I'm very much looking forward to Monday night, getting into the ground and grabbing a Carlsberg or two, and hopefully it'll be a sell out, with the added interest of PM's first match in charge, Lukaku's return and the genuine need to start picking up a few victories and, hopefully, start putting a bit of a more comfortable distance between ourselves and the bottom three clubs.
Clearly Everton will provide tough opposition, but you just never know with the Albion, the matches when we play perceived weaker opposition and the ones against stronger opposition seldom meet the predicted outcomes, as evidenced again this season with our superb results and performances against Man U, Chelsea and Arsenal.
While I suppose if we're honest, most would say a point against Everton wouldn't be a bad result, if we get to the end of January with only 4 victories then we're clearly going to be embroiled in a battle to avoid getting dragged into the mire, so while I'd avoid the dreaded "must win" statement, there's no question that a win would be a massive boost.
It's a shame in a way that we're lumbered with the dreaded Monday night fixture, which I know is not ideal for those who live a fair distance away and our younger fans who have school the next day, and although I work a hop, skip and a jump away from The Hawthorns so will take the opportunity for a couple of hours overtime at work, I would have much preferred a "normal" 3pm or any of the other TV scheduled times to have made more of a day of it.
Personally I use the trains, but for those who have to drive, I presume if the traffic's bad, like it was against Man City, there's no way this one will be a delayed KO, with the TV schedule, so hopefully the roads will be a bit less congested.
But hopefully we'll put on a good show on Monday, though if we get the win in a dire scrappy 1-0 then I wouldn't be overly concerned, needs must and if results go against us over the weekend, the 3 points are the be all and end all.
COYB