West Bromwich Albion 3 Cardiff City 3
Albion saved themselves from a second home Championship defeat of the season as they pulled off a thrilling last gasp comeback in a Hawthorns classic.
Albion were 2-0 and 3-1 behind but they rescued a point in the 88th minute through Roger Johnson’s own goal.
The Baggies were behind from the first minute when Paul Parry fired Cardiff ahead with the opening attack of the game.
But the Hawthorns witnessed another thrilling clash as the Baggies twice fought back to within one goal of their in-form opponents.
However, it was the defensive deficiencies of Tony Mowbray’s team that almost cost them as they were caught wide open at the back by an energetic Cardiff side.
There were just 29 seconds on the clock when Paul Parry put Cardiff in front with a chip that seemed to take a deflection but it looped over Dean Kiely and dropped into the net.
Albion piled on the pressure but on 33 minutes they found themselves 2-0 behind when Parry ghosted past Pele before finishing superbly from a tight angle.
It took the Baggies just two minutes to halve the lead as Roman Bednar headed his 10th goal for the club from a Jonathan Greening free kick.
And a comeback looked to be on the cards before Joe Ledley made it 3-1 when he picked up a rebound off Leon Barnett and finished cooly.
Albion threw caution to the wind, often leaving Leon Barnett and Martin Albrechtsen two-on-two at the back.
And they opened up the possibility of a likely draw when Martin Albrechtsen headed their second goal, converting a left wing cross from Chris Brunt despite desperate attempts at a goalline clearance from three Cardiff defenders.
The comeback was completed with two minutes of normal time to go when Johnson sliced into his own net from Zoltan Gera’s cross.
Albion fans have your say below
38 Comments
Well done today lads! Think at times we’ve played alot better but today West Brom showed the desire and determination to get back into the game and earn a good point.
Albion fans were great today and our singing and drumming helped, well probably got us back in the game.
A game of two halves! The defence needs seriously sorting Albrectson looks so much more comfortable operating in the centre.
We still lack a commanding defender, someone who can break up play when necessary. Brunt is much better when given the task of supplying crosses for the forwards. Miller looked sluggish and Bednar ought to be the automatic choice alongside Phillips. Our fans were great in the second half - why aren’t we always so supportive? The delaying tactics used by Cardiff to break up the rhythm of the game were awful to see. Justice then, when the third goal came off one of theirs.
To any fellow Baggies out there that still believe we don’t need to strengthen at the back… how many more goals are we going to give away?
It’s the 19th January and we still haven’t been linked with a decent defender.
Utterly unbelievable.
Why gamble with our future, Mr Peace?
what a game
Fantastic match, the atmosphere was great, shame we couldn’t win it at the end. I thought that some of the Cardiff fanswere a disgrace to football.
When TM moved Alby into the centre of defence we looked so much better at the back, his pace is priceless. Pele was poor for both goals. Lets see Alby start at centre back next game, anyone agree???
Is there a worse midfielder in this league than Texiera ? He tried to nutmeg a Cardiff player in our own half, and failed miserably. The next Baggies player to touch the ball was Keily taking it out of the back of the net. He cant ( or wont) tackle and is too lightweight. With him and Koren of a similar build, we cannot stand up to teams like Cardiff / Stoke. Please Mr Peace, back the manager with some of that cash you’ve made on transfer deals out.
The baggies will have to tighten the defence if we are to be promoted to the premiership, the defence today was no where to be seen,we need a steady centre half who can put his foot on the ball and stop all the panic .We should go for big dave,he would do a good job for us this season,then we can rebuild in the summer when we are in the premeirship.Scoring goals is no trouble, as was seen today,bednar will turn out to be a better centre forward than millar so we will have good cover if millar goes back to city at the end of the season a 3-3 draw was about the right result today,the way we played in the first half i thought it was going to be another 2-4 to Cardiff
Classic case of Baggies not getting out of bed for Cardiff’s opener. We feared the worst as the Defence ball watched three goals. I’ve seen better from my Sunday morning team. Mowbray must buy in this window. Tremendous fighting come-back after the break but not sure how long we can keep getting out of jail. The Bluebirds couldn’t score for toffee in the second half. My mate has only been twice this season and has seen 11 goals. There’s no doubt that The Hawthorns guarantees entertainment better than you’d see at the cinema or theatre this season. But I’d swap the high drama for a clean sheet in a 1 nil win just once in a while.
Don’t get TM’s team selections sometimes.Gera must start,he is on fire.How can Miller start ahead of Bednar?TM has brought great football to the Hawthorns but some of his selections border on the bizarre!
Come on JP, it’s time to make Roman Bednar permanent.
we sure missed robbo,defence all over the place,cardiffs tactics where a digrace,gera came on and changed the game,we need more effort out of brunt,but to come from 2-0 down and 3-1 down shows great character and spirit we going up as champions no problem,boing boing
a great game spoiled by cardiffs time wasting tactics we showed great fight never gave up could have won it late on,teams cant beat us when there 3-1 up against us so whos going to stop us,prem here we come boing boing
THESE GUYS CAN STILL SCORE THREE EVEN WHEN UNDER THE COSH, HOPE WOLVES CAN HANG ONTO THEIR SHIRTS TAILS, GREAT FOR THE BLACK COUNTRY IF WE WENT UP TOGETHER.
JAMIE LANYON HOLIDAY PARK CORNWALL
big dave can leave derby lets go get him he will do a job for us till end of season, boing boing
Kent Wolf.
I’m sure you’ll be on here reading this. Why do you come on here wishing the Albion the best and hoping we’ll win then going back on your own site and gloating that we’re losing. We don’t need you to love us, by all means come on here but say what you think. I suppose that’s why it didn’t surprise me to see that you’ve gone pro Mick to anti Mick and then yesterday back to Super Mick when the Wolves went two up.
This ‘dwelling on the ball’ in defence and zany back passing to the goalkeeper cannot continue at this rate or, should we gain promotion, we shall concede a frightening number of goals. Pele in particular can have what overall is a competent match yet make 3 or 4 errors so elementary that I wonder which planet he’s moved to. I am loath to blame Barnett as he is brave and willing but does need guidance during a match. This is not to take anything from Cardiff who had 3 shots ON target and scored 3 goals and as they hadn’t let a goal in this year, we did well to score 3. Damn good entertainment, but this pairing is not the one I prefer.
its unbelievable that people come on here and say “in mowbray we trust” but as soon as we drop a few points they question his team selections.
the squad is fine as it is and just get behind the lads for the rest of the season…the premier league is in touching distance now!!!
Simple Really ! Team selection - we have such a good squad it really is a case of every Albion fan being able to pick a different team but each with a great cahnce of winning a game but from Cardiff I’d change a few things..
Bring back Robbo from suspension, Ceasar and Albrechtson in the centre and hoefkins on the right.
Pele is no more than makeshift at the back.
I’d also drop Texiera. His distribution was poor today. I think Morrison and Brunt should both start and so should Bednar instead of Miller. He may not have the pace but he does have the goalden touch right now.
I don’t think the defensive frailities are lost on TM but I do think of all the areas in the game this is where he struggles the most which is strange since he used to play centre back!
Keep the faith. We showed some spirit out there to recover from 3-1. With Robbo or Megson the game would have been over there and then.
No 5, Gt Barr Baggie.
Id have to agree with you. It was probably the one of the most exciting games ive ever been to. For me the change came when alby moved to centre, and he would be in my starting back 4, along with Robbo, Cesar and hoff. That back 4 is as good as most, but i think for the next stage of our progress we will need to streghthen the back and give better cover. might see you at the nxt game, where do you sit in the smethwick ?
yes Tex had a bad game but so did the back 4 in general, how come no one has critised Greening today he had a mare his passing was tripe, he needs a rest.
The way we play, it seems everything has to go through jonno when we have posession every one is looking to bring him in and it slows our attack up. Brunty needs to go it alone get to the byeline and whip those crosses in not stopping and putting the ball back.
A great fightback and I echo the points about the defence. TM does not make many errors of judgement but Alberchtsen is not a left back and Clemnt should have played. I don’t agree about bringing Big Dave in, a great servant but not good enough for us now. Pele has looked OK but in this game his laid back approach caught him out.
The first half was utter rubbish. The defence is a shambles, we badly need a quality centre half and get rid of the wasters we have. Why play Albrechtson at left back when he’s then best centre back we have? As much as I love the attacking football, some of Mowbray’s decisions astonish me. And why on earth have we signed Macdonald, can anyone tell me? I think unless it’s sorted the defence could cost us promotion and we’ll never have a better chance than this. Sort it out Albion.
Why didn’t gera start against Cardiff, when he came on in the second half it was a different game,Itwas the same when we played them in the league cup,2-0 down before we had started.
when greening plays bad we struggle,,gera must be on from the start he is playing superb,,alby in the centre,,bedner to start now millers injured and its job done,,we ARE GOING UP IN STYLE,,90 POINTS AND CHAMPIONS,,,OH YES
Lets not be overly negative ladies and gentlemen.
The Hull and the Cardiff matches are the type of games that twelve months ago we would have lost. We are showing the type of resilience that wins teams promotion.
I agree that Gera should’ve started instead of Tex, as we look a more solid midfield unit. For me, Gera is playing as well as ever, especially when sharing the pitch with Brunt. Tex CAN tackle/track back and does so far more than Koumas ever did, there must be a hundred midfielders less talented players in this league.
I think Mowbray is picking Miller over Bednar because he wants to sign them both, but thinks he has a more difficult job persuading Miller, hence the starting role. Ishmael may as well not start for Man City, as not start for us???
Yes Big Dave would do a job for us until the end of the season, but don’t we owe a Hawthorns hero a bit more than that. He should sign as a player then become our defensive coach. I’ve said before we lost more than just a defender when Robbo gave him away to Derby. Billy Davies was able to build a promotion winning side based on the foundation of the strength and stability of Darren Moore.
Thank the lord for Robinsons timely return. I’d have Albrechtson and Cesar as my first choice centre backs and drop Pele and Barnett.
Mr Chairman… We need a Goalie, a Centre back, another striker for backup and please please please a ball winning midfielder. We have still never replaced McKinnes.
Boing-Boing
15 The Real Bully:
It might have escaped your attention, but all the anti-Baggies comments are always posted by Wolves fans,all the anti-Wolves comments are not posted by Baggies fans & occasionally I believe some people use my name in vain as they do sometimes with Happy_baggie.
As a boy I used to go to The Hawthorns one week then The Molyneux the next.I then married a Wolves fan!I also saw West Brom beat Coventry 7-1 & lose to Ipswich 7-0.
My point?
Not ALL the posts using my name are made by me.
Not all Albion fans are idiots.
Not all Wolves fans idiots.Just a small minotiry in both cases.
WBA for Champions.
Wolves to get promoted via Play Offs.
Comment 26:
but all the anti-Baggies comments should’ve read ” but not all the anti-Baggies comments”
One word omitted, please accept my apologies
Kent Wolf.
For some reason my reply has appeared on todays transfer news page.
Baggie Bill
Agreed mate, the knee jerk reaction
from some quarters is quite frankly
very OTT.
I am not saying i was happy with our
defensive performance,
but to say, as one fan did
“we will get nowhere with these clowns” is harsh in the extreme.
I personally would like to see changes, maybe Cesar & Alby, definitely look at the keeper situation, but i would certainly fall well short of total condemnation
of certain players, because i believe that have served us well thus far.
Special mention to the fans in general and the Smethwick in particular, the…when the stripes go marching…..was awesome.
Agree with a lot of what’s been said on here re the defence not working well, Robbo return plus hopefully Cesar and Alby in the middle should sort that out. Another keeper and CD a must, ‘we have no money’ just won’t wash Mr Peace, if Stoke can afford to buy 2 million pound defenders surely we can, we are not up yet and should we fail the only person to blame will be the chairman.
One other thing, stop knocking Tex, he hasn’t had many first team games lately then played 120 minutes on Tuesday, he is a tremendous player.
Great battling performance, a game we would have lost 4-1 last season. Few thoughts: -
1. Gera is suspended for the Peterborough game. He should have played the 112 minutes to give one of the the other midfielders a rest (especially with his current form).
2. Bednar is scoring, working and interested when we haven’t got the ball. He should be starting ahead of Miller.
3. Bad day at the office for Greening, but the first one he’s had for a LONG time. Distribution was poor and needs a rest, should start on the bench on Saturday.
4. We need an experienced centre half, an old head who can calm things down and the youngsters like Barnett can learn from. A Sol Campbell or Sami Hypia type. Until then, start with Cesar and Albrechsten in the middle and Hoefkins and Robbo as full backs.
5. Watford’s game plan has been figured out, that’s why they’ve blown an 8 point lead, and ours will be eventually. Only three times have we failed to score this season, but eventually we will hit a lean patch so we need to shore up at the back for the games where we can’t get a goal.
Come on baggies fans. A poor start but a great battle back to get a point that most of us would have been happy with before the game. Some of the posts on here are all doom and gloom and would be better suited to the Wolves page. We’re much stronger than last season, both in team and position (we had 46 pts, were 4th and 7 pts adrift) and with last six run in of Colchester, Blackpool, Watford, Norwich, Southampton, QPR, we need to keep the faith, believe and keep backing the team.
Due to work commitments I was unable to attend on sat - gutted as it seems like a great match - I couldn’t even listen to commentary. However, having read some of the comments on here I feel impelled to post something i read from a boggie fan on another site…
“Just remind me we are top of the table aren’t we?
BTW Whilst everyone is Shouting and Bleating about our defence.
Goals Conceded Top 10
WBA 35, Watford 36, Bristol 34, Stoke 35, C.Palace 27, Charlton 33, Ipswich 37, Cardiff 35, Burnley 36, Wolves 26.
To add to the idiocy I have an idea: Let’s Sack Mowbray,Get Mick McCarthy Sell the Midfield ( Should fetch some good money) Buy 5 Gorilla’s for the back that are technically inept but can boss the defence and hit an 80 yard ball, get Wallwork and Chaplow back to play holding Midfielders, Play Kev or Bednar on their own up front, Stop the full backs over and underlapping, go Route 1, cut the passing and entertaining football out.
Because LET’S FACE IT WE REALLY, REALLY NEED TO SORT THE TEAM OUT.
I mean we are top of the league with 3 points clear and +27 Goals.We have conceded one more goal than Bristol, and two more than Charlton, the same as Stoke and Cardiff, 1 less than Watford and Burnley and 2 less than Ipswich. I can see why people are so pessimistic, I mean Wolves and Palace have only conceded 26 and 27 Goals respectively perhaps WE should be more like Wolves then we can be tenth and watch xxxx week in week out (not my words the words of my Wolves Mates) and then all the idiots on these Boards will be Happy.
BTW Before everyone keeps banging on about how bad we were saturday, and how we need to do this and need to do that. Well if you were there and if you look at the Stats for the game. I think it’s fair to say in the final analysis we should have WON, and that was down to the excellent tactical and strategical changes made by the manager which would NEVER have happened under Robson or for that matter under HRH Gary Megson. I could elaborate but won’t because I would be wasting my time with 75% of the wannabe’s that come on here”.
So to all those fans who want Big Dave back - or think that we should be doing different somehow… be careful what you wish for !
Impelled ???
I of course meant “compelled”… sorry for inventing new words !
happy baggie totally agree with you, well said, the only point i would like to make is, do you not think that Pele is a liability at the back, ok he has put in some good shifts but when he makes and error!! boy is it an error!!! i think we should play alby at the back and get in a new keeper, keily didnt have his best game on saturday to be fair… ok he was great against hull, double saves and that but he needs to be consistent
Baggiboy - yes, my preferred pairing would be Albre & Cesar at the back - but Cesar was ill and Albre was covering for robbo… I’m sure when TM can choose from a full and fit squad those may be his choice too.
Pele has done really well this year in a new team and a new position (he was mainly midfield at S’ton) - barnett is also developing so i don’t see the need to go and buy another CB (especially Big Dave).
we also need to plan for replacing Deanno long term - but again, i think we are well covered for this season so no panic there either.
Happy.
Agree with pretty much everything you said on here but I know where some of the faint hearts having a go were coming from. Cardiff looked like scoring every time they crossed the half way line in the first half. Full credit to the lads though after the changes we swamped them, Gera was immense as were most of the others. As I said on another entry Tex has been out a while and after the mid week exertions didn’t seem as sharp as usual, while Koren and Greening both looked tired. Didn’t know Cesar was sick which explains a lot, look forward to normal service being resumed with him and Robbo back. Still like to see another keeper come in and a CB, even if it’s only a loan, we need the cover. We must not throw away the position we’re in. I want to win the championship not go up as runners up, TM and the playes deserve it.
Nerve tingling in the extreme. I was hoarse for 2 days afterwards.
I never thought we would pull it off, and the defensive howlers were apalling.
BUT WHAT A TACTICIAN we have in Mowbray. I have lived long enough to witness the thrilling days under @champagne@ big ron, and can say that these days, we have a baggies team that is producing wonderstuff of the type never to have been witnessed at the hawthorns.
Its costing me to keep up with this rennaisance, as I live predominantly in Norway////but what the hell, this is incredibly unmissable. Champions elect, the best form of defence is attack, as my regiment taught me.
Totally agree with happy baggie. Tony Mowbray is a bloody great manager - lord we could be watching stoke, watford, sheffield utd, palace etc.. week in week out. These teams and most in this division play uninspired percentage football (and lets be honest - so does half the premiership). Thank our lucky stars. Like pete pandaar (37) says this is dream football at the Hawthorns - better than Big Ron and up there with some of the stuff we played under Giles. 1-0 every week? Maybe some would take that - I loved it under Megson - but this is far better! We are top and on course for over a hundred goals….what exactly needs changing?