http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/ en Copyright 2012 Mon, 14 May 2012 19:05:19 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss So that's it then. The season ends with a good performance if not a disappointing 3-2 loss to Arsenal, who secured 3rd place with the victory. The atmosphere around the ground was fantastic, the fans showed their appreciation for the players and most of all for the departing Roy Hodgson, who of course has taken the England Job. I've already had my say on Roy, but I'd like to reiterate my thanks to him for a fantastic job and taking Albion to where we are at the moment. The upcoming summer is certainly a big one for West Brom, the first port of call being a new manager, trying to keep hold of key players such as Jonas Olsson and Ben Foster, bringing in new signings to keep the squad fresh and prepared for a 3rd consecutive season in the Premier League. But I'm not going to worry about that now, I'd like to look back on this season. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/05/a_season_in_review.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/05/a_season_in_review.php Opinion 5-1 Baggies Ben Foster Boing Boing Gareth Mcauley Hawthorns Molineux Massacre Morrison Peter Odemwingie WBA West Brom West Bromwich Albion Mon, 14 May 2012 19:05:19 +0000 A quiet week at West Brom I'm sure you'll all agree. Not a lot has really happened, only that our head coach has become the new England Manager. Firstly, that is quite some honour for a side like ours and although I am gutted about losing Roy Hodgson, I'd like to wish him the best of luck in that role. There has been a lot of stuff written about Hodgson in all forms of the media this week. A lot of the national press have rightly received criticism for the way they've reacted to the appointment of Roy who for me clearly had the best CV to the job even if he isn't as "charismatic" as the people's choice Harry Redknapp. The local media and various bloggers have gone some way to defending the choice of Hodgson, spelling out exactly why he is the right choice for the job. I don't feel I have a lot to offer in terms of a different perspective on Roy and why he will be a good manager for England, thus I decided I'd go through some of my favourite moments of Hodgson's tenure at the Albion. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/05/roymy_favourite_matches.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/05/roymy_favourite_matches.php Opinion 5-1 England Mulumbu Paul Scharner Peter Odemwingie Roy Hodgson WBA West Brom West Bromwich Albion Fri, 04 May 2012 18:09:08 +0000 Who said the end of the season was just going to peter out into nothing, that for sides in mid-table that these final few games didn't really matter, that they were little more than end of season friendlies? Not for West Brom. Last week saw a big game against Liverpool, a revenge mission for the fans and the players even if the man they were imparting revenge on behalf of, Roy Hodgson, said it was just another game and conducted himself with great dignity despite some of the treatment he received whilst at Liverpool. If that was Hodgson's big game, for a large section of Albion fans, this weekend's derby match against Aston Villa is their big game. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/04/big_games.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/04/big_games.php Match Previews Aston Villa Liverpool Premier League Roy Hodgson Saturday West Brom West Bromwich Albion West Midlands Football Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:27:01 +0000 And now everybody can relax as West Brom all but secured their top flight status for next season with a 3-0 victory over Steve Kean's Blackburn Rovers. In truth, the scoreline flattered Albion somewhat. Rovers saw a lot more of the ball than the home side, particularly in the 2nd half. Having said that, they did not create too many clear chances for all their possession with Ben Foster providing the heroics when Blackburn did create some opportunities. The afternoon started off well for West Brom, gaining 4 corners in a fast-paced opening salvo. Skipper Brunt produced quality from all these set pieces, the ball being delivered to the back post where Jonas Olsson and Gareth McAuley demonstrated their aerial prowess by winning every ball. It was McAuley who helped Albion grab the lead, though he will have a tough job claiming the opener as his goal. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/04/baggies_beat_blackburn.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/04/baggies_beat_blackburn.php Match reports Albion Baggies Ben Foster Blackburn Boing Boing Peter Odemwingie Premier League Reid Ridgewell Roy Hodgson WBA West Brom West Bromwich Albion Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:08:50 +0000 So in the week that I haven't blogged, The Baggies have suffered two very disappointing defeats although not entirely unexpected. That is one important thing to note, both Everton and Newcastle are above us in the table and would have fancied their chances in the two matches. This is not to say they were write-offs, Albion beat Newcastle earlier this season away from home and did the double over Everton last season. The worst thing about these two games were the performances put in by The Albion. Gone were the free-flowing, attractive yet solid football that we witnessed against Wolves and Sunderland or the resilience and guile shown against Chelsea and Wigan. The two performances were distinctly average, "on the beach" displays from the players. The football was slow and cumbersome, the defending poor. Albion lacked any pace or width, and the service to the strikers in both games was nigh-on non-existent. There are of course many reasons for this. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/04/where_are_things_goings_wrong.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/04/where_are_things_goings_wrong.php Match reports Albion Baggies Ben Foster Boing Boing Peter Odemwingie Premier League Reid Ridgewell Roy Hodgson WBA West Brom West Bromwich Albion Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:38:38 +0000 Last saturday's draw with Wigan would have shown both Roy Hodgson and the Albion fans an awful lot. Let's not beat about the bush, West Brom were shocking last weekend. It was one of those games that Albion have so often found themselves involved in, dominating only to be hit with a sucker punch. So for once, it was nice to have the shoe on the other foot. But despite the point, this did hide some glaring problems with the Albion side and areas which will need strengthening in the summer. Let's look at some of the lessons learned from last Saturday; http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/03/lessons_from_wigan.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/03/lessons_from_wigan.php Opinion Albion Baggies Boing Boing Foster Olsson Premier League Ridgewell Roy Hodgson Shorey Sky Sports Super Sunday Fri, 23 Mar 2012 19:41:05 +0000 Firstly, apologies for the lack of blog entries recently. I have been snowed under with school work and the like, so for anyone who has missed me, sorry! I thought I'd talk about something that was widely quoted in the press recently regarding Roy Hodgson, who said something along the lines of, if he was to stay on as Albion manager it would only be if his level of ambition, both personal and for the club, was backed by the chairman. Personally, to see Roy making this statement fills me with pleasure. If Albion really want to consolidate as a premiership club, firstly they need a premiership quality manager, and we have that in Roy Hodgson. We also need to support that manager by making cash available to take us to the next level. Hodgson is ambitious, he doesn't want a relegation fight every season, he wants us to push on, challenge for trophies and European football. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/03/moving_on_up.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/03/moving_on_up.php Opinion Albion Ashworth Baggies Ben Foster Jeremy Peace Premier League Roy Hodgson West Brom West Bromwich Albion Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:55:15 +0000 No, that isn't the latest ITV 4 show though I think it would be pretty cool if it was. This is all about Roy Hodgson's ability to seemingly do the impossible. When Roy took charge of West Brom, we accepted certain things were impossibilities as an Albion fan and most accepted certain things were impossibilities with Roy in charge. He came with a reputation of having a fantastic home record and being poor away from home. With the Albion, it's been vice versa, though that's probably one myth Albion fans didn't want busted. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/03/roy_hodgsonmyth_buster.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/03/roy_hodgsonmyth_buster.php Match Previews Albion Andre Villas Boas Aston Villa Baggies Chelsea Roy Hodgson WBA West Brom West Bromwich Albion Sat, 03 Mar 2012 10:54:04 +0000 That's what we've all been waiting for. Depending on who you listen to, pessimist or optimist, this performance from West Brom was just around the corner or something we wouldn't see under Roy Hodgson. I'm an optimist, and despite some of the bad results we've had at home coupled with bad performances, we still could have won those games. The most recent example of that is Swansea. Albion were pretty poor that day in the snow, yet they still should have won. A blatant penalty was turned down, Peter Odemwingie missed a sitter and Vorm made an incredibly lucky save at the end from Fortune. On Saturday, everything came together. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/02/fun_in_the_sun.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/02/fun_in_the_sun.php Match reports Albion Baggies Ben Foster Brunt James Morrison Jerome Thomas Keith Andrews Peter Odemwingie Premier League WBA West Brom West Bromwich Albion Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:52:06 +0000 But if they did, this past Sunday is what they would be like. Does it get much better than going to your local rivals, in a big match, and winning 5-1, with your previously out of form striker grabbing a hat trick and the opposition's ex player scoring on his debut? I don't think it does. The display put on by Albion was pretty much the complete performance, the only blemish being the Steven Fletcher goal just before half-time that gave Wolves fans the slightest glimmer of hope in a match dominated by West Bromwich Albion. I've felt that Albion have been very close to giving a side a good beating recently, in previous home games we've wasted so many chances and had some very poor refereeing decisions go against us. Against Wolves, a clinical nature and a bit of luck returned to the Albion frontline, led so impressively by Marc Antoine Fortune. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/02/carlsberg_dont_do_derby_days.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/02/carlsberg_dont_do_derby_days.php Match reports Albion Baggies Black Country Derby Fortune Foster James Morrison Keith Andrews Olsson Paul Scharner Peter Odemwingie Ridgewell Roy Hodgson WBA West Brom West Bromwich Albion West Midlands Football Wolves Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:57:21 +0000 "The biggest Black Country Derby ever" this line seems to have been churned out for most of the Black Country Derby's that have been played in the Premier League, the only one not given this tag was the reverse fixture this season, which Albion won 2-0. Last year's games with Wolves were not the most successful, in Roy Hodgson's first game in charge Carlos Vela scored a late equaliser for the Albion. That goal was massively important as a defeat would have left Albion in the relegation zone and Hodgson with a defeat in his first match in charge. It was from there where Albion went on the great run that saw them survive with comfort. However, the away game with Wolves was a different story. Although Albion had there excuses, some valid such as the absence of key men Chris Brunt, Steven Reid and Paul Scharner, they put in a non-performance that angered every single fan who witnessed the game and also signed off the Baggies career of Abdoulaye Meite after a dreadful mistake that gifted Steven Fletcher a 3rd goal in the 3-1 victory. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/02/derby_day_and_distractions.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/02/derby_day_and_distractions.php Match Previews Black Country Derby England Fabio Capello Harry Redknapp Reid Roy Hodgson WBA West Brom West Bromwich Albion Wolves Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:53:00 +0000 I've got quite a lot to get through in this blog, so let's start with deadline day. A day which for most Albion fans is a bit of a non-event. We are not exactly renowned for activity on deadline day, particularly where money is involved. So to see Albion bring in not 1 but 2 players on deadline day was, well, rather exciting! The first man to sign on the dotted line was Birmingham City defender Liam Ridgewell. The Baggies have been chasing Ridgewell since the summer window, and had previously seen two bids knocked back by their local rivals for the left back. But Jeremy Peace's negotiation skills once again came to the fore, though for a time it had looked like Albion would miss the boat with Ridgewell, reports suggesting that the Blues hierarchy were not impressed with Peace's tough stance. In the end it paid off, with Albion signing Ridgewell for a fee believed to be in the region of £1.7 Million, £300,000 less than what Birmingham were said to be demanding. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/02/deadline_day_and_more_records.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/02/deadline_day_and_more_records.php Opinion Albion Birmingham City Black Country Derby Blackburn Deadline Day England ESPN Football Fulham Keith Andrews Ridgewell Sky Sports Soccer Swansea WBA West Brom West Bromwich Albion Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:41:02 +0000 The impossible was made possible, the unexpected was achieved, West Brom finally beat Stoke! I have to say that I am still in shock from Saturday's rollercoaster of emotions. The first of those emotions was utter despair when I saw the team that Roy Hodgson had put out. I knew that Hodgson had pulled some decisions out of the blue the last time we played Stoke away from home, bringing in Abdoulaye Meite who hadn't been seen in a matchday squad let alone the first team in a league game but I really did question the side he had put out. We had our two best strikers on the bench, Peter Odemwingie and Shane Long, with Marc Antoine Fortune starting up front having previously been on loan at Doncaster. We then had Simon Cox starting on the right hand side of midfield and Gabriel Tamas at right back, three decisions that were, quite frankly, baffling. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/01/yes_we_can.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/01/yes_we_can.php Match reports EPL ESPN Fortune Hawthorns Hodgson Long McAuley Mulumbu Odemwingie Premier League Premiership Sky Sports Tamas WBA West Brom West Bromwich Albion Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:42:13 +0000 No, I am not talking about the transfer window, though that can be equally as frustrating for Albion fans. Nor am I talking about the annual figures being published, again another thing that prompts annoyance amongst the fans. Rather I am talking about one particular day, in one particular match, at one particular ground, against one particular team. Yes, Albion fans it is that time again, Stoke City, away from home. No longer a cause of annoyance or frustration for us, more so a sense of impending doom and pessimism in larger doses than usual. I am normally someone who looks at things optimistically. Earlier in the season, I was genuinely convinced it was our time. Stoke had just been playing away in the Europa League, they had yet to make their customary big-name signings and after two fantastic performances in the games against Manchester United and Chelsea, it just had to be the time didn't it? http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/01/its_that_time_of_year_again.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/01/its_that_time_of_year_again.php Match Previews Gareth Mcauley George Thorne Graham Dorrans Olsson Paul Scharner Premier League Premiership Stoke City WBA West Brom West Bromwich Albion West Midlands Football Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:56:00 +0000 Since this is my first blog of 2012, I'd like to wish everyone a (belated) happy new year, though 2012 didn't really get off to the greatest start for the Baggies, who lost to out to Everton at home with a poor performance and also lost away at Spurs, with a far more spirited performance despite the result being the same as Everton, 1-0 to the opposition. What was notable in the Spurs game was the side Albion were forced to put out. For the game, they were missing the following; Jonas Olsson, Steven Reid, Chris Brunt, Youssuff Mulumbu, Shane Long. All of these have been pretty much permanent fixtures in the starting XI throughout the season, whilst James Morrison was on the bench carrying an injury and Jerome Thomas was then forced off midway through the first half with a groin injury. These injuries are really starting to take a toll on Albion's campaign, and has raised questions over the back-up options they have, particularly following Roy Hodgson's comments at the end of the Everton game. http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/01/injuries_beginning_to_take_tol.php http://blogs.soccernet.com/westbromwichalbion/archives/2012/01/injuries_beginning_to_take_tol.php Opinion Albion EPL Football Gera Long McAuley Mulumbu Odemwingie Olsson Premier League Roy Hodgson Scharner The Albion The Baggies WBA West Brom West Bromwich Albion Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:50:51 +0000