West Brom (a) - Wed 20:00 - What Can We Expect?

[Davefevs]

Basically, a full-on test of our top 6 credentials!!

Our Opponents:

Up the M5, to the highest ground in the EFL, against a team that has yo-yo’d in and out of the 1st and 2nd tiers over several years.  Managed by ex-Croatia and West Ham manager Slaven Bilic, they were sat top of the league til a late winner for Leeds tonight.  A win will take them back to the top, a win will take us back into top 6.  In terms of form they are on a 3 game winning run, after 2 disappointing draws.

Line-up:

A fixed 4231 from Bilic based on a DM pairing of opposites, Sawyers the smooth passer, Livermore the ball-winner. Saturday saw both suspended, but fully expect both to return tomorrow. Beyond that they have a front 4 to rival most, even if the main striker isn’t a massive goal threat (this season).  With Swayers they will pass their way up the pitch, or with their wide-men can break really quickly.

The Players:

GK - Sam Johnstone (26) - ex-Man U keeper and serial loanee at the likes of Villa, Preston and Doncaster, before finally settling at West Brom this summer for £6.5m.  As good a keeper as you’ll find at this level, although has the odd ‘moment’ with his kicking.

RB - Darnell Furlong (24) - signed from QPR in the summer for £1.5m.  Athletic, modern-style full-back with decent teckers.  I’d question his defensive abilities, but that can be said of many Champ RBs.

LB - Conor Townsend (26) - last summer signing from Scunthorpe for £750k.  Didn’t realise he was 26, having previously been at Hull.  Started the last 3 (all wins) following Ferguson’s recent red and with a player of the quality of Gibbs on the bench, he must be tidy!

CB: Semi Ajayi (26) - bargain £1.4m signing from relegated Rotherham in the summer.  A CB who I rate highly, who can play CM (as he did Saturday) and a big threat from set-pieces, and very capable on the deck too.

CB: Kyle Bartley (28) - ex-Arsenal youngster and CB partner of Luke Ayling in Arsenal’s successful youth team, teaming up again at Leeds.  Other loans at Swansea, Brum and G.Rangers before signing for £4m last summer.

DM: Jake Livermore (30) - ex-Spurs youngster, with 7 England caps.  Having been on loans he found his feet at Hull, before forcing himself into a regular spot for Spurs.  £4m signing in Jan 2017.  A real physical presence and a perfect partner for Sawyers, so good at breaking up play, happy to commit lots of niggly fouls, need a ref to card him on volume!

CM: Romaine Sawyers (28) - started his career at The Baggies before loans at Port Vale, Shrewsbury and Walsall, subsequently made permanent before becoming the key playmaker at Brentford, before arriving ‘home’ in the summer for a bargain £2.8m.  Always wondered whether he could be a key player at a ‘big club’...it appears so.

RM: Matt Phillips (28) - Scottish international, who started at Wycombe before finding himself at Blackpool in the Premier League.  Physical, pacy winger, who has a goal in him...6 already this season.  My Player to watch.

AM: Matheus Pereira (23) - Brazilian from Belo Horizonte (scene of England defeat by USA!), who is on loan from Sporting in Portugal.  3 goals and 10 assists having only made 3 sub appearances in opening 4 games.  Really good player, and could easily have been my one to watch.

LM: Grady Diangana (21) - young Hammer loanee, who burst onto the Albion scene with a 2 goal substituted debut v Luton.  Tricky player, who with Phillips and Pereira are probably the best 3 attacking midfielders in this division.

CF: Hal Robson-Kanu (30) - Welsh international remembered for his dragback goal v Belgium in Euro2016.  Wide forward in his Reading days who’s played more central over recent years. 6 goals in 12 games in all comps this season, and the preferred striker over Charlie Austin at the mo’.

Other Players:

Kieran Gibbs, Ahmed Helgazi, Rakeem Harper, Chris Brunt, Kyle Edwards, Gareth Barry, Charlie Austin, Kenneth Zohore - not bad!

How Do We Return Home With 3 Points:

Not gonna be easy.  Don’t think we can let West Brom move the ball around without pressing and just soak up pressure.  Hope Kalas is fit, because I think he’ll stop us going deep.  Would be very tempted to bring Massengo back in for O’Dowda, to give us energy but also better technical ability to keep the ball, and help Nagy, thus freeing Brownhill.

Can see LJ playing 5 at the back but maybe not 532/5212....he might go for something like a 5311, or 5131, if you can envisage that.  One to be compact early on, but if we can keep the ball, we can cause them probs.  Not a night for cheaply turning over the ball.

Prediction:

Tough to see us getting anything (2-0 / 3-1), but hopefully a nervy Baggies performance following them losing top spot, and in front of the Sky cameras, see us get something.  I won’t be betting on it though.

[bcfc01]

Looking on the positive side...

Their last three home games have been;

WBA 2-2 Barnsley

WBA 2-2 Charlton

WBA 2-1 Sheffield W. 

Late goals against Barnsley and Wednesday.

Get the line up right and we'll give them a game.

2-2.

 

[ZiderEyed]

Every time you do one of these Dave it makes me more and more aware of the talent coming in to the Championship. Phillips and Pereira really are a terrifying prospect. Would not fancy being Tommy Rowe tomorrow night.

[Davefevs]

3 minutes ago, ZiderEyed said:

Every time you do one of these Dave it makes me more and more aware of the talent coming in to the Championship. Phillips and Pereira really are a terrifying prospect. Would not fancy being Tommy Rowe tomorrow night.

Nagy probably holds the key tomorrow with and more importantly without the ball.  But he’ll need some help.  The good thing is that Pereira doesn’t press and neither does Sawyers, not at least in a tigerish way like Livermore, so we ought to be able to play when we can.

[Highguy]

I agree they’re dangerous out wide but I personally think keeping sawyers quiet we have a decent chance of getting a result maybe have massengo given the role of keeping him quiet it would be tough test for him but i believe he’s capable of doing it and it would be a hell of a battle in midfield to watch 

[Up The City!]

I'd go for 4 atb and overload the midfield. Dont understand going 3/5 atb if they play with the one striker. I'd be tempted to go for the 41212 diamond just to overload that midfield or even a 451.

[And Its Smith]

WBA win the league quite easily in my opinion. Sawyers is unbelievable now in his newish role. So much better than the number 10 we saw at Walsall back in our league one days 

As Davefevs says their three behind the striker are very good. Pereira far too good for this division. Diangana too. 

Huddlestone can certainly be hussled if we go for it though, as can their centre backs. 

We won’t have more than 40% possession. Probably 35% so need to break well. Tough to get a point let alone three but as we well know it is possible with this division being as it is 

[Garland-sweden]

Difficaul game tonight but I think that LJ got the right starting eleven and tactic. Wonderboy should take CODs place, he is intelligent and can read the game. Last season 4-2 WBA, think LJ learned from that.

[BCFC Grim]

6 hours ago, RedDave said:

WBA win the league quite easily in my opinion. Sawyers is unbelievable now in his newish role. So much better than the number 10 we saw at Walsall back in our league one days 

As Davefevs says their three behind the striker are very good. Pereira far too good for this division. Diangana too. 

Huddlestone can certainly be hussled if we go for it though, as can their centre backs. 

We won’t have more than 40% possession. Probably 35% so need to break well. Tough to get a point let alone three but as we well know it is possible with this division being as it is 

Let's not worry about Derby just yet.......

[Major Isewater]

6 hours ago, RedDave said:

WBA win the league quite easily in my opinion. Sawyers is unbelievable now in his newish role. So much better than the number 10 we saw at Walsall back in our league one days 

As Davefevs says their three behind the striker are very good. Pereira far too good for this division. Diangana too. 

Huddlestone can certainly be hussled if we go for it though, as can their centre backs. 

We won’t have more than 40% possession. Probably 35% so need to break well. Tough to get a point let alone three but as we well know it is possible with this division being as it is 

If we’re hustling Huddlestone we are playing the wrong club and will get nothing from the Vaggies.

[And Its Smith]

1 hour ago, BCFC Grim said:

Let's not worry about Derby just yet.......

 

1 hour ago, Major Isewater said:

If we’re hustling Huddlestone we are playing the wrong club and will get nothing from the Vaggies.

Oops! Livermore. 

[cidered abroad]

21 minutes ago, RedDave said:

 

Oops! Livermore. 

Nice to know someone else is approaching senility!

[Son of Fred]

8 hours ago, Up The City! said:

I'd go for 4 atb and overload the midfield. Dont understand going 3/5 atb if they play with the one striker. I'd be tempted to go for the 41212 diamond just to overload that midfield or even a 451.

.....31411 - with Nagy in front of the back three & Weimann as 'false nine'.

[Roadrunner]

I am expecting the usual. Keep it tight lads till half time. Then 2-0 down, 3 subs at half time. Then 2-1,  everyone behind the ball hoping for a bit of luck, then 3-1 full time. Then all the usual after match excuses.Please make me out wrong. If we win i might just forgive some of the home performances. COYR.

[bcfc01]

3 minutes ago, Roadrunner said:

I am expecting the usual. Keep it tight lads till half time. Then 2-0 down, 3 subs at half time. Then 2-1,  everyone behind the ball hoping for a bit of luck, then 3-1 full time. Then all the usual after match excuses.Please make me out wrong. If we win i might just forgive some of the home performances. COYR.

Usual ?

We've only lost 2 games all season.

[The Dolman Pragmatist]

Friend of mine who supports West Brom says that Robson Kanu is in the form of his life at the moment.

[Mr Popodopolous]

Hopefully Massengo, Nagy and Brownhill will start- in whatever configuration.

Be it Brownhill nominally on the right with those 2 centrally, or Nagy in front of the back 4 with those 2 central in front- think they are needed so that a) We can create a bit of a barrier between defence and midfield and b) So that we can retain- look after- the ball when we get it. Feeling that it'll be quite important, yet for all that- we can get at them for sure, they are not the tightest defensively.

It'll be very tough though and like I say, we must look after the ball well- not something we always do- well tonight, it'll be very important.

Edit- According to one site-WBA concede 11.65 shots per game, and of those 4.18 per game on target- definitely not some watertight, impenetrable structure.

[Davefevs]

17 hours ago, Up The City! said:

I'd go for 4 atb and overload the midfield. Dont understand going 3/5 atb if they play with the one striker. I'd be tempted to go for the 41212 diamond just to overload that midfield or even a 451.

I get your sentiments here, I did wonder about it as an option...LJ may indeed have.  Gonna be interesting to see our line-up, especially after last season when he went all Red Bull Leipzig on us with his fancy 4222

8 hours ago, Robert the bruce said:

.....31411 - with Nagy in front of the back three & Weimann as 'false nine'.

I do think he’ll play Fam even if I might not, and you are thinking similar that it might not be a traditional 2 man pairing.  I’m open minded.

[WarksRobin]

21 hours ago, Roadrunner said:

I am expecting the usual. Keep it tight lads till half time. Then 2-0 down, 3 subs at half time. Then 2-1,  everyone behind the ball hoping for a bit of luck, then 3-1 full time. Then all the usual after match excuses.Please make me out wrong. If we win i might just forgive some of the home performances. COYR.

Can you predict the lottery numbers for Saturday, please?

[Mr Popodopolous]

On 27/11/2019 at 09:54, Mr Popodopolous said:

Hopefully Massengo, Nagy and Brownhill will start- in whatever configuration.

Be it Brownhill nominally on the right with those 2 centrally, or Nagy in front of the back 4 with those 2 central in front- think they are needed so that a) We can create a bit of a barrier between defence and midfield and b) So that we can retain- look after- the ball when we get it. Feeling that it'll be quite important, yet for all that- we can get at them for sure, they are not the tightest defensively.

It'll be very tough though and like I say, we must look after the ball well- not something we always do- well tonight, it'll be very important.

Edit- According to one site-WBA concede 11.65 shots per game, and of those 4.18 per game on target- definitely not some watertight, impenetrable structure.

Could be argued that each of their first 3 goals stemmed from this- we do not look after the ball well, and we haven't done so for some while!

[exAtyeoMax]

I wasn’t expecting it to be that bad