I caught my first glimpse of West Brom yesterday, and I was mildly impressed by what I saw. After warming up for my first ever trip to the Hawthorns in the delightfully hoppy Wellington in Birmingham’s centre, I inevitably entered that myopic state where three pints transform a bunch of aimless wastrels into a squad of dynamoes, and my irrational expectation seemed inspired when Jamie Mackie, Argyle’s heart and soul, squeezed a low shot past England’s No. 6 Scott Carson to put the winless Pilgrims ahead for the third successive away game.Following one crazed bodyrock which apparently incorporated a low…
All posts tagged WBA
Good news and bad news for Albion
First, here’s the bad news. West Bromwich Albion were utterly uninspiring in yesterday’s win at Nottingham Forest. Any neutral present would have found it hard to understand why the Baggies are considered joint favourites for promotion.But now the good news. Teams who ‘bounce back’ at the first attempt following relegation from the premier league generally do so by being, well, utterly uninspiring.Seem illogical? Look at the evidence. Birmingham City played a cheerless brand of football throughout last season – as their average crowds of 19,000 might suggest – yet they managed to scramble up. And Blues’s 2006/07 promotion season under…
East v West (Midlands)
West Brom continue their attempt to match achievement with expectation tomorrow with another tough game. In what is probably the pick of the weekend’s ties, the Baggies travel East to the City Ground for their first meeting with the Reds of Nottingham in five years. West Brom went up that season, and most have them down for another return to the Top Table, and rightly so. With adventurous full-backs and goal scoring midfielders aplenty, the Baggies should end up having one of best home records in the league, but trips to the likes of Forest will be the real yardstick….
I’d drive him to his next club
The phrase “I’d drive him to his next club” is currently a mantra on Championship message boards as fans hope their clubs will offload unwanted stars before the Autumn Equinox. Certainly overpaid and without question over here, it’s possible that quite a few of these miscreants are oversexed as well – only without the bonus of coming to our assistance in wartime like the GIs who originally provoked the phrase. Stephen Hunt’s departure to Hull – his garb would have fitted in well in the Only Fools and Horses episode featuring that city – will be a relief to most…
Mattock’s Bad Tempered Defection
I’m sure most British football fans would have been astounded to learn that Leicester City’s relegation in 2008 signalled the start of their first ever spell in the bottom two divisions. All through the club’s amazing O’Neill-inspired run of success in the nineties, the impression that Foxes’ fans were punching way above their weight in terms of happy experiences was tangible. Hence, the fall from grace involving a cast of villains – Holloway, Allen and Taylor – seemed just desserts in an acutely Faustian pact. Their swift return, engineered with a mighty points haul last May, will have upset rivals,…
P Squires: Interesting read, but '...which by train is comfortably further from L...
Lloyd: An enjoyable, snappy piece of writing Will.
Going through Worcester...
Frank Heaven: LR - yes, that's right, with Albion and Wolves being in Staffordshire....
Lanterne Rouge: Great piece Will. Of course country boundary changes do tend to confus...
Eoghan Darbyshire: Quality player, could see he was head and shoulders above the rest of...
