Albion’s derby heroes look set to play on at Norwich tomorrow despite the Baggies facing their sixth match in 18 days.
Manager Tony Mowbray has hinted he could name an unchanged side for third straight game, moving away from the rotation policy he has employed for most of the season.
The Baggies boss believes the time is now right to pick his strongest team for every match instead of saving players for future fixtures.
“We’ve got to a stage of the season where we have to go for it,” said Mowbray.
“If people break down they miss two games, as opposed to 20 games or six weeks. We will keep going.
“The fear is that injuries catch up with players when you keep asking them to go back to the well.
“But we are at a stage where you can’t be thinking of saving somebody for a few weeks time.
“You have to keep going and if you do get a few injuries you hope you’ve got enough quality to replace those players.
“There may be a few changes but the areas of the pitch where I have options are where I tend to change things around.
“The back five generally stays the same, it tends to be the wide midfielders and the strikers where we freshen things up. That’s where the physical demands are quite great.”
And Mowbray has scaled down the intensity of training in a bid to preserve his players’ fitness for the final three matches of the season, starting at Carrow Road tomorrow.
“Anyone who watched training yesterday will have seen that we just kept them ticking along,” he said.
“We let them touch the ball, gave them a 15-minute five-a-side and finished. You don’t tax them, you just keep them ticking along.
“We show them in classrooms what opposition teams do rather than taking them onto the training ground and practice it.”
22 Comments
TM’s policy of saving certain players for future games has been the right decision - we are top because of it.
However he’s not gonna continue it with only three games to go is he.
May I suggest it is all about picking players to win football matches - and may i suggest that he’s got it just about right.
Hope to sit in a Norwich bar tomorrow and watch the Stoke game in the knowledge that the best they can do is get within 2 points of us. Even better if Hull fall down at Sheffield
When you read the press release’s from certain other managers and then read what TM has to say, you understand how we come to be sitting on top of the table!
When you read the press releases from certain other mangers , and then read TM’s views it becomes blindingly obvious why we are sitting on top of the league.
Echo I guess
3,4) It was worth saying twice mate!
Wizards - you wouldn’t be alluding to a certain “chest thumpers” comment would you ?
1. Happy are you TM in disguise he suggest’s alot in interviews..
If you are anychance of another 2 tickets for QPR “o” powerful one… lol
Baggie Boy - may i suggest that even I can’t find any more tickets for ANY of our remaining football matches.
However I suggest that will give us an atmosphere condusive to progressive football.
If that means it’s going to be boinging then yes you may suggest it.
anyway off to dunk my chocolate suggestive biscuit in my coffee
cappuchino now champagne soon gents!
Mark.
I’ll drink to that pal!.
I would suggest that the players at our football club are all aware of what they need to do and would also suggest that they will get enough points to take us where we want to be.
Posting on the E&S the Mowbray way suggestively, of course.
I would suggest you lads have got it just about right!
I am just loving being a Baggie!! So Proud!!
Last season was good, but this season has been great and I feel I have had total value for money. Yes we have had our blips but in the main we have played the kind of football to make others sit up and take notice.
Three to go now fella’s, lets just do it in style!! The Mowbray Way!!!
Up the Baggies!!
Can we club together and hire a plane for Norwich?
I hate the bl**dy drive there but I am sure that the return will be uplifting enough not to have to fly back by plane
Happy you mean a certain grey (soon to go greyer or bald) Manager who inhabits a different world to the rest of the Dark Side?
Great news I dont have to drive to Norwich time to get out The Good Pub Guide methinks
Listening to you lot playing pat a cake with each other is nauseating! I’m off.
Yes baggies lets have the same again and go up in style
What’s TM say?-’We let them touch the ball,gave ‘em 15 minutes’ and ‘We showed them in classrooms what to do’.He must of mixed up Albion’s training session with his comments on the wulfs the other night.
Well…..this is a tuff one, so why dont we ask the Bookies. To winn the title: Wba 8/11. Hull 7/2. Stoke 4/1. Bristol 12/1. Watford 14/1. The Bookies never get it wrong…or do they ?? THINK 4 POINTS COULD BE ENOUGH FOR WBA. That means Hull and Stoke needs 7p and Bristol 9p to beat us, due to our better goaldiff, and 2 of the 3 needs to beat us. And as you know, Stoke plays Bristol today, so both of these teams cant make it. So a draw in that game means Bristol is out, and Stoke needs 2 more winns, + Hull to get a min. of 7 points. So if, and if, and if…Just get 6 points in the next 2 games, even if I think 4 could do. Please Baggies. Danish Baggie
Gentlemen, gentlemen, temper your hilarity with a modicum of reserve. There’s still 3 games to go and we ain’t won nuthin’ yet! Roar ‘em on for those of us stuck at home listening.