[MICKYMEL]

The heart of a team and the Secret of good sides, dictate and run games.
Our centre mid is brunt and Livermore.
Powderpuff.
We need a leader, creativity and desire in there. We don’t have it.
Hopefully the club have something up their sleeve in next few days

[baggie82]

It's far worse than powderpuff and no the club doesn't have an answer. Remember Moore decide to release Yacob and pick these two which sums his lack of judgement. Massive concern. The only bright point is that Brunt and Livermore are playing SO badly that they will have to be dropped soon. Hopefully his new assistant can talk some sense into him.

[WBArgo]

Livermore is awful - he got away with it in the Premier League were expectations of him were lower, and he was expected to defend more. Now he is asked to pass forward more. He either goes backwards, straight or loses possession and looks scared to get on the ball.

I think Field should replace him - he showed last season that he can attack and get up the pitch quicker, as well as pass forward easier too.

As for Brunt, he simply shouldn't be in the middle. We need to buy a CM otherwise put Harper in there, but Harper and Field doesn't sound fantastic either.

[beechyboy90]

Could easily get Harper in he can't be any worse at least he has an engine

[baggie82]

Could easily get Harper in he can't be any worse at least he has an engine

Agreed 100%; Livermore is a classic Pulis rugby player and Brunt is old winger with no legs. Neither are up to it. Pains me to say it but Barry, Harper and Field are probably all better options.

[kamarasboot]

Needs £20m spending on it, we won’t spend it. That’s all you need to know about who’ll be in our midfield this season

[OldburyWBA]

You know 9 years I have been banging on about Brunt not being a centre midfielder, 9 f***in years  since we played Coventry in a friendly under RDM. The bloke is the best crosser of a ball we have and yet we stick him in the middle, seemingly shoehorned in for set pieces.

We need better, the Brunt/ Livermore duo does not work and creates zilch from outfield play (one exception against Coventry recently), too many hit and hope balls.

It needs changing now.

[baggie96]

Livermore is decent as box to box, we need another one alongside him though. Brunt is way too deep. Ryan woods would be perfect as he is a good passer but gets up and down. If not then maybe someone like John swift at reading? Really liked him a couple of seasons ago

[WBArgo]

Needs £20m spending on it, we won’t spend it. That’s all you need to know about who’ll be in our midfield this season

Potentially we could still spend around £15 million with the money from Chadli, which would easily get in 2 good CM's. As poor as we've been this season, we will still probably replace Dawson and Chadli with 2 players who would actually play/want to be here, so it's not completely out of the question.

[Adder]

Livermore had a pretty decent game. We have to quickly get away from this Brunt quarter back idea which basically means let him hit 50 yard long passes for a striker to contest a losing battle with. We changed from this when Gayle came on and looked better. Barnes also played more centrally from that point and looked a whole lot sharper than Morrison had.

[kamarasboot]

Potentially we could still spend around £15 million with the money from Chadli, which would easily get in 2 good CM's. As poor as we've been this season, we will still probably replace Dawson and Chadli with 2 players who would actually play/want to be here, so it's not completely out of the question.

We’ve all supported the Albion long enough to know how this pans out. Chadli & Dawson both go at 11:59 on deadline day with no time to act or they both stay Chadli is unsurprisingly injury until January and Dawson sulks till January with appearances and performances suffering

[baggie82]

Livermore had a pretty decent game. We have to quickly get away from this Brunt quarter back idea which basically means let him hit 50 yard long passes for a striker to contest a losing battle with. We changed from this when Gayle came on and looked better. Barnes also played more centrally from that point and looked a whole lot sharper than Morrison had.

Very lazy of Brunt when he runs back to the centre backs, collects the ball and slams it upfield, basically avoiding responsibility for playing where he should be in the middle. Hegazi is well capable of playing a long ball if that's what we need, you don't want your central midfielder dropping back 20 yards to hold his hand. Can't see him staying in the middle of the park on his last two performances.

[MICKYMEL]

Yes. Ditch the brunt quarterback experiment if that’s what it was.
I get it, maybe he was trying to recreate a neves at wolves situation???
But no, brunt in midfield doesn’t work.
Majority of us love him for what he’s done and he will have a part to play but I can only see that being on the bench or possibly left back

Would have loved Ryan woods or Someone of that ilk.

[Fritzl Palace]

Very lazy of Brunt when he runs back to the centre backs, collects the ball and slams it upfield, basically avoiding responsibility for playing where he should be in the middle. Hegazi is well capable of playing a long ball if that's what we need, you don't want your central midfielder dropping back 20 yards to hold his hand. Can't see him staying in the middle of the park on his last two performances.

Worryingly I can. Moore seems unable to identify that it is a problem area, he should have changed it at half time tonight but failed to address it.

[Black Country Pride]

Livermore is decent as box to box, we need another one alongside him though. Brunt is way too deep. Ryan woods would be perfect as he is a good passer but gets up and down. If not then maybe someone like John swift at reading? Really liked him a couple of seasons ago

Granted, he is box to box in the sense that he occasionally deigns to waft from one to the other like some surreptitious fart. Dynamic he ain't.

In all seriousness, our central midfield pairing just is far too pedestrian for the rough and tumble of the Championship. Unless we bring someone in within the next couple of days (seems unlikely) we've got little chance of a promotion push.

[Baggies]

Been saying it for 2 years. Pulis filled our team with defensive midfielders as he made us into a defensive, counter attacking, set piece team.

Pardew came in with Moore as as coach and said himself that there was just not enough creativity in the middle of thr park which harmed us and did not allow us to play his prefered style. Moore knee all this, and yet when he got luck in getting the job on the back of a few honeymoon period results, he decided that we didn't need any creative ball playing central midfielders after all, we had enough here in 33 year old Chris Brunt - a f****** left midfielder.

Now we look ragged in the centre, and are struggling to control games, the rest of the fan base seems to be waking up to it. The fact Moore did not realise in the summer is a very poor reflection on him as a manager.

[Albion79]

I think in this league you can play one or the other of Brunt or Livermore in centre midfield, not both.

I would go for Livermore as thats his natural position and at least you know he is on the pitch, i think he can sit in and pass a ball, but for many periods Brunt goes missing.

Regardless of if you pick one of the two, its who you play alongside them that will make us tick, we need that player who gets about the opposition, breaks play up, but gets into the box too and just takes the game by the scruff of the neck.

One time in the first half, think Phillips crossed it and neither Brunt or Livermore were anymore near the box, not making a breaking run as it just isnt their game, i feel a bit for Brunty as i said a few years ago i could see the appeal in trying him as a quarter back style player but he would need the right player alongside him, and Livermore isnt that player, which Brunt looking a bit lost, slow and confused without really being able to do what he does best, cross or playing bending passes.

The last player we had who was box to box like that was Mulumbu and him in his prime would be great.

As for Brunt, i would put him at left back, again not sure if he was quite upto premier league standard there as he switched off a lot but we arent premier league anymore and i think he would do a good job, his crosses are still good and he is one of the few players we have who can open up the opposition.

Gibbs tonight looked very half hearted and Forest kept switching the play to the flanks against him and Tosin (wont even attempt the surname) the other side, they had clearly identified a weakness, didnt help that we made a decent at best championship midfielder like Guardlene look like Pirlo for the night by letting him spray those passes.

[LiamTheBaggie]

I am not sure what the two should be offering?

Immobile. Both cannot defend. Cheap, easy possession to a centre half or full-back. There is no urgency whatsoever. No ability to control a game. No ability to break a side down.

The remaining option of Field, Barry and that biscuit built Morrison hardly wet the appetite either.

It has been obvious that we needed to address the middle of the pitch and we have ignored it.

[albion59]

It's far worse than powderpuff and no the club doesn't have an answer. Remember Moore decide to release Yacob and pick these two which sums his lack of judgement. Massive concern. The only bright point is that Brunt and Livermore are playing SO badly that they will have to be dropped soon. Hopefully his new assistant can talk some sense into him.

Moore didn't release Yacob, Yacob didn't want to stay!

[alex1]

We cannot string passes together through the midfield at a decent tempo. Both Livermore and Bruntie slow the game down. I know what Bruntie is trying to do, first control then look around and see where a pass is on. Makes sense not wanting to giveaway possession, but he loses valuable seconds. Livermore does the same. Watch the best teams passing quickly thro the midfield. They seem to play on autopilot, each knowing where one another is making a run. I'm a Brunt fan because he has got a great left foot and he's got the club at heart. However, I don't know where he best fits in.

[Droitwich Baggie]

Midfield (as with the rest of the team) MUST learn how to pass to one of our own.             i.e. ...direction and speed.
Also how to throw in to our players.

[BoingFlyer]

Seriously people are suggesting Yacob would of provided the creative flair missing today. Great at what he did but the most one dimensional player in the team, I would take Livermore over him any day of the week unless we are up against top 6 prem opposition.

[boinging_along]

Yacob woups have added nothing today, he was never creative or the quickest.  I guess he has a fancy name though?

While the lack of pace in midfield isn't great, I think they're more hampered by the lack of movement in front of them. You can't be creative if they're all standing like statues.  When Gayle came on we improved because he, well, ran a bit.  It created space off Barnes and Phillips to exploit.

Where the lack of pace hurts us is that we end up with Brunt/Livermore on the ball too deep to really be able to affect play in the last third. Instead of hitting 20 yard passes they're having to hit 30+ yarders.  Makes it easier to defend.

[WorcsWBA]

We’ve all supported the Albion long enough to know how this pans out. Chadli & Dawson both go at 11:59 on deadline day with no time to act

Just to reduce the risk of anyone sitting down on Thursday evening expecting to watch an evening of drama unfold, the window (for permanent deals except for sales to foreign clubs) actually closes at 5.00pm.

[BoingFlyer]

When does Chadli return to the club? Livermore and Chadli in the middle could be interesting to see, but would Moore drop Brunt and without Dawson on there who would get the armband?