[OldburyWBA]

West Bromwich Albion v Derby County

Monday 21st April 2025 15.00pm

Please use this board for all your Pre Match Chat. Opposition fans are reminded to abide by the site rules

[Blowee]

As this is effectively our first preseason friendly can we not play anyone who won’t be with us next season. Let’s start experimenting now against sides that have something to play for and see how good some of our younger and fringe players are. Swift, Diangana, Armstrong, Holgate, Fellows shouldn’t feature unless they are going to be here.

[gazberg]

As this is effectively our first preseason friendly can we not play anyone who won’t be with us next season. Let’s start experimenting now against sides that have something to play for and see how good some of our younger and fringe players are. Swift, Diangana, Armstrong, Holgate, Fellows shouldn’t feature unless they are going to be here.

Enter Wallace, Grady, Swift and Mowatt starting 😂

[WBArgo]

As our season's over here's what I'd go with

GK: Griffiths

LB: Frabotta
CB: Heggem/Bartley
RB: Furlong

LM: Johnston
CM: Price
CM: Diakite
RM: Fellows

CAM: Grant

ST: Dike

No point playing our loan players at this point.

[rogerstubbs]

Derby are our bogey side we have beaten them once in the last 9 matches !

[baggies_24]

You just know he’s going to start Swift.

[Blowee]

Derby are our bogey side we have beaten them once in the last 9 matches !

To be fair we haven’t beaten many teams in our last 9 matches! 😀

[zippyandbungle]

You just know he’s going to start Swift.

Oh yes we do
This is what I think he will go with
                   A goalkeeper
(That everyone squabbled about but in all honesty whichever plays doesn’t make that much difference)

  Furlong      Holgate.    Bart’s the finger pointer.     Heggem

              Mowatt. Swifty.   Diangana   

Jed.               Armstrong.            Grant

He has previous for dropping fellows/johnston ,because he doesn’t seem to want to upset the established personalities and not being able to see that Mowatt is slower than a cripple walking up hill in treacle with his legs tied
He is desperate to get Jed back in and of course after yesterday needs to show he won’t drop Swift because it’s what he should do .
Could get a bit toxic and I really can’t be bothered to go .

[baggiebof]

As this is effectively our first preseason friendly can we not play anyone who won’t be with us next season. Let’s start experimenting now against sides that have something to play for and see how good some of our younger and fringe players are. Swift, Diangana, Armstrong, Holgate, Fellows shouldn’t feature unless they are going to be here.

Whilst it is still mathematically possible, this won't happen I'm afraid.

[BigFrank20]

You just know he’s going to start Swift.

If he does the place will go into a total meltdown, I'm fairly ambivalent about most things, even football, but if he starts Swift or is stupid enough to bring him on as a sub then he can expect my most severest tut of displeasure!

[Tony Goddens Gloves]

2 up front. Enough of the one striker nonsense. Little man big man Dike and Armstrong 2 wingers. That is how it should be played

[Barrington]

The trouble with playing 2 actual strikers is that our central midfielders aren't strong enough when left in a 2 (in my opinion). Unless you want to lose Fellows & Johnston and play an actual 5-3-2 with 3 cb's (which we havn't really got) and use Furlong and Styles as your width when attacking. That way you still get to play 3 players around the middle of the park and have 2 strikers. Your wing backs need to be really good though. Most teams are coming around to playing a 4-2-3-1 now which is what we've been trying. We've had too many square pegs in round holes and bad and very changeable selections though. We could do with losing some more squad players and getting more quality in. Lots of players of similar ability without being very good.

[timdon]

Got to go with experience for this one and put out a team that will give their all for the cause. For me
Wildsmith, Furlong, Bartley, Holgate, Diangana, Mowatt, Swift, Wallace, Grant, Armstrong, Cole.

[gazberg]

Got to go with experience for this one and put out a team that will give their all for the cause. For me
Wildsmith, Furlong, Bartley, Holgate, Diangana, Mowatt, Swift, Wallace, Grant, Armstrong, Cole.

Can't see how that team loses to be fair!

[KingKoren]

It's been difficult to give much consideration to this match after Fridays events.

Massive game for Derby, Eustace always seems to get the upper hand over us. Difficult tactically for them perhaps as we are wounded so do they go for us, or remain disciplined and organised, the way Eustace normally likes his teams set up?

If we start losing, whilst playing badly, there could be ugly scenes. Frankly, if we smash them, I think I'd be just as annoyed. It will typical of us to deliver a great perfromance now there is nothing to play for.

[graka]

I think I’d look at giving Frabrotta a start at left back
Why move our better players (Heggem) out of position to accommodate Holgate who won’t be with us
It’s also time for Dike to start and look at getting the best out of him in readiness for next season
Let’s have Diakite and price in midfield please and no swift or diangana who will also not be with us next season
Forward planning for once now is needed
Griffiths
Furlong unfortunately
Bartley unfortunately
Heggem
Frabrotta
Diakite
Price
Fellows
Johnstone
Grant
Dike

I’d have someone like Whitwell on the bench too
Please no more of the gum chewing Mowatt has an holding midfielder

[zac]

Would like to see us change it about now the season is over but whilst it's still mathematically possible i don't think he will.

This will be my little lads first game so really looking forward to it, if i have to be disappointed then so does he 

[zippyandbungle]

Got to go with experience for this one and put out a team that will give their all for the cause. For me
Wildsmith, Furlong, Bartley, Holgate, Diangana, Mowatt, Swift, Wallace, Grant, Armstrong, Cole.

Bloody ridiculous….if he picks that team how’s he going to get 3 of them on on 72 minutes
Didn’t think this through did ya ?

[NJS]

Got to go with experience for this one and put out a team that will give their all for the cause. For me
Wildsmith, Furlong, Bartley, Holgate, Diangana, Mowatt, Swift, Wallace, Grant, Armstrong, Cole.

Yep, one for the future!

[WBA]

As this is effectively our first preseason friendly can we not play anyone who won’t be with us next season. Let’s start experimenting now against sides that have something to play for and see how good some of our younger and fringe players are. Swift, Diangana, Armstrong, Holgate, Fellows shouldn’t feature unless they are going to be here.

Until it's mathematically impossible it's business as usual. There's a long way to go with possible twists and turns.  I can see Cov not winning at Plymouth or Luton or at home to Boro if it goes to the last game. Brizzle have Leeds away.  We're under the radar now. 

If we don't win tomorrow then I'm with you in principle but presumably the higher we finish the bigger share of the wedge we get? 

[WBA]

Got to go with experience for this one and put out a team that will give their all for the cause. For me
Wildsmith, Furlong, Bartley, Holgate, Diangana, Mowatt, Swift, Wallace, Grant, Armstrong, Cole.

Can I have some of what you're smokin' lol

[Hull Baggie]

Until it's mathematically impossible it's business as usual. There's a long way to go with possible twists and turns.  I can see Cov not winning at Plymouth or Luton or at home to Boro if it goes to the last game. Brizzle have Leeds away.  We're under the radar now. 

If we don't win tomorrow then I'm with you in principle but presumably the higher we finish the bigger share of the wedge we get?

In order to have any chance of a play off place we'd have to win 3 on the bounce which we've only managed once this season....and other results have to go our way.

[elmo_in_swansea]

Thing is we're playing 3 teams fighting for their championship lives!! We seem to lack fight in big games, I see a draw today at best!

[SmethDan]

Can I have some of what you're smokin' lol

If you were thinking of sharing what he's smoking feel free to keep the lot. Looks like a bad batch to me. There's skunk and then there's stinking the place out. Pretty sure Timdon was posting tongue in cheek. If not then I dread to think where he's been putting that tongue of his. Eugh.

[TheBaggieMan]

Agreed that we should only field players who we want at the club and they and will be here next season even if it includes Academy players.

We have a worse points record over the last six games than any of the bottom four relegation candidates and thank god Corberan secured our Championship future during the first half of this season otherwise, without doubt, it would be us suffering deserved relegation to League One.

Although I welcomed him, Mowbray has been a disaster as has many over these overpaid primadonna’s who are an excuse for footballers and we all know who they are. I’ve got more interesting and more important things to do than waste my time sitting in the Halfords Corner of the Brummie today!  🤬