1. The Baggies are all bouncing to the same beat.
The season is almost a third of the way through and if awards were being handed out now, Steve Clarke would be manager of the year by some distance. In his first role in the head coach hot seat, Clarke has taken West Brom to 4th in the table, a point behind Chelsea. The best thing about them being there is the manner in which they’ve won games. West Brom are organised and dependable at the back, but they play brilliant football and have a collection of strikers as good as any team outside of Manchester. Clarke is using a small squad, but he is rotating sensibly within it so that the likes of Brunt, Gera, Morrison and Odemwingie are all staying fresh. Shane Long is having a brilliant season and is regularly keeping the on loan Lukaku, who looks amazing almost every time he plays, out of the team. Indeed, the Belgian powerhouse, still just 19… looks a considerably better player than both Torres and Daniel Sturridge did this weekend. Torres is a man who now needs his own personal crisis blog, whilst Sturridge missed around 285 chances in the last half hour alone. West Brom are an extremely well run football club, and this form is a rich reward to their fans. This is not a collection of individuals, this is a team in every sense of the word. The Baggies are playing for each other and working hard for each other. Every member of that first team squad is contributing and they are showing what is possible when the whole team bounces to the same beat. They are yet to play poorly all season and their next six opponents are Sunderland, Swansea, Stoke, Arsenal, West Ham, Norwich. On this form, you wouldn’t bet on them losing any of those matches.
The season is almost a third of the way through and if awards were being handed out now, Steve Clarke would be manager of the year by some distance. In his first role in the head coach hot seat, Clarke has taken West Brom to 4th in the table, a point behind Chelsea. The best thing about them being there is the manner in which they’ve won games. West Brom are organised and dependable at the back, but they play brilliant football and have a collection of strikers as good as any team outside of Manchester. Clarke is using a small squad, but he is rotating sensibly within it so that the likes of Brunt, Gera, Morrison and Odemwingie are all staying fresh. Shane Long is having a brilliant season and is regularly keeping the on loan Lukaku, who looks amazing almost every time he plays, out of the team. Indeed, the Belgian powerhouse, still just 19… looks a considerably better player than both Torres and Daniel Sturridge did this weekend. Torres is a man who now needs his own personal crisis blog, whilst Sturridge missed around 285 chances in the last half hour alone. West Brom are an extremely well run football club, and this form is a rich reward to their fans. This is not a collection of individuals, this is a team in every sense of the word. The Baggies are playing for each other and working hard for each other. Every member of that first team squad is contributing and they are showing what is possible when the whole team bounces to the same beat. They are yet to play poorly all season and their next six opponents are Sunderland, Swansea, Stoke, Arsenal, West Ham, Norwich. On this form, you wouldn’t bet on them losing any of those matches.
2. AVB needs to be given time.
Some managers come over here and just click with the Premier League. Not just in the way their teams play, but with the fans, the media, everything. Jose Mourinho’s teams played the most lifeless, soul destroying football imaginable, yet he was adored by the media. AVB is a positive and forward thinking manager yet both with Chelsea and now Spurs, there seems to be this general sense around him of people willing him to fail. That would be a shame, because if Spurs give him time he has shown plenty of promise in turning them into a progressive, counter attacking team who can cause real problems. He has been hindered thus far, by some very bad luck. His main defender has been injured all season, his best defensive midfielder likewise and Spurs were in complete control of the match on Saturday before Emmanuel Adeboyer had his moment of madness. The fact that his tackle wasn’t malicious actually makes it even more stupid. A clear red, Adeboyer should be made to donate a month’s wages to a local charity for such a reckless act of idiocy. AVB deserves to be stuck with though, for starters his decision to go 3-4-2 second half was brave and almost paid off. The shameless MOTD highlights glossing over a twenty minute spell after the restart when Spurs were clearly the better team. Spurs didn’t deserve a 5-2 reverse and they probably don’t deserve to be just two points ahead of Liverpool in a league table that “doesn’t lie.” AVB hasn’t got everything right, the decision to make the 35 year old William Gallas captain remains mystifying, but he deserves at least a couple of years to see his style of football become a blueprint at a club famed for their attacking philosophy. At the very least, he should be allowed time to try and find the shooting boots seemingly lost in the transfer window of both Sigurdsson and Dempsey.
Some managers come over here and just click with the Premier League. Not just in the way their teams play, but with the fans, the media, everything. Jose Mourinho’s teams played the most lifeless, soul destroying football imaginable, yet he was adored by the media. AVB is a positive and forward thinking manager yet both with Chelsea and now Spurs, there seems to be this general sense around him of people willing him to fail. That would be a shame, because if Spurs give him time he has shown plenty of promise in turning them into a progressive, counter attacking team who can cause real problems. He has been hindered thus far, by some very bad luck. His main defender has been injured all season, his best defensive midfielder likewise and Spurs were in complete control of the match on Saturday before Emmanuel Adeboyer had his moment of madness. The fact that his tackle wasn’t malicious actually makes it even more stupid. A clear red, Adeboyer should be made to donate a month’s wages to a local charity for such a reckless act of idiocy. AVB deserves to be stuck with though, for starters his decision to go 3-4-2 second half was brave and almost paid off. The shameless MOTD highlights glossing over a twenty minute spell after the restart when Spurs were clearly the better team. Spurs didn’t deserve a 5-2 reverse and they probably don’t deserve to be just two points ahead of Liverpool in a league table that “doesn’t lie.” AVB hasn’t got everything right, the decision to make the 35 year old William Gallas captain remains mystifying, but he deserves at least a couple of years to see his style of football become a blueprint at a club famed for their attacking philosophy. At the very least, he should be allowed time to try and find the shooting boots seemingly lost in the transfer window of both Sigurdsson and Dempsey.
3. Mark Hughes does not.
There is no argument that can be made to keep Mark Hughes in a job. There are normally two that can be thrown into the ring when somebody is doing as appallingly as he is. They need more time… and they’re a good bloke who loves the club, so show some loyalty. Hughes has had the equivalent of a full season at QPR, and would have taken them down over the 38 games. He hasn’t won in 12 matches this season, a new league record. He doesn’t love the club, QPR owe him no loyalty. Oh… and he’s a cunt. QPR have been at worst terrible and at best average this season, but on Saturday they plumped new depths. Losing is one thing. Losing at home another. But losing to the second worst team in the league at home is something else. And QPR didn’t just lose, they were battered. If Jason Puncheon had been more prolific, Saints could easily have won by 5 or 6. As I write this, Hughes is still in a job. That cannot be allowed to still be the case by the time next weekend comes around.
There is no argument that can be made to keep Mark Hughes in a job. There are normally two that can be thrown into the ring when somebody is doing as appallingly as he is. They need more time… and they’re a good bloke who loves the club, so show some loyalty. Hughes has had the equivalent of a full season at QPR, and would have taken them down over the 38 games. He hasn’t won in 12 matches this season, a new league record. He doesn’t love the club, QPR owe him no loyalty. Oh… and he’s a cunt. QPR have been at worst terrible and at best average this season, but on Saturday they plumped new depths. Losing is one thing. Losing at home another. But losing to the second worst team in the league at home is something else. And QPR didn’t just lose, they were battered. If Jason Puncheon had been more prolific, Saints could easily have won by 5 or 6. As I write this, Hughes is still in a job. That cannot be allowed to still be the case by the time next weekend comes around.
4. Sometimes you just need luck to reverse your fortunes.
Sunderland have been in dire form this season, scoring just seven goals in ten matches and playing some truly rubbish football along the way. At Fulham yesterday they were organised and disciplined, but didn’t show any signs of being able to win the game until Brede Hangeland’s harsh red card. From there, with Fulham committed to already having three strikers on the pitch, they slowly but surely worked themselves into the game before finally hitting Jol’s adventurous team on the break. Eventually winning 3-1, nobody can convince me that they would have won that game had Fulham kept 11 men on the pitch. Sometimes though, you need that little bit of luck to kick start a season and Stephane Sessegnon’s sublime strike was everything he needed and more to get his confidence and form back up to the sort of levels he was showing last year. Sunderland now have a very winnable run of fixtures and, in a bunched league, they remain 3 points off relegation and 6 off a European spot. More pleasingly for Mackems everywhere, is that they’re only 2 points behind Newcastle. A club who in their own, unique style, have spent the last two months mocking Sunderland relentlessly whilst somewhat failing to notice the chronic lack of form that has inherited their own team.
Sunderland have been in dire form this season, scoring just seven goals in ten matches and playing some truly rubbish football along the way. At Fulham yesterday they were organised and disciplined, but didn’t show any signs of being able to win the game until Brede Hangeland’s harsh red card. From there, with Fulham committed to already having three strikers on the pitch, they slowly but surely worked themselves into the game before finally hitting Jol’s adventurous team on the break. Eventually winning 3-1, nobody can convince me that they would have won that game had Fulham kept 11 men on the pitch. Sometimes though, you need that little bit of luck to kick start a season and Stephane Sessegnon’s sublime strike was everything he needed and more to get his confidence and form back up to the sort of levels he was showing last year. Sunderland now have a very winnable run of fixtures and, in a bunched league, they remain 3 points off relegation and 6 off a European spot. More pleasingly for Mackems everywhere, is that they’re only 2 points behind Newcastle. A club who in their own, unique style, have spent the last two months mocking Sunderland relentlessly whilst somewhat failing to notice the chronic lack of form that has inherited their own team.
5. Harry Redknapp needs a job.
I’m not Harry Redknapp’s biggest admirer, mainly because he’s a criminal and a West Ham fan. But he is an extremely entertaining manager. He plays good, attacking football with an almost casual disregard for defending and his transfer dealings, whilst clearly illegal, never stop being fun to talk about. What Harry isn’t, is a football pundit. He meanders around the point just saying “we tried to sign him” or “I like the look of him” over and over again. The man doesn’t give a shit about analysis, he just wants to be back in the game. Will somebody please throw the old dog a bone…
I’m not Harry Redknapp’s biggest admirer, mainly because he’s a criminal and a West Ham fan. But he is an extremely entertaining manager. He plays good, attacking football with an almost casual disregard for defending and his transfer dealings, whilst clearly illegal, never stop being fun to talk about. What Harry isn’t, is a football pundit. He meanders around the point just saying “we tried to sign him” or “I like the look of him” over and over again. The man doesn’t give a shit about analysis, he just wants to be back in the game. Will somebody please throw the old dog a bone…
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