spark is games we where create more xG as detailed above. Agree he is in decline and hasn't played that well this season but it's pretty evident that we are more creative with him.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: System / Tactics / Personnel

« on: December 01, 2024, 07:45:50 AM »

Are we missing John Swift from this side? I agree that his form hasn't been that good this season however I went back over the xG generated in our games this season (according to FotMob) and found that out of our 18 games we have generated over 1xG in 10 games and Swift has started 8 of them. Of the 8 games where we did not generate over 1xG, Swift only started two of them (that was against Leeds and Burnley).

Creativity has been a problem and the above shows that Swift has started when generally we have been more successful at being creative.

For what it is worth, the front 4 we played v Hull & Norwich (the two games we generated over 1xG without Swift) is the 4 I think we should persist with but if that's not working, it should be Swift that comes on to give us that spark in my view. Whether that's as one of the central players or even on the left (with Grant drifting there and the ability for Styles to bomb on, he could work out there) we need to go back to using Swift.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: November 26, 2024, 07:10:24 PM »

If Bartley is fit, he'll come in with Holgate moved across to right back. If not, expect to see Diakite come in to make a back 3 with Styles and Fellows as wing backs.

I'd say it is the latter of my.predictions here.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: November 24, 2024, 11:23:15 PM »

Not the biggest but technically very good. Quick, mobile and intelligent. Needs game time either on loan or from the bench to develop his game ideally. That said I'd have no problem seeing what he's got in the starting eleven.

Thanks for this. I think it's safe to say Corberan won't throw him in and if there was 1% chance, I'd say with Styles at left back that 1% disappears!

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: November 24, 2024, 11:01:08 PM »

If only we had a promising young right back called Deago Nelson.

What's he like Dan in terms of profile of player? I know you're generally fairly well across our youth teams so interesting to get info and understand your opinion on him.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: What do we really want out of this season?

« on: November 24, 2024, 10:07:08 PM »

Before a ball was kicked, I'd have said top half with the foundations being built in terms of both playing squad and staff infrastructure, to ensure that we can reasonably expect to challenge for promotion from this league year in and year out. More specifically on the playing side, I wanted to see some of our newer and younger players break into the team and establish themselves and on the other side, I wanted evidence of new recruitment processes and a continuation of balancing the books when it comes to our wage bill.

That hasn't really changed but I do think we have a good chance of promotion this year through the play offs.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Torbjorn Heggem joins Albion

« on: November 24, 2024, 10:02:27 PM »

Echo what everyone is saying but wanted to comment that his two footedness is brilliant to see and certainly helps him a lot in build up.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Carlos Corberan

« on: November 24, 2024, 10:00:59 PM »

The subs certainly didn't help us although, whilst we were on top in the second half before we made them, were we creating loads of chances? I don't remember that to be the case particularly.

I am sure Corberan has one eye on Tuesday night and with Furlong's suspension, perhaps we will go to a wing-back system which I expect will mean Fellows in one of the wing-backs and therefore adds more weight to why he may have taken him off. Having said that, we have seen throughout his time here, Corberan is almost better with fewer options. It's likely down to the fact that he wants everyone in his squad to feel trusted and a part of the collective but I agree with others, there are times that you just have to leave your most dangerous players on the pitch. I wonder whether he'll be as trigger happy with subs from March onwards, will be interesting. With it still being in the first half of the season, he could be playing the long game.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Josh Maja joins Albion

« on: November 24, 2024, 09:55:17 PM »

It's so disappointing for him having to come back so far to get possession and try to instigate things because our attacking mfs aren't doing what he is being forced to do to link up play, and that kind off extra work means he's coming off before the end meaning we're losing our only goal threat when we badly need him to finish games.

I don't think this is down to our attacking midfielders, this is his natural game to drop deep and link play. When we signed him, his data from his time at Bordeaux suggested that his strongest suit was as a linker of play, which after seeing him so far this season, we can see why.