[baggiebof]

Valerien Ismael took Barnsley to a play of semi final. That’s great he overachieved with a really average Huddersfield team but what you’re not understanding is you’ll never get promoted playing like that at WBA. We need a coach who is comfortable coaching a possession game as most teams will come to our place and defend in a low block. Where is the evidence in Corberan’s coaching career he can do that?

2 wins in 11 with Olympiakos.

This is an interesting viewpoint and we are a middling attacking team for sure. However, as we are in the Championship longer and longer, is it still true that teams will come to our place and defend in a low block? Our overall quality will dip so having a manager who can give a tactical edge and make you hard to beat, will surely be our best approach to overcome the quality gap in playing squads?

[JMullen95]

This is an interesting viewpoint and we are a middling attacking team for sure. However, as we are in the Championship longer and longer, is it still true that teams will come to our place and defend in a low block? Our overall quality will dip so having a manager who can give a tactical edge and make you hard to beat, will surely be our best approach to overcome the quality gap in playing squads?

Yeah, I think that’s a good point. The longer we are here the less likely it is teams will come for a point. Having said that, I still feel many teams see us as a top end championship club and will continue to play to frustrate us.

[JMullen95]

Absolutely. He's done exceptionally well in the circumstances. I'm sure the team against Preston will be much stronger and we will at least get the point we need to make the playoffs, which will be a result many if not most of us thought very unlikely at the beginning of the season

As another poster has already pointed out, the more players Corberan has available the more tactical mistakes he makes.

[Standaman]

Corberan deserves a lot of credit for getting us into this position given we have lost key players for large parts of the season. However he inevitably will shoulder some of the blame if we end up blowing what is still a promising position. I think not starting Mowatt today was a mistake being our only genuinely press resistant midfielder. Across the the last few games I think he has invested too heavily in the declining abilities of M'Vila.

However that said any coach does have a reasonable expectation for a very experienced starting XI (not one of them had less than 100 senior games under their belt) to do their job. Today they did not and there is no hiding that fact. The season will play out and hopefully there are four more games to come, however regardless of the outcome both club and coach need to take stock about how they want to move forward.

[BalisPen]

This just reads like something written by a fan who’s never ready any kind of coaching manual or even ready anything about the tactical aspect of football.

I actually predicted this weeks ago on this very thread.

You stick to your manuals I'll stick to what I know having travelled the world to watch football and having forgotten what you'll ever know having lived and  breathed football since I can remember.

I'll be there next week hoping for the best, but expecting the worse, but unlike you I will know who to blame and it's not cc.

On the pitch if we do it, go home p issed off if we don't, that the life of an Albion fan, you just live in this different universe with your manuals etc, etc.

Excited and cannot wait.

COYB!!!!

[the other AJ]

Sunday musings from Perth Australia
Watched the game till the wee small hours. Is Carlos resting certain players for the play offs or is he twitching? That line up was odd.

[KN22]

The current run is of course a major concern. Personally I think the lack of a true centre forward has been a major cause of the problem. The manager has been so limited in terms of striking options. BTA, despite massive effort, is just not good enough. Dike and Maja unavailable and Weimann not a centre forward at all. This seems to have been overlooked by some but it is very noticeable to me every time I see the team play. It has cost us and will continue to do so.