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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: March 11, 2013, 12:15:40 AM »

Stoke in awful form this calender year with fans starting to turn on Pulis. Albion back to winning ways and playing confidently, with Lukaku bang in form.

The Clayheads will still somehow win. I've come to accept it, it's just one of those things that'll I'll never understand. But it will happen.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Could our season be over after Saturday?

« on: January 13, 2013, 12:30:48 PM »

Don't understand this thing that a "poor period had to come". Maybe 2-3 games but we've won just two in 8 i think it is now and are losing to really poor sides. We haven't played badly in all these games, but theres a distinct lack of winning mentality in our game at the moment.

Even when we get ourselves into good positions to win game (QPR away x2, yesterday, just after we equalised against Fulham) we seem to just to let the game float by and assume that something will happen for us rather than trying to make it happen. We almost threw it away on Boxing day and have done in the next few games.

I agree with the original point, lose the FA cup game and our season is in danger of fizzling out into being  bang average.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: December 28, 2012, 12:58:14 PM »

Suprised we haven't brought Thomas back with Thorne, thought we could do with as many experienced bodies as possible.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Chris Brunt

« on: December 27, 2012, 06:45:03 PM »

I think Brunt had a clearer idea of what he was doing yesterday and meant he looked a lot more more comfortable, he often looks confused with his positioning when he's played wide this season.

Don't think its a long term solution to play him the middle as I think against better sides he could get bullied and pressed into mistakes, but did well yesterday and deserves a run in the side with Yacob out injured.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Pre Match Chat

« on: December 27, 2012, 03:48:04 PM »

Team looked dead on their feet at the end of the game yesterday, so expect some changes. Would keep Fortune in the team , and bring in the like of Dorrans, Long and hopefully Yacob to try and get us a foothold in the game early on.

We're better off sitting back and making it a tight game with fewer chances, as United have shown they can outscore most teams this season in an end to end game. We will get a couple of chances on the break with this United defence

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Holding Midfielder Dilemma

« on: December 21, 2012, 04:50:11 PM »

Morrison definitely needs to be played in that number 10 role, we look a far better side with him there. We tend to look a bit "broken" without him, there's no link between attack and defence.

Will probably be Dorrans and Brunt in central midfield, but this worries me. Can see Hoolahan getting tons of space inbetween the lines.

Can't see Clarke changing formation, but something like a 3-5-2 would give us a bit more protection?

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: West Brom prove statistics are overrated

« on: November 26, 2012, 11:17:37 PM »

It's an interesting article, which I think is arguing more about the place stats has in football rather than Albion in particular.

Bet we'd be near the top for stats like "taking chances at crucial times in games" and "efficiency in the final third".

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Hypothetical Gera question...

« on: November 24, 2012, 07:52:55 PM »

A better question would be, why in his first spell was he never deployed as a No. 10? Not even Mowbray played him in what has to be his best position

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Team

« on: October 30, 2012, 03:30:34 PM »

Foster

Jara
McAuley
Olsson
Ridgewell

Odemwingie
Yacob
Mulumbu
Morisson

Long
Lukaku

Need to see if Long and Lukaku can play together, as neither deserve to be on the bench for me. Play Mozza slightly deeper and infield from the left.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: After Match Debate

« on: October 21, 2012, 11:12:55 AM »

Anyone else reckon Tamas should have just rugby tacked Aguero on the half way line?

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: So what is Steve Clarke's best team?

« on: October 11, 2012, 12:17:15 AM »

Horses for courses..something Clarke has done brilliantly so far. Playing Dorrans for his energy against Baines v Everton, was one of the key reasons we won that game.

It's good to have a consistent spine of players which we have at the moment, but the other players, particularly the wide attackers should be rotated.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: West Brom, the real Moneyball story

« on: October 10, 2012, 11:20:55 AM »

Any one who enjoyed Moneyball should also read 'Soccernomics'. Particularly the first few chapters which focus on the transfer market.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Team

« on: September 17, 2012, 03:57:14 PM »

so in the most basic terms you want a 4-4-2?

Basically yeah

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Team

« on: September 17, 2012, 02:50:36 PM »

I'd be tempted to see the Gera/ Long partnership that looked so promising last season. But I feel Lukaku just has to start now, he always makes things happen when he comes on.

I hope Clarke can show some tactical flexibility and maybe goes for a 4-2-2-2 formation. Where Morrison and Gera start wide but are given freedom to roam and create for Long and Lukaku's pace.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Next 4 games

« on: September 04, 2012, 01:29:53 PM »

Also,  take out that Fulop horror show against Arsenal, then we've kept 7 clean sheets in our last 8 home games. Think we're starting to build Fortress Hawthorns so I'd expect at least 4 points from the home games.

Away games are always difficult to call but I'd take a couple of draws to keep the momentum going, obviously a win at Villa would be brilliant.

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Graham Dorrans

« on: September 02, 2012, 07:28:44 PM »

Gives the ball away too much and too easily for my liking, but does work very hard for the team.

seems so strange to think the type of player Dorrans has become, when we got promoted I thought we could build the team around him and he'd be our own little Fabregas, but for whatever reason he's now just a solid squad player who's main attribute is his energy and his willingness to put in a shift.

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General Football & Sports / Re: Romelu Lukaku (On loan from Chelsea)

« on: August 10, 2012, 04:59:05 PM »

Can't say I've seen him play that much, but the hype with him isn't that he's going to be a good player, it's that he could be one of the top strikers in the world with time. Really hope we pull this off

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Albion Matchday Forum / Re: Your team against Liverpool?

« on: August 10, 2012, 12:24:36 PM »

Jesus, going to have to start drawing attackers out of a hat to see who plays.

I'd go


Foster

Reid
McAuley
Olsson
Ridgewell

Yacob
Mulumbu

Morrison

Odemwingie
Rosenberg
Thomas

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Something to get used to again - being tipped to go down

« on: July 07, 2012, 08:15:59 PM »

Let's be honest people were tipping Newcastle to struggle last summer, it's all guess work until at least 5-10 games of the season. Safest tip is, although it didn't happen last year, one of the promoted teams will go down.

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General Football & Sports / Re: Ben Foster

« on: June 08, 2012, 01:01:00 AM »

I agree.

 I don't think Green is a bad keeper though. If you were in SC's position who would you go with?

In my opinion, Rob Green is not a Premier League number 1. I know i may seem like I've been spoilt by Foster but most teams in the league last season had a top class keeper they were really happy with (one of the reasons we could get Foster in the first place).

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: The 'head coach' and 'manager' myth.

« on: June 07, 2012, 05:14:13 PM »

Ok, understand what you're saying but then Chris Hughton was a number 2 only a few years ago and he did fine. I'd rather judge a manager on what he does, rather than on sweeping generalisations and cliches.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Wantaway players

« on: June 05, 2012, 02:30:05 PM »

Yep, as long as we get the right money for the "wantaway players" we shouldn't panic. We simply build our team around different players.
 
 Olsson, Odemwingie and Mulumbu want out, then we can change shape and go for Morrison and Gera supporting Shane Long and look to spend money on strengthening the midfield and defence.

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General Football & Sports / Re: France vs England - Group D - 11th June - 6pm

« on: June 04, 2012, 09:55:30 PM »

France haven't quite found the right balance and formation yet, they have enough good players to win the tournament but I have a feeling they won't click in time this summer. Obviously will be a tough game, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a draw.

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Next Manager

« on: May 30, 2012, 12:01:47 PM »

Tactical look at what Ralf's Schalke did poorly in that Champions League semi final against Man utd, if anyones interested.

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2011/04/26/schalke-0-2-manchester-united-tactic/

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West Bromwich Albion FC / Re: Somen Tchoyi - Released

« on: May 16, 2012, 06:04:10 PM »

shame, even with all his faults he was a player I genuinely found entertaining. He worked quite well as a nuisance and foil for Long in the early stages of the season but I guess this was always on the cards. Rather than lasts seasons 2nd choice winger he was turned into an expensive 4/5th striker that we couldn't afford.