After last nights bitterley dissappointing result who out there thinks that we are down and out and who still thinks that we might be in with a fighting chance. We have got a pretty tough run in, with the likes of Southampton, Chelsea, Everton, Spurs, Liverpool, Blackburn, and Newcastle who I can't see us taking many points from but we might beat West Ham, Birmingham, Borough, Sunderland. But will 12 extra points keep us in the league this would give us 33 points in total. I'm already thinking the worst so what do you guys think.
We discussed this some in another thread. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30813 On the third page of this thread, I did a little analysis of the bottom six teams with the games they have remaining. I figured that WBA would wind up on 29 points and would be relegated. I looked at who each team has left to play at home and on the road and how those teams have done at home and on the road. It was my analysis that they will go down. Mind you, they still have to play the game. IMO, soccer is probably one of the sports LEAST suitable for statistical analysis. One fluke goal can have such a HUGE impact on the game. Compare that with football, one fluke touchdown does not have as big an impact and baseball or basketball where one fluke run or basket has very little to no impact on the overall game.
From what I've seen of West Brom this season, it seems to boil down to the fact that they just don't score enough goals. The midfield works hard, the defence is pretty solid and the keeper has been playing an absolute blinder all season, but the strikers don't seem to be able to hit a barn door between them.
You are right that they don't seem to be able to score much as they're second from bottom of the league in goals scored. But considering the fact that they're 4th from bottom of the league in goals allowed, I'm not sure you can say it's their only problem. Either the midfield is letting too many guys come through for the defense to cover -- or the defense hasn't been so solid -- or something because they're also giving up a lot of goals.
One of two things happens this weekend... The relegation race really tightens drawing Bolton and or Birmingham back into it or they pull clear and ease their worries. If Bolton & Birmingham both lose to ManU and Liverpool respectively and there's a winner in the battle of the Wests, there will be 6 teams within 4 to 7 points at the bottom and only a point or 2 separating relegation from staying up. However, if Bolton and Birmingham both win and the Wests draw, then Bolton and Birmingham are 6 & 7 points clear. Not safe by any stretch, but certainly more comfortable than being 1 or 2 clear.
Can anyone explain WHY WBA have an away kit...unless you're playing Norwich!? Sorry,pet niggle of mine! BTW Baggies fans were brilliant at Maine Road...hope you stay up!
Lets hold out for that one fluke goal. They started out strong. Perhaps we can see a flash of that to keep them above the line. Goooaaaaan the Baggies! Slap a Dingle
The point is that if they score a goal or two, they at least give themselves a chance. I'm not up on West Brom's results, but I don't remember them getting a caning every week. A goal here and there would have turned the odd narrow defeat into a draw and the odd draw into a win which would see them safe.
The home kit is white/blue its the away kit that would clash with Norwich. West brom are going down for certain by the way. Their squad simly isn't strong enough.
Yep we're down I hate to admit it but I have finally conceded we're as good as down. We gave it our all but if you can't score goals then you don't deserve to be in the premiership. Our workrate was outstanding and we gave it all in every game, but we were lacking in the final third of the field. I can't help thinking that the transfer window didn't help our cause and is always going to cause problems with any new teams getting promoted. Oh well it was nice to get there and hopefully we can come back hopefully stronger and with a better chance of staying next time.
We've been outplayed just twice this season, away at Arsenal and at home to Utd. The only difference has been the quality of finishing, and a more than a few suspect CHEATING referees. It's obvious they have a preference of team, how many teams have the ref's boss apologise to em for so many wrong decisions? After all that, we haven't got the quality, Koumas, Hoult and Roberts if he tries harder and learns how to finish could play regular Premiership football, Hoult should been in the England squad ahead of James and Wright, but that just proves the fact that the people in power look over 'smaller' teams. We were up against it from the start. The Premier League is full of arses in suits more concerned with the Arsenal and Man Utd's, even the Premiership programme has fallen for it. Every week it's Arsenal Chelsea or Utd and if they don't play it will be a London club. The F.A are gonna build Wembley in London even though the Birmingham bid was better in every way and much easier but the F.A (and the government) give it to London as usual. The Premiership is full of fakes, theres no football fans in the Premiership, even down to the 'supporters', where were the Fulham fans 10 years ago? The Chelsea fans 15 years ago? Where have United suddenly got 60,000 from? I used to rate Sunderland fans until i saw em getting a half full stadium every other week when they went s**t. Businessmen and celebrities jumping on the bandwagon, and you can always tell who they are, they still till the end if their winning but go 15 minutes early if their losing, and they never sing. The Premership needs teams like WBA, Blues, Bolton, just to add some authenticity to it.
Some very good points there mate, and if it isn't the referees its now the linesman as well that ball was so over the line against southampton and the linesman standing 5ft away couldn't be arsed to flag. It grieves me so much, if I made such obvious and blatant mistakes in my job I would be fired, and these people are supposed to be professionals. And like I said in my earlier post the poxy transfer window didn't help, megson wanted to award his players that had gained promotion and therefore gave them all a fair chance at first team places, everyone could see that Dichio, Dobie, and Hughes weren't cutting it, but by that time it was too late to get a striker in, and by the time the transfer window came round nobody wanted to come to the Albion because they didn't want to get involved in a relegation battle, had we have been able to buy earlier in the season megson would have done and maybe we wouldn't be in the situation we are in now. We have outplayed / held our own against virtually everyone in this league but still lost by the odd goal because of our finishing abilities. I think hoult should leave at the end of the season, offer himself on a plate to Arsenal as they need a replacement for seaman, and if wenger has any sense he would see that with hoult in his side he would not concede hardly any goals all season. This would also ensure hoults england call up. It would give albion some extra money to spend on forwards as I think this young kid murphy would be able to handle first team football as long as he started playing it in the first division first. I hope megson doesn't go because i think if he does he may well take koumas with him. Oh well thats my final post on this matter for a while I just wanted to get a few things off my chest.
well...given the current bottom sides' failure to pick up any wins, it's still very much in WBA's own hands in my opinion. i can see the 3rd from bottom going down with an unusually low pts total this season. however, whether or not WBA can pick up the wins they need depends a lot on their set of faltering strikers... it's touch and go but i think you'll go down :-/
On the three occasions that I got to watch Hoult played this season, he was rather shaky. Thus, I am very surprised to read about the praises piled on him on this thread. Has he been outstanding in most matches?
Hoult Hoult has been outstanding for the last two seasons, he kept a record 21 clean sheets last season admittedley in the first division, but it was only thanks to him we were promoted, and as you can imagine playing for Albion in the prem he's had twice as many shots at him than most keepers, and we've still not been embarassed by anybody except perhaps Arsenals 5-2 and then hoult couldn't do much about any of them it was just Arsenals sheer class shining through. He's strong when it comes to collecting crosses and when it comes to reaction saves I don't think there is an english keeper better than him, the only others I'd put up there in the prem are Cuducinni and Given. Put him in a top quality side like Arsenal and he'd probably break their record number of clean sheets as well. Why James got an England call up I'll never now he is terrible, I think Wright is OK but not consistent. If I were sven my first two keepers would be Robinson, and Hoult, and Wright third, forget Seaman to old now and completely forget about James he is pathetic. Kirkland might be in with a shout after he gets back from injury. Thats my honest opinion anyway.
Hoult used to be a dodgy keeper, making silly mistakes, then he joined us and he's been top class, he's made save after save this season and last that are international class, David James has made blunder after blunder he's a good shot stopper but Hoult is that too, better in the air and more commanding. Hoult has made 1 error - against Bolton but EVERY keeper makes at least one a season, unless your James who makes a dozen or more. It's disgusting how he was overlooked with England.
Albion currently sit 5 points from 17th-place Bolton, with more than a month left. Until it is mathematically impossible for us to stay up, I will cling desperately to the idea that WBA CAN remain up. Everything that has been said in this thread is very true, however. Unless we starting pumping in goals, I probably won't have to wait long for the dreaded drop to be assured.