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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: March 06, 2024, 10:35:01 PM »

Not doing himself any favours in Patel's presence. 2/2 for shocking performances

Fortunately I think this fella actually knows a bit about football.  Tell Wayne to stick to the telly work.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: March 06, 2024, 10:32:11 PM »

picked the wrong team. The wrong time as well,,the new owner wouldn't  have been too enamored  with the players, or the manager quite frankly  on that showing.

Yep.  Why was he not playing Dike, Maja and and BTA? And cant believe he dropped Townsend and left Barts out of the squad. 

Played the same team that controlled Cov for an hour.  What team would you have started with given the options?

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: John Swift

« on: March 01, 2024, 10:38:38 PM »

Grady still a bit off it after his Afcon holiday BUT always looking to make progressive moves, works really hard and let me just check............scored the flippin winner.

Not the Grady we hoped he'd be, injuries have curtailed his progress, but a pretty decent champ AM.

Swift at his best is another class champ AM, but lacks pace and hasn't regained form following his injury.  DID put in some good back tracking tackles tonight.  Always trys to be involved.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: January 20, 2024, 06:52:08 PM »

A mediocre display, but we still controlled sections of the game...... but today they were more clinical.

Had Swift put his shot the right side of the post or Jed played off instead of thwacking it into row R it's a different story.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Random signings of the last 10-15 years

« on: January 17, 2024, 08:28:04 AM »

I remember when Chester ran out for his debut. Alongside Pullis other land of the giants back four he looked tiny.  I said at the time, no way is he playing CB for us.  Looked shell shocked to be involved with Pullisball. 

We had been a graveyard for ageing pro's long before GMac arrived, but it was Uncle Roy who saw what he could bring.  Story is Dashworth took Roy to see another Ipswich player but it was GMac that caught his eye even though they conceded four.  Top man.

I'd stick Anelka in this list.  He signing still feels like a fever dream.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Taylor Gardner-Hickman joins Bristol City

« on: January 17, 2024, 08:08:26 AM »

Yes, very true. We must be even worse off than I imagined

This really. Until a new owner signs on the dotted line we are running on fumes with MDS loans keeping us solvent.  We had an offer on a player not guaranteed a starting place and needed to take it.   Was he undervalued? Possibly but his value only increases with game time.  Would he get in the team ahead of Yokuslu and Mowatt? No.

Bear this in mind....there is no way that in our current financial situation we could pay a fee for a player, let alone a million quid on "potential".  Corberan has not spent a penny on fees since his arrival, and without the fee for Dara we would have been offloading more players below market.  That is where we are.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: November 28, 2023, 10:12:11 PM »

Very good away performance, and I include first half.  Passing just a bit off but they only had one chance and we hit post with a wonderful break.  Second half we absolutely controlled it. So disciplined and well organised we made Cardiff look poor.

Sarmiento.  What a goal.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: In Game Chat

« on: November 28, 2023, 09:01:32 PM »

Phillips and maja on for Grady and Sarmiento for me

You sure??

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: In Game Chat

« on: November 28, 2023, 08:55:27 PM »

I'm not watching a poor performance.  It's a good contest.  Cardiff press well.  We nearly scored from a superb breakaway and quite a few times the ball just hasn't dropped.  Very Carlos half.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: In Game Chat

« on: October 24, 2023, 09:44:55 PM »

Kids should be brought on now. Perfect opportunity. 2-0 up with 10 men vs second worst team in the division.

Or we could just ensure we take 3 points.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: best foreign signing

« on: October 23, 2023, 08:27:22 AM »

Odemwengie.  Truly Premier League quality attacker bought for peanuts.   Took us to another level in that first year.

Gera.  What a Player.  What a celebration. What a lovely bloke.

Mulumbu.  Remember seeing his first few games.  Looked so raw but you knew he had something.  What a spot he was for us.

Olsson.  Warrior and by all accounts a bit bonkers.  Key part of establishing us in the PL.  Pound for pound our best signing of that time.

Perreira.   Seemed to have it all and surely could have succeeded in the Prem at a half decent team.  Bonkers move in the end, but a very rich man no.doubt.

Special mentions to players maybe not of the same quality but who were real favourites Sneekes (Loved that fella! Single handedly saved us from relegation), Yak, Koren, Teix, Siggy, Baliss (legend).

If I had to choose one it would be first season PO as I'm not sure we will see another striker of that quality playing at the Hawthorns again unless we hit the new owner jackpot.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Alex Palmer

« on: September 21, 2023, 01:26:05 AM »

Just seems weird that the opposition seem to score with every shot they have.

Apart from the ones he saves! including another wonder stop tonight.  Looked solid as a rock last season behing a well marshalled defence.  We've seen a few errors this season but more positional than anything else, so maybe impacted by those in front of him?  Just remember Benjamin Button and be grateful (also see £45m Onana).  I like the look of JG but Palmer is number one.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: September 21, 2023, 01:14:31 AM »

Brizzle last 20 was a glimpse of how he wants to play.  Maja taking the team up the pitch and linking play.  I thought it looked progressive and full of potential....we know what happened next.  Sometimes think CCs biggest failing is his unwillingness to moan and gripe about injuries

If plan B for some is to drop half of an allready thin squad and hit it long to a non existent big man up top......I'll stick with CC thank you.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: September 16, 2023, 05:21:07 PM »

Maja had to be helped off by the training staff at the end of the match,
hope it's not too serious.

Hopefully just a good old fashioned clattering from that tackle

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: September 16, 2023, 05:14:53 PM »

Zero shots on target is unacceptable,
Has Corberan lost the plot and time for him to move on?

Thought last 20 minutes we played some exciting football.  Maja, Sarmiento and Grady had great cameos. Did you watch it or just go straight to the stats? I'd suggest watching before suggesting managerial change.

CC played 4 at the back last year quite happily as he trusted O'Shea.  He doesnt trust any of the other centre backs and with good reason so he plays with the extra security 5 provides.

Options are play 5 and try to nick it OR play a 4 and HAVE to score 2 or 3 to get a result.  You pays your money etc....

I think we will see a lot more tinkering over the next month or so as the new boys get match fit.  I also have no doubt that CC was desperate to get rid of KB and bring in a footballing CB but no takers.

Last 20 has put a spring back in my step though.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: August 18, 2023, 10:34:18 PM »

I'm expecting him to ask the players to do what suits them and set up accordingly.

It's not a Bruce v Corberan thing. The world is full of head coaches.

Sorry, didn't mean to bring Bruce back into frame.  Just a way of saying this is a pretty average bunch of players as shown over the fullness of last season.  We have weakness at CB, zero competition at FB, and need Maja to fill the CF spot.  Our high earners in Swift and Wallace just arn't impacting, and Yok looked off the pace today and that hurts us as he is one of our few quality players.  Worked hard and were organised, that's the manager.  He does accumulate points. 

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: August 18, 2023, 10:26:36 PM »

I thought we rode our luck and were lucky to get a point to be honest. I don't like the way we set up to begin with. It was pretty much a 361 and the balance looked all wrong. That deflected shot that hit the post goes in on another day and we're behind at the break. We offered no threat going forward and we looked disorganised at times at the back and our central midfield two Molumby and Yokuslu did not look comfortable doing what they'd been asked to do. Okay is a sitter and Jay is box to box.

We made a slight tactical change at half time with Wallace moving closer to BTA and we started the second half well but once we scored we really struggled to get forward again till stoppage time.

A point at Leeds is never a bad result but I'm not feeling convinced with this team at the moment nor, to be honest, Carlos Corberan.

I'm not convinced at all with the team but I'm genuinely not sure how much more the manager can get out of them? Not as bad as bottom under Bruce, not as good as top two form from CCs first few months.  Lots of average.  What are you expecting?

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Carlos Corberan

« on: April 22, 2023, 09:41:14 PM »

I would be surprised (but not amazed) if anyone was bored enough to be on a wind-up but if you look at his posts he is certainly universally ultra negative all of the time. He makes Victor Meldrew look like an optimist. Ironically the constant negativity makes more convinced he is a genuine fan

His suggestion that most performances have been dirge tells me he either hasn't watched many games (well he is in Orlando) OR he's a PL generation fan with overly high expectations.  What CC has done with this team is remarkable.  I have no doubt he's a fan rather than a WUM.  Only a Baggy could be that pessimistic 😁

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: April 22, 2023, 09:04:58 PM »

Back up, they said there was a technical glitch.

328 seats left in the home ends combined.

That's as close to a sell out as you'll get.  Single seats and in the backside end of the corner stands.  Dont doubt Albion fans!! 😁

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: April 22, 2023, 06:45:14 PM »

Link to tickets for tomorrow taken down.  Presume sell out or tvery close and they've found a few Sunderland fans being naughty.

Some of yow lot doh arf whinge!!   Liquidator on please, a good blast of F**ck of Wanderers and let's get behind them.  With the injury disruption they really have dragged themselves back into contention and deserve a proper backing.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Daryl Dike

« on: April 17, 2023, 09:54:33 AM »

Not a bad word to say about the young fella.  Seems to have a great attitude.

The Barnsley version was raw, powerful and frightened the rubbish out of defenders.   He was worth the £7 million punt at the time.  Unfortunately we now need to question whether the brute strength we saw him use at Barnsley is what is holding him back as a footballer? With his injury record we wont recoup any value.  So we have to rehabilitate and nurture him.

 

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: April 10, 2023, 10:55:41 PM »

If all our squad were available today - I would have picked:

1. Palmer - probably could have played.
2. Furlong - only because we don’t have another right back.
3. Townsend - as Furlong above but left back.
4. O’Shea - massive miss for us.
5. Pieters - not great but has done well as a stop gap.
6. Okay - massive miss as O’Shea.
7. Wallace - although hasn’t looked good for weeks.
8. Molumby - big miss but at least available now.
9. Dike or BTA - roughly half a game each but neither is setting the Championship on fire.
10. Swift - nothing special but looks fine when things are going well.
11. Phillips - as we know rarely gives more than 50 minutes and often anonymous in games.

Only three of those players were not in today’s squad.

OShea and Yok are the oil in the machine, they allow the team to beat the press and play through the lines.  There is NO BODY else who can play those roles, as we've seen last few games.  Irreplaceable unfortunately.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: In Game Chat

« on: April 10, 2023, 03:56:42 PM »

I am guessing that our players have given up on the playoffs, as they are playing as if it is a meaningless end of season game, though to be fair, it probably is.

Nothing to do with effort it's all about quality.  Simple as that.  O'shea and Yok allow us to play through the lines.  Missing both offs those and Molomby is killing us.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Nathaniel Chalobah joins Albion

« on: March 14, 2023, 07:21:43 PM »

I didn't want him, and he hasn't changed my mind with his displays.

Maybe, I was very naive, but I really thought CC would have had little black book of Mulumbu/Koren type signings, instead of a signing like NC.

He's pure coach, rather than old school manager.  All his focus is on his own players and the immediate oppo.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: March 11, 2023, 12:00:03 PM »

Cant see that Hudds will be any better than Wigan and apart from the late flurry we bossed that game.  Just need an early goal/s to mark our dominance and we could give them a shoeing. So I predict 1-1 😁